The lineup for this summer's MidPoint Indie Summer series — every-Friday free concerts on Fountain Square — features another strong mix of solid national headliners (many are MidPoint Music Festival alumni) from as far away as Australia and Timbuktu and local favorites. Stay tuned for additions and updates.

Friday, June 1: The Bright Light Social Hour (Austin Tex.); Buffalo Killers; The Kickaways

Friday, June 8: The Dynamites (Nashville); Khaira Arby and her Band (Timbuktu, Mali, Africa); The Pinstripes

Friday, June 15: The Seedy Seeds; Wymond Miles (of The Fresh & Onlys, San Francisco); Belle Histoire

Friday, June 22: Art vs Science (Australia); You You're Awesome; Shadowraptr

Friday, June 29: psychodots (openers TBA)

Friday, July 6: Lydia Loveless (Columbus); Patrick Sweany (Nashville); The Ready Stance

Friday, July 13: Seabird; The Harlequins; Jon Drake and The Shakes (Chicago)

Friday, July 20: Ha Ha Tonka (Springfield, Mo.); Izzy and the Catastrophics (New York); The Ridges (Athens, Ohio)

Friday, July 27: Orgone (Los Angeles); The Cliftones; Eclipse

Friday, Aug. 3: Bear Hands (Brooklyn); Lightning Love (Ann Arbor, Mich.); Fort Lean (Brooklyn)

Friday, Aug. 10: Budos Band (New York); Kansas City Bible Company (Nashville); Sidewalk Chalk (Chicago)

Friday, Aug. 17: Class Actress (Brooklyn)

Friday Aug. 31: Wussy; R.Ring

The MidPoint Indie Summer concerts start at 7 p.m. each Friday this summer. Music lovers of all ages are welcome to attend.

Invitations to the performers chosen from online music submissions are set to begin rolling out soon, but today, the first artists coming to Cincy for this September’s MidPoint Music Festival were announced. Below are the initial 20 national artists booked for the fest, which runs Sept. 22-24 in various venues in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine, as well as a few more acts for the MidPoint Indie Summer series on Fountain Square.

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Though it feels like we're just getting over the glorious musical hangover caused by the 2010 edition of the MidPoint Music Festival, today marks the beginning of MPMF's 2011 cycle. Starting today, artists interested in performing at this year's MidPoint can begin submitting press kits.

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If you're a musician interested in performing at this year's MidPoint Music Festival and you haven't submitted your materials for consideration, time is running out. Next Friday, April 17, is the "early deadline" for submissions.

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Three of the finest music festivals in the region — spring’s Nelsonville Music Festival in northeastern Ohio, summer’s Forecastle Festival in Louisville and Cincy’s own MidPoint Music Festival, returning Sept. 22-24 — have made recent announcements concerning their 2011 events.

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What a night for music and for Cincinnati last night at the MidPoint Music Festival. As expected, the Heartless Bastards packed the huge Topic Design Tent at Grammer's and played a fantastic set. Erika and the boys were clearly blown away by the quantity and quality of support from their friends and ex-neighbors.

Look for reports later today on this blog from Mike Breen, Brian Baker and C.A. MacConnell, but for now enjoy 235 photos from 12 CityBeat photographers who were prowling the streets last night, plus Cameron Knight's multimedia show set to Pomegranates music (they drew a huge crowd at Know Theatre).

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Update: The complete schedule so far is posted here: http://mpmf.com/schedule

If you've been waiting to hear what this year's MidPoint Music Festival will look/feel/sound like, today you'll have the chance to find out a bunch of details. MPMF's Executive Director Dan McCabe will be on WOXY.com at 3 p.m. this afternoon to talk about new features and announce (and play music from) a lot of the bands booked — give it a listen here. And be sure to be at Fountain Square tonight for the free MidPoint Indie Summer series show with Bad Veins, You, You're Awesome, A Decade to Die For and Thing-One, as the full lineup so far is unveiled. Below are a few other fun facts about MPMF09.

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MPMF news and musings: The official MPMF.12 "Kick Off Celebration" is set for Wednesday, Sept. 26, in the Hanke Building just off Main St. (215 Michael Bany Way, between 12th and Reading). The free, open-to-all (21-and-up) party starts at 6 p.m. and will feature music from DJ Ice Cold Tony (who will be laying down some mash-ups featuring MPMF artists) and great Cincy rockers 500 Miles to Memphis will blow the rest of the roof off with a set starting at 9 p.m. There will be giveaways, free Vitaminwater, free Eli's BBQ (while it lasts) and a chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to the CityBeat-sponsored New Year's Eve blow-out at Bogart's featuring music by The Afghan Whigs.

And now, with the countdown down to just 8 days, here are our daily MidPoint Music Festival 2012 picks …

BIG SHOT
Tennis (Denver, CO)
Indie Pop
It’s been a breakthrough year for Colorado Indie trio Tennis, starting with the winter release of its stellar (and highly anticipated) sophomore full-length, Young and Old, on Fat Possum Records. After touring its comparatively lo-fi, critically-lauded debut Cape Dory (crafted by core duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley), the duo took its vintage Pop songs into the studio with The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, who helped give the songs a more direct punch (resulting in the addition of a drummer to the fold). Where acts like Best Coast and Jesus and Mary Chain rewire the classic Pop of the ’60s, Tennis write songs that often recall the ballads of ’50s Pop, something more evident and effective on Young and Old, which charted well and performed exceptionally at college radio. The band’s songs have been used on TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and are becoming favorites in the fashion world, and they’ve also made a fan out of the Republican (one of "the good ones") daughter of an almost-President, Meghan McCain, who tweeted her joy that Tennis had become the soundtrack to her summer this earlier this year.
You'll Dig It If You Dig: Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, the house band for Mad Men (if they had one). (Mike Breen)

Tennis performs at the Know Theatre on the Bioré Strip's Main Stage Saturday, Sept. 29, at 11:45 p.m. Here's Tennis' clip for their swoony tune "Pigeon."



SLEEPER PICK
The Bonesetters (Muncie, IN)
Indie Rock
Bonesetters don’t necessarily sound like a lot of bands but they fit well in the Midwestern construct of talented groups crafting a complex sound out of relatively simple ingredients. Sparse guitar melodies, both plugged and unplugged, are appointed with spartan rhythmatism, unexpected instrumental counterpoints (mariachi trumpet, keening violin, gentle vibes, wheezing harmonium) and a quiet sense of Indie Rock urgency on Savages, Bonesetters’ full-length debut from late last year. It’s easy to understand why Muncie loves Bonesetters, it’s harder to understand why they don’t play here all the bloody time.
Dig: Clem Snide, My Morning Jacket and Gomez making high lonesome carnival Surf Rock for emo hodads. (Brian Baker)

The Bonesetters perform Thursday in Washington Park at 5 p.m. Here's the band's debut album, which you can sample below, then download the whole shebang for free.


LOCAL LOCK PICK
The Dukes Are Dead (Cincinnati, OH)
Rock & Roll
If you’re a local Rock fan who has yet to catch a live show from exciting Cincinnati foursome The Dukes Are Dead, you’ve missed out on some great shows … and you only have this one more before The Dukes Are Dead are dead. In just a couple of years — first as “The Dukes,” before adding “Are Dead” to avoid confusion with the 17,000 other bands with the same name — the foursome amassed a loyal following and even got into theater, becoming the house band for the local staging of “Rock musical” Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Though the band’s last show (sure to be a debauched blow-out) is this one at MPMF, there is hope for fans — in their farewell note on Facebook, it was announced that the members will each continue to pursue making music in the future.
Dig: No-nonsense Rock & Roll, bands with names that turn out to be prophetic. (MB)

The Dukes Are Dead's final show is Saturday, Sept. 28, at 8:30 p.m. at The Drinkery. The kind gentlemen of The Dukes are also giving fans some final recorded music as a parting gift — sample below then click on the player to download your free copy of the five-track EP, Before We Died.


Click here for full MPMF details via the official MidPoint site.

If you’ve been following the MidPoint Music Festival’s Twitter feed and Facebook page and keeping an eye on the official Web site (mpmf.com), you’ve been privy to a gradual stream of information about the artists performing at this year’s fest, coming up Sept. 23-25 in venues around Downtown and Over-the-Rhine, as well as the Southgate House in Newport. Tomorrow, be sure to check the MPMF site for the unveiling of the full schedule (including venues, dates and times). Even the schedule itself should be pretty cool. This year marks the debut of a new interactive sched that’ll make it easier for you to plot your MPMF course, with lots of new tech features.

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If you are a musician interested in performing at the upcoming MidPoint Music Festival (Sept. 23-25), today is the last day to get your submissions in. If you're not a musician but know any that might be interested, be sure to spread the word. Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

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