Creativity, ingenuity and panache will coalesce this weekend as five of Jefferson City's original musical acts come to The Bridge, bringing folk, rock, hip-hop and carnival intrigue to the same stage.
Organizer and performer Chris Foss said the Think-Tank Presentation is about showcasing "a group of focused, creative minds coming together to enhance the current situation - in this case, the original music that would otherwise stay unknown in Jefferson City."
Foss said Jefferson City's music scene is often dominated by cover bands, so he wanted to organize an evening specifically for locally based creative thinkers and performers who play their own music.
The lineup will include Tim Gallagher, Andres Gazca, Midwest Establishment, Jean Apollo and Foss.
"It's to encourage creative original music rather than just jamming out on covers," Foss said. "I just want to put them all in one room for a night and get their own individual audiences together to see their stuff, hear new original (music) and experience the creative strength that Jefferson City has."
The $5 mature audiences-only show is set to begin at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at The Bridge, 619 E. Capitol Ave. Each act will be allotted about 45 minutes per set.
Gallagher is the latest member of the Think-Tank lineup to break onto the Jefferson City music scene. Foss said he is a strong, talented musician deserving a local audience.
"He needs to get his name out a little more, because of his talent," Foss said. "He does this southern jazz-style piano while he sings, and he will rock on guitar."
Nick "Andres" Gazca is a familiar presence on Jefferson City stages, but the man who often accompanies other artists is finally breaking out with his own backing band. Foss said Gazca and company have soulful songs with a folk-rock sound.
"Everybody knows him in town; he's born and raised here," Foss said. "He's played in just about every band here as accompaniment, but him doing his own solo stuff, he's been kind of shy to debut. But he's original, and he's great."
Midwest Establishment is a hip-hop duo comprised of Josh "J Rastaa" Howard and Gage "Dramatik!" Ferguson. Foss said they have thoughtful lyrical content and intricate, well-rounded beats.
"They seem pretty rooted as a group," Foss said. "The more notoriety I can give professional, driven musicians, that's what I go after. They have strong vocabularies and artistic beats."
Apollo is a candid rapper with a flair for the drama of the stage. Foss said he is one of the strongest performers in town.
"The presence that he brings on is very emotional," Foss said. "It's very original. He speaks from something that is very personal within himself artistically. He brings a strength and owns the stage in a very authentic and genuine sort of way."
Finally, Foss himself will take the stage with an expanded version of his one-man band that will include special guest performers such as jugglers, hula dancers and magic tricks.
Foss is an eclectic self-taught loop artists who brings cello, guitar, percussion and vocals into the mix.
"To sort of end the night with a different dimension to it, I'm going to bring in original Jeff City performance artists to do a guerilla caberet circus show," Foss said. "It will be a bit more than a strange musical set. It will be a full-on performance experience."