Music at the Intersection and St. Louis CITY SC present “Kickoff at the Big Top”
Dance music duo DRAMA and five St. Louis CITY SC “Homegrown” artists to perform at “Kickoff at the Big Top” concert on Friday, September 13, ahead of festival weekend.
KICKOFF AT THE BIG TOP on Friday, September 13, 2024
DRAMA, headlining KICKOFF AT THE BIG TOP - image courtesy Music at the Intersection
St. Louis, Mo. – April 24, 2024 – Earlier this year, Music at the Intersection announced its fourth-annual festival lineup, featuring 50+ artists – including Black Pumas, Chaka Khan, Big Boi and Trombone Shorty – across four stages. The music festival takes place September 14 & 15 just blocks west of CITYPARK in the Grand Center Arts District neighborhood.
New for 2024, Music at the Intersection has added a special Friday night “Kickoff at The Big Top” concert in partnership with St. Louis CITY SC. The event on September 13 under the Big Top in Grand Center will feature dance music duo DRAMA, in addition to CITY SC’s five Homegrown artists: Brock Seals, Hazmat, Lani Rose, Matt Jordan and Tonina.
Chicago-based DRAMA consists of producer Na'el Shehade and vocalist Via Rosa. A blend of R&B and dance, their music spans multiple genres, including pop, hip-hop, jazz and electronic. Their debut album “Dance Without Me” was released in 2020. DRAMA has toured with Odesza and performed at festivals across the country, including Lollapalooza, Coachella, Life Is Beautiful, Summer Camp and Electric Forest. DRAMA refer to themselves as “happy-sad music” and Rolling Stone has called them as "seductively danceable."
“Friday night is going to be a party,” said Chris Hansen, Executive Director of Kranzberg Arts Foundation. “While we love paying homage to our music legends, a big part of Music at the Intersection is discovery and giving platform to a new wave of artists. That’s what our Kickoff in partnership with CITY SC is about: exploration across every musical genre, from Brock Seals’ rap to Hazmat’s rock to Matt Jordan’s country. We’ll end the night with DRAMA and a multicultural-inspired 90-minute dance party, outside, under the Big Top. What an appetizer to an incredible music weekend.”
Music at the Intersection and CITY SC present: “Kickoff at the Big Top” takes place on Friday, September 13 at The Big Top (3401 Washington). Gates open at 5 p.m., with Homegrown performances starting at 6 p.m. Special happy hour food and drink specials will be available from 5-6 p.m.
Current Music at the Intersection ticket holders will be given the opportunity to purchase “Kickoff at the Big Top” tickets, starting today (April 24), at a discounted price. Festival ticket holders will be contacted via email.
GA “Kickoff at the Big Top” tickets are $30 and will be available starting on Friday, April 26, at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.musicattheintersection.org/tickets or directly at www.MetroTix.com and by phone at 314-534-1111.
BROCK SEALS, ENVY AND BOWIE OF HAZMAT, LANI ROSE, MATT JORDAN and TONINA. Images courtesy St. Louis CITY SC
MORE ON ST. LOUIS CITY SC’S “HOMEGROWN” PROGRAM:
The five selected artists participating in CITY SC’s Homegrown program are taking part in a discovery session with Smino, where he will provide valuable insights and expertise on how they can continue to build their careers and grow their art; perform at a 2024 CITY Block Party; perform at the CITY SC-sponsored Music at the Intersection festival Kickoff at The Big Top on Friday, Sept. 13; and be featured in CITY SC-led spotlights. The artists are:
Brock Seals: A muralist, songwriter and rapper, Brock Seals’ honest lyrics and willingness to challenge the status quo has garnered a loyal following in his hometown and beyond. @sealsbrock
Hazmat: An all-female band whose pop-punk sound is a potent mix of raw emotion, infectious energy, and deeply personal lyrics, Hazmat draws inspiration from artists such as Paramore, Blondie, The Runaways and Bikini Kill. @hazmatstl
Lani Rose: Otherwise known as Myles Anderson, Lani Rose is a self-produced songwriter and storyteller whose goal is to share his story with the world through music. He hopes his vulnerability, raw lyrics and sounds inspire his audience. @itslanirose
Matt Jordan: A country artist making waves with his high-energy live shows and a heartland-rock-meets-country sound, Matt Jordan has garnered attention from Rolling Stone Country, CMT, Taste of Country and more, and released his second album “Low Lights” in February 2024. @mattjordanmusic
Tonina: An accomplished vocalist, bassist and songwriter whose musical upbringing resulted in an innate sense of rhythm, captivating melodies, extraordinary vocal prowess and profound song interpretation, Tonina’s sound spans multiple genres and is deeply influenced by her Black and Sicilian heritage. @iamtonina
About St. Louis CITY SC:
St. Louis CITY SC, one of the few majority female-led ownership groups in all of professional sports, was awarded Major League Soccer’s 28th expansion team in 2019 and plays at CITYPARK, an STLMade 22,500-seat world-class soccer-specific stadium. CITYPARK is part of a new stadium district which includes a practice facility, team store and team headquarters all within the same 30+ acre urban campus in downtown St. Louis to help further the region’s continued growth and revitalization. @stlcitysc
About Music at the Intersection:
Music at the Intersection is a civic-led effort presented by Kranzberg Arts Foundation in partnership with Steward Family Foundation and The Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis. First held in 2021, the festival tells the story of St. Louis’ musical, cultural and artistic heritage. It celebrates the city’s imprint on the American songbook, as well as the relationship St. Louis has with its Mississippi River roots. The festival aims to celebrate musical heritage, from the West African coasts to the Caribbean islands, up through the Mississippi Delta. Music at the Intersection honors the giants who shaped genre and sound - across blues, jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop and rock n' roll - as it also calls up and gives platform to a new wave of artists.
