The “Pay What You Want” tour title isn't entirely accurate — tickets go anywhere from $5 to $25, depending on what you want to chip in (and what bonus treats you want with your ticket) — but the approach is rather innovative, as several bands have released albums in this kind of model, though not so much on the touring side.  

It very well could be that the Kansas City Deathcore/Doom Metal outfit that formed in 2006 and christened themselves after Hawthorne’s knocked up 17th-century heroine had the same kind of dichotomy in mind. Melodic yet noisy, technically precise yet wildly chaotic, growled and shrieked vocals from the recesses of hell … OK, that one’s pretty consistent and perhaps also flawed yet redeemable.  

Yet another facet of the aforementioned Detroit scene is exemplified by the Indie Rock melodicism-meets-Thrash Metal mayhem of We Came as Romans, a wildly eclectic sextet from Motown and nearby Troy, Mich. The band began six years ago when a group of friends assembled as This Emergency, soldiering on through a succession of personnel changes (only guitarist Joshua Moore and vocalist/screamer David Stephens remain from the original lineup), retooling as We Came As Romans in 2006.  

It might surprise you to learn that there was a time when Metal was defined by thundering riffs, blistering solos, paint-peeling volume and a bottom end heavier than Pavarotti on Jupiter, exemplified by the likes of Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Budgie and their fist-pumping brethren. Rising up five years ago from their unlikely birthplace in Austin, Tex., The Sword sets the controls for the heart of the 1970s and churns out a soundtrack as dense and dark as a black hole and every bit as gravitationally compelling.   

We Came As Romans' acclaimed debut full-length CD, 'To Plant a Seed,' hit the streets last November, which led to great notices within and beyond the Metal community and a number of high-profile tours. They're hitting the tour trail with a vengeance and the same goal as their ancient namesakes: to take over the world, one friend and countryman at a time.  

Mike Grubbs started bands in college and did time with the touring productions of 'Camelot' and 'Brigadoon.' Eventually he took life lessons from Lach, the leading light of New York’s anti-Folk movement, and started Wakey! Wakey!, a totally unconventional outfit blending jauntily melodic Pop and obtusely fascinating Indie Rock.   

Forming at a weekend-long house party to run through a few Punk Rock covers, Sloppy Seconds has become known for "Junk Rock," a self-deprecating micro-genre in which Ramones-bred melodies mingle with lyrics tracking why it sucks to be a pizza delivery boy and drunkenly vomiting in inappropriate zones. While the band's body of work does include tracks that are more than jokes, Sloppy Seconds aims for affable simplicity over grand gravitas.   

Covington is gaining another new original music club this week, further upgrading its status as one of the premier destinations for music lovers in Greater Cincinnati. Radiodown was Frank Hulefeld's first stab at a live music venue several years back when it opened above Tickets Sports Cafe, and Hulefeld went on to develop The Mad Hatter. The new Radiodown opens behind the Hatter this weekend.  

The talented Hip Hop producer/MC/mash-up king/CityBeat Hip Hop columnist is coming back to Greater Cincinnati Thursday for a bash celebrating the re-release of his nationally-issued and acclaimed 2007 solo album, 'The World Is Ours,' and the new album by Kansas MC Approach (which Ill Poetic produced), 'Aloe Park.' They'll also make an in-store appearance earlier that evening at the new Over-the-Rhine shop OTR (Original Thought Required).  

The Ataris' 2007 album 'Welcome the Night' was quite the departure, swapping straightforward Pop Punk for drifting, atmospheric Indie Rock, a decision not wholly received well by fans. "I always want to throw a curve ball," says vocalist/guitarist Kris Roe. "If I wrote 'So Long, Astoria Part 2,' I would have been telling the biggest lie," referencing the band's big-selling 2003 LP. So keep an eye out for more curve balls.