Garage/Psych Pop trio Buffalo Killers will have its third long-player, titled 3, released on Aug. 2 through Alive Records (also home to Brian Olive’s recent sophomore solo album). The band is set to host release parties in Dayton (at Canal Street Tavern July 15) and Cincinnati (at MOTR Pub July 16), then head out west for the start of what will likely be an ongoing, extensive tour for 3. Check out the new album track “Circle Day” above.

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Every year, a compilation featuring several of the artists performing at the MidPoint Music Festival is lovingly compiled to give an overview of some of the fest’s participants. MPMF10’s comp has been assembled and you can listen to it right here, right now. While the amount of already well-known acts performing at MPMF10 is something that makes the event exceptional this year, the comp reflects the high quality of the lesser-knowns as it’s made up of tracks by the superb up-and-comers performing at this year’s fest.

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Tonight at downtown club Main Event, three of Cincinnati’s best DJs will perform at a benefit to assist the musical pioneer who made their DJ careers possible. When news hit late last month that DJ Kool Herc was in the hospital, bleeding internally and enduring massive pain, many Hip Hop lovers with an understanding of the music’s origins and originators began plotting ways to help. Tonight’s event featuring Mista Rare Groove, Apryl Reign and DJ Pillo is one of several efforts across the continent (and probably globe) organized by appreciative fans to lessen the financial burden of Herc's mounting medical bills.

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A new track from The National leaked last week and it serves as a good mini-preview of the Cincinnati-bred group’s headlining appearance at National guitarist Bryce Dessner’s MusicNOW festival on May 15 at Music Hall. The track “Think You Can Wait” comes from the soundtrack to the upcoming film Win Win by director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor). The song features guest vocals from pal/collaborator Sharon Van Etten, who is scheduled to open the band’s MusicNOW show (and, I would guess, perform “Wait” with the group).

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Though Internet radio juggernaut WOXY.com has moved to Austin, Tex. — and now has a weekly Local Lixx show focused on the station’ current “local music scene” — programmers haven’t turned their backs on the area of the country that gave the station its start. The first Local Lixx program broadcast from WOXY out of Austin will be like the original show, featuring all Cincinnati/Dayton area artists (as well as some Ky. ones).

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Indie Pop trio The Seedy Seeds are nearing the end of its first tour leg in support of the new album Verb Noun, which took the band coast-to-coast, wrapping up Friday in Columbus, Ohio. Local fans will have a few chances to see them in April — April 21 they do a free show at the Cincinnati Zoo with The Tillers and they'll join Walk the Moon April 28 at 20th Century Theatre in Oakley — or you can check out the band's new video for the album's lush Indie Pop title track below. The band has also offered up a free stream of their "Friends of The Seedy Seeds" project, featuring several musician pals covering tunes from Verb Noun.

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While making my daily Pitchfork pit-stop, I noticed the site was pimping the latest work by Cincinnati native Pete Ohs, a fresh-faced dude who’s directed crafty music videos for such Indie faves as Wavves, Ghosthustler, Fiery Furnaces and The Unicorns.

“When I’m with You,” a ’50s-influenced piece of fuzzy Surf-Pop by LA-based Best Coast, features a Ronald McDonald clone on what looks like a date with the band’s frontwoman Bethany Costentino. Sunglasses, a bedspread with a pot leaf on it, cats, In-N-Out Burger, a sunny beach and a longhaired guitarist guy are also featured in the sweet, lo-fi video.

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One of the best things about Jimmy Fallon’s late night show is when house band The Roots performs with a special guest sitting in throughout the program, especially when the guest is seemingly from a different musical universe (like Metal guitar god Yngwie Malmsteen). But, given his bottom-end work on classic Funk tracks (and, thanks to sampling, Hip Hop ones, too), locally-bred music legend Bootsy Collins should fit right in when he sits in with The Roots tonight on Late Night (airing at 12:37 a.m. on WLWT Channel 5 locally).

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The grand opening for the Southgate House Revival, the new venue from the former owners/operators of Newport's beloved Southgate House, has been canceled. The club was supposed to open tonight, but it has been announced that this weekend's shows (including tomorrow's album release party for The Newbees' latest) are to be rescheduled. We'll update with any information we hear as soon as possible, but it appears the CincyPunk Fest scheduled for next weekend is still on for now.

The Southgate House Revival's Facebook page made the announcement around 4 p.m. this afternoon. Here's the post:

"ATTN: Biggest bummer post-summer? Our grand opening weekend has been postponed. This weekend’s shows have to be delayed due to a few last minute construction challenges.

We are completely committed to opening the right way to make your experience the best it can be. We just can't in good conscious present anything below the very best.

Says Morrella: “We are sorry to have to delay sharing this magical venue with the music fans of the area, but our first concern will always be to make sure that it is safe and ready for public occupation. The City of Newport, our wonderful construction crews and crew of volunteers have all been working very hard to make this happen. We thank them so much. We look forward to seeing everyone next weekend for CincyPunk Fest. We will announce rescheduled dates for these shows very soon.”

Anyone who had pre-purchased tickets for this weekend’s dates may be issued a refund through ticketfly.com or may hold on to their original tickets for the soon to be announced rescheduled dates"

Welsh musician Gruff Rhys is bringing his current unique (and brief) tour to Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center tomorrow (Thursday). The show starts at 8 p.m. Click here to grab your tickets.

Those attending the tour’s stop at the CAC will also be treated to an extra rare bonus — Rhys’ Neon Neon project-mate and Cincinnati native Boom Bip (aka Bryan Hollon, who now works from out of the West Coast) will be joining Gruff onstage after the main performance for a one-of-a-kind DJ set.

Rhys’ band Super Furry Animals released its major label debut, Rings Around the World, in 2001 and the group appeared to be a successor to the throne occupied by fading superstars like Blur and Oasis. The album (following SFA’s excellent debut, Fuzzy Logic, and a trio of experimental-oriented albums put out by king-maker Alan McGee’s Creation Records) put a brilliant, creative spin on “Brit Pop,” highlighted by fascinating sounds between the grooves, but also an extraordinary knack for writing incredibly potent melodies. Rings contained several hit-songs-in-waiting and did well in the U.K., but never fully grabbed the ears of the U.S. mainstream like a few of the band’s predecessors did.

While some artists would have simply gone back and cleaned up/out the sound of their potential breakthrough to appeal more to the mainstream, it soon became clear that Rhys and the Furries weren’t interested in pandering. The band had always been underlined by a progressive, adventurous streak (early works embraced Electronic and Ambient music, among other approaches) and it was evident that the opportunity to crossover or become a massive success was less important to Rhys and Co. than following their own creative whims. (By the mid-’00s, SFA had left the Sony family for the artist-friendlier confines of Rough Trade Records).

Rhys’ work outside of the Furries’ domain has been even more exploratory. Rhys’ eclectic solo albums have contained songs sung alternately in Welsh, English and Spanish. And he’s a huge fan of collaboration, working with artists like Mogwai, Sparklehorse, De La Soul, Gorillaz, Simian Mobile Disco and Brazilian artist Tony da Gatorra, to name a few. One of his most celebrated collaborations has been with Boom Bip; the pair’s Neon Neon project has been widely acclaimed, earning a Mercury Prize nomination in 2008 for the album Stainless Style (a loose concept piece about the life of John De Lorean).

Rhys’ current project/tour is a follow-up to Separado!, a feature film/multimedia venture during which film crews followed the musician as his “investigative concert tour” traveled through South America. The film followed Rhys on his journey to learn more about his “long lost, guitar-playing, poncho-wearing uncle, Rene Griffiths.” Given his musical output, it was fitting that Rhys’ intellectual and creative curiosity had led him down such another unique path.

Here's the trailer for Rhys' "psychedelic western musical," Separado!

Rhys’ current “investigative tour” is another adventure in genealogy and travel, as the artist (again trailed by a film crew for a planned movie sequel/music/prose/photo project) journeys through North America to find the burial site of John Evans, another distant relative who allegedly left Wales in the late 1700s on a quest to verify the legend of a Welsh-speaking tribe of Native Americans.

Rhys put this call out to anyone with info that could help: “Gruff urges anyone with clues regarding Evans’s unknown burial place; imaginary volcanos; wandering tribes of Welsh Speakers, or lingering river reptiles to come to the shows, where their help with his investigations will be appreciated and featured in the movie.” You might even make the film's final cut just by showing up and checking out the show.

Rhys’ performance will include music, discussion, his cutting humor and more. As the trailer above suggests, and anyone who’s seen SFA live knows (the band's criminally under-attended show at the Southgate House many years ago was one of my all-time favorite concerts), don't go into one of Gruff’s appearances with too many expectations because, most likely, they’ll be blown out of the water.