Joshua James and the First Aid Kit celebrate summer solstice with Westside block party
With the longest day of the year falling on nation music day, local musicians will join together to bring a diverse show to their community
Joshua James rocks with his bandaids all throughout the Kansas City area. // Photo Courtesy of Joshua James
Celebrate the summer solstice on June 21 at the Bandaid Block Party in the Westside, featuring Joshua James and
Although the band has been together for only one year, there are only two founding members remains. With recent addition of a cello player Joshua James also hopes to add a fiddler. //provided by Joshua James
the First Aid Kit (FAK). From 6-9 p.m. this Friday, six musicians will display their unique style, bringing musicians from many backgrounds together.
“There’s a lot of silos in the music scene,” James says. “I’m trying to bring people from different sides of the scene that don’t interact, so that we can build more relationships. We’ll see each other at shows occasionally. We’ll follow each other on Instagram, but there’s not a lot of talking unless you’re attending the same open.”
While the event can be attended for free, some of the band’s partners like the Garden and the Rhino will provide beer and food for purchase. Along with these two companies, the First Aid Kits are also partnering with Dead Peasant—a nonprofit that publishes content about fringe artists
Each band will play 30-minute sets featuring their specific genre. To start, Schuyler Minor will be playing R&B, followed by Antonio J with hip-hop. Swoovi & Co will entertain the audience with jazz and blues before Shotgun Wedding Singer brings in punk pop. To finish off the night, James and the First Aid Kit will feature folk rock music familiar to the Avett Brothers, with a bass, cello, guitar, and drums.
With a passion for supporting independent artists, James hopes this event will bring, not only artists together, but also his community in Westside. He has already received immense support and could use this event as a launching pad for an all day event next year.
The post for the Block Party shows one of the few photos of all six bands together. Although they consider themselves friends and colleagues, this event aims to bring the local music scene closer together. // Provided by Joshua James
“I had to go door to door and get all my neighbors to sign off on shutting down the street,” James says. “I’ve never met any of them so I was like, ‘Hey, I’m the guy who makes music at 2 a.m., and I’d like to shut down the street.’ But they were weirdly supportive, and most have backgrounds in music and art.”
The First Aid Kits also just celebrated their one year anniversary and create music from songs to scream along with to songs about heartbreak. The name first came from a play on words and was reworked to distinguish itself from other popular bands.
“We all aid in the band so we’re just a bunch of band aids, and that’s what we call our fans,” James says. “There’s a very popular band called First Aid Kit, which I didn’t know ’till I was in New York City, at Radio City Hall and saw a big billboard that said First Aid Kit. Then Joshua James is also another known folk artist in Nashville. I think if I put the names together, it’s okay.”
Listen to their music on Spotify in preparation for their performance at 810 West 16th St on June 21, and don’t miss this opportunity to join with the community and celebrate the summer solstice.
