Summer. Concerts. Fountain Square. Free.
If this sounds good to you, just wait until the bands actually take the stage.
WE WILL ROCK YOU
Fountain Square will be the place for local music lovers once the PNC Summer Music Series and the MidPoint Music Festival kick off the square's "Indie Summer" concerts this Friday, May 29. The series will feature a number of local artists - highlighted by a few bigger acts such as Enon (June 26) and The Fiery Furnaces (Aug. 7) - as a way to build excitement until the eighth annual MPMF this September. Food from Abuelo's Mexican Embassy, Skyline Chili and Papa John's will be sold at the new food tent while the bands - at least three per night - play from 7 to 10 p.m. (Some nights feature a fourth act or a singer-songwriter/open mic showcase at 10 p.m.)
Bill Donabedian, who co-founded MPMF with Sean Rhiney in 2001 before becoming Fountain Square's managing director, says this series is an outgrowth of the belief that "it's important to showcase something that's unique our city.
"With no disrespect to the cover bands, but I use the analogy that it's kind of like you wouldn't take someone from out of town to McDonald's, you take them to Montgomery Inn or something that's uniquely Cincinnati. It's important on the square that we showcase artists that are writing new music that could potentially be the next big thing," he says. "We have a great scene, and there's a unique sound in general."
STRIKING A CHORD
Donabedian says the city hopes to film the concerts and make them available on Time Warner Cable's local On Demand channel (channel 1111).
If local residents turn out to watch the concerts live, however, Donabedian says it could mean big things for downtown, too.
"For a long time, I think we had been lacking some city pride, and with this, you support local music all at the same time. It's a great reason to get excited about Cincinnati. Hopefully, (concert goers) can go, 'Wow, you know what - there really is something great here that I didn't know about and should check out,' " he says.
Peter Adams headlines this year's inaugural concert.
"Having the city focus on its own homegrown talent - I'm talking about artists of all stripes, not just musicians - is essential to building a vibrant arts community." he says. "Art could be one of Cincinnati's biggest exports and go a long way towards shaping how people in other parts of the country view our city."
