CIRCULAR REFERENCE ICT

CR: First of all, and what's on the top of everyone's mind is, how is your Impreza doing?

Ethan Benson: I had to trade it in!

CR: Oh no! What happened?

EB: It was going to explode at any moment. I'm the type of person to drive a car until the wheels fall off, but I didn't want to be there when the wheels fell off *laughs*. It was costing me way too much money. I was getting about 13 miles per gallon, so I had to get something new.

CR: So what are you driving now?

EB: I have a Golf, a 2016. It has so much tech.

CR: Base model? TSI? TDI?

EB: I got the R, the top one!

CR: Of course you would get the one that would blow up on you *laughs*

EB: Yeah, check back in, in seven years *laughs*

CR: Well I'm glad you're still the same Ethan Benson I've always known. Time to get down to business. I don't think a lot of people know, but when did you take over operations at the Furnace?

EB: As of January 1, I am the only person on the lease. As far as taking care of it and treating it like my own venue, that would have been around November, right around the Gum show.

CR: Clayton had a few folks in his crew that were support staff, helping out with shows. Any holdovers from that crew helping out in any official capacity anymore?

EB: No. I'm pretty fortunate to have had a few people at the Lumber Yard who have been going there since they were 17 and now they are almost 20. They are really good at running the door and knowing how to run a smooth show.

CR: You're talking about Micah and Winnie, right?

EB: Yes, they are amazing!

CR: Gotcha. So it is you and your crew running the thing there. Are Clayton, Sav, or Carson involved in booking shows anymore, or have they stepped away?

EB: No one else but me is in charge of booking the shows. I have other people who are in bands here in Wichita that book shows. It is a team effort amongst the community.

CR: Now that you're in charge of the Furnace, what does that mean for the Lumber Yard? You're still doing shows? Why? What's your vision here?

EB: Typically, the Furnace gets bands that require more than a donation bucket or a minimal guarantee. Since the Annex days, we've talked a lot about growth, and with growth comes larger bands and having to pay them. You always need a place where a band can play their first show. I never want to stop doing the Lumber Yard because it is a low cost operation. We don't need guarantees, and it is a great place for bands to learn how to long it takes to set up, or tear down, or to learn what hiccups can happen. For the Furnace, I want more experienced bands so the shows can run as smoothly as possible, because I am charging people. I want to deliver a good show to the audience.

CR: I think if you've been to the Furnace lately, you can see the main improvement, which has been the stage. Also, the sound system seems to be more in order. What are some of the other things you have planned for the space?

EB: I want to make it sound better. I want to have a better relationship with the other tenants there. I also want to put more stuff on the walls. I think it looks kind of bland right now.

CR: One thing you can say about the Lumber Yard is that it does have distinctive decor. More broadly, what is your vision for DIY in Wichita, or even more bluntly, what is your motivation? Why do this at all?

EB: I've been asking myself that dumb question you get in interviews- Where do you see yourself in five years? I want to be a tour manager. I want a good team to keep our scene alive and prospering at home, and then have a Furnace van that Wichita bands can use for free with me driving, helping to manage the tour. The community we've built here, I want to take on the road to show how great our bands are. I have been playing in bands and booking shows since I was 15. I think if you took this away I would be really bored *laughs* I would just really love to be in my later years not serving tables and hopefully manage multiple successful artists and bands here in Wichita. I want to continue to have a great DIY scene in Wichita for everyone to attend shows, not just people over 21.

CR: I think that's good context. I always try to study people's motivation in the DIY scene. I think there is a lot of talent here that we can export.

EB: Yeah, and it's not like I want to *use* these band's talent. I just would just love to be a tour manager someday. I can't do that and run the Furnace at the same time, so it's all about creating a good, trustworthy team that can continue to do this, so we can continue to show how great our bands are.

CR: People often ask me how they can be more involved in the scene. What do you think is your biggest need right now?

EB: Telling your friends to come to the shows. Talk about the venue, whether you're at school, or work, or you're hanging out with your friends. I think it's easy to see a flyer on social media and scroll by. When people talk about how much they love their scene it will only bring more people out to experience shows. I want people to find that love and passion for music.

CR: Let's say I want to book a band or plan an event. What are your prerequisites? How should I go about it?

EB: If you know the band you want to book, who is running door, who is running sound, and the date you want, and, if it's open, I'm probably going to say yes *laughs*

CR: *laughs* Awesome, so if you have everything figured out, all you gotta do is come open the door!

EB: And I'll still be there and I'll still help out. And if you need someone to run the door or run sound, me or someone in my crew can help out!

CR: In my last blog post I talked about some of the negative energy in the scene. That energy can come from a lot of different sources and I'm curious how you deal with it. It must be really stressful.

EB: I just try my best. I try to never publicly say something until I know everything about the situation, and then I try to create an outcome that's safe for the audience and the band members and everyone alike.

CR: That's all I had! Anything else you'd like to add?

EB: Shout out Worn Again! Shout out Winnie and Malachi, my homies who help out at shows. Liz, who engineered the sound space. Shout out to everyone who sacrificed their time, money, and energy to make this successful. I see this as doing something for the community and not just me. I feel like this is for our scene to thrive. Thank you!

CR: I understand there's a few big shows coming up. Can you give us any hints?

EB: All I can say is that March is going to be crazy. Take out the trash, do the extra chores around the house, sell lemonade, whatever. Get as much money saved up, because the music that's coming through in March is just amazing. We have some of the best bands in the DIY circuit coming to Wichita on back to back days. And if you don't have cash, just always ask “What can I do to help out?” We always have stuff that can be done that will get you into the show.

CR: Will work for door entry! Thank you for your time, Ethan!