July 29, 200816 yr The 2008 MPMF is coming up this September 25-27. You can find all the information you want here: http://www.mpmf.com/index.php Some of the details are still on the way, but you can start getting ramped up now.
August 28, 200816 yr It's just over a month away. The time when the streets of Downtown and Over-the-Rhine (and one stage in Newport) will be brimming with local, regional, national and international musical artists. The 7th annual MidPoint Music Festival returns September 25-27 and this year promises true excitement for those wanting to get out and have fun in Cincinnati. Here are some questions I've been hearing... • We’ve heard about this for a while, but uhh... When the heck can I get tickets? Right now, oh anxious one. Wristbands allowing admission into all venues for all three days of music are available now for $29. Wristbands are highly recommended and will save more dough for spirits and libations. It's a steal, no? When planning your nights, think about arriving earlier to those “bigger” shows on your list. You'll probably know which ones (Robert Pollard, Mates of State). If it sells out, the club can’t legally cram in more people, wristbands or not. Pesky fire marshals. At least you'll have great entertainment for the entire night. Every band is headline-worthy. • Stages in Downtown AND Over the Rhine? I’m lazy and can’t walk far. I didn’t think my itinerary would include travel time. What the #%$#!? Ah, the challenged of foot. While we all could probably use the walk, there is a solution for jetting between venues. MidPoint is working with those folks who support adding streetcars to the downtown landscape. They, together with MidPoint sponsor Scion, are providing 20 xB crossover vehicles to shuttle music lovers to the different areas. A handy map of the proposed streetcar route will be in each vehicle. Cool, huh? You only need to park once. • Isn't Over-the-Rhine and Downtown kind of... dead? Uhmmm, where have you been lately? It's been rocking all summer. Find a full list of venues here. Venerable MidPoint spots like the Blue Wisp, Arnold’s, Courtyard Café and Know Theater are back. New in the mix are some surprising venues like the Aronoff Center, The Subway Bar, Buddakhan’s, The Lodge Bar, Inner Peace Holistic Center, New Stage Collective, Below Zero Lounge and Coffee Emporium. I always feel that great satisfaction of city life whenever I get to hit so many clubs in one night. Choices are cool. • Who is playing this year? I guess you haven't heard the news? Well, too many to mention here. Find a full list here. Some recent additions: Mates of State, The Sadies, local SubPop signee Daniel Martin Moore, Canada's God Made Me Funky, London’s Partyshank, Dane Clark (He's in Mellencamp's band. WNKU plays him a lot.), turntable masher Ruckus Roboticus and the lovely women of HotChaCha. And for all those Cartoon Network Teen Titan fans out there, the actor who does the voice of Beast Boy rolls into town with his own reggae-pop band, Cipes and the People. I kid you not. • You keep saying MidPoint has an international scope. You just mean you have a couple of bands from Canada, right? Every year they travel from far and wide. Last year we saw a big Danish contingent. This year MidPoint features artists from China, England, Mexico, Israel, and drum roll please...Canada! • Have you seen my cool jacket? I left it at MidPoint last year (I got too drunk, of course). It is red leather, with black and white racing stripes down the side and … Let me stop your right there. This isn't the lost and found. Besides, if we found a red leather jacket, we would totally keep it for ourselves. • My favorite local band wasn’t selected. Don't you want the best local bands? More MidPoint acts come from Cincinnati than any other locale. In the past you had to put in a submission to play the event. The new producers of MidPoint, CityBeat, have expanded things a bit by “inviting” more bands with higher exposure. Along with the national, signed acts, local artists who were nominated at last year’s Cincinnati Entertainment Awards in the “Critical Achievement” categories (Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, New Artist of the Year) were booked. These include are some great locals: Eat Sugar, 500 Miles to Memphis, Buffalo Killers, The Dan Karlsburg Group, Jon Justice, Joe Hedges and July for Kings, The Lions Rampant, The Read, The Seedy Seeds, The Chocolate Horse and Wussy. • Well, you screwed up — where are the Heartless Bastards?! Unable to attend. In the studio, I think. • I only know my co-worker's sister's boyfriend's band is in. How am I supposed to know who to go see? Check out the helpful guides published in CityBeat and CiNWeekly. They usually give you some good advice of what to check out. Profiles and such on every act. Also, if you go to the list of bands, click on the name of any band and it'll take you to a MySpace page with songs to hear. The main thing to do right now is get your wristband, call some friends, and plan to head downtown for some hip shakin' fun.
September 22, 200816 yr So who's going? I'm working the Inner Peace venue Thursday and Friday. Anyone interested in a pre-show urban Ohio meet up at the Javier's happy hour?
September 23, 200816 yr The return of Midpoint! http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/32midpoint.aspx Cincinnati again becomes the indie music headquarters of the heartland as the Midpoint Music Festival returns this weekend with a growing reputation as one of the nation’s most exciting band showcases to be found in a compact, walkable urban setting. The seventh annual Midpoint Music Festival officially kicks off at 6 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 25) with a free show on Fountain Square from up-and-coming local band Seabird. It ushers in three nights of 185 bands- most independent, unsigned artists- playing on 16 stages in Over-the-Rhine, the central downtown core and Newport’s Southgate House. Organizers hope for some 40,000 club hoppers over the three nights. This year Midpoint is under new management. Alternative weekly, CityBeat, bought the festival from its co-founders Sean Rhiney and Bill Donabedian, who started it as a labor of love to support and showcase the region’s robust indie band scene. But the two had wanted out of producing the event because of the demands of their day jobs. (Donabedian works for Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. as managing director of Fountain Square; Rhiney is a professional development counselor at the University of Cincinnati Law School). CityBeat, which had been heavily involved with Midpoint as a promotional partner, took over a well-conceived event that has earned an impressive national reputation in just six years. Thanks to Midpoint, in certain substrata of the nation’s rock music communities, bands have come of age knowing Cincinnati, not for its sports teams, riots, or world-class symphony, but as a supportive music town. “Musicians know Midpoint as an independent festival where they will be heard by receptive ears. It also has a reputation as a good time,” says Dan McCabe, Midpoint producer and CityBeat promotions director. “Bill and Sean did a great job building a festival. Talking to bands through the submission process, it became apparent that groups really want to play at this.” Producing the event is an opportunity for CityBeat to reinforce its branding as the media booster of the independent, original music scene. It may also provide an alternative revenue stream. “We think we can make some money on it,” says John Fox, CityBeat editor. “It’s not like a music festival will make or break our company. But, like everyone else in this business, you have to figure out different ways to make money other than selling ads, which is getting harder and harder to do. Everyone is suffering, even us, but maybe not in ways the big dailies are.” Fox said events like Midpoint let CityBeat offer companies a different way to connect with the young adult market other than buying a traditional ad. For example, Toyota will put out a 20-car fleet of its youth-friendly xB Scions shuttling fest goers between downtown venues (The Scions will be run a route designed to mimic the proposed streetcar system with ten pick-up points running along Main Street, west on 12th Street, back south on Walnut Street, and east on 5th). In taking on the festival production, CityBeat organizers were confronted with the same problem that Donabedian and Rhiney had struggled with the last couple years. As Fox puts it: “The reality is Over-the-Rhine can’t support it any more. There just aren’t the bars.” Part of Midpoint’s unique reputation was its compactness concentrated in Over- the-Rhine’s Main Street Entertainment strip. Among the many band showcases in the country, none is in an area where 17 stages are a block or two apart. But that coziness was impossible to maintain with up to ten clubs closing in the Main Street district the last few years. The Main Street scene has struggled, never really recovering from the loss of patrons after the 2001 riots. Some clubs that have tried to reopen in recent months have failed. CityBeat producers took the classic given-lemons-make-lemonade approach by expanding the event into the central downtown core while retaining some Over-the-Rhine locations. Other than the Southgate House site, it is still a walkable event utilizing a diversity of venues. In the process organizers have managed to cleverly connect downtown and Over-the-Rhine with the first music event to take advantage of an energized residential downtown. To hear McCabe talk, all of downtown is a stage. He sees the area organically--the central business district is a rock concert venue. “There is an incredible infrastructure we have by using downtown and Over-the Rhine together,” he says. “We have large venues and small venues and now we have a transportation system. Fans can use the restaurants, hotels and Fountain Square. Next year we hope to put music on the square every night of the festival.” The downtown venues range from the swanky 150-seat Fifth Third Bank Theater at the Aronoff Center to the more bohemian Inner Peace Holistic Center (Walnut and Seventh) and the Coffee Emporium (Walnut and Central Parkway). Such theme clubs as Cadillac Ranch and the Lodge Bar, which normally don’t feature indie music acts, have signed up. The only traditional Main Street club involved is the Courtyard Cafe. The shortage of Main Street venues has been filled by the alternative arts community with stages at the Know Theater, the New Stage Collective and InkTank in Over-the-Rhine. In the past Midpoint needed to rock the suburbs to be successful, that is, convince people from outside the city to come downtown for a night of music and club hopping. McCabe says, with the revitalized downtown residential scene, he isn’t sure that is even a priority anymore. He sees this as an event the new urbanites will appreciate. “The downtown population has exploded,” says McCabe. “Suburban living is on the out. It’s the walkable, urban living that is in and cool. That’s the future. For those folks this is a very consolidated festival.” According to Downtown Cincinnati, Inc., the OTR/downtown population was about 8,100 at the end of 2007. That has grown by over 2,000 people since 2002. Most of that increase is made up of young professionals, who have been gobbling up the hundreds of downtown condos and apartments that have been built or renovated. Indeed, downtown boosters now see Midpoint as a central business district showcase-- a club-hopping, party-scene version of the recent Downtown Tour of Living. “Downtown has gone through a major transformation with residents. So, when we have an event like Midpoint, people’s interests are peaked to see the new downtown,” said Arlene Koth, DCI VP stakeholder services. Other changes in CityBeat’s Midpoint structure: Organizers were proactive in inviting bands to play, unlike past years where it was exclusively a submission process. That assures local fans can see some of Cincinnati's most critically-acclaimed acts. CityBeat booked bands that had been past winners at its Cincinnati Entertainment Awards who might otherwise not play Midpoint. They include Wussy, 500 Miles To Memphis, Buffalo Killers, Jon Justice, July For Kings and the Seedy Seeds. It has booked national signed acts breaking with the tradition of a festival exclusively devoted to unsigned bands. “We felt we needed to build a little more of a national brand,” says Fox. Still the national groups are somewhat on the fringes for the mainstream music fan, but well known on the indie rock scene. They include indie rock icon Robert Pollard, Mates of State, The Sadies, Spectrum and Why?. It has abandoned for this year the music industry panels and keynotes speakers that helped make Midpoint a networking business experience for out-of-town bands. McCabe says the rock convention aspect will return next year, perhaps under the auspices of the Chicago Grammy office. He says Grammy officials will be in town to observe this year’s Midpoint. Your Soapbox Guide to Midpoint The challenge and the beauty of the Midpoint Music Festival is: You are on your own. One needs to bring a sense of discovery, exploration and maybe do a little research to find which of the some 185 bands will suit your fancy. The Midpoint Web site makes that easy with band profiles and YouTube/ MySpace links. At Midpoint all bands are created equal and it’s difficult to single out a must-see act. In fact, it’s hard to find a bad set, since bands bring their “A” games. After all, they only perform a 50-minute set so you can expect to see each group’s “greatest hits.” With that in mind, here are five acts each night guaranteed to please a diversity of tastes, with a mix of national acts and locals: Thursday Seabird (6 p.m., Fountain Square): Catchy piano-driven power pop has landed this Independence, Ky. band prime-time promotional exposure in the ABC show “Pushing Daisies.” It’s “Rescue” will be the show’s theme song this season. Daniel Martin Moore (10 p.m., Aronoff Fifth Third Theater): Heart-felt folk pop from the Cold Spring, Ky. singer-songwriter about to make a national splash with a new album to be released in October by Seattle label Sub Pop. July For Kings (10 p.m., Cadillac Ranch): A bit of a reunion for lead singer Joe Hedges and his band mates from Middletown. Hedges has honed a thrilling, passionate live show making his mark as a dynamic frontman as a solo artist and with JFK, which flirted with major label success once signed to MCA. Why? (11 p.m., Aronoff): Cerebral, sonic psychedelic pop from these ex-Cincinnatians, now based in Oakland, Calif. Oh My God (11 p.m., Know Theater): Atmospheric pop with great vocals of frontman Billy O’Neill and an absurdist sense of humor. As the band notes: “We are influenced by monkeys in Fellini-esque settings.” Friday SS-20 (9 p.m., Southgate house): A rare show from one of Cincinnati’s true punk pioneers; Three chords-and-a-cloud of dust with a delightful anarchic message. Jon Justice (11:30 p.m. , Arnold's): The 26-year-old Flemingsberg, Ky. guitarist is cleverly bending the blues format managing to mix R&B, soul and hard rock into his own distinct groove. Jukebox the Ghost (11 p.m. Aronoff): The Washington, D.C. trio gets compared to Ben Folds with its catchy piano pop. Lonely China Day (11 p.m. Inner Peace Center): It’s Mandarin rock with this group from Beijing bringing its ambient, experimental guitar stylings with a mantra-like quality as they sing lyrics based on Chinese folklore. Pomegranates (midnight, Blue Wisp): Irresistible, hook-filled, dreamy and intelligent pop from this Cincinnati quartet getting national attention with last year’s release on Lujo Records. Saturday Jeff Scott Roberson (9 p.m. New Stage Collective): Unwind a little with one of the great earthy Cincinnati singer-songwriters who has been making soulful, lonesome country/folk for almost two decades. Wussy (10 p.m. Aronoff): Everyone from the Village Voice to Rolling Stone has discovered this richly textured Cincinnati group with the poignant lyrics of Ass Pony founder Chuck Cleaver and sonic vocals of Lisa Walker. Best described once as “high lonesome slash and burn” and an “articulated drone.” Mates of State (10 p.m. Southgate House): Drums and keyboard. What more do you need? Not much when you have the unpretentious, toe-tapping, sweet melodies of this couple out of Kansas. William Sides Atari Party (10:30 p.m.) Know Theater): And now for something completely different. A one man electronica band “performing” with an Atari Synthcart program and an array of synthesizers and other gadgets. Flow (midnight, Cadillac Ranch): Traveling to Midpoint from Tel Aviv, check out the group dubbed Israeli’s “indie band of the year” with a collection of soaring and thickly textured anthems reminiscent of U2. Stuff you should know: A three-day wristband ($29), or a one-day wristband ($15), is good for admission to all the venues and allows you to ride on the free Scion shuttle system. You can also pay a $5 cover good for admission that night to a single venue.
September 26, 200816 yr If the bands and crowd at the Inner Peace stage was representitive of Midpoint as a whole, I'd have to say last night was great opener. The crowd size picked up earlierier than I was expecting for a Thursday night. The bands were great. My favorite was the performance by "Eagle to Squirrel". If you've never seen them I highly recommend it. Apparently their show was pretty popular at Fringe as well. Their youTube videos , can give you a prety good idea of what they do, but you can really apreciate the full contribution of the dancers from the video due to the camera distance. I also spotted a couple of fellow Urban Ohio-ers in the crowd.
September 26, 200816 yr Downtown and OTR were jammin' and full of activity last night. The Scion streetcars looked great too and added a fun element to the mix.
September 26, 200816 yr Spent some time at Arnold's supporting the Soapbox stage (courtyard was full). Went to Know (up and down), Below Zero, New Stage Collective (kind of dead, and no booze?), and Southgate House. Quite a lot of people spread among many (17) venues. You need to either (a) plan ahead and meticulously execute your plan with drill seargent precision; or (b) just go with the flow. It's hard to get everywhere you need to be with short set times. The scions were great. They were like a convoy rolling up Main. Just hail one and they pull over. We didn't even bother with the prearranged pickup points. Tonight and tomorrow will be different and I suspect they will be much more busy.
September 29, 200816 yr Midpoint was fun. I went all three nights, and I ran into several people from UO. The Scions were great, but it seemed that many of the drivers did not know downtown. I had to give directions to half of our drivers. We were with people who are not from Cincinnati originally, and they probably would not have been able to give the directions themselves.
October 14, 200816 yr Didn't see a thread like this for Cincinnati so I thought I'd add it... Come check out In Space!!! opening up for Zach Deputy at The Mad Frog in Clifton (1 E McMillan). Cover is $5 for 21+ ($7 for 18-20) and music starts at 9pm. Listen to the music: http://myspace.com/inspacemusic http://myspace.com/zachdeputy
October 15, 200816 yr I think the thread should be changed to RAWK Concerts. Two shows that I would of like to of seen. The Black Keys in Covington and the reunited Toadies at Bogarts. All I do is work.
October 15, 200816 yr Oh yeah, with the Breeders. Kim Deal is hot. edit: I knew I saw this somewhere.
October 16, 200816 yr does anyone know the approximate set times? I thought I recalled reading that the Breeders were 6:30 and National at 7:30....but I see Portman (Natalie, not Rob) slated for 7...or is it all just a crap shoot?
October 16, 200816 yr What will Natalie Portman be doing there? I wanted to attend the event with her at UC, but I won't be able to make that. I'd die to see her in person.
October 16, 200816 yr does anyone know the approximate set times? I thought I recalled reading that the Breeders were 6:30 and National at 7:30....but I see Portman (Natalie, not Rob) slated for 7...or is it all just a crap shoot? never mind. This was recently posted: 5pm: Mayor Mallory speaks 5:15pm - 6:15pm: The Breeders 6:15pm - 7pm: Speakers 7pm: Natalie Portman speaks [why???] 7:20pm: The National 9pm: Event is over http://www.vote-ohio.net/
October 16, 200816 yr Crap. I don't want to miss the Breeders, but they go on SO EARLY. I really don't want to put in 10 hours tomorrow at work just for that.
October 16, 200816 yr I'll be there. The National are absolutely fantastic. I could take or leave the Breeders, though anybody associated with the Pixies would be fantastic to see in person.
October 16, 200816 yr I think the thread should be changed to RAWK Concerts. Two shows that I would of like to of seen. The Black Keys in Covington and the reunited Toadies at Bogarts. All I do is work. I was at the Black Keys, and aside from the fire alarm going off 2 songs into their set (which delayed the rest of the set for ~40 minutes while we all evacuated onto Madison), the show was amazing. Patrick Carney is a BEAST on the drums.
October 16, 200816 yr I'll be there. The National are absolutely fantastic. I could take or leave the Breeders, though anybody associated with the Pixies would be fantastic to see in person. I guess you missed the Pixies 2004 reunion tour, hmm? I just have yet to see The Breeders, and I have their first two albums. I could give two sh!ts about her association with the Pixies. As for The National...I'd rather go to sleep early.
October 16, 200816 yr The Breeders are not too bad, although I would have preferred to see Kim Deal playing in the Pixies. By the way Natalie Portman's mother grew up in Cincinnati, and I think her grandmother still lives in Hyde Park - just a tidbit of information.
October 16, 200816 yr ^Well, she didn't have interest in playing with the Pixies anymore, since she was not only with recording an album. I'd rather see someone perform in a band where they feel like they're happiest.
October 16, 200816 yr I did miss the reunion tour. The bad blood between Kim and Black Francis goes back as long as the Pixies have been around. I'm frankly surprised she signed on for the tour, and I don't see them being friendly enough to ever record again (Besides that awful reunion single 'Bam Thwok'). Other than that, The Breeders have never done anything for me. On the list of all time bands to have come out of Dayton, they're behind Guided by Voices by a mile.
October 16, 200816 yr Oh, based on the couple times I saw GBV (once was when Superdrag was opening, who I was there to see; one was because I got a free ticket), I am absolutely repulsed by the guy, and I can't stand to give them even a small bit of my attention. That's what a sloppy and offensive drunk will do for some people.
October 16, 200816 yr There's no disputing he's a sloppy drunk, but man....you're missing a lot of good music to write off GBV entirely. Plus you have to be a little toasted to do those leg kicks at his age. I saw Pollard open for Pearl Jam at US Bank a couple years ago, he brought the house down when he played Game of Pricks.
October 16, 200816 yr Yeah, sorry. Just far too obnoxious for me. The music is just okay, so that doesn't help. Just not for me.
October 17, 200816 yr Voters rally downtown, rock at Fountain Square concert The Queen City lived up to its name Thursday night. Fountain Square was packed with thousands of people for "Vote Early, Rock Late," a free Barack Obama rally and concert. Queen Amidala was there, too. Headlining the event was actress Natalie Portman, best known for that role in the most recent "Star Wars" movies. Two Ohio-based alternative rock bands, the Breeders and the National, also performed. "Ohio is a battleground state, and Southwest Ohio has typically been a Republican stronghold. If we can exceed our goals in turning out the Democratic vote, we can go a lot way to winning Ohio and then the presidency," said Allan Berliant, co-chairman of the event. Read more at http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081017/NEWS0106/810170423/1168/NEWS
October 17, 200816 yr Queen Amidala was there, too. I find it kind of odd that a newspaper would word it this way. I would think it's better to say "Natalie Portman, known for her role as Queen Amidala, was there, too."
October 17, 200816 yr I was more disturbed by this quote: "I love the Natural, and I get to vote," said Sarah Cochrin, 18, from New Richmond. "It's killing two birds with one stone."
October 17, 200816 yr Me and my friends had a great spot on Via Vite's rooftop terrace. We had a terrific view of the stage and were able to overlook the huge crowd on FS. What a perfect evening.
October 17, 200816 yr Me and my friends had a great spot on Via Vite's rooftop terrace. We had a terrific view of the stage and were able to overlook the huge crowd on FS. What a perfect evening. My wife and I were up there as well with friends. There was alo a Cinti Leadership thing going on. We stayed on the square for the Breeders and then headed up. Great night.
October 17, 200816 yr especailly because that isn't the name of the band that was there actually, that was my point....
October 17, 200816 yr I got there right after the Breeders set. The National were in top form. I agree Rando, it was a great evening.
October 17, 200816 yr Any pictures from the event? The Enquirer has a photo gallery here: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=AB&Date=20081017&Category=NEWS0106&ArtNo=810170801&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=12/#start
October 19, 200816 yr ^Gracias. I tried finding the pix there by myself, but I find the Enquirers new cite so hard to navigate.
October 19, 200816 yr ^BTW, CityBeat also has a photo gallery of the event: http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/imagesGalleries.php?action=viewGallery&gal_id=13
December 1, 200816 yr Billy Joel, Elton John headed here Billy Joel and Elton John will bring their Face 2 Face to U.S. Bank Arena on March 10. The duo last toured together in 2003. Promoters say the two will open the concert with a series of duets, playing twin pianos and trading vocals. Each artist then performs a set with his own band. A grand finale brings the two superstars and their supporting musicians back together for a closing encore. Read more at http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081201/ENT/81201004/1055/NEWS
December 1, 200816 yr ^I'm assuming that "reserved" is "floor"? There is no seating chart available for the event. I'm thinking about it for a holiday gift.
September 22, 200915 yr Lots of great photos with article link (sample below)... Making Musical Cities http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/0922cincysounds.aspx By: Sean Rhiney | Soapbox 9/22/2009 "We're from Cincinnati." The words out of the soft spoken, diminutive lead singer of the Heartless Bastards, Erika Wennerstrom, were said politely, as a correction to one of the most powerful men in television, who had just wrongfully attributed her band as a product of the venerable Austin, Texas music scene. That it was the Heartless Bastards' network television debut on the Late Show with David Letterman didn't matter, nor the fact that the confusion arose because of Wennerstrom's recent relocation to Austin from Cincinnati. She was very clearly, in a very midwesternly way, letting Letterman know where the band's real home town was located. So when the HB's play this Friday at the 8th Annual Midpoint Music Festival, it's a homecoming gig for sure, and perhaps a testament to Cincinnati's growing presence in the national music scene that Wennerstrom protested so much. In a year that has already seen Bad Veins signing with Dangerbird, a four star Rolling Stone review for Wussy, as well as the continued electro-musical exploits of artist Spencer Yeh - who's collaborations with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore seem to be drawing more and more attention - Cincinnati is defining itself once again as a musically innovative city. In the past, Cincinnati was more often than not a passing reference in the national discussion when musical cities were being counted. Sure we had the alt rock explosion of the 90s with the Afghan Whigs, Ass Ponys, and Over the Rhine, but the resulting 'scene' that became so prominent in Athens, Georgia in the 80s and Seattle, Washington in the 90s never materialized. And until recently, King Records' pioneering contributions to bluegrass, soul and funk in the 40s, 50s, and 60s were barely acknowledged outside of the city, and hardly known within its boundaries. So what makes Cincinnati a musical city now: Cutting edge artists? Low cost of living? Music Festivals? A history? Perhaps its a bit of all of these things. "Cincinnatians appreciate live music, and many of our great venues have built-in audiences. Plus, the quality of music coming from musicians in this city continues to raise the bar for new acts, essentially perpetuating a cycle of evolved songwriting," says Margaret Darling, a member of the the band, The Seedy Seeds and three year veteran of Midpoint. Midpoint has certainly done its share of raising the collective consciousness about the power of local, original music. If you want an analogy, Midpoint is the tip of a very large musical iceberg, exposing just a small part of what makes the Cincinnati music scene so strong, by presenting a local crop of talented artists alongside well regarded national indie bands each year in digestable, nightly musical showcases. But Midpoint is a mere babe by comparison to the granddaddy of music festivals and one of the most influential multi-media events in the world, Austin, Texas based South by Southwest (SXSW). Now in its 24th year, SXSW generates close to $26 million annually and it's estimated that $616 million in economic activity, 11,200 jobs, and over $11 million in city tax revenues can be attributed to the influence of music on the local economy. While Austin has 16 years on Midpoint, its numbers make a compelling argument for why a music festival like Midpoint is holistically important to a city. Midpoint's annual impact continues to grow, drawing thousands of music patrons to downtown, Over-the-Rhine and Northern Kentucky for three nights. Part of Austin's music cache, however, lies not only in its branding, but its buy-in from the corporate and civic communities as recognizable partners. Austin, is of course a model musical city as well: the city recognizes the role of music in a variety of ways, providing music by local artists at the airport, funding a cable access channel devoted entirely to local artists, and administering a loan program specifically for the music industry. Austin's convention and visitor's bureau even includes a 'music marketing director' to capitalize on homegrown talent. That being said, it's still very hard to find gigs there for live musicians, and the cost of living, once a selling point, has grown steadily as more and more businesses and tech industries call it home. Cincinnati, with its affordability, accessibility, and talent base remains in prime position to grow and develop into its new role. Many artists, some who live in Cincinnati, and others who have relocated away for career or personal reasons, think there are unique ways to address the challenges and continue the momentum Midpoint brings each year, by sustaining artists on a year round basis, much like Austin does. Michael Bond relocated to Chicago in 2006 for a job and change of scenery. A web developer, he still runs the record label he started here, datawaslost, and will return to Midpoint with his band Coltrane Motion. Bond thinks there is a creative business angle that could support a local talent base of artists year round. "At a business development level, the focus needs to be on supporting micro-businesses, creating the structures that allow creative folks to run galleries, labels or festivals in their spare time, or to start small businesses with risks and costs low enough to give them time to grow. The key is not to get 5/3rd or P&G to 'support the arts' but rather to have a thousand smaller systems supporting themselves." Recently, artist collectives like Project Mill are filling that role, as are cross disciplinary collaborations like the one The Lions Rampant, another local band playing Midpoint this year, forged with Ragged Productions to produce a music video as stylized as anything out of NYC to promote their latest single release. But sometimes artists have to follow the business, and that usually leads them to recognized musical centers like New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville. Multi-instrumentalist, Andrew Higley recently moved to Nashville to maintain his musical career. He's played in Cincinnati bands Pearlene and Chocolate Horse, and toured nationally with Brendan Benson of Raconteur's fame and pianist Ben Folds, before relocating this past summer. "Unfortunately, as far as music goes, you're always going to lose people to cities like Nashville that have built-in industries," he says. "Until Cincinnati gets its own Music Row, I don't think that will ever change. There just simply isn't the industry, the studios, the labels, the publishing companies, etc. There aren't session and touring opportunities." But Higley praises the scene for what it does do to nuture local talent. "Events like MPMF, Taste of Cincinnati, and the Fountain Square summer concert series are all good examples that support local musicians. If there were some sort of organization to pull together bands, graphic artists, promoters, and small labels, to promote the city's music as a whole, I think it could be pretty big." Dave Davis agrees. A mastering engineer by trade, Davis also teaches Digital Design at DAAP and is a principal in The All Night Party, a creative re-envisioning of what a locally based record label can be. Its Davis' goal to help musicians find ways to support themselves with their art. "We're in the business of connecting bands to fans, on many levels. Fans like to support artists, and products are a great way to do that. So we make cool, unique records - digitally or physically enhanced - and all manner of "musicated merch" - attaching music to stuff like t-shirts and trucker caps. We work hard to create and present artists with clear options, and connect them to all the new web-based services to get the most bang for the buck and meet their goals." Imagine as well the possibilities with the marketing of Cincinnati's corporate community. Top flight advertising firms, Fortune 500's headquartered here, and a wealth of talent at their feet. Unfortunately, they don't always find one another. Monika Royal Roberts, an advertising and marketing professional for 12 years, sees a disconnect between some local production work and local music. "In my experience, very few ad projects that require music have ever incorporated original local music or musicians. I think the main reason lies in the fact that businesses don't know how to necessarily find original local musicians, and therefore miss opportunities to use their music. If a company wants to connect their product or service to Cincinnati, and wants a true hometown feel, the most authentic thing they can do is use original local music in their productions," she says. Davis agrees. "To push it farther requires a little curation and a deeper connection with many artists. People outside the music scene, don't really know who to call or even what music is available." But when they do connect, it works. For example, locally based chili-empire Gold Star found and featured local bands the Newbees and Buckra, and commissioned their "Lost in the Taste" theme songs in 30 second spots. The Newbee's Jeff Perholtz, says the spot "paid for our next album." Conversely, the Cincinnati Reds licensed the song, 'Paint the Town Red' from New York based Hotcakes for its promo spots last season. In fairness, the Reds have produced their own 'Clutch Hits' compilation as a fundraiser for its Community Fund featuring local and national artists and are known for playing local music at the ballpark. But the message, and more importantly, the opportunies are clear. A recent collaboration between the Cincinnati Ballet and local musician, Peter Adams, also hints at the possibilities of finding synergy between the 'high' arts and local music. Adams was commissioned by the Cincinnati Ballet to compose a piece of music for their New Works. Already a successful solo artist with a national draw and mentions in big rock magazines, Adams, embraced the collaboration and the chance to earn a living from his work in his hometown. "It was a nice change of pace to be commissioned and have outside pressure and deadlines, not to mention the energy that comes from working with other talented artists," he says.
September 23, 200915 yr MidPoint Music Festival Preview http://www.eachnotesecure.com/midpoint-music-festival-preview-dave-rolfes/ By Dave Rolfes | Each Note Secure, September 23, 2009 Like other ENS writers, I was given the gargantuan task of trying to whittle down 270 bands to a top 5 for the weekend. As most of these bands are new to me, I started by going through the great CityBeat Preview from a few weeks back and tried to narrow the field down. That little process got me from 270 to 62. I’m sure there were some I overlooked, but 62 seemed like it was a good jumping off point. Of the 62, I could honestly say I’d be happy to stumble into about every one of them and incredibly happy if I found my way into about 30 of them. 270 to 62 to 30… now that’s progress! Of the 30 or so, I actually discounted local bands only because I figured that I’d be able to easily find them at other times through the year. More progress! Anyways, here are my Top 5 bands that I’m looking forward to seeing at MPMF this weekend. As of about 11pm on Monday night. Subject to change. Yada yada yada.daver The Young Republic – This band is all over the map really, and that’s a good thing. They currently hail from the great state of Tennessee, but are signed to British label End of the Road Records, and are embarking on quite a trip when they come in for MPMF. Think something like Spoon, but with classical training, these guys get a chance to play twice on Thursday with a 6:15pm set on Fountain Square and a Midnight closer over at The Blue Wisp. If you miss them at MPMF, don’t worry as it looks like they’ll be back through town come late November supporting the soon to be released Balletesque. instrument – Playing Thursday at 11:00pm at Javier’s is the band instrument. Fairly straightforward pop music is the craft that these four guys are working on and they are sounding great. They have also played the Warped Tour as well as the M.E.A.N.Y. Festival as well as a few others and have been hailed as one of the best independent bands in the state of Connecticut. Twilight Revival – Dropping in on MPMF from Chicago is Twilight Revival. They are slated for the Dewey’s Pizza Stage at the Know Theatre on Saturday at 9:30pm and they sound like the Midwest. They are very guitar driven, and have just enough rust belt in their music that it rings true for folks from around the area. Think back to early Uncle Tupelo albums, then scale the miner theme back, add electric guitar, and mix in some solid songwriting and that’s what you get with Twilight Revival. In Cadeo – One of the many Brooklyn bands descending on Cincy for MPMF is In Cadeo. They are slated for Cadillac Ranch on Saturday at 9:00pm and they will definitely rock that cowboy joint. While some of the slower moments during In Cadeo songs remind me of The National, they definitely rock a harder than our favorite prodigal sons. Can’t wait to see these guys ride the bull at The Ranch! William F. Gibbs – The singer-songwriter genre is exhausted, right? Well, M Ward has shown us that it is not, and William F Gibbs is out to prove the same point. With some southern soul mixed in with a huge a grab bag of instruments you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get from one song to the next, but it one thing for sure is that it always sounds great. Catch Mr. Gibbs closing out the festival at Arnold’s on Saturday at Midnight. Honorable Mentions – The Greens, The Lighthouse & The Whaler, Jason Isbell, Dick Prall, Say It With a Smile, Pale Hollow, Yardsale, Sarah Borges, etc. etc. etc. Times With Tons of Conflicts – As I reviewed my plans, Thursday at 10pm and Saturday at Midnight are incredible. It would be hard to go wrong with anything at those times during the weekend. Seriously, you wanna talk about finishing strong? Saturday at Midnight is quite simply crazy time! Special Note – As I did my homework, I noticed that there is still some fluidity to the MPMF schedule so make sure you check out your local listings before heading out. That’s just us looking out for you!
September 23, 200915 yr Music label celebrates launch at MidPoint All Night Party's goal: Connect bands with venues, new audiences By Lori Kurtzman | Cincinnati Enquirer, September 23, 2009 Sometimes it seems like the cover bands are winning, like all original local music is being drowned out by yet another rendition of “Brown Eyed Girl.” But here comes help. “The All Night Party” is a Cincinnati-based music label celebrating its launch with a Friday showcase during the MidPoint Music Festival. Among its performers? The Sundresses, a band which ANP hopes to help move from the local spotlight to a national one. Read full article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090923/ENT03/309230048/1028/ENT/Music+label+celebrates+launch+at+MidPoint
September 23, 200915 yr What to pack for MidPoint Take this stuff with you for a better experience By Lori Kurtzman | Metromix, September 22, 2009 If you do MidPoint right, you'll spend a lot of time bouncing from venue to venue with no chance to duck home for whatever you've forgotten. An easy solution: Don't forget anything. Here's a list of must-have items for the long weekend. (Though we've probably left something out.) Read full article here: http://cincinnati.metromix.com/music/article/what-to-pack-for/1482409/content Text or tweet real-time reviews You can know right away what fans think http://cincinnati.metromix.com/music/article/text-or-tweet-real/1482398/content Metromix, September 22, 2009 Want to know what fans think of the bands playing at MidPoint Music Festival at the very moment they're playing? It's possible with a platform that will pull together real-time texts, Twitter updates and messages posted online at http://live.mpmf.com. Texts to 4632 from Cincinnati Bell Wireless accounts, tweets using the #MPMF hash tag on Twitter or messages posted on the site will be displayed on Web-enabled monitors in festival venues, on a projection of the site on the façade of Grammer's and on the Fountain Square video board. And don't forget to follow @MetromixCincy on Twitter to get festival updates throughout the weekend.
September 23, 200915 yr Scion Streetcars Roam the Streets of Cincinnati for MPMF http://cincystreetcar.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/scion-streetcars-roam-the-streets-of-cincinnati-for-mpmf/ By Charles Schaser | CincyStreetcar.com, September 23, 2009 Ready or not, here it comes! In it’s eighth year, the Midpoint Music Festival brings bands from around the world and thousands of regional music lovers to Cincinnati for 3 days of music bliss. Boasting 270 bands in 22 venues throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, the MPMF has once again enlisted the services of the Scion Streetcars to offer transportation to concert goers. “MidPoint is dedicated to fostering the growth of the Downtown and Over The Rhine Cincinnati areas”, say Dan McCabe, MPMF Executive Producer. “Cincinnati’s plans to bring streetcars back to the central part of the city led us to think it would be cool to show folks the proposed streetcar route, which conveniently works with festival venues. It will provide a real taste of what streetcars could mean to the city.” With the full support of Dan McCabe and his team at MPMF, volunteers are taking the opportunity to get “Vote NO on Issue 9” flyers and stickers out to our supporters. All you have to do is ride the streetcars at Midpoint! There will be flyers and stickers available in the Scion streetcars, which run all 3 nights from 7pm to 12 am each night and are available to all persons wearing midpoint wristbands. Click here for more information about Midpoint Music Festival.
September 25, 200915 yr Did anyone go out last night? Is anyone going out tonight or this weekend? I'll be at Grammer's tonight, catching the Heartless Bastards. After that, I'm not sure where I'll be. I need to look at a schedule again.
September 25, 200915 yr Saw The Young Republic last night at the Blue Wisp. Very, very good. Wanted to see Mock Orange at Inner Peace, but they canceled. Here's my itinerary. Friday – Sep 25 Below Zero Lounge 9:30 The Aviation Orange Subway Bar & Lounge 8 Greymarket The Lodge Bar 10 Creatures! Havana Martini Club 12:00 Extra Golden 11:00 The Chocolate Horse Saturday - Sep 26 Subway Bar and Lounge 12 Coltrane Motion (last part of their set, if possible) 10 The Minor Leagues 9 Flotation Walls Javier's Mexican Restaurant 8 The Flux Capacitors CAC 11:30 The Dø 10:30 You, You're Awesome (last part of their set, coming from The Minor Leagues, preparing for The Dø)
September 26, 200915 yr Eh, not doing it this year. MPMF is not my thing, so I've been hanging out at Iris on Main because my Internet in my loft has suddenly died.
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