Donewaiting had some early coverage of this locally born, Ohio-centric festival a few months back, but as details have emerged and the hour drawn near it’s time for an excited reminder. The festival kicks off tonight (8PM) at Bourbon St Cafe with a series of short documentaries and live footage from several historical Columbus and Dayton bands. Following the screenings, the first of three nights of live music shows begins next door at The Summit. The bills for all three nights of music are excellent, showcasing some of Ohio’s premier homegrown talent. Of note is the live debut of RJD2’s Icebird project, a resurgent Kelley Deal in R Ring, and a return to the motherland by Heartless Bastards. I doubt any folks around here need to be introduced to New Bomb Turks, Nick Tolford, Blueprint, EYE, or Envelope, but yeah, they are all (along with others) performing as part of this over the next three nights.
While the collection of musical performances is going to be great, the film offerings are proving to be the real rare treat. There is more happening than I have time to highlight, so I really encourage a review of the festival website for a thorough rundown of what’s showing. Highlights for me will definitely begin on Friday with The Garage Tapes, three never-before-screened short films featuring a musing and performing Tom Waits, as shot by Jim Jarmusch. In the vein of music-related films, the documentary Outside In delves into the often difficult life of Akron artist Alfred McMoore, who was befriended by Dan Auerbach and was the source for Auerbach’s band name- The Black Keys. 45365, a winner of the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW, is a portrait of Sidney, Ohio and describes both the simplicity and depth of life and relationships small-town America. Columbus ex-pat and festival co-founder Eric Mahoney is screening is own contribution- North Dixie Drive, about the eccentricities of one particular Dayton neighborhood and the characters found within it. Also on my must-see list is Oscar-nominated The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant and 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King about the career of Pete Rose. Tickets are still available for all these events, check the festival website or Facebook page for showtimes. Movies will be screened at the Arena Grand Theater (they have beer) downtown. Get on it!