Cure for the Winter Blues

After its successful 13th annual Cincy Blues Fest this past summer, the Cincy Blues Society is ready to launch a new event. The inaugural Winter BluesFest is set for Saturday at various clubs in Covington's MainStrasse entertainment district. The festival features several of the area's finest Blues acts and raises funds for the innovative Blues in the Schools program, which sends local musicians into area schools to educate the next generation about the history and importance of the precious American artform. A pre-fest warm-up takes place at the Cock and Bull English Pub in Covington Wednesday night at 7 p.m., with performances by some of the young Blues musicians who have participated in the BITS program.

If you've ever wanted to sample what the Cincinnati Blues scene has to offer, Saturday's BluesFest is your best opportunity. Ten top local acts play nine different venues, with music beginning at 9 p.m. At the Cock and Bull, BITS program coordinator John Redell and his band perform, along with local crew II Juicy; Cosmo's presents Ricky Nye and the Swingin' Mudbugs (with Dave Haley); Cheryl Renee and Keith Little perform a joint set at Fat Shannon's Irish Pub; The Newport Trio with Chris Carero lays it down at the Mainstrasse Village Pub; Mulligan's has The Vaporizers featuring Mike Tucker; H-Bomb Ferguson and the Medicine Men play Pachinko; the Strasse Haus hosts The Sonny Moorman Group; Zola has the Phil Blank Blues Band; and Sweet Alice Hoskins & Unfinished Business raise the roof at Zazou.

A one-time $5 cover gets you access to all nine venues. (Giant Wow. On Feb. 2, the group shifts to Chandler's in Fairfield, where they'll be joined by Lovely Crash. (planetkelp.com)

Rumors, Lies and General Misunderstandings
· Ladies and gentlemen musicians, start your press kits! The MidPoint Music Festival has announced that registration for bands and solo acts wishing to perform at this year's event (slated for Sept. 20-23) begins Feb. 1. Early registration (through April 30) will save artists $5; after April 30, the entry fee goes up to $24.95 (May 15 is the deadline for entries). The festival/conference — open to unsigned acts from all genres — is now in its fifth year, growing exponentially with each event. For registration information, go to mpmf.com.

· This Saturday and Jan. 28 at The Greenwich in Walnut Hills, Bootsy Collins presents a showcase of acts associated his Bootzilla Productions production company. The 9 p.m. shows feature Contemporary Gospel artist D-M.A.U.B. (which stand for Dedicated to Making All Under-estimators Believers), Hip Hop performer D-Jizzle and R&B group Eye Candy. Admission is $5.

· Longtime local club Annie's is hosting a regular "Local Fridays" showcase, presenting area Rock bands on most Friday nights. This week, check out local Hard Rock groups Patchwork, Soul Casket, Flux and Triad. Advanced tickets are available at ticketmaster.com for $5 (though the Web site adds a $2 "convenience charge"); it's just $6 at the door. The shows are open to those 18 and older.