National music festival brings mix of genres and mental health awareness to Columbus

Corey Cartwright
Fri, 19 Nov 2021 01:59:12 +0000
Arts & Life, Entertainment, Instagram Page, Music, News, arts, arts and life, aspiring artists, aspiring musicians, brandon black, bridging the music, Columbus, columbus minifest, concerts, johah lipsky, life, live music, local, Local artists, local concerts, men's mental health, mens health awareness, minifest, music, music and performance, ohio state, ohio state university, osu, scatter joy project, touring artists

Bringing The Music, a Colorado and New York-based music event company, will be putting on the first-ever Columbus miniFEST Friday at The Summit Music Hall.
Credit: Courtesy of Bridging The Music

For those hoping to see live music spanning multiple genres, miniFEST in Columbus offers an opportunity to learn about aspiring artists.

MiniFEST, a combination of local artists and touring performers, is coming to Columbus for the first time Friday. The event will be put on by Bridging The Music, a music event company based in Colorado and New York that hosts year-round music festivals all across the country, Jonah Lipsky, founder and producer of the company, said.?

“We have 13 different artists on the lineup,” Brandon Black, event producer for Columbus miniFEST, said. “All different types of music. It’s a really nice blend – a little bit of everything.”?

Although miniFEST has been a project for about three years, Lipsky said he and his team have been producing events since founding the company in 2010.

For each miniFEST, Lipsky said Bridging The Music always aims to produce a diverse lineup; among the artists performing in Columbus are J. West, Saving Escape, Locution Field Lab, ohiofog, Jesse Law and Cal Parker, according to an Instagram post from Bridging The Music.?

“Every show is different and unique because we’re booking a unique lineup for each city,” Lipsky said.?

In addition to offering Columbus music lovers a diverse concert experience, Black said Bridging The Music will be joining forces with the Scatter Joy Project in honor of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Their goal is to bring awareness to how men often live with a mental illness in silence due to social stigma, according to the Instagram post.?

“[It] is a nonprofit company working to make mental health accessible for all by providing therapist matching and creating a safe environment to find the resources, to help deal with mental and emotional health and bring awareness to these subjects,” Black said.

Doors to the Columbus miniFEST will open at 5:45 p.m. Friday, and performances will take place from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., Lipsky said. Tickets, which are $20, plus an additional $5 for those under 21, can be purchased on Bridging The Music’s website or at the door.