Get your tickets for the 2023 Festival!
HEADLINERS
Adeem the Artist
Making their Utah debut and heading straight to the Grand Ole Opry just after their performance with us, Adeem Maria (they/them) is a seventh-generation Carolinian, a makeshift poet, singer-songwriter, storyteller, and blue-collar Artist. Blending a homegrown affection for Country Music with the emotional turmoil of alternative folk in the early aughts, they have created a unique brand of Americana that pays homage to John Prine and John Darnielle (of The Mountain Goats) in equal parts.
Imbued with the ancestral traces of southern music and colored by a palette ranging from lo-fi anti-folk to post-punk, the songs traverse the vast compass of human emotion. Whether opining on the disparity of “hooch” and “booch” in the collision of generations or straddling the duality of being a “blue collar boy” who is a “complicated dame,” Adeem excavates unwonted stories of the forgotten South.
Sunday, June 25, at 6:15pm, Festival Stage
Lyrics Born
Lyrics Born relocated to the United States from his birthplace of Toyko, Japan right around the time Hip Hop was exploding on the East Coast. From the moment he heard Sugar Hill Gang’s 1980 classic “Rapper’s Delight,” the Bay Area Hip Hop luminary knew he’d found his calling. Twenty-five years later, LB has obliterated the stereotypes of what an MC is “supposed to” look like and captured the hearts of countless fans who gravitate to his distinctive voice. He’s now the only Asian-American MC to release 10 studio albums and the first to play major music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza.
Back at the Utah Arts Festival by popular demand the self-proclaimed “funkiest rapper alive” will carry on his tradition of weaving funk and soul into classic, boom-bap Hip Hop on Quite A Life. Without the influence of icons like James Brown, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Zapp & Roger LB admits he wouldn’t be who he is today. Coupled with his love of rap pioneers such as KRS-One, Rakim and Snoop Dogg, LB’s music is the perfect Hip Hop and funk-flavored gumbo.
Friday, June 23, at 9:30pm, Amphitheater Stage
Joslyn and The Sweet Compression
After cultivating her dynamic voice and performance skills in backup roles and stage plays, Joslyn Hampton teamed-up with her stepfather, Marty Charters (a touring guitarist and songwriter who has shared the stage with legends such as Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, and Van Morrison), to compose a captivating set of tunes and assemble an ace band. Joslyn & The Sweet Compression (Isaac Stephens - guitar, Smith Donaldson - bass, Rashawn Fleming - drums, Trevin Little - saxophone, and Sam Richardson - Keyboard) combine to deliver a hook-filled mix of funk and soul on their self-titled debut album, released in 2019. A headlining favorite at regional clubs and music festivals, they are on the rise and poised to engage fans across the country with widespread touring in 2023. We couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to present them for their first performance in Utah
Saturday, June 24, at 9:45, Festival Stage
FEATURED ARTISTS
Los Mocochetes
One of several Featured Artists this year, Los Mocochetes are a Chicano Funk band from Denver, CO. This colorful cast of characters fuses thoughtfully brazen, socio/politically charged song lyrics, groovilicious melodies and high-energy stage antics to create an immersive experience unlike anything you've ever seen before. Much like a machete, which can be used either as a tool to build or a weapon to kill, they have chosen to use their music to inspire and encourage positive social change, and they have a ton of fun along the way! Music is medicine, laughter is medicine, community is medicine. Come and get your love.
Friday, June 23, at 7:45pm, Amphitheater Stage
Tony Holiday and the Soul Service
Tony Holiday is a multi-talented, award winning musician and entertainer, but beyond that there’s something about him that draws people together. In fact, community has been at the core of Holiday’s young career from the beginning. Since relocating from Salt Lake City to Memphis in 2017, Holiday has been at the center of a soul blues revival in Memphis infusing traditional North Memphis-style roots into a melting pot of different styles covering multiple genres. Holiday proves to be a powerful, soulful singer, and a songwriter of smart, moving roots music songs that expand his palette beyond blues to show his diverse influences, anchored by a contingent of young, savvy, well-schooled musicians with a family-like attitude and a strong belief in one another. We look forward to welcoming him back to Salt Lake City as one of the 2023 Featured Artists.
Friday, June 23, at 10:00pm, Festival Stage
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
Now in their 60th season, Ririe-Woodbury (Rī-rē Woŏd-bûr-ē) Dance Company is Utah's most established institution for contemporary dance. A favorite at home in Salt Lake City and a renowned powerhouse known around the globe, the Company actively embraces and commissions the work of contemporary choreographers, tours worldwide, and develops dynamic education and community outreach programming. Through performance and educational undertakings, the Company pursues its mission to make dance a viable part of everyone’s life– whether it be as creators, performers, dance educators, critics, or as participating audience members. It is an honor to present them as Featured Artists for the 2023 Utah Arts Festival, helping Festival-goers share in the magic of their artistry.
Friday, June 23, at 4:50pm, Festival Stage