Middle of the Map fest

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rxlexi
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Middle of the Map fest

Post by rxlexi »

  Did anyone make it to any of the shows at last weekend's Middle of the Map fest?  There appeared to be a pretty awesome lineup of local and national small-to-medium indie bands...I would love to have gone but didn't make it. 

  Timothy Finn wrote a glowing review in the Star today, sounds like this could become something pretty special for KC on an annual basis.  Congrats to Ink and The Record Machine for pulling it off so smoothly on the first run.  Any firsthand experience?
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by bobbyhawks »

rxlexi wrote:
  Did anyone make it to any of the shows at last weekend's Middle of the Map fest?  There appeared to be a pretty awesome lineup of local and national small-to-medium indie bands...I would love to have gone but didn't make it. 

  Timothy Finn wrote a glowing review in the Star today, sounds like this could become something pretty special for KC on an annual basis.  Congrats to Ink and The Record Machine for pulling it off so smoothly on the first run.  Any firsthand experience?
Pretty terrific idea and event for KC.  Ultimately I would hope they continue to grow and get a few more "big" names in the indie scene to compliment the great showcase for local music that this is and can be in the future.  For a first run, it was well run and a really terrific and unique add to the KC music scene.

I was able to catch the Raveonettes on Saturday, and they put on a great show.  I wasn't too familiar with them beforehand, but they won me over.  Also, I was impressed by one of the local openers - Reward Tree*.  A few of my friends were over at the Beaumont Club for Daniel Johnston and had a good time as well.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by UMKCroo »

I made it out to see El Ten Eleven @ the record bar on Friday night.  One of my favorite bands!  Unfortunately, despite buying the 2 day pass with grand plans of seeing several others, that was the only show I was able to see.  However, everything from the organization to the caliber of talent was top notch.  I was quite impressed and look forward to many more!
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by mean »

How did I not even know about this?
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rxlexi
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by rxlexi »

How did I not even know about this?

good question :).  It was all over the paper (big article in Preview last week), Ink, The Pitch, etc.  Sounds like it could become a pretty cool, and sizable fest if they play their cards right after this successful intro.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by mean »

Oh. Yeah, I don't regularly read the paper, or Ink, or The Pitch. Actually, I get virtually all my local news from this forum. Did anyone post about this beforehand?
"It is not to my good friend's heresy that I impute his honesty. On the contrary, 'tis his honesty that has brought upon him the character of heretic." -- Ben Franklin
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by chrizow »

thought about going to this to see daniel johnston....but i didn't.

sounds like a good event for KC.  i prefer more grassroots events like this focusing on local music with a few regional/national bands than the current trend where every city is required to host a weekend music fest each year with the latest NPR-indie bands.  (don't get me wrong, i wouldn't complain if KC had such a fest, just saying that the MOTM fest seems a bit more DIY than your "Subaru and T-Mobile Indie Fest featuring The Decemberists and Death Cab for Cutie".)
Last edited by chrizow on Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by coreyo »

I went for the full festival. Spent Friday night at the Beaumont and Saturday at The Record Bar and The Beaumont.

Festival seemed to be run smoothly, but then really what do you expect? The bars had to do nothing much more than they normally do except have more people on staff for a Saturday afternoon. Festival goers were able to just take advantage of parking and food of the surrounding area. I peaked into a few restaurants around 530 and everywhere had some people, but it was McCoy's/Foundry and the bars that were busy.

Bands were great. Seemed like lots of people took advantage of the cheap tickets and just showed up at 9 or 10 pm for the headliners.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by kimchi »

Friday saw: Alull (was looking fwd to this but underwhelmed, partially due to crappy sound at Riot Room), Dosh at Record Bar, El Ten Eleven at Record Bar, Small Black at Union (sounded good in the cave-like space & was my favorite show of the night), Louder Than Bombs dance party on the Union patio until 3am

Saturday saw: 1st part of Daniel Johnston at Beaumont, Tamaryn at RecordBar (loved it, although she was very sick so set was shortened), Raveonettes at RecordBar (favorite of the night & wonderful to see them in a smaller venue), dancing to Sheppa etc Moombahton-heavy DJ set at Riot patio, Thee Water Moccasins at Union. I didn't make it to any Saturday daytime shows but heard Ad Astra Arkestra was great.

I think it was a great mix of local & national acts & applaud our local music masterminds for making it happen (Nathan of http://therecordmachine.net/, all the owners & staff at the hosting bars, Chris from INK, etc...). Loved being able to walk between venues, except for RecordBar. My experience was worth well more than my $25 2-day ticket.  I think this will become an annual event that will attract good bands partially due to the success & band names of this 1st one.  I had a fantastic time & was thrilled to see every bar packed w/ people seeing live music.  I was really happy & proud of KC all weekend.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by rxlexi »

^^^ exactly the kind of review I was looking for, thanks kimchi! 

I love that Record Bar has carved out it's little Austin-y stripmall niche over there across SW Trfwy but have never understood why they initially decided to open so far from the "center" of westport.  Imagine Record Bar in the old Tizer's space, for instance  :shock:
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by moosnsqrl »

I was under the impression that Ink was the main force behind it. No?
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by coreyo »

moosnsqrl wrote: I was under the impression that Ink was the main force behind it. No?
If I had to guess, based on who the parties are, I would say Le Record Machine curated the festival, organized the bars, booked the talent. Ink probably threw marketing dollars and media attention to the festival and helped get some sponsors.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by KCMax »

Grizzly Bear headlines 60 bands for this year's Middle of the Map Fest.

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/02/06/40 ... unces.html

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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by grovester »

That's a really great line up. Wovenhand!
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by KCtoBrooklyn »

Grizzly Bear is a big get - definitely looking forward to catching their show, but I'm even more excited about Owen Pallett. He did come to KC once before, opening for the National - but I'm not a fan of theirs, so I skipped the show. Although, I would really love to see him play at the Kauffman Center with a small orchestra like this concert in Vienna:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHFk15og ... BDCE10BB6F

Overall, a very solid lineup for the festival with 40 more bands still to be announced.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by earthling »

There are a handful of SxSW knockoffs out there that have a chance to gain traction now that SxSW has turned into a corporate showcase for already signed/major bands. How does MotM compare to other spinoffs? What other major ones are out there? Is MotM attracting any labels?
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by grovester »

I suppose it could be personal taste, but it seems like they took a big step up this year. I would think that reflects label/band interest in the festival over all.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by trailerkid »

earthling wrote:There are a handful of SxSW knockoffs out there that have a chance to gain traction now that SxSW has turned into a corporate showcase for already signed/major bands. How does MotM compare to other spinoffs? What other major ones are out there? Is MotM attracting any labels?
IMO, they need to strengthen the culture/tech/whatever-it-is part to really be a player. For tech, SXSW is also very, very played out. There is opportunity to create something special somewhere else to compete with it. It would be cool for them to work something out with Silicon Prairie News to produce that part of the event, but Silicon Prairie has the Big KC event now.

What role is the CVB and the city taking part in this? The city should be tourism money into promoting this event throughout the region.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by WSPanic »

Went down for this on Saturday. Saw some really good music - and it was a beautiful day for it. It seems like this thing is gaining some traction. It didn't seem packed, but a few of the shows had really nice crowds. Was impressed at the turnout for a 3p outdoor show at the Riot Room. The Futurebirds also had a good crowd.

Hope they keep this going.
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Re: Middle of the Map fest

Post by bobbyhawks »

WSPanic wrote:Went down for this on Saturday. Saw some really good music - and it was a beautiful day for it. It seems like this thing is gaining some traction. It didn't seem packed, but a few of the shows had really nice crowds. Was impressed at the turnout for a 3p outdoor show at the Riot Room. The Futurebirds also had a good crowd.

Hope they keep this going.
I couldn't tell if the attendance was down a bit or if the whole thing was just better organized this year. I think the top-end talent was great, but perhaps the middle-tier bands were less exciting. It was amazing at how many people left Grizzly Bear with two songs left in the regular set so they could get somewhere else.
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