Culture

30

CULTURE

[FESTIVALS]

All That Jazz

Music at the Intersection announces three-day St. Louis festival with 60-plus acts

Written by DANIEL HILL

Live music is coming back to St. Louis in a big way this fall, in the form of a three-day festival set to bring some 60-plus acts to six stages throughout Grand Center.

The inaugural Music at the Intersection Festival will see headliners including Roy Ayers, Gregory Porter and Lalah Hathaway joined by more than 40 local acts spanning across such genres as blues, rock & roll, jazz, soul, R&B and hip-hop. Additionally, national acts including Lee Fields & The Expressions, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Ikebe Shakedown, Keyon Harrold, the Soul Rebels featuring GZA, Bettye a ette, M- un , the aylor Project and Don Bryant featuring the Bo-Keys will all perform as well.

The festival will take place in Grand Center from September 10 through 12, with the Fabulous Fox Theatre, the Big Top, the Sheldon Concert Hall, the Grandel Theatre, Jazz St. Louis and the Open Air tent all playing host. It’s a welcome return to live music after an absolutely brutal year brought many local venues and artists to the brink of ruin.

“Our local music economy has taken a hard hit this past year, and it’s time to start healing,” Chris Hansen, executive director of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, says in a statement. “We’re excited to have venues re-opening, our arts community reuniting and fans able to safely enjoy live music again. Our current mantra is ‘mask up and get down.’ With health and safety top of mind, we’re moving forward with a truly unique celebration of St. Louis musical heritage that we hope will have a long-term economic impact for the region and its arts community.”

According to a press release, special care was put into the programming of the festival to ensure that many of its out-of-town acts have St. Louis roots — a key goal for its organizers. Lalah Hathaway, for example, is the daughter of singer Donny Hathaway, who grew up in north city. Additionally, the members of the now New York-based Baylor Project previously lived in East St. Louis; R&B rocker Nikki Hill cut her teeth on stages throughout St. Louis; and members of Gregory Porter’s band are based in the St. Louis area.

“This festival is meant to tell the story of St. Louis’ imprint on the American songbook, the relationship we have with our sister cities and the genres that have been birthed and fostered here,” Hansen says. “If you love this form of music, you’ll get it. This lineup is deeply representative of St. Louis’ heritage and musical future. For those who don’t go deep on these genres, we hope Music at the Intersection can serve as an immersive education on St. Louis’ incredible musical roots and impact on our culture.”

Another notable artist with St. Louis roots is jazz trumpeter and activist Keyon Harrold, who grew up in Ferguson and has since become a first-call performer who has worked with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Beyoncè to Maxwell to D’Angelo. Harrold’s inclusion in the fest comes hot on the heels of him being named creative advisor to Jazz St. Louis, one of the sponsors and participating venues for the festival, for a three-year term in which he is tasked with curating jazz performances with artists working in disciplines spanning dance, poetry, hip-hop and visual arts. His performance at the festival will mar his first in t. ouis since stepping into the new role.

“I am very excited to return to St. Louis because it is my home and I have always been a part of the Jazz St. Louis family. It is exciting to come full circle and I

Ferguson-raised jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold, a first-call session musician for a slew of top-name hip-hop artists, is one of many acts slated for the festival. | YUKI TEI

Line ’Em Up

Friday, Sept 10 (6 p.m. to 1 a.m.) will feature Roy Ayers, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Ikebe Shakedown, Mike Zito, Tonina, The Mighty Pines, Brothers Lazaroff, Naked Rock Fight, Beth Bombara, Dave Grelle’s Playadors, Ben Wheeler, Brother Francis & The Soultones, and Heartcave.

Saturday, Sept 11 (Noon to 1 a.m.) will feature Gregory Porter, Keyon Harrold, The Soul Rebels ft. GZA, Bettye LaVette, DaM-FunK, The Baylor Project, iLLPHONiCS, Blvck Spvde, Midwest Avengers, Kenny DeShields, Sample Kulture, Mark Harris II, Katarra, Be.Be & The Neosouls, 18andCounting and TheOnlyEnsemble, Brock Seals, Janet Evra, Ryan Marquez, Scooter Brown, Kaleb Kirby, Brady Lewis and Parisian.

Sunday, Sept 12 (Noon to 11 p.m.) will feature Lalah Hathaway, Booker T. Jones, Don Bryant featuring The Bo-Keys, Nikki Hill, Marquise Knox, Funky Butt Brass Band, Huntertones, Denise Thimes, Selwyn Birchwood, Anita Jackson, John Henry, One Way Traffic, Clark Terry Centennial Project, Cara Louise Band, Hillary Fitz Band, Jr. Clooney, The Scandaleros, Roland Johnson, Western States, We Are Root Mod, LoopRat and Syna So Pro.

look forward to doing something unique and thoughtful as well as boundary pushing,” Harrold said in a statement upon the announcement of his new role. “I plan on bringing a myriad of different voices — unexpected voices — to speak to the consciousness of now and to educate about where we come from musically and culturally.”

Tickets for the Music at the Intersection Festival will be sold in the form of full weekend passes or single-day affairs. Three-day passes range from $160 to $300 for VIPs, with Friday-only tickets running $55 to $90 and single-day passes for Saturday and Sunday coming in at $70 to $120 each. The three-day passes will go on sale through MetroTix on Tuesday, May 18, at 10 a.m.; the single-day passes will be available the following week at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 25.

For more information, visit musicattheintersection.org. n

Drive-In STL at POWERplex was a big hit last year, so naturally it’s coming back. | VIA DRIVE-IN STL

[PARKING LOTS]

Park and Vibe

Drive-In STL will be hosting concerts and films all summer long

Written by JAIME LEES

Drive-In STL (5555 St. Louis Mills Boulevard) opened last summer as a safe way for people to get together for a little fun and community during the pandemic.

Set up on the large parking lot of POWERplex (a.k.a. the former St. Louis Outlet Mall, a.k.a. the former St. Louis Mills) in Hazelwood, this wide-open area with a video screen and a stage became a destination for all types of events in a socially distant manner. The site hosted concerts, graduation ceremonies, private parties and more.

This year Drive-In STL is back with even bigger plans for guests to roll in and enjoy. The twelve-acre lot will host concerts, movie nights, and music and film pairings from now through October.

Country royalty Wynonna Judd has just been announced as the entertainment on Thursday, June 17, and there are plenty of other big names on the schedule, too.

Ticket prices vary wildly depending on the event and on which level of ticket is purchased. Five different ticket levels are offered for different events with prices ranging from $24.95 for general admission (per car, includes a "private party pad" space next to your car) to a $449.95 VIP Private Party Pad for the Wynonna Judd concert which includes ten guests, twenty complimentary beverages (including alcohol), private restrooms and more.

In addition to these optional upgrades, this year they’ve also added other enhancements, like a Hospitality Lounge with games and even a Food Truck Alley so you can try out some of St. Louis’ finest food on wheels.

Visit driveinstl.com to see the schedule of events, to find out more details or to purchase tickets. n