Rock to this

After attending several summits that boasted claims of having Midwestern representations, Josh Baker and fellow colleagues were a little skeptical as to just how representative these summits really were. In the summer of 2000, Baker -- president of Benchmark Records and the brains of the operation -- brought local and national acts together to rock out Indianapolis in its first ever Midwest Music Summit.\nAt 1 p.m. Thursday, the IndianapolisMusic.Net pre-party kicks off the third annual running of the Music Summit, which will feature over 250 bands. Amongst these bands include nationally renowned acts such as Loretta, Cat Power, Over the Rhine and Fruit Bats as well as several talented local and international groups. This three-day and threenight event is packed with full-on hip-hop, funk and singer/songwriter tunes that guarantee to keep your body groovin'. \nMaking the Cut:\nWith the end result being over 250 bands featured in the actual showcase, Baker says they had over 1,000 submissions for this year's event. For the aspiring acts, the process included submitting a demo tape of three songs and background information about the band itself. Flip Down South's lead vocalist, Nic Baria says, "It's good to actually be selected for this event. With so many good musicians out there, it really is an honor." Comprised of Baria, his twin brother Alex, and good friend Brian Casel, Flip Down South has rocked out their self-described funk-hip-hop originals and other favorite rap-rock covers at Uncle Festers and Bluebird Nightclub. After participating in Benchmark Records' Battle of the Bands in Indianapolis this summer, the band was approached by a representative who encouraged them to submit a demo for MMS. Persistent contact by the representative finally convinced Flip Down South, and it submitted an entry. \nAfter submitting the demo tape, it was up to the panel from Benchmark to decide the fate of the showcase. Baker and associates listened to every submission and reviewed them twice over. Eventually, they finalized their line-up to feature artists from all over the United States and even Bloomington. \nBloomington Represents:\nIn addition to Flip Down South, other local familiars featured this weekend are the Mary Janes and Extra Blue Kind. Janas Hoyt, lead guitarist and vocalist of the Mary Janes says, "We all just really enjoy playing with each other and are excited about this event." The group plans to dazzle its audience at 8:45 p.m. Thursday evening at the Monkey's Tale. \nTo add a little twist to the music all summitgoers are able to experience, the MMS also features three industry panels. The industry panels provide an opportunity for community members, band members and even just the average joe to go in and make a connection in the music industry. The Midwest Music Summit has "something for everybody, not just the bands ... It's putting the people in the position to meet the right people and make important connections," Baker says. It's just those connections that Baria and Flip Down South hope to gain from this event. Being relatively unfamiliar with the industry, Baria hopes that networking the event will really help out as the musicians are moving to the Windy City this fall. Of course, they don't want to forget that they're just out "to have fun and play," Baria says.\nSeeing tremendous growth in interest and support over the last couple of years, Baker doubts this year will be any different. He and the rest of the MMS staff expect to expand its musical horizons in the upcoming years by featuring more latin, jazz and blues artists. They also hope to lengthen the weekend into a four day event providing more music and more opportunities for connections to be made. As of now, they'll settle for the three-day event full of hot shows, parties and industry panels. \nFor $25, the official MMS wristband is your ticket to see hundreds of acts and allows patrons to attend all shows during the three-day weekend. For an additional $25, you can purchase an official Midwest Music Summit badge, which grants you full access to the parties, all music shows and all three of the industry panels. For those who don't buy tickets in advance, the walk-up areas are Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m to 1 a.m. at the Vogue and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. at the Rathskellar. \n "After it's all said and done, the best part is knowing that we made some connections and that we helped the bands out," Baker says. That tangible success is just what's on the minds of over 250 bands this weekend including Flip Down South and the Mary Janes. "I'm hoping someone important sees us. It's hard to tell who they'll be watching," Baria says. \nThe Midwest Music Summit 2003 is the largest independent music festival and conference in the Midwest, and is sponsored this year by Benchmark Records, WTTS 92.3 FM, Budweiser, Jack Daniels, No Name Music, Indianapolismusic.net, Millennium Records and others. Visit www.midwestmusicsummit.com for more information and for the showcase's line-up.