ZapTown

You can find links to all of our Broad Ripple Music Fest articles here: http://www.zaptownmag.com/category/categories/broad-ripple-music-fest-categories

October 2008, Broad Ripple was experiencing a cooler-than-normal weekend as Autumn was speeding through. The sun was peering through leaves set afire by the changing colors while the streets of Broad Ripple were alive with sounds coming out of local bars, back alley parking lots, coffee shops and record stores. It felt like the opening scene in Orson Wells’ Touch Of Evil where music from the bars clashed in the streets with the chattering of people. We were a scene in the truest sense of the word, and we were going to make a difference even if for just one night. Bands toughened up as they put on warm clothes and jackets and took to the outdoors. The audience suffered with them to enjoy set after set of the best in local music. Seeking warm solace in a dark bar and loud music with another band was the only solution until it was time to scatter outside and see another set.

The Broad Ripple Music Festival was in full swing. Walking from street to street and places like Luna to the Monon Coffee Shop’s back parking lot to the Casbah to Spin and beyond, I realized that Broad Ripple’s music scene was the most vibrant it has been in years and on the cuff of getting better and stronger thanks to an event like this. The Broad Ripple Music Fest was a beacon of hope, proof that the local music community could get together and make something of it.

October 17, 2009, the Broad Ripple Music Fest returns and this time the scope of the festival will be bigger and better than seen in the past two years with 20 stages and over 200 local, regional, and national artists performing in and around the Village.

“This celebration is very important to us,” said Daniel Fahrner, organizer of the festival. “We want to do more to show how much these artists mean not just to us but to this scene.”

Daniel Fahrner (Photo by Gary Mead)

This is Fahrner’s first year organizing the music festival. As head of the Transpanther Group (http://transpanthergroup.com/), Fahrner is not shy of experience when it comes to events like this. With the help of the Music Family Tree (http://www.musicalfamilytree.com/) and Small Box (http://www.smallboxweb.com/), Fahrner has been doing everything he can to get as many partners involved and make this year’s festival something that will be talked about for months after.

“We are trying things this year that you wouldn’t expect from previous years,” he said. “We hope this will draw in more people and support,” he said.

The first piece of evidence sprouted up about a month ago and the announcement of the festival’s Kickoff Party at the Vogue, Friday, October 16. He has managed to conjure up a powerful reunion show that resurrects three Indianapolis legends: Mab Lab, The Pieces, and Johnny Socko.

Mab Lab was best known in the early 00’s for their organic Trip Hop and spaced-out Hip Hop grooves, and a sound unheard of compared to what was going on in the city. Never really breaking up in the official sense, the band went on hiatus to do other things.

From the Zero Boys to the Datura Seeds and United States Three, Vess Ruhtenberg has been an essential fixture to Indianapolis and still going strong today with his contributions to the scene. After the United States Three Ruhtenberg went on to become many things, including The Pieces. Although not long lived, The Pieces went to gain local and national attention with their neo-psychedelic indie rock.

The biggest buzz about Friday night is the reunion of Johnny Socko. Best remembered in the ‘90s for their blue-collar ethics, four albums, and thousands of sweaty nights of rock and roll pleasure not to mention funk, punk, metal and whatever else they felt like throwing in, the band returns to their home state and ready to continue right where they left off. Fahrner has secured the return of all five original members for what will be an historic night.

The other improvement Farhner is working on is more variety and more stage space around the Village during the Fest.

“My original idea was to expand music genres and draw from different cultures and areas of the city,” Fahrner said. “We want to create absolutely epic mini-events within the Fest itself.”

Once playing in the band Everythus and the Deadbeats, Fahrner was scheduled to play AthFest in Athens, Georgia one year. When the band went down to this citywide event, he was simply blown away by the scope and support of it all.

“The community aspect to something like this is so important,” he said. “AthFest was a clear celebration of local culture, and I want to bring that here.”

Certain stages will have various themes, featuring an area for Hip Hop and Metal, Tru Nightclub will have a Dance and Electronic music stage, Midwest Emerging Artists will feature a stage at Birdys and Joyful Noise at Local’s Only featuring a variety of the best in local music. In addition, the Fest is not just for 21 and uppers. There will be plenty of all ages areas throughout the day. Northside News, the local record stores like Indy CD & Vinyl, the Monon Coffee Shop, for example, will be ripe with family-friendly events throughout the day and night.

Indy CD And Vinyl has been host to many in-store performances throughout the years (Photo by Gary Mead).

The Alley Cat will be a part of the Fest this year (Photo by Gary Mead).

Unlike last year where each venue and establishment dedicated a portion of the profits to a specific charity, a portion of the entire Fest profits will be donated to Keep Indiana Beautiful. By focusing on one organization, it will create a more focused impact on the city.

“Keep Indiana Beautiful is probably one of the fastest growing non-profits in the state,” he said. “We like what they are doing as an organization and we have a lot of potential to make a bigger splash by focusing on one group instead of multiple ones.”

As Broad Ripple continues to be portrayed as a cultural mecca for the city, that identity gets lost after the sun goes down, and Fahrner is ready to change that.

“This year will be the test. We have the potential for something big in the future. Hopefully next year we will get even more support and more sponsorship to turn the Broad Ripple Music Fest into a cultural phenomena.”

Broad Ripple Avenue (Photo by Gary Mead).

For detailed updates and how to purchase tickets, visit the Broad Ripple Music Fest official site: http://www.broadripplemusicfest.com/.

Check back with ZapTown as we will feature a Festival guide and interviews of a sampling of performers.