Madison, Indiana is like a Petri dish. If you introduce your germ of an idea into our creative environment it will … wait, hold on. Perhaps that analogy is a bit too bacterial. Let’s go with potting soil! If you plant your seed of an idea in Madison, the chances are very good that it will find the energy and nutrients to flourish and grow. That’s better.
The Play Music on the Porch Day event this past Saturday is a great example. (The town is still buzzing from that absolute explosion of fun!) Just 3 years ago Jane Vonderheide, with the support of Kindred Folk Society, had an idea that Madison should get in on the worldwide event. She talked to a few friends about their porches, hired a few musicians, and just did it. That’s classic Jane V, just doin’ it. She knows firsthand that the town is receptive and built for fresh ideas. This third year was a smashing success, with 18 porches that literally electrified downtown.
But that’s just one example, I can give many. About 7 years ago my friend Tony Novello came back from an event in Bristol, TN called Rhythm & Roots, where they take over all the venues in town and pack them full of music for one intense weekend. Tony was like, we need to bring that format to Madison, and MadHop Music Fest was born. Again, one person, one idea, one fertile music town. Today MadHop is one of the most beloved music events in Madison, attracting rabid (rabbit?) fans from many states around the region. It’s coming up November 6 & 7, and if you love Porch Day, you’ll love MadHop too, it’s the same frenetic FOMO energy.
Who else? Drew Eades and Brent Turner come to mind. These guys love alt-country and Americana music, and they wanted to see it flourish in their home town. They started bringing some of their favorite acts to Red Bicycle Hall under the name Unbroken Circle productions. For a few years they produced a couple dozen shows at The Bike. Then they took their concept to a larger stage, literally, when they started producing the Roostertail Music Festival during Regatta weekend. And ultimately they were able to grow it under their own brand, Unbroken Circle, which is now the largest music festival in Madison, and coming up just a week from now.
And it doesn’t always have to be music. Anything you can think of will find a supportive and receptive audience here. I recently talked to two folks who are thinking about doing an Asian-style night market event, sharing their love of Asian culture and street bazaar energy with Madison. Anthony Miller is a world history professor at Hanover, and Jenny Moss works at the career center at Hanover. “Night markets are very common in China, Japan and Korea,” explains Anthony, “and if you’ve ever experienced one, you’ll never forget it.
“It’s a very intense mix of music, food, commerce, social and community interaction, all packed into these very narrow alleys and streets. We think we could use some of the wonderful alleys just behind Madison’s Main Street to recreate the scene, bring in some Asian musicians, maybe some Lion Dancers, food trucks, and merch sales. We’d love to give the folks of Madison a taste of this unique experience,” continues Anthony.
As of this writing I don’t think Anthony and Jenny have a date set yet, but they said it’s something they’d like to do maybe twice a year. But their idea just illustrates the breadth and scope of things you can pull off in Madison, if you have a good idea and a fair dose of follow-through to make it happen. The town and the residents will support you, plus you’ll have the added bonus of tourism traffic looking for fun things to do.
The thing to understand is, Madison makes it easy. We have a long established culture of live music and home-grown events. The city is very flexible and encouraging when it comes to using Bicentennial Park or other city property. And if you want to bring a favorite band to town to play at Red Bicycle Hall or the Electric Lady, it’s much easier and more affordable than you might imagine. I guess the moral of the story is to be like Jane and just do it! It will enrich your life and the lives of the entire community.
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK
Whew, did August fly by or what?! For those of you with school age kids, it may feel like the end of summer. But for everyone else, summer is still on its long, hot slide through at least all of September and into October. Basically, if I can get the boat out on the river, it’s still summer! And this time of year marks some of the best weather and busiest times in Madison, with a big festival or event going on just about every weekend through November. So keep your eye on the music calendar, and make your plans to come visit if you haven’t already. We are just getting ready to kick it into high gear around here!
Leave a Reply