Imagine that it‘s 1966, and you‘ve just been told that the Beatles are coming to Bloomington to record their next album, or that Bob Dylan will be setting up camp in this small Midwestern university town to lay down his next masterpiece. For one generation of young Bloomingtonians, this sort of story came to pass in the spring of 1986, when the rock band R.E.M. walked among us for a few weeks as they produced Lifes Rich Pageant, the album that served as a bridge for the band‘s journey from college-radio icons to top 40 superstars…

he Indianapolis music scene is home to a vibrant array of artists, but few capture the timeless energy of rockabilly quite like the Naptown Hepcats. This dynamic trio—Spencer Mitchell on lead guitar and vocals, Mike Strauss on upright bass, and Terry Fox on drums—have dedicated themselves to reviving the high-energy, roots-driven sound of rockabilly, a genre that has largely faded from the mainstream but still holds a devoted following.

Arson Garden was one of the most successful Bloomington bands during the late 1980s through mid-1990s. When I moved into Collins at IU, Arson Garden was the biggest band in town. Everyone had their CDs. I’ve always been curious how they got started… and how they ended. Let’s start the story with siblings April and James. 

The MFT archive was started on a snowy evening in February of 2004. I had recently acquired the equipment to digitize cassette tapes and I was amassing a catalog of MP3s- digital sound files. Many of these came from my time in Bloomington in the 1990s. Central Indiana had a very large and active music scene in the 90s. Bloomington, as I experienced it, was the heart of the scene. But Indy wasn’t far off. My focus was preserving these recordings before my cassettes decayed…

Musician Taylor Swift, one of the biggest celebrities in the world, performed at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the last dates on her Eras Tour November 1st-3rd, 2024. It was a big deal for our city bringing in over 200k out-of-town visitors and giving our local economy a little boost. Downtown Indy was turned into “Swift City” with some of the highlights including special merch, photo opportunities, renamed street signs, and Swift City Sessions!

You can experience some of the best jazz music in the world right here in Indiana!

You are probably already familiar with the Indy Jazz Fest which brings some of the best national jazz artists to Indianapolis each year and features some local greats.

Have you checked out our free weekly concert series yet?

Through the end of 2023, MFT has partnered with Circle Centre Mall to host live, local community concerts. ThebCircle Centre Series events are free and open to anyone who wants to attend. It is a great opportunity for musicians to reach new audiences and for music fans to discover some great local talent.

Tuesday is Free Concert Day at Circle Centre Mall!. Everyone is welcome at our FREE community concert series.

Tickets are not required and this all-ages event welcomes you. Downtown residents, business professionals, mall shoppers, families, and music fans have been gathering on Tuesdays for these fun free concerts.

Join in on the fun from 5-7 pm every Tuesday. Bring a friend and grab a snack at the Circle Centre Mall food court to enjoy as you listen.

Everett Greene Attends MFT’s Circle Centre Series - You never know who you will run into at the Musical Family Tree Circle Centre Series. Maybe you’ll see a friend, a neighbor, or a coworker… Or maybe you’ll run into a local music legend who still loves getting out to see original, live music!

FREE All-Ages, Local Music Concerts Every Tuesday!

If you like live music and want to get to know a wide variety of local artists, the MFT Circle Centre Series is for you!

Musical Family Tree’s Revival of the “Indiana Covers Project”

Free Live Local Music! Have you checked out our weekly Circle Centre Series yet?

Have you ever hosted or considered hosting a concert in your home?

Free Live Music Concerts Every Week! Musical Family Tree provides opportunities for local performing artists.

Through our partnership with Circle Centre Mall, everyone can enjoy an evening of music weekly, on Tuesdays. This weekly Circle Centre Series is a creative use of space and it gives Indiana artists an opportunity to share their original music.

The purpose of the Musical Family Tree Community Award is to recognize individuals who make a significant and meaningful impact on the Indiana music scene.

Indianapolis-based 501c3 nonprofit Musical Family Tree aka MFT is launching a new fund to support music creators in Central Indiana. The objective is to help build a sustainable music economy that creates opportunities and income for musicians as well as increased awareness for original music both locally and internationally.

Several thousand people come to the Indy Jazz Fest every year. The festival’s success and popularity is because of the many extremely talented musicians who came to Indy (or stayed here) and continue to feed the jazz scene.

Musical Family Tree’s 2021 wrap up: featuring a list of Indiana music from 2021 and more!

MFT is happy to partner again with the City of Indianapolis and the Arts Council of Indianapolis to offer a third round of grants to music venues for COVID relief.