Pick up some Skyline Chili, make a few friendship bracelets and grab your buds as Midwest Friends Fest is returning to the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area for its sophomore year. Midwest Friends Fest is once again taking over the Southgate House Revival in Newport, KY.
The 2-day festival with multiple stages and amazing national and local acts like Signals Midwest, Cinema Stare, The 1984 Draft and Tooth Lures A Fang will take place from 30 & 31 May with tickets available here.
TGEFM was able to chat a bit with Bandages about this year’s festival for this installment of our MWFF interview series. Check it out below and we’ll see you at the bonfire in the woods!
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! What should our readers know about Bandages; your history, your mission, your sound?
Bandages formed just a couple of years ago, but all of us have been playing in local and touring bands for years. We each bring different musical backgrounds and perspectives to the table, which helps shape our own blend of melodic punk. Our songs tend to be pretty direct and honest, both musically and lyrically—we’re not trying to be cryptic. We just hope people can connect with that honesty and maybe see a bit of themselves in what we’re putting out there.
You are gearing up for Midwest Friends Fest in the coming months, what does the festival circuit mean to artists like yourselves?
We’re grateful for any chance to share our music with both new faces and familiar friends, but festivals offer a special kind of energy. They give us the opportunity to connect on a larger scale—not just with audiences, but with other artists and music lovers. Festivals are a great place to discover new sounds, make new friends, and keep building the kind of community that makes independent music thrive. At the end of the day, it’s all about sharing what we love with as many people as possible.
What does Bandages have planned for us beyond MWFF?
We’re playing more shows and writing new songs as well! Hopefully we’ll be able to release new material soon—unfortunately, our much-anticipated cover album of TV theme songs is on the shelf for now (we just couldn’t agree on the Golden Girls arrangement.)
What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences with the band so far? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?
One of the biggest highlights was having Joe Gittleman guest on our record—that was a total thrill and something we never could’ve imagined when we started. Honestly, the most unexpected part has been how naturally everything clicked. The songs came together fast, the record took on a life of its own, and suddenly we had this whole thing moving. We were also really fortunate to have the support of Ryan Malott and Hope and Rage—they played a huge role in getting the album out there and helping us launch the band in the first place.
Regarding live sets, what are you most excited to bring to the Midwest Friends Fest audience? What do you want the attendees to say about your set when they tell their friends about you?
We hope the audience feels our earnestness, passion, and energy—and leaves with a few earworms stuck in their heads!
We’ve all got a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
We’ve all had times when life pulled us in different directions—work, family, or other responsibilities—and music had to take a back seat for a while. Looking back, stepping away is something we all wish we hadn’t done for so long. Our unsolicited advice to fellow musicians (especially those of us getting older:) keep going, even if it’s in small ways. Staying connected to your music matters.
The punk, ska and indie scenes have almost always been at the forefront of inclusion and diversity within the music scenes. The flipside of course is that the gatekeeping in the scene is also very prevalent? Why do you think the genre brings in such a welcoming community and is so happy to let everyone in and also seems to shut the doors so quickly behind themselves?
Punk is meant to be inclusive—there are so many incredible voices and perspectives that strengthen the scene when they’re welcomed in. But at the same time, when something feels really special or meaningful, there’s a natural instinct to protect it from being diluted or co-opted. It’s a balance between staying open and holding onto what makes it powerful.
This festival is all about friendships and music. What do you value most in friendships amongst yourself and your stagemates?
We value the collective will to create—there’s something powerful about being surrounded by people who are driven to make things, whether it’s music, art, or just a good time with likeminded people. That’s what makes festivals like this so special—it’s not just about performing, it’s about building something together.
Bandages are from Cincinatti. I thought the city was only known for amazing chili, a dog-obsessed racist baseball owner and the greatest rollerblading movie of the 90s featuring Jack Black and Seth Green (Airborne), but MWFF is proving the city is home to some amazing artists. What’s going on in Cincinnati that led to so much of an overabundance of great music In the scene lately? How does the area feed into the music you are writing, if at all?
We’re technically from Cincinnati, but we’ve got strong roots in the Dayton area too—so we’re kinda straddling both scenes. And yeah, Ohio gets a bad rap sometimes, but we don’t take it personally. Honestly, the weird mix of rust-belt grit, midwestern kindness, and cultural contradictions kind of fuels the creativity. There’s a strong DIY spirit here, partly because we’ve always had to carve out our own spaces and communities.
Growing up in the Cinci/Dayton area, you definitely felt that conservative weight—but that pressure can spark something powerful. The great music coming out of this region is, in a lot of ways, a rebellion against that. It’s about making noise, building community, and finding your voice in a place that doesn’t always make it easy. We’re proud to be part of that. Also, yes—Airborne is a cinematic masterpiece, and Skyline Chili is basically a rite of passage.
Last year, you were part of the Midwest Friends Fest pre-show kickoff party. What made you want to come back and perform with MWFF again? How has it felt being able to watch this thing grow from the inside??
It’s been really cool getting to know Jared—not just as someone who puts on a fest, but as a person who truly cares about the scene and the people in it. Watching him build MWFF into what it is now has been inspiring. He’s put in so much work and heart, and we’re grateful he brought us along for the ride. What makes it even more special is that the fest and our band have kind of grown up together—we were both just starting out around the same time, so there’s this feeling like we’ve been building something alongside each other. It’s awesome to be part of something that is rooted in friendship and constantly pushing forward.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst? On the flipside to that one… Who are some non-MWFF bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
There wasn’t one single album that did it for all of us—what’s cool about this band is that we each came in with different musical DNA. We have roots in early punk, 90s skate punk, ska, oldies, folk rock, hardcore, metal—it all kind of fuses together in what we’re doing now. But those early “aha” moments definitely came from hearing music that felt raw, urgent, and completely unpolished in the best way. Stuff that made you go, “Wait, I could do this too.”
As for bands people should be checking out—there’s a ton of great stuff happening right now. Hey Alveh from Chillicothe is doing really interesting, emotionally heavy punk. Get Wrecked! and Girl Gordon are killing it here in Cincinnati. And Houseghost from Dayton is one of those bands that feels like a secret you’re lucky to know about—catchy and dark in the best way. There’s so much talent bubbling under the surface around here.
I don’t know if you’ve heard about this newcomer by the name of Taylor Swift. Her growing fanbase trades friendship bracelets. If you made a bracelet for MWFF, what word or phrase word you put on it?
We’ve definitely heard of this rising indie artist Taylor Swift—she’s got real potential. Since making the effort to be present in a community is the real magic, our bracelets would be:
MWFF: We all showed up.
Post show jam session in a large, empty field. What song are you singing around the bonfire? (Pardon my playful biases, but everything I know about the Midwest comes from shitty movies and songs by the Kinsella Bros. so I assume everyone playing here has spent some time at bonfire parties in the fields off some lonely county road)?
First off, you’re not wrong—some of us definitely had our fair share of field parties growing up. Bonfires, cheap beer, somebody’s cousin’s band playing through a half-working PA—it’s a common occurrence out here.
The best bonfire song? “Around the World” by Daft Punk – easy lyrics for your drunk uncle to sing. Someone’s probably beatboxing. And your cousin’s boyfriend is yelling “play Free Bird!” in the distance thinking it’s the funniest one-liner in the history of time. Midwest magic.
Midwest Friends Fest is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Which bands are you most excited to see?
There are so many bands we’re stoked to see at MWFF, but a few that we’re especially hyped for are Nightmareathons, The Stokelys, Take the Reins, who we just toured with, Alex and the Board of Directors, and Life in Idle. It’s such a solid mix of energy, heart, and chaos—and it’s always cool to see bands we’ve played with before sharing the stage with new favorites. MWFF does such a good job of curating a lineup that feels like a true community, and we’re just psyched to be in the mix.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
We’re just really excited to have something like MWFF happening in this part of the country. It’s such a great opportunity to showcase not just the bands, but the energy and heart of the Midwest music scene. There’s so much talent and community here, and it means a lot to be part of something that’s helping put that on the map.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/