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Photo By Jeanine Boutiere
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Ruby Vileos singer/guitarist Ali Edwards delivers another
stellar performance at Plush, one of 15 venues taking
part in the year's MidPoint Music Festival.
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When the MidPoint Music Festival debuted in September of
2002, even some of the local "scenesters" who should have
gotten it right away seemed to harbor apprehension and distrust.
It's a predictable Cincinnati trait when it comes to new
things: "Show me what you got first." Though clearly not everyone
overcame their trepidation, the packed showcases that filled
the clubs of the Main Street Entertainment District (and the
packed industry panel discussions/schooling) showed that the
non-believers' presence wasn't missed.
You can't please everyone, of course (trust us, we know).
But judging by the infectious grins of club-hoppers at the
MPMF venues from Sept. 25 until the wee hours of Sept. 27,
you can bring a lot of joy to those interested in hearing
good, original music, local or otherwise. No, not every
artist who played was lights-out phenomenal -- a few acts
made you wonder what the selection committee members were
smoking when they were choosing the performers. But the good
easily outweighed the "suck" factor.
Particularly on the weekend nights, most clubs stayed at
capacity (estimates put attendance at over 25,000). Jefferson
Hall, which expanded its host duties to the full three nights
this year, had a line out the door Saturday night and stopped
letting people in by the time local trio Promenade played
(word is even a certain local Rock celebrity from a certain
local radio juggernaut was denied entrance). The "ease of
use" issue was a huge factor in the astonishing attendance
figures: While last year's festival extended to clubs in Northern
Kentucky, this year's event stuck to about a five-block stretch
of downtown Cincinnati.
"Most industry folks commented that many of the larger festivals
are becoming frustrating," says fest co-founder Sean Rhiney,
who agreed that the Main Street focus was vital to this year's
success. "Nightly cab bills are $50 (to) $75 just to get around,
and you miss so much great music in transit."
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Photo By Dale M. Johnson
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(L-R) Cari Clara's Jason Arbenz, Brock Cunningham and
Eric Diedrichs at the BarrelHouse.
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The organizers did a noble job of addressing other "problems"
from last year, but, again in typical "Cincy style," the moaners
pissed on the extended olive branch in many cases. An off-the-beaten-path,
all-ages tent, set up after cries over a shortage of non-bar
venues last year, was woefully underattended, despite hosting
a few of the best acts of the weekend, including Columbus Post
Punk wonders, Denovo (who brilliantly rewired Peter Gabriel's
"Digging In the Dirt" to great effect), and locally-based rising
stars, Denial.
"You live and learn," Rhiney says of the all-ages tent,
which was also marred by sound difficulties. "It's part of
the growing process. We'll continue to take risks each year
for the good of the festival and the attendees and fans who
make the trip. I did get some great feedback from one of my
panelists, (national band manager) Michael Creamer, who suggested
keeping the (all-ages) concept, but putting it out on Main
Street right in the thick of things. We'll see."
A few Blues acts meshed very well with the Roots Rock bills,
but most local Metal fans failed to show up to see any of
the solid Hard Rock bands playing the Cavern on Thursday night.
Always a work in progress, it can be hoped the outreach to
scenes beyond the worlds of Rock, Pop Rock, Alternative and
Roots Rock (or "Bar-Rock," as some of the kids call it) won't
be stymied by the lack of goodwill reciprocity.
On a positive note, in terms of diversity, MPMF newcomers
Shaker's In Town (at the southernmost tip of the showcase
strip) hosted a well-attended Soul/Rock/Blues/Funk showcase
on Saturday. New York's swampbytche! played a rousing, booty-movin'
set of deft and dynamic Neo-Soul-meets-Rock songs, while funky
local newcomers Derrick Sanderson's Soul Expression provided
a velvet-smooth slice of transcendent old-school R&B.; Both
acts were musical highlights of the weekend and played to
an impressively diverse audience.
While Main Street still reeked of the problems that keep
people from going Downtown these days (glad to see those new
panhandling laws have been so effective -- why have
them if you don't enforce them?), it was awe-inspiring to
see the flux of people roaming the streets, dance-club revelers
and original music seekers alike. Even surrounding businesses
felt the love -- Arnold's restaurant was reportedly filled
to the brim ... and that hot dog cart guy on Main seemed to
pulling in a small mint. Downtown hasn't been so alive in
ages. Maybe the post-riot burden is finally (and rightfully)
a thing of the past.
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Photo By Martha Kuperman
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Singer Jonda of Nashville's MINK, upstairs at the Cavern
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CityBeat once again dispatched an army of photographers
and writers to cover the MidPoint festivities. With music hangovers
and this momentous local event's triumphant glow still swimming
in their heads, here's what they reported back.
Thursday, Sept. 25
· The night's intended opening act at Plush, Portland
group The Prids, must have read that all young Cincinnatians
want to move to Portland, so they stayed there, waiting for
us to come to them. But we didn't. We went to Plush to see
three other bands. And we were far from disappointed.
Cincinnati's own The Green Room opened things up. Their
lead singer and bassist, Christopher Glandorf, had a sprained
wrist, but played a great set anyway. The Green Room recently
retooled their sound, and it showed Thursday night. They played
one of their strongest sets ever, aided by Fredrix Michaux's
skillful guitar playing. If you haven't caught them in a while
(they've been around in various incarnations since 1993),
you should certainly give them another listen. Their stylish,
moody BritPop is a great refuge whenever you're a bit bored
with noisy American Garage Rock.
The 11 p.m. slot was filled, expanded and then exploded
by Detroit indie rockers Jettison Red. Man, oh man! Every
time they come through this city they leave a trail of ringing
ears and new fans behind them. If Plush had a front door,
it would've been blown off. This band is always a must-see
for their phenomenal drummer Nicky Styxx, but on this night
the boys of JR demonstrated that they do in fact have the
goods to keep up with her. The guitar work (or should I say
"feedback art"?) of Chris Wujek is what Rock & Roll is all
about -- raw, loud, powerful and with energy to spare. And
the new material they brought (in addition to favorites like
"5:20") was a clear indication that they'll just keep getting
better and better. Now, if we could just get them to move
to Cincinnati ...
A local favorite, Ruby Vileos, closed out the night. Ali
Edwards' vocals were as hauntingly beautiful as ever. And
you just don't get a stronger backing band than Bill Alletzhauser,
Victor Strunk and Todd Drake. A venue like Plush was made
for them -- the dreamy ambiance of their music is well suited
to the velvet and crystal decor. Seeing them there was like
taking a walk through an enchanted forest -- only this was
MPMF, so the unicorns were all drunk and wearing Woos buttons.
Either way, it was a great set.
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Photo By Dale M. Johnson
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Locals galore!: Lisa Miller and Chuck Cleaver of Wussy
(left) at Courtyard Cafe.
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By the end of the night, the buzz phrase was "Prids who?"
(Ericka McIntyre)
· I arrive fresh in the Crowne Point lobby about 10
a.m. In what would tomorrow turn into the panelists' Green
Room, goodie bag stuffing has begun. Jen Johns and I devise
a system for stuffing bags that is elegant in its simplicity.
Doug Perry of The Doug Perry Ensemble is the first to register
at noon. Throughout the day, Eric Diedrichs, Jody Stapleton,
the bands Pinki Mojo (from Akron), MINK (from Tennessee) and
Hoodwink all stop by. Kenny Camancho registers and the ladies
go wild. I say to MPMF volunteer Stacy, "Why don't you moan
a little louder, I don't think Kenny heard you," because she'd
been sitting there staring lustily at Mr. Camancho going,
"Mmmm!" as he registered. People make last minute plans for
who to see tonight. Spiff, wussy, MINK and the X-Rated Cowboys
(from Columbus) are high on many lists.
First I swing into Kaldi's to catch a couple of minutes
of (Ass Ponys' singer/guitarist) Chuck Cleaver. My next stop
is Jefferson Hall to see what turned out to be a fortuitous
discovery: MINK. Their energetic, powerful music combined
with the singer's melt-your-belt-buckle presence and strong
vocals make for an incredible set. I fall in love, yet have
to move on, as I'm introducing Spiff at RBC at 10. I arrive
at RBC to find out that FOX 19 will broadcast part of Spiff's
set live. "So, when you introduce them, you can't cuss," I'm
informed. RBC is packed and Spiff, with their new drummer,
Brad, solidify their rep as "The Best Looking Band in the
City" and gain a new rep as "The Most Surprisingly Good Band
in the City." Still, I must keep moving.
At Moose On Main, Dayton's Rhonda Everitt showed off a voice
sweet enough to rival wussy's Lisa Miller's -- she can also
hit you with one of her crutches if you think she doesn't.
Next, it was down to the Courtyard Cafe for wussy. The Courtyard
was packed with many local musicians, such as Dave Purcell,
Abiyah and MPMF co-founders Sean Rhiney and Bill Donabedian,
plus Cincinnati City Council members John Cranley and Jim
Tarbell. Wussy rocked out in fine style with their electric
Folk/Rock/Velvet Underground (by way of Emmylou Harris) style.
I then made my way over to Neon's Wings Pavilion (the all-ages
tent) and caught a bit of the last song by Pinki Mojo. They
told me afterward that it was their first gig, but you couldn't
tell that by listening, even in a tent. Back at Moose On Main,
locals Venus Mission made some new fans with Andrea Rosenthal's
lovely voice and her tight-as-a-sailor's-knot band. I then
ended the night talking to members of local band Patient Zero
(who didn't play the event, but helped by volunteering) over
by the Barrelhouse, where we were accosted by a few people
who were part of some free-form street theatre troupe. At
least that's what I keep telling myself. (Dale Johnson)
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Photo By Dale M. Johnson
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Benny Stegeman of Morals Galore at Jefferson Hall
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Friday, Sept. 26
· Got to the Crowne Plaza conference area about Noon to
hear Jody Stephens (Big Star, Golden Smog) deliver the keynote
address. The main point of his address was that it's good to
meet people. Sounds like a simple message, and it was. Jody
spoke in his laid-back style about big ambitions and how to
accomplish them. The energy is high, even though everyone is
unbelievably tired. The "Demo Derby" (also jokingly referred
to as the "Demo Demolition") is thought to be harsh, but very
useful. Still I want to punch the panel because they made local
Whitney Barricklow feel bad.
The night gets off to an incredible start at The Barrelhouse
with Cincinnati's Cari Clara. Eric Deidrichs looks
like a Rock star and has the most achingly beautiful songs
around. I see Shawna Snyder in the crowd and grab her for
an impromptu photo shoot outside. Next, I run on down to Lava
to catch some of Tommy D's set and to introduce Abiyah, who
was joined by Michael Bond of datawaslost, Amy Constantine
of Spiff, DQ from Animal Crackers and Chestah T. They brought
the floetry vibes in full force to a packed house. I had taken
off my jacket and was using what I should have realized was
a faulty recorder to record the set. I had to be back at Mr.
Pitiful's at midnight to introduce Pike 27, so I flew out
of Lava at 11:45 p.m. and quickly realized I forgot my recorder.
I ran back to Lava, grabbed it, ran out ... and realized I
forgot my jacket. So, I ran back, grabbed that, charged up
to Pitiful's and made it there exactly at midnight as a foul,
sweaty mess to discover WNKU people had been introducing the
acts there all night. Ah, well. It was OK though, as Pike
27 just killed the packed house. I couldn't stop sweating
or smiling.
Then it was over to The Cavern for a second helping of MINK,
who were filling in at the last minute for a band that cancelled.
I then walked Jen "Jem" Schmidt (one of the organizers of
the annual Chicks Rock festival) back to Wings Pavilion in
the pouring rain, in which, coupled with a lack of sleep and
proper diet, I believe I caught the Mongolian Death Flu. I
walked to my car in even more rain, happy in the fact that
one can only get so wet. (Dale Johnson)
Saturday, Sept. 27
· I arrived late in the afternoon for the conferences
but picked up an interesting story from panelist Chuck Cleaver.
He was saying that when the Ass Ponys were on A&M;, they told
the band how they picked singles -- "We all sit down and pick
the one that's the least offensive to everyone," says the
A&M; Records exec. Fitting in perfectly with that logic, "Little
Bastard" was the first major label Ass Ponys single.
Popped in here and there Saturday night and saw Andréanna
Cortés, Tycoon Dog and Bastards of Melody. Then I went
to Jefferson Hall for Morals Galore's 10 p.m. set. Morals
brought the house down. Then, it was over to The Cavern for
the last Clabbergirl (as we know it) show. They went out strong
and made me wish that that show wasn't "it." I was leaping
around with Aaron DeNu and about 200 other people. Then, I
staggered over to Neon's for Kim Taylor, who warmed the chilly
evening, and then somehow made it to The Barrelhouse for greatmodern's
super set. There were so many people that I wanted to see,
but, alas, I have no clone. Everybody I saw was fantastic.
I was going to go to the after-party at Len's Lounge leader
Jeff Roberson's garage in Northside, but, after getting in
a car I thought was mine but turned out not to be, I thought
it best to go home.
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Photo By Matt Borgerding
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Bob Gayol and Brad Stenz of Moth (below) at the Cavern
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Sunday, I got sick, but it was a good kind of sick. Thanks,
everybody! (Dale Johnson)
· People who were at The Cavern on Saturday night will
tell you that Moth "brought it" or "rocked" or "killed it"
with their smashing finale to this year's MPMF. And, this
would be absolutely correct. But several other acts at the
Cavern "brought, rocked and killed it" as well, most notably
local trio The Giant Judys. Those of us who chose not to go
downstairs for NYC's Chris Ryan and the Noise (sorry, guys)
were treated to one of the best sets at MidPoint this year
(possibly even the best) in the club's upstairs "lounge."
Local talent like this proves that there truly is no place
like home.
I know that Judys frontman Ben Davis is a mere 23-ish years
old, and his bandmates (Justin Brumley and Rob Gee) are far
from sages themselves, but they show a musical maturity beyond
their years. Partner this with the fresh energy of their youth
and the boundless talent that all three possess, and they
can go as far as they want to for a long, long time. Davis'
songs prove that Rock & Roll isn't just about tight pants
and guitars. It's about good songwriting, too, songwriting
that is as intricate as it is catchy, as lyrical as it is
gutsy and as poignant as it is hook-laden. And the Judys'
showcase of these songs Saturday was one of the finest performances
they've given. Brumley and Gee were tight as ever, and Davis
lit up the stage. If you missed it, you missed out.
The Judys (and Moth) weren't the only homegrown acts knockin'
the crowds out, either. Local indie vets the Fairmount Girls
gave a great send-off to MPMF 2003 upstairs. If you're one
of those poor, misguided souls who thinks the Girls have nothing
new to offer, think again. Dana Hamblen and Melissa Fairmount
are still bringing it and then some, and the addition of guitarist
Mark Zero and bassist Erin Proctor has brought new life and
energy to the band. In her first foray into Rock, Proctor
has truly come into her own in recent months. I'd put good
money on her in a cage match bass-off with Moth's Billy Buzek
any day. The Woos played a tight set, winning more admirers.
They get better all the time.
Back downstairs, The Autumn Blackouts gave the crowd a healthy
dose of Rock. With new bassist Dan Bayer taking care of the
low end and harmonies, the Blackouts sound better than ever.
And I get the feeling that they're just getting started.
In the 11 p.m. slot, one of the most interesting out-of-town
acts of this year, Adam Evil & the Outside Royalty, moved
the crowds upstairs. Evil has a girl in red patent leather
go-go boots playing violin. Evil has a light show. Evil has
killer hooks and hard-driving Rock tunes. Evil has new fans
in the Queen City.
MPMF has become to me as an adult what Christmas was to
me as a kid. I already can't wait for next September. (Ericka
McIntyre)
Want to see it all? Visit the MidPoint
Music Festival Photo Gallery.
For more coverage and photos from the MidPoint Music Festival,
go to citybeat.com.
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