I honestly feel like there is no way to start this review outside of telling Kansas City how proud I am to be a part of its music scene. This fest at its core minimum shoots pride through my body in a way I have never experienced. Wandering the streets of Westport, flooded with the faces of the people who have become my family over the last 7 years left me reeling as to what I have seen accomplished in this city in my short time here. 816 has placed its thumbprint on South by Southwest by bringing our bands to Austin through our takeovers. Yet, this event, Middle of the Map Fest goes further, bringing South by Southwest to Kansas City.

There is no city more deserving.

Starting my Middle of the Map experience at The Record Bar is honestly as perfect a situation as I could have been handed. The bar has always felt like home to me. The relief of a friendly environment would serve to calm the nerves of knowing in a matter of hours that the streets of Westport would be littered with hipsters and each of the town’s dives would be filled to capacity.

But people phobia be damned; I had bands to see.

Thursday April 5th:

Schwervon would pop my Middle of the Map cherry.  Recently landing in Kansas City by way of New York City, this two piece found themselves unpacking boxes and opening the bar within a 24 hour period. With catchy drum licks and dueling vocals I found myself taken by this band. It was 7:15 on the first day of the festival and I had already discovered a sleeper. Their short but revealing set reminded me of bands like Wussy, with plenty of guy on girl vocals and endearing awkward banter. If not sold by the music alone, the band’s unintentional style won my heart. With her rocking pinkish-red hair and him sporting the same stickers I use to put on my textbooks in the third grade on his guitar, it seemed nearly impossible to find a little charm in the band.

I wish they had been allowed to play longer, as opposed to the somewhat unimpressive Cher UK taking stage in the evening’s second slot. While I did find some enjoyment in their use of the whole room (and the band not only remaining on stage) the set overall was somewhat of a bore. It didn’t take long for me to wander out the door in the direction of the Riot Room and Hospital Ships.

For those of you who don’t know, Lawrence, Kansas native Jordan Geiger is anything but a rookie to music. In addition to Hospital Ships, Geiger has made his mark on Shearwater, Minus Story and the Appleseed Cast. Tonight however, he and Hospital Ships would kick open the doors of the Riot Room. Known for dynamic builds and soft vocals, Hospital Ships seemingly managed to shoot a downlow vibe over a somewhat dive bar. With vocals mirroring a lucid, tuned Daniel Johnston, the band represents beautifully, organic indie at its best. Ships set, which was not nearly long enough, filled the room with beautiful guitar picking and strong bass riffs. Watching the group’s guitarists feed off of each other playfully was choice, as they surrounded the audience with a foolproof combo of vintage pop and modern melodies. An absolutely breathtaking set from one of the area’s finest artists.

Fellow Lawrence band Quiet Corral would follow Hospital Ships’ set. I must say, this back to back pairing was hands down the strongest duo of the evening.

I’d be lying if I said that there was a Lawrence band I believed in more than Quiet Corral. From the first glance, I saw something special in this band. With an Americana sound backed by indie pop percussion lines, they wail through backwoods guitar hooks and twangy, southern song style. Swapping drumlicks between rustic riffs the band builds an entertaining scene, leaving the viewer both taken by their movements and comforted by the brilliance of their songs. I believe with all my heart that this band will make a name for themselves in the industry. They have all the tools necessary to turn heads. If noticed, I expect endless amounts of reward for this unique and special blend of musicians. I honestly will be heartbroken if the world offers them anything less.

Nearing the end of my gas tank, I managed a quick stop into The Union to catch a minute of American Catastrophe before retiring to my bed. With a full day of work and festival ahead of me on Friday, saving some energy seemed like a logical plan.

Friday April 6th:

If someone would have told me in 2004, that I would be starting a 2012 music festival day with Minus Story, I probably would have laughed at them. Don’t get me wrong; this is not due to a lack of talent. Minus Story actually provided me with the Friday’s best set, taking all of the gushy things I stated above for Hospital Ships and applying them to a locally historic band that I had never gotten to see. The band had already dwindled away by the time I started researching the local music scene and I sadly missed them in their prime. However, watching them open the record bar on the Friday portion of Middle of the Map fest, I couldn’t help but remember just how much they had changed me musically upon discovering them. They had opened doors for me that would eventually lead me to bands like The Eels and The Flaming Lips, forever changing my taste in music. Watching them play was honestly a bucket list moment for me.

Floored by the way the guitars and keys fluttered about the room, I could only imagine this band in their youth. Geiger’s voice is nothing short of epic. His reach for high notes is both strained and startlingly breathtaking. It is endlessly amazing to me how his vocals, while consistent between both bands, can seem strikingly different when shifted from Hospital Ships to Minus Story. In the rare moments when Geiger belts frantically, abandoning his soft voice to reach the brinks of a yell, his voice is at his best. Like an exclamation at the end of an extremely important sentence, his screams are convincing.

From an old favorite to a new one, my love affair with the band playing directly following Minus Story, Soft Reeds, is no secret. Watching them bust out a collection of newer material is nothing if not exciting to me. With an updated, darker Gang of Four sound, the band’s follow up to Soft Reeds are Bastards should provide a healthy amount of radio play for the band.

There is no denying that Ben Grimes, Soft Reed’s charismatic front man is an entertainer. He is gifted with everything needed to propel a band into the limelight. With talent blending into his charming stage banter, his tongue in cheek heckles and infectious music remain indie enough to keep the scene kids happy, but poppy enough for the hipster kids to dance.

Bolting from the Record Bar, I meandered through the streets of Westport, making my way to The Beaumont Club and local for a minute but mostly from other music scenes, Mates of State. The drum and Korg couple had the venue in a frenzy, with a dance party feel and a house party sound. The duo never fails to impress me with a stage full of emotion, energy and hooks. If you walk out of a Mates of State show without feeling chipper, you’re doing something in your life wrong. Text me, I’ll give you the number to my therapist. She’s good.

Next door, at the Westport Coffeehouse two things were calling my name: Everynight/Everyday and a killer veggie hummus sandwich. I sat eating and enjoying the tunes for 30 minutes or so, before bolting to catch the end of The ACB’s. For the next hour, I would bounce around from venue to venue, catching snippets of The ACB’s, Unicycle Loves You, and Dollar Fox, before landing in front of Lauren Krum and her wonderful band, The Grisly Hand.

Krum, the frontwoman of The Grisly Hand, might honestly possess the most powerful pipes in the Midwest.  She helps propel her extremely talented band to the level of exposure they deserve. Catching her headlining McCoy’s, a local hipster dining spot, seemed a touch beneath them. In addition, with previous band’s sets running late, the night loomed on before seeing one of Kansas City’s best bands own the eatery.

Regardless, like always, the band’s set was without flaw. Krum’s stage banter and Hand’s back porch hooks sent night two packing in a manner only this band could. Book-ending a perfect night for me, I can think of no better way to end the evening.

Saturday April 7th:

There is something special about day parties, isn’t there? On most Saturdays, I’m not even out of bed by 1:00 p.m. This weekend however, I’d not only find myself up and dressed, but eating Chicken Pesto Pasta at The Record Bar, waiting for Minden to take stage.

Middle of the Map Fest would serve as Minden’s second to last show in the Kansas City area, before they pack up their instruments and head for the coast. With Portland, Oregon in their sites, Minden has honestly set themselves up flawlessly for discovery. Landing in a hotbed of talent, it shouldn’t take more than moments for someone to snatch up this band and promote the hell out of them.

Their catchy vocals, placed over booming drums and piano will fit flawlessly as the opening band of most indie tours. Sounding vintage at moments, their energetic front man Casey Burge steals the stage from is talented backing crew, jerking around the room and pushing his precise vocals to the back row. Their talent is rather mind bending to me. Had I walked in off the street today having never heard of them, I would have assumed they were a touring national act. Their tight riffs and busy drums are carefully planned and represent a band that is well rehearsed.

As sad as I am to see this band leave, I wish them the best in their travels.

Following Minden, the fairly new La Geurre  hit the stage featuring the not so new Katlyn Conroy.

I can remember hosting a show at The Brick roughly 4 years ago featuring Another Holiday and Hidden Pictures. I was convinced at that moment that Katlyn Conroy was a star. Her Regina Spektor meets Rilo Kiley style has mass appeal and minimal shortcomings, while her drum and piano based structure are laced with hooks. Conroy’s set is made for a bigger stage. Her Saddle Creek voice is sure to get noticed, given enough time.

Following La Geurre, I opted to nap (after getting coffee and catching a minute of The Billions). Olympic Size would serve as my alarm clock, setting off the evening portion of my final day at Middle of the Map fest. Not only was I excited for the return of Billy Smith, following his recent move to New York, but the chance to catch Olympic Size again.

Arriving late, I watched in just in to catch “Friends.” Instantly, the memories of how much I loved this band came sweeping back. Listening to Smith’s vocals blend with Kirsten Paludan’s beautiful voice reminds reminds me of seeing them in January 1st of 2010, as the first band of my epic coming to Kansas City party. They started the push that would lead me where I am right now.

For that, they have a huge place in my heart.

Making my way to The Riot Room I walked in on the tail end of Reflector. Getting to see Jake Cardwell drum for a harder, louder band was worth getting to the venue early. Not exactly in my normal wheelhouse of preference, I was shockingly really into this band. Sadly however, moments after discovering this band, I also learned that this was also the end of this band.

Reflector would concede the stage to local  legends The Appleseed Cast at 8:45. Having to make a choice between seeing this band or standing in line for Neon Indian and Fun, The Appleseed Cast would win 100 percent of the time. This is saying a lot considering that Fun has been in my top played list for multiple weeks now leading up to the fest.

Turns out (based on conversation) that I made the correct decision. The sound at The Beaumont was lacking and the room was filled to the brim. While hot, the Riot Room sound was spot on. The Appleseed Cast provided us with the best set of the festival. Filling the room with a wall of sound, Christopher Crisci’s experiments with sound shift from over the top feedback to soft,  melodic picking. Steadfast in their build, the band didn’t even bust out their vocals until the third song of the set. Above all however, watching the group’s drummer, dying of heat, direct the sound of the complicated compositions. To me, being the drummer of The Appleseed Cast reminds me a lot of being an air traffic controller. One false move and everything built could come crumbling down quickly.

The evening would come to an end at The Record Bar, with back to back sets from Keep Shelly in Athens (and an ongoing battle to get french fries) and the amazing El Ten Eleven.

El Ten Eleven’s two man lineup provides more sound than I thought imaginable with such a tiny lineup. Pretty guitar and drum send the Record Bar into a mini rave, as listeners shimmy around the room, shaking their ass and getting their dance on. Relying heavily on the experiential sound of bands like The Books, the groups infectious sound transcends the venue, capturing the audience’s attention and keeping it for the duration of the set. Come time for the encore, all of the fatigue I had been feeling had slipped from my body, leaving me wishing that this band could play for another hour or two.

Sadly however, like all things Middle of the Map 2012 had to come to an end. Kansas City as a whole, is better for it existing.

Photos by Todd Zimmer:

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