Yesterday was the pinnacle of typical Austin sightings. On the bus ride from South Congress to downtown, a musician in his mid thirties, wearing tight black jeans, old-school Nike pumps, a worn jean jacket and black leather gloves, was writ

Yesterday, Cincinnati's own You, You’re Awesome performed on WOXY's "Lounge Act" series. WOXY is an independent radio station that began in Cincinnati in the early 1980s and then modified solely to an internet endeavor in 2004. The WOXY folk moved to Austin, Tex., last summer in order to expand their borders along a bigger music highway.

One car. Five people. Eighteen hours. Local band You, You’re Awesome and friends embarked on their maiden voyage to Austin’s South By Southwest music festival around 3 a.m. Sunday morning and arrived Monday night at midnight. Aside from holding keyboards in laps and not being able to see out of the back window of good friend Mike Baker’s Hyundai Elantra Touring, the trip was surprisingly seamless with one exception: Arkansas. It sucks.

Is it really that time again? It seems like just yesterday that we were jumping from one packed MPMF venue to another, checking out everyone from local favorites to national and international gems to local favorites turned (inter)national gems. Yes, bands and artists the world over can now register to take part in the 2010 MidPoint Music Festival, a three-day (Sept. 23-25) downtown Cincinnati party that is rapidly becoming a highlight of the region’s musical landscape.

If you are a frequent attendee of local music shows, you’ve no doubt seen Pat Rice, the 65-year-old “superfan” who probably attends more music events than just about anyone and is beloved by the young bands she consistently checks out. Local musician Chris Grannen (of the band The Pinstripes) captured the essence of Rice’s unwavering dedication in his excellent documentary film, A Queen City Girl: The Pat Rice Story, a school project that is now available to view and freely download

Near and dear to my Rock & Roll tendencies, I’m excited for the Black Owls return to town this Saturday.  Don’t know who they are?  The Black Owls are a Rock & Roll band with a riffed up/stripped down sound, simple yet intense, familiar yet beguiling. Heavy beats and biting riffs lined with stealth bass. I don’t know, call it Retro Rhythmic Rock. The kind of music that’s just so good you can’t imagine your friends not diggin' deep into it.

Cincinnati Blues foursome Cheryl Renee and Them Bones are back from the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where they came in third place in the "band" category. The group, competing against dozens of bands from around the world, won cash and other prizes for their impressive victory.

Cincinnati-bred band Heartless Bastards were all over the TV this weekend. Along with the group's stellar Austin City Limits debut Saturday (where the band showcased its diversity with the addition of fiddle and acoustic and lap steel guitar on a few songs), the Bastards appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Friday night.

Local Blues musician Phil Blank lost his battle with cancer and passed away on Jan. 15. He was 57. A memorial service for the veteran singer/harmonica player/guitarist is scheduled for Jan. 30 at the Staley-Crowe Funeral Home in Deer Park starting at noon.

Tomorrow night's concert featuring the debut of a new trio that teams local Funk bassist Freekbass with acclaimed musicians Steve Molitz and DJ Logic has been postponed due to a road accident that's left Logic (pictured) unable to make it to Cincinnati.