Mike Martin, owner and booking manager of Doc's Music Hall, has a dream for Muncie's music scene: turn it into the Austin, Texas, of the Midwest.
When Doc's Music Hall opened in 2006, Martin said there wasn't much of a music scene around Muncie. Since then it has been growing stronger, and Martin said he believes it has turned into a focus area for music.
Martin said the reason for the music scene's comeback is the desire for authenticity in music.
"Seeing something live has its place," he said. "The Internet has helped the music scene a lot and indie music has gotten stronger."
The idea of turning Muncie into the "Live Music Capital" of the Midwest is an appealing idea for local musicians and fans. Josh Burns, a freshman from New Castle and guitarist for the band Break Dance Not Hearts has been attracted to the local music scene for a while.
"Muncie is definitely a cool place to play," Burns said. "We played here four or five times before I began attending Ball State."
The reason behind Muncie's strengths in the music scene is mostly due to the lack of local attractions. A few local bars and venues that play live music are Doc's on Dill, The Living Room and Dill Street Bar & Grill.
"It definitely helps that there's not much to do around here," Burns said.
Martin agrees that college students searching for entertainment help build the scene. While he thinks Muncie's music scene is on the right track, he said he's still not completely satisfied.
"There aren't many places to play around here," Burns said. "We played at Dill Street [bar] once, but it wasn't that great."
Break Dance Not Hearts usually performed at the Launching Pad, which until recently was Muncie's only all-aged venue. The Launching Pad closed this past fall due to lack of volunteers, said psychology professor Alan Maugherman, who founded the Launching Pad.
Zach Hanje, a freshman from Noblesville and fan of the local music scene, also enjoyed the Launching Pad and would like to see more venues opened. He currently enjoys attending the Living Room, an alcohol and smoke-free venue for people 18 and older, where he's seen students and musicians from across the nation play.
"Muncie's definitely a platform for bands to build on," Hanje said.
Martin said he has a plan for making his Austin dreams come true.
Doc's Music Hall attracts bands of all genres and focuses more on quality rather than style.
"We've had everything from heavy metal, to gangster rap, to hard-core country," Martin said.
In addition to pulling in all types of music, Martin said he believes in embracing Ball State University's and Muncie's communities as a whole. Martin said he would like to see the Village and downtown Muncie become more connected and to get students from Ball State's telecommunications' department more involved.
"Ball State recruits students that would feed a music scene," Martin said.
The stretch to turning Muncie's music scene into Austin's is a long road, but Martin remains optimistic.
"I really believe in this Austin dream," he said. "There's a lot to a town this size. I want to see Muncie become a cultural center."
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