Our friends from the band Winterpills have joined us at WOXY.com for two sessions in the past couple years, first at SXSW in 2007 and then in the Cincinnati studios earlier this year. When they were with us in Cincy, they previewed several new songs from their upcoming album, Central Chambers.

The new record is slated for release on October 14th, and we are previewing some of the album cuts today on New Tunes Tuesday. So be sure to listen in today and catch some new music from Winterpills, and in the meantime feel free to snag some of these free downloads from their most recent Lounge act session which also happen to be on the new album.

Winterpills - Bee Sting (Live On WOXY.com / unreleased)

Winterpills - Gentleman Farmer (Live On WOXY.com/ unreleased)

Winterpills - Live On WOXY.com (full session download)

Well, it has been about a month since we hosted our last band in the lounge, and we are about to make up for it in a big way. Today we kick off a week that will see us host two bands in the lounge, starting today with French Kicks. We really love the latest French Kicks record, Swimming, and it will be a real treat to have them back into the lounge with us today.

And then later in the week, to prepare for the Midpoint Music Festival here in Cincinnati, we will be hosting a return performance from our friends in Jukebox The Ghost, who will also be playing our stage at Midpoint this weekend.

So set those calendars for French Kicks today at 2:30 ET and Jukebox The Ghost this Friday at 4 ET live in the Lounge on WOXY.com.

French Kicks - Live On WOXY.com (July 2006 Session)
Jukebox The Ghost - Live On WOXY.com (Jan 2008 Session)

Longtime WOXY listeners might remember the Xtrabeats nights we used to hold at Bogart’s and the riverboat cruises where everyone would drink and dance - sometimes, to excess - the night away. This was back when dance music had lyrics. When songs of all kinds were given 12″ dance remixes. Indie Disco. That was then….

Last week, I was telling a friend about Friendly Fires, the next band I intended to write about for [This Just In], and was asked to describe their sound. I said Indie Disco.

“Ewwwwwww……”

I don’t know when but somewhere along way, dancing to guitar-based indie music seemed to go out of fashion. My guess is it was ushered out about the time flannel shirts were flying off the racks. The time honored phrase “it’s gotta good beat and you can dance to it” became as in vogue as Hillary Clinton was at the AMA, circa 1993. Suddenly, folks became too cool for school to bust a move and it was Footloose all over again.

Still, I’ve always been a sucker for a catchy tune with a good beat and, as an example, fell hard for The Whip’s X Marks Destination debut earlier this year. Now comes Friendly Fires, another British band, a trio from the town of St. Albans. After a couple of single releases over the last two years, they’re set to release their self-titled debut on September 23rd via the XL label (it’s already available digitally and as an import).

Is it completely original? No, but it ain’t Fleet Foxes either (who I like, for the record). Friendly Fires bring the groove on every one of the disc’s 10 tracks, from the Talking Heads nod “In The Hospital” to singles-of-the-week “Paris” and “Jump In The Pool, produced by Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Maximo Park), the sole track not produced by the band.

So, if you like a danceable indie record and are a follower of bands like The Rapture, Radio 4, Bloc Party and have a couple of Prince and Talking Heads tunes stuffed into your iPod, the debut from Friendly Fires should mix alongside quite nicely. I’ll vouch for the fact that it does have a good beat and you can indeed dance to it, if you want.

Friendly Fires self-titled album is available digitally and as an import, hitting stores on September 23rd. The band supports Lykke Li on US dates from October 23rd thru November 3rd.

Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool

If you have been around here very long, I don’t have to tell you much about Jukebox The Ghost. But just in case you have not, and are on the fence about how to start your Sunday at Monolith this weekend, well take this into account.

Jukebox The Ghost are a three piece from Washington D.C. who joined us in the lounge back in January of this year. Since then they have gone on to release an excellent debut album called Let Live & Let Ghosts. Shiv called them one of his favorite musical discoveries of 2007 and we have been nothing but impressed with how these guys are progressing. Get a sample of what Jukebox The Ghost sounds like below with some free downloads from their session with us in the lounge.

Jukebox The Ghost - Good Day(Live On WOXY.com)

Jukebox The Ghost - Victoria(Live On WOXY.com)

Jukebox The Ghost - Hold It In (Live On WOXY.com)

Jukebox The Ghost play the WOXY.com stage at 1pm On Sunday at the Monolith Festival

Northern Kentucky resident Daniel Martin Moore has accomplished what countless bands and artists before him could not. He became the first artist in the history of venerable indie label Sub Pop to be signed from the submission of an unsolicited demo recording. I first heard of Mr. Moore earlier this Spring when I was making one of my frequent trips to Shake It Records here in town. Darren, one of the co-owners of the store, played me some of Daniel’s music that afternoon and I was instantly struck with how delicate and calm his voice was. Sometimes I hate comparisons to other artists because they tend to build false expectations in a listener, but the ones mentioned in Sub Pop’s own bio of him (Chet Baker, Nick Drake) ring true.

Months after my initial exposure in the record store, I was sent an an advance copy of his debut album Stray Age. One of the first things I noticed was that he does a cover of one of my all-time favorite songs, Sandy Denny’s “Who Knows Where The Time Goes.” That was enough to make me fall in love. But, listening to the full album proved to give plenty more than a well chosen cover of a folk classic. Some songs, such as the title track you can download below, simply feature a beautiful recording of Daniel and his guitar. Elsewhere on the cd, he is joined by a host of talented session players including violinst Petra Haden, who performs on three cuts.

Recorded in Los Angeles with acclaimed producer Joe Chiccarelli (who has previously worked with The White Stripes, The Shins, and U2), every song here is an absolute treasure. It is exciting to have such a stunning debut album surface so unexpectedly from right here in our own backyard. Here in the tri-state, you can catch Daniel performing live on our WOXY.com stage at the MidPoint Festival on Thursday, September 26th. For those of you who aren’t local, you’ll get a chance to hear Daniel perform live when he makes his debut in our WOXY.com Lounge on October 6th.

Stray Age hits stores on cd October 7th on Sub Pop records. A vinyl pressing will arrive later in November from Shake It.

Daniel Martin Moore - Stray Age

The 2008 Monolith Festival kicks off this weekend! And one of the many great bands taking the WOXY.com stage are The Whigs. The Athens, Georgia based rockers gave us a great sample of their high energy sound earlier this year during a Lounge session and are a great band to catch live.

The Whigs have been touring the hell out of their excellent sophomore album, Mission Control, and have attracted a bunch of new fans in the process. Mission Control combines some of your favorite things about American rock music and injects The Whigs signature brand of hard hitting fun. This set is one you should not miss.

The Whigs are playing the WOXY.com stage Sunday Sept 14th @ 5:50pm.

The Whigs - Like A Vibration (Live On WOXY.com)

The Whigs - Right Hand On My Heart (Live On WOXY.com)

The Whigs - Live On WOXY.com (full session download)

We’re coming up on a pretty extraordinary milestone here at The Future Of Rock And Roll. On Labor Day weekend back in 1983, Doug & Linda Balogh flipped the switch on an FM radio station up in Oxford, Ohio. They sent over the following message to share with WOXY fans past and present and we’d like to share it with you.

25 years ago this weekend, U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” birthed the beginning of a dream … 97X. A couple of decades later many of you listened to Steve Baker’s eloquent final paragraph at midnight on May 13, 2004, when we closed the chapter on the “radio station.”

We lived the American Dream for 23 years, working alongside so many talented, dedicated people who shared the passion … too many to mention, but you know who you are! Little David did show Goliath that BIG isn’t always better.

We want to say THANK YOU to the 97X People ~ staff and listeners ~ who forged that common bond of loyalty to the music. Dare To Dream, Dare To Do. A heartfelt standing ovation to you all.

BAM! ~ Doug and Linda Balogh, from retirement

P.S. We’re soooooo glad and proud that The Music continues ~ with the same ethos ~ via woxy.com.

The 2nd Lounge Act session from Cincinnati’s own Pomegranates was their first official performance with the band expanded into a 5-piece. They rehearsed with their new member Nate the night before and introduced him here.

While this session starts out with a cut from their debut album Everything Is Alive, the rest of the songs performed here are brand new and unreleased. The final song, “China Club”, was so newly written that they only titled it moments before we went live.

The rest of the songs here will appear on their sophomore album Everybody Come Outside, which should be released in February 2009.

Full photo set here…….

Track Listing:
Thunder Meadow
384 B.C.
Corriander
- interview -
Tesseract
Beachcomber
China Club

All songs except “Thunder Meadow” are new and previously unreleased.

Pomegranates - Tesserract (Live On WOXY.com/unreleased)

Pomegranates - Corriander (Live On WOXY.com/unreleased)

Pomegranates - 384 B.C.(Live On WOXY.com/unreleased)

Pomegranates - China Club (Live On WOXY.com/unreleased)

Pomegranates - Beachcomber (Live On WOXY.com/unreleased)

Pomegranates - Live On WOXY.com (full session download)

It’s been over 2 years since their debut in the Lounge, but Bound Stems made up for it with this preview of their new record. “The Family Afloat” is out September 9th from Flameshovel and this performance features 5 tracks from their sophomore effort.

The band took their time after a year’s worth of touring for Appreciation Night, slowly recording the new album over the course of 10 months or so. This allowed them to put the songs together exactly as they wanted and to call in a few friends to help out (like Davey von Bohlen of Maritime, Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger, and Chin Up Chin Up’s Jesse Woghin).

Track Listing:
Taking Tips From The Gallery Gang
Happens To Us All Otherwise
- break -
Only Clementine Knows
Winston
Sugar City Magic

Bound Stems - Happens To Us All Otherwise (Live On WOXY.com)

Bound Stems - Winston (Live On WOXY.com)

Bound Stems - Taking Tips From The Gallery Gang (Live On WOXY.com)

Bound Stems - Live On WOXY.com (Full Session Download)

Jessica Lea Mayfield turns 19 next week. You’d never figure that from listening to her: a smoky, soothing croon that’ll instantly recall Lucinda, Jolie, Gillian and Hope (that’s Williams, Holland, Welch, and Sandoval, respectively). She’s a little bit country, a little bit indie. Doc Martens with a dress. Blend it all together for her debut With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, and it should instantly put the Kent, Ohio, native near the top of everyone’s “hot” list.

The record was produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and recorded over a two-year period at his home studio in nearby Akron after she appeared on the Keys’ “Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be” from Attack & Release. Still, it’s not like that was her first exposure to the music biz, having performed with her family band One Way Rider since age 8. She plays guitar, bass, and banjo and composed all 12 of the songs on With Blasphemy So Heartfelt with the exception of one co-written by brother David, who plays bass on both the record and in her backing band. Auerbach plays a variety of instruments on the disc, too, and two members of Dr. Dog lend backing vocals on a track.

Perhaps not surprising then, she’ll open for The Black Keys on a string of dates in late September and rejoin them in November for their UK tour, which includes a date at London’s Brixton Academy along with My Morning Jacket on November 12.

Mayfield’s simple arrangements and arresting voice are best exhibited on “Kiss Me Again”, the song that kicks off With Blasphemy So Heartfelt. Take a listen to who Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers says is “the most exciting new artist on the scene today”.

With Blasphemy So Heartfelt by Jessica Lea Mayfield hits stores September 16th via Polymer Sounds.

Jessica Lea Mayfield - Kiss Me Again