One Big Owl, photo by Timothy Hiehle

On April 10 last year, the clatters and thuds of local bands could be heard resonating from within houses all over Murfreesboro. The sound of house shows going down about town is expected; the whiz of a few hundred bicycles carrying show attendees to each house is not.

That night marked the first annual Tour de Fun, a night of transport on two wheels to a succession of house shows. Pioneered by former MTSU student Tyler Walker, 22, the event is set for a second run April 9, 2011. And it isn’t just a bunch of Murfreesboro kids screwing around, riding their bikes and making noise. It’s a testament to the ‘Boro’s music scene, a close-knit, accepting and versatile scene, which may, according to Walker, even one-up Nashville.

Walker, who graduated with a major in music business and a minor in entrepreneurship, was sitting by a campfire when the idea for Tour de Fun first struck him. Known as a member of local bands Blastoids, Awesome Shirt and Meth Dad, Walker’s musical connections are many, and he wanted to plan something “accessible” and music-minded for the community. As an avid bike rider with hookups and a distaste for Murfreesboro venues, a massive bike ride to multiple house shows in a single evening was the obvious choice.

The tour kicks off at 12 p.m. with a barbecue and bands at Murfreesboro Outdoor and Bicycle (MOAB) at 310 N. Maple St. Raffle tickets are sold there, as they will be throughout the evening, for participants to win bicycle gear until the evening ends at Temptation Club (located at 2404 Halls Hill Pike). Last year, $800 worth of gear was given away in the raffle.

Shows begin at 4 p.m. There are 15 stops with 2 to 4 bands at each playing 10-minute sets. Last year’s lineup included roughly 30 bands including We Were the States, Hanzelle, Technikiller, Yoseph y la Zilla and Turtle Bangs. All are returning to this year’s lineup, which totals about 40 bands, with more still to be announced.

Schtompa

Tour de Fun is clearly growing. According to Walker, over 300 showed and rode for the first tour. This year, 500 have marked “attending” on the Facebook event, and more will likely attend, which has raised some concerns with Walker.

“Most people are good about not being stupid,” he says, but he worries that something is bound to go awry with so many attendees, though the extent of last year’s issues amounted to merely a few bands’ late starts and a performance cut short by police interference. Walker says the cops were cool for the most part, blocking off Memorial Boulevard to let the bikers pass through safely.

He advises riders to refrain from drinking excessively, at least until the last stop, because a few early-starters dropped out after only a couple shows last year. Above all else, Walker just wants to see participants respecting the houses and see how much his idea has grown after its first successful trial.

“I’m just really excited to see how many people show up, to be honest with you,” he says.

Walker says he has seen all the bands perform at least a couple times; his goal for the night will be helping expose others to what the Murfreesboro music scene has to offer. On the subject of Nashville vs. Murfreesboro, Walker is defensive of what some consider to be a deadbeat, castoff sister town to Nashville.

“I feel like the majority of Nashville is doing very cliché things, the same four-chord rock ‘n’ roll bands,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, I love that music, but there’s not much variety in musical taste. I feel like people in Nashville look down upon Murfreesboro, but I think we have a better variety of music and tight, closer friendships in bands.”

Meth Dad, a.k.a. Tyler Walker

One of the Murfreesboro music scene’s greatest beauties lies in the willingness among its artists to share a bill regardless of genre. According to Walker, the ‘Boro is where it’s at if punk rockers are on board to share a lineup with free jazz players. One of the primary purposes of Tour de Fun is to shed some light on this kind of closeness and variation among local musicians, and Walker anticipates the growth of the music festival in the coming years.

“It’s for fun, friendship and community,” he says. “It’s not just about bikes. It’s not just about beer. It’s about letting people know what this community has to offer everybody and how we should value our music scene.”

The Route:
MOAB (310 N. Maple St.) 12 p.m.
Schtompa
Prophet Nathan
Cherub

The Cubbyhole (1002 Leaf Ave.) 2:15 p.m.
King Arthur
Mom & Dad

Hausu (914 Ewing Blvd.) 3 p.m.
Technikiller
Fake Brad

Fortress of Solid Dudes (1109 Old Lascassas Pike) 3:45 p.m.
Awesome Shirt
Turtle Bangs

Ivory Tower (1021 Ewing Blvd.) 4:30 p.m.
Guide
Old Hands
Tetsuo

Wonderhousen (1327 Atlas St.) 5:30 p.m.
Ayatollah Gold
Black Majesty

Scottie’s Duplex (1615 Elrod St.) 6:15 p.m.
We Were The States
Daykids

Grandma’s House (2415 Yearwood Ave.) 7 p.m.
Thank You Ma’ams
Good Luck Ola
Kids Are Goats
Carter Routh

Trash Mountain (1619 Greenland Dr.) 8 p.m.
Hanzelle
Yoseph y la Zilla

Schadenfreude Haus ( 1001 Eaton St.) 8:45 p.m.
Crayons & Antidotes
Sleepy Pie Skulls

Lion’s Den (2971 Middle Tennessee Blvd.) 9:30 p.m.
Frojan Horse
One Big Owl
Inert Ingredients

Meow Manor (1109 N. Spring St.) 10:30 p.m.
Cycles
Laser Slut
Brown Swarm
Baby Breath

Frankie Avalon’s (815 Ewing Blvd.) 11:30 p.m.
Famn Damn
Paper Not Plastic

Boobie Trappe (2201 E. Main St.) 12:45 p.m.
Big Cats
Hey There Baby

Houselhoff (2213 Raider Dr.) 1 a.m.
Meth Dad
Squirrel Shepherd
Yer Heart

Temptation Club (2404 Halls Hill Pike) 2 a.m.
Diaper
DJ mdmHEY

More information regarding the festival can be found on Facebook.