With the lovely weather we have been embraced with as of late, we can only wonder what Middle Waves would’ve been like this year.
Originally scheduled for the weekend of June 12 and 13, the festival succumbed to the COVID-19 shutdown, along with pretty much everything else this summer. Although we won’t be enjoying two days of eclectic music, there’s still one Middle Waves experience you can take part in.
Starting Friday, June 12, you can enjoy music while strolling through McCulloch Park near the Electric Works campus thanks to an app called SoundWalk.
Local musician Kurt Roembke is the brains behind SoundWalk, a mobile app that allows artists to compose audio experiences and map them to GPS locations around the globe.
The app is free. All you need is to put on your headphones and go to the location of the SoundWalk experience. Then, as you walk, the app will play music specifically composed for that location. The music might even change as you walk toward particular objects like fountains or statues.
The fully interactive McCulloch Park score was composed by Middle Waves alumni Colin Boyd and Nate Utesch of Metavari.
I can’t wait to check this out and to see what the future holds for SoundWalk. It could be a game changer especially for musicians releasing new albums.
Paper Heart releases EP
The Paper Heart have officially released a new EP titled A Bridge Burned Is a Lesson Learned. The five-track effort was produced by Derron Allred at Saint Francis Recording Studio and even features mandolin and vocal contributions by Adam Baker.
When asked about how the band plans to promote the new release, vocalist Tropher Beyer said, “The summer is uncertain for now as to what we will do about gigs with the pandemic and all, but we are starting things out July 11 with a Battle of the Bands event in Fort Wayne.”
The band hopes the gigs start picking up since they are using money they earn from them to purchase recording equipment.
“We have a lot more songs and we want to try putting out a few self-produced tracks including a collaborative cover track between The Paper Heart and Adam Baker and The Heartache,” Beyer said.
The new EP is available at Wooden Nickel and Neat Neat Neat Records and on all major streaming platforms.
Battle of the Bands
The Battle of the Bands that The Paper Heart is referring to will be held at Copper Canyon Tobacconist, 3261 St. Joe Center Road, on Saturday, July 11, from 5-8 p.m.
Presented by the Fort Wayne Pitbull Coalition, there will be bands, food trucks, drinks, and cigars. There will also be a gated enclosed patio for you to come and meet some cute adoptable pets.
Other bands taking part are The Kickbacks, Jupiter IN July, and Withered Veins. This event is for 21 and over with a $5 cover charge.
Voting for the bands will be a cash donation, so bring a few extra bucks with you.
The winner of the competition will perform at the 2021 Fort Wayne Music Festival.
Out and About covers Northeast Indiana’s most interesting music and arts events. Send your announcements to info@whatzup.com.
