by Andy Lyons, Editor-in-Chief
Music festivals are a way to bring people together to enjoy themselves and the music. Spring typically marks announcement time for festivals all over the world, and Bayfest is no exception.
Bayfest returns to The Bay in Warrensburg, Mo. April 29 for its second year behind a lineup featuring many local and regional acts including Bovine Arrival, Degrave, Manda Shea & The Sumpthin Bros., Dead Medusa, Hot and Ugly, Mercurial, Green River Kings, and Hyborian.
The event aims to showcase local talent, and will include vendors selling their art. Organizer William Gleason told CMN via email the main focus is meant to be on the music.
“Bayfest was created to showcase local and regional talent,” he said. “A few of us who grew up watching a bustling music scene that seemed to start fading wanted to make a coordinated effort to bring a solid diversity of art and music back to Warrensburg and try to put on some great shows to help ensure that in the future.”
The show this year will rotate between the two main indoor stages at The Bay, and also feature some bands on the back patio. The lineup includes a little something for everyone – from heavy hitters such as Hyborian and Mercurial to the folk-country Amanda Shea & The Sumpthin Bros. Gleason said he made it a point to include a diverse lineup.
“We try to bring in some bands that don’t play at The Bay very often and this year includes a couple of acts that are indeed drawing quite a bit of attention lately,” he said. “Hyborian, from Kansas City, have definitely gained my attention with their live performances and recent release that is so well done that I could see them growing into one of Kansas City’s top bands by the end of the year and very possibly even jumping on a national tour with a bigger act. Green River Kings, also from Kansas City, also look to be very promising judging from their most recent release and we are definitely looking forward to working with them in the future as well.
“Bovine Arrival, from Warrensburg, is re-uniting with their original line-up after almost 15 years, so many of us are really looking forward to their set,” he continued. “There are also a few newer bands that haven’t had much of a chance to hit the road and play places like this so it will be exciting to see Degrave, from Columbia, and Dead Medusa, also from Columbia, take the stage in that regard. I am excited to see everyone do their part to make this one of the area’s best shows this year.”
Due to the different requirements for each band’s sound, the acoustic acts will primarily be playing on the patio because there isn’t a huge need for additional equipment. The rest of the lineup will be playing on the two interior stages. Gleason said the aim is to have continuous music throughout the day so the two interior stages will have bands taking turns from one room to the next and the patio will have continuous music throughout the day.
Gleason said the event is aimed at bringing people together to enjoy music regardless of genre.
“We just want people to come and have a good time, to enjoy the show and each other’s company,” he said. “Leave all of your daily worries at home or whatever and support all of these local bands that work hard and love what they do. Buy a T-shirt or an album from them, support them in any way you can. It means the world to all of us when everything goes right and everyone is having a good time. We want a show that everyone will be telling their friends about and making sure that they come to the next one.”
Bayfest is April 29 at 6 p.m. at The Bay, 130 W. Pine St., in Warrensburg, Mo. Tickets are $5 in advance or $7 at the door day of. The event is open to all ages until 11 p.m. For more, a Facebook event for Bayfest can be viewed here. Follow The Bay on Facebook here.