Muncie likes its indie-rock. Mainstays like Everything, Now! have driven the local scene for the past three years, while less abrasive-sounding newcomers like Arrah and the Ferns have already made their mark on the regional landscape.
This summer, an increasing number of these groups have hit the road in an attempt to spread the quirky, melodic pop of Muncie to other parts of the country.
Everything, Now! recently returned from a 30-day-26-show tour that took them to California and back. The group had some touring experience prior to this summer, but their most recent tour was by far the longest of their career.
Everything, Now! singer and guitarist Jon "Crafty" Rogers said that touring was a difficult but rewarding experience.
"People liked us, but they felt bad for us because there weren't a lot of people at shows," he said of the group's tour.
Keyboardist Drew Deboy said that Everything, Now!'s tour was "really sweaty" and involved "lots of driving."
Nine-member indie-folk group This Story, whose May tour took them to the East Coast and back, received a positive response from most of the crowds they played to.
"Our best show was in Byfield, Mass.," Gavin Wilkinson, This Story singer and guitarist, said. "The kids in that town ate it up. They treated us like rock stars," he said.
Still, not every show proved a positive experience for the group.
"We ended up playing this crack house," Wilkinson said. "There were drugs everywhere. We only played one song; we had to stop because they were afraid the cops would come."
Like most young bands, This Story also struggled financially while on the road.
"Good venues don't equal money," former This Story member Julie Turner said. Turner left the group shortly after the tour ended.
With gas prices high and turnouts for shows often low, touring bands are sometimes forced to cut corners. One of the first ways that bands save money is by eating cheap and less.
Wilkinson said that his tour diet consisted largely of peanut butter sandwiches.
Rogers also described the financial difficulties of touring.
"We had some people help us out gave us money to help us get where we needed to go, but we left in debt and came back in more debt," Rogers said.
Arrah Fisher of Arrah and the Ferns said that booking a tour is an onerous task.
"We sent out lots e-mails and press kits that we never heard back from," Fisher said. "It was really frustrating."
"It's a full-time job," Fisher said of booking a tour.
Despite these difficulties, Arrah and the Ferns singer and multi-instrumentalist Carl Stovner said that touring is a worthwhile investment.
"It's really exciting to share your music with new people," Stovner said. "To get to do that and play music and not make any money is like the coolest thing ever."
"We've never been out of Indiana as a band," Fisher said. "We really want to get out there and see if we can have the response that we've had here."
Rogers attests that though touring is difficult, it's a rewarding experience.
"We met a lot of amazing people on tour," he said. "It made us feel good about being alive."
Deboy agreed.
"The best part of touring was meeting people and hanging out with people we haven't seen in a long time, Deboy said. "That and seeing new places - that's what everybody loves about touring."
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