More MidPoint Picks

Still not sure who to see at MidPoint this year? Well, Classicgrrl at Cincyvoices.com has her out of town must see bands as well as local picks.

UrbanCincy's Dave Rolfes has some advice on Midpoint, which includes info on the Fest extras and some band picks.

Mayberry Foodstuffs Coming

I'd heard rumors of this a while back, but haven't posted so that the news could break in the traditional media first. As reported by today's Business Courier, World Restaurant Group's Josh Campbell will open an "urban grocery store" at Seventh and Main this November. Josh is currently playing with Mayberry Foodstuffs as the business's name. It'll cater both to downtown residents and to downtown workers who want to take dinner home.

Josh is clearly quite excited by the idea. (And when Josh gets excited, good things happen, as anyone who's been to one of Mayberry's supper club events knows!) The store will be open until 10:00--a blessing for downtowners. Right now, if I want a loaf of bread after 7:00, I have to leave the neighborhood to get it.

I'll definitely have a review once the store opens, but this is obviously a positive step forward for downtown.

And as long as I'm saying nice things about Chef Campbell, I ought to offer two other tidbits:

First, Mayberry's lunch menu changed last week to a fall offering. I haven't tried everything yet, but can recommend both the turkey hot brown and the "Menage a Trois." (The latter is recommended only if you schedule an immediate visit with your cardiologist. The sandwich is the ultimate homage to pork: pork loin, pulled pork, and bacon hot slaw, along with brie cheese and Josh's spicy beer mustard.) The mashed potatoes are also very good--unsurprising, given Mayberry's skill with carbohydrates.

Second, next Thursday (September 30th), City Cellars will host a beer and foodie event from 7 until 10. The beer portion of the evening is dedicated to the 175th Anniversary Hudepohl Amber Lager. On the culinary menu will be dishes from Josh Campbell, including spiced lamb burgers and baby back ribs. Fifteen bucks gets you dinner and three beers. I have to teach that night, or I'd be there. Reservations required.

ENS's Guide to MidPoint 2010

The team over at Each Note Secure has the most comprehensive Indie music coverage in the City and released their guide to MidPoint which includes a two good selections of local bands to see and new hot out-of-town bands. Check it out if you are going to MidPoint.  If you read ENS why would you not be going to MidPoint?

Metromix Lists 20 Must See MidPoint Acts

The Enquirer's Metromix has listed its list of 20 acts to check out this weekend at the MidPoint Music Festival.  I am again pleased with the level of coverage the Enquirer has been given MidPoint in this being the third year that MidPoint is run by CityBeat. A large portion comes from their blog network, but there have been other good articles in Enquirer itself.  I hope to see more reports during the festival.

MidPoint Picks - Imports

I spent quite a bit of time listening to all of the MySpace/Facebook samples for this year's MidPoint line up and I've got my listing of artists I am going to try and see. No, I will not get to see all of these. I purposely skipped the Southgate House, not because the acts over there are not good, they are, I am just going to stick with OTR/Downtown venues for convenience. I also left off local bands. I usually don't go to MidPoint to see local bands, but I hope that doesn't stop others from going to out see them. Since I tend to not see full sets in order to see as much as I can, I'll catch other bands, especially local ones, that's just how MidPoint rolls. I also left off a few of the bigger acts, I figure you don't need me to tell you to go where the crowds are really big, if you want to see the popular bands.

Some groups will be great, some good, some will have off nights, and some just will not sound like their sample tracks. The most important thing everyone going to MidPoint should remember: have fun! The second thing they should remember: applaud the hard work of these musicians and make them feel welcome in Cincinnati.

So Here are my takes by day in order of appearance:

Thusrday
Male Bonding	Grammer’s	8:30 PM	Dalston, United Kingdom
Karate Coyote	Mainstay Rock Bar	10:30 PM	Columbus, OH
Van Dyke Parks	Blue Wisp Jazz Club	10:30 PM	Pasadena, CA
Shonen Knife	Contemporary Arts Center	11:00 PM	Osaka, Japan
Astro Fang	Courtyard Café	11:15 PM	Dayton, OH
Holy F*ck	Cincinnati Club	11:30 PM	Toronto, Canada
Loto Ball Show	Main Event	11:30 PM	Chicago, IL
Friday
Caribou	Grammer’s	9:30 PM	Dundas, Canada
Aaron Daniel	Segway Room	10:30 PM	Seattle, WA
The Front Bottoms	Below Zero Lounge	10:30 PM	Bergen County, NJ
Royal Bangs	Know Theatre	11:30 PM	Knoxville, TN
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir	Main Event	12:30 AM	Chicago, IL
Saturday
+/-	ArtWorks	8:00 PM	Brooklyn, NY
Caravan of Thieves	Grammer’s	8:30 PM	Bridgeport, CT
Natural Child	Main Event	10:30 PM	Nashville, TN
Love in October	ArtWorks	11:00 PM	Chicago, IL
Phantogram	Know Theatre	11:30 PM	Saratoga Springs, NY
Cults	MOTR Pub	12:00 AM	New York, NY
Kinetic Stereokids	FB’s	12:00 AM	Flint, MI
River City Extension	Arnold's Bar & Grill	12:15 AM	Toms River, NJ

WOW! WCPO Has a MidPoint Guide

Way to cover Local Music WCPO! They have a special MidPoint Music Festival section on their website with the schedule and other events during the festival, even some feature articles.  It appears CityBeat provided the copy, but I'm glad to have more coverage. I really hope to see TV cameras from WCPO and other TV stations out each night during the festival, along with lead features during every broadcast during MidPoint.

Hat Tip: Kate the Great via Twitter.

90 Minutes Left to Buy You 3-Day MidPoint Passes...Hurry!!!

You have 90 minutes left to purchase your 3-Day MidPoint passes online. Click there now, and BUY! $39 is cheaper if you are going more than one day, so save money and get more music.

UPDATE: 3-Day Passes are still on sale at Retail Locations, while supplies last.