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The Seventh Annual MidPoint Music Festival

Ruckus Roboticus

BandPoint: Ruckus Roboticus

Welcome to the romper room. That could be your greeting if you attend the Thursday night dance par-tay extrordinaire featuring Ruckus Roboticus. This young DJ / Producer skipped to the head of the line after he leaked his remix of Bloc Party's Hunting for Witches. Since then, he's been featured on WOXY.com and KEXP. He was also a finalist in the Scion Free-Up-Your-Mix contest.

2008's Playing with Scratches shows off his penchant for mashing quirky samples with infectious dance grooves. He calls it "part children's music, part hip-hop." World Café calls it "a unique sound that's wildly vivid."

Ruckus Roboticus closes out the Thursday night showcases with a Midnight performance at the Lodge Bar. See him in action for Here We Go.

Troubadour Dali

BandPoint: Troubadour Dali

Soft vocal harmonies. Tasteful melodies. These two qualities carry throughout Troubadour Dali's (St. Louis) music. After that it's a fun slide between genres, moving from trippy folk to psychedelic romps that rock for miles.

The tone here is a decidedly 60s vibe in the way that Brian Jonestown Massacre or Luna lean on the example of the Stones and Velvet Underground. You can catch this great band during MidPoint at the Lodge Bar. Here's a video for We are the Sun. Enjoy!

The Features

FREE Appetizer Act: The Features
Friday, September 5, 2008
Fountain Square

Catch some MidPoint magic early this year at the first annual Guinness Oyster Fest on Fountain Square. Fresh-shucked oysters, a pint of Guinness , and tasty tunes on warm summer's evening—it's a combination worth exploring.

Enjoy music on the MidPoint Music Stage from The Features (Nashville) along with Eclipse, 500 Miles to Memphis, Peter Adams, Dan Mecher from The Turnbull ACs and The Harlequins. This appetizer act is accompanied by great food from downtown restaurants Via Vite, Palomino, Washington Platform, McCormick & Schmick’s, Nicholson’s and JeanRo Bistro. Here's The Features video for Blow It Out . Enjoy!

Jon Justice Band

BandPoint: Jon Justice Band

There's no slowing down the Jon Justice Band. One of the hardest working blues bands in the Midwest proves again that talent rises to the top. The three-time 2007 Cincinnati Entertainment Award nominee is popping up everywhere in the festival circuit, including representing the Queen City at the 2008 International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

We're lucky they'll be a part of MidPoint 2008. If you want to see them sooner, the band makes an appearance on WXIX Fox 19 this Friday, August 29 at 8:45 a.m. Meanwhile, catch some action here.

God Made Me Funky

BandPoint: God Made Me Funky

Get ready for take off. God Made Me Funky is about to ignite. The R&B/hip-hop Toronto band was recently nominated for a 2008 Juno award, the Canadian version of the Grammys.

Their nominated album We Can All be Free dishes out a style they call nu-funk, a combination of soul, R&B, and rock. It's a fun mix that's catching on in big way. In fact, the group was tapped to play the party band in the movie American Pie Presents Beta House. Here's a clip from that movie. Don't miss God Made Me Funky when they play the main stage at the Know Theatre.

Headlights

BandPoint: Headlights

Yummy, chewy goodness. There is just enough sweetness on top of the indie-pop crunch making Headlights' songs worth sinking your teeth into. The Illinois-based group has a knack for combining modern atmospherics with enough retro touches to make anyone feel at home. That doesn't make them easy listening, rather easy to listen to...again and again.

Don't miss Headlights when they play the WOXY.com stage at the Aronoff Center. Here is a video for the song TV from their first release Kill Them With Kindness.

BandPoint: Cincinnati Critical Achievement

MidPoint can tout some impressive local talent appearing at this year's festival. Don't just ask us. The Critical Achievement Awards, part of the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, are voted on by voted on by the CEA Nominating Committee. MidPoint will feature the following 2007 nominees at this year’s festival:

500 miles to Memphis, Buffalo Killers, Dan Karlsburg Group, Eat Sugar, Joe Hedges, Jon Justice Band, Pomegranates, The Seedy Seeds, The Chocolate Horse, The Lions Rampant, The Read, and Wussy. This year's full line up of bands can be found here.

Lonely China Day

BandPoint: Lonely China Day

Through the Beijing Olympics the World has seen China reaching out to fit in with the West while holding its traditions closely. Beijing's Lonely China Day could be viewed in similar fashion. Definitely more indie rock than a World sound, the band mixes a modern, minimalist approach to songwriting, still incorporating traditional Chinese music themes, melodies, and poetry.

The slow, churning guitar sounds on their debut, EP, have Lonely China Day drawing comparisons here to bands like Sigur Ros. Come to MidPoint and decide for yourself.

Robert Pollard and his new band, Boston Spaceships announce tour
kick-off debut at Cincinnati's MidPoint Music Festival September 25.

Robert Pollard's Boston Spaceships

The lineup for this year's MidPoint Music Festival is taking shape. All submitting bands and solo artists have been notified and most have confirmed their appearance. The fest — taking place in Downtown/Over the Rhine and the Southgate House (yes, there will be shuttle service) — is set for Sept. 25-27.

Several national acts have also been booked. Along with Robert Pollard and the Boston Spaceships, Seattle's The Purrs (featuring former Cincinnati musician Jim Antonio), Anticon Records' Why? (also featuring former Cincinnatians), Indie Roots band Backyard Tire Fire, Philly Indie/Pop band The Swimmers, Polyvinyl Records' Indie poppers Headlights and Chicago's organ-driven faves, Oh My God (their first local show since a serious car accident on the way to a Cincy gig) are confirmed. More national acts will be announced.

We also have plenty of great artists coming as a result of submissions. A few that stick out: Chicago-based ElectroIndie blog darlings Coltrane Motion, Brooklyn Indie/Punk band Cinema Cinema (which is featured on the new sampler CD from Magnet magazine), Columbus mixmaster Rukcus Roboticus (who is earning high praise for his Playing with Scatches CD; his new live A/V presentation sounds amazing), Chicago's 20th Century Hip Hop, New York City rockers The Death of Jason Brody, Mexican ElectroPop group The Mocks, China's (yes, THAT China) Lonely China Day, Cleveland rock band Scrimshaw, Michigan's rapper/bassist/poet/producer Yoshi and London-based Electronic/Pop group, Temposhark. And that's just scatching the surface.

Lujo Records (Lu Ho)

Also this year, MidPoint will present its first ever label showcase. The independent imprint Lujo Records, which signed Cincinnati Indie Pop foursome Pomegranates last year and released the fantastic Everything is Alive CD this year, will have its own stage. Joining the Poms' at the showcase will be similarly on-the-rise bands like Baby Teeth, Lsook Mexico, Cool Hand Luke, Dark Romantics and Mouse Fire.

Of course, there are plenty of great Greater Cincinnati acts appearing. Below is the full list of showcasing bands as of now. Keep checking mpmf.com for updates. There are still a lot more showcase acts to be announced (pending avilable slots and venues).

Click here for the full list of showcasing bands as of now.

— Mike Breen

MPMF 2008 Showcase Invite Update:

We're still in the process of inviting bands to MPMF 2008.
The number of showcase spots available will continue to evolve
as showcase venues continue to be finalized. We're just being
cautious to avoid not inviting more bands than we have showcase spots
available. If you have not received either an invitation or a decline, you
are in the running for either an invitation or a waitlist invitation.
Stay tuned, and thank you for your patience. We are aware that,
in many cases, travel arrangements need to be made etc.
If you're band that has accepted an invitation but haven't accessed the backstage module of mpmf.com, please do so immediately. If you're a band that has accepted an invitation but is having difficulty accessing the backstage module, please contact us immediately at musicstarts@mpmf.com

Invite Announcement 6/17/08:

After two months of going through a ton of great submissions, we're finally wrapping up the judging process. The invitation process will begin today and extend through the end of the month. If you're band receives one, please remember to respond within 48 hours so that we can confirm your showcase spot. MPMF would like to thank all the bands that took the time to submit for MPMF 2008. We look forward to seeing you in September! Also, check back here for weekly updates regarding performers, venues and other festival related announcements.

mpmfSuper

MidPoint Music Festival is an annual music festival in downtown Cincinnati showcasing independent local, regional, national and international artists.

Steeped in its own rich music history, Cincinnati has gained national reputation as a true music town. James Brown and Hank Williams recorded their greats at Cincinnati legacy King Records; Bootsy Collins, The Afghan Whigs, Blessed Union of Souls and Peter Frampton have all called it home.

Now in it's 7th year, MidPoint Music Festival has established itself as one of the premier music festivals in the U.S. Consequently, the Midwest region has been recognized as a champion of the newest, coolest sounds influencing the nation and beyond. Again, this September, 2008, Cincinnati will be the music epicenter where artists and fans alike come to make noise and celebrate our finest export: independent, original music.

There are three cities that have a rightful claim to be the birthplace of rock: Memphis, New Orleans and Cincinnati.
~Terry Stewart, Director, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame