Heavy, progressive Hard Rock trio Valley of the Sun celebrates the birth of its new EP, The Sayings of the Seers, at the Southgate House’s Parlour room this Thursday. Cincy Art/Prog/Metal ensemble Atlantic Becoming and Columbus’ heavies Lo-Pan open the 9 p.m. show.  

The MidPoint Music Festival has announced the first performer confirmations for the 10th edition of the downtown festival happening Sept. 22-24, 2011. Artist highlights will include Cut Copy from Australia, Austin-based Okkervil River, UK rockers The Joy Formidable, Rolling Stone guitar god Kaki King, The Felice Brothers, The Album Leaf, Gang Gang Dance, Those Darlins, The Low Anthem and Jessica Lea Mayfield.  

The MidPoint Indie Summer Series returns to Fountain Square on Friday evenings through Sept. 2. For the third consecutive year, MidPoint presents national, regional and local acts for free on downtown's main public square. Headliners include Maps & Atlases (June 17), Pomegranates (July 1), Big Freedia (July 8), Ted Leo & the Pharmacists (July 29), Bad Veins (Aug. 19), Margot and the Nuclear So & So's (Aug. 26) and The Greenhornes (Sept. 3).  

The MidPoint Indie Summer Series returns to Fountain Square on Friday evenings through Sept. 2. For the third consecutive year, MidPoint presents national, regional and local acts for free on downtown's main public square. Headliners include Maps & Atlases (June 17), Pomegranates (July 1), Big Freedia (July 8), Ted Leo & the Pharmacists (July 29), Bad Veins (Aug. 19), Margot and the Nuclear So & So's (Aug. 26) and The Greenhornes (Sept. 3).  

There are more bands using the name Javelin than you can throw a javelin at. The Javelin kicking off the initial MidPoint Indie Summer Series show on Fountain Square is a pair of beat-boxing cousins from Providence, R.I., who have completely transformed the concept of sampling and Hip Hop mix tapery into a full-blown art project. They'll open for You You're Awesome at Friday night's free shindig.  

This Friday, Fountain Square gets ready to rock with the first MidPoint Indie Summer Series concert of the season. This year's opening-night main act, You You're Awesome, has earned its way to headlining status by building a growing following with its crafty, magnetic Electronica, a mix of modern, energetic rhythms, catchy, clever samples and an assortment of snyths and electronics that bridges early, pioneering usage and today's more stylized approach. YYA will be celebrating the release of its first full-length album, 'Good Point, Whoever Said That.'  

The initial 20 national artists booked for this September’s MidPoint Music Festival (coming Sept. 22-24 to various venues in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine) were recently announced and they show the fest is already off to a great start. This year’s event will feature Cut Copy, Deerhoof, Kaki King, Xiu Xiu and more.  

The deadline for submissions from artists interested in performing at the 2011 MidPoint Music Festival recently came and went. Performers for this fall's 10th anniversary MPMF are being decided by the judging panel and touring headliners are being booked as you read this, so expect the flow of MidPoint information to increase over the next few weeks, with showcasing acts being announced, as well as other details and wrinkles to this year's event. One announcement is that the new School for Creative & Performing Arts will serve as a venue for the first time this fall.  

After a year that saw record attendance numbers, the MidPoint Music Festival is set to return Sept. 22-25 for its 10th anniversary. Between Feb. 25 and May 16 the fest accepted submissions from all bands and solo artists interested in performing this fall. Once the judging process is complete, invitations will be issued to performers.  

The School for Creative & Performing Arts will host 2011 MidPoint Music Festival showcases in its theaters Sept. 22-24. The new partnership with SCPA, which opened the Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education last September, expands and reinforces MidPoint's presence in Over-the-Rhine.