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Wichita Forever Fest - Who's this thing for anyway?

A discussion with James from Oi! Bones! and Get Rowdy on what this thing is about.

It's been a long time since there's been a Wichita music event with as much buzz as the upcoming Wichita Forever Fest. It's evoking the same emotions I remember as having The Flaming Lips at Riverfest in 2017 or the grand opening of WAVE in 2018. It feels like a big moment.

Full disclosure: My band, Sentences, is participating in fund raising efforts, including the first fundraiser this Saturday, May 30 at The Furnace, and is slated to perform at the festival itself on August 22. I am not completely without self interest in supporting this event, and, in keeping with the theme of this blog, I am certainly not completely objective.

That also means I'm not without my personal criticisms or concerns about the event, which is why I sat down with James from Oi! Bones! for an informal, semi off the record conversation. I wanted to get a feel for what this event is going to be like from arguably the only member from the punk / hardcore DIY scene that's on the inside, helping to make decisions and organize the event.

My main question was this: Who is Wichita Forever Fest for?

“Everyone in the Wichita area,” according to James. Every piece of marketing, from the interviews, to the social media, to the official website, has a definite professional feel. There is also a consistent theme: Wichita Forever Fest will be a mass market “DIY” event without influence from huge corporate sponsors. You won't see companies like Cargill, Spirit, or Koch using this festival as a means to enhance their image.

The presentation and sheer scope of the event also abandons some of the hallmarks of underground / punk / typical “DIY” culture. Anybody could sign up, and, presumably, without seeing the full list of bands , this will be a very eclectic event in terms of musical genres.

Clearly, WFF draws direct comparisons to the perennial ICT FEST and the beleaguered / infamous Elsewhere / Somewhere Fest. I asked James “Is WFF a reaction to the problems or perceived issues with these events? How is it going to be distinct?” After much discussion, what became apparent to me is that WFF is a celebration of local talent. This is not a well-intentioned by-product of a broader event. It is the thesis. It is the beginning, middle, and end of this thing. It's not in the service of any other agenda, corporate or ideological.

That talent not just includes the performers, but also extends to the graphic designers, web developers, and quite frankly the organizers if they achieve half of what they are setting out to do. Our hardworking creative folks are often hidden behind corporate propaganda or buried in an underground subculture. They deserve better.

I believe this is a worthy endeavour if for no other reason than this: our little punk scene desperately needs to expand its audience. There are too many good local and regional bands in the hardcore / punk / experimental genres playing too many shows to too small of an audience in Wichita.

Quick anecdote: Last Sunday at the spring season ender for The Lumber Yard, Sentences played in support of Reptile House from KCK and Lone Gunman, No Motive from Arkansas. It was a decent show, with about what I'd call a median turnout a Lumber Yard gig from my experience. As the show was winding down during Gaslight's set, I asked Ethan Benson out of curiosity if the touring bands got enough money. He told me, and the amount seemed fair based on the turnout.

What shocked me was that, according to Lone Gunman (via Ethan), the Wichita gig was the best paying one for their entire ten day run. Ethan said that they had a miserable turnout in KC the previous night, earning only a paltry $20.

$20 for the 200+ mile trip to Wichita in a Chevy Express van getting, at the very best, probably 15mpg. An insulting, demoralizing amount of money.

I want to say I would be appalled if that happened to bands that stopped in Wichita, and that it never happens, but I know that's not the truth. It can happen and has happened to bands that have stopped here before. Our little corner of DIY / punk is pretty good about not letting that happen these days, but that hasn't always been the norm.

There's a huge conversation about the economics of DIY, but to bring it back to the main topic, if Wichita Forever Fest can help with this specific problem by broadening our audience, then I believe, collectively, we should be supporting this.

James and I discussed numerous other topics, such as how the bands and lineups were decided, or the pros and cons of having genre aligned venues versus more mixed lineups. The bottom line is this- there are infinite ways to criticize something of this scale and scope, and if you're expecting a perfect event, I've got bad news for you- it's not going to be perfect. No event is.

However, I think that the people behind the scenes, not just including James, are well intentioned people, who have the necessary skills and experience, and have committed the time required to maybe, just maybe, pull off one of the most important events that our music scene has had in a very long time.

Also, the thing is going to be free. If it sucks or you don't like it, you won't be out anything anyways. But maybe, just maybe, if we kept our negative opinions to ourselves, showed up and showed out for this thing, it could be exactly the thing we need. It might even grow into something we can all be proud of.

I hope to see you all out at the Furnace on Saturday.