Well, friends, the day is finally here: the beginning of Bunbury Music Festival, held right here in my beautiful hometown, The Queen City, Cincinnati, Ohio! The city is abuzz–as I am–and there are many great places and acts to see. Here, I briefly outline Friday, June 1st.

Where: The Festival will be held down on the banks of the Ohio River in park known as Yeatman’s Cove. There are many cool spots to see (or pregame) prior to the festival. Yardhouse, Jefferson Social, and Condados Tacos are three spots right on the banks and within walking distance offering good food and a wide beer selection. A bit further away is the flourishing neighborhood of Over-The-Rhine, which I would also highly recommend checking out after the festival. In just the last few years, this area has gone from one of poverty and ruin to a cultural mecca that boasts the beautiful Washington Park, various clubs/bars, and other things to do.

Now, the most important part, the MUSIC:

The Front Bottoms: The Front Bottoms find themselves at an interestingly placed 4:30 slot, as they have seen a rapid growth in their following on the recent folk punk wave and also just released an EP, Ann, a few short days ago. They have a strong following in the Midwest and boast a fervently loyal fan base. They utilize unique instrumentals and simple yet catchy power chords with frontman Brian Sella’s crooning punk vocals. They are sure to put on a great show, and their time slot could allow for some real intimate proximity potential.

Young the Giant: Young the Giant is another band that has just recently seen quite the surge in popular, this one more on the hands of the indie pop wave. They’ve quickly gone from playing smaller venues–I saw them in a small theatre in Covington just last year–to securing festival night slots. Listen for songs like “Cough Syrup” and “My Body”, two of their most popular.

The Chainsmokers: For better or for worse, The Chainsmokers are not going anywhere. They are quite the active act, finding themselves headlining a handful of fests this season, and for good reason: they do have themselves quite the following. I consider myself… open-minded as their headlining act approaches. I expect an interesting crowd and an act not lacking in either simplicity or repetition.

26

Add to the story...