
MidWest Friends Fest 2026 - Day Two - Single Day Ticket
Sat, 30 May, 2:00 PM EDT
Doors open
1:00 PM EDT
The Southgate House Revival
111 E Sixth Street , Newport, KY 41071
Description
Saturday, May 30
MidWest Friends Fest 2026 - Day Two - Single Day Ticket
Doors at 1:00
Music at 2:00
$35 in advance
$40 at the door
Event Information
Age Limit
All Ages

Alternative Rock
2-22s
2-22s
Alternative Rock

Alternative
80H2O
80H2O
Alternative

Ambient
Aaron Crary
Aaron Crary
Ambient

Punk
Bat Boy
Bat Boy
Punk
Bat Boy began as a way to maintain a long-distance friendship between Hannah Eagle (Philadelphia, PA) and Jake Guralnik (Richmond, VA), two people who hate talking on the phone.
They had developed a great friendship on tour with Spraynard where Jake was playing bass and Hannah was slingin’ merch.
When the tour was over, instead of going, “Welp, see ya,” they decided to start a band of their own and keep the good times rolling. With Cory Chubb from Richmond, VA’s Sundials on board to play drums, and many back and forth iPhone recordings later, the rest was history!

Alternative Rock
Boy Clothes
Boy Clothes
Alternative Rock
boyclothes is an indie rock band based in cincinnati, oh bringing a fresh mix of original songs with melodic harmonies and reinvented covers with genre bending sound for upbeat, easy listening. boyclothes took root in cincinnati’s queer scene in september 2024, and has kept people dancing and singing along ever since. led by vocalist and guitarist Lauren Metz, and supported by vocalist and bassist Zoë Lynn and drummer Maggie McClarren, we are guaranteed to bring a good time to any stage!

Pop Punk
Caitlin Edwards
Caitlin Edwards
Pop Punk
Caitlin Edwards resides in Chicago, IL, and plays in three bands - Bumsy and The Moochers, Caitlin Edwards, and Calico Plaid - and is an active member of the Chicago music scene.
Caitlin decided to venture into a solo project back in 2017. Her sound combines pop rock, punk, indie, and alternative, and her band’s live trio sound packs a punch with honest lyrics and relentless melodies.
She has independently released three EP’s - Candy Corn (2024), Heart Plasticity, and Jump The Fence. She also released her first full-length album, Pluto Party, in 2023.
Caitlin has performed in many states across the USA with her trio. FFO: The Muffs, The Beths, Best Coast, and Weezer.

Emo
Can You Not?
Can You Not?
Emo

Alternative
Common Sage
Common Sage
Alternative

Alternative Rock
Dad Hats
Dad Hats
Alternative Rock
Meet Dad Hats, a four-piece rock outfit from Nashville, Tennessee, whose music oozes "indie rock charm mixed with the grit of upbeat pop-punk" (thepoppunkdad.com). Their sophomore release, Spill, comes complete with earworm guitar riffs, locomotor rhythms, and lyrics that are equal parts poignant and self-depricating.
Tyler Coleman (guitar), Joe Halberstadt (drums), Nate Sorg (guitar), and Craig Turner (vocals/bass) harness the sound of parties you barely remember and embarrassing memories you kinda wish you could forget.
FFO: The Wonder Years, The Menzingers, PUP, early Fall Out Boy

Alternative Rock
FinalBossFight!
FinalBossFight!
Alternative Rock
FinalBossFight! (Flint, MI) formed in March of 2020, a very cool and normal month for the entire world. Sage and John became acquainted in high school after playing in a classic rock cover band together. After a few years of playing in a handful of separate bands after high school, the two would reunite and begin writing songs to cry and dance to.
FinalBossFight! would release their debut EP The Light in Your Room in 2020, followed by their 2021 single House Rules. With live shows out of the question due to the pandemic, FinalBossFight! took to the internet to build a network of fans and peers in the DIY emo scene. One of these connections was Billy, a musician from Southeast Michigan, who would join FinalBossFight! in the summer of 2021 on bass guitar.
In July of 2021, shows were beginning to re-emerge and the band was eager to finally play to a live audience. An invite to play a Lansing house show at The Church of Elvis Presley, a venue run by members of corduroy pants & Dad Caps, would prove to be a watershed moment for the band. Alongside corduroy pants, Dad Caps, Tequila Mockingbird, Tournament, Dear Heretic, Clipboards and many others, FinalBossFight! would find themselves immersed in a passionate community of fellow musicians, fans, and best friends in the Lansing emo scene.

Indie Pop
Fredii Astraia
Fredii Astraia
Indie Pop

Alternative Rock
Ghost Town Remedy
Ghost Town Remedy
Alternative Rock
Nashville’s Party Punker Shredders Ghost Town Remedy wouldn’t know how to stop adding Guitarmonies even if they tried and it's becoming a serious problem. They are constantly late to weddings, family gatherings, the birth of their firstborn sons, and work at their lame ass day jobs due to adding just ONE MORE guitar part. Loved ones have tried time and time again to intervene but their efforts have only added fuel to the fire or whatever the fuck Metallica was singing about.
If you come to a GTR show thinking you’re going to hear only one guitar playing the Grammy Award Winning 1999 hit SMOOTH by Santana feat. Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty off the Multi-Platinum Album Supernatural, THINK AGAIN!
FFO: Guitarmonies, NOT standing at the back of the show with your arms crossed, having fun in spite of our increasingly not fun world, and more guitarmonies!

Ambient
Gloss Ave.
Gloss Ave.
Ambient

Pop Punk
Goalkeeper
Goalkeeper
Pop Punk
When opportunity knocks, Philly natives Goalkeeper are the ones answering the door. Ryan Beebe (Singer/Bassist), Marc Juliano (Guitarist), and Cody Ritchie (Drummer), came together at a critical point to create the perfect storm of melodic hooks & hard hitting pure pop punk. Finding inspiration in the expanding genre , Goalkeeper wants to prove there’s still new sounds to be heard, and focuses on tight, driving song writing. Their music emphasizes a refined, fervent sound influenced by early pop punk front runners, with lyrics that are fixated on introspective growth. Goalkeeper has supported such bands as State Champs, The Starting Line, Hit The Lights, Real Friends, Can't Swim, With Confidence, and more.

Alternative
Jacob Perez & the Boy Howdies
Jacob Perez & the Boy Howdies
Alternative

Alternative
Joey Aich
Joey Aich
Alternative

Alternative Rock
Kat and the Hurricane
Kat and the Hurricane
Alternative Rock
Kat and the Hurricane is an all-queer and trans synth rock/indie-pop band from Madison, WI composed of guitarist/vocalist Kat Rhapsody (they/them), keyboardist/vocalist Benjamin Rose (they/them), and drummer Alex Nelson (they/them).
The band has stirred up a storm across the Midwest since 2017 thanks to their energetic live shows, strong sense of community, and genre-defying songwriting.
While preparing their debut full length album, Got It Out, the trio has appeared at several regional and national festivals, completed 3 regional and national tours, and received the coveted Artist of The Year award from their local Madison Area Music Association.

Americana
Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson
Americana

Alternative
Khara
Khara
Alternative

Indie Rock
Little Low
Little Low
Indie Rock

Alternative
Luke Hummel
Luke Hummel
Alternative

Alternative
Lunar Moth
Lunar Moth
Alternative

Alternative
MK Naomi
MK Naomi
Alternative

Alternative
Mr. Watt
Mr. Watt
Alternative

Alternative
no problemo!
no problemo!
Alternative

Ambient
NO.
NO.
Ambient

Country
Noah Smith
Noah Smith
Country
Noah Smith is a touring songwriter from Cincinnati, OH, whose sound resonates with both country and rock n roll fans alike. Mixed whiskey blues, soulful roots, and a road dog spirit, his high energy full band live performances have landed him on national stages opening for artists such as Ashley Mcbryde, Chris Janson, Joe Diffie, The Steve Miller Band, and many more. Noah splits his time between his home studio, Nashville, Tennessee, and the road. He has gained a following in the US and Europe as a featured artist on the Nashville Nights International Songwriter Festival in Odense, Denmark, where he will return for a third appearance in the fall of 2024. Noah is a staple in the Cincinnati songwriter community, and has fostered relationships with over 300 songwriters and artists on his monthly songwriter showcase “Noah Smith’s Crooner Circus,” for over 5 years in Cincinnati, OH, Nashville, TN, and Georgetown, KY. Noah has a growing fan base and is releasing new music to pair with his past releases featured in American Songwriter, Country Rebel, Raised Rowdy and more

Emo
Origami Summer
Origami Summer
Emo

Alternative
Pacing
Pacing
Alternative

Americana
Sami Riggs & the Black Sheep
Sami Riggs & the Black Sheep
Americana

Grunge
Sayryn
Sayryn
Grunge

Alternative Rock
Secret Gardens
Secret Gardens
Alternative Rock

Punk
Small Steps
Small Steps
Punk

Indie Rock
Spoils System
Spoils System
Indie Rock

Alternative
Stars Hollow
Stars Hollow
Alternative

Punk
Teens In Trouble
Teens In Trouble
Punk
“Does it make you want to rock out? Does it make you want to cry?”
If the answer is both at once, you’re probably listening to Teens in Trouble. Specializing in catchy hooks, heavy guitars, and disarmingly direct lyricism, the bright-blazing creative project of Lizzie Killian makes anthemic, emotionally driven indie-rock that merges the snappy, confessional style of Weezer with the Pixies’ soaring, fuzzed-out melodies. The band’s ever- evolving sound is most informed, though, by Killian’s ability to refract these influences through a prism of memory, melding past and present with sun-dappled clarity and a cathartic vocal power that’s distinctly hers.
A California native who moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2019, Killian crafted Teens in Trouble’s self-titled debut EP during the pandemic, on a quiet street in Asheville, where she rekindled her love of songwriting following an extended hiatus. Since its 2022 release, Teens in Trouble has been featured in Alternative Press, BrooklynVegan, Consequence, Stereogum, and more. The EP’s singles, “I’m Not Worried” and “Decomposing,” have also been featured in the popular online battle royale game Fortnite.
In 2023, Teens in Trouble teamed up with bluesy alt-country artist Desert Mambas on a split EP released by Kill Rock Stars and Asian Man Records.
Teens in Trouble is named one of idobi Radio's “100 Rising Artists You Need To Listen To in 2024.”

Alternative Rock
The 1984 Draft
The 1984 Draft
Alternative Rock

Punk
The Dreaded Laramie
The Dreaded Laramie
Punk
The Dreaded Laramie is a power pop band based in Nashville, TN. They recorded their forthcoming debut LP with producer/mixer/engineer Dave Schiffman (PUP, NOBRO, Olivia Rodrigo). The new record comes on the tail of their 2022 EP, “Everything A Girl Could Ask” (produced and co-written by Rozwell Kid’s Adam Meisterhans), which Punk News described as “gender bending … marbled with sickly sweet, hyper feminine vocals encapsulated by indie rock tinged boppy pogo punk and sprinkled with sudden moments of very macho displays of musicianship.” In 2023, The Dreaded Laramie conquered a 60-city tour across North America, joining festival lineups from Gainesville’s Fest to Montreal’s Pouzza Fest, and sharing stages with the likes of Soccer Mommy, Bad Moves, Rozwell Kid, and Tsunami Bomb.
RIYL: Weezer, No Doubt, The Darkness, Charly Bliss, Frankie Cosmos

Folk
The Laurelys
The Laurelys
Folk
The Laurelys are a husband and wife folk duo from Newport, Kentucky, inspired by the haunting melodies of Old-Time Appalachian music and the beauty of the mountains where it was born. The Laurelys use interwoven harmonies and the clawhammer banjo to tell stories about love, life’s challenges, and finding solitude in nature.

Folk
Tim Reisert
Tim Reisert
Folk

Emo
Times Tables
Times Tables
Emo

Indie Rock
Tooth Lures A Fang
Tooth Lures A Fang
Indie Rock
Tooth Lures a Fang is a dynamic Power Pop band from Cincinnati, OH. Their 90s-soaked guitar rock emphasizes satisfying vocal harmony, tight chord progressions, and memorable melodies; making them stand out from other garage rock bands. With a focus on intricate and thoughtful songwriting, they preserve the song's integrity over the tropes of the genre.
Zach Starkie - vocals, guitar
Katy Evers - guitar
Nic Pater - bass, vocals
John Kathman - drums, vocals

Emo
Unseemlier
Unseemlier
Emo

Punk
Virtual Bird
Virtual Bird
Punk

Alternative
Weak Daze
Weak Daze
Alternative

Emo
Wilmette
Wilmette
Emo

Alternative Rock
Young Animals
Young Animals
Alternative Rock

Pop Punk
Over Anna
Over Anna
Pop Punk

Alternative
STMNTS
STMNTS
Alternative

Pop Rock
Sundae Drives
Sundae Drives
Pop Rock
Sundae Drives is an Acoustic driven Soul / Pop / Hip Hop / R&B act from the east side of Cincinnati, Ohio featuring singer - songwriter Adam Lee. Known for his unique sound and intense yet intimate live performances, SD plays a raw, stripped down & creative style of music. Through unorthodox guitar playing and melodic vocals infused with organic percussion, emotional keys and slick bass lines, Sundae Drives is sure to find a place in your heart.


