Event Recap: You Spin Anywhere Music Festival
Over the past weeks, I’ve been out and about, and one of the happenings I attended was the amazing You Spin Anywhere Music Festival at Kansas City, Missouri’s Lemonade Park adjacent to the famous Hy-Vee Arena. The event was professionally produced and curated by Adell Hendon, creator of You Spin, a pioneering social music entertainment platform. This advanced music community offers artists the opportunity to earn at a much higher rate than some of the more commercial platforms and also provides a hub from which to launch several business verticles…key for indie music artists and other creatives.
Love the merch!
The venue itself, Lemonade Park features a crosswalk path directly from the massive parking lot of Hy-Vee Arena where the spacious safety-minded outdoor venue commands a corner section of Kansas City’s famous stockyards district. The grounds were well appointed for the “You Spin Anywhere” Music Festival with plenty of seating, a fully operating concession vendor that was well stocked with spirits and alternatives, and a menu FAR elevated above standard park fare. I was on one as soon as I arrived and ordered the ham and cheese which, being freshly made, arrived fairly promptly and served with a bag of chips. When I mentioned far elevated, that includes prep and service areas, professional staff, presentation, and food quality. My sandwich was well-presented, fully cooked, and massive for a concession offering—kind of prepared like a toasted Cuban but the dressing was a bit more tame. I’ll also say this—if you’re suffering from missed meal cramps or an herbally-induced bottomless pit, the portion size will handle ALL of that!!!
Moving around in Kansas City I’ve been connecting with some movers and doers, namely management, distribution, and publishing maven Gina Tarantino, and prolific KC-based independent filmmaker Albert Williamson. Multiple times, both have been where I felt I needed to be in the city sooo…I SEE said the blind man!
(l-r) Dr. Jerry Doby, Gina Tarantino, Albert Williamson – You Spin Anywhere Music Festival – Lemonade Park Kansas City Sept 29, 2023
Sound is always a subject at an outdoor venue and the sound person has to be top-notch and efficient. The cat working sound at this happening was on top of his *ish, handling stage layout changes quickly, clearing any glitches immediately, and keeping the show moving from a front-of-house perspective. He put on a real display of professionalism with the set changes between the live band acts which ranged from 3-7 members as I recall. When I say pro, I’m talking about going from a neo-soul band to a full cumbia band…8 minutes between…solo…bruh!!!
The curated music for the festival was a thoughtful mix of artists ranging from rap to Columbian Cumbia and each act brought authenticity and power which was sequenced to bring an energetic and fun conclusion to the evening. Standouts for me included TNTLKP which I’ve covered in another review article on their single “My Room” and their energy and showmanship, stage awareness, and use of available space were masterful. When performers start climbing on *ish, YOU KNOW the party has started! Next up was this ethereal neo-soul-styled artist Jass Couch (with two S’s) who delivered a funky “I’m sharing some stuff here” vibe and hit us with pristine delivery, lightening commentary, and setups for her setlist. Jass, her keyboardist, and drummer took us there with a big sound and solid joints…the sound guy showed out and sonically it could have been a band of 20 on stage from what I heard. Closing the show, was international Columbian Cumbia sensation the Sabaneros MGM, this end-of-evening energy boost had attendees on their feet rockin and smiling wishing we could hear a few more songs from this amazing group of musicians.
The night was everything foretold in the video announcement…great night!
The night was an amazing experience all around from the venue, concessions, sound, and performances, and an inspiring showcase of professionals bringing their offerings to the table to produce and support a benchmark night benefitting talent and the local entertainment community at large. Evaluation aside and on some simply human stuff…I had a ton of fun and hope to catch the next You Spin event.
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About the Author
Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
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