Incline District

Incline District

Incline District, is a trio formed of three musicians who write music in Price Hill and Westwood. The band is named after the many Incline cars that used to travel up and down the hills of Cincinnati, and one particularly obvious one that was situated in Price Hill. Members of Incline District include; JW Mitchell, Frederik Kire, and Asher Kirkman. They take pride in the fact that they live and have always lived in a metropolitan city center that supports the arts and its own bustling artistic scene. We intereviewed their frontman JW Mitchel.


"In Price Hill we live, commute and work inside a diverse artistic polish that makes cities wonderful and beautiful," says Mitchel. "With Incline District we as musicians try to absorb and showcase that artistic polish and portray our interpretation of that architectural, geographic, and social contrast into our songs."

Incline District operates and fronts Cincinnati’s original indie-hipster music scene, however their shows always seem to be attended by a vast cross section of people who simply like the music and who also seem to like being around people who are slightly different from themselves. At most shows one will find doctors, DJs, hipsters, and bankers smoking cigarettes outside the venue with a few leather jacketed punks and the band itself. Many of these groups also find themselves in deep conversation with their parents or relatives unknowingly, "who then attempt to provide us excellent feedback to what we're are doing wrong. One of the benefits of living on the Westside of Cincinnati means ample relative spy resources and ample fixed conversations with pseudo marketers of Incline District as our large families always seem to outnumber the crowds themselves."

They play songs in their own style, "which we are attempting to call 'electrified folk garage pop rock with drums' might be too long."

"Our shows are worth it as viewers will always find a completely original set of music, lighting effects and featured artists taking part in our small organic version of what makes music and performance interesting; the act of watching something being created that hasn’t been created before and the performance of that in Cincinnati."

You can catch up with Incline District on Facebook. Their next show is at Northside Tavern's Fashion Show on April 16th. They will also being playing up in Columbus on June 5th for the Columbus Art and Music Festival. - Price Hill Living

Wolf's expert rhythm captivates crowd

By Sean Peters | Chief reporter

Published: Sunday, January 9, 2011

Updated: Sunday, January 9, 2011 21:01


Despite the small crowd Josiah Wolf blew fans away with his engaging and diverse musicianship.

It was a hot show, despite the onslaught of snow piling outside of Mayday in Northside.

Josiah Wolf, most widely known as the multi-instrumentalist from indie hip-hop group Why?, has been touring in support of his 2010 album "Jet Lag." Wolf shared the bill with local three-piece Incline District.

­Sound checking is an important time for a band to establish its onstage persona. During Wolf's sound check with band mate Liz Hodson, the few audience members within earshot quickly perked up, excited to see what the ruckus was all about. Marimba, a gorgeous Rhodes electric piano, electric guitar, bass and looping tracks — both Wolf and Hodson were covering lots of ground, instrumentally speaking.

The key to a good sound check is practicing how you'll perform. Needless to say, it was disheartening when Incline District's sound check took longer than usual, due to the drummer's inability to comfortably hit his drums loud enough to convince Mayday's sound tech that that's how he actually plays.

"Put some thigh into it," said the sound tech as he attempted to cajole the drummer to actually hit his kick drum — and not just tap it like he wants to ask it a question inside the library. Once the barrier has been broken between artist and audience by stepping on stage, it is imperative for the artist to maintain the energy they'll uphold for the duration of their show.

First impression aside, Incline District played a fantastic set, driven by frontman Joe William Mitchell's cool-yet-poignant vocals and Stephen-Malkmus-meets-Trey-Anastasio guitar licks. All apologies to Phish haters — that might be a hard capsule to swallow.

As previously stated, attendance was woefully low at Mayday, as Cincinnati was assaulted with a fury of snow flurry. Girl Talk's performance at the Madison Theater on the other side of the river likely drew droves of hipster concertgoers too.

Wolf allegedly began playing guitar in 2006 and, as guitarist myself, I am pissed. He's been playing a quarter of the time I have and already can sonically captivate an intimate crowd with some simple strums of his Danelectro. He kept himself busy during his set, stomping on a kick drum, looping marimba and guitar tracks, singing and playing snare and ride cymbal all at the same time. I have a hard time chewing bubble gum while I walk. He's a true multi-tasker — and damn good at what he does.

Wolf's strong suit is definitely rhythm. His drum fills, jazzy yet frantically rock driven, outshine his simple folk-indie guitar parts, though it all adds up to a fantastic experience with Hodson's expert accompaniment.

Check newsrecord.org for a video of excerpts from Wolf's performance. - The News Record (Independent Student Newspaper at the University of Cincinnati

Smart Cincinnati trio braves the Indie hill with rolling Rock
By C.A. MacConnell

Beaming, I announce that I can quote the movie Red Dawn. They tell me I’m a good person.

Here, the coolness factor is a little kooky. We agree on Beastmaster — that guy was ripped with a huge, mysterious belt. Hell, maybe the pyramid was made of plywood, but it’s still a classic.

On the movie convo, the wicked humor of these wordsmiths becomes obvious. Mix that with overall natural, well-crafted Rock that drips with bare, honest grit and the Incline District train is beyond intriguing.

Their consistent sound burns out with a steady, soft, slow spark. Breathing room and heart. Tuned in, they’re all about the details — drummer Charles Hemlock busts out the names the Beastmaster’s ferrets.

Northside Tavern’s back room. Just us. Dark and creepily romantic. Low, colored lighting, goofy, psychedelic wall artwork. Quiet. The scene has that feel — a subtle nervousness, as if something’s about to happen. Like we’re all waiting for the story. They order drinks. Someone’s got the patchouli going on.

From Piqua, J.W. Mitchell (lead vocals, lead guitar) has kind eyes, an easy smile. At music since he was a fetus, he began on piano and sax. Later, he studied theory and guitar at Miami University.

“I didn’t fit in there at all, but I liked it,” he says.

A writer, Mitchell notices things; his words are layered and loaded. When it comes to quick connections and coolly delivered jokes, he’s a hawk eye. He likes a beard that makes him look like he “just got out of jail.” He’ll describe the shoe styles he’s worn since grade school.

When Hemlock signed up, the band was named after his Price Hill home. With short hair and big, questioning eyes, Hemlock appears perpetually curious. Starting on drums at 12, he played in a slew of bands, settling in with the Incline.

Hemlock states, “I finally found the band that I fit in, music-wise and friend-wise.”

Frederik Kire (bass, vocals) has longish, straight hair, a sensitive spark in his eye and one lone diamond earring. He could easily pull off a mustache. Not to miss anything, we talk about his actual childbirth. Moving on….

At 16, Kire played violin, cello, trumpet and then guitar. All self-taught.

“I graduated to bass when I met these guys,” he says.

With pseudo-innocence, all three can hold straight faces until they’ve made their mark. Both in words and music, the band’s key strength rests in the timing. Listen, and you’ll give them a mental high-five on delivery.

Mitchell’s voice subtly drifts out and he doesn’t do the piercing falcon scream. Rather, he grabs at the middle zone; the vocals are deep, slightly throaty, but oddly soothing. Guitars blend and flow with a working, quiet energy anchored by intelligent drums. No crazed, angry force here. They’re a Rock band, but there’s clever delivery. This tiger doesn’t roar; it growls.

More Songs About Waiting and Nothing, their debut release, a 12-song album recorded at Ultrasuede with John Curley, is nearly finished. The official release show is scheduled this fall in the very room where we sit.

In recording, they aimed for laid-back, live realism.

Mitchell explains, “(Curley) set the lights down really low. We just played our set … it’s not clean, it’s real different.”

Kire adds, “I like that you can’t describe it.”

On the vibe, Mitchell says, “It seems like a lot of our songs flow really well together, but they don’t necessarily sound the same.”

It holds a consistent mood, an “album feel.” Mitchell continues, “That’s the absolute truth. We try to keep our stuff smart.”

The band doesn’t rage through issues, but there’s a definite peculiar edge. An informal trio with an underlying, humble, focused strangeness, their welcome, weird stage presence makes them somehow more endearing. Live, they’re accessible, focused, and they seem relaxed. Professionally, they’re just doing what they do in the vein of a more mature band.

Hemlock explains, “We’re there for us, and if the people like it that’s even better. We love what we’re doing musically … we’re not out to impress anybody, just having fun, and I think it shows when we’re up there playing for each other.”

With steady gigs booked, from here they hope to telepathically communicate with animals, hit the tracks and head on up the hill. On and off stage, there’s something underground, cloak-and-dagger mysterious about Incline District. Whether it’s the hidden, off-the-wall vibe or just the rolling tunes, it’s well worth checking out this top-secret beast. - CityBeat (Cincinnati)