Lawrence loves mini-festivals, and this weekend there’s a good one. Local DIY project Turnpyke is a bit of a fairy godmother for up-and-coming bands. Co-Founders Teddy Tran and Zack Black do anything from book bands at their DIY space to help them with writing press releases and getting their music on streaming platforms. But this weekend, they’ll be taking it a step further with Turnpyke Fest, hosting two days of shows at the Replay Lounge.
We talked to them about their upcoming festival and what to expect this weekend:
IHLM: This is a pretty hefty lineup. What prompted you to put this two-day festival together?
ZB: There’s so many amazing artists in our area, and we wanted to plan an event that showcased as many of them as possible. Luckily, Replay has been awesome enough to host for the whole weekend. We would need a week’s worth of shows to book all the artists we’d like to, but we think this two-day format is a good start.
TT: We really wanted to do something special for the beginning of the new school year, and it’s always been a dream of ours to throw a music festival in Lawrence – especially one that is as accessible to people as possible. With the amount of performances, it’s super great that Replay and its incredible staff are helping to make Turnaround possible.
IHLM: We noticed that a lot of your lineup consists of the up-and-coming acts in the scene.
ZB: Turnpyke’s central mission has always been to uplift the artists/bands we work with. This includes fair pay, access to promotional resources, and opportunities to grow as an artist/band. In a community where new bands/projects are introduced every week, we think it’s very important to platform those new acts.
IHLM: What are you hoping will come out of this event, as well as the future of Turnpyke?
ZB: For Turnpyke, the local community is just as important as the artists we support. Lawrence needs more opportunities like this to gather around the shared experience of live music.
TT: We’re going to keep booking shows at our DIY spot, but really want to start booking more one-offs at local venues in town as well. At the end of the day, we want to continue to create great show experiences for people who love live music.
IHLM: Why do you feel it’s important to keep doing what you’re doing?
ZB: We were inspired to get involved in the music scene because of the history of music in Lawrence. I’ve heard so many stories about what the city used to be like, bands that would come through, venues that used to be around, it’s incredible. We want to contribute to that culture and keep up with the tradition of LFK.
TT: It’s been about a year since Zack and I started turnpyke and through that, we’ve met so many wonderful people. We’ve made incredible friendships and we’ve had some of the best times of our lives through music here in Lawrence. We want everyone to be able to experience what we’ve felt, as we were two people who spent our first two years in Lawrence completely unaware of the great music scene here. We got involved in the community later than we’d hoped and missed out on a lot of opportunities, despite everything we’re doing now. We want to help newcomers find their place in the music scene.
IHLM: Where can folks go to learn more about your organization and the two-day festival?
Zack: Check out our instagram @turnpyke where we’ll be posting everyday up to and during the festival. And head to our website at turnpyke.net to keep up with the artists we’re working with and upcoming shows.
The Lineup:
MellowPhobia 11:45-12:15
Social Cinema 11-11:30
Discotek Mama 10:15-10:45
City Hall 9:30-10
lone 8:15-9
June Henry 7:30-8
Parker Hippe 6:45-7:15
Lavender Bride 6-6:30
DJ Boy2000
Meowlika
Jackoffs 11:45-12:15
Cat Fight 11-11:30
Virga 10:15-10:45
Lake Love 9:30-10
Quiet Winter 8:15-9
Seal Of Approval 7:30-8
Something Blue 6:45-7:15
Blast Monkeys 6-6:30
Cyrus D