By Stephanie Wilks
September 28, 2012

Andrew Bird performing at Washington Park

Woodstock was an American historical and cultural benchmark. It defined what a music festival is. It set the standard. Without that 1969 hippie-fest, the musical culture in this country would be very different. We might not have festival greats like Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lollapalooza, Burning Man, South-by-Southwest, and now, the MidPoint Music Festival. Thank god for Woodstock.

 
Loose Parts Project                                                         Katie Pearson & Charlie Griebling

Chloe Sampson, Andrew Raftery, & Tyler Czerniak watching Pomegranates

Like Woodstock, not only do the best music festivals have a top notch line-up, but they also inspire creativity and the sharing of ideas. Midpoint is swiftly climbing the ranks in this department. You’ll find dozens of “creative inspiration” trailers scattered throughout downtown and OTR this weekend. They are sponsored by businesses and civic development organizations with themes like Loose Parts Project’s “Magnetic Force” truck where festival-goers are encouraged to create magnetic messages to leave for others.

James Bishop & Megan Kelley

Popular musical highlights from Day 1 included performances by Andrew Bird, Best Coast, and The Dirty Projectors. Bethany Cosentino, lead singer of Best Coast, stole our hearts with her charismatic presence and catchy feminine pop songs.

Lead singer Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast

“I only forgot a few words, but I think we did a good job, girls,” Cosentino said as she concluded the show with Nirvana’s “About A Girl.”

Machines Are People Too

Lesser-known Chattanooga-based band “Machines Are People Too,” had us dancing into the night at The Know Theatre. The crowd was modest but continually gasping in awe at the band’s unique southern alternative synth-pop sound pierced by lead-singer’s smooth and sexy Minnesotan-like “oh’s.”

“1-2-3-4 let’s pick it up on the dance floor, 5-6-7-8 let’s see how much you can take,” sang Brian Sylvester, lyrics from the song “I Get By.”

Brian Walker, Jessica Burban, Bridget McGarry, Kate Anderson

Challenge accepted. Day 2, here I come.

*For more photos from MidPoint check out our Facebook album HERE.

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