Kate's Queen City Notes

Blundering through Cincinnati, laughing all the way


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MidPoint Music Festival 2014: Saturday In Review

Post-MPMF depression. I have it. It’s a thing. Writing this up was my last task to close out the weekend, and I have procrastinated it. This reminds me of how facing January felt after Christmas when I was a kid. An occasion that I look forward to all year passes so quickly, and I’m left was wonderful memories and building anticipation for another year. This is a wonderful problem to have. Having such a wonderful experience that a little bout of depression sets in now that it’s over. On the bright side, I am seeing Chvrches tonight. I have a number of introspective things to say about the festival, but I think I need to let those simmer for a while longer. In the meantime, here’s what happened and some pictures.

Here’s what I planned to do on Saturday.

230 Modoc – Washington Park
345 Public – Washington Park
5 Empires – Washington Park
630 OK Go – Washington Park
715 Ancient Warfare – Moerlein Tap Room
830 Coves – Moerlein Tap Room
845 – The Nepotist – Mainstay Rock Bar
930 Ex Hex – The Know
930 Ravonettes Moerlein Tap Room
945 Low Cut Connie – Midpoint Midway
1030 Speedy Ortiz – The Know
1115 The Tontons – Mainstay Rock Bar
1145 EMA – The Know
1145 Gardens and Villa – Memorial Hall
1215 Milagres – The Drinkery
1230 Ex-Cult – Moerlein Tap Room

I missed Modoc, because I went to the sessions at the Herzog studio and saw Mustered Courage. I was hoping to leave there early enough to catch the end of Modoc, but no luck there. I missed Ancient Warfare, Low Cut Connie, EMA and Ex-Cult. I missed almost all of those because I enjoyed the conflicting acts too much to leave them. I was surprised by how much I liked The Ravonettes and Coves. And damn, The Tontons are now on my do-not-miss list. I will have more to say about the fest in a week or two after the post-mpmf blues leaves me.

Empires

Empires

OK Go

OK Go

OK Go and Confetti!!

OK Go and Confetti!!

Ex Hex

Ex Hex

Coves

Coves

The Tontons

The Tontons

Milagres

Milagres

 


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Midpoint Music Fest 2014 Must-see: OK Go

The last time I saw OK Go perform, it was a free show at Fountain Square at least five or six years ago. They have been busy in the meantime. Such as.

The visuals are really clever. But, man, is that a dark song. The first time I heard it, I thought it sounded like a New Order song. I thought that because it does. So much so, that I’m pretty sure they are referencing this New Order song on purpose.

I have no real sense of why they’ve linked these songs together melodically. Maybe OK Go are New Order fans. Maybe they just liked the sound of the song and wanted to take a shot at their own interpretation. But their lyrics seem too thoughtful for the nod to be that superficial. I think that both of these songs are about disappointment in relationships.

Disappointment in relationships, what a prickly subject. It’s the thing that goes unspoken except in song lyrics like these. And yet every single person on this planet who has been romantically involved with another human has experienced it.

I know I won’t be disappointed in this show. OK Go plays Washington Park on Saturday Sept. 27 at Midpoint Music Festival. If you love experiencing new music live and you live close to Cincinnati, you must check out this fest.