BARS AND CLUBS

Cincinnati

ROCK CITY

The Queen City’s musical identity might be forever personified by WKRP in Cincinnati’s blissed-out Dr. Johnny Fever, but in real life, the Ohio River town steamrolled its way into history as a mid-century breeding ground for rock, soul, and funk. Appalachian roots also run deep—settlers from Kentucky passed on an appetite for Americana, bluegrass, and folk, while today’s upwardly mobile artists, from indie to hip-hop, hit the road to gain praise on the coasts but come home for cheap rent and cheaper beer.

Man Man blows blows at Southgate in 2007.

Southgate House
24 E. THIRD ST., NEWPORT, KENTUCKY, 859-431-2201
Coated with the residue of hand-rolled cigarettes and cheap bourbon, this
historic former mansion—a hop across the river in Kentucky—hosts indie faves
(Arcade Fire, Stephen Malkmus) and acts with roots in the region (Robert Pollard,
Enon) in its 500-person ballroom. On rare slow nights, it’s worth visiting
for its killer porch, see-and-be-seen karaoke, and Friday rockabilly jams.

LOCAL HEROES

Starting out in the ’60s as a teenage bassist with James Brown and later with Parliament/ Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins has since spawned his own glittery glam-funk universe. When not promoting artists—hip-hop collective the Animal Crackers and protégé Freekbass—on his Bootzilla Productions label, Collins is still working on his own songs, including the Bengals’ frenzied official theme, “Fear Da Tiger.”

slogan, “The future of rock and roll” (memorably stuttered by Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man), turn out to be a prophecy. When owners sold the terrestrial WOXY-FM in 2004 to First Broadcasting Investment Partners of Dallas, staffers, including Mike Taylor, Matt Shiverdecker, and Bryan Jay Miller, set up shop in a downtown warehouse. The crew’s long-standing commitment to uncovering worthy new bands has made theirs one of the most influential online indie stations.

The Comet

4579 HAMILTON AVE., 513-541-8900

An unpretentious beer-and-burrito
joint, the Comet hosts live music, DJs,
and karaoke most nights of the week,
and—equally pleasing to its blue-collar,
scooter-mafia, and beer-swizzling
collegiate regulars—there’s never
a cover. The lack of an actual stage
doesn’t stop indie bands like the Black
Angels from playing in a back corner.

The Gypsy Hut

4231 SPRING GROVE AVE., 513-541-0999

The new kid on the Northside block,
this is already a nexus for the city’s
varied scenes, with superior bookings
of rock and hip-hop acts and rowdy
dance parties—DJs include Thurston
Moore collaborator C. Spencer Yeh
and DJ Iceburg. If there isn’t anything at
the Hut to your liking, just wait a night.

Streaming since 1998, alt-rock radio station WOXY.com has seen its

In 1996 turntablist Mr. Dibbs teamed with Scribble magazine to create the modest parking-lot soiree Scribble Jam. Since then, it has ballooned into a full-blown multiday summer festival with DJ, MC, break-dance, and beatbox battles, and a graffiti expo, attracting such luminaries as Eminem, Big Daddy Kane, and Prince Paul. In 2005, Scribble marked its tenth anniversary by launching a spin-off tour.

Madison Theater

730 MADISON AVE., COVINGTON,
KENTUCKY, 859-491-2444
A meticulously restored theater
turned music venue, Madison
Theater—with its tight security,
pristine environs, and higher-priced
booze—attracts both hard-core
hipsters and aging suburbanites
by booking big-draw touring acts
such as Interpol and Bloc Party.

Music Hall

1241 ELM ST., 513-744-3344
This is the permanent home for the
city’s symphony and opera, but Music
Hall’s ornate stages host first-rate rock
and blues shows, too. Built in 1878,
the venue has hosted the White Stripes
and B.B. King; in 2007, Sufjan Stevens
played the Music Now chamber-music
festival, organized by native son Bryce
Dessner of the National.

Both well-studied music geeks, brothers Jim and Darren Blase offer spot-on guidance from behind the counter of the city’s finest music shop, Shake It Records. A label before it was a store, Shake It has issued releases from Cincy-bred artists such as Ass Ponys, Pearlene, and the Greenhornes. The business-savvy Blases also produce books, concerts, and art exhibits.

KNOW
YOUR
HISTORY

In the ’90s, as bands like
the Afghan Whigs, Ass
Ponys, and Over the
Rhine went national,
some fans, A&R execs,
and, well, music
magazines speculated that
Cincinnati could be “the
next Seattle.” That didn’t
happen, but there are
locals who still regard the
decade as a golden age,
preserving fond memories
of raucous nights at the
rock’n’roll Laundromat
Sudsy Malone’s.

ROBER T KNIGH T/RE TNA

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP: MAT T JORDAN/ YOUAINTNOPICASSO.COM; GREG RUFFING;