Last weekend marked the third edition of Ink's Middle of the Map Fest, with
a lineup that once again is described as being "curated" by local
label The Record Machine. Let me first say, that I've attended each year and I
think this is a well-intentioned and positive event for the city and
midtown/Westport specifically. Each year hundreds of fans throng in and out of
the bars, venues, coffee shops and restaurants in what is surely a boon for the
economy of Westport and the local bands that are often highlighted. This year
we lost the Beaumont Club, which seemed to create some locale problems, but we
gained the Uptown Theater which typically serves as a better concert going
environment.
Still, I'm left wondering after this year's
incarnation what exactly Middle of the Map Fest intends to be. The promoters
don't seem to reach out much beyond their core base of fans and local groups
that they book every year. It's obvious that in name and spirit, MOTM wants to
be a successor to Austin's famous SXSW Festival. People from Kansas City or
Austin will probably wince at the comparison, but perhaps for different
reasons. As one patron of Buzzard noted on Saturday, "This looks like
Kansas City trying to do SXSW and doing a shitty job."
It pains me to criticize anything local that brings in business and gives a
platform to deserving local musicians, but somebody has to offer a critical
perspective in what is largely an insular and self congratulatory music scene.
(
We
can't expect this from the Star since they own Ink and by and by are
therefore directly involved with organizing/funding MOTM. I don't know what to
expect from the Pitch, but giving MOTM too much coverage is basically promotion
for a competing rag.)
The majority of core local bands booked this year were present in one or
both of the two previous years, and although some of them are my favorite
bands, I don't really see this as a productive use of MOTM. The Appleseed Cast
are not an up and coming act, and anyone involved in local music has probably
been seeing them annually for a decade+ (I've seen them about 30 times). On the
other hand, great local acts like Cowboy Indian Bear and Soft Reeds are on the
bill every year because they're signed to The Record Machine (absent this year
was Capybara, which surprised me a bit). Then you have the rest of the usual
suspects, which are often older indie musicians entrenched in the local scene
that currently do booking/run venues, or are still kicking around town in one
form or another. Hello Roman Numerals, Thee Water Moccassins, etc.
And oh yes, don't forget the Beautiful Bodies. We can't have a local show
without the Beautiful Bodies.
Every other entry in the fest appears to be a crapshoot after this.
Typically, bands that just happen to be on tour show up and breeze through as
if they were playing any other show on their current tour. As I watched Grizzly
Bear Friday night at the Uptown, that's basically what it felt like. Location
wise, the Uptown had little connection to the fest and besides two puny banners
hanging from either of the sides of the box seats there was no indication that
this was anything but another concert by another touring band.
But don't forget the twelve dollar beers. After paying a mostly reasonable
45 dollars for a three night pass, music fans were expected to pony up twelve dollars
for a beer at the Uptown. You might've thought you were at Arrowhead Stadium at
this point. (Sadly,
not
even the Chiefs charge this much for a beer.)
At this point, you might be wondering how exactly the fest is highlighting a
broad swath of local talent when a lot of the bands basically play every year.
I've wondered the same thing myself, and I've concluded that either: a) the
local scene is a lot weaker and more limited than we realize, or b) the
organizers simply aren't trying very hard or just don't have the pull yet.
Let's not forget, this isn't SXSW. Bands probably aren't dying to play the
Middle of the Map Fest in Kansas...City. (I'm sure more than a few visitors
echoed that same confusion so many of us on the eastern side of state line have
gotten used to hearing.)
I'm bringing some of these issues to light because I love local music, and I
love Kansas City but this festival could be a lot better. Why not try and get
someone like the Get-Up Kids to play? The recently reformed band is arguably the biggest thing to
come out of the area in decades, but they have a national
appeal as well. Perhaps the promoters have tried and the scheduling or money
simply didn't work out.
What about having another high profile reunion rather than seeing the Casket
Lottery play again every year? It was great to be there when they got back
together for MOTM in 2011, but am I supposed to feel nostalgic for that each
year when I see them open up with "Code Red"? Maybe just maybe if the
circumstances were right and the offer was there, we could see Kill Creek or
the Anniversary come together for an evening. Is our scene really so limited
that we have to trot out the same tired act every year? Are we that challenged in
our booking capabilities that our options remain either aging local bands, not
ready for prime time players, a few random national acts or bands that are
easily booked because the "curators" happen to be releasing their new
album?
In this, it's third year, we might begin to expect more from Middle of
the Map. But it ends up being a mediocre representation of local talent
that's even starting to wear on an ardent fan like myself.
Kansas City, we're
better than that aren't we? Or is an unfocused, largely unoriginal and somewhat
disappointing indie rock festival all that we have to offer?
