New York-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Will Lawrence will be coming to the Queen City for an intimate performance at the Loon Wine Bar in Northside. Traveling from his home state with stops along the way in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Lawrence is currently touring behind his fifth studio album, Rooftops in the Centerfold, released this past September. Lawrence, who has played with The Felice Brothers and Louisville native Ryan Davis, sounds particularly confident and composed on Rooftops. The songs evince a precision, a perfectionism – yet Lawrence never slips into the studio obsessiveness of, say, Steely Dan.

The album ranges from solo numbers like opener “Unbound,” a delicately fingerpicked reflection on a relationship coming apart like “a book found in a bar,” to a more full-band sound on the standout track “Only a Dream I Had.” Lush harmony vocals lift with airy woodwinds as a jazzy saxophone winds through the chorus. The gentle vocal melodies and warm major-seventh chords recall Kings of Convenience at times, but Lawrence has carved out his own voice while still tipping his hat to the ‘60s troubadours who paved the way. Lyrically, elemental words – rain, moon, love, teardrops, dreams – match the tone of the music perfectly. There is a melancholic wistfulness running through Lawrence’s work, like waking from a dream feeling somewhere between happy and sad.

Opening the evening is Cincinnati duo Yokefellow. The duo is a natural counterpart to Lawrence’s music. Songwriter Ryan Wells crafts poetic, folky tunes about wayward love and friendships lost, with a slight psychedelic bent, as if Mickey Newbury were backed by Brian Eno. Additionally, they’ll be joined by Matthew Wallenhorst of pity xerox on woodwinds and saxophone, adding a warm, textural shimmer to their sound.

The Loon is a fitting setting for these two acts. Small, relaxed and unhurried, The Loon is the kind of place where you can actually sit down and listen. So swing by, settle in with a glass of wine, and let the evening drift gently along, like a dream you’ll carry with you for a while.

Will Lawrence plays The Loon on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. More info: theloonwinebar.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Nov. 12 print edition.

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Growing up in the ’90s in a white, lower middle class family, names like Tecumseh, Crazy Horse and Geronimo felt as familiar as Michael Jordan or Brad Pitt. My dad introduced me to Native American history through powwows, visits to Fort Ancient and movies like Dances With Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans. Only as an adult did I revisit that childhood fascination and recognize how problematic those cinematic depictions often were. It wasn’t until I began reading Native scholars and writers such as David Treuer, Philip J. Deloria, James Welch and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson that I developed a deeper appreciation and understanding of Native American cultures.

Before attending the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Convergence in Cincinnati, I knew the concept of “survivance” only as a literary idea; a term used by certain Native writers to describe the endurance of Native identity through storytelling. But witnessing the weekend’s events brought that concept vividly to life.

Anishinaabe writer Gerald Vizenor gave new meaning to the term survivance in 1993 with Manifest Manners: Narratives on Postindian Survivance. Vizenor defined survivance as an active presence and the continuance of Native stories — renunciations of dominance, tragedy and victimhood. Survivance was certainly on display during the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Convergence, a celebration of Native identity and tradition held at various Cincinnati locations over the weekend of Oct. 10-13. Hosted by Urban Native Collective, the festival began on the evening of Oct. 10 at the Contemporary Arts Center, where Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape artist Leonard Harmon curated an eclectic exhibit of Indigenous art.

Native artists from diverse tribes across the United States displayed their work in the exhibit, each highlighting their own unique heritage and artistic vision. Two large portraits of Native women by Hoopa Valley Reservation painter Don Bailey, as well as a woven cap by Siletz/Yurok artist Chantele Rilatos, crafted from spruce roots and bear grass, were standout pieces. Delaware/Cherokee artist Holly Wilson also had several works on display, one of which, Spectrums Within Under Our Skin, consists of 144 small sculptures of girls in twelve colors of the rainbow, all made entirely of crayon. The piece explores the conflicting identities Wilson feels as both a Native and white person. As she wrote for the Volland Foundation:

“Growing up, I felt more times than I care to count that I was not enough of one or the other, and that pull made me question all parts of myself. If I did not look like ____ could I be ____? Where did I fit in if I was not a part of this or that group?”

After viewing the gallery, guests were entertained by DJ Creeping Bear and treated to traditional Indigenous food — cedar maple tea, buffalo meatballs, succotash and more — provided by the Indigenous Chef. The evening concluded with a performance by Copper Face United Powwow Dancers. Each dancer was introduced with a brief history of the dance and its meaning, such as the Omaha grass dance, in which the dancer mimics the fluid movements of prairie grass buffeted by the wind. Another, the Ojibwe jingle dress dance, featured small metal cones attached to the dancer’s dress, creating a rhythmic jingling sound as she moved to the thunderous drums and impassioned singing.

The following two days included an artist speaker series at the Aronoff Center and a traditional Chamoru basket-weaving class facilitated by Roquin-Jon Quichocho Siongco. Events like these feel especially meaningful in Ohio, a state where Native presence has long been written out of public memory.

Ohio is one of only fifteen states without a reservation, and many of us likely grew up far removed from our own Indigenous history, learning it, if at all, through conquest narratives like those popularized by Ohio writer Allan Eckert. Eckert authored the famous outdoor plays Tecumseh! — still produced in Chillicothe — and Blue Jacket, which ran from 1974 to 2010. Eckert infamously mixed fact with fiction, heightening the sense of drama in his historical narratives and endorsing the now-debunked myth that Blue Jacket was a white man raised as a Shawnee. A sense of finality pervades his best-known work, the seven-volume Winning of America series. Indeed, the seventh volume, Twilight of Empire, seems to suggest that Sauk chief Black Hawk represented the last gasp of Native resistance against the tide of American expansion. And in 1830, when the last of Ohio’s tribes – Shawnee, Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, and Ottawa – were removed to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma and Kansas), a forced removal historian Mary Stockwell has called “the other Trail of Tears,” their history and memory seemed to vanish with them.

Of course, Native cultures have always thrived and will continue to do so, something historians today are quick to point out. Academic and historian Stephen Warren has written two histories of the Shawnee people, from pre-contact to post-removal, emphasizing how resilient they have been throughout history and how they have maintained their identity and traditions in spite of a nation that sought to erase them.

Perhaps one of the more pernicious myths in American history is that of the “Vanishing Indian,” a myth often endorsed by well-intentioned people who, having never met a “real Indian,” simply assume they no longer exist. This is why the Urban Native Collective provides such a vital corrective to that stereotype. Not only do Native people still exist, they continue to thrive and reinvent themselves within urban settings like Cincinnati.

That sense of community was palpable on the final day of the celebration, coinciding appropriately with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Held at Hoffner Park in Northside, the event invited the public to partake in a banquet of Indigenous food, enjoy another performance by Copper Face United, and even take home a piece of Native art, such as Navajo quilt wall décor or a Cherokee creation myth print. Looking around, one could see the wide variety of Native peoples and their singular contributions to American history. They gathered in a spirit of celebration and education, in a city that once pushed them out, and yet, for many, never stopped being home.

In that moment, the spirit of survivance was unmistakable; an active presence and living continuation of Native story and identity in the heart of Cincinnati.

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On Sept. 25, local guitarist Rob Mohan will join Glenn Jones of Cul De Sac for a special solo performance at SWELL Art Cafe, an art space set to open later this month in Camp Washington.

Mohan released his debut album, A Sign of Things to Come, a collection of eleven 6- and 12-string guitar pieces, in late August. It’s a gorgeous and self-assured record. For those who have heard him around Northside at spots like The Comet or Tillie’s, Mohan’s ability to captivate an audience is already well known. On A Sign of Things to Come, some pieces unfold slowly, like flowers opening, the drone of his 12-string carrying the full weight of each somber strum as notes vibrate and fade like ripples across disturbed water. Others dive directly into a bright melodic phrase, like the fittingly titled “Glenn’s Tune.” Dedicated to Jones, the track mimics his distinctive use of multiple capos on different frets to create hybrid tunings.

There are subtle nods to John Fahey throughout. Just as Dostoevsky claimed that all Russian writers emerged from Gogol’s overcoat, one could say all solo acoustic players emerge from Fahey’s shadow. The album also gestures toward landscapes and journeys with evocative titles like “The Avenue of Giants” and “The Great Golden Coast.” It ends with the brooding, seven-minute title track, which dissolves into the sound of an eerie wind. If this is a sign of things to come, the future may appear bleak. Yet, through Mohan’s music, a glimmer of hope cuts through the darkness.

Jones, meanwhile, has been shaping the world of solo acoustic guitar for decades. Best known for his work in the experimental rock group Cul De Sac during the ’90s and early 2000s, he has also built an acclaimed solo career with records like The Wanting and Fleeting, showcasing nimble fingerpicking and a style that moves between folk purity and raga-like improvisation. With his most recent album, Vade Mecum (2022), Latin for “come with me,” Jones invites listeners to join him on an exploratory, semi-autobiographical journey through song. 

Additionally, Mohan and Jones will be joined by fellow guitarist and Boston native Liam Grant, whose excellent Prodigal Son was released in February of this year. Grant’s music moves fluidly between traditional folk and droning, overdriven improvisations, making his set well worth experiencing live.

Not knowing, prodigal sons and fleeting signs of things to come — Mohan, Jones and Grant all work within this space of mystery, crafting music as quiet revelations of the spirit. Together at SWELL Art Cafe, they promise an evening where the unknown becomes not a source of fear, but of beauty, curiosity and renewal.

Rob Mohan, Glenn Jones and Liam Grant play SWELL Art Cafe on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.. More info: swellartcafe.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Sept. 17 print edition.

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Indie folk veterans The Avett Brothers are stopping in Newport this September.

With over two decades of music under their belts, The Avett Brothers show no sign of slowing down. Their 2024 self-titled release continues their evolution through a mix of folk, country, indie, punk and bluegrass. On the record, each style shines. Take, for instance, the slow-burning, seven-minute ballad “Cheap Coffee,” which follows the almost pop-punk energy of “Love Of A Girl,” a track that seems to nod to Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up” and Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”

Prior to their self-titled album, the band was busy with Swept Away, the Tony-nominated musical built around songs from 2004’s Mignonette. The production tells the haunting tale of a 19th-century whaling crew shipwrecked at sea — a tale of love, adventure and even cannibalism.

In the early aughts and 2010s, folk was experiencing a major resurgence, with Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers leading the way with their signature “stomp clap” sound paired with anthemic vocals and aggressively strummed acoustic guitars. And with the ubiquity of wide-brimmed hats, Wellingtons, suspenders, beards and button-downs, it was clear that indie folk had entered the mainstream. In 2008, The Avett Brothers stepped forward with their major label debut, I and Love and You, produced by Rick Rubin. The album smoothed out some of the band’s rougher edges, leaning into a more accessible pop-inflected sound. Its title track showed just how deftly the band is able to balance sweet sentiment without managing to sound saccharine.

Listening back now, there’s a certain nostalgia in lyrics like “Your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected,” a reminder of a time that felt markedly apolitical. And maybe that’s part of their enduring appeal: The Avett Brothers remind us what good songwriting is all about — pure emotion, introspective lyrics and, yes, even the occasional stomp and clap.

The Avett Brothers play MegaCorp Pavilion on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. More info: promowestlive.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Sept. 3 print edition.

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Dinosaur Jr. released their debut album, Dinosaur, 40 years ago. Recorded in a studio in the New England woods — long before Bon Iver inspired a generation of millennial musicians to self-isolate and skip shaving — Dinosaur might have gone, well, the way of the dinosaurs, if not for Sonic Youth. After coming across the album and catching a few live shows, Sonic Youth invited the band on tour in 1986, resulting in much-needed exposure.

Soon after, Dinosaur Jr. released their second — and arguably best — album, You’re Living All Over Me. It was here that they found their signature sound: overdriven guitars, melodic hooks and J Mascis’s brilliant, virtuosic playing. Songs like the classic “Sludgefeast” exemplify the Dinosaur Jr. formula. The track opens with a long instrumental jam that veers between grunge and heavy metal before resolving into a striking chorus where Mascis pleads, “I’m waiting/please come by/I’ve got the guts now…” Guts for what? Mascis leaves it a mystery.

Dinosaur Jr. speaks to listeners who feel misunderstood and alienated from the mainstream. Mascis, hiding behind his long — and now gray — hair, looks the part of the ultimate slacker rocker. But appearances can be deceiving. Behind the laid-back image lies a perfectionist. Mascis has always had a clear vision for how he wanted Dinosaur Jr. to sound, which led to frequent infighting with drummer Patrick Murphy and, famously, the departure of co-songwriter, bassist and Dayton native Lou Barlow.

Thankfully, the band buried the hatchet long ago. Since reuniting in 2005, they’ve steadily toured and released five more studio albums — the latest being 2021’s Sweep It Into Space. Mascis has also remained active as a solo artist. His 2024 solo release, What We Do Now, was widely acclaimed for its introspective tone and softer palette. Departing from Dinosaur Jr.’s famously loud live performances, the album leans heavily on acoustic guitar and a more stripped-down production.

Currently touring with Snail Mail, Dinosaur Jr. will stop in Cincinnati for what promises to be an unforgettable show. Just don’t forget the earplugs.

Dinosaur Jr. plays the Andrew J Brady Center on July 25 at 7 p.m. Doors open at 5:30. More info: bradymusiccenter.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s July 9 print edition.

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After a brief hiatus to explore solo projects, the Allman Betts Band is returning to the stage with its signature blend of soulful country rock at Riverfront Live this June. Formed in 2018 by three sons of the Allman Brothers Band members — Devon Allman (son of Gregg Allman), Duane Betts (son of Dickey Betts) and Berry Duane Oakley (son of Berry Oakley) — the Allman Betts Band has released two critically acclaimed records, Down to the River (2019) and Bless Your Heart (2020).

For those who grew up on classic Allman Brothers records like Eat a Peach and At Fillmore East, the Allman Betts band picks up where the originals left off, following the passing of founding members Butch Trucks, Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts. Songs such as “Magnolia Road” from Bless Your Heart are a refreshing departure from the formulaic trends dominating mainstream country radio.   

The band doesn’t consist of all Allman offspring, though. After the passing of original drummer R. Scott Bryan in 2023, the band recruited Alex Orbison, son of the legendary Roy Orbison, to play drums alongside second drummer John Lum. Apart from a handful of reunion concerts with various iterations of the original lineup, the Allman Brothers Band effectively called it quits in 2014. And though the Allman Brothers band may be irreplaceable, the Allman Betts Band is doing its best to keep the legacy alive while putting its own unique spin on timeless American music.         

Guitarists Devon Allman and Duane Betts have perfected the clean tones and serpentine soloing of Berry Oakley and Dickey Betts while staying true to their own visions. At times, with Duane Betts on lead guitar or keyboardist John Ginty doing his best Gregg Allman impression, a listener might assume they’re hearing an unreleased track from, say, Brothers and Sisters. But then there are songs like “Pale Horse Rider” that feel miles away from the Allman Brothers Band. Fueled by heavy distortion, anthemic choruses reminiscent of My Morning Jacket and moody minor chords, the Allman Betts Band proves it isn’t content to rest on its fathers’ laurels. 

The Allman Betts Band plays Riverfront Live on June 17 at 7 p.m. More info: riverfrontlivecincy.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s June 11 print edition.

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The Wallflowers, widely acclaimed for their 1996 album Bringing Down the Horse, are set to perform at Bogart’s this June. Jakob Dylan — the band’s principal songwriter and only constant member — has stayed busy in the years since. A string of successful Wallflowers albums was followed by three solo records, one of which, Echo in the Canyon, the soundtrack to the documentary film of the same name, features collaborations with artists as diverse as Beck, Norah Jones and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age on covers of songs by classic Laurel Canyon artists like the Byrds.

The Wallflowers formed in the early ‘90s and released their self-titled debut in 1992 to modest sales. It wasn’t until the release of their second album, 1996’s Bringing Down the Horse, that they really caught the attention of the music world. Yet becoming a musician wasn’t always the path Jakob Dylan envisioned for himself. Seeking both self-discovery and distance from the towering legacy of his father — arguably one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, Bob Dylan — Jakob Dylan spent his early twenties in New York City studying painting at Parsons School of Design. Still, the family trade ultimately proved too strong an influence, and after teaming up with a few childhood friends to serve as a backing band, the Wallflowers were formed.  

Jakob Dylan’s songwriting has evolved since the early ‘90s and has seen him embracing pop, country, alternative and at times even hard rock. Early in his career, Jakob Dylan shied away from comparisons to his famous father, but those days have long since passed. He’s emerged as a confident and talented songwriter, having long since shrugged off his father’s shadow to step into his own light.

The Wallflowers play Bogart’s on June 15 at 7 p.m. More info: bogarts.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s June 11 print edition.

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Soon after the announcement of their eleventh album, The Shadow of the Guest, Blonde Redhead will be making a stop at the Woodward Theater in early June. The Shadow of the Guest is a reimagining of their previous record, 2023’s Sit Down for Dinner, and includes renditions of songs ranging from a mariachi-inspired take on their Rick and Morty hit, “For the Damaged Coda,” to ASMR and choral versions, featuring the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

This is nothing new for Blonde Redhead, who have established themselves as restless, outré experimentalists ever since their formation in 1993. Brothers and Milan natives Simone and Amedeo Pace and Japanese singer and multi-instrumentalist Kazu Makino released their debut, self-titled record of jittery art rock in 1994. Produced by Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, the influence of the New York City noise pioneers is easily detectable.

In 1998, there was a noticeable shift in their songwriting with In the Expression of the Inexpressible, arguably their best album and the one where they really came into their own as a band. And like their debut, In the Expression of the Inexpressible was co-produced by yet another recognizable name – post-hardcore legend Guy Picciotto of Fugazi.

Blonde Redhead has since released a string of successful albums that show them drifting towards more of a relaxed, electro-pop sound in place of the angular dissonance reminiscent of contemporaries like My Bloody Valentine and Unwound that defined their early output. In 2019, Makino released her debut solo album, Adult Baby, with contributions from artists like the late Ryuichi Sakamoto on piano and field recordings, Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco, and virtuoso drummer Greg Saunier of Deerhoof.

Joined by Boston songwriter Squirrel Flower, whose latest album Tomorrow’s Fire was voted one of the 30 best rock records of 2023 by Paste, this will be a show you can’t afford to miss.

Blonde Redhead plays Woodward Theater with opener Squirrel Flower on June 6 at 8 p.m. More info: woodwardtheater.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s May 28 print edition.

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Grammy-winning recording artist Alison Krauss will be stopping in Cincinnati with Union Station, touring behind their latest album – and first in fourteen years – Arcadia. Krauss has stayed plenty busy in the interim, recording the wildly successful and award-sweeping record Raising Sand with rock royalty Robert Plant, who she collaborated with once more for 2021’s Raise the Roof, as well as releasing the well-received solo album Windy City in 2017.

After overcoming a brief battle with dysphonia, a condition that affects the vocal cords, Krauss decided it was time to get the band back together and cut an album of songs she had collected over the intervening years. Noticeably absent, though, is Union Station’s longtime vocalist Dan Tyminski, who announced his departure last year. Bluegrass veteran Russell Moore has since stepped in to perform vocal duties. Additionally, the band will be accompanied by fiddler Stuart Duncan for live performances.

Sonically, Arcadia is a darker record – all but two songs are in minor keys – that hints at the current state of our country. Particularly in the song “The Hangman,” about the coming of fascism, lines like, “Innocent though we were, with dread/We passed those eyes of buckshot lead/Till one cried: ‘Hangman, who is he /For whom you raise the gallows-tree?’” pointing to the moral ambiguity of our current political leaders. Other songs tackle such weighty and tragic themes like a Civil War soldier’s last words, and in “Granite Mills,” an 1874 fire in a textile mill where 23 lives were lost, most of them children.

As Krauss told the New York Times, Union Station songs are “survival stories.” “Someone survived to tell them,” Krauss says, “so for me, these sad songs are very encouraging. They’ve told someone’s story and that’s how we are going to remember them forever. Whatever the situation was, it’s over. And you’ve gotten through it.” No matter how broken things may seem, there is still hope to be found. Or, as Leonard Cohen famously put it: “There is a crack/A crack in everything/That’s how the light gets in.”

Alison Krauss and Union Station play Riverbend Music Center on June 3 at 8 p.m. More info: riverbend.org.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s May 28 print edition.

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Touring behind 2024’s Five Dice, All Threes, Omaha natives Bright Eyes are coming to the Queen City. After lying low for a few years, lead singer and principal songwriter Conor Oberst has released a steady stream of new music, beginning with collaborative sessions alongside fellow songwriter Phoebe Bridgers that resulted in 2019’s self-titled Better Oblivion Community Center. That record was quickly followed by what became Bright Eyes’ tenth album, 2020’s Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was.

Bright Eyes’ music has since strayed from their earlier, folky beginnings. Those looking for the emotional bloodletting of classic songs like Fevers and Mirrors’ “Haligh, Haligh, a Lie, Haligh,” may be surprised to hear a song like “Bells and Whistles,” the opening track to Five Dice, All Threes. Major chords, whistling, jaunty glockenspiel and tambourine replace the lo-fi, hushed intimacy that those of us who grew up in the early 2000s, as Bright Eyes was gaining attention, have come to expect. Oberst said as much himself in an interview with NME for 2011’s The People’s Key, a notable departure from their previous aesthetic, stating that, for him, that particular sound had begun to “(wear) a little thin,” and that they instead decided to pursue one that aimed to be “rocking, and, for lack of a better term, contemporary, or modern.”

But while they have evolved sonically, what remains is Oberst’s lyrical gifts. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Oberst is one of a handful of our generation’s greatest lyricists. A standout track from Five Dice, All Threes is one simply titled “Hate.” Like John Lennon’s “God’ from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Oberst sets out to kill sacred cows, from Jesus and Muhammad to an “LA shaman,” and the annoying necessity of small talk. It’s a powerful indictment of religious hypocrites and political figures while also an impassioned plea for something real, something more than the “artificial poets” that swarm the airwaves. After nearly 30 years of making music, Bright Eyes has proven time and again that there is nothing artificial about them; they’re the real thing.

Bright Eyes plays MegaCorp Pavilion on April 23 at 6 p.m. More info: promowestlive.com.

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