Punk kids now welcome at several Fountain Square music venues
INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — Mia Rivas remembers their very first “real punk show” — Pat and the Pissers, Anti-Feds and Kiddo at Square Cat Vinyl in Fountain Square.
“I’ve been going to shows for a few years now, and they’re definitely my favorite thing to do ever,” Rivas said.
Since that first show in 2021, the 19-year-old has become a vocalist in the band Callejera and a guitarist in for the band Halfway House.
What Rivas experienced first-hand is not only a shift in Indy’s music landscape, but a cultural one, too — some years ago Rivas would have not been welcome at some of the venues where they now play because of their age.
Pat and the Pissers frontman Alex Beckman, a fixture of Indy’s punk and DIY music scene, has witnessed Indy’s all-ages music scene boom from up on stage. The 27-year-old considers himself part of the old guard, as younger punk bands have continued to sprout up around him.
“Pre-COVID, there weren’t as many younger people at shows so we didn’t necessarily have to do shows that were all-ages all the time, or as often,” Beckman said. “But now, knowing that there are younger people who want to be there, I think a lot of bands my age and younger want to bring as much music and as much accessibility to Indianapolis as we can. We don’t want anybody to be turned away because of age or for any reason at all.”
Fountain Square Theater’s Atomic Bowl space has recently become a hotspot for all-ages punk shows — the frontman of local hardcore band Kiddo, Kenton Caldwell, helps book shows there. “I think all-ages means all-inclusive — those terms are singular,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell has been a part of Indy’s local music scene for the past two decades and has seen many DIY venues come and go over the years, whether they were art spaces, bowling alleys or individual’s homes.
“In Fountain Square, we have Longshot, Atomic Bowl, the Hoosier Dome, Hi-Fi, and Square Cat Vinyl. It’s almost like a pentagram you can walk,” Caldwell said.
Even the Hi-Fi, a major player in Fountain Square’s music landscape, has recently been throwing more and more 18+ and all-ages shows. That their indoor venue is now attached to the newly opened Easy Rider Diner makes things even more welcoming for the under 21 crowds that stay up late.
According to Hi-Fi owner Josh Baker, only 2-3% of concerts at Hi-Fi are now 21+, meaning the large majority of shows at the venue are either 18+ or all-ages. As they’ve opened their doors to this new audience of music fans, however, Baker says the Hi-Fi team has been very strategic in the moves that they’re making.
“The biggest struggle for us is that we were never built to service an 18-year-old kid,” Baker said. “You still can’t go up to the counter and order a Coke because it’s a 21+ counter. So that experience for an underage person probably hasn’t been the best, which is something that we’re aware of and trying to get better at. But it’s kind of like baby steps. Like, ‘Okay. You can come in here now — we’ve got that checked off. Now, let us figure out how to get you a water, a soda or a bag of chips.’ We’re working through that.”
When asked if booking agents have been more excited to work with Hi-Fi now that the venue can offer all-ages and 18+ shows, Baker said “most definitely.”
“Because now Old National Centre isn’t the only place in town where they [booking agents] can go get an all-ages show and still serve a drink,” he says.
Although Mia Rivas believes the city is in “a really good spot” when it comes to all-ages offerings, they think there’s certainly “room for improvement.” Nevertheless, as someone who started going to concerts at the age of 17, they undoubtedly see the importance of booking and playing shows with Indy’s youth in mind.
“I think all-ages shows are insanely valuable,” Rivas said. “Honestly, now, a lot of the shows where people go the hardest involve younger people. I feel like there’s just so much energy being brought to them. It’s just really good to include everyone.”