Tonight: Caveman at MOTR Pub in Cincinnati
We here in Cincinnati are in for another treat this evening as NYC’s Caveman makes a stop in town in support of their debut album CoCo Beware. This show closes out a solid week of national acts in the Queen City with Sharon Van Etten and Oberhofer performing last weekend. Full of easy listening melodies and a deep drum beat, this is sure to be a special treat for those in attendance. And of course, for all you fence-sitters, check out a live performance of “Vampirer/Old Friend” below from their Backyard Sessions performance. If seeing this doesn’t convince you to come, well, you probably ought to get your ears checked. As always at the MOTR Pub, this is a FREE show so be sure to get down early for a few drinks and be sure to leave your bartender a generous tip. Hope to see you there.
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Written by Greg Dahman
Fresh Track: Open Mike Eagle “5ree Thinkers”
Originally hailing from Chicago, rapper Open Mike Eagle has been carving out a niche on the west coast independent hip hop scene for a few years now. Mike’s crew the Swim Team is the next generation of Cali’s legendary Project Blowed collective, but lately his work has been putting him in a class all his own. Since the release of his strong sophomore album Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes last year, Mike has released two stellar EP’s to prep for his upcoming LP in June.
“5ree Thinkers” is the first track off his latest EP Rent Party Extension and has quickly become one of my favorite Open Mike Eagle songs. Mike has always had something to say on the mic, but his style has become more distinct and nuanced on recent material and 5ree Thinkers might be his most evolved song yet. Open Mike lets listeners know he’s “on that free thinking double talk, my peoples out there like NASA space shuttle walks”. It’s this type of attitude and self-awareness that has helped Mike cultivate a style all his own that is becoming more insightful and artistically fragmented with each release. In the third verse, Mike even references an episode of the classic live action sitcom “Dinosaurs,” stating that it contained the explanation for all the secrets of the world. Heady stuff Mike, heady stuff. Grab a free copy Open Mike Eagle’s Rent Party Extension EP.
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Written by John Bugbee
Thought on Tracks 
J. Tillman Responds to PASTE’S Coverage of Letterman Performance
Social media can often serve as a time-consuming stream of distractions, but occasionally it offers up a bit of dialogue that reminds us why it is we pay attention. For me, one of those moments occurred yesterday when former Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman took to Twitter in response to PASTE’s post on his Letterman performance.
Tuesday night brought Tillman’s television debut of his new Father John Misty project. The band’s debut album Fear Fun was released by Sub Pop that same day. Watch a video of Father John Misty’s Letterman performance below of the track “Only Son of the Ladies Man” below. As expected, all of the major music blogs fell quickly in line with posts on the footage the following morning, offering minimal context. Later in the day, Tillman took to Twitter for a brief rant on his distaste for PASTE and the current state of music writing in general.
At this point, PASTE’s Multimedia Editor Max Blau interjected in hopes of some clarification. Side note: Blau is a great follow on twitter, and in general seems to have a level head on his shoulders. I was impressed with his attempt to open a dialogue in an effort to more clearly understand the source of Tillman’s backlash. Many editors would have been tempted to ignore the situation in the hope that it disappear quietly.
Music, and the coverage of it, is in a strange place at present. The internet has fragmented the way that we discover new artists and sounds. This subsequently provides anyone with a modem the opportunity to turn critic. This leads to a rat race where blogs are constantly competing to post the latest video or release first. The rush to the front of the pack often results in rushed writing that offers little information. These issues are addressed, rather eloquently, by the recently defunct Louisville blog The Decibel Tolls in their post “The Problem With Blogs.”
Unfortunately, this current arrangement is unlikely to change any time soon. In order to compete for traffic, the rat race will inevitably continue. Search engines and social media platforms are growing increasingly adept at discerning which content is being shared. In theory, this should allow the cream to rise to the top. However, the vast majority of readers are not seeking out phenomenal writing. Instead, they are competing with their peers to break the new “hot video” first and the vicious cycle continues. Therefore, the blogging behemoths will continue to post mediocrity so long as traffic is the end objective. Tillman spoke for a lot of us when he tweeted the following.
Written by Rob Peoni