The Musicians Behind Ohio’s R&B Festival Put the Song First
The singers may lead the bill, but a new look at the Ohio R&B Music Festival puts the backing musicians in focus. In a September 28th interview with Matter News, bassist and multi-instrumentalist LynMonty explains the preparation required to bring independent artists’ recorded songs onto a shared stage.
LynMonty will work with keyboardist Stephen Ballard and drummer Jesse Marquardt. She told reporter Andy Downing that the group will support eight singers, with each artist performing three or four songs. Much of the material is original, making listening, notation and careful preparation especially important.
Her account gets specific about sound. LynMonty described obtaining a synth-bass pedal to reproduce electronic bass textures in the recordings. Playing the correct notes is only part of the assignment; the tone must also fit what the artist created. She connected her approach to musical foundations formed in church.
For R&B listeners, that is a useful detail to listen for at a live show. A bass part can preserve the shape of a recording while changing how its pulse feels in a room. The interview draws attention to musical choices that can be easy to miss when all eyes are on the vocalist.
Organizer Soul Dope Entertainment confirms the festival for October 3rd in Columbus, Ohio, and describes its focus as emerging independent performers shaping the state’s R&B scene. This is an Ohio showcase, not a Baltimore-area booking. The organizer’s festival page provides the current lineup and links directly to ticket information.
The organizer also explains a practical priority: paying participating artists while covering production needs, including sound, staffing and promotion. That places the rehearsal story within the larger work required to present independent music professionally.
Read Matter News’ original interview for LynMonty’s full account and visit the official festival page for event details. For more on contemporary singers and the musicians helping shape their sound, explore PowerPage’s R&B News coverage.
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