Local duo
Ellery are taking their lithe, sparkling Folk Pop to the small screen this weekend.
An Evening With Ellery, a concert film of their appearance at The Carnegie in Covington in March, is being made available to national public television stations. So far, the show is to be aired in over 50 markets and has already aired in cities like Philadelphia and Cleveland. This Saturday night (actually Sunday morning) at 2 a.m., the program airs locally for the first time on Kentucky's PBS outlet, KET. The concert video is also available as a DVD, featuring some material that isn't in the televised version. The DVD is available at
customflix.com.
That's not all that's going on in Elleryworld these days. The concert film is going to available for in-flight viewing on several airlines (including Delta and United) and will be available in 18 million homes thanks to a video-on-demand deal. Sunday, the band is playing a Mecca for songwriters, The Bluebird Café in Nashville, for their famous Writer's Night. And they've advanced to the finals of Mountain Stage's "NewSong" songwriter's contest (next month they play New York with the other finalists to determine the winner). The twosome's next local show is Aug. 21 at Dirty Jack's. (ellerymusic.com)
The Death of Death in Graceland
Another great Cincinnati band has bitten the proverbial dust. Death in Graceland, a fireball of angular, driving Rock & Roll, has flamed out. Guitarist Kane Kitchen has decided to explore new musical territory, and the band felt they couldn't continue without him.
"No regrets or any of that bullshit," bassist Kevin Warwick told CityBeat. "It is what it is. I am certain that the members of Death in Graceland, both past and present, will continue to make music in some form or another and will never lose the indelible sense of camaraderie that has been maintained over the years."
The band -- which has toured and played locally for the past five years -- is planning one last show, Sept. 8 at The Mad Hatter in Covington, at which they'll have a limited-edition run of Gifts, the last album they were working on at the time of the split. The discs will also feature a few bonus tracks. (myspace.com/deathingraceland)
Uncommonly Good Jazz
The "It's Commonly Jazz" music series at Bond Hill's Jordan Crossing (formerly Swifton Commons mall) has returned for another August run. "It's Commonly Jazz" -- which has featured both nationally recognized Jazz artists as well as many local favorites -- is now entering its 21st year, a remarkable feat for any musical series, let alone a Jazz one. The event runs every Thursday this month, shows start at 6 p.m. All of the concerts are free of charge.
Local Jazz gutiar great Dan Faehnle and his quartet are the featured performers this Thursday. Next Thursday, Aug. 16, the spotlight stays on the locals, as saxophone favorite Bruce Menefield (who actually produced the "It's Commonly Jazz" series for a few years) performs with vocalist Lavieena Campbell. Down the road, trombonist and Cincy native Marc Fields brings his sextet to the series on Aug. 23 and things wrap up on Aug. 30 with the Carl Allen-Rodney Whitaker Project. (itscommonlyjazz.com)
More Local Notes
· There's a jam-packed lineup ready to play the Rivertown Music Club's "Dog Days of Summer" show at the Southgate House Saturday benefiting the Save the Animals Foundation. Artists lending their support to our furry (or scaly or feathery) friends include 500 Miles to Memphis, 40 East, Kelly Thomas and the Fabulous Pickups, Frontier Folk Nebraska, Moonlight Killers, G. Burton, Emily Roscoe, Todd Lipscomb of Kentucky Struts, The Infinity Ball and The Howard Brothers Band. Music is to be featured on all three of the club's stages and kicks off at 6 p.m. The cover/suggested donation is just $6. (myspace.com/therivertownmusicclub)
· Superb Indie/Americana troupe The Hiders joins jaw-dropping singer/songwriter Tracy Walker for a show Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Taft Museum. The event is a part of the art museum's "Taft Sessions," which has featured both local and national acts since debuting earlier this summer.
· Don't forget to check the "Spill It" blog at blogs.citybeat.com/spill_it for more local and national tidbits, including live reviews, news and imposibly long essays.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: mbreen(at)citybeat.com
