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Arts & Entertainment News

Music festivals plentiful as thousands of UC students start classes

Tomorrow tens of thousands of students will return to classes at the University of Cincinnati.  Some of those students have been on a three-month school hiatus possibly traveling, working, or even doing absolutely nothing at all.  Others might have been busy filing their transfer paperwork or readying their applications and social skills for their first introduction to college life.

Each year this week comes along and each year it seems to bring with it the endless possibilities of the academic year to come.  The frisbees come out, political demonstrations and engagement activities begin, and the first groans over the cost of textbooks are heard.  This year is no different, but in addition to this, the first week of classes is also well known for its host of social activities.

Tomorrow UC students will be greeted with the Launch Music Festival presented by Bearcast Radio and 51three (new Cincinnati urban lifestyle magazine).  The day-long Indie festival will feature a diverse collection of local and regional independent artists.  There will be different artists hourly from noon – 7pm, and will also have several artists that will also be performing at this week’s MidPoint Music Festival.

On Friday there will be the 7th annual Bearcat Live! concert.  This free concert starts at 7pm on UC’s Sigma Sigma Commons will feature We the Living, July for Kings and headliner Blessid Union of Souls.  Both Launch Music Festival and Bearcat Live! are free events to the UC community.

Also starting on Thursday and running through Saturday is the highly anticipated MPMF that will feature three days of Indie music at a number of Downtown venues.  So while everyone is getting serious about their studies be sure to take advantage of the many music opportunities for you this week.

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Eclipse at Northside Tavern tonight

Northside Tavern’s new backroom is open, and will be the spot to check out Eclipse tonight. There will be no cover and music will start around 10pm.

Listen to Eclipse here!

Northside Tavern is open until 2:30am everyday and is a great spot to catch local music and enjoy a few drinks. Northside Tavern has received accolades like ‘Best new bar’ (2003 – Cincinnati Enquirer), ‘Best Public Living Room’ (2004 – CityBeat Best of Cincinnati), ‘Best Supporter of Local Music’ and ‘Best Bar/Nightclub’ (both 2005 – CityBeat Best of Cincinnati). One of the other great things is that it is situated nicely in the heart of Northside.

Feel free to get there a little early and take advantage of their happy hour that runs from 5pm-8pm M-F. You can get $2.75 pints, $2.50 well, $3.00 call and $3.50 wine. Northside Tavern (GoogleMap) also has a huge outdoor patio if you care to enjoy the lovely weather or if you need to get out and smoke.

Photo by The Club Creatures

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MPMF 3 day passes

MidPoint Music Festival is right around the corner (Sept. 25-27). The music festival showcases independent local, regional, national and international artists throughout Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. This will be the 7th year for the annual festival and should be better than ever with new/more venues and tons of great acts.

One of the new features of this year’s festival will be the Scion Streetcar route. The crossover vehicles will be made available to festival goers to travel between venues. This is also meant to introduce the Cincinnati Streetcar movement/proposal to a host of new people and get even more people excited about the project.

The best performances are sure to sell out, and quickly. Therefore, MPMF organizers recommend buying See It All 3 day passes in advance. The $29 See It All 3 day pass will allow festival attendees to access all 17 stages and concerts by all MidPoint bands. This is the best way to guarantee your access to the best shows by your favorites artists.

Band Lineup | Schedule | Venues | Volunteer

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Rachel Z Trio at the Blue Wisp

This Friday (Sept. 12th) Cincinnati’s legendary Blue Wisp Jazz Club will welcome the world renowned pianist Rachel Nicolazzo (aka Rachel Z) and her trio. Rachel Z will be joined by bassist Maeve Royce and drummer Bobbie Raye.

The Manhattan-born pianist started classical training at age seven and eventually attended and graduated from the New England Conservatory. She released her first album, Trust the Universe, in 1993 with Columbia Records. Since that time she has released eight more albums with the most recent being the trio album entitled – Dept. of Good and Evil Featuring Rachel Z.

In this album Rachel Z shares the spotlight with her trio mates, but explores wonderful rhythms and harmonies with her many improvisations. The flow is tremendous and the improve keeps you guessing. Be sure to check out these well known songs done to the smooth sounds of the Rachel Z Trio:  Soul Meets Body (Death Cab for Cutie), Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers), Maps (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and King of Pain (Sting) to name a few.

Music starts at 8:30pm and will last around three hours until 11:30pm. There is a $12 cover to get through the doors for this top-notch performance. Drink prices are comparable to other bars/clubs around town and the Blue Wisp (GoogleMap) offers a variety of food offerings beyond the typical bar snacks.

Watch a live performance below, by the Rachel Z Trio, of the Dept. of Good and Evil track ESP (Miles Davis/Wayne Shorter).

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Arts & Entertainment News

VH1’s Top 20 Video Countdown coming to Cincinnati

Almost two months ago UrbanCincy asked everyone to help bring VH1’s Top 20 Video Countdown to Cincinnati. Well I have great news to relay – it is now being reported that VH1 will broadcast here in late September.

The two-hour program reaches an estimated 95 million households over three different time slots (6 hours of TV coverage). The Cincinnati Business Courier reports:

VH1’s Top 20 Video Countdown will tape from such local venues as the newly remodeled Fountain Square, The Ascent at Roebling’s Bridge, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Backstage District, Findlay Market, Union Terminal, Camp Washington and Northside. The initial air date is targeted for Saturday, Sept. 13, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The program is expected to repeat Sept. 14 and Sept. 16. The taping will occur to allow for a backstage interview with 3 Doors Down at Riverbend Music Center Sept. 6.