One of the grooviest annual "fest" shows going, the
Lite Brite Indie Pop & Film Test, returns to the Southgate House this weekend for its fourth annual event. The festival -- which runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- is the brainchild of Dan McCabe, a longtime show booker/promoter in the area (and
CityBeat's promo guy), who wanted to celebrate unheralded filmmakers and musical artists. Along with bigger "name" independent films, Lite Brite also showcases local filmmakers. Likewise, the fest brings in some established and up-and-coming national acts, but McCabe is sure to insert some interesting and deserving local bands into the mix.
Friday, the excellent, exuberant (yet slanted) local Indie Pop machine Pomegranates join a bill that features Saddle Creek Records' Maria Taylor and Jimmy Eat World. Pomegranates recently signed with Louisiana-based Lujo Records, home to underground sensations like Look Mexico and Baby Teeth. Saturday night, the dormant-no-more local Indie heroes of mallory join Aloha (featuring former Cincy guy, Cale Parks), The Sharp Things (see interview, page 35) and West Indian Girl. (Kentucky's Parlour Boys were supposed to be the local reps for Sunday, with headliners Dandi Wind and The High Strung, but have cancelled, according to their MySpace page.)
Ticket prices vary night to night, but your best bet is to pick up a three-day pass for $25. Shit, you'd spend that much at the Macy's Music Festival for parking alone. Tickets can be purchased through southgatehouse.com or litebritetest.com.
More Local Notes
· David Bowie fans, local music fans and those with a soft spot in their heart for kids will want to be at Top Cat's on Saturday. Bowiefest 2007 was put on by a friend of a local woman who tragically lost her son, Drew, when his father accidentally backed over him in their driveway. Shannon Campbell began a mission to educate the public about car and kids safety issues, starting the Drew Campbell Memorial Fund. Plans are to post billboards about child/car safety around town in the near future, so money raised at Bowiefest will help that cause. A great lineup has signed on to lend their support: Da Muttss, Buckra, Todd Murray, Chick Pimp, Ramsey, Moped Mafia, Chris Lee, The Shitkickers, Okeanas, Jake Leg, The Seedy Seeds, Joe Hedges, Swarthy, The Mud Pies, The Times, Straw Boss and more. For more about the cause, go to drewcampbellmemorial.com. And for more on the fest, you can dial up myspace.com/cincybowiefest.
· It's Warped Tour time again in Cincinnati next Wednesday, Aug. 1, as the traveling road show of Punk, Emo and every form of "somethingCore" you can imagine, comes to Riverbend. As has usually been the case, a few local bands are making an appearance at the concert. Close to Home and Upset Victory are slated to perform on the Ernie Ball Stage (Dayton bands Simply Waiting and Ebew also made the cut). The bands were nominated by fans and then a panel of judges picked the lucky few who would get a time slot. "We're looking forward to playing in front of a completely new audience," Stephen Campbell, guitarist for The Upset Victory, is quoted as saying in a press release. "We also can't wait to rub elbows with the bands we've grown up listening to." Cool, just be sure to wash those elbows afterwards. The performing bands are also entered into a separate contest; the 180 bands chosen to play Warped around the country will be whittled down to four acts that will get to play a major showcase for labels in Hollywood. (myspace.com/cth; myspace.com/theupsetvictory)
· The Summer Songwriter Series in the Village continues Monday in Covington's Mainstrasse. The series (brought to you by the kind folks at the Rivertown Music Club) starts with acoustic music at 7:30 p.m. outside by the Mainstrasse fountain near the Cock & Bull bar. Then the fun moves inside the Cock & Bull at 10:30 p.m. This week, you can hear the acoustic sounds of Tracy Walker and Jayne Sachs outside, then rock out with the Kristen Key Band inside. The best part? The music. The second best part? It's free!
· If you want to see local Indie duo Bad Veins while they're still an unsigned band, I'd recommend checking them out Friday at the Northside Tavern. I have no "inside information," more a "gut feeling" (just like Michael Chertoff!). Oh, and they play for record company people all the time. The duo hopes to have an EP out soon. In the meantime, they've made a new video, for the song "Gold & Warm." See it at blogs.citybeat.com/spill_it.
CONTACT MIKE BREEN: mbreen(at)citybeat.com
