Summer Love- Cincinnati

The few brief rains this weekend has brought a steamy sort of relief to the hot Midwest summer. It's cooler than our week of 100+ heat, but the rain has just evaporated into the trademark Ohio humidity. Sticky.

Despite the heat, the summer has deepened my love for Cincinnati. So many amazing things going on in the city: reopening of Washington Park, Bunbury Music Festival, the World Choir Games, and on and on. Beyond the bigger events, you have baseball, the river for boating, and the many neighborhood monthly activities like the Hyde Park Farmer's Market, Oakley After Hours, Second Sundays on Main, Final Fridays in OTR, and City Flea. Hey, Cincinnatians, did you know that your urban core is this vibrant and beautiful? I hope so. Before I became a Cincinnatian, I took those who called this city the "Nasty Nati" at their word, but the city as I know it now is nothing of the sort. From the beautiful hills, gorgeous historic architecture, and distinct history and culture, this is a unique city. Yes, there is a certain uber-conservative, anti-progressive contingency here that turns me off and scares me, but honestly, it seems these days that you'd be hard pressed to find a city that does not have that element when the country has become this polarized. (Not to say there isn't a difference in concentration.) This is all to say, I love this city and I love showing it off to people and changing their minds about it. It's not Denver or San Francisco or NYC, but it's home and it's special.

Okay, off my soapbox. To make up for my crimes of listening to terrible pop, here are my more recent real musical finds:

1. Bad Veins: A band of Cincinnati natives, Bad Veins has really captured my interest with their two-man show and the fact that they play off a tape deck. And the lead singer sings into a phone sometimes. Lead Benjamin Davis has a nicely unique voice and the latest album, "The Mess We've Made" is a great mixture of drama and upbeat melodies. Look, I'm not a music writer, so just try it out if you like indie rock. They were super endearing at the Bunbury Festival, too.
2. Regina Spektor: I love her. Her new album, "What We Saw from the Cheap Seats," doesn't disappoint. Always quirky but never failing to deliver in her powerful, tremendous voice and classical piano prowess. 
3. Belle Histoire: Another Cincinnati band that is creeping into the scene! They just released their latest album, "Dreamers," on July 17.  I'm not sure if this will become a favorite, but the vocals are good and it's easy to listen to.
4. The Deep Dark Woods: I am a sucker for deep male vocals. The lead singer of this band has a voice reminiscent of one of my favorites, the National. The instrumentals and beat tend to have a bit of a country twang, but much more folky and a little haunting.
5. Of Monsters and Men: Reminiscent of Stars, I first saw this Icelandic band playing "Little Talks" randomly on a music video channel. There is a lead male/female duo: male vocalist think cross between the Weakerthan's, Decemberists and Ben Gibbard. Female vocalist: Feist/Regina Spektor/Bjork. 

instagram taken on stage by bad veins (I'm way up in the back)