MidPoint Music Festival
Encyclopedia
MidPoint Music Festival (MPMF) launched in 2002 in Cincinnati
, Ohio
, as an independent music festival and industry conference. The annual three-day event occurs each September
in the city's downtown and historic Over-the-Rhine
entertainment district. Founded by Cincinnati musicians Bill Donabedian, of Crosley, and Sean Rhiney, of Clabbergirl, the festival was acquired in 2008 by Cincinnati CityBeat
, a weekly alternative newspaper.
with majority of venues located in the historic neighborhood where the festival saw its roots. Several venues in the central business district are still used, but The Southgate House in Newport, Kentucky
just across the Ohio River
has been removed to keep all shows within walking distance.
Several details about the festival have been released. Busken Bakery will be supplying 10,000 donuts for music lovers to mark the tenth anniversary.
Bioré is sponsoring a strip of three stages along Jackson Street featuring female-centered acts.
Artworks is sponsoring MidPoint Midway, a fleet of box trucks on 12th street between Vine Street and Walnut Street. The stretch will be closed to traffic and 8-10 artists will be selected to create unique, interactive exhibits, venues, and lounges for patrons inside of 24 foot long box trucks.
MidPoint is starting VIP tickets that run for $125 for the entire weekend. The VIP tickets give special access to the VIP Sanctuary Room, first entry to venues, VIP parties, free food and drinks, and more. Only 100 VIP tickets will be sold.
All ages shows will be featured at the School for Creative and Performing Arts
. Students from the school will also be able to help sound, lights, and interacting with the acts playing at the venue.
MidPoint Poster Expo will continue from last year. Newport, Kentucky
based Powerhouse Factories will design and print posters for the festival as well as other local concerts from Cincinnati.
Topic Design is bringing back the Tweet/Text Visualizer System. Tweeting to #mpmf will automatically put your message on screens at various MidPoint venues in real time.
Advanced tickets are on sale for $39 at the MidPoint Indie Summer Series
. They are also available for $49 at various locations and online.
Thursday: Joshua P. James and the Paper Planes, Adam Arcuragi & The Lupine Choral Society, Josh Eagle and the Harvest City, Two Man Gentleman Band
Friday: Shiny and the Spoon, Jones Street Station, Hickory Robot, The Bears of Blue River
Saturday: The Tadcasters, Geoff Davin, Tallahassee, Black Owls
Artworks on the Bioré Strip
Thursday: The Western, Slothpop, We Are Hex, The Worsties
Friday: The Spruce Campbells, Hedgehog, Kindest Lines
, Xiu Xiu
Saturday: Culture Queer, Pet Lions, Fists of Love, My Gold Mask
Below Zero Lounge
Thursday: A Lull, YAWN
, The Town Monster, The Pass
Friday: Shortwave Society, Soapland, White Birds, Asobi Seksu
Saturday: Bear Hands
, Wolf Ram Heart, Kry Kids, NewVillager
Blue Wisp King Records
Room
Thursday: Kentucky Struts, The Madison Square Gardeners, Tara Priya, Skeetones
Friday: TBA, Goose, The Pinstripes, Izzy & The Catastrophics
Saturday: Bronze Radio Return
, The Tillers, The Right Now, The Bright Light Social Hour
Cincinnati Club Room
Thursday: The Ridges
, The Sundresses, Those Darlins
Friday: Cincy Brass, The Prohibitionists, Booker T. Jones
Saturday: Magnolia Mountain, Robert Ellis, The Felice Brothers
Courtyard Cafe
Thursday: Kentucky Knife Fight, Banderas, Timatim Fitfit, The Moaners
Friday: TBA, Sparrow Bellows, Us, Today, Total Babes
Saturday: John L. Sullivan, State Song, TBA, Zachary Burns Band
Dewey's Pizza Main Stage at Grammer's
Thursday: July for Kings
, U.S. Royalty
, The Joy Formidable
Friday: The Parson Red Heads, Viva Voce
, Okkervil River
Saturday: Midnight Magic
, Washed Out
, Cut Copy
Know Theatre on the Bioré Strip
Main Stage
Thursday: The Watson Twins
, Tristen, Jessica Lea Mayfield
Friday: Cheyenne Marie Mize
, Fairmount Girls, Deerhoof
Saturday: blueVenus, Fort Wilson Riot, Bachelorette
Second Stage
Thursday: Paper Bird
, Lydia Loveless
Friday: Kelly Fine, Lora-Faye
Saturday: Pezzetino, Carole Walker
Main Event ICB Stage
Thursday: The Van Allen Belt, Hunter Valentine
, Sick of Sarah
, Vanity Theft
Friday: TBA, Amanda Lucas & Audrey Cecil, Paper Thick Walls, Gold Motel
Saturday: Mike Golden & Friends, Milano, Fort Frances, Buckra
Media Bridges
Thursday: TBA, Spruce Leaves, The Record Summer, Santah
Friday: Astro Fang, Saturn Batteries, Hospital Garden, for algernon
Saturday: Oui Si Yes, Maza Blaska, Pictures of Then, TBA
MOTR Pub
Thursday: The Color Pharmacy, In Tall Buildings, Beat Connection, Mansions on the Moon
Friday: Tammar, SpiderFriends, Eat Sugar, STRFKR
Saturday: Vandaveer
, Chamberlin
, The Chocolate Horse, Youth Lagoon
Mr. Pitiful's
Thursday: Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three, Jake Speed & The Freddies, Aunt Martha, 500 Miles to Memphis
Friday: Blue Cut, Browngrass and Wildflowers, Coralee and the Townies, The Headlocks
Saturday: Mack West, Jesse Torrisi & the Please, Please Me, Eric Tepe Band, The Giving Tree Band
School for Creative and Performing Arts
Mayerson Theater Stage
Thursday: Ben Lapps, Kim Taylor, Kaki King
Friday: TBA, Sleepy Sun
, The Low Anthem
Saturday: Wing & Tusk, Bella Ruse, Ivan & Alyosha
Corbet Theater Stage
Thursday: The Seedy Seeds, Suckers
, Mates of State
Friday: Ava Luna, Unknown Mortal Orchestra
, Toro y Moi
Saturday: Delicate Steve, Sister Crayon
, The Album Leaf
The Drinkery
Thursday: The Aviation Orange, The Ready Stance, Julie The Band, Brass Bed
Friday: The Capstan Shafts
, Okay Lindon, Scattered Trees
, Babe
Saturday: Milktooth, Two Headed Dog, Empires
, Prussia
Vitamin Water Room at the Hanke Building
Thursday: Henry Wolfe, The Lions Rampant, The Luyas
, The Dodos
Friday: Darlene, Pop Empire, TBA, Gang Gang Dance
Saturday: The Dukes, The Harlequins, Conspiracy of Owls, Man or Astro-Man?
on April 24, 2010 with bands Aloha
, Pomegranates, and The Buried Wires. Several bands were confirmed for MPMF.10 including A Place to Bury Strangers
and Caribou. The full lineup was announced in late August and includes Holy F*ck, Wussy
, Best Coast
, Pomegranates
, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
, Shonen Knife
, Justin Townes Earle
, Van Dyke Parks
, Babe the Blue Ox
, Surfer Blood
, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
, Fang Island
, O'Brother, Tom Tom Club
, Cults, Phantogram
, Elf Power
, and Male Bonding
among many more local and national acts.
called the MidPoint Indie Summer Series
. During the reveal showcase it was also revealed that 2010 headliners for this event would include Camera Obscura
, Why?, Neon Indian
, Dawes
, Jason Isbell
, Buffalo Killers
, and Smoking Popes
. Headliners from 2009 included Bad Veins
, Pomegranates, and Wussy
. The Summer Series for 2010 begins June 4 and ends in September.
2002: 150 national and regional bands; 10,000 fans
2005: 300 international, national and regional bands; 50,000 fans
2008: 185 international, national and regional bands including Robert Pollard's Boston Spaceships, Mates of State
, The Sadies
, Headlights
, God Made Me Funky
, Radio 4
, Spectrum
, Why?, Backyard Tire Fire
, and Jukebox the Ghost
. It was the first year MidPoint included label showcases into the lineup.
2009: 270 international, national and regional bands including Heartless Bastards
, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
, Chairlift
, Micachu and the Shapes, God Made Me Funky
, The Rosewood Thieves, The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, and Extra Golden
. A new interactive feature presented real-time Twitter
tweets and Cincinnati Bell texts from fans throughout the festival online at live.mpmf.com, in turn broadcast to the world and on screens setup in venues.
2010: 250 international, national and regional bands including Tom Tom Club, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Jason and the Scorchers, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Caribou, Best Coast, Surfer Blood, Holy F*ck, A Place to Bury Strangers, Fang Island, Shonen Knife and a secret, unannounced show from Spacehog. Several acts withdrew just prior to the festival, including Justin Townes Earle, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Villagers and The Broken Lyre. MidPoint continued on by broadcasting the real-time Twitter tweets and label showcases, as well as introducing a new method of transportation, hybrid Metro buses, that could transport more concert-goers throughout downtown and Over the Rhine.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, as an independent music festival and industry conference. The annual three-day event occurs each September
in the city's downtown and historic Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine, sometimes shortened to OTR, is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is believed to be the largest, most intact urban historic district in the United States. Over-the-Rhine was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 with 943 contributing buildings...
entertainment district. Founded by Cincinnati musicians Bill Donabedian, of Crosley, and Sean Rhiney, of Clabbergirl, the festival was acquired in 2008 by Cincinnati CityBeat
Cincinnati CityBeat
Cincinnati CityBeat is an independent local arts and issues publication covering the Cincinnati, Ohio area. It has the second largest readership in the Cincinnati area behind the daily Cincinnati Enquirer.-History:...
, a weekly alternative newspaper.
MPMF.11
The tenth annual MidPoint Music Festival will take place from Thursday, September 22 to Saturday, September 24. This year the focus has returned to Over-the-RhineOver-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine, sometimes shortened to OTR, is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is believed to be the largest, most intact urban historic district in the United States. Over-the-Rhine was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 with 943 contributing buildings...
with majority of venues located in the historic neighborhood where the festival saw its roots. Several venues in the central business district are still used, but The Southgate House in Newport, Kentucky
Newport, Kentucky
Newport is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is part of the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Metro Area which...
just across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
has been removed to keep all shows within walking distance.
Several details about the festival have been released. Busken Bakery will be supplying 10,000 donuts for music lovers to mark the tenth anniversary.
Bioré is sponsoring a strip of three stages along Jackson Street featuring female-centered acts.
Artworks is sponsoring MidPoint Midway, a fleet of box trucks on 12th street between Vine Street and Walnut Street. The stretch will be closed to traffic and 8-10 artists will be selected to create unique, interactive exhibits, venues, and lounges for patrons inside of 24 foot long box trucks.
MidPoint is starting VIP tickets that run for $125 for the entire weekend. The VIP tickets give special access to the VIP Sanctuary Room, first entry to venues, VIP parties, free food and drinks, and more. Only 100 VIP tickets will be sold.
All ages shows will be featured at the School for Creative and Performing Arts
School for Creative and Performing Arts
The School for Creative and Performing Arts is a magnet arts school in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and part of the Cincinnati Public Schools...
. Students from the school will also be able to help sound, lights, and interacting with the acts playing at the venue.
MidPoint Poster Expo will continue from last year. Newport, Kentucky
Newport, Kentucky
Newport is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is part of the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Metro Area which...
based Powerhouse Factories will design and print posters for the festival as well as other local concerts from Cincinnati.
Topic Design is bringing back the Tweet/Text Visualizer System. Tweeting to #mpmf will automatically put your message on screens at various MidPoint venues in real time.
Advanced tickets are on sale for $39 at the MidPoint Indie Summer Series
MidPoint Indie Summer Series
MidPoint Indie Summer Series is an annual event held at Fountain Square in Cincinnati, Ohio hosted by MidPoint Music Festival. The series showcases artists from around the world every Friday from 7-11pm during the summer...
. They are also available for $49 at various locations and online.
MPMF.11 Lineup
Arnold's Bar and GrillThursday: Joshua P. James and the Paper Planes, Adam Arcuragi & The Lupine Choral Society, Josh Eagle and the Harvest City, Two Man Gentleman Band
Friday: Shiny and the Spoon, Jones Street Station, Hickory Robot, The Bears of Blue River
Saturday: The Tadcasters, Geoff Davin, Tallahassee, Black Owls
Artworks on the Bioré Strip
Thursday: The Western, Slothpop, We Are Hex, The Worsties
Friday: The Spruce Campbells, Hedgehog, Kindest Lines
Kindest Lines
Kindest Lines are a New Wave group from New Orleans, Louisiana. The band is made up of vocalist and keyboardist Brittany Terry, guitarist Jack Champagne, keyboardist and drum programmer Justin Blaire Vial, and bassist Chris Capdeville.-History:...
, Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu is an American avant-garde group originally from San Jose, California. The band is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who has been its only constant member since its inception in 2002. His current bandmate is Angela Seo...
Saturday: Culture Queer, Pet Lions, Fists of Love, My Gold Mask
Below Zero Lounge
Thursday: A Lull, YAWN
Yawn
A yawn is a reflex of simultaneous inhalation of air and stretching of the eardrums, followed by exhalation of breath. Pandiculation is the act of yawning and stretching simultaneously....
, The Town Monster, The Pass
Friday: Shortwave Society, Soapland, White Birds, Asobi Seksu
Asobi Seksu
Asobi Seksu is an American dream pop band based in New York City. Their music draws influence from the shoegazing genre as well, and similarly uses a textured and effects-heavy vocal and guitar sound...
Saturday: Bear Hands
Bear Hands
Bear Hands is a post-punk/indie rock/experimental band consisting of Dylan Rau , Val Loper , Ted Feldman , and TJ Orscher...
, Wolf Ram Heart, Kry Kids, NewVillager
Blue Wisp King Records
King Records
is a Japanese record company, founded in 1931 as a division of Japanese publisher Kodansha. It became and began operating as an independent entity in the 1950s, but remains part of the publisher's Otowa Group...
Room
Thursday: Kentucky Struts, The Madison Square Gardeners, Tara Priya, Skeetones
Friday: TBA, Goose, The Pinstripes, Izzy & The Catastrophics
Saturday: Bronze Radio Return
Bronze Radio Return
Bronze Radio Return is an American indie/roots rock, revival rock sextet from Hartford, Connecticut. The band was formed by singer/songwriter/guitarist Chris Henderson after he attended the Hartt School of Music...
, The Tillers, The Right Now, The Bright Light Social Hour
The Bright Light Social Hour
The Bright Light Social Hour is a rock band from Austin, Texas. The band features Curtis Roush on guitar and vocals, Jack O'Brien on bass guitar and vocals, Joseph Mirasole on drums, and A.J...
Cincinnati Club Room
Thursday: The Ridges
The Ridges
The Ridges are an orchestral folk rock band from Athens, Ohio. The band is made up of vocalist and guitarist Victor Rasgaitis, percussionist and vocalist Johnny Barton, and cellist and vocalist Talor Smith, who are frequently joined by up to six auxiliary musicians.- History :Formed out of the...
, The Sundresses, Those Darlins
Friday: Cincy Brass, The Prohibitionists, Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
Saturday: Magnolia Mountain, Robert Ellis, The Felice Brothers
The Felice Brothers
The Felice Brothers are a folk rock/country rock band from Upstate New York founded in 2006.-History:The Felice Brothers got their start as a band playing in the New York City subway,. The sons of a carpenter, they would play together on Sundays at their father's afternoon barbecues...
Courtyard Cafe
Thursday: Kentucky Knife Fight, Banderas, Timatim Fitfit, The Moaners
The Moaners
The Moaners are a Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based Indie rock band signed to Holidays for Quince Records. They were previously signed to Yep Roc Records...
Friday: TBA, Sparrow Bellows, Us, Today, Total Babes
Saturday: John L. Sullivan, State Song, TBA, Zachary Burns Band
Dewey's Pizza Main Stage at Grammer's
Thursday: July for Kings
July for Kings
July for Kings, or "JFK", is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based alternative rock band founded by Joe Hedges , Sam Dobrozsi , Travis Delaney , Jason Morgan , and T Miller . The band was forged in Middletown, Ohio, a steel town between Dayton and Cincinnati, in 1997...
, U.S. Royalty
U.S. Royalty
U.S. Royalty is a Washington, D.C. based indie rock band, composed of singer John Thornley, guitarist Paul Thornley, bassist Jacob Michael, and drummer Luke Adams.-Biography:...
, The Joy Formidable
The Joy Formidable
The Joy Formidable are a three-piece band formed in 2007 in North Wales and currently located in London, England. The band consists of Ritzy Bryan , Rhydian Dafydd , and Matt Thomas ....
Friday: The Parson Red Heads, Viva Voce
Viva voce
Viva voce is a Latin phrase literally meaning "with living voice," but most often translated as "by word of mouth."It may also refer to:*Italian for "live voice."*Voice vote in a deliberative assembly...
, Okkervil River
Okkervil River
Okkervil River is an indie rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya. They self-released their first album, Stars Too Small to Use, which led them to the South by Southwest music festival. After recording their first...
Saturday: Midnight Magic
Midnight Magic
Midnight Magic is an historical novel for children and teenagers, written by Avi and published in hardcover in 1999. It was reprinted in paperback in 2004.-Plot summary:...
, Washed Out
Washed Out
Washed Out is the stage name of the American chillwave musician Ernest Greene .-Career:In June 2009, Greene graduated with a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina and was unable to find a job as a librarian...
, Cut Copy
Cut Copy
Cut Copy are an Australian electronic band formed in 2001 by Dan Whitford on vocals, keyboard and guitar. Other members are Tim Hoey on guitar and sampler, Ben Browning on bass guitar and Mitchell Scott on drums. Their second album, In Ghost Colours peaked at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart in...
Know Theatre on the Bioré Strip
Main Stage
Thursday: The Watson Twins
The Watson Twins
The Watson Twins are an American musical group based in Los Angeles with alternative country and indie folk influences. They are identical twin sisters named Chandra and Leigh Watson....
, Tristen, Jessica Lea Mayfield
Jessica Lea Mayfield
Jessica Lea Mayfield is an American singer-songwriter, actor, from Kent, Ohio. She is known for writing dark, sad songs, with a plaintive minimalist style that draws on both country and rock music.-Early years:...
Friday: Cheyenne Marie Mize
Cheyenne Marie Mize
Cheyenne Marie Mize is an American folk singer-songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky.-Biography:Cheyenne Marie Mize's “Before Lately” album was released in 2010 as an introspective, meditative affair followed by the “We Don’t Need” EP in 2011 featuring more dynamic moods and experimentation...
, Fairmount Girls, Deerhoof
Deerhoof
Deerhoof is a musical group consisting of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich, Ed Rodriguez and Greg Saunier.-Origins:In 1992, Greg Saunier, having recently graduated with a degree in music composition from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, joined a short-lived San Francisco quartet called Nitre Pit, on...
Saturday: blueVenus, Fort Wilson Riot, Bachelorette
Second Stage
Thursday: Paper Bird
Paper Bird
Paper Bird is an eight piece Folk/Americana band based in Denver, Colorado. The band is composed of: sisters Genny and Esme Patterson , brother and sister Mark and Sarah Anderson , Tyler Archuletta , Macon Terry , Paul DeHaven , and Caleb Summeril...
, Lydia Loveless
Friday: Kelly Fine, Lora-Faye
Saturday: Pezzetino, Carole Walker
Main Event ICB Stage
Thursday: The Van Allen Belt, Hunter Valentine
Hunter Valentine
Hunter Valentine is an alternative rock band formed in 2004 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Hunter Valentine is a girl band with a moderate fan base in southern Ontario.-History:...
, Sick of Sarah
Sick of Sarah
Sick of Sarah is a rock music band based in Minneapolis. Their "strong-voiced punky girl-rock" has drawn comparisons to bands such as Dollyrots and Tegan and Sara.-History:...
, Vanity Theft
Vanity Theft
Vanity Theft is an American all girl indie/alternative rock group from Springboro, Ohio that formed in 2005.-Biography:The band started in 2005 as "Vanity Pledge" when the members were still in high school, and was made up of Brittany Hill , Alicia Grodecki , Elyse Driskill , and Staci Farfsing...
Friday: TBA, Amanda Lucas & Audrey Cecil, Paper Thick Walls, Gold Motel
Gold Motel
Gold Motel is the Chicago-based solo project of singer-songwriter Greta Morgan, formerly of The Hush Sound. The band consists of Morgan , Eric Hehr , Dan Duszynski , Matt Minx , Adam Coldhouse .-History:After The Hush Sound went on hiatus, Morgan moved from Chicago to Los Angeles looking for...
Saturday: Mike Golden & Friends, Milano, Fort Frances, Buckra
Media Bridges
Thursday: TBA, Spruce Leaves, The Record Summer, Santah
Santah
Santah is an indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The group formed in Urbana, Illinois while attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their debut full-length album, White Noise Bed, was released via No Sleep Records on June 7, 2011....
Friday: Astro Fang, Saturn Batteries, Hospital Garden, for algernon
Saturday: Oui Si Yes, Maza Blaska, Pictures of Then, TBA
MOTR Pub
Thursday: The Color Pharmacy, In Tall Buildings, Beat Connection, Mansions on the Moon
Friday: Tammar, SpiderFriends, Eat Sugar, STRFKR
Saturday: Vandaveer
Vandaveer
Vandaveer is a Washington, DC-based alt-folk project spearheaded by Mark Charles Heidinger, releasing records on the in the US and Alter K Records in France.-History:...
, Chamberlin
Chamberlin (band)
Chamberlin is an American Folk-Rock band from Vermont. The band is currently on Roll Call/EMI Records.- Career :Chamberlin formed in Spring 2010 when members Mark Daly and Ethan West co-wrote and demoed nine songs at a mountainside cabin in Goshen, Vermont. By June, they acquired Jamie Heintz, Eric...
, The Chocolate Horse, Youth Lagoon
Youth Lagoon
Youth Lagoon is the stage name of the American musician Trevor Powers . His debut album The Year of Hibernation was released on Fat Possum Records in 2011.....
Mr. Pitiful's
Thursday: Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three, Jake Speed & The Freddies, Aunt Martha, 500 Miles to Memphis
500 Miles to Memphis
500 Miles to Memphis is an American Cowpunk band from Cincinnati, Ohio. Previously, the band has received international praise for their ability to satisfy the musical hunger of fans in both country and alternative/punk genres. Right out of the gate, fans will hear dramatic differences from the...
Friday: Blue Cut, Browngrass and Wildflowers, Coralee and the Townies, The Headlocks
Saturday: Mack West, Jesse Torrisi & the Please, Please Me, Eric Tepe Band, The Giving Tree Band
The Giving Tree Band
The Giving Tree Band is an American indie folk-rock group started in 2004 by brothers Todd and Eric Fink and based in Yorkville, Illinois. Though the group uses an instrumentation largely associated with bluegrass and Americana, their sound often drums up comparisons to such classic rock icons as...
School for Creative and Performing Arts
School for Creative and Performing Arts
The School for Creative and Performing Arts is a magnet arts school in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and part of the Cincinnati Public Schools...
Mayerson Theater Stage
Thursday: Ben Lapps, Kim Taylor, Kaki King
Kaki King
Kaki King is an American guitarist and composer. King is known for her percussive and jazz-tinged melodies, energetic live shows, use of multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar, and her diverse range in different genres.In February 2006, Rolling Stone released a list of "The New Guitar...
Friday: TBA, Sleepy Sun
Sleepy Sun
Sleepy Sun is a psychedelic rock band from San Francisco, California made up of singers Bret Constantino and former singer Rachel Fannan, guitarists Matt Holliman and Evan Reiss, bassist Jack Allen, and drummer Brian Tice.-Biography:...
, The Low Anthem
The Low Anthem
The Low Anthem is an American indie folk band from Providence, Rhode Island, formed in 2006. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky and Jocie Adams, and rose to prominence with the re-release of its third studio album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, in 2009.In...
Saturday: Wing & Tusk, Bella Ruse, Ivan & Alyosha
Ivan & Alyosha
Ivan & Alyosha is a folk-pop, indie, rock band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 2007 with the current members, Tim Wilson and Ryan Carbary. They were later joined by Pete Wilson and Tim Kim. In 2009 the band was recognized nationally by NPR during their coverage of SXSW.-History:Ivan &...
Corbet Theater Stage
Thursday: The Seedy Seeds, Suckers
Suckers (band)
-Further reading:*http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/arts/music/10local.html*http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1629986/20100119/suckers__1_.jhtml*http://www.prefixmag.com/features/suckers/interview-burr/40603/...
, Mates of State
Mates of State
Mates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is composed of the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel .Over the course of the band's fourteen year career, they've released three EPs and six full-length, studio...
Friday: Ava Luna, Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Unknown Mortal Orchestra are an American and New Zealand indie rock band originating in Portland, Oregon. Their self-titled debut album has received mostly positive reviews. According to some Unknown Mortal Orchestra fucking rule.-References:****...
, Toro y Moi
Toro Y Moi
Chazwick Bundick better known by his stage name Toro Y Moi, is an American recording artist and producer. His music has taken on many forms since he began recording, but he is often identified with the chillwave movement of summer 2010...
Saturday: Delicate Steve, Sister Crayon
Sister Crayon
Sister Crayon is a Sacramento-based quartet signed to independent label Manimal Vinyl. Led by vocalist Terra Lopez with Dani Fernandez playing backing tracks, the band was a two member act for approximately one year before keys player Genarro Ulloa and drummer Nicholas Suhr joined the following year...
, The Album Leaf
The Album Leaf
The Album Leaf is an American solo musical project founded in San Diego, California in 1998 by Jimmy LaValle. He is known for his use of electronics, synthesizer and Rhodes piano...
The Drinkery
Thursday: The Aviation Orange, The Ready Stance, Julie The Band, Brass Bed
Friday: The Capstan Shafts
The Capstan Shafts
The Capstan Shafts is the musical project of American lo-fi artist Dean Wells. He has been releasing material under the Capstan Shafts name since 1999, through various indie labels such as Yellow Mica, Asaurus and Abandoned Love Records...
, Okay Lindon, Scattered Trees
Scattered Trees
Scattered Trees is an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band is currently on the Roll Call/EMI label.- Career :Scattered Trees began as a solo project for frontman Nate Eiesland, who moved from Minneapolis to Chicago in 2003 and began writing one song a month, each titled for the...
, Babe
Babe (band)
Babe was a Serbian rock supergroup.- Formation, nationwide success :The band was formed in 1992 as a side project of Bajaga i Instruktori member Žika Milenković , Električni Orgazam member Goran Čavajda and Riblja Čorba member Zoran Ilić...
Saturday: Milktooth, Two Headed Dog, Empires
Empires (band)
Empires is a rock band from Chicago, IL. The band consists of Tom Conrad, Sean Van Vleet, Max Steger, and Ryan Luciani. They formed in 2007 and have released one full-length album, two EPs, and one 7" single....
, Prussia
Vitamin Water Room at the Hanke Building
Thursday: Henry Wolfe, The Lions Rampant, The Luyas
The Luyas
The Luyas are a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2006 from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-History:The Luyas did their first live performance in December 2006...
, The Dodos
The Dodos
The Dodos are an American indie rock band consisting of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber.- History :The Dodos began playing music together in 2005, when musician Meric Long, who had been gigging steadily in San Francisco as a solo singer-songwriter, was introduced to Logan Kroeber through a mutual...
Friday: Darlene, Pop Empire, TBA, Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance is an American experimental music band based in Manhattan, New York City. The band is known for its distinctive sound which features synthesized electronics and percussion, plus the varied vocal styles of singer Lizzi Bougatsos...
Saturday: The Dukes, The Harlequins, Conspiracy of Owls, Man or Astro-Man?
Man or Astro-man?
Man or Astro-man? is a surf rock group that formed in Auburn, Alabama, in the early 1990s and came to prominence over the following decade.Primarily instrumental, Man or Astro-man? blended the surf rock style of the early 1960s like that of The Spotnicks with the new wave and punk rock sounds of...
MPMF.10
MidPoint Music Festival's 2010 schedule (abbreviated MPMF.10) began to be disclosed at the reveal showcase hosted by the Contemporary Arts CenterContemporary Arts Center
The Contemporary Arts Center is a pioneering contemporary art museum located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The CAC is a non-collecting museum that focuses on new developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media...
on April 24, 2010 with bands Aloha
Aloha (band)
Aloha is an american indie rock band currently signed to Polyvinyl Records. The four members of Aloha are scattered across the eastern half of the country, but spend most of their time making music together. Some Echoes is the second Aloha album since T.J...
, Pomegranates, and The Buried Wires. Several bands were confirmed for MPMF.10 including A Place to Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers are a New York–based noise rock band composed of Oliver Ackermann , Dion Lunadon and Jay Space . The band plays a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock, shoegaze and space rock...
and Caribou. The full lineup was announced in late August and includes Holy F*ck, Wussy
Wussy
Wussy is an indie rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, that formed in 2001. The group has received critical acclaim from such sources as Rolling Stone, Robert Christgau, and SPIN Magazine.-Members:*Chuck Cleaver – Vocals, Guitar*Lisa Walker – Vocals, Guitar...
, Best Coast
Best Coast
Best Coast is an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California, and is often categorized under the subgenres of garage rock, surf pop, and lo-fi. The band currently consists of Bethany Cosentino, who writes all of the band's songs and fronts the group, multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, ...
, Pomegranates
Pomegranates (band)
-History:Pomegranates formed in 2006 with Joey Cook, Isaac Karns, and Jacob Merritt. The band released their first recording, Two Eyes EP, in June 2007. In 2007, Josh Kufeldt joined the band they shortly released their first studio album, Everything is Alive that same year...
, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s are a band from Indianapolis, Indiana. Their style has been described as "cinematic chamber pop" that "both the casual music fan and music perfectionist will enjoy"...
, Shonen Knife
Shonen Knife
Shonen Knife, written in Japanese characters as 少年ナイフ, which transliterates as Shōnen Naifu, literally "Boy Knife," is an all-female Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981...
, Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle , son of Steve Earle, stepson of Allison Moorer, and named for songwriter Townes Van Zandt is an AMA winning, Americana musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. Earle is signed to Bloodshot Records and has four released albums from 2007–2010...
, Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile....
, Babe the Blue Ox
Babe the Blue Ox (band)
Babe the Blue OX are a Brooklyn based rock band. Formed in 1991, the trio was initially composed of Tim Thomas , Rose Thomson and Hanna Fox . in 1995, the band contributed the song "Hazmats" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Bothered produced by the Red Hot Organization...
, Surfer Blood
Surfer Blood
Surfer Blood is an indie rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, signed to Warner Bros. Records. The band has four members: John Paul Pitts , Thomas Fekete , Kevin Williams and Tyler Jerry "TJ" Schwarz .Founding members John Paul Pitts and Tyler Schwarz originally didn't like each other in high...
, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. and currently recording for Matador Records. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured internationally...
, Fang Island
Fang Island
Fang Island is an American indie rock band formed in Providence, Rhode Island, and based in Brooklyn, New York. The group consists of guitarists Jason Bartell, Chris Georges and Nicholas Andrew Sadler, bassist Michael Jacober, and drummer Marc St. Sauveur...
, O'Brother, Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, both also known for being bandmembers of Talking Heads.-Biography:...
, Cults, Phantogram
Phantogram (band)
Phantogram is an American electronic rock duo from Saratoga Springs, New York, formed in 2007 and consisting of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter . They write and record in a remote barn in upstate New York called Harmony Lodge...
, Elf Power
Elf Power
Elf Power is an indie rock band that originated in Athens, Georgia. Currently, the line-up consists of guitarist/vocalist Andrew Rieger, keyboardist Laura Carter, guitarist Jimmy Hughes, bassist Derek Almstead, and drummer Eric Harris...
, and Male Bonding
Male Bonding (band)
Male Bonding is an English punk rock band. The group released their debut album, Nothing Hurts, on May 11, 2010.-History:Based in London, England Male Bonding is composed of John Arthur Webb , Kevin Hendrick and Robin Silas Christian...
among many more local and national acts.
Indie Summer Series
Every Friday night over the Summer, MPMF hosts a special concert at Fountain SquareFountain Square, Cincinnati
Fountain Square is a city square in Cincinnati. Founded in 1871, it was renovated in 1971 and 2005 and currently features many shops, restaurants, hotels, and offices.- History :...
called the MidPoint Indie Summer Series
MidPoint Indie Summer Series
MidPoint Indie Summer Series is an annual event held at Fountain Square in Cincinnati, Ohio hosted by MidPoint Music Festival. The series showcases artists from around the world every Friday from 7-11pm during the summer...
. During the reveal showcase it was also revealed that 2010 headliners for this event would include Camera Obscura
Camera Obscura (band)
Camera Obscura are an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band formed in 1996 and have released four albums to date.-History:Camera Obscura were formed in 1996 by Tracyanne Campbell, John Henderson, and Gavin Dunbar. Several other members performed with the band before David Skirving joined...
, Why?, Neon Indian
Neon Indian
Neon Indian is an indie electronic band from Denton, Texas. The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo , also known for his work with the band Ghosthustler and as the artist VEGA. The band's debut, Psychic Chasms, has received many favorable reviews, including the designation of Best New...
, Dawes
Dawes (band)
Dawes is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, composed of brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, along with Wylie Gelber and Tay Strathairn...
, Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Greenhill, Alabama, near Muscle Shoals.-Background:Almost all of Isbell's family, except his parents, were musicians, and his father was an avid music listener...
, Buffalo Killers
Buffalo Killers
Buffalo Killers are an American rock band comprising guitarist and vocalist Andrew Gabbard, bass guitarist and vocalist Zachary Gabbard and drummer Joseph Sebaali. The band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2006 following the dissolution of Thee Shams, of which the trio were members...
, and Smoking Popes
Smoking Popes
The Smoking Popes are an American pop punk from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1991. They play punk-influenced pop music with crooning vocals...
. Headliners from 2009 included Bad Veins
Bad Veins
Bad Veins is an indie rock duo from Cincinnati, Ohio, composed of Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz. Davis primarily writes the music, plays guitar and keyboard, and sings, while also recording backtracking music on a reel-to-reel tape player, nicknamed Irene. Schultz plays the drums...
, Pomegranates, and Wussy
Wussy
Wussy is an indie rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, that formed in 2001. The group has received critical acclaim from such sources as Rolling Stone, Robert Christgau, and SPIN Magazine.-Members:*Chuck Cleaver – Vocals, Guitar*Lisa Walker – Vocals, Guitar...
. The Summer Series for 2010 begins June 4 and ends in September.
Facts & Figures
MidPoint Music Festival has grown rapidly since the first event was held in September 2002.2002: 150 national and regional bands; 10,000 fans
2005: 300 international, national and regional bands; 50,000 fans
2008: 185 international, national and regional bands including Robert Pollard's Boston Spaceships, Mates of State
Mates of State
Mates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is composed of the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel .Over the course of the band's fourteen year career, they've released three EPs and six full-length, studio...
, The Sadies
The Sadies
The Sadies are a Canadian indie rock and alternative country band from Toronto, Ontario.-Background:The band consists of Dallas Good , Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky...
, Headlights
Headlights (band)
Headlights is an American indie rock band from Champaign, Illinois on Polyvinyl Records. The band was formed following the dissolution of Absinthe Blind, when members Erin Fein, Seth Fein and Brett Sanderson formed a band named Orphans...
, God Made Me Funky
God Made Me Funky
God Made Me Funky is a Toronto-based funk group. The group started in 1996 as an "instrumental funk fusion experiment" and developed a popular following in the Toronto music scene.-Awards and nominations:...
, Radio 4
Radio 4 (band)
Radio 4 is a band from Brooklyn who formed in 1999. They claim that their sound, which has been described as "danceable punk", is "made in New York, is about New York, and sounds like New York"....
, Spectrum
Spectrum (band)
Spectrum is an Australian progressive rock band that formed in Melbourne in 1969 and, in its original period, remained in existence until 1973. Its members also performed under the alter-ego Indelible Murtceps...
, Why?, Backyard Tire Fire
Backyard Tire Fire
Backyard Tire Fire is an American trio that formed in Asheville, NC in 2001. The band began in the fall of that year with founding members Ed Anderson and Tim Kramp . After encountering several line-up changes, the Tire Fire moved from Asheville to Athens, Georgia in 2002...
, and Jukebox the Ghost
Jukebox The Ghost
-Everything Under the Sun:Jukebox the Ghost's second album was released on September 7, 2010. 'Empire' the first single, was released on June 1, 2010.-External links:* * * * *...
. It was the first year MidPoint included label showcases into the lineup.
2009: 270 international, national and regional bands including Heartless Bastards
Heartless Bastards
Heartless Bastards is a garage rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2003. They are often compared to fellow Ohioans and Fat Possum labelmates The Black Keys.- History :...
, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit is Jason Isbell's second full length album, and first album released with The 400 Unit as accompanying band. The deluxe version of the album contains an additional four tracks.-Track listing:# "Seven-Mile Island" - 4:16...
, Chairlift
Chairlift (band)
Chairlift is an American electronic pop Duo.Based in Brooklyn, New York, Chairlift consists of members Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly .-History:...
, Micachu and the Shapes, God Made Me Funky
God Made Me Funky
God Made Me Funky is a Toronto-based funk group. The group started in 1996 as an "instrumental funk fusion experiment" and developed a popular following in the Toronto music scene.-Awards and nominations:...
, The Rosewood Thieves, The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, and Extra Golden
Extra Golden
-History:Bandmember Ian Eagleson studied Benga music from Nairobi for his Ph.D. thesis, and received assistance from Otieno Jagwasi, a Kenyan musician who played in a group called Orchestra Extra Solar Africa...
. A new interactive feature presented real-time Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
tweets and Cincinnati Bell texts from fans throughout the festival online at live.mpmf.com, in turn broadcast to the world and on screens setup in venues.
2010: 250 international, national and regional bands including Tom Tom Club, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Jason and the Scorchers, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Caribou, Best Coast, Surfer Blood, Holy F*ck, A Place to Bury Strangers, Fang Island, Shonen Knife and a secret, unannounced show from Spacehog. Several acts withdrew just prior to the festival, including Justin Townes Earle, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Villagers and The Broken Lyre. MidPoint continued on by broadcasting the real-time Twitter tweets and label showcases, as well as introducing a new method of transportation, hybrid Metro buses, that could transport more concert-goers throughout downtown and Over the Rhine.