Local Looks: Buzzards and Bees music festival gets Provo grooving
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- Cardinal Bloom performs at Velour in Provo as part of the Buzzards and Bees music festival on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
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- Ashley Hess performs at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Provo as part of the Buzzards and Bees music festival on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
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- Cinders performs at Provo Community Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Provo as part of the Buzzards and Bees music festival on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
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- Seaslak performs at Dry Bar Comedy in Provo as part of the Buzzards and Bees music festival on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
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- Cardinal Bloom performs at Velour in Provo as part of the Buzzards and Bees music festival on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
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- Jen Blosil performs at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Provo as part of the Buzzards and Bees music festival on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
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- Carson Ferris performs at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Provo as part of the Buzzards and Bees music festival on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
Ghosts and ghouls from all around came to celebrate the spirit of Halloween in downtown Provo last weekend. With Goth Prom kicking of the festival on Friday night and a multivenue music festival featuring over 70 local bands and artists on Saturday, this year’s Buzzard and Bees promised to be a spooktacular time for all who attended.
Friday night was the official kickoff of the event with Goth Prom. While I have gone to the musical festival portion of the event a couple of times, this was the first time I attended the Goth Prom portion. Held mainly at Velour, the dance portion of the event takes place there and is DJ’d by KiD MACHiNE. Goth Prom is one of a kind in Provo; I don’t think there is an event that is similar or that could compare to it. I got there right at 8 p.m. when it started and the line to get in was already down the block. They even expanded the festivities down the road, having temporary tattoos at Mozz Pizza and karaoke, a photo booth and live snakes at Quiero Mas in an effort to allow more people to participate. While that did help spread out the crowd, the line outside Velour stayed there close to the end of the event. As for patrons attending, they all brought their A-game when it came to dressing up.
Saturday was the start of the music portion of the festival. My favorite aspect of it is how involved the community gets in making this event happen. Many local businesses lend their spaces for artists and bands to perform. Some of them this year included theFINDlab, Thread Wallets HQ, Velour, ABGs, Dry Bar, Peace on Earth Coffee and many more. Patrons are given maps, and the maps also are put out on social media well before the event so attendees can plan their routes. This is always the hardest part for me; it is so difficult to narrow down who you want to see when there are so many talented people at each one.
This year’s lineup featured many fun bands including Cinders, The Mellons, 19 Miles Per Hour and Seaslak to name a few. This time around, I spent more time at Saint Mary’s church to see solo artist like Jenn Blosil, Carson Ferris, Michael Barrow & The Tourists and Ashley Hess perform. The venues and artists are typically assigned based on genre. It’s obvious that a lot of care is put into artist assignments because the genre of music and the energy of the artist fit the venue they were playing in. From soulful songs in church to Americana music in a dry bar, each artist was well matched to their venue.
The festival lineup was announced about a month before the event with one difference. Every venue had a full lineup announced with the exception of Velour, where the final band to play was a mystery up until the final hours of the evening. The surprise guest this year was Cardinal Bloom, who recently released their first full-length album “The Only Place I’ve Ever Known.” Fans were ecstatic to see their favorites return to the Velour stage. One thing about Cardinal Bloom is that they don’t disappoint when it comes to their music or their costume choices. While everyone is encouraged to dress up, Cardinal Bloom tends to take the cake each year with their group costume choice. The band previous has dressed up as the Power Puff Girls, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, with this year’s costumes being Super Mario Bros. characters.
The excitement in the room as they played was unmatched to any other performance I watched that night, with Cardinal Bloom playing their most popular songs like “She’s Just a Friend” and “Nothing Stays The Same,” a cover of Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Ohio” and newer, slower songs off their album like “Denver” and “The Porch.” All in all, it was the perfect ending to an event-packed weekend.
In its sixth year, Buzzard and Bees is still going strong. Created by Alex Vaughn, Corey Fox, Dean Cheesman and Paul Nahrwold, this event is a spectacular combination of their creativity and love of community. Not only is Buzzards and Bees a great event for Halloween lovers, it’s also a perfect event for those who are wanting to explore their community a little more. If you’ve been dying to explore all that Center Street in Provo has to offer, see lots of cute small businesses up close with the asthetic of fall around you and take in the incredible local music and art scene that Utah has to offer, this is an event for you.
