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1. Spirit & Place Festival—November 1–10

IU Indianapolis hosts 100-plus cultural and religious organizations, speakers, and artists across more than 30 events, including exhibits, performances, panel discussions, workshops, and more designed to inspire conversation and reflection centered around this year’s theme, gratitude.

2. The Taming of the Shrew—November 1–10

Bard Fest presents one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, adapted by community theater leader and Shakespeare enthusiast Dana Lesh, at the Mud Creek Theatre.

3. World Food Championships—November 8–12

More than 300 competitive cooking teams from around the globe battle it out in 12 categories, including Bacon, Live Fire, and Vegetarian, for the coveted title of World Food Champion and a slice of the $450,000 prize purse at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center.

4. Bands of America Grand Nationals—November 14–16

Music for All’s Bands of America Grand National Championships, America’s premier national marching band event, takes the stage at Lucas Oil Stadium.

5. Drumstick Dash—November 28

This annual run/walk raising proceeds for people experiencing homelessness kicks off Thanksgiving morning in Broad Ripple.

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For George Padjen and the Indy Ignite, it’s about to get real. Training camp for Indianapolis’ inaugural professional volleyball season begins December 2, and instead of standing behind the huddle during time outs, Padjen will be in the middle, with all eyes on him looking for direction.

His coaching philosophy, shaped by the sports he loves, volleyball and golf, centers around the amazing athleticism of the players and the puzzle of putting everyone in the right place.

“Volleyball is the absolute greatest team sport possible because you can’t just have a great setter or a great back row,” he says. “Every piece must work together. Watching that unfold is my favorite part. You can’t have one person dominate; you need all six.”

Assembling a team of professionals is a far cry from recruiting athletes for college. And for this, Padjen decided to use referrals instead of cold-calling because he believed word-of-mouth would garner the best results. For the newest member of the Professional Volleyball Federation (PVF), it worked like a charm.

“Instead of taking this master list of every player in the league last year,” explains Padjen, “I took those two or three referred players, added them to the next two or three, then the next. After all calls were made, I started to cross reference the recommendations.”

This ingenious method saved phone time while assembling a team with players who are already familiar with each other.

“They organically recommended each other without even knowing it. I didn’t tell them I was doing it,” he says.

The immediate benefit of this maneuver was instant team chemistry.

“I’d never done that in that capacity before. I’ve been recruiting for 25 years, but it’s a little different when it’s got to happen right now. That part was stressful but fun to do.”

When you are a coach of Padjen’s pedigree, the drive to always improve is constant, and inspiration comes from many directions. Guiding players to reach their full potential is more than X’s and O’s on a chalk board or computer screen. It’s finding new ways to reach players to get them fully engaged and at one with his system.

Part of his technique is drawn from one of the most confounding, difficult, and precise sports there is: golf. Yes, golf.

“In golf, I’ve got it one day, and the next day it’s out the door. It’s a maddening sport, but I love it. It keeps me thoughtful toward [other] people’s struggles.”

Padjen found that the process of learning golf gave him perspective on how to coach better because it helped him understand the frustrations his athletes have.

“I think volleyball is a very simple game. It came easily to me, but golf doesn’t, so it makes me pull back and pause at times instead of being frustrated with something you can’t get. I’m like, ‘Let’s try a different avenue,’” he says.

When the season begins in January 2025, Indy will play 14 home and 14 away matches. Padjen can hardly wait.

“I just think it’s going to be cool for fans to see how athletic the players are and how physical the game is,” he says. “It’s the most beautiful sport to watch in my eyes. There’s a fluidness to it.”

Volleyball is an edge-of-your-seat sport to watch on television, but it’s even more so in person. The physicality, strength, and skill are on full display.

“You can see how physical the game is. It’ll change your perspective on women’s sports,” he says.

On October 17, the PVF announced the Indy Ignite will have the No. 1 overall draft pick in this year’s draft, which will be held on November 25 at 12 p.m.

The Ignite will pick eighth in the second round, fourth in the third and fourth rounds, and first in the fifth round.

“This is a pivotal moment for our franchise. We can’t wait to welcome exceptional talent into the Indy Ignite family,” says Mary Kay Huse, president and general manager of Indy Ignite.

Fans can see the Ignite battle in person at the Fishers Event Center, a brand-new facility slated to open in November with a seating capacity of up to 7,500.

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“WE’VE WON the lottery!” mewls every shelter cat who steps out of a cage to roam the pristine, Scandi-chic Smitten Kitten. Well, that’s how owner Holly Moss and many of her guests put it, based on the felines’ pleasantly surprised expressions as they arrive. The cat cafe, serving Noble Coffee beverages and sweet treats from local bakers, takes reservations to hang out with a clowder in its spacious lounge, which is complete with a realistic—size and all—climbing tree (kitties only; sorry). On a recent Sunday, residents included a portly tabby comically fixated on a water bowl; a bouncy, sleek black kitten; and a supercilious tortie. The latter, when the petting petered out, fixed a gaze invoking Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, as if to say, “By all means move at a glacial pace.” More than 80 percent are adopted in less than two weeks.

Moss was inspired to open the cafe by her cat-lover son, Collin, who is autistic. He helps out, with hopes of running things one day. Moss has only one cat at home (Rue graces a mural at the back of the cafe), though that is not for lack of Collin’s efforts to take in more. Aside from chilling with cats, visitors can also do yoga, paint, and craft with them. A calendar of events is online.

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GROWING UP without much, Kyle Long was forced to scrounge through Goodwill stores, local library sales, and Indian supermarkets for used records and tapes. That unleashed his fascination and obsession with sound and motivated him to take deep dives into local music history. As a result, he became a DJ and music journalist, as well as the driving force behind two WFYI-FM radio shows, Cultural Manifesto and Echoes of Indiana Avenue, on which he unearths the works of unheralded musicians who helped build the tunes of our city and state.

You’ve probably never heard of Lester Johnson, who was with the Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign, a soul and funk band. Or Billy Wooten, a jazz vibraphonist who also recorded with some Blue Note Records artists. Or the Haughville Slickers, who played Cleveland-style polka. But Long has, and he can tell you why they’re significant. Did you know there was a lesbian music scene in Indianapolis in the 1970s? Do you know why the Beatles’ first record came out on an Indiana-based record label? Or what else was happening musically in Gary when the Jacksons were getting ready to break out?

Kyle Long knows. And though his focus is usually on the little-known, he’s gotten the notoriously difficult Brian Wilson to talk about the influence Indianapolis quartet The Four Freshmen had on the Beach Boys. He’s also spoken to Carlos Santana about the importance of legend Wes Montgomery to Santana’s guitar playing. Lucky for Long—and for us.

“I think a lot of people think I’m just pulling this stuff off Wikipedia or something,” Long says. “It just couldn’t be further from the truth. A lot of the episodes of the programs I produce are literally years in the making. It’s just that mystery of, Where did this music come from? and wanting to better understand what existed before I came along. And the more I learn about this stuff, the more compelling the story is.”

Long is 49. He’s tall and lean and looks like a younger version of the late comedian Norm MacDonald. We’re sitting in a WFYI studio that temporarily houses his latest acquisition—a collection of tapes that belonged to a local soul songwriter named Tony Black. Black died in 2020, after which his son Evan decided to gift Long his father’s expansive archive, which contains the earliest known cuts of Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds’ original music; lost sessions from Lamp Records, Indianapolis’ version of Motown Records; and early recordings from WTLC-FM.

The collection includes music on microcassettes, floppy disks, flash drives, and multiple sizes of reel-to-reel, all delivered in trash bags. Eventually, Long will sort them and use them to tell another previously hidden story. “When Kyle started with us, I had no idea of the depth and passion of his knowledge,” says Roxanna Caldwell, WFYI’s director of radio. “It was a hidden gem, honestly—a buried treasure that we did not know we were about to unearth.”

Long began building his knowledge base in an Avon trailer park, where he lived with his mother and younger sister. He had few friends and even less interest in school. But he had a constant companion: music. He remembers reading about the iconic Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar, who held the world record for making the most recordings of any vocalist in history. That led him to an Indian grocery store, where he bought her cassettes. Soon, his interest expanded to learning about the music of immigrants to Indiana. “Immigrants have been here for much longer than we realize, making contributions to the culture,” he says. “So I would go to these stores and, for hours, pore through the tapes, look at the covers. And I discovered this whole scene of Bollywood funk and psychedelic music that was in vogue in the ’70s.”

He quit school at 16—“I couldn’t figure it out. I was not good at it.”—and instead spent his time at the Indianapolis Public Library. “I remember, you could check out up to 80 records at one point, and I would have the maximum number of records, tapes, and books at any given moment that you could have.” He also worked a series of “terrible” jobs— clerking at a gas station, stocking shelves at a supermarket. He was 30 and working in a restaurant when both his mother and sister died within a couple months of each other. “It forced me to reinvent myself and rethink my life,” he says. “And things that I might have been scared to do or hesitant to do before, I just felt more of a courage to do them.”

DJing was one of those things. The idea of being the center of attention terrified him. But he did it, anyway. A gig playing at IUPUI for the International Student Association, where he played Indiana Bollywood and Brazilian music, as well as Fela Kuti, the Nigerian performer and political activist, went well. “It’s like I opened something up that had been bottled.” A second gig at Garfield Park Arts Center went equally well. “People were connecting to this music in this way that was very special.”

Long was working in the kitchen of a downtown cafe when the owner asked him to play down-tempo music between 5 and 9 p.m. Long suggested playing other kinds of music after 9, leading to a night of Brazilian forró—“like partners’ dance music with accordions”—which caught fire with the public. So did Indian music night. Soon, DJ Kyle Long had lines around the building.

Word spread. He and visual artist Artur Silva developed a partnership called Cultural Cannibals that put on events around the city. The alternative paper Nuvo took interest and assigned a writer to profile Long. Then Nuvo invited Long to contribute stories.

In 2012, he started a weekly column. Subject matter included the musical heritage of Indiana Avenue and other regional song history, the contemporary underground scene, and immigrant music culture, which involved a visit to a westside discount mall where vendors sold cassettes from Latin America. “I was going to the Somalian and Ethiopian grocery stores and writing about the music they were selling. So, I was just covering local music in a way that was different.” Later, he accompanied the articles with podcasts.

Ed Wenck, then-editor of Nuvo and a radio veteran, thought Long’s efforts deserved to be on the radio. “I was astonished at the depth of his knowledge with each and every person that he was speaking to,” Wenck says. “It was some of the most well-researched stuff I’d ever heard. And he had a very natural ability when it came to interviewing people and keeping the flow going of a natural conversation while sounding both authoritative, informative, and relaxed.” Wenck brought the idea to Caldwell at WFYI. In 2014, she put Long’s Cultural Manifesto on one of the station’s high-definition signals, which ordinarily would have guaranteed that no one heard the show. But Long promoted himself well enough to get listeners. In 2015, he made his debut on the main signal, 90.1. Five years later, when A Prairie Home Companion stopped making new episodes, Caldwell saw room to grow Long’s audience. Echoes of Indiana Avenue is the result. Long teamed up with Herman “Butch” Slaughter, who had grown up in the Indiana Avenue area and performed with a soul group called Words of Wisdom. In 2023, their partnership earned them a regional Edward R. Murrow Award.

Today, Cultural Manifesto has an average of 8,600 listeners a week, and Echoes of Indiana Avenue has another 6,000. The podcasts of both shows are downloaded 5,500 and 2,000 times a month, respectively. And Long has become the curator and caretaker of Indianapolis music history. Musicians trust him to tell their stories. Musicians’ families trust him to remember their loved ones’ contributions.

That’s a heady position to be in for a guy like Long, who started with nothing. “It’s interesting the way Kyle connects with musicians,” Wenck says. “A lot of those folks he profiles are just doing what they love and barely making rent, much less food money. And I think there’s a shared experience there that, whether consciously or not, he kind of speaks to.” 

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TODAY, Noblesville’s 35-year-old outdoor concert pavilion is officially named Ruoff Music Center. But return with us now to the 1980s, when “naming rights” wasn’t a thing, and some Hoosiers thought a state-of-the-art outdoor concert venue just might be the work of the devil.

The Background
The original Deer Creek was the brainchild of Sunshine Promotions founders David Lucas and Steve Sybesma, who for years booked shows in Indiana and surrounding states. Back in the 1970s and ’80s, their larger Indy gigs typically took place in Market Square Arena and at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. However, purpose-built outdoor pavilions were starting to catch on nationally, and Lucas and Sybesma decided they wanted one for the Indianapolis area

Unfortunately for them, not everyone felt equally enthusiastic about their plans. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Sunshine tried positioning the project in Westfield, Pike Township, and even at White River State Park, to no avail. The reasons for the refusals varied from logistical issues (only one semi’s worth of equipment at a time could have been offloaded at White River State Park) to all the classic NIMBY worries—which could be summed up in a statement by a Union Bible College representative who, as Lucas told The Indianapolis Star in 1998, solemnly informed the Westfield Plan Commission, “If you allow this amphitheater to be built in your community, your daughters will be dancing in the street with the devil.”

The $12 million project finally found a home on 220 acres of Hamilton County farmland. But even though this spot outside Noblesville stood in the precise, geographic center of nowhere, the idea that it could pose some sort of cultural, moral (or, at the very least, acoustic) threat to the locals persisted.

The First Season
On May 20, 1989, gospel singer and Indiana native Sandi Patty took the stage as Deer Creek’s first headliner, kicking off an inaugural concert season that redefined the word “eclectic.” Patty was followed the next night by heavy metal hair band Cinderella. Over the course of the summer, Bob Hope, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Willie Nelson, Metallica, Frank Sinatra, Kenny G, Bob Dylan, Gallagher, and MC Hammer, among a great many others, took the stage.

The Noise
Cinderella’s metal show offered a chance to determine just how loud Deer Creek concerts could be. This was of more than academic concern, because local ordinances stated that concerts couldn’t be louder than 75 decibels a half mile from the venue’s property line. Cinderella was famously loud, so Sunshine Promotions talent buyer/production manager Steve Gerardi asked the band’s sound guy to crank up its audio system to 130 decibels (the equivalent of a jet taking off) while he stood on the Deer Creek property line and measured the mayhem with a sound meter. Even at this relatively close range, the needle didn’t reach 75 decibels. “I knew right then we would never get a noise penalty,” said Gerardi.

Unfortunately, noise penalties were just one of the strictures imposed on Deer Creek by local authorities. Shows on Mondays through Thursdays had to wrap at 10:30, and weekend shows at 11 p.m.-ish. And who better to break that curfew than Guns N’ Roses. On the first night of a two-night stint, the band took the stage nearly 90 minutes late and played almost an hour past curfew. The next night, they overplayed by a further 25 minutes, earning them a $5,000 fine.

The Booze
It’s no surprise that folks attending Deer Creek shows liked to relax and unwind, often with the assistance of alcoholic beverages or other mood-altering compounds. Given this fact, it’s also no surprise that in the early days, the venue suffered from a nagging problem: fans pre-partying in their cars, then marching into the show blissfully unaware that they’d left their engines running. Another issue was that beer signs in the concession area were visible from the stage, posing problems for acts like Aerosmith and the Grateful Dead, which had members who had gone through rehab and didn’t want to stare at booze logos while they played. As a result, right before their concerts began, any alcohol-related signage within line of sight of the stage was covered.

The Celebrity Moments
In 1993, Julia Roberts and musician Lyle Lovett, who was playing at Deer Creek, held their wedding reception on the grounds before Lovett’s show that evening. The staff had about 36 hours to pull the soiree together. Also that year, Foreigner performed before a near-capacity audience. They released a DVD of the footage, Foreigner: Live at Deer Creek, in 2003. In 2005, the power went out while Tom Petty performed his song “Refugee.” Unruffled, the crowd continued singing the lyrics until the power came back on, at which point Petty simply picked up where his fans were. And in 2012, CBS news anchor Katie Couric sang backup as one of perennial Deer Creek fixture Jimmy Buffett’s “Reeferettes.”

The Weather
To make sure their acts and audiences didn’t get caught in dangerous storms, Deer Creek maintained a closely guarded, top secret hotline to the National Weather Service office at Indianapolis International Airport. Not surprisingly, the weather crew could get gratis tickets to pretty much any show they wanted to see. When word got out that several of the meteorologists were fans of Chicago (the band, not the city), they were invited to have dinner with the group the next time they played.

The Dead
The Grateful Dead loved to play Deer Creek, and its management loved to host them. And why not? The musicians were super mellow, and they always sold out. Their fans were a totally different deal, however. When the Dead played their first show at the venue in 1989, a handful of Deadheads got their wires crossed, winding up in the tiny town of Deer Creek in Carroll County, about 45 minutes to the north. Sunshine Promotions, recognizing the town’s patience with the sudden appearance of misguided fans, handed out tickets to an upcoming Anne Murray concert to its bemused residents.

Things ended less amicably on July 2, 1995, when gate-crashers overran a Grateful Dead show and forced a cancellation of the next night’s concert. The band was so angry that it issued an official letter admonishing its followers in language that was far more Dad-like than Dead-like. “If you don’t have a ticket, don’t come,” it read. “This is real. This is first a music concert, not a free-for-all party.”

The End
The Deer Creek name was retired in 2001. SFX Broadcasting purchased Sunshine in 1997 and was consumed by Clear Channel Communications in 2000. Clear Channel (which eventually morphed into Live Nation) expanded the facility’s lawn seating, then sold naming rights to Verizon Wireless. In 2001, Verizon Wireless Music Center debuted, to be followed in 2011 by Klipsch Music Center, Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center in 2017, and today’s Ruoff Music Center in 2019. When Fort Wayne–based Ruoff announced online that they would be shortening the name, the amphitheater’s social media spaces were flooded with comments from people stating that, to them, it would always be Deer Creek. May it ever be so.

The post It Will Always Be Deer Creek appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

8 Seconds Saloon
Once a bowling alley, this sprawling westside venue is the premier spot for country music. It’s a wide-open room good for line dancing and concerts. (Keith Urban played here.) Cowboy boots are optional but recommended. 111 N. Lynhurst Dr., 317-486-1569

Black Circle
Part of a repurposed warehouse, this is the go-to spot for music fans craving a hardcore soundtrack. With past shows featuring touring metal acts such as Amsterdam-based 16BL, Black Circle is wildly supportive of all things edgy. It’s also where your cut-up concert T-shirt fits right in. 2201 E. 46th St.

Burnside Inn
Escape the Mass Ave bar-hopping bustle inside this three-story “boutique bar” full of cozy nooks perfect for relaxed listening. Acoustic performers either take to the small stage or entertain on the piano while audience members sip on Burnside’s multiple variations of the mule cocktail. 314 Massachusetts Ave., 317-991-4150

Chatterbox
Downtown’s home for jazz for the past 40-plus years is an authentic dive bar with an intimate setting. No one is more than 40 feet from the stage, so the audience can hear the musicians communicate with sound and observe other subtle nuances of up-close live music. 435 Massachusetts Ave., 317-636-0584

Duke’s
A charmingly scruffy honky-tonk filled to its rafters with neon pronouncements and funky Americana, Duke’s opened in 2018, replacing southside institution Ice House. In addition to kitchen manager Derek Hurt’s fried chicken dinners and smashburgers, the bar serves up country and Western entertainment from local and touring musicians. Among Duke’s weekly themed nights is its no-cover Two-Step Tuesday featuring line dancing lessons, live music on the stage, and a reminder to #tipthedamnband. 2352 S. West St., 317-643-6403

Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael
Step into this club inside the Hotel Carmichael and you’re struck by its intimate 1920s speakeasy vibe. The music is likely to be Great American songbook standards, but it could be a tribute to Tina Turner too—to be enjoyed with dinner and drinks (try the sidecar). 1 Carmichael Square, Carmel, 317-688-1947

Golden Ace Inn
Surround yourself with Ireland—in pictures, drinks, and music—at this eastside pub USA Today once called “one of the nation’s 10 best places to party like you’re Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.” Wednesdays are music nights. Be prepared for sing-alongs with songs that’ll make you laugh or weep. 2533 E. Washington St., 317-632-0696

Healer
An edgy, all-ages venue that blurs the line between music and art, Healer itself feels like an installation piece. Located deep inside a southside strip mall, it is housed in a former medical billing office and still has the dropped ceilings and cubicles to show for it. The shows feature a range of hardcore genres, from punk to screamo. Founded in 2018 as an incubator for artists, it also hosts benefit shows and movie screenings. 3631 E. Raymond St.

Hi-Fi
Almost every night, the city’s best original-music club (capacity 400) brings in cool touring bands, and in warm weather, there’s a separate show in its outdoor annex, which is open to all ages. Be prepared to stand (or pay extra to sit) and to hear new music. 1043 Virginia Ave., 317-986-7101

Hoosier Dome  
This all-ages venue on the edge of Fountain Square promises an up-close and personal live music experience. It holds maybe 100 people—standing room only—who are there to see young rock, rap, and metal touring acts in a drug- and alcohol-free room with surprisingly good sound. 1627 Prospect St., 317-289-4293

Iozzo’s Garden of Italy
A distant highway hum provides a constant background track on the back patio, which is lined with decorative fountains and strung with twinkle lights. Acoustic musicians who set up on the tiny pedestal are in their element in downtown Indy’s version of a European back alley. 946 S. Meridian St., 317-974-1100

Irving Theater
Irvington’s movie theater-turned-multipurpose venue has a spartan feel. But the lack of decor is secondary to the music: a mix of road warriors, up-and-comers, and local talent, plus the prog-rock concert series put on by local promoter Mark Gasper. 5505 E. Washington St., 317-356-3355

Madam Walker Legacy Center
“The Apollo Theater of the Midwest”—to borrow a phrase from Geno Shelton, who’s promoted shows there for years—has an intimate 900-seat theater and a 250-capacity ballroom. The theater has great sightlines to see artists such as Babyface and Gladys Knight. When you go, dress to the nines, and you’ll be fine. 617 Indiana Ave., 317-236-2099

Melody Inn
Saturday is Punk Rock Night at “the CBGB of the Midwest,” so expect a welcoming and inclusive room where bands and attendees unleash their rebellious spirit. Patrons can get right up against the stage and rock out, or they can chill in the back PBR Lounge or outside in the Smoker’s Garden. 3826 N. Illinois St., 317-923-4707

Mike’s Speedway Lounge
On Thursday nights, this westside bar represents, with cover bands from that side of the city playing ’70s to ’90s classic rock hits. As one bartender put it: “Better Aerosmith than Aerosmith.” Mike’s is a good-time place to play pool or darts, have a bite, or just blow off steam. 3701 W. 16th St., 317-969-6710

Mousetrap
It’s a live music room, a pool room, a restaurant, and a bar. The Mousetrap, around since 1957, has several different vibes. Musically, it caters to jam bands, especially up-and-coming national acts, and it’s known for hosting post-concert parties when out-of-town bands visit. 5565 N. Keystone Ave., 317-255-3189

Photo by Tony Vasquez

Nickel Plate District Amphitheater
Get out your picnic baskets and blankets—or maybe your wine and charcuterie boards—and bring the family. Fishers’ outdoor venue, which books local and national acts, can hold crowds as big as 6,000 for concerts and festivals. 6 Municipal Dr., Fishers, 317-595-3150

Radio Radio
A large neon sign featuring an old-school microphone marks the location of David “Tufty” Clough’s spirited night spot. Himself a local music legend who embodied Fountain Square before Fountain Square was cool, Clough treats visiting performers (the likes of Eisley, Amy Ray, and Panic! at the Disco) to a battery of sound tech. Fans pack the room for the indie bands, dim vibes, and full bar. 1119 Prospect St., 317-955-0995

Sara’s Soirée
Sara Howe’s restaurant/club on Noblesville’s Courthouse Square is a place to dine and linger while (mostly) jazz plays. It’s an intimate room in which most of the instruments don’t need amplification, with exposed brick walls and a bit of a New Orleans feeling. 818 Logan St., Noblesville,  317-219-6565

Slippery Noodle Inn
Downtown’s legendary blues bar likes to celebrate national holidays: National Cheeseburger Day, National Drink Beer Day, National Taco Day. Couple that with Wednesday night jam sessions featuring local players or the occasional touring act, and you’ve got a fun place for those who observe. 372 S. Meridian St., 317-631-6974

State Street Pub
This friendly spot on the east side is a great place to hear energetic local bands perform experimental, electronic, punk, and rap. Anything musically left of center is welcome, and there’s enough open space for a dance floor or mosh pit. 243 N. State Ave., 317-384-1238

Square Cat Vinyl
One of the city’s best record stores occasionally doubles as a music venue. Bands play on a small stage in the back of the Fountain Square shop, and once they start playing, Square Cat becomes a club. It will get loud, and if stage diving is appropriate … there will be stage diving. 1054 Virginia Ave., 317-875-1314

That Place Bar and Grill
During the week, mozzarella sticks and Captain Morgan get top billing. On Friday and Saturday nights, the stage steals the spotlight. Expect party bands, cover songs, and plenty of folks dancing like nobody’s looking. 8810 S. Emerson Ave., 317-888-7100

The Cabaret
Remember supper clubs? This room is a faithful revival, a softly lit, chandelier-filled room that holds 180 people. No seat is more than five rows from the stage. Broadway is calling. 924 N. Pennsylvania St., 317-275-1169

The Jazz Kitchen
Order some étouffée and prepare to be within a mere few feet of national jazz acts and hot local cats. Offerings range from Monday jam sessions to Thursday Latin Dance Parties. 5377 N. College Ave., 317-253-4900

The Snug
Tuesdays are “trad” nights, a communal event where people come to hear and sing along with traditional Irish songs, in this cozy Irish pub in Irvington. You might hear sea shanties or the theme song from Cheers—a fitting anthem at this intimate neighborhood bar. 210 S. Audubon Rd., 317-308-8553

The Rathskeller
When there’s music in the history-rich outdoor biergarten, you’re in a crush of mostly 20-somethings. It’s like a college party where everyone shows up, but no one knows the host. The music is loud, the drinks are flowing, and everyone’s having a time they might not remember tomorrow. 401 E. Michigan St., 317-636-0396

The Vogue
You can feel the history inside Broad Ripple’s famed movie theater-turned-nightclub. Artists of all genres, generations, and career levels have graced the stage, including Johnny Cash (1995), Bo Diddley (1993), and Willie Nelson (2009). There are tables and chairs around the perimeter and in the balcony for early birds. 6259 N. College Ave., 317-259-7029

Turntable
As of this fall, this Vogue-adjacent Broad Ripple space is home to a cozy, speakeasy-style listening room and spacious concert venue for the 18+ crowd (and yes, they check IDs). General admission tickets are standing room only, but seating is available with an upgrade. 6281 N. College Ave., 317-259-7029

White Rabbit Cabaret
The Fountain Square venue describes its atmosphere as “intimate, romantic, and retro, with a touch of whimsy.” Although a small-scale space with roughly 100 seats, White Rabbit’s stage was intentionally built larger to accommodate multiple kinds of performing arts, including live music, comedy, dance, and theater. 1116 Prospect St., 317-686-9550

The post Catch A Show appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

INDIANAPOLIS WASN’T originally on the Eras Tour list. When Taylor Swift first announced her Eras Tour on November 1, 2022, her “journey through the musical eras of [her] career” skipped the Circle City. It wasn’t until August of 2023 that she added a final leg of concert stops, including Indy’s November 1–3 concerts at Lucas Oil.

Taylor Swift hasn’t played Indy for over six years. The singer broke a Lucas Oil Stadium record on September 17, 2018, when she performed for 55,729 fans during her Reputation Stadium Tour. She’s expected to meet—or break—that number in November.

Her show takes as much time as a fair-weather Indy 500. The Eras Tour is a showcase of Swift’s 18-year career, spanning 11 studio albums—one of which, The Tortured Poets Department, was released after the Eras Tour’s March 17, 2023, kickoff in Glendale, Arizona. The tour, which is Swift’s sixth, is known for its three-plus hour shows, high production values, and multiple wardrobe changes for its star.

A visit from Swift has been characterized as “a Super Bowl in every city.” This was said long before Swift made headlines for her appearance at the actual big game in 2024, during which she embraced boyfriend and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on the field after his team beat the San Francisco 49ers to win Super Bowl LVIII. But the logistical and economic effect of every Eras Tour stop “is on par with [hosting] the Super Bowl,” U.S. Travel Association spokesperson Spencer Dobkin says.

Swift’s fans are big spenders. Dobkin says that on average, people who buy a ticket for a big-name concert tour triple what they spend on a ticket in expenditures on dining, lodging, and other fun. “A commonly used multiplier is that $100 spent on live performances generates about $300 in other expenses, including spending on hotels, food, and transportation,” he says. But with Swift, that number is way bigger: On the first leg of her U.S. tour, the average concertgoer spent $1,300 on travel, dining, lodging, and other related purchases, pumping tens of millions into local economies.

Her visit has also prompted a mini gig-work boom. Daniel Altman, a spokesperson for short-term staffing app Instawork, says tour date listings for flexible labor near Lucas Oil have spiked by nearly 1,000 percent. Jobs available include parking control, temporary work at downtown bars and restaurants, cleanup of the area before and after the events, and added support at hotels across Marion County.

Forget about getting a hotel room that weekend. Illinois broke its hotel revenue record thanks in part to Swift’s visit, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said after her stop there last summer, and other cities have announced similar boosts. According to Chris Gahl, executive vice president of Visit Indy, 87 percent of ticket holders for Swift’s local shows are from outside the Indy metro area. That means local hotels have been fully booked since July at rates three times the usual cost for those dates. 

… Or an Airbnb. Airbnb communications director Haven Thorn says that hosts on the platform “earned over $77 million” housing concertgoers on the first U.S. leg of Swift’s tour, news that prompted a new wave of listings on the popular short-term rental app. Searches for Indy Airbnbs increased by 7,000 percent when the local dates were announced, Thorn says, so local short-term rentals are also expected to reach full capacity at rates that exceed those charged during events such as the 500 or GenCon.

It will also be a bad weekend to try to grab an Uber. Ridehailing companies are strongly encouraging drivers to clock in on Swift’s tour dates—and are actively seeking new drivers to sign up and work on that exceptionally busy weekend. If you’re not headed to or from the show those days but still need to hail a ride, be prepared to drop some cash. “Surge pricing is a given,” a driver informed us during a recent airport trip. “Expect Indy 500 prices, or worse.” 

Marion County’s first responders will all be on the clock that weekend, too. Citing issues around security, neither the FBI nor the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were willing to speak on the record about specific steps they’re taking during Swift’s Indy dates. But as one of the country’s top locations for conventions and high-impact events, Indy’s first responders have abundant experience protecting famous folks and their fans. For other events of this nature, IMPD has set up real-time crime centers staffed with people who monitor the hundreds of security cameras placed throughout the city. In addition, deputy fire marshals are typically deployed to keep an eye on capacity at bars and restaurants in the area, as they might become dangerously packed before and after the show. Finally, Marion County Emergency Management launched a new mass texting system this fall to alert participants of any major issues. Text MESAINDY to 67283 to register.

Don’t expect Swift to shake off any credible threats to fan safety. The singer canceled three shows in Vienna this year after law enforcement officials arrested multiple people planning a terrorist attack during her stop there and later said that skipping that stop was the best way to keep her fans safe. Those who know Swift say she won’t hesitate to shut down a show—even at the last minute—if there’s another credible threat. “Taylor’s top priority is the safety of her fans,” says a source close to the singer’s team. “She hates to disappoint anyone, but these are strange times, and sometimes she has to make hard calls.”

The post Speed Read: The Swift Effect appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

Blood Trail
(Steven Walker and Rick Reed)
This memorably grimy account of violent-crimes-detective-turned-fraud-investigator Reed’s pursuit of Joseph Weldon Brown starts out overwritten. Let it settle down. It’s a brisk, colloquial rendering of Brown’s hopeless childhood, then his (notably inept) career of larceny and violence culminating in the murder of his partner, Ginger Gasaway, whose remains Brown notoriously scattered across three counties.

Freed to Kill: The True Story of Serial Murderer Larry Eyler
(Gera-Lind Kolarik with Wayne Klatt)
The writing is relatively run-of-the-mill, but this is one of the few book-length treatments of serial killer Larry Eyler, whose body count was higher than it should have been thanks to 1) lack of cooperation between police agencies and 2) an improper search that let Eyler loose to kill again.

Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men
(Harold Schechter)
The Lady Bluebeard of La Porte County’s crimes were so vile that a densely footnoted academic overview is the only way to write about the case without sickening the reader. Schechter is the professor for the job. He can’t entirely avoid phrases like “a jumble of putrefied body parts,” but his biography and analysis of Gunness is compelling and complete.

Indiana Gothic: A Story of Adultery and Murder in an American Family
(Pope Brock)
A politician’s affair with his sister-in-law; a pregnancy they couldn’t otherwise explain; a broad daylight shooting on Main Street; a pioneering insanity defense. It sounds like pulp fiction, and that’s how Brock writes the true story of his great-grandfather Ham Dillon’s murder and his family’s enduring shame. This volume is rich in turn-of-the-last-century detail, and the prose moves right along.

Murders That Made Headlines: Crimes of Indiana
(Jane Simon Ammeson)
This slim anthology focuses on long-ago cases that dominated contemporary news, then fell below the horizon. It’s packed with archival graphics, grisly details (a reservoir drained, in vain, to find Pearl Bryan’s head), and histrionic headlines. The Harry and Nettie Diamond chapter is a strangely nostalgic treat.

Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34
(Bryan Burrough)
Burrough’s 2004 book about the country’s “first, and greatest, war on crime” became a Johnny Depp–starring film in 2009. But the text is plenty cinematic on its own, never more so than when it zooms in on the bank-robbing, jail-breaking John Dillinger, who, of course, became Public Enemy No. 1.

Seventy Times Seven: A True Story of
Murder and Mercy
(Alex Mar)
When a “beloved Bible teacher” was murdered during a 1985 home invasion, few objected when her killer, 10th-grader Paula Cooper, got the death penalty. Then the victim’s grandson publicly forgave Cooper—and campaigned to commute her sentence. A holistic account of the ripple effects of a horrific crime on two families, the book takes on multiple criminal justice issues—racial bias, prosecutorial tunnel vision, Lake County corruption—without feeling like homework.

The post Book ’Em appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

Photograph courtesy A-Squared Industries

A-Squared Industries

A-SQUARED Industries is the multifaceted invention of Andy and Annie Skinner, a husband-and-wife team whose devotion to the music scene runs much deeper than their revered Broad Ripple record store, Indy CD & Vinyl. Back in 2005, Andy was a full-time all-ages concert promoter and Annie a record shop employee who was also in charge of grassroots marketing for Sony Music artists. Their mutual grind led to the birth of A-Squared Industries, an enterprise that went on to DJ events, promote shows, launch a record label, and generally foster Indy’s blossoming musical counterculture at DJ dance parties Let Go!, Real Talk!, and Spellbound. Later this year, they’re set to open a Broad Ripple all-ages venue, The 808, next door to Indy CD & Vinyl.

Photograph courtesy Musical Family Tree

Musical Family Tree

IN 2004, a tech-savvy music enthusiast with a soft spot for Bloomington’s 1990s music scene created what would become a mainstay of Hoosier music history—Musical Family Tree (MFT). Jeb Banner’s “love letter to Indiana music,” now a nonprofit, started as a simple, crowd-sourced digital archive, an attempt to preserve the cassette-recorded echoes of grunge and alt-rock. As he tinkered away, turning his computer into a makeshift web host, MFT snowballed into something bigger. “I’m not much of a coder,” Banner says of those early days. But that didn’t stop him from building a site—years before Spotify—that would become a playable (and meticulously cross-referenced) history of Indiana’s music, from Margo & the Nuclear So and So’s, to Zero Boys, to Eisenhower Field Day. 

MOKB Presents

JOSH BAKER, CEO of concert promotion company MOKB Presents, has spent the last decade turning Indianapolis into a music destination. The genesis of the company was partner Craig “Dodge” Lile’s early-2000s music site, My Old Kentucky Blog, a trusted source for pop commentary. That same spirit of smart engagement guides its concert promotion offshoot, which has Baker and his team hustling to get the city on the map by convincing national acts like Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend, and The Head and the Heart to play local stages, including his own venues, the 400-capacity Hi-Fi and adjoining Hi-Fi Annex. On Baker’s watch, MOKB has become a powerhouse, booking everything from small club shows to arena acts and working its way up to 30 full-time staffers.

The post Behind The Music appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.