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Katie Reider Stage artists
The friends, family and fans of late singer-songwriter Katie Reider will celebrate her life and spirit at the 2009 P&G Taste of Cincinnati USA, May 23-25. Katie, shown here playing at the Taste of Cincinnati in 2007, died in July 2008 of complications from a rare facial tumor.
The Katie Reider tribute stage presented by Avalon and Metromix Cincinnati, located in the Procter & Gamble Gardens on Fifth Street, will feature a blend of original, nationally known musicians selected to reflect and honor Reider. In addition, a ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday will include remarks from friends and family and a presentation of a mayoral proclamation designating May 23 as Katie Reider Day in the City of Cincinnati. And a new award called the Katie Reider Spirit of Music Award will be presented posthumously to Reider. In future years, it will be presented to a local musician who personifies Reider¹s essence and that of the Cincinnati music scene.
We asked the acts playing on the tribute stage to tell us how they knew Reider and what this weekend¹s performances will mean to them.
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The Bell and the Hammer
Sunday, 1-2 p.m.
Serenity Johnson: "I am an avid blog reader from Florida. (My husband and fellow band member) Dan and I moved to Cincinnati, his hometown, three years ago. So I first learned of Katie Reider on the evening news, and you know how some things just hit you hard and you¹re not sure why? I felt hit hard by her passing. I'm sure it was her youth and her smile. She was beautiful, of course. So I went to her blog, and I read it all, all the archives. Her story was unequivocally sad, but the spirit with which she wrote the entries was so full of hope. She was making jokes, making choices, constantly offering gratitude. I hate that people die when they are recovering. It makes the pain that much more acute, and we grieve for those who are left alive. When I am not careful, I become preoccupied with death. Katie seemed preoccupied with life and with living it well."
- Cincinnati.Metromix.com
Discography
Untitled 2009 Full Length - Recording
Photos
Bio
The Bell and the Hammer is the moniker that husband and wife duo Dan and Serenity Johnson chose after a long list of uninspired and rejected band names. Literary in its roots, "The Bell and the Hammer" is the name (and subject) of the second chapter of C.S. Lewis’ 'The Magician’s Nephew', a book in the popular children's series 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.
They follow in a distinguished line of Husband-Wife duos that have rooted their inception in Cincinnati including 'Over the Rhine' and 'Ellery.' However, marriage is where the similarities seem to end. While still steeped in the folk genre, their sound is more immediate. With a single guitar accompanied by occasional clarinet parts, the melodies are central and showcase Serenity Johnson’s controlled vocal technique. The songs have a connecting theme: pain. "I am aware that most of our songs are about pain or misery of some sort. I have tried to write happy songs, but I'm no good at it." says Serenity in a recent blog post. "Dan and I have agreed, though, that most people have had their fair share of pain so we have shouldered on with our sad songs." Somehow the songs don't come off depressing. They just feel familiar.
Although the couple has been writing music for several years, they have only recently committed to playing out and finishing their debut full-length album. The fruits of their labor are beginning to pay off as evidenced by their consistent 2009 show schedule, playing nearly 25 shows already in 2009. They've also a suite of songs and are hoping to self-release their debut album in the summer of 2009.
They have shared the stage with Ellery, The Chocolate Horse, Wonky Tonk, Okay Lindon, The Happy Maladies, and more at over 15 different venues in and around Cincinnati and Dayton.
If 2009 is any indication of what the future holds for The Bell and the Hammer, they have a lot to look forward to.
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