Wow, did we really book Sam Cooke to sing in the Lounge? Naw, of course not - it just sounds like he's here when Brandon gets up to sing "Bring It on Home to Me." For reals.

It's a great night for songwriting fans, with five-star songbirds you can't miss. Louisville's Rebecca Williams exhales breathy piano-based ballads, comparable to our very own Kate Haralson. Cincinnati's Kyle English sits in, too, with modern acoustic soul-rock tunes and a big voice that's been heard all over town. Lauren Houston, meanwhile, brings country-tinged songwriting, the perfect complement for a voice that pulls off perfect country ballads like the tales Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch spin. Douglas Jay Boyd comes to us all the way from Austin, TX, with warm, inviting soulful songwriter's pop. Boyd's on tour with fellow Austin-ite Aly Tadro, an Ani apostle with wavering, acoustic-funky pleas and the confidence of Janis Ian.

Folks 'round here know Veronica Grim from her wild punk / psychobilly outfit De Los Muertos, but when she packs an acoustic guitar the wallop can be twice as great. Our February Artist In Residence (you can check her out every Wednesday in the Lounge for free!) specializes in firecracker country music inspired by Wanda Jackson, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. It'll be an all-inclusive rock 'n roll party too, as Grim invites friends and special guests at every turn throughout February.

It doesn't get much more authentic than this! Riverboat-era revivalists, steampunk heroes and kazoo-wielding vaudevillians Two Man Gentlemen Band swing hard with vintage cool and tales of "Drip Dryin'." USA Today sez, "Think of them as a mix between Squirrel Nut Zippers and They Might be Giants," and they're about right. Veterans of our Lounge, this time we'll give 'em the Parlour to stretch out tales like "Croquet Playing Girl," "Dippin' Sauce" and "When Your Lips Are Playing My Kazoo." Local Bluegrass favorites Moonshine Drive get things started, and you won't wanna miss a thing!

We welcome back Springfield Special's classic, old-time bluegrass and country sound. Features former members of Dayton and Cincinnati acts River Mountain Mud Slide, The Wild Breed Boys, Amber and the Dirty Bathwater Boys and JD and the Pleasant Valley Boys, these scene vets know how to play 'em so the tunes'll stick to yer straw hat.

Like modern-day Replacements, Lucero bark beer ballads and tall tales of every barroom you've never been to. Glorious, dangerous and sincere, their new release (1372 Overton Park) shows the boys' Memphis soul roots more than ever before, and -viola!- Lucero ain't just the same scrappy country-punks we've grown to love over the past decade, these rustic whiskey emcees find themselves raucous leaders of the gritty-rock upstart revivalists. They're taking fellow Southern rockers Glossary on tour with 'em, who drag up some really cool reminders of the glory days of The Band and Gram Parsons, so make sure to get yer place in the crowd early. Opener Dave Hause preps some solo stuff on a quick break from his day gig, leading PA's The Loved Ones through a March tour with AFI - a special opening set you won't see anywhere else on Lucero's tour!
Take note: Fans of this show will also be especially interested in our Lounge (free) and Parlour (separate cover charge) events on the same night.

Damn dude, these Dallas rockers ain't just holding the torch for Skynyrd, they're freakin' doing a cruise-tour with freakin' Lynyrd Skynyrd just a month before stopping here on their own headlining spree! You know the sound: soulful, bluesy riffs and jam-rock boogie. Getting things started, Grooveshire is simply one of the best gritty-jam rock outfits in the entire region.
Take note: Fans of this show will also be especially interested in our Lounge (free) and Ballroom (separate cover charge) events on the same night.

Nashville's Wilkins has the same rough-around-the-edges acoustic country-rock appeal as his buddy Justin Townes Earle, stackin' up the bottles just to knock 'em all back down again. This is top-notch old-school songwriter stuff from the city where it used to mean something. Wilkins hasn't been here since our last Independence Day Bash, and we'll welcome him back anytime.
Take note: Fans of this free show will also be especially interested in our Parlour and Ballroom events on the same night (with separate cover charges).

The Covington Insurance Plan gang of rockers and Winterberg pals has another party in mind, and these whole-house events take up all three concert rooms (Ballroom, Parlour and Lounge) found within the Southgate House - admission goes to a good cause, and you can wander from room to room 'til we kick you out. And this show has everything local music fans could ask for - the exceptionally heavy, reunited rock of Angels of Meth; the cool roots/funk-rock of Brothers & Sisters; the songwriter tales of Chris Porter and Truckstop Coffee's Pete Stein; the rockabilly punk of De Los Muertos; the blitzkreig chords behind Mad Anthony; the insane indie-rock bang of Oso Bear; driving post-rock aggression courtesy of Mala In Se; the eccentric drones of experimental crew Black Signal; and a whole lot more. Dang.

Matador's Fucked Up are fucking up the typical punk rock plan - they've experimented with lengthy, intricate jams, they've been on the cover of NME and they've left a trail of about 50 singles, EPs and records in their short eight years. Not to say they haven't had their shining moments of exuberant punk rock chaos (and they still do it better than most of the competition), but it's all just so much fucking fun to watch, too; they're not reinventing the wheel as much as inspiring run-on sentences trying to describe the blurry sonic frenzy behind their playful anarcho-punk protagonism. Aw, fuck it. Check the link to see for yourself. Philly's Kurt Vile just wrapped up a tour opening for Dinosaur Jr. and he also sends his records out to the world via Matador; he delivers in spades with spacey, experimental folk. This nut-buster of a show also touts Austin, TX's Iron Age and their extremely awesomely awesome punk/thrash (!?!). Yep, and getting things started it's bad-ass local basement vets Till Plains, who tenderly curdle and broil scuffed-up old-school melodic punk stuff. This show will be sooooo tiiiiiight!

"Country nut" Billy Catfish gets the stage and microphones all set up, you only have to show up with a couple of your favorite tunes! All styles are welcome and newcomers are especially encouraged to join our Open Mic family - get your guitar and drink with us! We'll even have a piano ready, just in case you're ready to tickle them ivories.

"Classic dude" Mike Kuntz gets the stage and microphones all set up, you only have to show up with a couple of your favorite tunes! All styles are welcome and newcomers are especially encouraged to join our Open Mic family - get your guitar and drink with us! We'll even have a piano ready if you're ready to get all "Little Richard" on us.