Insomniac Folklore Tour: The Vertical Violet

July 24th

I didn’t expect much from a venue in Kansas, even one in the heart of Wichita, a cultural metropolis compared to the miles of flinty plains in every direction. Thus, I was astounded when we reached The Vertical Violet, a large house tucked in a corner of a suburban neighborhood, to find myself overwhelmed with awesomeness. The backyard was decent-sized, packed with people, pavilions misting water onto the lucky recipients, playhouses, and various animals— from chickens to pigs to kittens.

We were scheduled to play as the last band of the Saturday of The Vertical Violet’s Pond Party, a festival featuring live music in the backyard and the living room, as well as copious amounts of food and booze. The place swarmed with people eating, drinking, and making merry. I have rarely seen a more goodnatured garden party.

When we first arrived, we were drenched with sweat and weak with heat exhaustion, so I sleepwalked through our show in the living room and didn’t really appreciate the venue’s magical atmosphere until the next day, after ten hours of sleep. I spent most of the day hanging out by our merch table. Adrienne and Amanda painted faces, including mine. We played a show at 4:00 when another band cancelled, and although everyone in the audience looked utterly befuddled the whole time, they applauded loudly. Otherwise I chatted with people, half-listened to other bands, laughed at the piglet that was running around, and petted innumerable kittens that wandered the grounds. It was good to have a down day after the mad dash across Kansas.

~Lisa Shafter