By Paul Sanford

The weather this past Saturday was an unusually cool, comfortable July day in the Queen City for the inaugural The Crown Town Get Down, but the music from the gathering of local talent was most definitely on fire. The all day/night festival featured an eclectic collection of styles and genres at Heist Brewery, providing the gathered throng of music fans a sampling of what Charlotte has to offer from its local talent pool.

Time2Fly Music co-Owner Ryan Williams, the promoter for the event, said, “It was great to see fans of different genres come together and hang out and check out bands they may have heard of before but never seen.” The festival configuration offered an outdoor stage with ample room for music lovers to dance and soak in the music, while the inside stage offered a more intimate, and oftentimes, raucous atmosphere. The outside stage was located adjacent to the inside stage and bar area entrance, and despite bands jamming simultaneously the two environments never overlapped in terms of the music blending together. In addition, several local craft artists and vendors were on-site giving the whole scene an energetic festival vibe. Williams: “Putting on an event of this scale in one day is no small task. We had 19 acts and ran perfectly on schedule.”  

All the artists played and sounded great, with a small technical issue early on with the outside stage. As Bobby Jort’s played the vocals were muffled and not coming through the sound system properly, but as every new endeavor must work out the kinks and tweak things as they go, the issue was quickly resolved, and Bobby Weir’s angelic voice could be heard once again, albeit in the form of lead singer Travis Weddington. One afternoon highlight was singer-songwriter Josh Daniel & Friends who brought his blend of bluegrass, funk and soul music with a reggae backbeat to the party.

The night lineup really amped up the scene, with Menastree delivering a silky, jazzy, free flowing jam that mesmerized the crowd and had fans swaying to their soulful beats. Queen’s Guard guitarist Stefan Kallander sat in with the band prior to Queen’s Guard set and provided some powerful guitar licks alongside the other band members, whose musical talent was clearly evident as they crushed their set and provided one of the highlights of the day.

The late-night lineup featured Hipgnostic and Queen’s Guard and they did not disappoint, each delivering a high-energy set of music and bringing the festival to a crescendo. Hipgnostic’s blend of “hip-hop space funk” took the room over and funked the crowd up. Their blend of hip-hop had the crowd getting down to some slick beats and hard-hitting rap lyrics, adding fuel to the fire as the crowd was clearly amped. Hipgnostic drummer Jacob Gresham said the event went off “without a hitch and fun was had by all. Great musicians, great staff.”

The headliner of the evening was Queen’s Guard, who ended the night with a loud, funky set. Kallander’s slick guitar work and the funky, soulful voice of Blanche J were a force of nature and had the room gyrating and moving to the band’s powerful beats.”

With so many factors involved in presenting a successful music event, the first-ever The Crown Town Get Down was a resounding success. “The response to this event was amazing,” said Eric Levasseur, Founder of Records On The Wall, who was handling audio/video for the event. “We got a really good look at some of the top musicians in the area and everyone really soaked in the beautiful day.” Heist provided a perfect backdrop with their selection of craft beers for every palette, along with a large food menu, and a parking lot seemingly purposely built for an outdoor music event.

Heist Managing Partner Spencer Farrell said Williams and Velvet Productions Scott Grether “made this a full day of awesome-ness!!! Local talent, craft beer and one heck of a good time.” Farrell: “I could not be happier!! I can’t thank all the volunteers, bands, vendors and everyone that came out enough. Just wait to see what the next one in the fall will bring!” Williams said the feedback he received was “great, with everyone from 12-year-olds to my 65-year-old mom having a blast all day.” Williams said the event “went exactly like I was hoping it would” and he noted there are plans to do similar shows in October and November. The Crown Town Get Down seems destined to become a local staple in the Queen City music scene for a long time, showcasing the numerous talented artists residing in Charlotte.