If you’re headed out to the Lindner Family Tennis Center near Kings Island in Mason for the big Western & Southern Financial Group Masters men’s semifinals Saturday evening and you are a fan/supporter of local music, be sure to arrive early and stay late. The tournament has teamed with the MidPoint Music Festival to bring in two top-notch local bands — the Folk/Pop duo Ellery and Blues rockers The Jon Justice Band — to entertain the masses.—-
The 7 p.m. matches will be warmed up by Ellery, starting at 5 p.m. The married duo released This Isn’t Over Yet in early June and the album (produced by Malcolm Burn, who’s worked with Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan and Iggy Pop, among many others) has received good press from across the country. Paste Magazine included one of Ellery’s songs in its CD sampler in June and praised the twosome for their “skillful, melodic instrumentation, intelligent but unassuming lyrics and captivating vocals.” Check out CityBeat’s interview with the band here.
Immediately following the 7 p.m. men’s semifinal, Jon Justice and his band will take the stage. Justice — a Chicago native who moved to Memphis and found success in the popular touring act The Recipe before forging his solo career in Cincinnati — has been praised by some biggies in the Blues world (Buddy Guy is a fan) and spends a lot of time touring clubs and festivals in the Midwest and beyond. Justice’s song “Brighter Day” was featured on the benefit album Forgotten But Not Gone (designed to raise money for Gulf coast residents still hurting from Hurricane Katrina’s devastation) alongside such heavyweights as Steve Earle, Buddy and Julie Miller, Bonnie Bramlett and Marty Stuart.
MidPoint’s teaming with the ATP event is an effort to get the word out about local music (and the festival) beyond the 275 loop. If you’re at the matches (you do need to have tickets to the tennis event), be sure to swing by and check out the tunes. Showing your support can only help keep the synergy going and your enthusiasm will hopefully be infectious. If you've got the dough and need tickets, head here.
