Cropped Out is a locally and independently developed music festival set to take place in Louisville, KY on the first weekend of October 2010. The fest is designed to highlight the creative efforts of Louisville natives, friends, family, and fellow thinkers from Nashville to Chicago to Brooklyn and beyond.

Since the earliest baby breaths of punk from within the walls of the now-defunct Louisville School of Art in the late ‘70s, from local proto-punks like No Fun, Babylon Dance Band, and the recently re-issued Endtables, it is no secret that Louisville’s cultural contributions have long served as a significant influence on national underground art and music scenes. One must not forget, we are still a force with which to be reckoned. This festival, specifically, intends to celebrate a renewed sense of enthusiasm about Kentucky’s cultural offerings by pairing a few of our favorites from the Derby City with similarly exciting examples handpicked from around the country.

For one weekend, Cropped Out aims to celebrate a select fistful of contemporary musicians, artists, and artisans whom we feel reflect a greater undercurrent of sonic, visual, and conceptual exploration. It is our intention for the festival to turn heads, if only for one weekend, toward the talents of those often omitted, overlooked, or cropped out of “the big picture.” These are the minds most interesting to us, the minds most capable of emerging from and quickly returning to their lightlessness, if only to be briefly met by a niche appreciation. Aside from a pleasantly temperate and generally fun fall weekend, free of any injury or legal conflict, it is our primary goal to award these artists with the opportunity to be seen, heard, and ultimately, to prevail.