So the fifth annual Midwest Music Summit arrived this year, a little earlier than years past, when it was held in August. The first day, on July 21, had several surprises in store. The Avett Brothers got things kicked off right at the kickoff party at the Mokey’s Tale. Go see them when they come near you. They are so good!

Richie Edwards is still a great songwriter. He used to front Archer Avenue, but now he heads Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s. You can check out some tracks of theirs at Musical Family Tree.

And then down came the rain really hard later that night. It was like a monsoon and it was ankle deep on the sidewalk outside the Vogue and College Avenue was like a canal.

Here’s everyone’s favorite friend and rent-a-hippie, Kyle Blume, dancing in the rain, in a picture which summed up the night according to Steve Hayes from IndianapolisMusic.net for the Following reasons:

“It really is a piece of genius on several levels:

1.) It’s the house hippie. Everyone needs one.
2.) It’s obvious he’s dancing, which is the accepted hippie reaction to rain.
3.) He’s kind of giving a thumbs-down sign, which indicates the rain is harshing his mellow a bit, but he’s still dealing.

I think it sums up MMS.”