The Capstan Shafts

For years, the MidPoint Music Festival has been the best city festival in the midwest. And when it comes to a full on city festival, it’s only natural to takes cues from the ‘grandaddy’ of them all, SXSW. MidPoint has taken a tip here and there from the Austin, Texas based beast, and so when I was approached with the idea of doing a proper day party this year for MidPoint, I jumped at the chance. For those familiar with the concept, a day party basically extends the life of a festival, taking it from all evening showcases to mid afternoon showcases as well.

At SXSW, almost all of the day parties are free, and take place all over the place, bands will play at multiple parties, some even booking themselves at as many as 8-10 performances over the course of 4 days. Once things really developed on the day party side of things, it became normal for free food and beer to be associated with parties, and once the people came, so did the sponsors.

Since our day party idea is in its infancy, we took the appropriate baby steps to build a foundation. So for the first year, we decided on one party, with four bands. Thankfully, I was able to choose from the wealth of talent that was already on the bill for MPMF 2011 to fill things out. The Capstan Shafts, Total Babes, Bro. Stephen and Nerves Junior were all kind enough to come play an early set (some after a very late night) for nothing more than some free Vitaminwater and a handful of new fans.

Some dudes hanging out between sets

Overall, the experience was great, the crowd was thin to start the day, but it was pretty early too, and by the time our last band went live, we had a nice group of folks in attendance. As I’ve said to many in the past few months, if you want the day party concept to take off in Cincinnati for MPMF, then come to this show, take notes and let us know what we can do to improve things. To put it simply, I learned alot this year and hope that the experience will help us build more and better day experiences for MidPoint in future years.

For those of you that came to the party, thank you. For those that could not attend, I understand, it’s hard to break habits and get out early on a Saturday. Thanks to Dan McCabe for giving me the keys to make this happen, thanks to my dear friend Meredith Melragon for being a great connector, thanks to the guys at Crash Avenue for their help as well. And thanks to Nick Miller for creating a great poster for the show as well. But most of all, thanks to the bands, Total Babes, The Capstan Shafts, Nerves Junior and Bro. Stephen (who admirably filled in for Cheyenne Marie Mize at the last minute).

Nerves Junior

I already know what I want to do differently next year, but I welcome your comments and suggestions here, especially if you attended the show.

Bro. Stephen

Total Babes

John Crowell was one of many that took in the entire MPMF weekend, here are some of his thoughts and photos from Friday and Saturday…

The biggest complaint I’ve heard from people attending MidPoint Music Festival this year is actually one of the most encouraging things about it: the festival was packed. Shows were crammed with people, causing many venues to reach capacity night after night. Outside the venues, too, streets were filled with concert-goers. They weren’t there for the free Busken donuts, although they were delicious. They were there for the music, and not just for the huge headliners.

As predicted, Cut Copy turned Grammer’s tent stage into and out-of-control packed house, and Deerhoof easily crammed the Know Theatre stage. But what was even more exciting was the impressive attendance at some of the smaller shows. While walking up and down Main Street, I could hear screaming punk, soft folk, snappy funk, and driving dance music wafting out of every venue bar, evidence that people of nearly every musical persuasion found something to be excited about at this year’s festival. And with an assortment of art installations, put-put golf, skateboarding ramps, movie screenings, giant Connect-Four, food trucks, and MPMF’s first ever day show (thanks, Each Note Secure!), the whole community got something to be excited about as well.

MidPoint was packed this year, and that makes me hugely optimistic for what they can accomplish in 2012. The festival organizers arranged an absolute blast for the weekend, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Only 363 more days to go.

-words and images courtesy of John Crowell @terriblesounds

Our very own @terriblesounds is covering MidPoint Music Festival this weekend and shares these Day 1 thoughts…..

Each and every year I attend MidPoint Music Festival, it gets bigger and better. This year’s festival is continuing the tradition of upping the stakes, with even bigger bands and even better fanfare. There are superheroes on rooftops, a gigantic poster expo, art installations, food trucks, and more. Much of this is jammed in a two block-long Midway of lights, tents, trailers, and people that has basically taken over 12th Street.

The venue setups are great as well. It must have been a little sad for festival organizers to have to cut the Southgate House out of this year’s festivities, but the whole festival feels much more centralized and accessible for it. The new addition of SCPA’s Mayerson Theater was extremely successful; seeing Kaki King’s intricate acoustic guitar melodies in the subdued, full-seating auditorium was a delight. The acoustics were amazing and, judging from the attendees, may have given some music fans who may have been otherwise reluctant to commit to an evening of an Over-the-Rhine bar crawl a reason to commit to MidPoint.

Just like last year, the sound inside the outdoor tent at Grammars amazing, with the Joy Formidable absolutely destroying their set of intense psych rock. They’ll probably be remembered best for their noisy, climatic finale with the song “Whirring,” where they unleashed dual giant inflatable panther heads which grinned and yawned as the band erupted into a cacophony of double-pedal bass drums and guitar feedback.

The Vitamin Water Room at the Hanke Building is perhaps the stylistic heart of the festival – a previously-unused space transformed into a hip performance area and makeshift bar with the power of graffiti and Vitamin Water sponsorship (their product, by the way, was a perfect solution for washing down the delicious donuts Busken Bakery was giving out on street corners). I went there to watch the Dodos and at first I thought the quickly assembled sound system was acting as a hamper on their sound – they were overdriven, loud, and a little chaotic. But then it dawned on me that the Dodos are a hard band to mix properly – Meric Long plays his electric guitar like an acoustic guitar and his acoustic guitar like a drum. They’re prone to bursts of screaming and dissonance. However, they have a bewitching flipside as well. By the end of the set, they were blending French horn with acoustic fingerpicking and the whole room was dancing along.

We had a blast last night at the kickoff for MidPoint 2011. Below are the tweets, videos and pictures from our team and from you. Enjoy!

Who, When, Where

The lineup for this year’s MidPoint Music Festival is pretty awesome. Festival organizers have done a great job generating interest and attendance with widely known and national acts like the Dodos, Cut Copy, Washed Out, Deerhoof, Gang Gang Dance, and many others. But the festival has always been about giving local and regional acts a stage as well. And this year, they’ve done a great job picking some interesting and deserving bands. Here are just a few from in and around the Tri-state area that I’m looking forward to seeing this year.

Who: Total Babes / Cleveland, OH

When: Friday – 12:15am

Well, we’re starting off with a stretch since Cleveland is on the other end of the state, but I’m willing to compromise because I just love this band so much. They’re all about lo-fi punky pop goodness: jangly guitar, raw vocals, excitable drums, etc. Their songs focus on young love and good times, and while they usually focus on simple four-chord song structures, they’re not afraid to throw some ambitious song structures into their spazz-pop blender. Plus, their album cover features a Brontosaurus (Apatosaurus? Not sure . . .) licking an ice cream cone. I mean, c’mon, how could you not love these guys?

Who: Slothpop / Indianapolis, Indiana

When: Thursday – 9:00pm

Slothpop has a sound that makes me feel like they’re about three weeks away from having a song featured in an iPad or Honda CRV commercial. But the bewitching mix of lead singer Kristin Newborn’s vocal stylings and the band’s dense melodic instrumentation creates a deep sound that’s worth sticking around for. Their tunes don’t rush to hooks or crescendos, but that’s what makes them more intriguing. We’re probably hear more from Slothpop in the near future, so it would definitely help your indie cred to see them at MidPoint and tell your friends you saw them before they were huge.

Who: Mack West / Florence, Kentucky

When: Saturday – 8:45pm

Too idiosyncratic for the strict country set, too razor-sharp for the alt-country crowd, Mack West has been one of the most criminally overlooked bands in the Cinci scene for years now. With songwriter storytelling to rival the best in country folk history, a thumping rhythm section that continually pushes the precise guitar work forward, and a deep baritone on the lead singer (combined with the whole band’s dark vibe) that gives so much of “country Peter Murphy” vibe that it begs for a honky-tonk version of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” Mack West doesn’t really sound like any country/rock band you’ve heard. Luckily, recent features on shows like “American Pickers” have given national audiences the chance to at least take a listen. Come see them at MidPoint, and be shocked at how a band can tell a great story and thoroughly kick your ass all at the same time.

Who: Me and Mountains / Dayton, Ohio

When: Friday – 9:30pm

Nothing beats a great indie rock song. And making great indie rock songs is Me and Mountains’ first order of business. They have enough amber-tinged classic rock riff stylings and yearning vocals to earn a Silkworm comparison, as well as enough hopeful piano work to make me think of Jukebox the Ghost. But the analog filter sweeps and personal lyrics are enough to completely set them apart. All in all, if they’re writing songs solely to make people feel happy, bouncy, and warm inside they’re succeeding.

Who: The Harlequins / Cincinnati, Ohio

When: Saturday – 9:30pm

&

Who: The Lions Rampant / Northern Kentucky

When: Thursday – 9:30pm

I’m not grouping the Harlequins and the Lions Rampant together because they sound similar, although I suppose you could draw some commonalities between the former’s reverb-soaked garage rock and the latter’s, um, reverb-splashed garage rock? [Note: although they’d fill a bill together nicely, the two groups do, in fact, sound very different from each other.] No, the reason I’m grouping them together is because they are the first two bands I would point to if someone outside of the Cincinnati area were to ask me what kind of rock n’ roll we have to offer. These guys are balls-to-the-wall Cincinnati rock at its finest; two great, heavy, solid bands whose every guitar lick is evocative and every song essential. Both groups are an amazing time and not to be missed.

Who: Shiny the Spoon / Cincinnati, Ohio

When: Friday – 9:00pm

Shiny and the Spoon have only been a band for couple years, but in that time they’ve managed to fuse together as musicians in such a way as to rival the cohesiveness of a group that’s been around for twenty. Their music is quiet, pretty, and heartfelt acoustic folk that mixes in just enough melancholy and loneliness to be all the more engaging. If their recently released, beautifully inspired, and excellently recorded debut album, Ferris Wheel, is any indication, their set at Arnold’s will be a real treat.

Who: Eat Sugar / Cincinnati, Ohio

When: Friday – 11:30pm

The first time I ever saw Eat Sugar, at MidPoint Music Festival three years ago, it was in some Over the Rhine bar with a name I can’t remember. I do recall that throughout the first half of their set, blaring top 40 music was drifting from the loudspeakers at the front of the bar with enough volume to be distracting during the songs and quite loud during between-song breaks. Into the microphone, the band kept saying, “Hey, would you guys in the front mind turning the music down? It’s kinda hard to play with that other music going.” Then, “Uh, yeah, staff of the bar, would you please turn it down?” Finally, four songs in and with no volume decrease, they snapped. “TURN THE FUCKING MUSIC OFF! WE’RE TRYING TO PLAY BACK HERE!”

I learned a couple things about Eat Sugar that night. First, although they looked like dark and brooding rockers, the members of Eat Sugar were actually serious, polite, and reasonable guys until you pushed them one step to far by playing Black Eyed Peas when they were trying to rock out. Second, as evidenced by the furious synthesizer-fueled dancey post-punk that existed between these confrontations, they were an awesome band.

Since then, Eat Sugar have only gotten better. If you’re at all interested in the Cincinnati music scene, than you should know them well by now. If you don’t, this year’s MidPoint is the perfect opportunity.

-John Crowell @terriblesounds

As we approach day one of Midpoint Music Fest, which starts in just 36 hours or so, there’s not much to be said about MPMF that hasn’t been said already. The festival is one of the city’s finest assets. Not only does the festival nurture local artists but it attracts three crucial types of headliners: up-and-coming buzz bands (Washed Out, Unknown Mortal Orchestra), solid top bill acts (Deerhoof, Gang Gang Dance) and seasoned veterans who have made a significant impact on today’s music (Booker T. Jones, Man or Astro-Man?).

I’m so excited for the 10th annual MPMF and I am stoked to share my picks for the upcoming weekend. In addition to the wealth of amazing music, don’t forget to check out the other events MPMF has to offer. Artworks has teamed up with MPMF to offer The Midpoint Midway, a street festival and carnival featuring games, art and more by some of the city’s most creative collectives. And did you hear Busken Bakery is giving away 10,000 doughnuts? Seriously, this festival just went from great to off-the-charts-can’t-handle-so-much-radness.

Thursday:

6:15-7:00 – Bro. Stephen (Segway Room – 1150 Vine St.)
Part of the Unofficial MPMF Day Party hosted by BrokenMic.com
I absolutely adore Brother Stephen’s earthy, melancholy folk. If you miss him at the Broken Mic day party, catch his set at Mr. Pitiful’s that night.

7:30 pm The Seedy Seeds (SCPA – Corbet Theater)
Watch: The cutest music video filmed in a truck you’ll ever see

9:00 pm The Ridges (Cincinnati Club Room) vs. Kaki King (SCPA – Mayerson Theater)
Listen: The Ridges totally recorded their album in an abandoned asylum

9:15 pm Bro. Stephen (Mr. Pitiful’s)

9:30 pm The Joy Formidable (Grammers Deweys Pizza Main Stage)

10:00 pm The Madison Square Gardeners (Blue Wisp King Records Room) vs. Yawn (Below Zero Lounge)
Read: ENS sings the praises of Yawn (which are totally deserved, btw)

10:30 pm Tristen (Know Theater on the Biore Strip – Main Stage)
Read: MPMF loves the ladies

11:00 pm Beat Connection (MOTR)

11:30 pm The Town Monster (Below Zero) vs. Those Darlins (Cincinnati Club Room)

12:00 am The Dodos (vitaminwater Room)
I can’t say much for the Dodos new album, but Visiter was my jam in 2008. “Fools” on repeat, e’ry day.
Watch: “Fools” on the liveDaily session

12:30 am The Pass – Below Zero
If you’ve survived the first night of MPMF, congrats! Reward yourself by dancing till you puke at Below Zero with Louisville’s best new band, The Pass.

Most excited about: All the bands? Am I allowed to say that? There are a lot of bands listed on Friday that I’m not terribly familiar with so I’m excited to discover some new music.
Bummed I have to miss: The Ridges at the Cincinnati Club. Alas, I just can’t deny my love for female-driven guitar rock so I’m opting for Kaki King.

Friday

5:00 The Black Owls (Southpaw Prints)
Part of the Unofficial MPMF Day Party hosted by BrokenMic.com

8:00 pm Viva Voce (Grammers Deweys Pizza Main Stage)

8:30 pm Astro Fang (Media Bridges) vs. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (SCPA – Corbett Theater)
I’ll see you at Unknown Mortal Orchestra, but for those who prefer their rock ‘n’ roll more aggressive and face-melting over psychedelic and poppy, I highly recommend Astro Fang.
Listen: Unknown Mortal Orchestra on Daytrotter

9:00 pm The Low Anthem (SCPA – Mayerson Theater)

9:30 pm Cheyenne Marie Mize (Know Theater on the Biore Strip – Main Stage) vs. Okkervil River (Grammers Deweys Pizza Main Stage) vs. Toro y Moi (SCPA – Corbett Theater

11:00 pm Xiu Xiu (Artworks on the Biore Strip)
11:30 pm Booker T. Jones (Cincinnati Club) vs. for Algernon (Media Bridges)
11:45 pm Deerhoof (Know Theater on the Biore Strip – Main Stage)
12:00 am Gang Gang Dance (vitaminwater Room)
I’m just going to ignore the fact that four of my most anticipated bands are all scheduled within 60 minutes. Here’s to hoping I stumble across the answer to time travel by Friday.
Read: Each Note Secure interviews Deerhoof

12:30 am Asobi Seksu (Below Zero) vs. STRFKR (MOTR) vs. Delicate Steve (The Drinkery)
Watch: STRFKR totally loves LARPing

STRFKR – “Julius” from Consequence of Sound on Vimeo.

Most excited about: Booker T. Jones and Deerhoof
Bummed I have to miss: either Booker T. Jones or Deerhoof…unless I find a Delorean parked on Main Street, there’s no way I’ll be able to catch both. Why, festival gods, why must you torture me?

Saturday:

12:15 pm The Capstan Shafts
1:15 pm Total Babes
2:15 pm Cheyenne Marie Mize
3:15 pm Nerves Junior (VitaminWater Room)
Part of the Official MPMF Day Party hosted by Each Note Secure

Listen: No, seriously, have you heard Nerves Junior’s new album yet? Easily of my favorite releases of the year.

7:30 pm The Receiver (SCPA – Corbett Theater)

8:00 pm Bella Ruse (SCPA – Mayerson Theater) vs. Washed Out (Grammers Deweys Pizza Main Stage)

Fun fact: As an MPMF submissions judge, I gave Bella Ruse one of the highest scores I have ever given out (apparently, I am an elitist jerk). Washed Out may be attracting lots of attention, but are they as adorable as this Minnesota-based folk-pop couple?
Watch: Bella Ruse adds 1,000 cute points with kazoos

8:30 The Dukes Are Dead (VitaminWater Room)

9:00 pm Vandaveer (MOTR)

9:30 pm Cut Copy (Grammers Deweys Pizza Main Stage) vs. The Album Leaf (SCPA – Corbett Theater)
Watch: Apparently, if I blink then I’ll miss a revolution

10:30 pm Milano (Main Event ICB Stage)
There’s no shame in admitting you love pop music, and Milano is unabashedly pop, so go ahead and say it: you love Milano. The Chicago natives take the upbeat pop stylings of Rufus Wainwright and Sondre Lerche and add strings and synthesizers, creating beautiful and catchy pop tunes with a folk twist.
Listen: Mmm, Milano. No, not the cookie (but equally enjoyable)

11:00 pm Tallahassee (Arnold’s Bar and Grill)
Listen: Jealous Hands LP, streamed in full, in all its folk rootsy goodness

11:30 pm Nerves Junior (Below Zero Lounge)
Watch: Nerves Junior’s debut music video “Kale”

12:00 am Man or Astro-Man? (vitaminwater Room)
How does this description of the band (found on their Facebook page) not make you love them? “In all earnestness, you could say Man or Astro-Man? was far more influenced by college football [MoAM are from Alabama where people live and breathe football] and muscle-bound fraternity loons than science fiction. The band propelled itself, especially in the live setting, to be as ridiculous as possible, mocking serious “alternative” acts and, along with them, the music industry itself. On a potential early signing opportunity by Island Records, Man or Astro-Man? told the label they would sign only if they agreed to get rid of the Traffic back catalogue and lose the ‘palm tree’ logo.”

12:30 am The Bright Light Social Hour (Blue Wisp King Records Room) vs. Prussia (The Drinkery)
I was given explicit instructions to make sure I see The Bright Light Social Hour “…unless [I’d] rather [my] face not melt off.”
Watch: Four dudes in extremely close quarters getting weird with it

Most excited about: The ENS day party, duh! Man or Astro Man should be pretty good too.
Bummed I have to miss: Washed Out…just because, I don’t know, people say they’re good.

- Caitlin Behle is a senior contributor at Each Note Secure and will be giving a full play-by-play of her MPMF antics via Twitter – follow her @cutelin.

After a decade and a half of music and eleven albums, Deerhoof is a band that doesn’t really need an introduction. They’ve been responsible for some of the catchiest weirdo indie rock since the start of the “indie” itself. And you know you’ve made an impact when your band’s music influences the creation of a school ballet in North Haven, Maine.

Deerhoof’s latest album, Deerhoof vs. Evil, continues this tradition in fine fashion, and is evidence for why Deerhoof is one of MidPoint Music Festival’s main attractions this year. They’ll be playing Friday night at the Know Theatre.

Recently, Deerhoof guitarist John Dieterich agreed to speak with Each Note Secure about life in what Pitchfork called “the best band in the world,” and what continues to fuel their development.
[Each Note Secure] Can you tell me about he process of creating your recent 7″ releases? It sounds like you managed to do some interesting re-imagining of songs with the likes of Jeff Tweedy and Xiu Xiu. How did these sessions come about?

[John Dieterich] It was basically an idea that Greg [Saunier] came up with as a way to work with some musicians that we really like and collaborate in this sort of unorthodox way. I think the overall big picture once they are all over will be very interesting, a snapshot of different ways that these songs could have sounded or that Deerhoof vs. Evil could have sounded.

[ENS] Deerhoof vs. Evil is an album, much like Friendship Opportunity and other Deerhoof releases, that seems to have a lot going on at once musically, and large stylistic shifts from song to song. What does the band pull from when it comes to writing songs, and does that make it difficult to finally fuse everything together to make an album?

[JD] I suppose a lot of the stylistic shifts come from the fact that we all write for the band, and we all have different ideas about where the band should be going at any time. With Deerhoof vs. Evil, we did talk a lot about what we wanted to do, but everyone was writing on our own, and we didn’t know how anybody else was interpreting the ideas we had, so maybe it’s no shock that it’s quite varied.

I think when it comes down to it, our instincts are probably more trustworthy than any grand scheming that we can do about what our next direction should be. That is, we’re a product of our experiences, and the easiest way to access the creative current running underneath all of it is to give your creativity an outlet and let it go. And then we spend plenty of time trying to harness that stuff, understand it, teach it to other people, and make a coherent album out of it!

[ENS] In contrast, Offend Maggie was one of the few recent Deerhoof records that seemed totally focused on guitar and drums for melody and rhythm. Was that just a matter of inspiration at the time or did it come with intentional limiting of keyboard and electronic instrumentation?

[JD] Yeah, that was intentional. We had just made Friend Opportunity a couple years before, and while I really like that album, it was extremely difficult to perform. It was recorded while we were a trio, and even as a quartet, we have a hard time with a lot of that stuff. So, with Offend Maggie, we wanted to strip it down to essentials and try to write music that worked with these four people playing in a room together.

[ENS] With band members’ backgrounds in musical composition, how do you balance your pop sensibilities and often unconventional song structure?

[JD] To be honest, I don’t see any incongruity between pop sensibility and unconventional song structures. I think music is about tapping into something deep and communicating with people, and you use whatever means you have at your disposal to do it. And something that’s good to remember is that we all have the potential to be charlatans and we all have the potential to do something meaningful. And it has absolutely nothing to do with musical style. It’s about your commitment to and relationship with the music you’re making.

[ENS] How important is improvisation to Deerhoof? When performing live, do the songs change? Is a Deerhoof song every truly “done?”

[JD] I guess I feel like all music is improvised on some level. It comes from somewhere (who knows where?), appears in someone’s brain in an instant or comes out of an instrument, and it moves from the state of not existing to the state of existing in some form. Even when you’re performing composed music that you’ve played a thousand times before, the truth is you have no idea what’s going to happen. You don’t know if the roof’s going to cave in. You’ve never experienced this moment before, and this moment will never happen again. All we attempt to do onstage is to bring this music to life in the way that it needs to exist on this day in this place and remain open to the possibilities that this day has to offer.
I really think that it’s something that everyone there is involved in. It isn’t us pushing music onto the audience. It’s the audience, the people who work at the venue, the band, history, etc. all expressing together whatever it is that this moment needs to express. Or that’s maybe one way of expressing the goal. Another is to say that we just wanna rock!

[ENS] After so many years together, what do you think the band has learned in terms of working together? Do you feel your time as a unit has forged an understanding that allows you to create music in a more instinctive way than a group who had less time together?

[JD] I wish that were true, to be honest. We have certainly developed instincts as far as playing together. I feel extremely tied in with these musicians as far as playing music onstage in front of people. I sometimes know what they’re going to do before they do it. At the same time, our compositional method has, in a way, pushed us apart from each other. We’re very independent, and we haven’t developed a group way of writing, and there’s part of me that’s uncomfortable with that. But we’re not done yet! Hopefully we’ll get there…

[ENS] Have there been any surprising or interesting incidents during your recent touring?

[JD] Where do I start?! We just completed a tour where we were collaborating with a group called Congotronics vs. Rockers which included musicians from the Congo, Argentina, Sweden, Belgium, and the US. It was really something! Every day was full of surprises. One of my favorites was during a rehearsal in Brussels, when all nineteen of us are rehearsing a song together, and all of a sudden I hear this crazy sawing sound, and I look to my right and see the xylophone player has a huge saw and is sawing at his xylophone! The xylophone was the quietest instrument on the stage, so in order to get it to where everyone could hear it, it had to be extremely loud in the monitors, so when he started sawing, it was actually way louder than him playing the instrument, so it was absolutely shocking. I don’t know. I could go on and on. It was an absolutely incredible experience, something I’ll never forget.

[ENS] Deerhoof is still considered by many to exist within the “indie rock” world (whatever that means), but you’ve been around long enough that your name and music is known by many. When you’re around your fans at shows and festivals, have you gotten to the place where you feel “famous?”

[JD] Occasionally, we will have people recognize us, and that’s fun, because it’s not at the level where you can’t live a normal life or something. Of course it’s great to connect with people who have this relationship with our music, and it doesn’t make it impossible to live our lives. Rather, it enhances our lives. I don’t envy people who have to spend their lives hiding from the people that connect to their art. It must be a very weird existence!

The Kickaways

UltraSessions (live in-studio performances with a tiny audience of super-fans) are back for MPMF in 2011!

We’ve got an ambitious line up, featuring two bands per day, including three (3!!) great bands you can’t catch anywhere else during MPMF!

Thursday we kick it off with a band The All Night Party has loved for years, The Chocolate Horse (click here for FREE Chocolate Horse tix!), at 1PM. At 3PM, local super-group Fists of Love (click here for free tix to Fists of Love Ultrasession) kick MPMF into gear, ahead of the venues or Downtown events.

On Friday we feature a couple of the best young bands in the region, and crank it up early with The Kickaways at 12:30. Mad Anthony keeps it going with a second show at 2:30.

Finally on Saturday The Dukes Are Dead go on at 12:30, and Jake Speed and the Freddies make their only MPMF appearance at 2:30.

Want to check out a performance for free? To win an invite, send an email to enscontests at gmail dot come and specify which performance you are interested in attending. I’ll select winners throughout the week. Good luck!

It’s that time of year again. Time for music to take over in Over The Rhine. MidPoint Music Festival is back and is planning to throw a real party this year to celebrate thier 10th anniversary. It’s been a really interesting ‘Decade of Audio Addiction’ (the festivals tagline this year) and even though it wasn’t always pretty, the festival is still standing ten years later and is arguably better than it has ever been.

For my festival preview this year, I want to again highlight some of the bands I feel are flying under the radar of the average festival goer. Let’s be honest, the great bands that headline the festival like Okkervil River, Cut Copy, and Toro Y Moi are the ones that sell the tickets, and I love to see them playing at our festival in our city, but it’s the meat of the lineup that gets me the most excited. So every year, I try to make a point to highlight those bands, and usually discover a few more I wasn’t very familiar with before, in the process.

Nerves Junior

Playing Saturday afternoon at ENS Day Party at Hanke Building and Below Zero Lounge on Saturday night at 11:30pm

Nerves Junior are an excellent group of youngsters from Louisville, Kentucky. Their first album was just released, and the praise and attention that has followed makes this set a must see. Some have gone as far as to say the album reminds them of OK Computer, and others have made it their highest reviewed album of 2011. What do we think? Well, we like them so much that we went out of our way to make sure they were apart of the ENS Day party. Listen up people, these guys are on a fast ascent.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Playing Friday evening at the SCPA Corbett Theatre P&G Stage at 8:30pm

I know, UMO are already on your list of bands to see, right? Well, they might be the least ‘under the radar’ act on our list but I felt like they deserved another mention here as well. The debut from the band is a lo-fi work of art, that threw me for a loop when I first listened to it. The intentionally dirty, underproduced sound grew on me though, and I think it truly is part of the bands charm. Don’t miss this set!

Ava Luna

Playing Friday evening at the SCPA Corbett Theatre P&G Stage at 7:30pm


From the crowded garden of bands in Brooklyn, NY rises Ava Luna, who despite their hipstery location, sound like one of the least pretentious bands around. Soulful vocals and carefully arranged instrumentation grab the listener right away on their EP starter “Clips.” Village Voice contributor Chris Weingarten said that Ava Luna are “the Post-TVOTR, Dirty Projectors-Inflected Bedroom Soul Project You’ve Been Waiting For.” And you know what, I agree. Check out the aforementioned song below and circle them on your MPMF schedule.

The Capstan Shafts

Playing Saturday afternoon at the ENS MPMF Day party at 12:15 & Friday night at 9pm at The Drinkery.


The Capstan Shafts are the best band playing MidPoint that you probably haven’t heard of. The criminally overlooked project of Dean Wells has been releasing material since 1999, mostly home recorded. Last year though, Wells got his band together in a studio for the first time and put together Revelation Skirts, a great power pop album in the same vein as vintage Guided By Voices. The album was a part of NPR’s “5 artists you should have known” in 2010 list. Pitchfork have also been consistent Capstan Shafts fans, and I think this review quote should intrigue you enough…

The first time I heard the Capstan Shafts, I found myself muttering a phrase that hasn’t passed my lips in a long, long time: “How can this be so good?”

The Capstan Shafts – Heart Your Eat Out
The Capstan Shafts – Quiet Wars
YAWN

Playing Thursday night at Below Zero Lounge at 10pm


Chicago’s YAWN caught the attention of the music loving web earlier this year with their debut EP, which was alot of fun, and now have lots of us in the palm of their hand again with the release of a long player. The album Open Season has a great electro-freak out element to it that calls to mind the tribal pop sounds of Yeasayer. Another young band on the rise that is flying under your radar but you should make a point to see this year during MPMF.

Tristen

Playing at the Know Theatre on the BIORÉ STRIP Thursday night at 10:30pm


You already know we are fans of Tristen, we covered her show at MPMF last year and what ENS contributor Mary Kate Moran said then still rings true. “Tristen’s got a voice that’s one part Janis Joplin and one part Chrissie Hynde, with an effortless melodic sensibility tying them together.” And while last year Tristen did a solo performance, I hear that this time around we can expect a full band effort. Once again, an act to make time for during your MPMF week.