I’ve just returned from Cincinnati, where I played press for the weekend at Midpoint Music Fest. Sorting through all of Midpoint’s artists and venues was a bit overwhelming to me as an out-of-towner, so I trusted my gracious hosts to point me in the right direction. They must have done a good job, because I didn’t end up at a single boring show all weekend. Here’s a quick rundown of the bands I saw, and where you can find them:
THURSDAY
The Bloodsugars, based in Brooklyn, have a frontman who looks quite a bit like another famous Brooklynite, John Linnell of They Might Be Giants. That’s not to say that The Bloodsugars sound like TMBG, though. They play hook-heavy 80′s tinged pop, and Jason Rabinowitz’s vocal delivery reminds me of post-Glassjaw Daryl Palumbo. I found The Bloodsugars so immediately likable that I couldn’t wait to jump on the bandwagon early and declare them the next big thing. Based on the litany of glowing blurbs on their MySpace page, though, I think everyone else beat me to it. In fact, The Bloodsugars’ new single, Light at the End of the Tunnel, just got a writeup from Stereogum.
I’m glad I got to see the band live before I checked out their recorded tracks, though. Their albums are catchy as hell, but I like the Bloodsugars better in concert. They manage to pack a ton of energy into each song and, even though they deserved a bigger crowd at the Know Theatre, all faces present were duly rocked.
I joked that The Young Republic’s influences include Spoon, Spoon, Spoon and Neil Young, but that turned out to be a little bit off. Sure, their lead singer sounds somewhat like Britt Daniel, but they’re actually more into Hank Williams and Bach. Their bassist is damn good, and the duo of violin and viola is a nod to the band’s clear interest in things beautiful and old-timey. They also successfully pulled off a cover of Hey Bulldog, which might be the only Beatles song a band can play live without inducing eye-rolly groans.
You can catch The Young Republic on tour throughout the US and the UK in October. Dates are on their MySpace page. You can also download a couple of songs from their new record by visiting theyoungrepublic.net.
FRIDAY
Amo Joy are from Indianapolis, IN, and their thing is quirky instrumentation. Kazoos and a slide whistle figure prominently, but it doesn’t feel like a gimmick. There’s a legitimate 60′s psych-pop flavor to what they do, and it’s a blast to see live. The audience at Inner Peace really dug Amo Joy from the beginning, but we were totally won over once the band starting tossing out tambourines and noisemakers partway through their set.
SATURDAY
I’m a bit biased because my brilliant friend Amanda Lee played keyboard for Cincinnati’s The Minor Leagues on Saturday, but I have to say I would have enjoyed the show regardless. Ben Walpole, the band’s songwriter, loves and understands pop music in a way that makes his songs really easy to get into. You can lead Seattle boys to shows, but you can’t make them dance, so it says a lot that I danced through this entire set. Ben and Hilly Kenkel worked well together on vocals, and they ended the show with the crowd onstage singing along to French Canadia. Although this was the Minor Leagues’ first show in two years, they do have a new album coming out.
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