CINCINNATI, Ohio (August 3, 2010) – The long wait is over. Fans eager to see what artists are playing at MidPoint Music Festival will find a full schedule online at MPMF.com starting Friday, August 6. For weeks now, festival organizers have been leaking some of the bands performing via Facebook and Twitter, but venue and showcase times have been kept under wraps. Also officially announced today is the closing of early-bird ticket sales on that same date.
Fans have just one more opportunity to save $10 on a full-access pass for the festival happening September 23-25. Those who want a discounted $29 ticket will only find them available at this Friday’s PNC MidPoint Indie Summer showcase on Fountain Square. The concert features Dawes, The Sweep, Messerly and Ewing, and Goose.
“MidPoint Indie Summer has been a huge success so far,” said MidPoint executive producer, Dan McCabe. “Every single week the concerts have attracted thousands of live-music lovers downtown. And we are experiencing a huge bump in festival pre-sales due to the early-bird discount. Why would anyone want to wait?”
Three great days to discover your new favorite band
MidPoint excels in offering the best in emerging music. A 3-day pass costs only $39 online or at select retailers around Cincinnati and the Midwest. A pass provides access to three days of showcases by more than 250 acts from around the world on 25 stages. Plus, only three-day pass holders will receive entry to the still-very Secret Show. Admission is naturally subject to legal venue capacities.
Artists just recently appearing on the national radar, such as Best Coast, Surfer Blood, Justin Townes Earle, or A Place to Bury Strangers will be the cutting-edge types known to perform at the festival. New this year is the addition of more established acts, including Tom Tom Club, the dance band formed by Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, Japanese punk-popsters Shonen Knife, and famed arranger/producer Van Dyke Parks. Young or old, it’s the pioneering force the festival strives to offer; a sonic adventure for live-music fans.
The return of Scotland Yard Gospel Choir
One MidPoint adventure that did not go as planned last year is expected to resurge in a big way. Chicago’s Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, a fun-spirited band that’s part chamber pop, part wild Irish romp, was scheduled to play at the 2009 festival. However, while en route to Cincinnati the band’s van flipped eight times on Interstate Highway 65 due to a blown tire, causing critical injuries to all but one band member, long-term hospitalization, and the loss of all of their gear.
They had just begun touring to support their 2009 album, “…And the Horse You Rode In On”, but all of that went on hold indefinitely. The festival and several Cincinnati fans, being shook by what happened, reached out to support the band via message boards and online donations. It would be at least five months of recovery before the band started working.
Front man Elia Einhorn wrote to organizers “thank you, thank you, thank you again for the (financial assistance). That was just amazing of you. I’ve mentioned it a number of times in interviews, the way you guys really came forward to help us out. We definitely want to play MPMF this year!”
That is one performance we all look forward to seeing.
MidPoint Music Festival
Sept. 23-25
mpmf.com
myspace.com/mpmf
facebook.com/midpointmusicfestival
twitter.com/midpointmusic
