In September, an expanded Music at the Crossroads event will feature pre- and post-holiday concerts and strengthened partnerships with local music organizations.
The festival will take place on September 14-15, with headliners including Outkast’s Big Boi, Esperanza Spalding, Trombone Shorty, Black Pumas, Lettuce and Chaka Khan.
The pre-festival show at the Big Top on Sept. 13 will be geared toward college-age concertgoers.
“We’re going to give them more new, edgy hip-hop, maybe some electronic music, some rock,” Kranzberg Arts Foundation executive director Chris Hansen said of the Sept. 13 concert . “It’s definitely fringe music that they’re excited about right now. It’s also going to elevate some local music that reaches that demographic.
Hanson declined to say how much money the Kranzberg Arts Foundation will invest in Crossroads Music and related events, but said it is “a sustainable festival that we can pass on for generations to come.”
Jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold, Music at the Intersection’s first artist-in-residence, will perform music from his new album during the festival before hosting an all-star jam session at the Grandel. There will be a separate admission fee for concerts before and after the festival.
Influential producer and rapper Mvstermind will once again lead MvsterCamp, a week-long pre-festival boot camp designed to help emerging artists understand the practicalities of life as a professional musician. While participants have performed in unannounced pop-up performances during the past two festivals, this year Mvstermind will host a two-hour program with selected graduates. They include DARKWOOD, Aide Ade and Alexia Simone.
“It’s like a thank you. This community has done so much for me and now I’m able to do the same for other artists,” Mvstermind said. “It’s a bigger platform for artists to be part of the actual festival with national artists. The artists in our city who are on the bill in small letters, they’re going to continue to graduate and rise to the top.
Jeremy Goodwin
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St. Louis Public Radio
Another new addition is werQfest, a two-hour event founded by Tre’von Griffith to showcase black queer artists. Crossroads Music Festival’s werQfest Ball will headline Bronze Avery and Kristopher Lay.
“I feel like my music relates to queer people, but I want it to be something that everyone can listen to. I just want people to feel good when they hear my music,” Ray said.
The festival’s main program builds on past years, bringing together great artists from the worlds of soul, blues and jazz, as well as artists who put musical heritage to innovative use.
“On Saturday you’ll hear how jazz, blues, soul, gospel and all of our traditional music has influenced modern music, from the ’90s to today. Then on Sunday we’ll have a gospel brunch and bring you jazz and a big, heavy day of blues music, that’s the intersectionality of traditional music,” Hanson said.
Other performers on the first day of the festival include Chingy, Lady Wray, Jordan Ward and Joe Russo’s Selcouth Quartet. Sunday, Samara Joy, Stanley Clarke Band, Marquise Knox & Funky Butt Brass Brand, Rhythm City (Ptah Williams) and Robert Randolph Band will take the stage.
St. Louis Jazz will showcase jazz from East St. Louis, and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame has scheduled Sunday morning performances by gospel artists including Jeremy and LaToya and a makeshift choir.
The festival will feature two days of conferences for music industry professionals at .Zack.
