Cincinnati is kind of awesome. Of course, I say that because I live here, but I think even if I didn't, I would feel the same way. Ten years ago, I remember saying, "Cincinnati has a ton of potential, some day we'll be a more progressive city". Looking back on what Cincinnati was then and understanding what it is now makes me realize that SO MUCH has changed since then. We now have an all Vegan(you capitalize god, I capitalize Vegan) store. We have a new energy policy that is getting national attention. We have a new music festival coming up that has huge bands on it. We have a revitalized downtown that makes our small city feel like it could compete with any bigger city, any day of the week. We have a street car in the works. Before I go further, please note that I have huge issues with both the way that downtown is being revitalized and what the streetcar is in reality, but that will be saved for another blog. What I am talking about today is how a city best known for its disgusting chili sauce and polluted river is now a beacon of hope for the midwest as a whole.


      Of course, all of those things are great, but I kind of want to talk about the people and talents that are in every single quarter of this beautiful city. Right now, I don't think it would be possible to be more proud of some of my friends and former bandmates. How awesome is it that a Ryan and I used to read and laugh at the bands in Alternative Press, and now I can laugh at the bands and read about his. That is incredible and I'm so stoked that he is seeing success with Mixtapes. The Dopamines are about to head on tour with Teenage Bottlerocket, and are known on an international level. That's fucking awesome. In the 90s, Cincinnati was known for being a music town, and I think it would be absolutely ridiculous to deny that we are totally there again. I mean, Jesus Christ, look at the bands that have gotten huge national attention in the last 3 years. 500 Miles, Seedy Seeds, Pomegranates, Wussy, Alone at 3AM, Bad Veins, Walk the Moon.. I could go on and on. I don't like all of these bands, but something about this city is inspiring. You simply cannot deny it. Sometimes I hear people say that the "local bands" in this town are bad. If that was the case, then how come no one really stays local for very long? It's awesome. The Indie Summer Concert series on Friday nights draws hundreds of enthusiastic people. It's great. If you are willing to go out and find it, you can find a great band playing almost every night in this town. That's a fact.


   When the Southgate House closed, I thought local music was fucked. I didn't think there would be places to play, and I thought things would fizzle out. I, tend to be wrong. I thought that because I wasn't involved. Now I am and I understand that the sky is the limit around here. Everything is kind of spread out, but it feels like a community again. It's not the tight group of friends that it was in the Cincypunk.org days, but I think it's bigger than that now. Why? Because now the music scene isn't just a tight nit group of friends! If you play a show downtown, you are going to play for someone you don't know. That is fucking great. That is what happens in real cities. The bar scene is really helping to build in crowds and it's up to the talent to get in front of them and make them theirs. 


Personally, I think it is a very exciting time to live here and be starting my musical journey anew. Sure, we ain't Austin or Chicago, or Portland, but we are Cincinnati. And I fucking love that.