Tucked away in the heart of the Midwest, Middle of the Map Fest has became one of the premier festival stops for up-and-coming indie artists. After three years of experimentation with the festival, MOTMF has produced a near-perfect lineup for this year’s event, which is set to take place this weekend in Kansas City.

2014 is set to be the biggest year yet for Middle Of The Map. Under the Gun will be bringing exclusive coverage of this year’s festival, including this preview piece that outlines why MOTMF is one of the best kept secrets during music festival season. If you’re anywhere in the Midwest and not quite ready to head back to work or school after a successful spring break, make your way up to Kansas City for MOTMF. Follow the jump to read 5 reasons why the Middle of the Map Fest is the best kept secret in the obligatory and incessant festival season.

Talent

This festival was originated with the idea of helping feature talent from all over the Midwest. This year, over 70 acts will be from the Midwest; most of whom will be representing Kansas City and Lawrence area, with the fest also hosting independent acts from Chicago to Oklahoma to Minneapolis.

Diversity

Smaller festivals tend to bottleneck the selected acts to fit the demographics of the area, and maximize the crowd. Middle of the Map could be nothing further from that. You can’t find better diversity anywhere else. This lineup carries everything from blues, Americana, noise rock, hip-hop, acoustic singer-songwriters, electronica and even a few DJs. And not to beat a dead horse — but that’s just local acts. Even the headliners and “2nd stage” are the same way. Bigger names like Del the Funky Homosapien, S. Carey, Of Montreal, Shabazz Palaces, Reggie & the Full Effect and even Kate Nash will be grabbing the larger crowds.

Local Amenities

One of the great things about club festivals such as this is the culture that you can experience while you’re attending. Every one of these clubs will carry local beers, letting you experience a taste of the culture. If you decide to step away from the shows for a few hours, there are countless bars and restaurants to enjoy. You grab Kansas City’s best burger at the Flea Market, or get some killer Mexican down on Pennsylvania at Port Fonda, or maybe you’re in the mood for some Japanese cuisine–try Sama Zama. And of course you can’t really visit Kansas City without destroying some BBQ; your stomach will thank you.

Price

The value of this opportunity could knock on the door of $150. Now, I’d like you to try and guess how much this 3-day festival is rolling for…if you guess $100, you are wrong. Try again. $75? Nope. To get passes to this festival, drop $55 and you can be there Thursday night, Friday night and all day Saturday. Shut up and just take my money!

The Get Up Kids

It’s been around three years since the Get Up Kids have played a show in the States. And nothing is better than seeing the big name local act play. Not only do we get The Get Up Kids, but keyboardist James Dewees and his famous project Reggie and the Full Effect will also be playing late in the evening on Saturday. Those both will be staple shows to see. The Get Up Kids will be playing outside and headlining the night on Friday — and being how this band comes and goes so often, this could be the only show they do for awhile. You don’t want to miss it.

Check back with Under The Gun after this weekend for exclusive interviews and a review of Middle Of The Map Fest.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Corey From

Corey From, from Kansas City, MO, when not thinking about or listening to music, obsessively thinks about Royals baseball, a platter of ribs (or BBQ in general) and cold beer. Nothing special really.

Latest posts by Corey From (see all)

• LIVE REVIEW: Middle Of The Map Fest (05/04/16-05/07/16) - May 20, 2016
• REVIEW: The Fall Of Troy rip and shred through ‘OK’ with purpose - April 25, 2016
• Diarrhea Planet “Let It Out” with new single from ‘Turn To Gold’ - April 11, 2016