Midpoint Music Festival Turns 10 this year!

Hipsters rejoice! Downtown Cincinnati is abuzz with excitement over this year’s edition of the Midpoint Music festival. This year’s shenanigans begin with a bang as The Joy Formidable (http://www.thejoyformidable.com/) kick things off at Grammar’s tonight. I am really looking forward to seeing this band for a couple reasons. I have never seen a show with a female lead, and Ritzy Bryan kicks ass (and also has a sweet name). I am pretty new to this band, so I don’t really know what to expect. Their single “Whirring” has literally been stuck in my head all day, and I can’t wait to hear it. In case you haven’t been formally introduced:



After that, it’s a short jump down Main Street to MOTR to see Beat Connection’s funky/electro/surf sound. I can’t wait to get to this show as I have not heard a lot of their stuff. It should be a great opportunity to hear some new music and shake some legs. Here’s a crunchy track:

Also playing tonight, my friend Noah Sugarman and his band 500 Miles to Memphis at Mr. Pitifuls. Unfortunately, they go on at the same time as BC so I will not be able to see them, but that’s ok. I think the 100,000 times I have seen them in the past will make up for it. If you are looking for some great guitar rock with a country twang, check them out:

So get your best flannel and American Spirit cigarettes and head down to Over the Rhine for the most un-Cincinnati event in the history of Cincinnati events. More on days two and three of the festival to come. Stay tuned!

Opening Night = Success!!

After day dreaming at work of stages, lights, amps, cheap beer and smiling faces, the time had finally come to check out the 10^th edition of the Midpoint Music Festival. My Thursday night consisted of two bands I was really looking forward to seeing.  We got to the Dewie’s Pizza Main Stage (which I think would have been better had it actually been made of Dewie’s Pizza, but I digress) to catch the very end of US Royalty. They were mid rock out as we arrived and I immediately wished I hadn’t wasted all that time trying to find a place to park. Regrets aside, we had arrived and got an amazing spot in a surprisingly un-crowded venue, especially considering it is the festival's “main” stage. Evidently, The Watson Twins and Kaki King were making a pretty big draw at other venues, leaving us to experience Ms. Ritzy Braun and the Joy Formidable, front row and center. The early crowd was seriously sparse. But once showtime approached, the tent was packed and the crowd was excited. And as a side note, it had to have been the best smelling crowd in the history of concerts. I seriously remember thinking to myself, “it smells like clean laundry on a warm spring day right now.” TJF started off strong, playing "A Heavy Abacus" while Ritzy's melodic voice and shredding guitar ripped through the cool September-in-OTR night. Drummer Matt Thomas really impressed. His timing and energy fit their sound perfectly.  Rhydian Dafydd on the bass played well and the trio of Welsh rockers all seemed to really be enjoying themselves. After rolling through their 45 minute set of tracks I had only just been introduced to, they concluded with an amazing extended version of their single, “Whirring” which featured giant inflatable cat heads popping up from behind the band, which drew a raucous reaction from the crowd. (PS I think I’m going to start a band called Raucous Reaction) And in case my readers were wondering, yes, Ritzy is super hot. Her intense green eyes could be seen from the back of the room and her rock star attitude makes her every music nerd’s dream girl. Here is my recording of “Whirring”. Excuse the amateur camera work:

After Ritzy walked off stage and out of my life forever, it was time to head over to MOTR to see the funky elctro band Beat Connection (after a stop at the merch booth to get this awesome concert T to add to the collection)

We arrived at MOTR to hear the end of a duo from Chicago called In Tall Buildings. Tehy sounded pretty good, but I had never hear of them but deicided they are worth being checked out on the interwebz this weekend. This crowd smelled considerably fouler, but that is just par for the course for the showering-optional crowd that had descended on the hippy/hipster/alternative event. Smells aside, MOTR was packed and alive with anticipation for the Portland Trio. Unbeknownst to me, I was actually standing next to the drummer for the band (who’s name I cannot find any where on the internet) and his fuzzy faux hawk. These guys are YOUNG. But they know how to put on a great show. The band consisted of a lead singer (sort of, he only used autotuned vocals on one song)/beat machine operator, a guitar/keyboard, and a drum kit/toms. The music was funky and got my feet moving instantly (that may have also had something to do with the $2 Hudy Delights I was partaking in). The funky flows of songs like “Silver Screen”, “Sunburn”, and “In the Water” had me and the other festival goers who came to party shakin’ their stuff. Unfortunately, there were a lot of crossed arms and on lookers who didn’t seem too in to their unique sound. It is a shame too. Hopefully, tonights set with STRFCKR (or Starfucker if you like vowels) is a much different scene. I will have some commentary later on the frustrations of the Cincy music scene soon, but that is for a different post. So me and about 10 other people in a shoulder touching crowd danced like no one was watching, which is how I hear you are supposed to do it. I was sweating, smiling and loving the great band that I had only been turned on to that day. They were a great discovery and I can't wait to add them to my musical library. I hope to see them again someday in a venue more fitting of their style.

Once the guys finished up, so too did me and my concert buds. It was a school night after all…. But tonight, no such limitations exist. I can’t wait for another exciting night of music! More to come… Keep us dialed in for all the Midpoint coverage one drunk music nerd can provide.