If you don't plan on stopping by Mayday Northside this Saturday to catch the indie-pop excellence of Savoir Adore, then hopefully you're planning to stop by the Southgate House for the triple threat of Come on Caboose, The Seedy Seeds and Margot and the Nuclear So & So's. Your eyes do not deceive: this Saturday, Southgate wlecomes three of our favorite bands for a measly $12 in advance, $15 day of show. Frankly, Bonnaroo could ditch most of their announced 2010 headliners in favor of these acts and I think the world would be a better place.

World peace: brought to you by Come on Caboose, The Seedy Seeds and Margot and the Nuclear So & So's. You're welcome.

So, what happens if you don't win those Josiah Wolf tickets we're giving away? Well, you could always pay to go to his release party... or you could head across the river to catch another Cincinnati-bred powerhouse in action.

This Friday, March 5th, the Southgate House welcomes Pomegranates, with special guests The Chocolate Horse and Wise Blood. Pomegranates are celebrating the anticipated vinyl release of 2008's excellent Everything is Alive (not to be confused with last year's equally excellent Everybody, Come Outside, reviewed by our own Michael Moeri here), so you've got double the incentive to attend! Audiophiles rejoice!!!



Wanna know more? Follow the jump!

This Friday, Walnut Hills' The Monastery hosts the release party for Josiah Wolf's forthcoming album, Jet Lag. If you're a fan of trailblazing indie rock/hip hop, then you might know Josiah from Why?, the band currently gracing our masthead (yep, look up!)

Anyway, the evening also includes performances by fellow Why?-man Yoni Wolf and Cincinnati's own Ric Hordinski. This is an all ages event and tickets are just $8... unless...

You win two spots on the guest list courtesy of... us!

So, if you're interested in attending the shindig for free, all you have to do is head to our Facebook page and tell us why you need to see this show for FREE. We'll pick our favorite response and that lucky dude or dudette will get added to the guest list. It's that easy!

More stuff after the jump.

This Saturday, Mayday Northside welcomes Brooklyn's Savoir Adore, along with special guests Mon Khmer and Enlou, for your weekly dance-party fix. With infectious boy/girl harmonies and soaring melodies, Savoir Adore crafted a perfect indie-pop gem with last year's In The Wooded Forest. Don't believe me? Visit SavoirAdore.com to download 3 free mp3s and then join us on March 6th. It's a free show, so what do you have to lose? More details after the jump...

I hate winter.

I hate the painfully low temperatures and the painfully high Duke Energy bills. I hate the sun setting before my work day ends and I hate the snow preventing me from (successfully) walking or biking anywhere. Winter in the Midwest is a test of one's endurance and I'm averaging about a C- at this stage in my life. If I had my druthers, I'd spend the entirety of the winter months wrapped up in a blanket, nursing one cup of coffee after another, hiding from the elements and awaiting the sweet relief of spring.

But, lo, there is a light on the horizon—a light I like to call the MusicNOW Festival. Running from March 30-April 1, this Cincinnati institution is poised to bring a slew of groundbreaking artists to the Queen City again in 2010.

You know the deal by now, right? Well, this year the festival welcomes the likes of Robin Pecknold (of Fleet Foxes), Joanna Newsom, St. Vincent , yMusic (premiering the festival commission written by St. Vincent's Annie Clark), and a rare solo performance by Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver).

Presented by the fine folks at Chamber Music Cincinnati, the 2010 MusicNOW Festival again makes its home in Cincinnati's historic Memorial Hall. Tickets are selling swiftly, with 3-day festival passes and tickets to Justin Vernon's April 1st performance already soldout (no foolin'). So, get your tickets for the remainder of the festival while you still can! Visit MusicNOW's official website for more information or to reserve your tickets now.

If you would like to learn more about MusicNOW, please do check out Each Note Secure for a look back at the festival. In the week's ahead, we'll be presenting both a preview and a recap of this annual event. Stay tuned!

Sean Scolnick owes quite a bit to Pennsylvania. The songwriter might live in New York now but he grew up outside of Philadelphia in the small town of Langhorne, where he got the idea for his stage name, Langhorne Slim. Making music for more than five years, Slim has begun to sink into the consciousness of the indie community after sharing the stage with the likes of Clem Snide, The Avett Brothers, and Josh Ritter, as well as performing on David Letterman and at Chicago's Midwest staple, Lollapalooza. In September 2009, Langhorne Slim released his third full length studio album, Be Set Free and embarked on his biggest headlining tour to date. As the band made their way through the Midwest, Sean made time to sit down with TRACER's Amber Valentine to talk about his first time recording in a studio, working with a producer and life on the road with tour mates Dawes.

On Jan. 13th, North Carolina’s Bowerbirds brought their honeyed harmonies to the ballroom of Newport’s Southgate House. Opening for them was Montreal based, indie veteran Julie Doiron. Our very own Mylynda Nellermoe recaps the evening.

If you're bored in Cincinnati, you're doing something wrong. On any given night in the Queen City (aside from the occasional boring Monday), you can find a bevy of things to do. Better yet, not only are these things awesome, but the vast majority of them are also free. Really, there's no excuse to be sitting at home and Saturday, December 12th was no exception. After the "Made in Cincinnati" opening at Northside's newest gallery, Fabricate, TRACER's Tiffany Dawn Nicholson and Amber Valentine headed to Mayday, the former Gypsy Hut, for the official Fabricate afterparty, featuring some sweet tunes from local bands The Harlequins and The Guitars, as well as an appearance by Detroit, Michigan's The Sights.