The Singles Game

Cincinnati duo Turtledoves are challenging the typical listening experience one release at a time.

BY ERIC BATES

In decades past, the album was the standard in releasing music – a great work that the public waited for. In some ways, especially with the renaissance of the vinyl record, the release of a complete body of work is still relevant. But in the last few years, streaming has changed the listening experience, forcing musicians to learn new ways of releasing music.

With their current collection of songs, Alex and Ashley McGrath of Turtledoves are meeting that challenge head on by releasing one new single every month this year. Having shared their first song “Come On” in February and their second single “Precious Metals” on March 2, the Cincinnati duo has hit the ground running. These ten songs, broken up into two EPs, will ultimately find their way onto CD and or vinyl, but for the next several months, listeners can enjoy anticipating each new track.

The first group of songs – the five that will comprise the first EP, Secret Weapon – is a collection of powerful and edgy works. With a full band sound that is cinematic in scope, the music and lyrics are intended to grab the attention of the listener and hold it there, according to the band. Each song has its own story, but the two current singles plus the forthcoming song “Pavement” speak specifically about the McGraths’ experience in navigating the last few years and, as the McGraths say, invite listeners to reflect on the events that challenged many of us during the COVID pandemic.

the couple’s kind, warm, and gentle personalities.

For “My Big Guitar,” one of the singles from Two Dreams, Alex McGrath tells CityBeat that he wrestled with several old and unruly acoustic guitars for a long time before finally conceding and purchasing one that “cooperated.” He says that as a song that leans into the idea of surrender and comfort, “My Big Guitar” sums up what Two Dreams is about.

“These songs are about intimate times, about creating shelter, to insulate ourselves from the outside world,” Ashley McGrath says.

The McGraths say that the journey in creating these songs gave them the opportunity to dive deep into their sound.

The McGraths say that while some of their music has been recorded in Colorado as well as at a friend’s home in Newport, it’s the dining room of their own home that serves as Turtledoves headquarters. With homemade isolation tents for vocals and drums and PVC structures draped with blankets to dampen the reverberation of the 100-year-old plaster walls, the customized space provides them with most of their home recording needs.

Working in tandem, the McGraths say they build their songs from ideas that they both bring to the table. One secret of the Turtledoves sound comes from their experiments with vintage equipment. The use of 1980s Casio and Yamaha Keyboards and excerpts from rare, ambient cassette tapes, have become go to techniques for layering

Once all five songs from Secret Weapon are available, Turtledoves will give the fans a short break before releasing five more singles from the second EP, Two Dreams. In contrast to Secret Weapon, Ashley McGrath says Two Dreams will present songs that are more intimate and personal. With Ashley’s dreamy work on her Baldwin upright and Alex strumming his acoustic Gretsch, these personal conversations give a small glimpse into and elevating their music.

“We feel we’ve achieved a foundation, a sound that represents us, and we’re very excited to share it with everyone,” Alex McGrath says.

Turtledoves’ singles “Come On” and “Precious Metals” are streaming on most platforms.

Info: turtledoves.vision.

Sound Advice

Vanessa Carlton

March 17 • Ludlow Garage

“A Thousand Miles” was everywhere in 2002, an era when MTV and radio still held the keys to the kingdom. For better or worse, Vanessa Carlton’s cortexsticking phenomenon — marked by that catchy opening piano riff — transformed her from an unknown 22-year-old singer/ songwriter/pianist into a ubiquitous presence, informing nearly everything that has happened to her since.

The Pennsylvania native was a student at the School of American Ballet when she discovered that music was better fit for her ambitions. Carlton saw herself in the artistically adventurous Fiona Apple mold, but industry expectations infected her experience after “A Thousand Miles” — they wanted more of the same, while she was over it.

“My husband describes it as lighting in a bottle,” Carlton told Billboard in a 2022 interview. “I look at her [the song] like she’s a beast, you know she is of me, but also separate from me. And I think the way that I look at the song now is as a miraculous moment in time. I know so many great songwriters who have written amazing songs that people won’t hear, so I actually think [“A Thousand Miles”] is sort of a miracle.”

That’s not to say Carlton has been silent since — she’s released six studio albums over the last 20 years, each delivering her accessible brand of introspective, pianodriven pop. Her most recent effort, 2020’s Love Is an Art, dropped just as the pandemic shut everything down. But now, five years since her last live show, she is ready to hit the road again for what she’s calling the “Future Pain Tour,” which is a reference to a song in which she repeatedly admits, “I’ve got nothing to lose and nothing to gain but future pain.”

Carlton announced the tour with this brief message on her website: “Things that I know for sure: Life is pain. Life is joy. It is hard to be a human being. Music is medicine. I like to get lost in a song. Let’s get lost together. See ya at the show!”

Vanessa Carlton plays Ludlow Garage at 8:30 p.m. March 17. Doors open at 7 p.m. Info: ludlowgaragecincinnati.com.

(Jason

Gargano)

Tedward

March 18 • Legends Bar & Venue

An epic combination of grunge, punk and shoegaze is what you’ll experience at Legends Bar and Music Venue when Cincinnati grunge/shoegaze band Tedward brings a set filled with musical peaks and valleys. With songs both energetic and imperturbable, Tedward guides the listener through a fuzzed-out and sonically saturated landscape.

Drawing inspiration from ‘90s icons like Nirvana and Weezer as well as favorites like Ovlov and Bachelor, Terrance Lee – Tedward’s creative force – braids his influences seamlessly with his own personal style, creating original music that’s both heavy and catchy. Tedward’s first full-length album Floater, scheduled for release on March 18 on bright blue cassettes via Los Angeles indie label I’m Into Life Records, has eight powerful and dreamy tracks. Dotted with J. Mascis-style guitar hooks and earworm melodies, Floater will demand multiple listenings.

Teward began in 2021 with Lee releasing a self-produced and self-performed five-song EP titled Burnt Ends. Following their first live set at the Q-A-Palooza music festival, Tedward contributed a song to an online charity Bandcamp compilation. That got the attention of I’m Into Life Records, which later offered to release Floater. The record-release show will feature Lee’s current live lineup, with Lee on vocals/guitar, Greg Olsen on bass and Cole Hundley on drums.

Tedward plays Legends Bar & Venue at 8 p.m. March 18. Cataracts, Knavery and Odd Polly also are on the bill. Info: legendscincy.com. (Eric Bates)

Night Owl

March 24 • Northside Tavern

A soulful, acoustic singer-songwriter evening is what Night Owl will present. Rob Mohan (aka Night Owl) prides himself on creating an immersive and moody experience for his audience, filling venues with rich acoustic tones that submerge his listeners in a sea of color. For this show, Night Owl will be joined by Billy Alletzhauser on guitar, Tod Drake on drums and Jacob Perez on bass. Mohan writes deeply personal music that reflects his life experiences. From travel to family, Night Owl songs speak from the heart and reach into the soul of everyone who hears them. Growing up in northeast Ohio, Mohan listened to solo artists like Elliot Smith, M. Ward and one of his father’s favorites, Jackson Browne, all of whom would become big influences in his songwriting. With engaging lyrics and his Guild F-55 guitar in open tunings fed through unique effects pedals like the Game Changer Plus and the “Slo” Reverb by Walrus Audio, Mohan has created a singular sound and style that is instantly recognizable.

Empress, Night Owl’s fourth album was produced by the incomparable Billy Alletzhauser of The Hiders and celebrates Cincinnati and its surrounding area. Although Empress has been available digitally for a while, the March Northside Tavern show marks the album’s vinyl release. With songs like “River City” and “Northside Blues,” this musical love letter to the Queen City is a must-have.

Night Owl plays Northside Tavern at 9 p.m. March 24. Sharp Toys and St. Mary, St. Michael will open the show. Info: northsidetav.com. (EB)

They Might Be Giants

March 25 • Madison Theater

John Flansburgh and John Linnell have known each other for nearly five decades, devoting 40 of those years to a musical outfit called They Might Be Giants. That’s a lot of music (23 studio albums!), including their best-known effort, 1990’s Flood, a smorgasbord of slanted pop songs driven by unconventional instrumentation (including the accordion and samples of Flansburgh’s kitchen sink and refrigerator being struck with a drumstick) and lyrical themes (“Birdhouse in Your Soul” is written from the perspective of a child’s night light and features the immortal lines, “My story’s infinite/Like the Longines Symphonette”).

Delayed a few years due to the pandemic, the duo is finally celebrating Flood’s 30th anniversary with a tour that will include most of the album’s 19 songs plus a smattering from the rest of their massive catalog.

“We weren’t really aware that this kind of ritual self-celebration thing was going to become such a strong current in rock music,” Flansburgh said in a recent interview with Big Issue. “But you know, we’re happy to celebrate ourselves. I’m just grateful that Flood is such a solid album to get behind. It’s got a lot of unusual things about it. It’s not just a bunch of bangers and a bunch of filler.”

Sure enough, a revisit of Flood reveals a record as weird and witty as ever. “Particle Man,” replete with its carnivalesque instrumentation, is a lighthearted singalong about four men with questionable intentions. “Your Racist Friend,” a rare straightforward expression of intent, relays an uncomfortable encounter with expected results (“This is where the party ends”). A playful cover of the novelty tune “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” sounds like a polka run amok, while “Whistling in the Dark” rides on Linnel’s typically affected vocal delivery and an accordiondriven arrangement accented by blaring horns. Tuneful dorkiness abounds, but that’s what set They Might Be Giants apart.

Word is the live show will include two sets of music as well as one request for the audience, per the boys’ website: “A note from John F: Can you believe it? It’s 2023 and everybody is still getting COVID. Know folks who got it last week? We do too! We got 1 request: wear a mask to our shows! Not a demand. Just a request. Just sayin’. We need to keep our shows safe! Spread the good word! It’s gonna be a blast.”

They Might Be Giants plays Madison Theater at 8 p.m. March 25. Doors open at 7 p.m. Info: madisontheater.com. (JG)

Crossword

Across

1. Play to the gallery

4. Busy body?

Three The Hard Way

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

10. “Yellow Dog” author Martin

14. It has contribution limits: Abbr.

15. Issues a technical

16. Boppa’s spouse

17. Our sun

18. Foil-wrapped chocolate candie

20. Maverick Dončić

22. Little songbird

23. Not at all

24. Curse word

26. King’s title

27. Have to have

28. Prepare, as some meats

32. Illinois city on the Fox River

34. Block party game?

35. Durable family vehicle, for short

36. About to be served

37. Longish time

38. Strava displays: Abbr.

39. Social reformer Dorothea

40. “I’m ___ Be (500 Miles)” (The Proclaimers hit)

41. Nukes

42. Members of a ska band

44. TV actress Majorino

45. “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” songwriter Paul

46. Spanned across

49. Like stars

52. Tours agreement

53. It sells a lot of slices

54. 2012 Kathryn Bigelow film

57. 14th letters

58. River that flows through Orsk

59. Slimy distilled coal product

60. New Wave band that also recorded as The Dukes of Stratosphear

61. Tinseltown force

62. “My Cup Runneth Over” singer

63. Three of them are represented four different ways in this puzzle

Down

1. Political divide

2. Cause of a child’s cough

3. Getting down to brass tacks

4. Degree a ways away

5. Threw

6. ___ badge

7. “Hey buddy!”

8. “What?”

9. Unfilled dates on the calendar

10. What goes here

11. Skirt to the floor

12. “Listen Like Thieves” band

13. House of ___-Coburg and Gotha

19. ___ Linda, CA

21. Suffered humiliating defeat

25. She loves cocks

26. Nescafé rival

28. Hammer parts

29. Dirty media technique designed to cause maximum anger

30. One thing

31. Discounted by

32. Ceases to be

33. Character who says “I’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee”

34. “Wednesday” star Ortega

37. Burn the midnight oil at the office

38. Big pharma div.

40. Testis, for one

41. Switch ancestor

43. Electronic musician Faltermeyer

44. Blue My Little Pony

46. Full of va-va-voom

47. Like the best of the best

48. Expanded reissue components, often

49. Blue, in Brasilia

50. Vax fluids

51. Crossword clue that leads you to the wrong answer, e.g.

52. Bhindi, in some curries

55. Cool, in the Reagan era

56. T-shirt sizes, for short

LAST PUZZLE’S ANSWERS:

Bertha G. Helmick

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