The 2009 MidPoint Music Festival kicks off today with a free show at 5-7 p.m. on Fountain Square featuring The Young Republic from Nashville and Shayna Zaid & the Catch from New York City. Both of those bands play later in the evening at one of the club showcases (The Young Republic at Blue Wisp Jazz Club and Shanya Zaid & the Catch at Javier's.
Thursday showcases begin at 8 p.m. on 23 stages in downtown, Over-the-Rhine and Newport. Cover charges apply at each venue, or you can skip the lines by grabbing a three-day wristband for $29 (available at the door at each venue). The wristband also gets you personal taxi service via the Scion Streetcar Shuttle, which might come in handy given today's weather.
Among the performance highlights tonight: Indie Rock band The Young Republic (mentioned above, more here), veteran Rockabilly/Surf guitarist Deke Dickerson with The Modern Sounds at the Southgate House (more here), local Roots/Bluegrass/Americana trio The Rubber Knife Gang at Madonna's (more here), Dayton's all-female rockers Vanity Theft at Know Theatre (more here) and Northern Kentucky Pop/Rock band Watson Park at Cadillac Ranch (more here).
The Lite Brite Film Test is part of MPMF this year, screening full-length movies and shorts at the Contemporary Arts Center all three nights (bands will be performing in the CAC's downstairs "black box" theater). See the full schedule and Jason Gargano's picks here.
Get the full lowdown on all things MidPoint at CityBeat's MidPoint Central. Get details on tickets, wristbands and the Scion Streetcar Shuttle here.
