Spill It: A Music Blog

MPMF Advisory for Friday/Saturday

If you're using the Scion Streetcar Shuttle in Over-the-Rhine and downtown tonight, be warned that many of the sidewalk decals designating pick-up spots have vanished since Thursday night. Grab a schedule-and-map pocket guide at any club (or pull off the cover of this week's CityBeat) and you'll see where the pick-up spots are along Main, 12th, Walnut and Fifth streets — although several festivalgoers said last night the Scion drivers were good at keeping an eye out for MPMF wristband wearers and would pull over and ask them if they wanted rides.

— Your Friendly MPMF Staff

MPMF08 Thursday Night: Uncle Bob Brings Another Marathon Set

Thursdays at MidPoint are generally a little problematic. The audiences aren’t huge; maybe everyone is waiting for the natural party weekend nights to hit the downtown streets to experience the biggest independent music event the city has to offer. This year was no exception. Thursday was relatively quiet as far as physical bodies go, but there was pretty decent commotion going on, depending on where you landed.

My first stop was the Courtyard Cafe to take in Russenorsk. An interesting Alt.Rock trio with an REM quality, the guitarist accompanied himself with well-stomped delay pedals while the bottom was defined by an electric cellist who alternately plucked and bowed his parts and a drummer who skittered and pounded, depending on the required mood. Their first three songs were quite good, and I’d likely have stayed for more, but I wanted to catch some of the Flux Capacitors’ set, so I bolted for Below Zero.

The Capacitors had drawn a better than average crowd for a Thursday night, and the foursome were not disappointing at any level. CityBeat mahouts John Fox and Jason Gargano were in attendance, as was ZipScene’s Mike Halloran, who shook my hand and vaguely remembered me (which was a relief; I would have felt just awful if I’d been forgotten by the man who ended my graphic design career seven years ago by firing me from my 11-year position at Coactive Marketing). All bitterness (well, most of it) was soon blown away by the beer that John bought me and the relentlessly joyful sounds that the Capacitors were unleashing.

After a rousing demonstration of “space hips” by keyboardist/guitarist Seann Victory, and a rousing handful of Surf anthems for the new millennium, it was time once again to relocate to catch my first must-see of this year’s MidPoint: Ric Hickey’s solo acoustic set at the Know Theater Downstairs. Ric’s been doing his acoustic sets for a long time now, but it’s been a while since I was in the audience for one and I wanted to make this one a priority.

(For MPMF photos and more craziness, check here.)

MPMF08 Thursday Night: Dead Animals, Why?

My musical night began in the parking lot. Next to me, a grinning Chris Lee (from Ill Poetic’s Queen City Soul Rock) yelled over, “Hey, you just missed a rockin’ set!”

Bummer. I smiled, running to my first stop, The Blue Wisp, to see Cincy’s secret maestro, Peter Adams. This was a great stage for Adams. His vocals sounded bold, crisp, clear, and the band was tight as hell, as always. Sometimes when he plays live, his vocals seem more subdued compared to the complex, intricate musical arrangements, but not this night. The sound man was right on. I found myself thinking, This guy needs to be at a larger venue. Oh, but wait, he will be — he’s opening up for New York’s The Walkmen at the Southgate on Oct. 14. Sweet. Anyway, so the Blue Wisp crowd was cool and diverse, and Adams just got more powerful as he went on. I shut my eyes while he sang, “Shoot the Moon.” Damn. Adams is a true, true talent.

And now for something completely different: I ran over to the Lodge to see local Rock band, noctaluca. On the way there, I saw a spontaneous street gig — some guy named KP rapping to the passersby. I don’t think KP was on the schedule, but he fit right in. Wayne from Crystal Axxe was the door guy at The Lodge, and he was quite charming. If you’ve never been to the Lodge Bar, I must warn you the place is full of dead animals. The things are all over the walls. It’s the creepiest, hottest atmosphere, and I normally would run screaming, but at least they had clean bathrooms. We had candy in the ladies room.

Near the bar I ran into musician Pete Dressman, who had just finished playing his set, and we chatted it up. And when noctaluca came on, the energy in the room made it seem like those animals might just pop off the walls and start running around. Jason Ludwig was really on, slinking around on stage, wearing an army green jacket, playing a yellow guitar. Ludwig is a natural frontman. The guy was wailing when I ran into singer/songwriter Kyle English (story coming to a Locals Only near you soon). Anyway, people have said this before, I know, but I can’t think of a better way to phrase it: Ludwig’s got some pipes. I got a little off schedule here, grooving and wishing people still did mosh pits.

(See photos and much more from MPMF here.)

MPMF08 Thursday Night: A New Beginning

On a Thursday seven years ago, I was bartending at York Street Cafe when our new manager announced that he was taking the night off to attend a music festival downtown. We talked a fair amount of trash about him that night after he left, assuming that he’d abandoned us for a jam session with his cronies, since we’d never heard anything about any “MidPoint Music Festival.” Honestly, we figured it was just a cool name for another hootenanny in Arnold’s courtyard designed to confirm our conviction that nothing good ever happens in Cincinnati.

A little while later, mostly out of boredom, we ventured downtown. In agreeing to come and check out this so-called festival “for five minutes,” we inadvertently jumped headfirst into something that (as corny as it sounds) would forever change the way we viewed local music. What we encountered weren’t the types of people we had (unfortunately) learned to associate with local music: snooty fuckers strumming expensive instruments (though, mind, you there were some of those on hand). Instead, the OTR streets were packed like we’d never seen them, full of all kinds of people.

There were young guys with weird haircuts; old guys who, in lieu of proper introduction, we’d come to know by names like “Dry-Goose-Extra-Olives”; Spoken Word and Rap artists; panhandlers and drug dealers. Hell, I’m pretty sure I saw a mime. Even the folks normally content to bash local music on message boards were out en masse to actually see local music. There were hundreds of artists, fans, industry types and photogs — everyone looking for all the world like they were right where they belonged. It’s one of my favorite things to think about.

But despite the undeniable good cheer of that first MidPoint, there were grumblings even then of ineffectual organization, crooked venues and an overall understanding that, while certainly noteworthy, this event would never stick. Where did we think we were, after all? Seattle? Chicago? Pfft. We’d been burned by this “fun” myth before.

But here we are seven years later. And, fingers crossed, peeking with one eye, I dare say that MPMF is only getting better.

(Click here for photos and more multimedia madness from MPMF.)

MPMF08 Thursday Night: Oh My God, Cavemen!!!

Athens' Russenorsk kicked things off promptly at 8:00 at Courtyard Cafe with cello-in-place-of-bass and looped guitar leads. Sounds wimpy, but they were actually pretty heavy for the most part. When they did settle into gentler Indie Rock numbers, it gave the singer a chance to show off his captivating voice. The sound and crowd were both decent — it felt like Thursday.

Upstairs at Below Zero Lounge, The Flux Capacitors seemed to be tapping into the weekend early. The room sounded great and was pretty packed. Instead of just making standard Surf music, they use that genre as a jumping off point to explore instrumental experimentation in the vein of Fiery Furnaces or Sonic Youth. It's intricate, high energy stuff and the crowd was eating it up. After their set, I had to say hey to the guitarists, Ryann Walton and "Rock 'n' Roll" Erik Stoll, with whom I was acquainted from a story I wrote a few years ago about WLHS, Lakota High School's radio station, where they were DJs.

Next it was time to put the "streetcar" system to the test. Scion, take me away! Sure enough, there were a steady stream of vehicles zooming down Walnut, some packed, some empty, so it was easy to hitch a ride. They had the MidPoint compilation CD bumping, and the driver knew exactly where the venues were. This is so much better than the trolley and bus experiments of the past. I found myself using it to go only a few blocks. I was so excited about the whole concept that at one point I tried to flag down some guy in a Honda Element because I mistook him for part of the Scion network. Awkward! I highly recommend using this service liberally, and be sure to tip the drivers a buck or two.

Testify: MidPoint Music Festival Day One

Thursday's MidPoint Music Festival events are over, you're probably hung over (if you went) and I'm preparing reviews from CityBeat's music writers about opening night festivities.

But, firstly, let's hear from you. If you went, how'd it go? Who'd you see? Who was great? What sucked? Write it in the comments below.

Lots of superb photography (like this shot from the opening show at Fountain Square starring Seabird) can be found here.

Tell us all about it.

(I just saw a MidPoint report on Channel 9's news. The report started with "There is a Punk Rock playing downtown tonight," which I found amusing.)

— Mike Breen

MidPoint Begins and Another Secret Show Clue

The MidPoint Music Festival starts tonight! Stop down at Fountain Square at 6 p.m. for the free opening concert by Seabird (open to everyone; no tickets/wristbands required), grab a bite to eat downtown and then hit the streets running for a night of solid live music. Plan out your evening here. The showcases end a little earlier tonight so folks can wake up early for work tomorrow if they have to. But, for those of us who are saying "Screw work," be sure to check out Ruckus Roboticus at The Lodge at midnight.

Another clue about the "Secret Show," taking place at midnight on Saturday at the Know Theatre:

As mentioned, the mystery band played CIncinnati in 2006. At that show, the band members said from the stage that they had never been to Cincinnati before, adding that the closest they had been was a drunken night with Greg Dulli in Los Angeles.

— Mike Breen

More MPMF Scion Secret Show Hints

Saturday at Midnight during MidPoint, there is a "Secret Show" featuring a popular Indie band. The show is at the Know Theater and is open to only wristband-wearers. (Buy yours here.)

We've had a lot of great guesses so far. Here are the clues given already. It's a four-member band that does Dance Rock. And they're not local.

Here's a few more clues: They formed in Brooklyn in 1999. The band has played in Cincinnati. They played here in 2006.

Last hint: That photo to the right is not the band.

— Mike Breen

The National and The Breeders to Rock Cincy for Obama

Cincinnati-bred band The National and Dayton heroes The Breeders will perform a special free show at Fountain Square on Oct. 16. The concert (being dubbed "Vote Early, Rock Late") is in support of Barack Obama, encouraging registered voters to vote early, via absentee ballot.

Here's the word on the show from The National:

"The National are incredibly excited and honored to have the opportunity to support Barack Obama's inspiring candidacy for President. Bush and his cronies have wrecked this country at home and abroad. With an economy in freefall and a public education system that is collapsing, we are pouring billions of dollars every month into Iraq to fight an unwinnable war based on false pretenses. Millions of American citizens can't afford health insurance and unemployment is soaring across the country, yet the Republican Party continues to preserve unfair tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and promote a byzantine social agenda to kowtow to an out-of-touch right-wing voter base. John McCain and Sarah Palin promise to carry the torch for Bush and push America ever further into the Dark Ages."

We desperately need change and more intelligent, pro-social leadership in this country and Barack Obama is absolutely the right man for the job. We sincerely hope Ohioans of all stripes will join us to help make a difference."

The concert rally is to run from 5-9 p.m.

— Mike Breen

UPDATE: Click to read further for a look at the press release from The National's label with details on how this came together.

MidPoint Music Festival: The Latest

Wow. The MidPoint Music Festival is less than a week away. Everybody ready? Got your wristband?

Every year, the last couple of weeks leading into MPMF are rife with schedules changes, with bands and venues dropping out and new ones taking their place. It's like springtime! This last week is usually the busiest in terms of schedule juggling. We'll give you the latest info here and here, as we get it.

The New T-Shirts!: Take a look at the groovy MidPoint T-shirts. High-quality material and imposibly fashionable, these hip tees will make you the hit of every and any party (except maybe the Republican party). Want one? Go here. 

 Cancels: Broadcast Live, a great Hip Hop group from New York state and one of my personal faves from MidPoints past, has been sidelined by an illness in one of the musician's family members. (Broadcast Live's Gaetano Vaccaro is still coming in, performing with his other band, BL labelmates Taina Asili y La Banda Rebelde on Friday at 10 p.m. at Javier's; see more info on that venue below.) Also, Cincinnati's johnnytwentythree has had to back out. Not sure of a reason. Replacements for both will be announced soon.

UPDATE: Local Rock/Pop band Bottom Line will take johnnytwentythree's spot Friday at 10 p.m. at Inner Peace.

Venue Shift: Ink Tank is no longer a MidPont venue, but Javier's Mexican restaurant on Eighth St. is taking its place. All Ink Tank MPMF programming is being moved to Javier's. If they're serving food, I imagine this will be a popular destination. Delicousness!

On the Air: Local NPR affiliate WNKU — which is sponsoring the MPMF stage at New Stage Collective — will be hosting several MidPoint performers on the air all next week. Throughout the week, you'll be able to hear interviews and perfomrances by The Winter Sounds (Monday at 4:30 p.m.), The Newbees (Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.), Daniel Martin Moore (Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.), The Elms (Thursday at 4:30 p.m.), Dane Clark (Friday at 2 p.m.), Moon High (Friday at 4:30 p.m.) and Guns Girls and Glory (Saturday at 1 p.m.).

On the Net: Local Internet radio juggernaut woxy.com is hosting Jukebox the Ghost on the air Friday at 4 p.m. WOXY is sponsoring the stage at the Aronoff Center.

Secret Show Hint: I've been told to drop a couple of hints about the "secret show" at Know Theater on Saturday at midnight. The secret performer is a Dance Rock band with four members. And they are not local. Tune in for more hints throughout the week. Oh, and if you guess and put it in the comments, I'll probably edit it. Don't want to spoil it for everyone else. Remember, you need to have a three-day wristband to get into the secret show. You won't be sorry.

Sweet Rides: I got to see the Scions that will be shuttling people (with one- or three-day wristbands) around downtown during MidPoint. One was parked in front of CityBeat yesterday, covered in MidPoint signage. They're sleek and slick. Scion, a big MidPoint sponsor, makes a damn fine automobile. (Sorry for the over-enthusiasm — I'm angling for a free car.) 

— Mike Breen