Your Middle of the Map lineup

Above: White Denim is one of several marquee bands that will perform at this year's Middle of the Map fesrtival. 

Last year's inagural two-day festival was a blast and a smashing success. This year's three-day festival looks like it will be even better. Eighty bands will perform on 10 stages in eight venues in and near Westport on April 5-7. Tickets are $20 a day or $35 for the entire festival. The first 500 tickets sold will get free entry to RecordBar and the Riot Room on Thursday, April 5. Go here for tickets and more information. The Thursday night will include reunion shows by three local bands:  Molly McGuire, Season to Risk and the Esoteric. Two other local bands will get together for reunion shows during the remainder of the festival: Reflector and the Minus Story. A list of partcipating bands is below.

The 2012 line-up: Mission of Burma, Neon Indian, Fun, F***ed Up, Murder by Death, El Ten Eleven, White Denim, Deastro, Coalesce, Hooray for Earth, Acid Mothers Temple, Casket Lottery, Owen, the Life and Times, Keep Shelly in Athens, Chad Valley, Jonquil, A Lull, Elite Gymnastics, Mr. Gnome, Gold Motel, Friends, Capybara, Cowboy Indian Bear, Soft Reeds, Molly McGuire, Reflector, Minus Story, the Esoteric, Season To Risk, Hospital Ships, Nerves Junior, Phantasmagoria, Broncho, Beacon, Ad Astra Arkestra, Thee Water MoccaSins, Deadringers, La Guerre, Motorboater, Everyday/Everynight, Maps For Travelers, Spirit Is The Spirit, Max Justus, Sam Billen, Believers, Akkilles, Beau Jennings, Christopher Paul Stelling, Baby Teardrops, Saintseneca, Sleepy Kitty and Unicycle Loves You.

The venues: the RecordBar, the Riot Room. the Beaumont Club, the Union, the Gusto Lounge, the Firefly lounge, McCoy's and the Westport Coffeehouse.

Comments

[layne_says]

fucked up is playing? awesome!

[The Truth]

Wow. Guess I'm going to KC.

[pellboy]

This news makes me want to reach for my revolver.

[Big Joe]

Those band names make me want to vomit.

[NEW]

Mission of Burma! Holy Cow! How did they end up out here?

[Robert Log]

White Denim has a good single called Drug that's been on heavey Sirius XM rotation...

[J.G.]

This list of bands makes me feel old, and I'm really not.

[NEW]

If it makes you feel any better JG, Burma's heyday was '79 to '83.

[wadkc]

fun. is a great band. Love those guys.

[Geordan]

Mission Of Burma!! I became aware of them after hearing R.E.M do "Academy Fight Song" years ago. MOB's original is a Post-Punk classic. Their post-reunion albums have also been pretty good. I also find it interesting that MOB's guitarist, Roger Miller, also plays in The Alloy Orchestra, who are a trio that does unusual soundtrack accompaniment for Silent Films. They have been in the KC area almost every year for over the past decade or so, and as a classic film fan, I have seen them about a half dozen times (they are usually here for the annual Kansas International Film Fest), and the first couple of times, didn't even realize that Roger from this group was the same guy from Mission Of Burma. Hope to see them when they hit town and have heard they play LOUD, despite Roger's tinnitus problems.

[pellboy]

Wow, interesting, Geordan. Didn't know about that Alloy Orchestra connection. I've seen them perform before as well accompanying a showing of the silent "Lost World" at the Englewood Theatre. Pretty cool.

[Geordan]

I was at that show, Pellboy. BTW, I was happy to see the Englewood open again and saw "My Week With Marilyn" there the second week they were open at the first of the year. Then, they closed the place again. They have been removed from the Fine Arts group website and a co-worker who lives a couple of blocks from there says the marquee has nothing on it the past few weeks. I dig that place and was hoping they would stay open a while.

[Rick]

The 'heyday'-era M.O.B. performed once at Off-the-Wall Hall in Lawrence and, afaik, never in KC, though an offshoot group, Volcano Suns, played the Grand Emporium sometime in the late 80s.