The most common question associated with Cincinnati’s MidPoint Music Festival — besides “Are you going?” — is probably something along the lines of, “Who should I go see?” The festival, which returns to various venues around Over-the-Rhine and downtown this Friday-Sunday, has always been about exploration and discovery, and word-of-mouth recommendations are some of the best ways to find great new music at MPMF. Hopefully CityBeat — which owns and operates MPMF, now in its 14th year — can also be of assistance as you plot your MidPoint adventure. In early September we published our official guide to the fest, featuring write-ups on all of the performers, as well as info on the other facets of the event, like the free, all-ages MidPoint Indie Craft Village in Washington Park. You’ll be able to find the official guide (as well as portable pocket guides with the schedules) at MPMF venues, and you can also find the content at citybeat.com. In the following pages we’ve featured some of this year’s MPMF performers who collectively represent the diversity and uniqueness of MidPoint. Pokey LaFarge and Ryley Walker each add a contemporary verve to the sounds of the past. If you’re looking for more straight-up Rock bands, Bully and former Cincinnatians Heartless Bastards have you covered. And Zola Jesus is a musical maverick, blending an endless stream of genres to create her unique sound.Check mpmf.com for the latest updates and complete MidPoint info. There you can also create your own personalized schedule, then access it on your mobile device during the festival (thanks to the folks behind the official site, cincymusic.com).
For tickets and more information on the 2015 MidPoint Music Festival, visit mpmf.com.
Here are a few of the more recent MPMF developments: •
The free performance by acclaimed duo
JR JR (formerly Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.) in the
MidPoint Indie Craft Village (presented by P&G) kicks off the festival Friday at 6 p.m. (gates open at 5 p.m.), and other live music will be featured throughout the weekend in the Village (located at the southern end of Washington Park). Local artists like Noah Smith, Dawg Yawp, Moriah Haven Lawson and Josh Eagle will keep the Village stage rocking Saturday and Sunday. It’s a great place to get a taste of what MPMF has to offer — no ticket or pass is necessary — and also check out several cool arts-and-crafts and craft-beer vendors. The music schedule for the Village (which is open until 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday) can be found at
mpmf.com .•
Eli’s BBQ is presenting the live music in the Indie Craft Village Sunday, and the local barbecue masters will also present another special “Eli’s BBQ Sessions” event Saturday. Downtown at 811 Race St. (former home of the storied Herzog studio, where Hank Williams and many others made seminal recordings, and current home of CityBeat and the Cincinnati Music Heritage Foundation), Eli’s hosts a free evening of live music featuring some of the great artists on one of the area’s hottest indie labels, SofaBurn Records. Music begins at 7 p.m. with Krystal Peterson and the Queen City Band, followed by Alone at 3AM, Daniel Martin Moore and Jeremy Pinnell.•
MPMF sponsor
MusicLi , a locally based project that helps area musicians with licensing opportunities (among other things), is presenting the music at MOTR Pub all weekend and is officially launching at the festival. Musicians will be able to find out more about MusicLi and sign up for the service. MusicLi is also presenting several free “pop-up” concerts throughout the weekend to keep fest-goers on their toes. Find info at musicli.org.
• Another MPMF sponsor, Chicago-based start-up Freeosk (which is presenting the music at Woodward Theater), will be at the festival giving away lots of stuff, because that’s what they do! Download the mobile app for Freeosk, which is designed to help people find new products via free samples, then find out what items will be available each day of MidPoint and visit the Freeosk kiosks at Woodward and Taft Theatre’s Ballroom. Among the items that will be available are free downloads from local artists like PRIM, Pop Goes the Evil and The Harlequins (the free tunes were licensed through MusicLi — synergy!).
Be sure to check out our feature stories on MPMF 2015 artists Heartless Bastards, Zola Jesus, Pokey LaFarge, Ryley Walker and Bully.
This article appears in Sep 23-29, 2015.
