St. Louis' Music At The Intersection Unveils Festival Schedule

Music at the Intersection is unveiling additional details about its stage and artist schedule. During the September 9-10 weekend, more than 50 national, regional and local acts are scheduled to perform across four stages throughout Grand Center Arts District's outdoor festival footprint - a mix of urban streets and green spaces, stretching across Washington Avenue, just east of Grand Blvd.

Headliners include St. Louis rapper Smino, 2x Grammy winning hip-hop / jazz artist Thundercat, Jamaican-American singer and saxophonist Masego and 5x Grammy winning jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy. Continuing its tradition of booking foundational music royalty, the festival's lineup also features legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, 3x Grammy winning blues guitarist Taj Mahal and St. Louis R&B singer / songwriter Angela Winbush.

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and its influence on contemporary music, art, fashion, and culture, Music at the Intersection also features artists spanning from the 1970s South Bronx to current day - including DJ and hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash, NYC funk group Cameo, Atlanta's 2x Grammy winning Arrested Development, new school NYC hip-hop act Phony Ppl, and a wide array of St. Louis-based hip-hop artists and DJs.

Tickets are on sale at www.musicattheintersection.org/tickets or directly at www.MetroTix.com (or by phone at 314-534-1111). Tier 1 tickets are sold out. Tier 2 prices start at $179 for all-weekend access or $99 for a day-pass. Limited GA+ and VIP tickets are also available. GA+ ($325 weekend or $175 single day) includes speed lane festival entry, private bar access in Sophie's Artist Lounge, dedicated indoor restrooms at 3333 Washington and access to exclusive programming in Sophie's Artist Lounge. VIP ($650 weekend or $350 single day) includes all the GA+ perks as well as dedicated VIP viewing areas at all stages (with dedicated restroom and bar), a food truck VIP speed pass, VIP bar line and a special merch package.

Festival grounds open at 12 pm on Saturday and Sunday, September 9-10, and performances will take place within that outdoor footprint until well after sunset.

The festival schedule is as follows:

Saturday, September 9 (12:00 pm - 11:00 pm)

12:00 pm - Sir Eddie C (Field Stage)

12:00 pm - Jazz St. Louis Celebrates Willie Akins (Big Top Stage)

12:30 pm - Mai Lee (Washington Ave Stage)

1:00 pm - Sage ft. Agile One, DJ Nico Marie and Makeda Kravitz (City Wide Stage)

1:30 pm - Earthworms (Field Stage)

1:45 pm - Phony Ppl (Washington Ave Stage)

2:00 pm - St. Louis Blues & Soul Showcase ft. Renee Smith and Big Mike Aguirre (Big Top Stage)

3:00 pm - The Suffers (Field Stage)

3:30 pm - Nate Smith ft. Jason Lindner and Tim Lefebvre (Washington Ave Stage)

3:30 pm - Denise Thimes (Big Top Stage)

4:00 pm - Mo Egeston All-Stars (City Wide Stage)

5:00 pm - Ravyn Lenae (Field Stage)

5:00 pm - Mark Lewis (City Wide Stage)

5:15 pm - Peter Martin ft. Dianne Reeves (Big Top Stage)

5:20 pm - Legends Award (Washington Ave Stage)

5:30 pm - Arrested Development (Washington Ave Stage)

6:15 pm - DJ Alexis Tucci and the House of Tucci (City Wide Stage)

6:45 pm - Cameo (Field Stage)

7:00 pm - Keyon Harrold with Pharoahe Monch and Stout (Big Top Stage)

7:30 pm - Masego (Washington Ave Stage)

8:00 pm - Umami (City Wide Stage)

8:45 pm - Eric Donte and the Maxi Glamour Experience (City Wide Stage)

8:45 pm - Snarky Puppy (Field Stage)

9:00 pm - Angela Winbush (Big Top Stage)

9:30 pm - Umami (City Wide Stage)

9:30 pm - Smino (Washington Ave Stage)

10:00 pm - LuSiD (City Wide Stage)

Sunday, September 10 (12:00 pm - 11:00 pm)

12:00 pm - Paige Alyssa (Field Stage)

12:00 pm - Kendrick Smith Quartet (Big Top Stage)

12:45 pm - Root Mod (Washington Ave Stage)

1:00 pm - St. Louis Music Box with Janet Evra, Anita Jackson (City Wide Stage)

1:15 pm - Blvck Spvde & The Cosmos (Field Stage)

1:30 pm - The Shedrick Mitchell Collective ft. Christie Dashiell (Big Top Stage)

2:00 pm - DJ Nune is Lamar Harris (City Wide Stage)

2:45 pm - The Mighty Pines (Washington Ave Stage)

3:00 pm - Samantha Fish (Field Stage)

3:15 pm - Say She She (Big Top Stage)

3:30 pm - James Biko (City Wide Stage)

4:30 pm - Taj Mahal (Washington Ave Stage)

5:00 pm - DJ P (City Wide Stage)

5:00 pm - Andy Frasco & The U.N. (Field Stage)

5:00 pm - The Bad Plus (Big Top Stage)

6:30 pm - Grandmaster Flash (City Wide Stage)

6:45 pm - Herbie Hancock (Washington Ave Stage)

7:00 pm - The Teskey Brothers (Field Stage)

7:30 pm - Tank and the Bangas (Big Top Stage)

8:45 pm - Thundercat (Washington Ave Stage)

9:00 pm - The Fearless Flyers (Field Stage)

9:30 pm - Marquise Knox Band ft. Funky Butt Horns (Big Top Stage)

In between acts, on Washington Ave Stage and Field Stage, there will be a special audio visual celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop curated by DJ G. Wiz (who first concepted the hip-hop videomix in 1994), featuring DJ Lady Jock, DJ Furious Iceman Stylz, DJ Sir Thurl, DJ Charlie Chan Soprano, DJ Kut, D-Ex, She Beatz, DJ Speed Dasoopaman, Siddall Tha Selecta, DJ 618 and Larry "The Original Godfather" Shepard.

2023 Legends Award:

Music at the Intersection will once again present its Legends Award, acknowledging those from St. Louis who have truly impacted the music industry (previously awarded to The Bosman Twins in 2021 and Angela Winbush in 2022). The 2023 award will be presented on Saturday, Sept 9, to "Gentleman" Jim Gates and Edie "Laby Edie B." Anderson who, in 1979, unknowingly made pop culture history by playing the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" on WESL radio. The song, first played in East St. Louis, would go on to become rap music's first commercial hit. Gates is credited as the first station executive and DJ to program rap on the radio.

Festival Talent:

With a special focus on "St. Louis Made," Music at the Intersection pays homage to the city's imprint on the American songbook, the relationship St. Louis has with its Mississippi River sister cities and the musical genres that have been birthed and fostered locally.

Several artists have direct ties to the St. Louis area. Saturday's headliner Smino came from a musical family in Florissant and graduated Hazelwood Central High School before moving to Chicago to found the musical collective Zero Fatigue (with fellow festival artist Ravyn Lenae). Angela Winbush, one of the biggest hitmakers in 1980s R&B, grew up singing in her St. Louis church and graduated Northwest High School. Trumpeter Keyon Harrold is from Ferguson.

Other artists hail from sister cities on the Mississippi River, from which St. Louis shares music and cultural style. Grammy nominated Tank and the Bangas - delivering a lively fusion of funk, soul, hip-hop, rock and spoken word - are from New Orleans.

Additional national acts are tied to St. Louis by musical genre. The influence of St. Louis-born or raised artists - like Chuck Berry, Tina Turner and Miles Davis - have had a lasting impact on the sounds of today. Now a legend in his own right, early in his career, jazz pianist Herbie Hancock was part of the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound.

For 2023, Music at the Intersection is also celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, putting a special emphasis on artists from the culturally influential genre, spanning from the 1970s South Bronx to current day. The festival will feature performances from pioneers Grandmaster Flash (who perfected beat looping and discovered some of the most iconic beats still commonly sampled today), Cameo (who combined hip-hop influence into their horn-oriented 70s funk sound, resulting in 80s Billboard hits like Word Up and Candy), Arrested Development (the first hip-hop artist to win a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1993) and Pharoahe Monch (one of underground hip-hop's pre-eminent lyricists of the late 90s / 2000s). A variety of unique, modern-day hip-hop sounds will be represented through Smino, Thundercat, Masego, Tank and the Bangas and Phony Ppl, among others. There will also be a celebration of St. Louis' imprint on hip-hop spanning the last five decades.

Art, Local Bites and Professional Development:

Music at the Intersection is also putting a special emphasis on art and culture. As part of Elemental (a year-long, community-facing event series celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, presented by Music at the Intersection and The Walls off Washington), there will be activations paying homage to the four elements of hip-hop. In addition to DJing and MCing (rapping) - which will be taking place across Music at the Intersection's four stages - the festival will feature breakdancing (B-Boying/B-Girling) demonstrations and graffiti art.

Central to the festival's footprint, "Mural Market" at The Walls off Washington will be home to local artisan vendors, as well as live, immersive street art activations. Food trucks will also be available for attendees, curated by Sauce Magazine.

Leading up to Music at the Intersection, the festival is hosting its second annual Intersessions conference, focused on the nexus of art, music, technology and entrepreneurship. On Thursday, September 7, Webster University School of Communications will host a series of artist development workshops specifically targeted toward emerging musicians and those pursuing (or interested in pursuing) a career in the music industry. On Friday, September 8., creatives, professionals and entrepreneurs of all industries (music, art, tech) are encouraged to attend the professional development portion of Intersessions, which will feature a heavy-hitting roster of influencers from the worlds of music, art, technology, and business participating in a highly curated schedule of panel discussions and presentations. Attending Intersessions is free and registration is available at www.musicattheintersection.org/intersessions.

Music at the Intersection is presented by Kranzberg Arts Foundation in partnership with Steward Family Foundation and The Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis.

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, the relationship St. Louis has with its Mississippi River sister cities and the musical genres that have been birthed and fostered locally. Music at the Intersection gives a spotlight to national acts as well as St. Louis-based musicians across blues, jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and rock and roll.

For updates and additional information, visit Music at the Intersection at www.musicattheintersection.org or follow the festival on social media: Facebook (www.facebook.com/MusicAtTheIntersection), Twitter (www.twitter.com/Music_Intersect) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/MusicAtIntersection).

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