Photography courtesy of Music at the Intersection
Erykah Badu
Trying to see everything at this weekend’s Music at the Intersection is a sure way to strain something—there’s simply too much great music to see! It’s the second year for the festival, which highlights blues, jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and rock. It's also the first time it will be hosted without major pandemic restrictions, so we’re really just now seeing what the festival can be.
“This is a real effort to celebrate St. Louis’ footprint on the American songbook,” Kranzberg Arts Foundation executive director Chris Hansen told SLM this spring. “This is about our history and heritage.”
If you’re looking for a plan to maximize your time and navigate the absolute embarrassment of riches, here’s a few can’t-miss acts you might plan around.
Photography courtesy of Music at the Intersection
Gary Clark, Jr.
Erykah Badu and Gary Clark, Jr.
Both headliners are going to be the shows you’re bragging about come Monday, so plan to be there. Badu takes the Washington Avenue stage at 8:45 p.m. Saturday. She’s been nothing short of a neo-soul icon since her 1997 debut. Then, Gary Clark Jr. performs on Sunday at 8:45 p.m. on the Washington Avenue stage. Clark has taken the old-school genres of jazz and blues and made them feel completely fresh. “Please Come Home” might just make you fall in love, so be careful who you sit beside.
Photography courtesy of Music at the Intersection
Hiatus Kaiyote
Hiatus Kaiyote
Get weird with Aussie jazz funkers Hiatus Kaiyote. The band’s slinky vocals and expansive instrumentals have caught the attention of such big names as Beyonce and Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Anderson.Paak, and Chance the Rapper, who’ve sampled them, as well as Robert Glasper, who invited the band to appear on his record of Miles Davis tunes. Catch Hiatus Kaiyote on Saturday at 5:50 p.m. on the Washington Avenue stage.
Photography courtesy of Music at the Intersection
Murphy Lee
Murphy Lee and Kyjuan
There’s nothing quite like seeing the hometown guys on the hometown stage. The St. Lunatics thrust the city into the national hip-hip spotlight 20 years ago, and they’ve been hard at work ever since. See them on the Washington Avenue stage on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Photography courtesy of Music at the Intersection
Taylor McFerrin
Saturday’s afterparty at The Grandel pits four producers, four emcees, and four hash manufacturers against each other for bragging rights. The rap battle sees a faceoff between Deadman and Rec Riddles, Hugo Bawse and Bates, A Y E.DRE and T-Tubb-O, and Madman and Daemon. Dispensaries Head Changes, Proper Cannabis, Vivid Extracts and Teal Cannabis vie for supremacy. $15, doors at 9:30 p.m.
Taylor McFerrin
McFerrin is a force—a soulful lyricist who plays and produces his own instrumentals, including throwback vintage synths and keyboards. He draws from traditions like old-school R&B, funk, and jazz while bringing his own take and a strong improvisational bent to the music. Famous dad or not, Taylor McFerrin’s one to watch. See him on the Field Stage at 2:05 p.m. Sunday.
Photography by Paul Natkin, courtesy of Music at the Intersection
Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
You can’t go wrong with an absolute classic. Don’t miss a chance to see the 85-year-old legend, whose influence can’t be overstated. Folks like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan learned from the pioneer. He’s collected eight Grammy awards and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, a Kennedy Center Honor, the Presidential National Medal of the Arts, and more. He performs on the Washington Avenue stage on Sunday at 3:45 p.m.
Photography by Joshua Asante, courtesy of Music at the Intersection
Seratones
Seratones
Bliss out with the Louisiana-based group, which takes its name both from the Spanish term for “put it on wax” and the lovely brain chemical serotonin. The band's latest record, “Love & Algorhythms,” shows influence from punk, rock, R&B, soul, and electronica. The band's performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert was a delight. See Seratones on the Field Stage on Sunday at 4:45 p.m.
