SCENE REPORT: INDIANAPOLIS

RECAP OF THE INDIANAPOLIS STOP ON THE EIY SPRING (INTO ACTION) TOUR

There aren’t enough good things that I can say about my experiences in the Indianapolis DIY music scene. Stephen Zumbrun — who started Piradical Productions after throwing a hugely successful show for his wedding in 2005 — embodies the attitude, approach, values, work ethic, intention, and dedication that every person in every independent music scene should have. The Piradical Pirate family is working hard to cultivate and develop the Indianapolis all-ages scene, at a cost to themselves, and with the goal of maintaining that sense of connection and community among bands and showgoers alike. The two times I’ve worked with Piradical Productions on shows, I’ve had an absolute blast and felt like I was part of something bigger than just another “show.” A lot of this probably has to do with the fact that Stephen honestly just loves music, of all sorts. He will stand in the front row through the entire show, with his shoes off, singing and dancing and moshing along with all the kids at the show — or by himself if he has to. Luckily, in this city, he is never by himself up front. This town loves to dance, and the bands who play these shows are each other’s number one fans. They have more fun together than I’ve seen anyone have at almost any show I’ve been to in the past 10 years.

If you think I’m exaggerating, get in your car and go to the next Piradical Productions event in Indianapolis.

Beyond genuinely enjoying live music, this group of friends is constantly working to build on their ideas for the scene. They have a handful of venues that they book — including the Hoosier Dome, a lovable DIY space in an old Tobacco shop where we had the EIY Tour show — with volunteers to help run the shows, regular team meetings to plan for upcoming events, an active street team, a screenprinting business, their own punk house that is filled with the posters from every show they’ve ever done together, and their own website with a community messageboard for people to interact, get to know each other, speak their minds, and discuss local happenings.

Needless to say, the meet-up in Indy was great. It wasn’t just Piradical (or “Pirad” as they say for short) members, either: it was people from all corners of the scene, plus small towns outside the city, and as far as two hours away. I took a little too much time asking for people’s stories (sorry about that — I just love hearing about how everyone discovered punk/DIY), but once we got the conversation going, a lot came up that was really interesting and helpful. There are a lot of people doing their own thing and trying to start their own projects in whatever small town they came from. We talked about the need to branch out and invite the disconnected younger generation to local shows, and bring them up to the front and show them how to dance and sing and have a good time. One idea that was brought up was a monthly vegan potluck, meet-up, and mixed genre showcase for local bands — to give Pirad a chance to invite new people who might want to get involved, but aren’t sure of where to start. I love this idea and back it 100% and will attend as many of these potluck meet-ups as I personally can!

I was already in high spirits by the time the meet-up was over — and then the showcase started, and turned out to be one of the best nights of music I’ve experienced in the past… year, easily.

Here’s the recap:

Band: Don’t Call It A Comeback from Indianapolis
This indie rock band has been brought up in the house show scene, and even though they are in high school, they are already putting on an amazing performance and writing some of the most interesting songs we’ve heard on this tour. It’s obvious that this band has been introduced to music and the local scene by people who took the time to show them the ropes, taught them the proper etiquette for being a band and being a kid in the crowd, and introduced them to some really great music. They’re drawing from much more mature influences than a lot of the younger bands we’ve seen on this tour, and the singer’s lyrics are thoughtful, introspective, and meaningful. (I told him he needs to listen to The Weakerthans and read every lyric John K Sampson has ever written.) I absolutely cannot wait to see how this band develops as they get older. They are one of my favorites from the tour, by far.
Check them out HERE.

Band: It’s All Happening from Indianapolis
These guys kept the positive energy and good music going with an awesome, fun set of upbeat indie/punk rock songs with almost a punk/country spin, thanks to the amazing guitar playing by the singer. Non-stop energy and songs about punk rock shows and friends that are family. Everyone was dancing and singing along, and you could just feel the energy in the room as the momentum continued to build from the first band to the second. The bassist for the second band was actually filling in to help them out, and as soon as they were done he got ready to play another set with his own band. The same guy also jumped on stage during the first band to sing one or two of their songs with them. Talk about bands supporting each other — even in a “showcase” where they are “competing” for the same opportunity. Amazing. Great band.
Check them out HERE.

Band: The Day After from Indianapolis
After giving the bassist a little bit of a breather, the third band got up to play. I thought, “Surely this show can’t go three for three” — but then they started to play and that’s exactly what happened. Another great set, still in the indie/punk/rock vein, but with some more hardcore influences. The crowd didn’t slow down, and again everyone was dancing and singing in the front row as close as they could get, arms around each other, fists in the air. I saw members of all the other bands up front singing every word. The only constructive criticism I can offer would be that I’d like to see this band zero in on exactly the genre(s) they want to cover in their songs. It almost seemed as if the set was split into two or three sections, with more melodic songs in one half and more breakdown-y screaming songs in another. But I still bought the CD!
Check them out HERE.

Band: Forevermore from Indianapolis
Proof that this community is all about music of any kind as long as it’s honest and the people are good people, the last band on the bill was a Christian metalcore band, a la Haste The Day, and I immediately assumed that the room would clear out or at least that the bands and promoter and friends up front would dissipate. I assumed, based on the way other bands and kids at other shows usually act, that when the out-of-place band got on stage, people would lose interest. But I was absolutely wrong in my pre-judgment. Not only did EVERYONE in the room stay right up front, but the dancing got even crazier and all the other bands were STILL singing along! I could not believe my eyes. At one point, the bassist’s guitar stopped working, and someone from another band ran and grabbed their bass so he could finish the set. At another point, that same crazy kid who played/sang with all the bands got up and sang an entire song with this band, word for word. It was a really fun set, and the band was a solid representation of their genre.
Check them out HERE.

After the show, we needed to get on the road to drive a few hours toward the next city. But the Pirad crew refused to let us leave before getting food with them at a favorite local spot. How could we say no? I’m a huge fan of the after-show diner outing, and this was the biggest group we’ve had so far. We took over the entire outside seating area and had some delicious food and great conversation before we finally hit the road around midnight. It was, in almost every way, the perfect punk show.

I honestly enjoyed every band that played that night. All of them “get it” and are deserving of whatever goals they set for themselves. I wish we could put them all on the Warped Tour, but we had to pick one, so we went with the youngsters: Don’t Call It A Comeback. We hope the entire scene will take it as a compliment, as they played a part in making that band who they are, and who they will become.

Thanks again to Stephen for all that he is doing to pass the torch in Indianapolis. I can’t wait to be back!

Get involved: www.piradicalproductions.com

Love,
Sarah & EIY

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