Sixth Annual North vs. South Festival Lineup

This August 20, 21 and 22, the North vs. South Music Festival, which began six years ago in Lawrence, returns to Kansas City for the third year in a row. Last year and the year before, the festival spanned multiple venues. This year, the whole thing is at Davey’s, making ye olde Ramblers Club your one-stop shoppe for touring indie bands from here and up and down and all around the I-35 corridor.

The festival was founded by former Cher U.K. frontman Mike McCoy, who now lives in Austin and fronts the band the Service Industry. By booking bands from the North (originally Minneapolis) and the South (Austin), the festival’s conceptual intention is to commemorate Quantrill’s famous 1863 raid on the abolitionist outpost of Lawrence during the American Civil War. But generally, bands from all areas northish and southish come play.

Of the festival this year, McCoy writes:

We typically showcase 40-70 established and emerging bands and solo artists in American Music ranging from pure Rock and Pop, to Americana and Folk largely from the I-35 corridor. All of our performers are headliners in their own city or region and together they bring a very eclectic mix of great music to our stages each year. In 2009 we have down-sized accordingly to the whims of American economic struggles. However, the silver lining behind our efforts to stay afloat will mean that for the first time in our six-year history all of our showcasing performers can be seen under one roof at Davey’s Uptown, deep in the cultural heart of Kansas City, Missouri.

Check out our coverage of last year’s NVS here (review) and here (slideshow). View the full lineup of this year’s fest, courtesy of Davey’s, after the jump.