I love music and anyone who knows me, knows this.  In fact, I once said, if I had to do it all over again, my full time job would be in PR for either a record label or for bands.  (Well I have worked with bands on their PR strategies in the past).   I have to say that my love of music comes naturally, just riding in the car with my dad one could not help, but love music.  I grew up listening to the sounds of Motown that’s the only music my dad allowed to be played in his car.  I learned to appreciate Country music at my ma’am maw Kennedy’s house. When I stayed with my grandparents during the summers, our ritual was to watch The Grand Ole Opry reruns.  

The City of Birmingham used to host a three-day music festival called City Stages and I would plan my summers around the event because I attended every night.  The event was held in downtown Birmingham and included all genres of music.  The 21-year event ended in 2009 after some financial trouble.   After the event ended, to me it has felt like the City has been missing something with no major music festival to attend until last year when the Sloss Fest Entertainment and Music Festival began. The event was held at the historic landmark Sloss Furnaces and it didn’t disappoint.   I got the opportunity to attend this year.  The festival was a learning opportunity for me because I had not listened to the music of some of the bands that played.

Alabama has been on a fast track in the music industry lately so, it was exciting to again see Birmingham on display in the form of a music festival. Our city was filled to the brim with visitors from all over who converged to listen to bands such as Ben Harper, Death Cab for Cutie, Dylan LeBlanc and Ray Lamontagne.

The event took me back to the days when you could hardly move through the crowd at City Stages.  In my opinion, an event like  Sloss Fest  only continues the positive renaissance and reboot  of my hometown in the last couple of years.   I tell people all of the time that I was a volunteer on committees for Operation New Birmingham and the things happening now are the things we WANTED to happen all those years ago when we talked about our city during committee meetings.  How wonderful it is to see the transformation.  Birmingham continues to receive accolades from all over about the quality of life, food scene and the strides it’s made in economic growth.   Most who visit and spend any time in Birmingham come to know this, something I knew all along.

Proudly, I am one of the biggest cheerleaders of Birmingham, so my hat’s off to the organizers of Sloss Fest.  Thank you also for bringing (back) a great music festival that adds more Magic to the Magic City.