Indianapolis - Have you ever wanted to go to one of those music festivals like Bonnaroo, only without the sunstroke, sweat, mud and 16-hour road trip? If so, you're in luck, because there is a great music festival right in central Indiana's own backyard: the Midwest Music Summit, which takes place this year from August 10 through 12 at various Broad Ripple venues.
The music festival is in its sixth year and is the brainchild of Indy native Josh Baker. He modeled it after similar events in other cities. Baker, who holds the title of MMS executive director, says there were always "a lot of doubters and a lot of naysaying going on. You're in Indianapolis, for starters, which is historically not that hip of a town, although there's a lot of folks like myself and other creative individuals around town that are doing everything they can to change that. It seems to be working."
This year's line-up features 342 bands that run the gamut from indie rock to hip hop to country and bluegrass. It has grown from just over 100 groups its first year in 2001 and garners national attention - including a mention on Rollingstone.com. Unlike last year, which had events both downtown and in Broad Ripple Village, Baker says all of the gigs will be in Broad Ripple environs this year. As for the different genres, it all depends on who the festival can get. This year features more hip hop artists, with Dr. Octagon, Shock G from Digital Underground and Mickey Avalon.
Summit or festival?
Communicating an identity to the wider public has been a challenge for MMS. "A lot of people know the name Midwest Music Summit but they don't know what it is and I think that's the biggest hang-up we've had. Maybe we should have called it Music Fest instead," mused Baker. But he sums it up well: "It's just a concert; it's a festival. It's just like going to Bonnaroo, only it's not in a field and you're not wandering through 50,000 people. You're getting a chance to see these artists in the early stages of their career and at street level - you get to have face time with the artist."
Networking
MMS is all about networking and community. Fans get the chance to see their favorite bands and plenty of new music for minimal cash, bands get to network and meet new people, and everyone gets an opportunity for some education in the form of panels that cover topics like using video to market new artists, online promotion and the legal side of the music business.
The number of record executives checking out gigs and participating in the panels varies, Baker says, but panelists have included the pop music critic from the Denver Post, the music director for Fuel TV and music supervisors who place songs in television programs like ER and Grey's Anatomy. Representatives from XM radio have also participated. "It's like going to school for six months; some of the things you could learn if you could just spend an hour at each one of these panels," Baker said. A $150 badge grants you access to the panels.
The key for bands is networking, not necessarily getting signed. While rock legends like Bruce Springsteen can relate the story of signing a record deal on the roof of someone's car, it seldom works out like that - and in fact (as in the Boss's case) it's probably not a very wise idea. "This festival has not been about and never has been about 'oh, get your band signed to a label.' People getting signed on the spot just doesn't happen," Baker said. "The summit's played a step in several artists establishing relationships with labels that went on to become record deals, but we're not interested in saying, 'oh, well this band got signed here.' Our whole philosophy has been it's about the handshake and the face time and that's it. It's just building a relationship and making friends."
Non-profit status
Although the festival had about 16,000 attend last year, it is always in search of sponsors. Baker is working to gain non-profit status for MMS, a lengthy process. The festival has struggled over the years financially, and Baker has adjusted by learning to operate on a lean budget - something he says should be attractive to potential backers. Once he has 501(c)(3) status, Baker hopes to make enough profit to donate money towards musician grants and music programs in schools. Past supporters have included CICF (Central Indiana Community Foundation).
For a festival that relies heavily on word of mouth and reputation, Baker says he is proud of the way things are handled. "Our philosophy by default - we haven't done a lot of national advertising - we're in Indianapolis so if we're gonna do this festival it's gotta be great bands, great people and it's gotta be so well-organized that there's nothing that people can say bad about it."
Cultural community
The Midwest Music Summit is already playing a big role in the local community that goes beyond the club scene. Last year they brought in 400 IPS students to the charter school downtown for a program called Music Is Instrumental. They took part in songwriting clinics and an NCAA workshop where they learned to play college fight songs. "Those are the kinds of things we want to do, just more or less creating excitement to exposing them to music whether it's playing music or the business side of music," Baker said. The summit will organize a similar event this year to take place sometime in October.
Baker says the community has been supportive - a glance at MMS's website and it's easy to see why. There are plenty of sponsors, including WTTS, Intake, Paste magazine, myspace.com and several others. But Baker has much less help compared to last year - many staff are volunteers and move on to paying jobs eventually.
"We've minimized all of our expenses for this year. We're just running on a shoestring budget ‘cause we can't do it any other way. We feel pretty good about the talent that we have. Obviously with a larger contribution financially we can get a few larger bands. The festival is really about emerging artists. But it's always nice to have a few acts that would draw the people out that would come out to see new bands," Baker said.
The summit also succeeds at bringing visitors to the city - and Baker says they'll return for subsequent visits. While GenCon or the Indy 500 brings in tourists in droves, "A lot of those people I think just come into town and leave. But people who come with the summit, these bands tour through here all the time. It's getting to be a regular stop in those destinations which more people frequenting the city more often and it seems like it lends more to like long-term cultural benefits than it does dollar figures right now when it comes to tourism. I really feel like it's a benefit and it's kind of a prize for the city to have this."
Last year for MMS?
Despite the summit's growing reputation as an exciting musical event for Indianapolis, Baker says there's always the threat that it won't happen the following year. "There's only so much we can do; there's lack of sponsorships, there's not enough time in the day...it's so overwhelming for one person and this is me - and some interns and one production manager and I work round the clock and I have a family. It would be sad to see it go."
"Every year - it seems like - we're gonna have a great year and then we don't have a great year. At a certain point in time we have to look at it and say is it worth it? For the city it's valuable because we're bringing in so many people."
Baker has had offers to move the festival to other cities - a sobering thought, considering the offers have included funding and a salary for Baker. "But I've grown up here and I've built this here. A lot of people have supported the event since day one - a lot of people believe in it as much as I believe in it. It's hard to leave and say well, all your efforts and support and thoughts were for nothing,"
Since it's too late for any new sponsors to step in for 2006, Baker is hoping to sell all 2,000 wristbands this year. Over 400 have been sold so far. For $20, it's a good deal if you plan to see more than one show, since you'll pay a $10 cover charge at each venue anyway.
Recommendations
With so many bands to see, the schedule might be a little intimidating. This year's line-up is viewable in spreadsheet or searchable form on the MMS website - plus there's a nifty little text message system that allows fans to see the line-up for the next five gigs coming up. Page France, an indie folk rock group from Baltimore, has been getting some online attention. Cabin - who have scored some gigs in other cities after their track was heard on the MMS website and generated interest from several labels - are also recommended. Of course there are local favorites Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, who played a sweltering gig at the Broad Ripple Street fair this past Saturday. Others to check out: Miranda Sound, Silver Sun Pickups, Pravada and The Tide. Those bands fall into the broader genre of indie rock.
For bluegrass/folk/country, check out the Stringtown Pickers, Punkin Holler Boys, Petticoat, Petticoat and the thoroughly amazing Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band. For straight-ahead country, see Brenda Taylor at the Stone Mug. Jon Mclaughlin, from Anderson, is signed to Island Def Jam and plays rock. A Chicago showcase at the Alley Cat Friday night (Aug. 11) features 24 metal and punk bands from the windy city.
The outdoor concerts that are part of MMS this year are all-ages and free. Also, the gigs at Luna Music and Indy CD and Vinyl are all ages. Those events are a way to let the under-21 crowd get a chance to hear some of the music and to draw in passersby.
The Midwest Music Summit's overarching philosophy is one that will hopefully serve Baker well as the festival continues to have a presence in Indianapolis: "Just trying to be smart about it. That's all we can do."
Wristbands can be bought for $20 at the following locations in Indianapolis:
Hot Box Pizza (Pizza Express) - Broad Ripple
Hot Box Pizza (Pizza Express) - IUPUI
Indy CD & Vinyl - Broad Ripple
Luna Music - Midtown - 54th & College
Luna Music - North - 86th & Ditch
Luna Music - Downtown - Mass Ave
The Vogue Box Office - Broad Ripple
Connor's Pub - Broad Ripple
Birdy's Live - 71st & Keystone
Vibes Music - Castleton
Midwest Music Summit - Get schedule information, panel line-ups and hear tracks from bands playing the festival this year.
