Swift City Sessions Features Local Music, Poetry, and Spoken Word

Local, Original Music All Around Downtown

Musician Taylor Swift, one of the biggest celebrities in the world, performed at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the last dates on her Eras Tour November 1st-3rd, 2024. It was a big deal for our city bringing in over 200k out-of-town visitors and giving our local economy a little boost. Downtown Indy was turned into “Swift City” with some of the highlights including special merch, photo opportunities, renamed street signs, and Swift City Sessions!

We Welcomed Swifties to Indy Through Equitable Arts Programming

Musical Family Tree partnered with Indy Arts Council to put the spotlight on central Indiana musicians, poets, and spoken word artists over the weekend of the Taylor Swift concerts. Kati Taylor of Musical Family Tree and Richard “Sleepy” Floyd of INSPIRE Music Collective curated a series of pop-up performances in 13 premiere downtown locations. Not only were artists paid for their performances, but they were “busking” and could have tip jars and sell merch to passersby. These locations were high-traffic, so our local artists had a solid opportunity to perform their original works for a new audience.

MFT was also responsible for logistics like audio equipment, stage managers, parking during the event, communications, and payouts to artists. Part of what made this opportunity so epic is that all the musicians, managers, and organizers were paid. Over 130 artists were performing, this is a big win for the city and our local music support. With every type of music from singer/songwriter, folk, country, blues, rock, R&B, rap, hip hop, poetry, and more being present throughout the city, those downtown during this time got a real taste of what the Indy music scene is like. It was a real treat to showcase the amazing talent and genre diversity here!

Swift City Sessions was a quick activation with the programming all coming together in just under one month. While (as with any event!) there were a few challenges along the way, our team did a great job collaborating and managing this amazing program on such a short timeline. We are excited to do more and hope for more opportunities like this!

As part of this programming, ArtMix also activated the Indianapolis Artsgarden with Taylor Swift-themed artmaking activities led by local artists. Visitors got the chance to create and decorate hats, bracelets, sunglasses, guitar pics and more! The Artsgarden was also one of the 13 locations where local artists performed for Swifties.

Funding for this program was generously provided by the Capital Improvement Board of Managers of Marion County.

 

Here’s what some of the local artists who performed had to say about their experience performing at Swift City Sessions:

“Loved playing at the Swift City Sessions! Busking in front of the IRT was my favorite. Plenty of foot traffic and people that would stop for a song or two. Super cool to watch the bustle of the city and providing a soundtrack!”
– Evan Shine

“It was fun to get swept up in the excitement of the weekend. I was able to bring my family, and they had a great time listening to music and participating in activities, especially the bracelet making stations. For me personally, it was fun and challenging to perform as a solo artist; due to the financial constraints, I didn’t bring my band with me, and chose to perform to tracks. Luger Plaza was a challenge because of the specific PA provided, and my not having the ideal cord to connect. Without technical support, my performance wasn’t as strong as it could have been, but I made it work and got positive feedback. Sunday’s performance at Bicentennial Plaza was really awesome. The tech team was hands on and super helpful, and the set up made me feel like a freakin rockstar. It was a little tough playing original music after the audience had just heard nothing but Taylor Swift being spun by the previous DJ, I had to win them over, but overall it was super fun.”
– Teresa Reynolds

“A lovely experience playing for some many folks who would otherwise probably not know about the diversity of the artists here in Indy. I’ll treasure that time. Thanks again.”
– Jess Jones

“It was friggin awesome and I had a friggin blast 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽. Baaaabyyyy, we were jamming during my 45 minutes, full set. I got a chance to entertain and interact, with new fans. I absolutely loved watching all of the Swifty fans, vibing with me and everyone felt involved, during my set. I love to work a crowd and even received two Swifty friends bracelets, from two new fans. You guys did your big one, with this and I most definitely look forward to upcoming opportunities. Make sure you all stay tuned to Sounds of Shar'e, on all social media, to see recaps from the Sunday shows. Thank you all again 🤗”
– Terri Corney

“I have a history of playing street corners unofficially, so to be able to perform in a sanctioned capacity was an absolute blast!”
– Zach Dzuba

“I just thought this was such an amazing opportunity for local artists and everyone was so nice and I had so much fun. Thank you so much for all you do!”
– Melodie Yvonne

“I performed Friday and Sunday. It was a wonderful experience overall. I was able to a lot of people from out of town. I’m looking forward to the next pop up performances!”
– Reckless Rhymacide

“Sister Sinjin loved the opportunity to play for the swifties. As female artists, we were elated seeing so many women taking over the city streets, feeling safe, festive, and fun. We appreciate Musical Family Tree and Indy Arts Council using this chance to highlight local music while celebrating the global success of the phenomenal Taylor Swift.”
- Sister Sinjin

“I had a wonderful experience and met very dope people and made fans I never would had without the opportunity I’m grateful.”
– William Gammon III

“I had a great time “busking”. I learned a great deal for sure! I made some great new connections with invested local artists and arts leaders! It was inspiring to be a part of a collective of Indy-based artists that, together, contributed to a downtown celebration of arts and music! I am so thankful to have been a part of it.”
– Glenn Seland

“I had a wonderful time performing. As a Taylor Swift fan for over a decade, it was an honor to be able to share my own original music with the people downtown celebrating Taylor, her music, and the arts and creativity! Thank you for having me!”
– Hunter Wainscott

Photos below by Miguel Dominguez

Kati Taylor