Midwestern Musical Co. closes its doors after a quarter century
More than a dozen expensive-looking guitars hang on the walls inside the space at 1830 Locust, with dozens more suspended from the ceiling and lying above in the rafters, safely in their cases. There are rare ukuleles, collectible cowboy guitars and stereos from various eras, alongside antique toys and framed photos of musicians. There is a wall lined with acrylic paintings of wrestlers. Another wall is dedicated almost entirely to guitar strings. In the front, a small practice area holds stacks of amps and a drum kit.
The home for this enviable welter of gear is, of course, the revered Midwestern Musical Co. And it’s all coming down. The store is slated to close in August, capping 25 years in business. But not before a Friday, August 1, blowout.
Matt Kesler, who co-founded Midwestern in 1989 with partner Jim Strahm, has got his work cut out for him. But as he sits on a stool, leaning one elbow against the shop’s bar, more is obviously on his mind than just the demands of packing up a quarter century’s worth of accumulated objects. A story is behind each instrument — history. And then there’s figuring out what’s next.
“This has been a labor of love and more of a hobby than a business, as far as definitions of business and hobby go,” Kesler tells me with a laugh. “Don’t get me wrong — it’s been a lot of fun, and I’m sad, but it’s time to move on. Honestly, I was really pushing to get to 25 years, and I’m there, and now I’ll be able to concentrate on a lot of other things.”
Kesler isn’t sure yet what those other things might be. The Midwestern Musical Co. has been more than a guitar shop and repair center; it has also been the practice space for a number of local bands (including, most recently, the Philistines; the Silver Maggies; and Kesler’s own band, the Pedaljets). A recording studio is housed in the back, and Kesler would like to continue that part of his operation, though he’ll need to find a new space for it. He hasn’t given much thought yet to selling off the stock — that artfully strewn inventory — though he says many of the guitars and pieces of equipment will likely end up on eBay.
The closing of this Kansas City institution, where relationships have sprung up among countless local and touring musicians (Alejandro Escovedo has been a regular since the early 1990s), seems like an immeasurable loss. When I ask Kesler to recall some of his favorite moments from the store’s history, he takes a moment to summon a few words.
“Oh, wow,” he says, sighing. “I mean, in this location, it’s been crazy. We’ve had the First Friday events, so we’ve had a lot of entertainment here. One thing about being right here behind Crossroads KC and Grinders is that, not only am I getting the best of the local bands but I’m getting national bands that are parking their buses right out front. I’ve met a lot of rock stars and a lot of different people, whether they’re driving the buses or working the stage, so that’s been great. I’ve met so many famous people without knowing it.”
But really, Kesler says, the best part of Midwestern was Strahm, who died in 2000. For 14 years, Kesler has kept the shop going largely in memory of his friend, colleague and fellow musician.
“Jim was the guy in Midwestern Music that’d talk your ear off,” Kesler says. “He was a character. And that’s part of what’s kept the store alive. It’s been for the sake of not just myself but everybody who was ever touched by Jim being there. When he died, we definitely tried to carry on a lot of the practices that he held — the rental and loaning of gear and repairing and things like that, the things that made it really personal.”
Midwestern Musical Co. has been nothing if not personal all this time. So says local singer-songwriter John Velghe, a regular at the shop for 22 years. He recalls following Kesler and Strahm from the original location in Mission to Kansas City’s El Torreon building in 2004 and, finally, to the Crossroads, its home since 2008.
“I would spend hours in there, probably more hours than they really wanted,” Velghe tells me. “Jim and Matt have always kind of been like my rock-and-roll big brothers. I mean, Matt sold me my first distortion pedal, back in 1992. I had a guitar, a Les Paul Jr. that Jim got in and set aside for me. He waited for me to get the money together. He wouldn’t sell it to anyone else. He wanted me to have it, and he was patient. And later, when it got stolen after a show, Midwestern was there with a replacement. That was what they did. It was always a place where a musician knew they could get it done.”
Velghe adds, “I think every music community needs a center, and it can’t exist on the Internet. For a lot of years, Midwestern has been that center for the music community here. People have tried to re-create it, and you really can’t because it’s always been about Jim and Matt and what they’ve done for people.”
As Kesler and I wrap up our conversation inside the store, he says he has no idea where the next center of Kansas City music is going to be. And if he cares, if he wants to pass Midwestern’s torch to some other vigilant shopkeeper, he doesn’t talk about it.
“Right now,” he says, “I’m thinking about having a kick-ass party on August 1 and celebrating 25 years of fun.”
