Jared Bowers's Profile

The trials and tribulations of creating music - and really, any kind of art - can be daunting. But change is inevitable, and even when it's expected it can cause some interesting things to happen. For Cincinnati progressive garage rock band Tooth Lures a Fang, change is more or less a part of who they are.

I honestly thought the highlight of the night was going to be getting to see Every Time I Die play new tracks from Low Teens, one of the best heavy albums to come out in the past half-decade and a personal favorite album from last year. I hadn’t actively listened to Taking Back Sunday for probably that whole half decade or so, much to my chagrin.

As they approach a milestone most bands never see - 20 years of existence - Tegan & Sara are looking back and keeping an eye on the future at the same time, with a poise and sense of purpose that’s hard to comprehend. Indie stalwarts turned mainstream hitmakers, Tegan & Sara find themselves on a trajectory neither saw coming.

It would be easy to dismiss the return of most bands after a lengthy “hiatus.” Money grabs and nostalgia mining are common occurrences, rarely indicative of any kind of actual desire to either perform or recapture what made a band so special in the first place. Sometimes, it’s a...

It’s something I’ve touched on before - the fact that musicians with any kind of solid foundation could always make the choice to coast on past accomplishments. Most don’t, some do, and others just go, “Yeah, well. Whatever. We have other plans.”  R.Ring falls...

Friends Frontier Folk Nebraska Rolls Out The Welcome Mat  The goal of most musicians is, more or less, to exhibit and express originality. Sometimes that means taking timeworn and road tested chords and ideas and making them your own. Sure, you run the risk of sounding fake or like...

The most surprising thing about Frontier Folk Nebraska is that they, sincerely, continue to surprise me.  It would be easy to coast on past accomplishments - a great record, a phenomenal live album, regular touring in places where they actually know your name. In fact, they’ve just...

This weekend Cincinnati welcomes an array of Hip-Hop icons (Atmosphere and Nas, anyone?), local, regional and international. While the draw might be some of the larger acts - indie Hip-Hop, all told, has some incredible, intense and ultimately hard acts to follow – it’s one local act in...

Making it a full decade as a band is no small achievement. Regardless of changes in lineup, there are few bands of local, or even regional importance that can say they’ve accomplished as much. So celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Frontier Folk Nebraska is an especially, and sincerely,...

In a surprise move, Jungle Jim’s in Eastgate will be hosting a kickoff party for Bunbury Music Festival tonight and have invited local Rock ‘n Roll hooligans Mad Anthony and Automagik to regale customers with acoustic versions of fan favorites and new jams.  Mad Anthony, now over...

Life.From experience, I can tell you that becoming a parent changes things. The proverbial “things” covers it - because it’s not just something, or any one thing, or everything. It just changes… things.  Things have changed for Kevin Devine. We speak 6 days after the...

I’ve spoken before, at length, of my appreciation for Frontier Folk Nebraska - and not just their music (which happens to scratch a Rock and Roll itch few know they really need taken care of), but also for them as genuinely decent people. I may not make it out to every live performance (shame...