MATI, the festival formerly known as Music at the Intersection, will return to Grand Center for its sixth iteration in July, characteristically bringing with it a stellar roster of musical acts from both the city it calls home and beyond.
Top-line performers include former Fugee Wyclef Jean, current jewel runner Killer Mike, legendary electro-funk act Zapp with an assist from modern funk duo Tuxedo, Grammy-winning Maroon 5 member PJ Morton, booty-shaking bounce artist Big Freedia, fast-rising R&B singer-songwriter Destin Conrad, LA-based neo-soul act Moonchild, and the Verve Records–approved Latin instrumental trio LA LOM. Additionally, a separately ticketed kickoff show at the Fox Theatre will feature powerhouse singer, songwriter, and composer Jon Batiste.
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Joining the headlining acts on MATI’s five main stages will, as usual, be a slew of the St. Louis music scene’s heavy hitters. Ferguson-born trumpeter Keyon Harrold will return as MATI Artist-in-Residence, and for his Friday set he will be joined by St. Louis rappers AJ McQueen and Tef Poe, as well as Quentenas Charles Beason (a.k.a. DJ Charlie Chan), St. Louis hip-hop stalwart and personal DJ for legendary rapper DMC. Saturday’s Trackstar the DJ & Friends Takeover will see the longtime St. Louis hip-hop booster and Run the Jewels DJ joined by several of the city’s artists, including DJ Crucial, DJ Agile One, DJ Sinamin, BIKO, and Soopaman DJ Speed. St. Louis supergroup Mississippi Knights will see The Urge frontman Steve Ewing joined by Brian Owens, Chris Turnbaugh, Miles Vandiver, Adam Hamsbrough, and Brian Kazmarsik in paying tribute to the erstwhile Laclede’s Landing venue. And those acts just scratch the surface of an event with more than 100 performances and presentations on its slate.
The deliberate emphasis on St. Louis’ music scene, and intentional curation of its artistic lineup, is in keeping with the festival’s longstanding mission to highlight the city’s considerable impact on the American Songbook, according to organizers.
“Every year we seek to tell that story,” says Chris Hansen, executive director for the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, which organizes the fest each year. “St. Louis’ origin story musically and artistically, and connecting those river cities, connecting our Caribbean roots, lifting up our St. Louis giants, and just making sure that all the flavors that people are used to are there.”
Appropriately, the Illinois side of the greater metro gets some love on the lineup as well. With this being the 100 birthday of the late Alton-born jazz great Miles Davis, organizers have put together a tribute performance, which will see celebrated drummer and MATI Artist-at-Large Chris Dave join with Harrold to host a special “Miles Jam” paying homage to the famed trumpeter’s deep catalog.
“They’re going to kick off an open jam,” Hansen says. “So this is going to be the cats that are there in town, and the locals. They’re all going to riff and jam on top of Miles’ compositions as part of the whole expression at Jazz St. Louis on Saturday night.”
That spirit of collaboration, which MATI has nurtured with great intention over the last half-decade, is part of what makes the event so unique, and so uniquely St. Louis. Whether it’s individual artists’ willingness to hop on stage to feature during another act’s set, the curated showcases bringing numerous acts together under one banner, or the all-hands-on-deck approach taken by the festival’s many local partnering organizations, it all culminates in a community-centered affair whose sum is decidedly greater than its individual parts.
“We’ve built these amazing relationships over the last five years with the artists and the managers and the agencies, and it was just a spirit of collaboration on this lineup,” Hansen says. “You’ll see that spirit of community curation all throughout. So many different voices and people touched what made this lineup so special this year and so unique.”
MATI will be held from July 17-19 in the Grand Center Arts District, with a special kickoff show at the Fox Theatre on July 16. Weekend passes are $109 and single day passes are $45. Both are on sale now. Tickets for the kickoff show go on sale March 27. Performances will take place at the Fox Theatre, The Sovereign, The Big Top, Jazz St. Louis, and Sophie’s Artist Lounge. There will also be a free block party each night at 5 p.m. that will see Washington Avenue closed off to traffic between North Leonard Avenue and Josephine Baker Boulevard. For more information, visit matistl.org.
