Blending blues, rock 'n' roll, punk and early American music with modern forms, Austin, Texas-based duo Ghost Wolves is no stranger to MOTR Pub. The band has made the Cincinnati music venue a repeat stop during its almost eight years of touring.This time is a little different. The group returns to MOTR Friday fresh off the release of its three-song single "Crooked Cop" on Jack White-founded label Third Man Records . For singer and guitarist Carley Wolf, the partnership with Third Man was a big deal."We're just fans of the label," she said in a news release. "They have so many of our heroes in their catalogs, people like Muddy Waters, Wanda Jackson, Dead Weather, Jerry Lee Lewis, the White Stripes. It's mind-blowing that our music will be there alongside them. It doesn't feel real, it feels like a dream."Carley and drummer Jonny Wolf, who have been married for seven years, wrote and recorded the songs against a backdrop of fear and uncertainty in their personal lives. Immediately before the recording, the Jonny traveled to visit his terminally ill father in Connecticut."I was up there almost a month when they first hospitalized him," Jonny said in the release. "When he stabilized somewhat, I went back to Austin to take a break and be home briefly, and that's when we recorded this. So we were creating with all of that hurt going on in the background. It was therapeutic for me in a way, to be there with these people, working on art. And I think it came out on the record. It's definitely darker and more intimate than our previous albums."

WCPO Lounge Acts

The Ghost Wolves

Erika Wennerstrom, the lead of Heartless Bastards, released her debut solo album, “Sweet Unknown,” in March of 2018 on Partisan Records.Wennerstrom’s solo songs are built on the same blues and folk foundations as her songs with the Bastards, but her flirtations with both psychedelic sounds and pop sensibilities are both ambitious and clear on “Sweet Unknown.” Although the break with the band was mutual, Wennerstrom seems to be basking in newfound freedom, singing “I walk around this crowded town / I had to re-find my way / You know I couldn't remain the same / What it is, what it is, what it is / Don't fight the change within” on her song “Good to Be Alone.”Set List:Extraordinary LoveTwisted Highway- interview -Staring Out the WindowLetting GoWennerstrom also performed a cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Be Here to Love Me" that is available on the WCPO Lounge Acts YouTube channel.--Erika Wennerstrom's second WCPO Lounge Acts session was recorded on June 14, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH.WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists.Mixed by Brian Niesz.Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

Erika Wennerstrom

Set List:Dennis Quaid - interview -Shouting MatchesThe Waiting RoomTaylor Janzen's WCPO Lounge Acts session was recorded on May 31, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH.WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists.Mixed by Brian Niesz.Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

Taylor Janzen

No Bones about it... Raised on gospel and country in rural Missouri, Bones Owens ’ sound is far more hard-hitting than the music of his upbringing. With a simple band setup of drums and a guitar, led by Owens’ powerful vocals, it’s exactly the kind of music you’d expect to hear on the stages of Nashville.Bones released his debut EP, Hurt No One, in the fall of 2014, featuring guest appearances by the likes of Butch Walker, Matt Thiessen (Relient K) and Caleb Crosby (Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown) among others. He followed this with another EP in 2017, Make Me No King , and firmly cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with. His lyrics are intimate and relatable: recently-released single “Bout Time” covers the frustration of indecision in a relationship (we’ve all been there). Combined with commanding riffs and passionate vocals, Owens’ sound is equally at home in the intimate bars of Nashville and arenas across the country.Set List:White LinesKeep it Close- interview -Long Long TimeBout TimeBones Owen's WCPO Lounge Acts session was recorded on March 22, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH.WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists.Mixed by Brian Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

Bones Owens

To listen to Triiibe is to know their causes: love, peace, community, prosperity, faith, self-sustainability. Triiibe, an acronym for True Representation of Intellectual Individuals Invoking Black Excellence, is comprised of three talented members: Pxvce (pronounced “peace”), Siri Imani, and Aziza Love. Together, they create their own brand of “artivism” - combining powerful lyrics, smooth melodies and rhymes, all laced with their principled beliefs. Activism is what brought the three of them together - the music followed naturally. As Pxcve, who raps and creates beats for the group puts it, they’re creating “soul music.” It’s more than just songs to bop along to--although you will. It’s the product of three souls with common goals and beliefs coming together to create something bigger than themselves. If it sounds lofty, that’s because it is. But the members of Triiibe don’t take the responsibility lightly.They’re putting their time where their mouths are, too: when not creating music, they spend time running after school programs like Raising the Bars, which helps Cincinnati Public School students learn how to express themselves through writing, poetry, and even rapping. They’re ever-cognizant of the obstacles they’ve faced in their own lives, and active in taking steps to inform and educate so those barriers are different for younger generations. Cincinnati is taking notice of the great work that Triiibe is producing. Their first full album, “iii am what iii am” was released in October 2018 to rave reviews, and they regularly play shows all over the city and beyond. They even snagged to major awards at CityBeat’s 2018 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, going home with the Hip Hop and Artist of the Year awards. They’ve also been invited to take the stage for a set at 2019’s Bunbury Music Festival, an honor they’re eager to take on. Not bad considering they’ve only been performing together as Triiibe for just over a year.Needless to say, Triiibe is staying busy. Making music, performing, sharing, teaching and learning. How do you sum up all that they’re doing, and all that they stand for? Love puts it best: “Speak truth, always truth, and walk and live in that truth. To be who you are and to be proud of your roots is alright, and that’s beautiful. Live in that light always.”Set list:"You Can't Stop the Movement""Green Thumb"- interview -"Gossip""Feel Good"Triiibe's Lounge Act was recorded on February 19th, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH.WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists.Mixed by Brian Niesz.Video by Mike Strotman, Chris Gastright, Kyle Rhodes and Brian NieszHosted by Emmalee Smith with Clyde Gray.

Triiibe

Oft-compared to the ethereal warblings of Florence Welch and Dolores O’Riordan of the Cranberries, Natalie Carol’s voice is unforgettable. As the frontwoman of Valley Queen, she’s the driving force behind a sound that is quintessentially California.To round out their lineup, she’s accompanied by Neil Wogensen (bass/vocals), Shawn Morones (guitar/vocals) and Mike DeLuccia (drums). Their latest album, Supergiant, features songs like “Chasing the Muse” with a rolling rhythm and steady guitar riffs: it’s a classic-meets-modern kind of rock perfect for this millennium's Fleetwood Mac lovers. Like the album’s name, Valley Queen is a bright shining star - a “galactic perspective” for an earthbound force, Valley Queen wraps up a nationwide tour this May in their home state of California.Set list:"Supergiant"- interview -"Ride""Razor Blade"Mixed by Brain Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

Valley Queen

In 2014, Brooklyn-based duo Weeknight released its debut album " Post Everything ."Nearly five years later, the band's founders, Andy Simmons and Holly MacGibbon released Weeknight's second album "Dead Beat Creep" on Feb. 1. The second album features band mates Russell Hymowitz and Jasper Berg, who joined the band in 2017.With Hymowitz on base guitar and Berg on drums, " Dead Beat Creep " marks a radical approach to recording for a band whose sound is described as "dark synth pop." Weeknight recorded their second album using all analog instruments and by writing each song so they could perform them live without backup tracks.Online publication Brooklyn Vegan described the new album's first single "Holes in My Head" as "a cinematic piece of synthpop noir that, lyrically, is about Holly’s father who died in 2017 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s.""It was written from his perspective, and says what I imagined he would have wanted to say to me if he was able to," MacGibbon told the publication.Set list:"Holes in My Head""Outside the Pale"- interview -"Settle Down""Done With Me"--Weeknight's Lounge Act was recorded on Feb. 14, 2019 in the WCPO Digital Lounge in Cincinnati, OH.WCPO Lounge Acts features intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists.Mixed by Brian Niesz. Video by Emily Maxwell and Brian Niesz. Hosted by Brian Mains.

Weeknight

Jules Hale, the frontwoman of Washington D.C.-based Den-Mate, is a force to be reckoned with. She’s previously described the character behind “Charlotte,” the opening track on Den-Mate’s most recent album, as the "insecure mannerism that we all revert to when we are feeling misheard, misguided and misunderstood,” but to hear Hales sing, you wouldn’t know she were capable of such feelings. Her voice is at once powerful and dreamy, a perfect complement to the genre-bending music behind it.A mix of dark pop and electro sounds, their most recent album, Loceke, is strong - both in musicality and energy - from start to finish. Written as a continuous storyline, the album explores worldviews and emotions in a completely unique, deeply honest, way. Each song adds a chapter to reveal more about Hale, weaving an intricate web that keeps you intrigued.Set list:"Paradise""XOSO"- interview - "Sick""Still Life"

Den-Mate

Everyone loves a good post-breakup anthem. We’ve all been heartbroken in one way or another, and it seems to help when someone far more musically gifted is able to put those feelings into music and lyrics. Somehow, hearing a musician play out their own heartbreak in a way that mirrors yours can be cathartic, even if you’re not post-breakup.Allyse Vellture, also known as pronoun, is such a musician: following a strenuous breakup, she wrote, recorded, and produced “There's no one new around you,” her debut EP filled with delicate, deeply personal tracks. The Tinder-savvy will recognize that phrase as the end of a search on the dating app - a comical nod to the subject matter at hand.Somewhere between indie rock, post-punk and soft electronic, pronoun’s sound easily pulls you in: it’s emotive without being weepy, and raw without feeling unfinished. Her EP is getting noticed, too: she’s been covered by Billboard, Highlight Magazine, and Atwood Magazine, just to name a few, and is currently wrapping up a US tour before heading to Europe early next year. Clearly, she’s winning this break up.Her latest single, "you didn't even make the bed," dropped just a few week ago in October.Set list:"just cuz you can't""wrong"- interview - "a million other things""run"

pronoun

Bridging the gaps between punk and indie rock, Grace Vonderkuhn is smart, sharp and deeply melodic.The frontwoman of a three piece outfit for the past two years, Vonderkuhn brings formidable vocals and guitar slayage to every song, with a magnetic energy that can’t be ignored. The band’s first EP was recorded on an 8-track cassette recorder and subsequently released on Instacrush Records. Since its release in 2015, they’ve tirelessly toured up and down the East Coast, joining the likes of Titus Andronicus, Lower Dens, Sheer Mag, Alice Bag, Ought and more on stage. “Reveries,” Vonderkuhn’s first full-length album, was released earlier this year to glowing praise. The album's lead single, "Worry" is a powerful pop tune drenched in messy garage tones. With a follow-up invitation to showcase at South By Southwest 2018, Vonderkuhn has drawn comparisons to music icons like Joan Jett and Liz Phair. Set list:Candy ButtonsBad Habits - interview -CellophaneWorry

Grace Vonderkuhn

Country music singer Jeremy Pinnell traveled hundreds of miles before returning home to perform at the Octave in Covington.The Northern Kentucky native spent the last four weeks driving out west and then back again for the western leg of his 2018 summer tour.The tour promoted Pinnell's second full-length studio album "Ties of Blood and Affection," which the singer released on SofaBurn Records last August. Saturday's show is the first time that Pinnell will perform a local set with his full band, the 55s in more than a year.Rolling Stone Magazine described Pinell's sound as, "no frills honky-rock with plenty of pedal steel, Western swing and vocals as smooth as the highest dollar whiskey" in an October review of his latest album. The article also noted that the tracks on "Ties of Blood and Affection" were "a stellar collection that could earn Pinnell comparisons to Sturgill Simpson."That praise builds upon the national recognition the Elsmere, Kentucky native received in 2014 after the release of his first solo studio album "OH/KY." “I definitely felt more freedom in making this album," Pinnell told Rolling Stone when discussing "Ties of Blood and Affection." "Just accepting who I was and what I sounded like."Set list:"The Ballad of 1892""A Different Kind of Love"- interview -"Take the Wheel""Feel This Right"

Jeremy Pinnell

Formed in 2009 right here in sunny Cincinnati, Vacation is a formidable foursome bringing you a classic, grunge-influenced sound. Comprised of guitarist John Hoffman, drummer Dylan McCartney, vocalist/guitarist Jerri Queen and bassist Evan Wolff, they self-describe their sound as “grit pop.” It’s an apt description, as their sound is distinctly basement punk with just enough pop influence to keep even non-punk rockers engaged. Contrary to their placid name, Vacation has been working hard, churning out an impressive number of tracks and LPs over the last decade. To complement their relentless production of music, they seem to be on the road nonstop. They’re certainly no stranger to owning the stage, but they’ve opened for some pretty impressive acts as well, including The Breeders, Screaming Females, Black Lips, No Age, and more.Their show this weekend at MOTR Pub in Over the Rhine will kick off a string of shows all over the country. It’s also the official release of their latest full-length, Mouth Sounds #2699. Produced by John Curley of Afghan Whigs fame, Noisey called the album "a breezy 26 minutes of loud, grungy rock."For their WCPO Lounge Acts performance, the group played a couple tracks from the new album as well as a couple older favorites.Set list:"The All""Action Road"- interview -"Deflector Head""Sharptooth Tinsel Town"

Vacation

Picture it: you’re taking in a show from a cool local band. The lead singer rocks a blonde mullet and one long earring, and the petite keyboardist dances and harmonizes along. The music is upbeat, danceable pop, filled with synthesizers. If you think you’ve been transported back to the 1980’s, guess again. It’s 2018, and this is Moonbeau, a Cincinnati-based band giving you layered music and fun performances you can’t help but dance along with. Their love for nostalgia and new wave is evident, but their sound is still distinctly modern. Paired with relatable lyrics and foot-tapping rhythms, hear them once and you won’t soon forget Moonbeau. Originally a one-man-band project by frontman Christian Gough, Moonbeau now plays as a foursome, including Claire Muenchen, the aforementioned keyboardist with impressive vocal chops herself, Alex Murphy-White on drums, and Kyle Kubiak playing bass. Though their sound and look are retro, they’re actively looking forward. Several of their singles are already available to stream, including the winsome love songs, "Are We In Love Yet?", (which was featured on an episode of MTV’s Catfish last year) and "Like The Night." The latter includes adorably catchy lyrics like, "I see stars when you’re on my mind, and you’re on my mind all the time." (The romantic side of their songs is no surprise when you learn that Gough and Muenchen are engaged to be married. Insert all the heart emojis here.) Set list:"Complicated""Lover/Fighter"- interview -"Like the Night"

Moonbeau

It would be easy to be skeptical of an all percussion foursome, but fear not: The Kraken Quartet brings a lot to the table. Comprised of Chris Demetriou, Andrew Dobos, Taylor Eddinger and Sean Harvey, the Austin-based band met in college, and over the years they’ve found interesting and unique ways to layer their instruments to create an all-encompassing sound. Highly energetic and engaging, their style blurs genre lines, with notes of everything from indie, post-rock, electronica -- even math rock. To create the wildly expansive sounds they do with primarily percussion instruments is a testament to not only the oft-underrated power of percussion but to the talent of The Kraken Quartet’s members. They also incorporate other electronic instruments like keyboards and synths, rounding out their vibe to create an ambience that It Djents described as “a cozy, soft and warming sound blanket”. A blanket indeed, it’s not hard to get lost (in a good way) under their soundscapes."The Gates""Hook and Loop"- interview - "House 11""Chance the Dog (The Song)"Mixed by Brian Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

The Kraken Quartet

If you’re looking for tunes to soothe your soul, look no further than Freedom Nicole Moore & The Electric Moon. With clear influences of soul, funk, and indie sounds in their music, this Cincinnati-based group with have you singing along in no time. That said, good luck matching the smooth warmth of frontwoman Moore’s voice. With introspective lyrics that are hard not to relate to, FNMTEM sings truth for the everywoman -- and man.Moore got her start singing background vocals for local acts, and claims she left a funk group because she didn’t have the vocal stylings they were looking for (big mistake on their part, if you ask us). Before forming the collective Electric Moon around her, she performed as a solo singer-songwriter under her previous name, Marisa Moore. With layered sounds of smooth funk and upbeat indie, the group sounds as if they’ve been playing together for decades. There’s no question: listening to this group will make you feel good. Set list:EverytimePink Sugar- interview -Road TripYour Friend TooMorningMixed by Brian Niesz. Hosted by Emmalee Smith.

Freedom Nicole Moore & the Electric Moon

Featuring intimate in-studio performances and interviews from outstanding musical artists. Discover new music, songs and the stories behind them all. Recorded live in the WCPO Lounge in Cincinnati, OH.

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WCPO Lounge Acts

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