Particpants in the 2nd Annual Dayton Does Dayton Music Festival (Photo by Amanda Barbosa, courtesy of MidWest Promo)

The name Dayton Does Dayton may make your thoughts go all sorts of places, but it actually is the most accurate description of what’s happening this weekend at Canal Street Tavern.  This is the second year for the two music festival that kicks off Friday (February 3rd) and continues on Saturday night.  The concept came from Rich Reuter of Nine False Suns: an event that celebrates Dayton Music by having local bands perform both their own work and unique renditions of other Dayton musicians’ songs, past or present.  Local promoter Louie Wood Jr decided to run with the idea, and last year’s debut Dayton Does Dayton festival was performed in front of a packed house at Canal Street Tavern.

20 bands are poised to take the stage this weekend for the festival’s second outing.  You’ll hear the expected Guided by Voices covers alongside tunes by the Breeders and Brianiac, but then you’ll hear some groups reach back further and cross genres to cover the Ohio Players, Slave and Lakeside. The Fair Shakes will be joined onstage by Real Lulu’s Kattie Dougherty for a rendition of “Chief,” while Me & Mountains will perform songs by the Motel Beds and Roley Yuma.  Additionally, all of the bands performing will play some of their own material to give you a taste of what you can hear right now in Dayton.

The music starts each night at 8:30pm sharp so get to Canal Street early for a good spot and the full bill.  The cost each night is $5.

Lineup:

FRIDAY
Wild Forrest Blackberrri
A Shade of Red
Gathering Mercury
Dan Raridan and the Calientes
Akillis Green
Me & Mountains
Niki Dakota, Rick Good, Ben Cooper, and Israel Parker
The Fair Shakes
The Dirty Socialites
Wade Baker

SATURDAY:
Wheels
Charge Scenic
Good English
Al Holbrook Band
Nine False Suns
Red Hot Rebellion
Dark Backward
Ed Pittman and Jay Madewell
My Latex Brain

The crowd at Side Show 5

Urban Nights seems like a long way off, but it’s not too early to get involved with one of the many events that kick off May 11th.  The Dayton Circus has begun preparations for Side Show 7, which will take place May 11th and 12th at the Circus’ space, the Yellow Cab Building on 4th Street.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Side Show, it’s more than an art show.  Each year the Circus celebrates creativity in our community by encouraging participating artists and musicians to think outside the box, take risks and try something new.  So, you ask, how do I get involved?  Interested artists and musicians can download information, sign up for email updates and learn how to submit their work here.   The call for entries is open until March 23rd.

If you want to get involved in other ways, the Circus has also begun organizing several fundraisers to help cover the cost of Side Show 7.  The first one is Dayton Crafty-Con on March 10th.

Check back to Dayton Most Metro in the coming months.  We’ll have more updates on Side Show 7 as the event develops. 

Though Vincent and Dailey had worked in the same musical circles for years, they didn’t really know each other until 2001, when they met for breakfast to discuss working together. Riding home, they began singing in the car. “When we heard that, it was instant,” says Vincent. “We knew it sounded unique, and really tight. Our voices just blend so uniquely together. It blows my mind. Where I’m weak, he’s strong. And where he’s weak, I’m strong. We think alike, and we sing alike. So it works out well.”

The band Dailey & Vincent—which consists of Jamie Dailey (guitar, bass, lead and harmony vocals), Darrin Vincent (mandolin, bass, guitar, lead and harmony vocals), Christian Davis (guitar, harmony vocals), Joe Dean, Jr. (banjo, guitar, harmony vocals), Jeff Parker (mandolin, guitar, harmony vocals) and Jesse Stockman (fiddle)—has recorded five widely acclaimed albums:Dailey & Vincent, Brothers from Different Mothers, Singing from the Heart, Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers and most recently, The Gospel Side of Dailey & Vincent.

Dailey & Vincent’s vocal prowess and versatility have launched the band to the top of the bluegrass world in a few short years. Not together even five years yet, Dailey & Vincent has already won IBMA’s top award, Entertainer of the Year, three times.

The New York Times has called the band “the most celebrated new bluegrass act of the last few years,” and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Billboard calls Jamie Dailey “the greatest pure tenor singer since Ira Louvin” (that’s high praise indeed), while that same Times review observed that “Dailey’s voice [is] cleansing, a high-pitched tenor that pierces through the band’s nimble, complex arrangements…Stunning.”  

“We do feel like we’re chiseling away at it, and we’re having some success,” says Jamie Dailey of the band’s ascent. “We’re blessed to have the career that we have, but you can never take anything for granted,” adds Darrin Vincent. “We stay humble and keep it in the front of our minds that nothing lasts forever. We were lucky enough to find each other.”

Cityfolk favorites Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers—which includes Joe Mullins (banjo, vocals), Mike Terry (mandolin, vocals), Adam McIntosh (guitar, vocals), Evan McGregor (fiddle, vocals) and Tim Kidd (bass)—was formed in 2006. The hard-working band, nominated for IBMA’s Emerging Artist of the Year Award in 2011, performed in almost 20 states and three Canadian provinces last year and has an even busier year scheduled for 2012. Mullins, the son of the late fiddler and broadcaster Paul “Moon” Mullins, is one of the greatest banjo players in bluegrass.

The band released a pair of outstanding albums in 2010, Rambler’s Call and Hymns from the Hills.  The latter record, which takes its name from a bluegrass and country gospel program Joe’s father Moon Mullins used to host on WPFB in Middletown, is an outstanding all-gospel set that showcases the band’s fine vocal work and features such guests as Ralph Stanley, Doyle Lawson, Larry Sparks and Rhonda Vincent. A nice historical touch is the inclusion of Aubrey Holt’s “We Missed You in Church Last Sunday,” the title song from the 1974 debut album by Paul Mullins, Noah Crase and the Boys from Indiana.

Dailey & Vincent with special guests Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers perform, Saturday, February 11 at 8 PM at the Dayton Masonic Center. Information and tickets are available by calling 937-496-3863 or online at www.cityfolk.org

Ticket Contest

We have a pair of tickets to see this show – just fill out the form below and we’ll draw a winner on Friday 2/3 at noon.  Good luck!

(Contest Closed)

Congratulations to Lori Kershner, whose name we randomly picked to win the pair of tickets to see Dailey & Vincent – courtesy of Cityfolk!  Enjoy the show!

Alivera (Photo by Rick Wait/waitphoto)

The holiday months were busy for the local scene, with a number of bands releasing new albums and EPs. Both bands old and new, more experienced and younger, were busy releasing their newest tracks to their audiences. One of the artists on the newer side, whom I’ve been following for the past couple months, is the band Alivera. With most members on the border of 20, and some of them fresh out of high school, Alivera is one of those bands bringing a refreshing sound to the local rock scene.

This post-hardcore outfit released their debut self-titled EP back in November and is preparing to begin touring around the area in February. With this EP, Alivera brings forth a sound that is a bit more mature than their previous demos, toning down the hardcore edge and bringing forth stronger melodies and harmonies.

Alivera’s new EP is a quick four tracks long, and opens with the track “Aurora’s Winds”. A fade-in guitar leads right into a full force, pop-ish post-hardcore sound, with chord-heavy guitars and echo-effects vocals. The track begins loosening up as it moves on, giving hints at vocalist Chris McGrath’s range as guitarists Tyler Smith and Trevor Johnson begin trading out chords for a more melodic focus.  Overall, this track provides samples of the band’s various ranges and strengths, which are further highlighted in later tracks.

The following track, “The Civic Pt. II”, fades in the drums this time around, before leading into a opening that feels similar to the track beforehand. McGrath uses his vocal shifts a bit more in this track, while drummer Aaron Queener becomes a bit more highlighted, pushing forth the various minor style shifts in the track.

Alivera performs live (Photo by Michael Smart Photography)

The band picks up to something a bit stronger in the next track, “Predecessors”. Guitar gains a stronger focus at the beginning of this track, providing melody right off the bad rather than starting with chords. The vocalist pushes his range higher in this track, and gains a bit of an angry edge at some points. This also marks the first time that the “hardcore” part of the band is really brought out, with a slight breakdown and some screamed vocals during the bridge.

The EP ends with what is, in my opinion, the strongest track: “Planetary Aspect”. This track is the strongest out of the gate, with emotional vocals at the outset, moving right into a strong drum-and-guitar lead to the chorus. The chorus is where McGrath breaks out the top of his range: a high-reaching voice that doesn’t sound forced. Smith, Johnson, and Queener all come together during the verses to provide their best instrumentals on the EP, moving to a breakdown-style bridge and a strong drive to a satisfying ending.

I have met a number of individuals in the area that outright dismiss younger bands, claiming that they don’t have “experience” or something like that. I will never understand why some people hold opinions such as this. I believe that it is the younger bands that are bringing the freshest sounds to the scene, whether with Alivera to the rock scene, or various other acts to the others. Keep an eye on the younger up-and-comers, as they are the ones that are taking the Dayton scene to new heights.

Good English will release their debut CD this weekend

If you missed last week’s debut, The Set List is a new feature here in the Dayton Music section of Dayton MostMetro.com.  It’s a weekly rundown of some of your options for live music in the Miami Valley.  If you’re a local band or venue, don’t forget to post your upcoming events on the DaytonMostMetro events calendar and submit your show posters for display in our sidebar (glance to your right for examples). Click here to do both.

FRIDAY:

-As we told you in this week’s Music Video Monday, Starving in the Belly of the Whale will perform at South Park Tavern with the New Old-Fashioned and Bernoulli

-And as we previously mentioned, Michael Shoup is performing at Ghostlight Coffee

-Good English will celebrate the release of the debut album, Take Control, at Canal Street Tavern with One Second and Bridget Egan.  This one is all-ages.

-Blind Bob’s will feature Auburndale, The Composure, Nightbeast, Squid the Whale, and Denny Cottle

SATURDAY:

-Ape the Ghost will perform with Okay Lindon and Cincinnati band, Wussy at South Park Tavern.

-Textbook Committee (a Guided by Voices tribute) makes their return to Canal Street Tavern with the Nick Kizirnis Band and The Smug Bros.

-The Dayton Blues Society presents their Winter Showcase at Gilly’s featuring Big Bill Morganfield, The Noah Wotherspoon Band and Gregg “GC” Clark and Brian Lee

Michael Shoup (Photo by Rory White Photography)

Dayton native Michael Shoup is calling his first tour of 2012 the Hello Ohio tour, and he’ll kick it off here in Dayton at Ghostlight Coffee in South Park.  Currently-based in Nashville, Shoup’s most recent album is called Learning How to Live, but that’s not all he’s up to.  In 2011 Shoup began a project called A Song For You wherein he wrote 3 songs based on inspiration from fans and then shared them for free.  A Song for You is continuing in 2012, and who knows, maybe he’ll get some inspiration for the project right here in the Miami Valley.  Check out the video below for more on A Song for You.

Shoup performs at Ghostlight Coffee on Friday, January 20th beginning at 8pm.  Presale tickets are available here for $5.  Tickets will be available at the door for $8.

This week’s video is the second song from The Journey Less Traveled, “Waiting is a Virtue.”

Vanity Theft playing out this Thursday

Normally when you think of what night you should go out, you think about the weekend…  maybe a Friday or Saturday night, right?  Well music fans, this week Thursday is for Indie!  This Thursday, January 19th, we have a terrific collection of Dayton bands who will be playing at the Rathskeller Room at Wright State University!  We have a great lineup that includes Vanity Theft — whose album Get What You Came For — made my best of 2011 list.   In addition to VT we have: We Were Animals – and their Apoco-Lips album– should not be missed, Abertooth Lincoln, and 3rd and Main!  The show starts at 7pm and goes until 10pm that leaves plenty of time for your weekend.  It is an all ages show so that music fans of all ages can begin their love affair with Dayton music!  And most importantly you can get a good jump on a weekend of great local music.

We Were Animals

Abertooth Lincoln

And to give you a start on the show: You can download the We Were Animals album!  You can also check out Abertooth Lincoln’s music, if you haven’t already at ReverbNation or theirFacebook page!  Just remember that it is socially acceptable to begin your weekend on a Thursday night!

WUDR Studio stands ready

Ok, so this brief essay is a little self serving.

Now that we have that warning out of the way… this Thursday, January 19th you need to visit the ArtStreet Cafe at the University of Dayton from 7:00-9:00pm and order some delicious food.  WUDR is holding their annual fund raiser to both support Flyer Radio and the annual WUDR spring concert series and — this is the part that you are really going to enjoy — create an opportunity for members of our community to talk to the DJs and others involved in a student-organized independent radio station!  WUDR is the home of our program, Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative and several other fine programs that spotlight Dayton bands, musicians, and local concerts.  So, if you are thirsty for a smoothie or hungry for a sandwich this Thursday evening, you know where you should go satisfy your cravings and support a local radio station that is not part of a huge super mega corporate entity that is programmed and controlled by people far far away.

The only thing you have to lose is a little time and your thirst or hunger or both.

Tell them that Dr. J sent you!