January 2023 Circle Centre Series Performances
Free All- Ages Indiana Music Performances
Musical Family Tree has been creating opportunities for Indiana’s music artists and audiences since 2004. One big part of our mission focuses on creating experiences by curating live performances in public spaces.
Come out to the Circle Centre Mall dining pavilion on the 3rd floor every Tuesday from 5-7pm to catch a free show featuring Indiana artists and their original music.
Through our partnership with Circle Centre Mall, everyone can enjoy an evening of music weekly, on Tuesdays. This is a free event with plenty of seating to come and listen to live performances in the dining pavilion. This weekly Circle Centre Series is a creative use of space and it gives Indiana artists an opportunity to share their original music. There’s a wide variety of music performed and different artists are featured every week. We welcome you and your family to join us next Tuesday!
Featured Artists in January 2023
Four different local bands were featured in January and they all did a great job performing! Musical Family Tree is proud to share the music of these bands with everyone. Please check them out. Listen to their music. And, come check out more great bands for our FREE concerts every Tuesday.
The Failers
The first band to perform at the MFT Circle Center Series in 2023 was Hoosier roots rockers, The Failers. They played on Tuesday, January 3rd. This band moves effortlessly from alt-country weepers to power pop anthems. They brought energy and even set up the sign for their album, Slacks. Learn more about this band and check out their website where you can listen to or download their music.
Wayne Pennington Duo
The next band to perform was the Duo on January 10th. This duo consisted of Wayne on guitar and lead vocals and Larry Gill on bass. They played original Americana soul music. Wayne has a real and gritty voice and is a great singer-songwriter. Fun fact, the band name had so many “N’s” in it that we ran out of letters for the sign. Thus, we had to get creative (see below)… what do you think?! You can also check out the full band Wayne Pennington & The Poor Valley.
Airport People
This next artist, Airport People, performed at our Circle Center Series on January 17, 2023. Leon Johnson is an Indianapolis-based multi-instrumentalist and composer who traveled frequently as a child. He took solace in sitting and people-watching at airports where, as Johnson puts it, “we’re in between where we’re going and where we were and we don’t have much to say.” His music is ambient and neoclassical. It provided a very relaxed vibe for the mall space.
His most recent record, From Nine Mornings, is his debut full-length album as Airport People. He conjures a sense of ease and order, a kind of effortless harmonic precision that sounds, perhaps, like a reaction to the disjointedness of being dragged along from place to place.
Flatland Harmony Experiment
Local bluegrass band, Flatland Harmony Experiment gave a much-anticipated performance on January 24th. The band includes Scott Nelson on bass, Johnny Plott on Banjo, and Kris Potts on Mandolin. They had not played together since before the pandemic and this reunion at the Circle Center Mall brought people together! They have lots of followers who showed up for this free concert and it was a celebration with lots of smiles and dancing!
This three-piece vocally driven string band uses a single large diaphragm condenser microphone to share their music with audiences. Flatland Harmony Experiment’s music and stage show drips with passion and it is easy to tell they love what they do.
Chad Mills
The last artist to perform at the MFT Circle Centre Series in January was Chad Mills. He is a passionate musician who has grown into his own style. Indy Folk Rock musician Chad Mills, freely lets his music reflect the ebbs and flows of his personal musical tastes of the moment. There is quite a variety to his music and listening to his albums can be like Indiana weather: not sure you dig a song? Keep listening… Wait five minutes. It’ll change.
Listen to MFT on WQRT Episode #174
If you missed any of these performances and want to hear some featured music by these artists, you’re in luck! You can listen to MFT on WQRT Episode #174. This episode features all of the artists who performed for the Circle Center Series in January 2023. Take a listen!
Originally airing 01/19/2023, Kati Taylor presents the Circle Centre Series January preview. Hear music from Michael Kelsey, The Failers, Wayne Pennington, airport people, Flatland Harmony Experiment, and Chad Mills.
