MATI rewind: Take two.

MATI rewind: Take two. As I promised, I want to give more space for Music at the Intersection 2026. Yes, it was two weeks ago at this point, but I still have some things to say – and I know y’all want to hear it. First, can we give a shout out to Mrs. Nancy Kranzberg for her undefeated blouse game? I got my whole life from the entire weekend’s assortment. Okay, now let us give the MATI folks bouquets of flowers for who they brought to town. I would have never paired Big Freedia and Killer Mike back-to-back on a bill. But my life will never be the same after experiencing it. That twerk-a-mania that Big Freedia conjured up…I’ve never seen anything like it! You ain’t seen nothing until you bear witness to a man who looks like a 75-year-old retired IRS auditor throwing it in a circle. And Killer Mike should make room for his background singers to drop their own set like The Hamiltones! They blew the roof off The Big Top! I still would have been in hip-hop bliss if it had just been Killa Kill and Trackstar on that stage. I don’t have space to name everything that was right about MATI 2026…just know that it couldn’t have been any righter! A special shout out to all the STL artists who showed what our city is made of musically! 

Buddy Guy’s still got it. Listen, y’all know me well enough to know that there are a handful that I will go to the ends of the earth to see hit the stage. And right between Denise Thimes and 8Ball & MJG is my non-biological grandfather Buddy Guy. He hit up The Factory with his Buddy Guy 90 Tour. Before I do another thing, let me shout out The Factory for their top-tier hospitality. I don’t feel a type of way in the least bit for having to drive to West Jesus to catch a show because of the way they treat a sista. Okay, back to Paw Paw Buddy. I know there are folks who feel a type of way about him still being on the road at 90. But if they saw how Buddy cussed out the folks for being off beat and off key when trying to sing along with him, they would know that ain’t nobody forcing him to do a single, solitary thing. And he can still throw down, so why not! Everybody in the building was beyond satisfied – including me! If he can still sing and play, I will be front and center for the Buddy Guy 102 Tour.

Much love to the living legends. This might not be the place for it, but I want to give a shout out to Be The Change Now STL for saluting some of my favorite folks in the region by way of their Living Legend Awards. I had a time in my good clothes at the Missouri History Museum for the sold-out event that brought the who’s who of the city out to show love. Zaki Baruti, Ariel Bivens-Biggs, Sheila Forrest, Sharee Nicole Galvin, Bernie Hayes, Wiley Price, Dr. Eugene Redmond, Anthony Shahid and Lady Ada Taylor. 

Happy birthday Michael McMillan. Since I’m talking about getting dressed up and having a good time, I might as well tell y’all about Urban League President Michael McMillan’s birthday gathering at the Missouri Athletic Club. If anyone ever doubted the fact that he is a class act (no one ever will though) Monday’s event settled it. Michael, allow me a moment to sing the Stevie Wonder’s version of the birthday song to you – it’s the least I can do for how you keep lifting up the community!

Big ups to Brock Seals. I know I’ve been bigging him up his entire career, and Brock Seals gives me every single reason to keep doing it! Saturday night, I made my way to The Hawthorn to catch his latest installment of Art, Mimosa & Pancakes. Even as an artist in his own right, Brock and that baby face of his have been giving space and agency to the creative community for years. And Saturday night was no different. I don’t want to compare it to Arts, Beats and Lyrics, because Brock’s set has its own super-STL vibe and energy. But I will say that if ABL is your scene, AMP should be on your calendar every year. I had a ball! I kicked off my Education Salute 2026 diet a week early, so I didn’t partake in the pancakes or the mimosas. My stomach was empty, but the art filled my soul to capacity! And I want to shout out the art of Carol Thompson-Robinson for those glorious paintings and Taylor Marrie for those super-cute chairs.

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