It's true -- Kindiefest is coming back for the 2012 edition, and the fine folks running the show promise pizza this year. What's that? You can get pizza where you live? Well, how about Dan Zanes, Kathy O'Connell, Mindy Thomas, Jeff Bogle, the ever-elusive Jeff Giles, Darren Critz, Nerissa Nields, to name just a few? Do those folks stop by on Friday night for pizza night? Thought not. And, er, me. Now, it's not easy to get me to fly across the country, but somehow that's what Kindiefest compels me to do every year. After each year's event, no matter how good, I say to myself, "I think I'll probably skip next year's event." And then I find myself taking the train in from JFK and preparing to talk and listen pretty much constantly for the next 48 hours until I get on the train back to JFK. As someone who books shows in Phoenix, it's also an opportunity to see artists who might make a subsequent appearance in these parts. And I pretty much think about the issues raised in Brooklyn the whole year long. I'm looking forward to the panel I'll be part of (details to come), the artists I'll be seeing perform (Caspar Babypants, Renee & Jeremy, Mista Cookie Jar, Moona Luna, and more), and the conversations I'll join in on. It's a great way to see where the field is at right now, and where it's heading. (You can register here.) Don't forget that even if you're not part of the genre as an artist, writer, booker, or otherwise, there's the public showcase on Sunday, which usually features a half-dozen or so artists at a crazy-good price. NYC-area families should definitely consider attending.