Wide Eyed Music Fest Shines Light on Indiana Artists

The official 2022 Wide Eyed Music Fest poster

The year was 2013 and longtime Indy musician Matthew Corken was looking for a unique way to celebrate his late July birthday.

“There was a pretty good group of people who were always gigging but could never really go to each other’s shows,” says Corken, who currently plays in the bands Corken, Crisis Actor and TEO. “I had a new girlfriend at the time, who’s now my fiancé. She said, ‘What do you want to do for your birthday?’ And I said, ‘Well, it’d be really cool to get all my friends together who have these awesome bands, throw a big show, and have everyone play a set.’”

Herein Wide Eyed Music Festival was born.

Now heading into its ninth installment, the daylong, all-ages fest will return to Black Circle for a second straight year on Saturday, July 30, with 16 acts performing across one indoor stage and two outdoor stages. Showcasing a wide array of Indianapolis acts, the 2022 Wide Eyed lineup features Crisis Actor, Faerie Ring, J. Elliot, Jomberfox, Kiddo, Manners Please, Pat and the Pissers, Service and more.

Originally started at now-defunct Broad Ripple venue Monkey’s Tale, Wide Eyed Music Fest has taken place all across town over the course of its nine-year lifespan — from Broad Ripple Tavern to Fountain Square Brewery to the Melody Inn.

“We’ve done it at a bunch of different venues, so that’s always been the non-constant,” Corken says. “It’s always had two stages with a bunch of bands.”

In curating the lineup, Corken always tries to shine a spotlight on Indianapolis acts of various genres.

“I keep it mixed as far as the genres,” he says. “It’s not like it’s just jam bands, indie bands or funk bands — it’s all of them. It’s nice to get a lot of the different groups together to show a snapshot of the different scenes we have here.”

With the 2022 lineup, he’s excited to welcome back some Wide Eyed veterans along with a few noteworthy newcomers.

“I’m excited to have Service for the first time,” Corken says. “I’m excited to have Kiddo and Manners Please back. It’s cool to have fresh faces like Pat and the Pissers. I got to catch their set at Indy Skate and Music Fest, and it was a ton of fun. So it’s pretty exciting to have them.”

At the end of the day, Corken simply enjoys shining a light on the local acts that he loves through the platform of Wide Eyed Music Festival.

“We try to keep the focus local just because there’s so much awesome local music here,” he says.

Purchase advance tickets to the 2022 Wide Eyed Music Fest here.