The Los Angeles-based rock band Badflower stopped in Cincinnati last Friday.

As part of their latest tour, the group performed at Bogart’s to an adoring crowd of fans.

The band released their debut album in 2019, and their second album was named one of the best rock albums of 2021 by Loudwire when it released. The band is currently touring in support of their third album, No Place Like Home, released in 2025.

Click through the photos below to see everything that photographer Martin Lopez-Isidro witnessed during this show.

The post Photos: LA rock band Badflower tours Cincinnati appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Sound Advice gives CityBeat readers a preview of local shows. This week, Jason Gargano previews The Descendents and Frank Turner.

The Descendents have been causing a ruckus since before Ronald Reagan became President, before Mt. Saint Helens erupted and before Sid Vicious left this world.

The Southern California quartet — led by singer Milo Aukerman and drummer Bill Stevenson — were kicking around for five years before they dropped their full-length debut, 1982’s landmark Milo Goes to College, a snotty punk record with enough melodicism and adolescent angst to prick up the ears of rock and roll normies and anarchists alike.

“We didn’t fit in with normal society, but we also weren’t copacetic with the punk scene,” Aukerman said about their early days in a 2025 interview with It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine. “I was a nerd, so to me it felt like I wasn’t cool in either world. Nonetheless, part of what was appealing about punk for me is flipping the bird to everyone so that you can just be yourself.”

More than four decades in, Aukerman and Stevenson, along with longtime bassist Karl Alvarez and guitarist Stephen Egerton, are still performing their catchy brand of punk and power pop — a sound and vision that has infected multiple generations of likeminded pranksters.

Once such devotee, British singer/songwriter/guitarist Frank Turner, has teamed up with The Descendents for another co-headlining tour across the U.S. 

A generation younger, the rabble-rousing Turner has released a torrent of music and toured relentlessly since surfacing from the south of London in the early aughts. His most recent studio album, 2024’s Undefeated, is typically all over the place, teeming with wordy ruminations about everything from his music-loving childhood to pandemic PTSD.

The sonics are just as restless, moving from acoustic-based introspection (the intriguing “Ceasefire”) to rollicking stompers (the Pogues-like “Never Mind the Back Problems”) with equal conviction.

Turner is typically to the point when addressing his admiration for The Descendents. From a 2024 Instagram post about playing live with the enduring SoCal punks: “I can’t exaggerate how much I fucking love this band. This was an absolute life highlight for me.”

The post Sound Advice: The Descendents and Frank Turner appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

We’re getting a better look at the new music center being built in Greater Cincinnati.

On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and its subsidiary, Music & Event Management, Inc., known as MEMI, released new renderings of the upcoming Farmer Music Center, a new, state-of-the-art music and entertainment venue currently being built on the former site of Coney Island. The orchestra and MEMI also launched a new website and social media channels for the venue and released its official logos, as well as more details on the venue’s fan experiences and estimated economic impact.

MEMI says the music center’s design is a thoughtful reimagining of what a great concert night should be, with fans and stars at the center. Design elements include an innovative vertical design that offers better sightlines, cleaner sound and an intuitive layout. The venue will be able to seat up to 20,000 guests, including 8,000 reserved seats and space for 12,000 people on the lawn. Fans can also experience the venue’s four premium club spaces or two levels of box suites, which offer exclusive amenities and extra comfort.

The Farmer Music Center will also have more than 300,000 square feet of concourse and club space, with elevated food and beverage options available throughout the venue, including 25 full-service bars and concession stands, plus multiple grab-and-go kiosks. 

“This is a meaningful step forward for the project and for the future of live music in Southwest Ohio,” Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Robert McGrath said in a press release. “These updates give the community its clearest view yet of what will be the most innovative venue design in the region, one built to put artists and audiences at the center of every performance, while strengthening our ongoing commitment to the region’s cultural and economic vitality.”

The venue is expected increase total live events in the area by 30%, boosting tourism and support to small businesses and generating more than $100 million in annual economic impact, says MEMI. The Farmer Music Center will also create around $7 million in state tax revenue and $15 million in new city tax revenue over the next 10 years. And with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and MEMI’s unique funding model, net revenues will be reinvested into Cincinnati’s arts scene, helping fund the orchestra’s education programs, neighborhood concerts and orchestral programming. 

“A venue like this does more than bring great music to Cincinnati — it creates real momentum for the city,” said Mike Smith, CEO of MEMI. “From hotel stays and restaurant traffic to seasonal jobs, the economic ripple effect reaches far beyond the gates.”

The Farmer Music Center will be located on the former Coney Island site, next to Riverbend Music Center along Kellogg Avenue in Cincinnati’s California neighborhood and Anderson Township, with a planned opening for spring 2027. The public can follow its progress and get updates on the venue’s new website and social media channels.

The post New renderings and details of Greater Cincinnati’s upcoming state-of-the-art music venue released appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Cincinnati stages are no stranger to its share of worldwide artists. 

In 2023, Paycor Stadium’s audience transformed from football fans to fangirls when Taylor Swift made a stop on her iconic “The Eras Tour.” Riverbend has morphed into a sea of “Parrot Heads” with leis and a margarita in hand every time Jimmy Buffet came to town. 

Sometimes, you may even be able to hear the thundering bass bursting through MegaCorp when driving in Newport. 

Wherever you end up in the Tri-State area, there’s always someone playing music nearby. With the number of stars, including Cincinnati, on their tour stops, the city offers anything from a more intimate venue to a football stadium to accommodate the artists’ fanbase. 

This year, several artists are celebrating their milestone tours in Cincinnati. 

TRAIN makes their annual Riverbend appearance for the 25th anniversary of their album “Drops of Jupiter,” as well as Rod Stewart and Journey on their farewell tours. 

Other highlights include rap icon Cardi B returning to the stage after five years for her “Little Miss Drama” tour at Heritage Bank Center and celebrated British indie band The Wombats performing at Bogart’s after an eight-year absence from the city. 

Looking for a bit of a 2000s throwback? DJ Pauly D will be turning Bogart’s into Jersey Shore to beat those January blues at the end of the month. 

While thinking of warmer weather, Lainey Wilson and Allen Stone will accompany Chris Stapleton as his country music brings in the August heat. Ranging from celebrated country artists to R&B superstars to rock legends, these are the local concerts you need to have on your radar this year.

Riverbend and PNC Pavillion

Address: 6295 Kellogg Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45230

Friday, May 8

 -Satchvai Band featuring Joe Satriani and Steve Vai with Animals as Leaders

– Doors: 5:30 p.m.

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Friday, May 21

• Hardy: The Country! Country! Tour with special guests Tucker Wetmore and Mccoy Moore
• Doors: 5:30 p.m.
• Showtime: 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 20

-Meghan Trainor: The Get in Girl Tour with special guests Icona Pop and Ryan Trainor

-Doors: 5 p.m.

-Showtime: 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 8

• Jack Johnson: Surfilmusic Tour with special guest Hermanos Gutierrez
• Doors: 6:30 p.m.
• Showtime: 7 p.m.

Monday, July 27

– 5 Seconds of Summer: Everyone’s a Star World Tour

-Doors: 6:30 p.m.

Showtime: 8 p.m.

Wednesday, July 29

• Train: Drops of Jupiter: 25 Years in the Atmosphere with special guests Barenaked Ladies and Matt Nathanson
• Doors: 5:15 p.m.
• Showtime: 6:45 p.m.

Saturday, August 1

-Evanescence 2026 World Tour with Spritbox and Nova Twins

-Doors: 5:30 p.m.

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Thursday, August 6

-STYX and Chicago, the Windy Cities Tour-All the Hits…Your Kind of Tour

-Doors: 5:30 p.m.

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Saturday, August 8

-Lynrd Skynrd & Foreigner: Double Trouble Double Vision Tour with special guest Six Gun Sally

-Doors: 5 p.m.

-Showtime: 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, August 9

• Rod Stewart: One Last Time with special guest Richard Marx
• Doors: 6 p.m.
• Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 25

-The Return of the Carnival of Sins: Motley Crue with special guests Tesla and Extreme

-Doors: 5 p.m.

-Showtime: 6:30 p.m.

All tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or in-person at the Taft Theatre and The Andrew J. Brady Music Center box offices during business hours. Check the schedule for all operating hours. 

Bogart’s

Address: 2621 Short Vine St, Cincinnati, OH

Thursday, Jan. 29

-Lord of the Lost and The Birthday Massacre

-Showtime: 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 30

-DJ Pauly D

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 5

-Bayker Blankenship

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 13

-The Wombats

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20

-Badflower

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 26

-Kameron Marlowe

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Tuesday, March 3

-The Record Company

-Showtime: 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 11

-INZO

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 12

-Avery Anna

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Friday, March 13

-Pecos and the Rooftops

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 14

-Jordan Jensen

-Showtime: 7 p.m

Tuesday, March 17

-The Happy Fits

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 21

-Our Lady Peace

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Monday, March 23

-Filter

-Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 24

-Erra with Currents

-Showtime: 6:30 p.m.

Friday, March 27

-Two Feet

– Showtime: 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 28

-Circle Jerks

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 1

-Mammoth-Band

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Friday, April 3

• Teenage Bottlerocket
• Showtime: 6:30 p.m.

Friday, April 10

-Aly & AJ

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Tuesday, May 12

-Shadow of Intent

-Showtime: 6 p.m.

Wednesday, May 13

• Stephen Lynch
• Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 1

-Benjamin Tod

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

All tickets can be purchased at Bogarts.com or Ticketmaster.com. 

Paycor Stadium

Address: 1 Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25

-Cincinnati Music Festival Presented by P&G

-Featuring Tyrese, Ledisi, Charlie Wilson, Nelly, 803FRESH, SWV, Trey Songz, Mary J. Blige, Doug E. Fresh and Heatwave

-Showtime: 7 p.m. 

Saturday, August 1

-Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show featuring Lainey Wilson and Allen Stone

-Showtime: 6 p.m.

-Presale begins at 10 a.m. on Jan. 15

All tickets can be purchased at LiveNation.com or Ticketmaster.com. 

Madison Live!

Address: 734 Madison Ave, Covington, KY

Saturday, Feb. 21

-Exhorder, Ringworm, Phobia, Slowhole

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 7

-Needle//Fear, Obsidian Mind, Wave Painter, Peasant Crown, Tabz

-Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 19

-Burning Witches, War Hammer, Critical Khaos

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 29

-Merkules “The Controlled Chaos Tour”

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 4

-Hirax, Savage Master, Desolus

-Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

• 4*4 Featuring DJ Seol
• Showtime: 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 11

-Crowbar with EyeHateGod Matinee Show

– Showtime: 2 p.m.

-Crowbar, EyeHateGod, Emanating Peace, These Eyes and Primal Force

-Showtime: 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 22

• Uada and Mortiis- The Witches of Dystopia tour MMXXVI
• Showtime: 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 12

-Unprocessed, Allt and Midwinter

-Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at LiveNation.com. 

MegaCorp Pavillion

Address: 101 W 4th St. Newport, KY

Sunday, March 15

-Dark Star Orchestra

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 11

-49 Winchester

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Tuesday, April 14

-Lake Street Drive

-Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 25

-Ethel Cain with 9Million

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Tickets for all events can be purchased at Promowestlive.com or in-person at the box office from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during operating hours. 

The Andrew J. Brady Music Center

Address: 25 Race St. Cincinnati, OH

Monday, Feb. 23

• Excision
• Showtime: 6 p.m.

Sunday, March 8

-Mariah the Scientist: Hearts Sold Separately Tour

-Doors: 6:30 p.m.

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Monday, March 30

-Boys Like Girls: The Soundtrack of Your Life Tour with special guests IDKHOW and Arrows in Action

-Doors: 5:30 p.m.

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 18

-Nate Smith: Long Live Country Rock and Roll Tour with special guests Josh Ross and Brandon Wisham

-Doors: 6 p.m.

-Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 6

-YUNGBLUD: Idols- The World Tour

-Doors: 6:30 p.m.

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

*NOTE: THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT*

All tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or in-person at the box office during business hours. 

Heritage Bank Center

Address: 100 Broadway St, Cincinnati, OH

Wednesday, Feb. 4

• GHOST: Skeletour World Tour 2026
• Doors: 6:30 p.m.
• Showtime: 8 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20

-Boys 4 Life Tour featuring B2L & Bow Wow with Jeremih, Waka Flocka and Amerie

-Doors: 6:30 p.m.

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Tuesday, March 10

-Three Days Grace: Alienation Tour with I Prevail and The Funeral Portrait

-Doors: 5 p.m.

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 19

-Cardi B- Little Miss Drama Tour

-Doors: 6 p.m.

-Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 26

-The New Edition Way Tour with New Edition, BoyzIIMen and Toni Braxton

-Doors: 6:30 p.m.

-Showtime: 8 p.m.

Saturday,June 13

• Journey: Final Frontier Tour
• Doors: 6 p.m.
• Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

Monday, July 27

-Forrest Frank: The Jesus Generation Tour with Tori Kelly and Cory Asbury

-Doors: 5:30 p.m.

-Showtime: 7 p.m.

*NOTE: THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT*

Tickets are available for purchase at HeritageBankCenter.com or in-person at the box office Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The post The ultimate guide to 2026 concerts  appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

January 30 • Woodward Theater

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Kai Slater is a wisp of a guy armed with shaggy hair, stylish thrift-store clothes and enough memorable melodies to make Bob Pollard stand to attention. The 21-year-old Chicagoan is having a moment, the result of two stellar 2025 solo albums as Sharp Pins — Radio DDR dropped in May, followed by Balloon, Balloon, Balloon in November — as well as contributions to his other band, Lifeguard, a post-punk outfit that also put out a well-received album last year.

Sharp Pins fuses the lo-fi, DIY ethos of punk and indie rock with the catchy songcraft of classic rock and pop, yielding tunes both familiar and idiosyncratic.

“I got really inspired by The Jam, Television Personalities, The Times, Dolly Mixture,” Slater said in an interview with Demo Magazine early last year when comparing Sharp Pins to his other projects. “I’ve always been influenced by The Beatles and The Who. That was the core of what I was trying to write for a lot of my life, so I was like, ‘I’ll try to hone in on that in my solo music.’ ” Balloon, Balloon, Balloon is especially ear-wormy — 21 songs in 44 minutes, each a brief but distinctive world of its own. Album opener “Popafanout” burrows into one’s cortex via jangly, Byrds-like guitars and Slater’s affecting delivery of oblique lines like, “All the silverstone creep/Sludging around on the Puget Sound/Oh, what it means to me.” Yet there is little doubt about the topic of “I Don’t Have the Heart,” which sounds like A Hard Day’s Night-era Beatles, a Rickenbacker guitar ringing as Slater sings, “I’ve waited so long to be near you/But I don’t have the heart/To show how I feel.”

Slater’s touring version of Sharp Pins features bassist Joe Glass and drummer Peter Cimbalo (per the album’s liner notes, “two young freakbeats of America”). Like those of their creative forefathers Guided by Voices, Sharp Pins songs explore a different dynamic in a live setting — the sound of lo-fi gems breaking free into a new realm.

The post Sound Advice: Sharp Pins brings lo-fi to Woodward Theater appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

A national music magazine is putting a spotlight on one of Cincinnati’s most popular jazz clubs.

Caffè Vivace in Walnut Hills was included in DownBeat Magazine’s 2026 guide of the Best Jazz Venues, an annual list that highlights premier jazz venues around the world. DownBeat is one of the most respected and longest-running jazz publications in the world, and venues, which are chosen by editors and contributors, that are included in its annual guide meet high standards for artistic quality, sound, consistency and commitment to jazz.

Best known for its curated programming and performances from both emerging and established artists, Caffè Vivace says the honor reflects its ongoing commitment to hosting high-quality international and local live jazz musicians in an intimate and artist-centered setting. The guide is also widely read by touring artists, managers, booking agents and serious jazz audiences, helping put Caffè Vivace on the radar of both artists and listeners. 

“We are honored to be recognized by DownBeat,” Caffè Vivace owner Brent Gallaher said in a press release. “This acknowledgment recognizes and celebrates our mission to support artists and create a welcoming space where great music can thrive.”

You can see the full annual list in the February 2026 issue of DownBeat. Visit Caffè Vivace’s website or social media for upcoming shows.

Caffè Vivace, 975 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills. More info: jazzvivace.org.

The post Walnut Hills’ Caffè Vivace named one of world’s best jazz venues by music magazine appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Once upon a time, Roger Klug was one of the kings of Cincinnati power pop. His brief stints with the Willies and the Tritones, among others, paved the way for the Detroit native/Cincinnati resident’s stellar solo career. This solo career started with 1995’s home-recorded Mama, Mama, Ich bin dem La La Land, then the full-blown splendor of 1997’s Toxic and 15 Other Love Songs, followed by the Guided-By-Pollard brilliance of 1999’s Where Has the Music Gone?: The Lost Recordings of Clem Comstock, where Klug and a smattering of friends crafted a compilation of fictional bands across a disparate range of musical genres, all under the auspices of the album’s titular and completely mythological producer/songwriter.

“That’s the most fun I’ve ever had making an album,” says Klug over omelets at Café Alma. “There was a little of the alter ego thing going on with that. My memory of that was sitting on my side porch, no guitar in hand, just a big notebook, hearing the record in my head, grabbing lyrics out of the air. That was a really great feeling. I never felt so prolific.”

Although the gigging never stopped, it would be a decade before Klug dropped his fourth studio album, 2009’s superb More Help For Your Nerves. (It’s worth noting that Klug created his own label, Mental Giant, and self-released his entire catalog.) Klug and his self-proclaimed Power Trio, featuring bassist Greg Tudor and drummer Mike Tittel, supported Nerves into the following year, to a certain extent.

“We were performing as the trio at that point, but we didn’t have it together enough,” says Klug. “I remember thinking we could play almost all of those songs live, but it didn’t have as much piano as Toxic, and it certainly didn’t have the horns and strings like Clem Comstock.”

At a certain juncture in 2010, Klug’s profile in local music became virtually non-existent. So what occupied Klug’s time and attention when he stepped away from music?

“Raising a family, earning a living, teaching at CCM,” says Klug. “It takes up a lot of time, I won’t lie. And sometimes when you’re doing other musical stuff, it does take away your own musical energy. That is a pitfall. At one point, I’d quit the music business and I was going back to school to be an accountant. So while I was reading intriguing accounting books, I was like, ‘I’m going to record this now.’ COVID did kind of deflate my live situation, but I was still able to do stuff with the Cincinnati Symphony because we were all masked up and socially distanced.”

Klug was also drawn back into music by way of Tittel’s own project, New Sincerity Works. It was a satisfyingly easy gig for him for one simple reason.

“It was a segment of my life working on other people’s projects,” says Klug. “The pressure is almost off. I’m not worried about the vocal or the song. You don’t think, ‘I want to play something good,’ because that’s a given. You just kind of respond to it: ‘This will make it sound better,’ or ‘Where is the space I can occupy where the mixing engineer will turn me up?’ Mike wasn’t like, ‘Hey, I want this,’ he was like, ‘Just play.’ Mike’s very much an art director in his professional and creative life, but he’s also smart enough to let people do what they do.”

The wheel began to turn back in a familiar direction earlier this year when Klug accepted an invitation to play a benefit for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The concert’s theme was Bob Dylan, an artist near and dear to Klug, so he was determined to make the most of it.

“It was one of those deals where people were picking songs from Facebook or whatever, so I nabbed ‘Simple Twist of Fate,’ because that’s one of my all-time faves,” Klug says. “We did that one pretty faithfully, kind of like Jason Isbell or Wilco would do it. Then I noticed that no one had taken ‘Lay Lady Lay,’ so we did this whacked version of it, as if the Cure were performing, then we mashed it up with ‘Bob Dylan’s Blues’ as Greta Van Fleet-doing-Led Zeppelin would have done it. And it went over really well; we had the crowd, and it was really gratifying. That was the catalyst.”

The next occurrence was a bit of technological serendipity. Klug was rummaging through an old hard drive and he stumbled upon an off-the-board recording he had made of a Power Trio show at the Northside Tavern a decade ago. It was a document of a time when the band was playing every three or four months at the Tavern, and they had gotten fairly tight after their layoff.

“I had kind of dismissed the recording,” says Klug. “It was just a snapshot of the band. And off-the-board tapes are very isolated; there’s a certain claustrophobic sound. If I could turn back time, (he channels Cher at this point), I would have put up a couple of ambient mics to catch the sound of the room. But instead of listening to the micro of it — ‘Oh, missed that guitar lick’ or ‘That vocal take was a little short’ — I listened to the macro of it. And I thought, ‘This is pretty cool.'”

Realizing that this recording represented a period just after the Trio had reconvened, and that there were few surviving audio artifacts from that time, Klug made the decision that this show should be the Power Trio’s first live album.

“It was like when you get a weird idea,” recalls Klug. “I thought, ‘I want people to hear this.’ Then you immediately self-doubt it. Then you run it by your mates, like ‘I’m thinking about putting this out,’ and they don’t say anything at first, and you’re like, ‘What’s their deal?'”

Eventually, everyone was on board with the release, and thus was born the Roger Klug Power Trio’s first live album, the two-disc triumph, Live! Off the Board. (“The working title was Naked and Unashamed (Without No Clothes)…”) There were several considerations that sealed the decision.

“Mike and I have talked a lot about recording an album being boring, because everyone does it the same way and has the same plug-ins, and everything is so scrubbed and perfect,” says Klug. “How do you fight AI? How do you fight perfection? What better way than to put out a live thing that wasn’t even meant to be a release? Was it an A+ performance? No. But there’s weird stuff in there, like a couple of songs we only played that one time. And we played the Kinks song, ‘Johnny Thunder.’ I have no memory of whose idea that was. If we were going to play something from Village Green, I’d have wanted to play ‘Big Sky.’ Plus that was the only RKPT gig where I dragged a piano to it. We had a Wurlitzer onstage, and that’s the only time we ever did that.”

With the Jan. 10 show at the Northside Tavern and the Feb. 28 gig at MOTR Pub, the Roger Klug Power Trio has officially ended its hiatus. Klug makes no bones about the path forward for the band.

“There’s too much stuff that I’m sitting on that’s half finished,” he says. “The live unit is playing again, so there’s a compelling reason for it all. We don’t really have a sound because I’ve always been here, there and everywhere. I recorded a yacht rock song, and Mike and Greg play on it, and I’m toying with the idea of releasing it as our first return release, just to thoroughly confuse everyone. ‘This is our new sound. We went away to work on our mental health.’ Anyway, we shan’t be going away again for a while.”

The Roger Klug Power Trio plays MOTR Pub on Feb. 28 at 9 p.m. More info: motrpub.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 7 print edition.

The post Roger Klug Revives His Power Trio With Long-Lost Live Album appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

As Sylmar stands at the precipice of one milestone, the band is recovering from another one. The Cincinnati quintet has just returned from their first European tour, a rousing success by any measure.

“There were only ten shows,” says frontman Brian McCullough over coffee at Deeper Roots. “There were more, but the ones with really good guarantees were cancelled because we didn’t sell enough tickets. The other ones sold out and they were phenomenal. It was Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria, and they really enjoyed it. And they listened.”

Local, regional and national audiences have been listening to Sylmar’s brand of dynamic indie rock for nearly a decade, a period that will be officially celebrated in February 2026 with the band’s tenth anniversary. The more immediately laudable event is the October release of Sylmar’s third full-length album, the cryptically titled Matching Caskets.

“The title is from a song we haven’t put out yet,” says McCullough. “I like the image of two people who commit to the bitter end. That’s the line: ‘Though we are the same/No, we’re not the same/But we bought a pair of matching caskets.’”

While the song lending its title didn’t make the cut for Matching Caskets, a similar emotional theme bubbles up in the track “Vidalia’s Dementia (Onions),” pulled directly from McCullough’s life.

“It’s the story of this older couple where one is going through breast cancer and the other is developing dementia,” says McCullough. “My grandparents both had dementia and my father had breast cancer. It’s a love song but it’s also a ‘fuck it’ song, like, ‘Let’s have some fun while we’re old and above ground and above the law.’ When you’re old, you can do whatever the fuck you like. The song isn’t necessarily depressing, but in our music there’s always a range of emotions, like, ‘We’re dying but we’re going to party to celebrate that we only have a little bit left.’ There’s some depth to it.”

Matching Caskets is unquestionably Sylmar’s heaviest album to date, in terms of emotional impact and sheer volume. While there were moments of raucous fury on 2021’s Glass Ladders, there is an almost relentless feeling to the material on Matching Caskets. Even in its softer, more delicate tracks, the album bristles with undeniable power.

“Angular is what I call it,” says McCullough. “It can go from a heavy ephemeral moment to just me singing and it really is a beautiful thing live, especially in a small room. You’ll see a killer rock act that will move you dynamically. All the songs are that, basically. The first four or five songs are riffy, dynamic Queens of the Stone Age type stuff, and then the back end is really pretty. The front is more traditional Sylmar, where maybe there’s some political critiques or tongue-in-cheek stuff, and the back is sadder and quieter.”

McCullough readily admits that most of Sylmar’s songs find their true forms once they’ve been subjected to the band’s live process, where the material’s sonic identity is forged and solidified. Most of the songs were written during Covid lockdown and then fully realized in its aftermath.

“We got really lucky in 2022 and 2023 to go on some really long tours — we basically toured the whole country — and we played the shit out of these songs,” says McCullough. “They ended up developing into what they are, which I think are pretty interesting songs, with maybe more depth than some of our past stuff. It’s in the textures of different instrumentation and that just evolved from playing live a lot.”

McCullough is also fully aware that a certain percentage of Sylmar’s existing fanbase may be alienated by the density and volume of Matching Caskets, but he and the band are relying on their fans’ boundless devotion to accept the new album and its forceful direction.

“We started seeing more people coming to the shows with purple hair, because the songs went from straight ahead pop-focused to more art rock/progressive type stuff,” says McCullough. “At first, I was a little averse to it, but now I love it, because our fans are very loyal and they’ll travel forever to see us.”

Even with the crucible of the stage to reshape the songs’ structure, the foundation of Sylmar’s material begins with the band’s impressive egalitarian writing process. Without that sturdy base, there would be nothing to reinvent.

“With the way my mind works in creating a song, the volume and the shifts are just the way they come, every single time,” says McCullough. “Like ‘Babysitter’ on the new album, where you’re just skating the whole time, I’d love to write something like that but it always ends up being a roller coaster. That’s just how Sylmar is, that’s how we’ve developed our sound, and that’s why people like to see us live.”

From Sylmar’s launch in 2016, the band has maintained an inclusive writing stance when working up new material. Since the release of Glass Ladders, some changes have taken place that marginally impact that paradigm, namely the departures of guitarist Dan Sutter and bassist Dominic Franco.

“To be honest, I don’t think we were using Dan as the weapon he was,” says McCullough. “You can’t tell an amazing natural guitarist what parts to play when they can make a better part. Dan and Stephen Patota and (Sylmar drummer) Ethan Kimberly play at Anjou in Walnut Hills. It’s like watching Bill Frisell, he’s that good. And Dom was a great player and a great hang, but he’d be the first to tell you that music was not his priority. He’s a programmer, so he bought a trailer and he and his girlfriend travel around the country and he works remotely, and climbs. He’s a big climber.”

McCullough’s startling revelation that he nearly shuttered Sylmar after Sutter left the band is somewhat mollified by his realization that the band’s secret sauce was installed in the drum chair.

“Ethan is very much Sylmar, and without him, the band ain’t shit,” says McCullough bluntly but with a laugh. “Ethan has been taking the lead more. I love it when he writes songs. He’s in so many projects, and what he’s really talented at is he’s got his style. He’s able to foster his style with every group he plays with. And he writes great bass lines.”

The other leg of Sylmar’s current writing triumvirate is guitarist Luke Glaser, who McCullough claims does much of his writing for the band in relative stealth mode.

“Luke has always been the central guitar writer,” says McCullough. “He’s the type of guy who won’t get an idea for a couple of months, then suddenly your phone hits and you’ve got four new ideas, and it’s like, ‘Oooh, I’ve got things to work on.’ Songs just tend to happen when you’ve got great players.”

Just as Matching Caskets was largely worked out when Glass Ladders was released, Sylmar has another album waiting in the wings just as their new album is released. Given that their current modus operandi is to record in their practice space and perform all the adjacent business functions — art, promotion, finding distribution, etc. — without assistance, it’s amazing they find time to write and record.

“We’ve got another record ready to go, but for the future, I think I’m writing a lot of the songs,” says McCullough. “I’ve got the energy for it. We’ll see what happens.”

The two latest musical masters to claim Sylmar membership are guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dylan Etienne and bassist Lee Sullivan. Etienne, a recent graduate of CCM, has performed with a variety of local bands, including Goof Juice and Low Gap, and Sullivan is playing simultaneously with Kimberly in Touchdown Jesus. They originally signed on with Sylmar as touring members, but they seem to be taking hold as permanent replacements.

“Lee is a great guitarist but he’s playing bass with us, and Lee and Ethan have a really good connection, and Dylan is just an amazing guitarist and he takes us places that always surprise me,” says McCullough. “And even though they’re just players, they already feel like part of the band. They’re bringing new ideas to the table and they’ve recorded on the new songs.”

As McCullough looks back at the past decade and forward into Sylmar’s future, he tends to be realistic about the band’s place in the musical food chain, and yet hopeful about the infinite possibilities afforded by their talent and determination.

“My greatest fear is that we become a bunch of hacks and we’re just playing covers of old Sylmar songs. If it ever gets to the point where the players don’t mesh, it’s just got to end,” he says. “But right now, it sounds better than ever, and it’s crazy how that keeps happening. Every time we have a new group, it’s like, ‘Damn, it’s a different animal.’ We’re still gaining fans and people still appreciate it. What more can you ask for?”

Sylmar will join The Wonderlands and Saving Escape for a show at the Woodward Theater on Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. More info: woodwardtheater.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 24 print edition.

The post Cincinnati Band Sylmar Marks 10th Anniversary with Career-Defining ‘Matching Caskets’ appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Cincinnati artists delivered an unforgettable year of music, and this playlist captures some of the tracks that defined 2025. There’s no ranking here — just a curated flow of songs that showcase the range, creativity and spirit of the city’s ever-evolving music community.

These are the sounds you heard in local record stores, in venues across the city and in headphones everywhere. From our musicians to you: crank it up and carry these songs with you into 2026.

“Prince” by Maura Weaver

Maura Weaver’s second solo record was released in September, and like her solo debut, I Was Due for a Heartbreak from 2023, Strange Devotion features her striking songwriting and voice backed by a cast of talented friends forming a refreshingly varied and dynamic collection. “Prince” is as catchy as anything else you’ll hear this year with a chorus so sugar-sweet and infectious that you’ll keep going back for more pure pop bliss. The record is great all the way through, with touches of country and western, pop experimentation and the directness of some of the great singer-songwriters, all with a fearlessness and attitude of punk ethos. The album was also the first local release picked to explore for the inaugural CityBeat Music Club in November, where we discussed the record with Weaver before she gave an intimate performance of songs from the album.

“Afraid of Guns” by Motorbike

Local supergroup Motorbike released Kick It Over on Feel It Records this past March. The album continues where their 2023 debut left off, featuring driving and revved-up blasts of power that finds a perfect combination of classic guitar rock and in-your-face punk like this track that is pure, raw rock and roll, as potent as it should be.

“Over My Head” by Brianna Kelly

Local artist Brianna Kelly released a stellar collection of songs featuring beautiful and orchestrated arrangements entitled Cloud of Nothingness in November. The record features Kelly’s tender and compelling songs put together, often refreshingly, free of typical structure and featuring lush string parts and impressive instrumentation, making for a stunning piece of chamber pop.

“Hourglass” by Knotts

From Knotts’ SLAP (Silly Little Art Projects) Will Save the World EP released early in the summer, “Hourglass” is a piece of effervescent synth pop that creates an atmosphere of optimism. Another Knotts release from earlier this year, “Springtime,” was featured in CityBeat’s Summer Playlist in the Summer Guide issue in June, and KNOTTS, aka Adalia Powell-Boehne, also appeared on the cover for the Music Roundup issue later in July. If “Hourglass” is about a moment, Knotts seems to be having one and seizing it.

“Hallelujah 2026” by Turich Benjy

This unhinged track off hip-hop artist Turich Benjy’s May release from earlier this year, When Life is Divine, features a laidback groove acting as a foundation for Benjy’s singular, rapid-fire vocals featuring biblical references. The fearless and frenetic touches in the song, like much of his work, sets it apart.

“Dog” by Mol Sullivan

Released at the end of summer, “Dog” features all the hallmarks of what make local singer-songwriter Mol Sullivan stand out. Her lush arrangements, delicate but powerful voice and singular touch make this ode to finding a true friend and saving each other a thing of beauty.

“If You Say So” by Isabelle Helle and Hell’s Bells

This catchy, fuzzed-out garage pop nugget clocks in at just under 2 minutes, but does the job just fine. Isabelle Helle and Hell’s Bells released Black Cat Rodeo over the summer with a huge release show at Northside Tavern, featuring Motorbike and The Harlequins to celebrate the occasion. There are plenty more songs off the album that are as infectious and hard-hitting as “If You Say So.”

“The InFluencers” by Bootsy Collins (feat. Snoop Dogg, Fantaazma, Dave Stewart and Wiz Khalifa)

Funk legend and Cincinnati’s favorite son Bootsy Collins made a little extra noise this year, releasing his newest full-length record, Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, that encapsulates his aim of creating an atmosphere of fun and collaboration. This track is a perfect example of that exuberance. “The InFluencers” features Snoop Dogg throwing in a Cincinnati mention, a verse from Wiz Khalifa and contributions from the Eurhythmics’ Dave Stewart and dynamic vocalist Fantaazma — all helping Bootsy rev up the funk to 11 and bring it on home.

“Swans” by Billy Fortune

Billy Fortune is one of the newest (and youngest) artists on this list. Fortune also plays traditional bluegrass with his group the Billy Fortune Unit and continues some other fine traditions in his solo work as exemplified in this song, the title track from his album Swans released in October. “Swans” pulls from the traditions of folk music, classic singer-songwriters and lo-fi pop resulting in a melodic, sweeping ballad with a timeless touch.

“Bus” by BPA

The anticipated second edition of Cincinnati punk history compiled by writer and musician Peter Aaron, We Were Living In Cincinnati Vol. 2 (1982-1988), came out earlier this year and again featured a packed collection of Cincinnati artists who created innovative and freewheeling explorations of the fringes of rock and roll. Released as a joint effort between Chicago’s Hozac Records and local label/record store Shake It Records, the collection features standout tracks like SS-20’s “More Government Now” and “I.C.U. by The Reduced, alongside this wild art-punk mastery from 1983. We Were Living In Cincinnati Vol. 2 (1982-1988) also featuresother tracks from significant Cincinnati bands of the era, like The Auburnaires, Sluggo and The Wolverton Brothers, among over a dozen more that represent an important era of the city’s music history.

“Appendicitis” by Fruit LoOops

Experimental noise-punk band Fruit LoOops is as explosive and unhinged as ever on this track off their June release Everything is Clear to Me Now. The song is a frantic sound collage barely held together by compressed percussion, electronic squalls and effect-soaked vocals that all combine to help build the tension.

“Clown Car” by Lung

Off the duo’s fifth full-length album Swankeeper, released in May on local label Feel It Records, “Clown Car” kicks right into a frenetic pushing and pulling of rhythm and tension. Drummer Daisy Caplan and vocalist/cellist Kate Wakefield create a fun mix of dynamics with time changes, odd rhythms and altering sections that result in a layered, moody and atmospheric wall of sound.

“Static Vision” by Electric Citizen

Cincinnati’s hard-hitting psych rock favorite Electric Citizen released their latest album EC4 back in June on Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds. The band has performed all over the world, sharing stages with legends like Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and performing at major festivals. This track features soaring vocals from frontwoman Laura Dolan, alongside husband and co-band leader Ross Dolan’s fuzzed-out guitar driving the rhythm between leads that cut straight to the top of the layers of sound that includes what sounds like some nice electric organ work.

“Peace With Our Love (Queen City Sounds)” by Annie D

This huge-sounding and super catchy track is a special one from talented local multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ann Driscoll, better known as Annie D, working in collaboration with a cast of artists and recording engineers across the city. Driscoll is backed by an all-star lineup of vocalists adding a wall of sound, including local luminaries Jess Lamb, Maya Banatwala, Sappha, Rae Fisher, Victoria Lekson, Freedom Nicole Moore, Tiffany Sullivan, Jessie Hicks, Sharon Leever, Kaitrin McCoy, Ash Roper and Hannah Simon Goldman. The track was recorded across multiple sessions with several engineers in different studios, underscoring its collaborative spirit. It includes work done at Cincinnati Public Radio’s new studio with Brian Niesz, additional recording with Aaron Madrigal at local studio The Tone Shoppe, and mixing by Mike Montgomery at Candyland — with celebrated saxophonist Zaire Trinidad Sherman engineering his own contribution.

“Patience, My Love” by Maria, etc.

Singer-songwriter Maria Keck, aka Maria, etc., released a collection of introspective and poignant songs titled Maybe Time’s Not in a Bottle Anymore in May, featuring laidback, jazzy arrangements with some of the delightfully unconventional subtleties that have made her work standout. This track features a lustre of slowly-syncopated ethereal instrumentation that feels like a cool breeze blowing over a pool of water reflecting the moon, with saxophonist Ziaire Trinidad Sherman guesting and a fadeout of a choir of children driving the song’s point home. The song’s mantra of being in the moment seems like a good way to end the playlist, not letting time go too fast, and as Keck sings, “slip into the past.”

Listen to the full playlist of songs here.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 24 print edition.

The post Cincinnati Wrapped 2025: Top 15 Songs Released by Cincinnati Artists this Year appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Move over, Bing. Cincinnati indie rock band Tin Pilgrim is back for another holiday season and belting out what may become the newest, greatest Christmas song of all time — at least here in the Queen City.

The band’s newest holiday jam, “Cincinnati Christmas Time,” is a sparkling red, green and snowy fever dream that celebrates everything that’s wonderful about the city this time of year — from the Festival of Lights and The Nutcracker ballet to the snow and a warm dish of Cincinnati chili on a cold day. There are also nods to the not-so-great, but still very essential parts of the holiday, like long lines at Kroger, the congested parking lot at Kenwood Towne Centre and traffic jams on I-75.

But, as Tin Pilgrim sings, “I’ll get an egg nog shake from UDF; it’ll be alright.”

The song has a soulful melody, with crooning lyrics like “OOO O-HI-O / With 5-1-3 in mind, it’s Cincinnati Christmas time” and “The Roebling sings with a distant hum / and the streetcar rolls along going rum pum pum a rum pum pum.” The music video mixes the nostalgia of beloved holiday classics, like the characters of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer eating Skyline, with other animations and shots of local Christmas traditions like Santa rappelling during Downtown Dazzle, Kings Island’s Winterfest, the Shilito Elves display and the Krohn Conservatory’s holiday show. 

Watch the full video, released Dec. 18, to see all the nods to Cincinnati holiday fun and learn the lyrics so you can drunkenly sing this at your family Christmas party.

And this isn’t Tin Pilgrim’s first foray into penning holiday bangers. In 2022, the band released a Christmas ode to Cincinnati chili.

The post Local Band’s New Christmas Song Celebrates All of Cincinnati’s Holiday Fun appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.