I wonder if there is any other event in the country that so explicitly mixes video, film, and live music into one attraction.  Or does Cincinnati have the only one?

The Lite Brite Indie Pop & Film Test (that’s Test, not Fest) returns for its 5th year.  On July 24th, it kicks off with a feature on the Fountain Square video board, followed by three nights at its usual venue, Southgate House in Newport.  Each night offers live music and short films in various rooms of the mansion.

Um, here’s the submission form.

Wow. That’s a mouthful.

As noted on the flyer, this is your chance to see the Cloven Hoof Theatre, Barnyard Burlesque, Pickled Brothers Sideshow, and Dante’s Gypsy Circus all at once!

More at Northside Rocks.

I had two events set to write about for this weekend, when I looked over at Soapbox Cincinnati and saw that they had beaten me to it already, and even included more events! Well, here they are anyway. On the longest weekend of daylight of the year, the list of quirky things to do abound. I like to think we have pagans to thank. Thank you pagans.

• RiverSpan Sculpture Exhibition and Sale. “The entire bridge deck will be tented to provide an enjoyable experience to artists and patrons alike, rain or shine.” Hmm, like a giant worm trapped in a purple cage.
• Cincinnati Soapbox Derby. Aside: I once made a car for the Pinewood Derby in Cub Scouts. I didn’t know it was legal to add weight to the car. Hence, I finished dead last, and my car didn’t even make it to the end of the track. Thank you for the self-confidence, Cub Scouts.
• Happen Inc.’s Grand Opening Celebration In Northside. From the creators of the Toy Lab comes a new space in Northside. Promises to be a fun day of art for all ages.
• 48-Hour Film Fest At 20th Century Theater. See the best films that can be made in under 48 hours.

I’ve made the decision that I won’t live in a city that doesn’t have its own Fringe Festival. A Fringe city makes a statement about itself. It says it’s open to the unknown. It says maybe we don’t have avant-garde, uncensored, rock-it-out-to-all-hours-of-the-night events happening every week, but we think there’s a place for that and so we’re going to make it happen – even if it’s only for twelve days at a time to start. A city open to risk, to taking a chance on something it’s never tried before is a city that honors and respects its creative capital. It indicates an understanding that a city’s uniqueness is tied to providing opportunity for its creatives to experiment and collaborate with other creatives from other parts of the world. More than just an arts festival, Fringes are essentially very cool conventions on what tomorrow’s art will be. Like many things worthy of understanding and funding, it will take some time before all civic stakeholders see the twelve-day event that way, but Festival organizers say they’re not plannning on leaving anytime soon.

Take any drive to any city and on your way in you can pretty much guarantee what kind of shopping you’re going to run into, what kind of music will be playing (or not playing) on the radio and what kind of food you’re going to eat based on the pretty pictures on the menus. But a Fringe city tells you something different. It tells you that amid this homogeny lies a group of creatives who are willing to offer something much more exciting than the safety of the familiar. They’re willing to offer a gamble. And that gamble is what a Fringe Festival is all about – there is always something for anyone to love or hate, you just have to find it.

The Fringe Festival is here! Shows start this Wednesday, May 28, 2008. But if you can’t wait for that, the Visual Fringe starts off at the Cincinnati Art Academy in Over-The-Rhine on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, from 6-9 pm. After that, the official kickoff party rages from 9pm-1am at the Know Theatre. Check out the website for schedules, show info, tickets, and more.

This year’s Fringe Festival kicks off on Wednesday, May 28, 2008. See the website for details.

The second installation (and I use that word intentionally) of the Scorched Nuts festival is from June 19-22 2008. It is the Ohio version of the famous Burning Man festival held out in the Nevada desert.

More on the Scorched Nuts website.

“Attending a well-run fringe festival is sort of like shopping at an engorged Findlay Market while under the influence of something spectacular. You really have no idea what you’ll find, but you will have some great stories to tell later.”- Cincinnati Fringe Festival