The You Matter Festival, an event promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention, was founded by local teen and musician Will Gurley. Gurley has struggled with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation himself and relied heavily on music in his times of need.
"When I was struggling, the most important things for me were counseling, my family and friends, and writing music,” Gurley says. “Logic performed his song "1-800-273-8255" (which is the national suicide prevention hotline phone number) at the 2018 Grammy Awards, and something sparked inside of me. I knew that I had to use music to help spread a message of hope to our suffering community."
This year’s festival is August 15 from 6-9 p.m. and is free to the public and open to all ages.
"The main goal is to bring as much awareness to this epidemic that we are facing through music, teens sharing their stories, and a mental health fair with many providers and organizations sponsored by the Blue Valley Northwest Mental Health Board," Gurley explains.
The bands performing in this year's festival are local musicians of teens and young adults from around our city. Here is a breakdown of the performances to enjoy at this year's festival.
The Whips
The Whips are a party music collective born in the spirit of the Jackson 5, The E Street Band, and other historically great ensembles of rock and soul. Rooted in its core members: Multi-instrumentalist Max Indiveri, Vocalist Aidan Connelly, Bassist Quinn Cosgrove, Drummer Miles Patterson, and Guitarist Vincent Lee, this group is also no stranger to guest features from some of the best local musicians in Kansas City. Featuring a mix of classic covers, and their own brand of high powered soul, The Whip’s high flying dance fest is a one-way trip to getting lost in the groove.
Will Gurley
Will Gurley, the founder and president of the You Matter Festival, is back for his third year on the festival stage. Will has been playing music for as long as he can remember, being raised on the classic rock artists of the ’70s and ’80s. Will began writing his own music at age 14, using it as an outlet for his emotions. Blending genres of classic rock, contemporary pop, and metal, Will Gurley’s music is streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, and all other streaming services. Joining Will is LIVAGAIN, including Jeff Gurley on lead guitar, Olivia Gurley on lead and backup vocals, and Luke Nolkemper on drums. The band delivers an electric performance of old classics, new hits and original music by Will Gurley. Expect an alternative metal album from LIVAGAIN soon.
Quite Frankly
With a lot of hard work, supportive family, and help from the local music community, Quite Frankly the Band was launched. Quickly crossing the line from imagination into reality, these young musicians began performing live on stage, playing multiple genres of music from rock to pop, and even a little blues and country. Two short years later, Quite Frankly is no longer an emerging band, but a professional band with seasoned musicians. A band you need to hear.
Since conception, Quite Frankly has opened for national touring acts and began recording their own music—and hearing it on the radio. They gigged Nashville, won the Nelson-Atkins Battle of the Bands and even helped with Big Slick. The band is forever grateful for the incredible support from fans and local venues in Kansas City that took a chance on a bunch of high school kids.
2020 was looking to be the biggest year yet, with a gig in LA at the infamous Whisky a GoGo and a spot for Boulevardia. Unfortunately, both events were rescheduled due to COVID, but a few events have remained on the calendar. Catch Quite Frankly at the Sunset Music Fest and You Matter Festival.
Find our current schedule on the website at https://www.quitefranklytheband.com/seeus
Facebook and Instagram @QuiteFranklyTheBand
India Jane
India Jane is an 18-year-old singer/songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. In the fall she will be an incoming film major at Northwestern University, but she spends her free time writing songs in the indie-rock style she grew up listening to. She considers herself more of a poet than a musician, but still pretends to know a lot about guitars, mostly out of spite. She has long been an advocate for LGBT+ youth and mental health awareness, and often explores those aspects of her own identity through her poetry and songwriting in lyrically focused folk ballads. She started writing songs at the age of 5 and never stopped. Some of her biggest musical inspirations are Declan McKenna, Xenia Rubinos, and The Greeting Committee. You can find her on Instagram at @ndiajane, or on Twitter at @indiiajane, and she hopes to have a debut single on streaming platforms very soon.
Holes in Socks
Holes in Socks is a cover band specializing in classic rock, and alternative music of today. The group consists of Jack Hancock (piano), Josh Robinson (drums), Scott Wyatt (guitar), Patrick Schmidt (saxophone, guitar), and Will Hancock (bass/vocals). Holes in Socks is a relatively new band but quickly found their stride as a premier mom's basement, free park concert type of band. Holes in Socks has played everywhere from that one park with that old dude walking to Josh’s basement.
When asked, Josh’s mother said, “I like Joshie’s other band, but they seem nice.” While they might be newer as a group their playing experience and musical knowledge is vast and extremely experienced for their age. Josh Robinson is an All-State percussionist and center snare at BVNW. Patrick Schmidt will be attending Wichita State University for music education and has been trained in a plethora of different instruments. Jack Hancock got paid like 100 bucks to play at Nebraska Furniture Mart and was asked to music direct his middle school musical next year. Scott Wyatt made Wind Symphony his freshman year and is an avid athlete. Will Hancock is a three-year All State Choir member, and has played and recorded with different bands around the KC area.
For more information on the You Matter Festival, visit YouMatterFestival.net