Blanky performing at last year’s Manor Fest (photo by Sarai Vega)
Evolving from its underground indie band rock roots, Manor Records has become a nonprofit record label, record shop, venue and presenter, with the seventh annual Manor Fest happening this May at spots across the metro.
Going from those early days as a basement DIY performance space in Shawnee, Kansas, to a newly formed nonprofit board and a new space at 5540 Troost Ave. was not a direct path. “Our story is just genuinely a little confusing, because it’s been a learn-as-you-go situation the whole time,” said Shaun Crowley, founder and executive director of Manor Records.
At its heart, the label has always been about supporting local artists. Currently, Manor Records has 10 local artists/bands on the roster, but not in the nature of a traditional record label, with profits going to the label. Now, grantees are selected yearly (terms can be renewed), artists retain ownership of their music, and Manor Records provides funds to help record, produce and press albums.
Additionally, with the storefront, Manor Records can sell those albums directly, working toward being “a start to finish organization,” Crowley said.
Throughout all the organization’s changes, it has kept supporting local artists, with showcases, pop-ups and the annual Manor Fest, which Crowley sees as a kickoff for summer for the local music scene.
The first two fests were in that dilapidated basement, but the festival expanded to venues in Kansas City in 2019, and it was the festival that kept Crowley going when the initial nonprofit concept fell apart in late 2022. Now, Manor Fest takes place over the course of two weekends, presenting more than 60 bands at 20 venues, all over the city.
“As we keep doing it yearly, it’s really fun for me to navigate new areas of Kansas City because I really like to feature areas in local businesses that might either be supporting local music throughout the year in different ways or nontraditionally hosting music,” he said.
Two spaces new to this year’s festival are Ruby Jean’s Juicery and Vine Street Brewing Co. Performing in nontraditional spaces allows people to stumble on the festival “in action,” says Crowley.
The festival serves as a fundraiser for Manor Records’ nonprofit work, with the proceeds filtering back into artist grants.
A little over a year ago, April 2024, Crowley reopened the record shop, now on Troost Ave., where they also have space for music lessons, as well as performance space for Manor Records’ free, weekly, all-ages Songbird Sessions and open mic nights.
“Obviously a nonprofit can happen without an actual front-facing business and storefront, but I just have seen how, for some reason, having a place to host music … is very important,” said Crowley. “And so that’s why I’ve kept trying to make that space for people. Now I’m just at a place where I think it’s actually working for me as well.”
It’s been over a decade since Crowley built a stage in his basement, but the impetus is still the same: Support local music, raise up local voices and create space for the community to come together.
Manor Fest 7 runs May 21-24 and 28-31. For tickets and more information about Manor Records, visit manorrecords.com.
