Rhythm of the city: Huntsville in tune with Music Month

HUNTSVILLE – Put on your dancing shoes. Loosen up those vocal cords. Tune up the instruments.

Uh 1. Uh 2. Uh 3.

That’s right, Huntsville.  It’s time to dance, groove and sing along as the second annual Huntsville Music Month kicks off Sept. 1.

Hosted by the Huntsville Music Office, the monthlong initiative seeks to raise awareness and build excitement around the city’s thriving music culture, encourage collaborations, provide career development resources, and champion Huntsville’s appeal to musicians and fans as a music‑friendly city.

Mayor Tommy Battle said Huntsville has come a long way in establishing itself as a destination music city. He said the quality and diversity of live performances at The Orion Amphitheater, Von Braun Center and elsewhere appeal to local music fans as well as those from outside of the city limits.

“People from across the country are traveling here to see their favorite artists on our stages and we’re happy to have them,” he said. “We hope they tell their friends and families about their wonderful experience in Huntsville, Alabama.”

While this year’s Huntsville Music Month calendar will feature more than 100 events, Music Officer Matt Mandrella is especially excited about Launchpad, a new, free concert series Sept. 1-3 in Big Spring Park.

“We have some really amazing talent lined up to perform, so we’re setting up a big stage in the park and kicking off the month with an explosive three-night run of free shows downtown,” he said. “We’ll also have a lot of fun lighting design elements in place both on stage and throughout the park that we think will make for a really awesome fan experience, too.”

Opening night, Sept. 1, will feature headliner Deqn Sue, who was featured in the September 2022 issue of Rolling Stone magazine performing at The Orion Amphitheater. She’ll be joined by Grammy award-winning musician and producer Kelvin Wooten. Other acts set to appear that night are Common Man, Dante’ Pride and the Alabama A&M Maroon and White Marching Band.

On Sept. 2, fans will be treated to the high-energy and soulful sounds of Lamont Landers, electro-funk-hop band Element XI and Huntsville’s signature and most beloved blues icon, Microwave Dave.

The third night of music, Sept. 3, will be the opening night of Jazz in the Park-Huntsville featuring headliner Jessy J and supporting acts Tr3ple Threat and Erisa Nicole.

The music begins at 5 p.m. each night. Food trucks will have concessions for purchase and alcoholic beverages are permitted if they are in designated purple cups.

“The Huntsville Music Month calendar is jam-packed with great concerts and events throughout the month,” Mandrella said. “It’s an exciting time for music in Huntsville, and September is all about shining an even brighter spotlight on all the really exciting things happening here.”

Huntsville Music Month events

• Jazz in the Park – 5 p.m., Sept. 3, 10, 17 & 24 at Big Spring Park East: Spearheaded by the City of Huntsville’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, this annual community-driven concert series provides music-lovers across generations a free ticket to experience some of modern jazz’s biggest names live on stage. Visit the Jazz in the Park-Huntsville Facebook page for lineups and more information.
• Women in Music Week – Sept. 15-24 at various venues: Due to overwhelming popularity, Huntsville Women in Music Weekend is now Huntsville Women in Music Week. The expanded event will showcase more than 50 women in the music industry over 10 days at various venues. The full lineup will be announced soon on the Huntsville Music Month web page.
• Music Biz Roadshow – 5 p.m., Sept. 12 at VBC Mars Music Hall: The Music Business Association’s new Music Biz Roadshow traveling event series will bring elements of the popular annual conference to Huntsville to connect its members with local musicians and music businesses. High-level panels and fireside chats will educate communities on today’s music ecosystem, while cocktail mixers will facilitate new relationships between members of the industry who may not have met otherwise The event is free to attend but limited to the first 200 people to RSVP.
• Music Industry Career Fair & Community Expo – 12-2 p.m., Sept. 16 at VBC East Hall: The Huntsville Music Office and Arts Huntsville are teaming up again to produce a free music industry-related career and community expo to help connect people to job openings and volunteer opportunities within our music ecosystem.
• Blast Music submissions: Blast Music – the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library’s music streaming service – is accepting submissions from Tennessee Valley artists. The Blast curator team listens to submissions and decides what music is added to the platform after each round. Those selected will have the option to sign Blast’s license agreement, upload a full album/EP to the streaming platform and receive an honorarium check.
• School instrument drive: The Huntsville Music Office is proud to work with Huntsville City Schools, Microwave Dave Music Education Foundation, Maitland Arts Initiative and Madison County Commissioner Phil Riddick to put instruments into the hands of more students through a monthlong citywide instrument drive. Find drop-off locations on the Huntsville Music Month web page.
• Music at City Council meetings – Sept. 14 & 28: Tune into live local music performances at both Huntsville City Council meetings scheduled in September. Leading up to the 5:30 p.m. start of the meetings, community groups will perform outside City Hall on the lawn. During Council meetings, local artists will perform The Star-Spangled Banner. Performers will also receive a special recognition at the meetings.
• Small Business Awards Gala – 6 p.m., Sept. 28 at VBC North Hall: The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber will host the Small Business Awards, featuring Mandrella and Huntsville singer/songwriter Victoria Jones as emcees.

For more information and to see the full Huntsville Music Month calendar, visit huntsvillemusic.com/musicmonth or the Huntsville Music Office Facebook page.