Eclipse Movement

It was another ridiculously strong year for recordings by artists in Greater Cincinnati, making for another ridiculously hard-to-whittle-down list of the best releases from the past 365 days.
In past years, to prepare for our annual “year in local recordings” round-up, I would create one master list of all new albums (or EPs or singles, if they were good enough) and then start the surgery, carefully removing dozens and dozens of recordings until it was compact enough to fit in the paper without requiring CityBeat to use a font size only slightly larger than a speck of dust.

My master list for 2011 local releases, for the first time, easily reached 100. The fact that there were so many releases coming out of Greater Cincinnati in 2011 speaks to the increased accessibility and affordability of recording technology that has developed over the past few years. The fact that none of them were total garbage speaks to the wealth of talent in our music community.

So here, for the first time, are the Top 100 local releases of the year. In previous years, we would include short blurbs excerpted from CityBeat reviews and articles with each pick, but this time, in order to fit in the whole lot, we could only include detail on the Top 20. The entire list follows.

Use your pal Google (and the CityBeat.com archive) to search for these recordings online, and support local music by purchasing a download or CD and going to the artists’ shows. If you can’t find at least a handful that you really enjoy, then you simply don’t like music.

Eclipse – Around the World

Like a Cincy version of The Roots, Around the World showed Hip Hop/Funk/Rock/Jazz ensemble Eclipse to be a stunning collective of musicians with boundless creative energy and an encyclopedic knowledge of music.

Wussy – Strawberry

One of the more critically acclaimed bands from Cincinnati, Indie Rock quartet Wussy has managed to top itself with each new album. The band’s fourth, Strawberry, is not only the most accomplished record in the Wussy catalog — it’s also the band’s most dynamic, diverse and unforgettable.

The Cincy Brass – Ain’t Nuttin Louder

One of the most unique and entertaining bands on the local scene, this funky, horn-driven crew managed to capture its irresistible party vibe perfectly on its debut.

Ma Crow – Smoky Junction

A collection of covers and traditional old time songs, local Bluegrass great Ma Crow made a much welcome return to the record store bins with the full-length Smoky Junction, an ode to Crow’s friends, family and home.

The Guitars – High Action

High Action, the first “official” release by The Guitars, is an absolute stunner, seven songs’ worth of vintage Pop majesty. It’s glaringly obvious that the four Guitars members are hardcore record-heads and serious students of the classic eras of American Rock, Soul and Pop.

Shiny and the Spoon – Ferris Wheel

Folk Pop duo Shiny and the Spoon became a trio in 2011, but that still doesn’t explain the huge creative growth over just the past year or so. Ferris Wheel was like SATS going from black-and-white to full Technicolor, widescreen 3D.

Valley of the Sun – The Sayings of the Seers

VotS’s dynamic, riff-ridin’ sound could technically be put in the so-called “Stoner Rock” category, but there aren’t many hardcore stoners who could compose and arrange with the sophistication and smarts it so obviously took to make Sayings.

The Chocolate Horse – Beasts

With its dark, hypnotic and emotional allure, dynamic Indie crew The Chocolate Horse’s third (and best) album deservedly received the most attention yet for the band.

The Newport Secret Six – Licking River Rock Steady

Putting its own spin on traditional Ska, the former Duppy a Jamba reemerged as the Newport Secret Six and released this amazing, true-to-tradition long-player.

Kelly Thomas and the Fabulous Pickups – Fly

After numerous releases from her other projects, Thomas finally released the debut LP from her main band after almost a decade. Fly, a beautifully crafted, emotionally stirring Country/Roots effort, was worth the wait.

You, You’re Awesome – Good Point, Whoever Said That

After several EP releases, progressive Electronica duo You, You’re Awesome issued its first long-player, a solid slice of compelling, pleasurable entertainment regardless of your musical tastes.

Skeetones – Retrospektive

Already a regional live favorite, this “live Electronica band” released its first full-length which was a glorious take-home version of the band’s creative mix of various forms of Electro and Dance music and trancelike improv excursions.

The Seedy Seeds – Verb/Noun

The charming Seedys’ national profile continued to rise in 2011, thanks in large part to the impossibly catchy Verb/Noun, one of the best Indie Pop albums of the year.

Buffalo Killers – 3

On the hard-touring Buffalo Killers’ third album, the retro-tinged Psych Pop trio’s songwriting reached a level of excellence on par with the legends that inspire them.

The Mighty – The Mighty

One of the year’s best surprises, Indie Pop trio The Mighty’s self-titled effort found the Pop Rock trio evolving into a majestic Electronic Indie Pop juggernaut.

Brian Olive – Two of Everything

The former Greenhorne and Soledad Brother’s second solo effort received a lot of attention in the national music press thanks to its kaleidoscopic array of classic Pop and Rock sounds and song stylings.

Josh Eagle and the Harvest City – A Good One is Hard to Find

Eagle showed promise from the start as a solo singer/songwriter, but with A Good One is Hard to Find, he and his band evolved into a world-class Folk/Pop unit.

Natalie Wells – Mind The Gap

The young Blues/Rock singer/guitarist’s debut was a revelation, showcasing her diverse songwriting and stylistic influences (from The Beatles to Cream to The White Stripes, with many stops in between).

Beneath Oblivion – From Man to Dust

The Metal underground embraced this progressive, inventive local ensemble, which showed some remarkable creative growth on its heavy, dynamic, hypnotic second full-length for The Mylene Sheath label.

The Kentucky Struts – The Year of the Horse

Even without the interesting release hook (one of the album’s 12 songs was released each month in 2011, with amazing artwork commissioned for each track), this Country/Roots outfit’s latest is one of the best Americana albums of the year, local or otherwise.
- Citybeat

The new Jam band Eclipse didn't exactly steal a bunch of other bands' best players. It just looks like it.

With a lineup of some of Cincinnati's most creative talent, the group boasts founder and band leader Brian Batchelor-Glader (who goes by BBG) on keys; Max Gise on electric and acoustic guitars; Aaron Jacobs on bass; Phillip Tipton on drums; Jibri and Daddie Rich on vocals; and a rotating horn section that could wake James Brown from his grave.

The ensemble is an interesting mix of styles and aesthetics, combining new school (everyone has at least a B.A. in music) with old school (the live horn section) and international influences with progressive Jazz harmonies and a Hip Hop core. There is a depth, both musically and emotionally that pervades and transforms what otherwise might be interpreted as simply dance grooves into something greater. Their original compositions are performed with the precision of a ballet dancer but the attitude of a street fighter.

An example of this contrast comes out in the lyrics to a song on their newly released, self-title CD, entitled "Tomorrow": "I wake up in the morning and I don't know why my arms can't stretch up to touch the sky/ I'm either living the dream or a realized lie when the quality of life that I'm livin' ain't mine."

The melancholic, wistful vocals give way to a mesmeric chorus you can't help but move to. Gritty and hard yet somehow vulnerable, these compositions highlight that razor's edge musicians walk between being technically adept and soulful.

This isn't to say the Jam band is too complex to jam -- "Mambo Hop," a trance-inducing tune with a salsa flavor, is dance music at its best. "Taste of India" incorporates Eastern scales to a funky backbeat. Energy drips off the stage when they play live. And the audience drinks it up.

A good part of the appeal is in the spontaneity of the live performances. Gise, the guitarist and co-band leader, says this is part of the draw of a Jam band.

"The element that would define a Jam band to me is live performance and the ability to change their arrangement of the tune on the spot ... and see where it goes," he says. "It's a different approach."

The live improvisation keeps the audience on its toes and the variety of the compositions keeps the set from ever becoming monotonous. This is one band that will never be accused of having "all their songs sound the same."

BBG says he enjoys the diversity.

"We don't really have any rules so we can go from a Jazz Fusion song into a modern Hip Hop (song) and into a Rock song," he says.

Gise adds, "We want to make original music that we enjoy playing. Vocally we usually let Jibri and Rich do what they want, but I think we're all on the same page that we want the vocals to be empowering and uplifting and inspiring ... I would almost say, and I've never heard anyone else use this term, but (it's) 'love movement' Hip Hop, uplifting Hip Hop. (We try to) blend the two styles well ... to open people's minds, make them feel something."

Gise says the band, which has only been together a year, has been well-received. "I think the response has been overwhelmingly good from all audiences," he says. "I've had people come up and say they never really liked Hip Hop but they liked our band."

The group, which has just started focusing on getting gigs outside of Cincinnati, aims big.

"I have pretty high goals," BBG says. "I would like to see some kind of national recognition and would like to start touring more regionally and work up to national and international travel. That's kind of the big goal." - CityBeat

NORTHSIDE – With a unique sound in Cincinnati's music scene, the jazz inspired, hip-hop jam band Eclipse took the stage at the Gypsy Hut April 12, bringing a fiercely intriguing ambience that will return to the Queen City in May.

The ensemble began with an upbeat instrumental piece that gently faded into a slower, more blues-infused tempo, intriguing the eager audience.

Ohio natives themselves, Eclipse plays widely around the Tri-state area The complex composite of talent comes from Brian Batchelor-Glader (keyboards, vocals and rhythm guitar), Max Gise (acoustic and electric guitars and vocals), Jibri (emcee), Daddie Rich (emcee), Aaron Jacobs (upright and electric bass), Phillip Tipton (drums), Charlie Schweitzer (percussion and disc jockey) and DJ Jahson (turntables and samples).

A rotating horn section also brings out the true funk sounds of these extremely talented musicians. advertisement Focusing on their new, self-titled album during the show, Eclipse played crowd pleasers "Tomorrow," "OHIO" and "My Couch," their intense rythms seductively unfolding until the crowd's energy matched that of the music's.The band released its highly anticipated debut album in 2007, and fusions of sound from far-off lands collide seamlessly in each track.

With inspirations from Phish, The Roots, Madeski Martin and Wood, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and Jill Scott, the tone is so meticulously pieced together in such a perfect jig-sawed arrangement that it would be a phenomenal feat to be emulated with more distinguished relevance.

The intricate lyrics, mixed with clear-cut, yet divine musical aptitude create a mind-blowing exhibition of sound.

With an upcoming show May 17 at the Mad Frog in Clifton and with the band's headlining the Wang Dang Doodle Festival May 30 in Batavia, Eclipse assures its audience of its talent each time they takes the stage and steals the show.

A full-length album is currently in the works and is due out later this year.

The self-titled release is currently available from cdbaby.com and at any of their live performances. - The Pulse

The new Jam band Eclipse didn't exactly steal a bunch of other bands' best players. It just looks like it.

Eastsiders area anxiously awaiting the next Wang Dang Doodle music festival in May. From May 30th thru June 1st Paxton’s farm will be open to hundreds of music fans who descend on the farm for this eclectic local music festival each year. Last year we saw scores of great talent and this year it’s bigger, better and even more diverse. One of the highlights of this years festival will be the first ever appearance by the Cincinnati band Eclipse.

Many Eastsiders may not have heard of Eclipse yet, predominantly playing downtown and Clifton, this fusion jam band is getting serious praise (and press) from everyone that sees them. It’s no wonder why. . . this band is unlike any other around. The tastes and flavors virtually circle the globe in variety and influence. They get described in lengthy sentences littered with words like: rock, funk, jazz, hip hop, fusion, and even musical geniuses. Everyone’s trying to put them into words but that’s no easy task. You just have to see it to believe it.

I’m no Pulitzer prize winner writer but I think I can get your mind right by suggesting you imagine for a minute… Django Reinhardt on guitar, the Mighty Mighty Boss Tone’s horn section, Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Stanley Clarke on bass, Neil Peart on drums, Santana’s percussion players and Wyclef Jean and Kanye West on vocals. Well if you can get that mix jammin’ in your brain then you’re on the right track. Wait, don’t drift off on this imaginary jam just yet… I forgot to mention the Middle Eastern melodies laced with a Latino flavor. Think big band salsa rap and now you’re really getting somewhere. Like I said you have to see it to believe it.

All the musicians are pros to say the least, in fact most have degrees in music from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. The core band is made up of founder and band leader Brian Batchelor-Glader (a.k.a. BBG) on keys; Max Gise on electric and acoustic guitars; Aaron Jacobs on bass; Phillip Tipton on drums; Jibri and Daddie Rich on vocals, not to mention a three piece rotating horn section. Wow!

Together they create a sense of “international mind travel� as they effortless sweep you from one part of the globe to another. First you might find yourself at an Indian Diwali on the Ganges then, you’ll be sweating to the intoxicating sounds of the south of the border salsa, next, a grand ballroom with a big band, all the while being navigated by Harlem Hip-Hop. Sounds like a trip you won’t soon forget huh? It is. Eclipse is simply first string players strung out on a musical concoction of ground breaking proportions. - Eastside Vibes