First-time fest Waynez World 3 aims to unite punks from KC and beyond

Longtime friends and Blind Tiger co-workers McKayla Edmonds and Zach Campbell got drunk together one night and found that they shared a fantasy. Their mutual desire was simple, almost innocent: a punk festival. But not that kind of punk festival.

“Honestly, there hasn’t been too much going on as far as festivals go in Kansas City for quite a few years — not any that I’m particularly interested in at least,” Edmonds says. “And that’s no stab at anyone. It’s just not what I’m into.” It’s safe to assume that Edmonds means Center of the City, Kansas City’s punk confab of the past five years.

If you frequent punk shows in Kansas City, you’ve seen evidence of a fundamental divide. One circle favors bands whose songs are generally longer and more melodic. Shows from these bands often take place in dive bars. The second circle prefers bands that play shorter, less melodic songs. These acts like to gig at houses and DIY spaces. Center of the City, give or take a few performers, has largely been assembled and played by bands of that first circle.

If your local punk intake is modest, you might reasonably ask: “Isn’t the Blind Tiger a dive bar?” It sure is. But it’s a dive bar with convenience on its side. DIY venues that opened their doors to punks in recent years (including FOKL and Art Closet Studios) have closed, and record store owners aren’t always eager to host late-evening shows that attract fans one pogo away from bending the sleeve of a rare Smiths album. Meanwhile, a handful of punks who played in several bands together and hosted house shows relocated to Olympia, Washington, in the summer of 2016, leaving promoters scrambling to relocate shows. The Blind Tiger’s basement has been home to slam-dance enthusiasts most weeks since.

Edmonds says she hopes to unify Kansas City’s punk community through the three-day fest, called Waynez World 3. “I just wanna bring people back together and actually show that we all still support each other and each other’s bands,” she says. “It’s just about getting a group of people together that like the same thing, or similar things.”

(About that name: Edmonds and Campbell say the homage to the Mike Myers movies — the first of which stands as a valentine to underground enthusiasm — is the result of a whole other drunk conversation. “It’s pretty silly because we were all just drunk talking” Edmonds says. “Me, Zach and Devin [McKernan, of the band Agent] were thinking about what we should call it, and then Zach just said, Waynez World 3. And it kinda stuck.”)

Some of the 32 bands playing WW3 include Bib (one of the hottest Midwest hardcore bands, recently signed to East Coast label Pop Wig), Nancy (a duo with a legitimate claim to being the catchiest New York punk band since the Ramones), and Q (a St. Louis group that routinely brings its own furniture to smash during sets).

Edmonds notes her excitement for bands like Lard Boys, Cruelster, and the Cops. Campbell name-checks Black Panties. “It’s a little bit of something for everyone, if you like loud rock music,” Campbell says. “I think that’s the one prerequisite.”

Local bands taking part include long-running oi! punk band the Uncouth, D-beat warrior Agent, and punk-turned-stoner act Chasm. Preceding the Saturday night headliner (Nancy) will be the final set of Edmonds’ band the Vitamens, dormant since last year, when drummer Claudia Dambra and guitarist David Kupsch moved away. The Vitamens’ lone EP has racked up more than 7,000 listens on YouTube since the members parted ways, and labels in both California and, of all places, Ukraine have made tapes of it. Plans for a tour before the move fizzled out, so Edmonds decided the festival would be a fitting time for a last bow. Many friends of the band will be in town.

(In a related event down the line, Kansas City locals will jam their favorite songs at the Blind Tiger to benefit the KC Pet Project animal shelter. Edmonds’ new band, Hard Leather, plans to play songs from several different artists; another group will be sticking strictly to tracks by Iggy Pop and the Stooges. “Stairway to Heaven” is strictly … you know.)

To supplement bands’ take from ticket sales, Edmonds and Campbell have set up some extra amenities for festivalgoers. VIP tickets grant access to a private patio, beverages, food and merchandise. The fest will also include vendors selling clothing, records and other wares.

Punk enjoys a long history of opposing corporate interests, but Edmonds and Campbell have opted to accept alcohol sponsors for this year’s fest. Again, the idea is to increase the payout to those playing. “If anyone’s upset about that, sorry — we’re getting bands more money than they would any other place,” Edmonds says.

Edmonds and Campbell had never booked an event of this scale before, but so far their only serious lament seems to be the lack of an additional stage. “There’s not really another venue in stumbling distance,” Campbell says. As showtime approaches, they may find more to worry about. “It’s going to be fun, but it’s also going to be very stressful,” Edmonds says. “We just want to make sure everyone gets taken care of.”

Waynez World 3

May 12-14 at the Blind Tiger, 3945 Main