FeatureD ENTERTAINMENT
Betty WHO
Australian singer/songwriter Betty Who makes big-hearted pop music that calls to mind divas such as Whitney Houston, Robyn, and Katy Perry. Borrowing sounds and styles from the '80s onward and putting her own joyous stamp on them, Who reached viral success with the release of “Somebody Loves You” in 2012—earning online acclaim and topping Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart.
Her first EP’s success led to a deal with RCA Records, and Who made her debut for the label with the Slow Dancing EP in April 2014. Expanding on Who's brassy style with R&B-inspired production, it reached number 57 on Billboard's Hot 100 Albums chart. That October, she followed it with her debut album, Take Me When You Go, which peaked at number 68 on the Hot 100. In February 2015, "All of You" became Who's second single to reach number one on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. Who then released a soulful cover of Donna Lewis' single "I Love You Always Forever," which became her third number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and reached number six on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart.
Her second album, 2017's The Valley, which reflected her move to L.A. in its variety of styles and hit number 105 on the Billboard Hot 100 Albums chart. Later in 2017, Who became an independent artist once more when she left RCA Records. The following January, she issued the single "Ignore Me" and followed it with covers of Kylie Minogue's "Come Into My World" and Widelife's "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)," the latter of which was used as the theme song to the second season of Netflix's reboot of Queer Eye. That June, the Betty, Pt. 1 EP provided a preview of her third album. Arriving in February 2019, the simply named Betty features some of Who's widest-ranging music.
RAYVON OWEN
Rayvon Owen’s glowing collection of pop gems—layered with textures of soul, R&B, and incandescent synth—have earned attention from the likes of People Magazine, Huffington Post, USA Today, and Billboard. His newest single, “Honesty,” was released in April 2020; it will be the first song from his EP, Las Virginia, four years after his journey as a Season 14 Top 4 finalist on American Idol.
Onstage, Owen has appeared with some of the most prolific and prominent recording artists, including Jamie Foxx, Ricky Martin, Boy George, and Frankie Grande. Other significant appearances and accolades have included being Elvis Duran's “Artist of the Month” (Jan/Feb 2018); performing his single “Gold” on the TODAY Show; winning the “Rising Star” award at the 2015 L.A. Music Awards; having “Gold” featured as Nylon Magazine's “Best Releases of the Week” (Jan 2018); and receiving nearly 3 million YouTube views combined of his covers of “Ignition” and “Don’t Let Me Down” with Postmodern Jukebox.
ROBIN ALICE
An Americana duo whose surreal songs make room for pop melodies, rock & roll muscle, out-of-the-box arrangements, and powerhouse vocal performances, Robin Alice is the unexpected pairing of songwriters Kelley Jakle and Jeff Hortillosa.
Both bandmates had already left unique marks upon the music world by the time they crossed paths on the movie set of Pitch Perfect 3. A Kentucky native, Hortillosa cut his teeth as a member of Whiskey Shivers, an unconventional bluegrass band more grounded in punky, rule-breaking spirit than traditional twang. Meanwhile, Jakle had grown up in California, where she played coffeehouse gigs as a teenager before winning a handful of international titles with her college a cappella group. When she launched a parallel career as a Hollywood actress after graduation, those vocal chops landed her a recurring role in the Pitch Perfect series.
It was during the filming of Pitch Perfect's third installment that Hortillosa and Jakle played their first songs together. From the very start, their diverging backgrounds made for compelling art.
DJ MEGAN TAYLOR
DJ Megan Taylor is an international DJ with over 10 years of experience. Megan is known as one of the most uniquely influential tastemakers in Chicago. Megan’s sound has been “Gwynth Paltrow approved” as one of Goop’s Citywide Service recommendations, and she was named "Chicago's #1 DJ" by BizBash Magazine.
Her infectious energy, positive vibe, and innovative expertise and skills have been a hit with partygoers everywhere from international venues, to signature corporate events, to many private parties & weddings.
DJ Matt Suave
A fresh face on the Los Angeles club scene, Matt Suave is quickly beginning his career as an international DJ.
A pupil of Chicago house music, his signature sound fuses pumping underground beats with soulful disco-inspired vocals. Matt has spun alongside infamous acts like Gene Farris, Paris Hilton, Hector Fonseca, Corey Craig, & more.
ZOE SPEAKS
Zoe Speaks is not your ordinary folk band. They are rooted deep in family, in the music making, storytelling lineages of their rural Eastern Kentucky origins, where music is a part of daily life, and where singing goes hand in hand with working.
Known for both their originals and their unique spins on the Appalachian sounds they grew up playing, their songs are socially conscious and spiritual — combining a variety of rhythms and styles from smooth folk-pop to blues and calypso.
Ellie Grace
Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Ellie Grace uplifts the classic roots of Nashville folk and bluegrass, while adding her own dream-like vocal sounds and soul rhythms. As the sole writer of all her songs, Ellie's identity as an artist is clearly one with her identity as a person. Her authentic, wrenching, and imaginative lyrics display her being without filter. Ellie's debut album Wings is a collection of stories intended for the listener to feel full at heart and transformed in spirit. Her style is the communion of country storytelling, with indie/folk foundations, and a dash of contemporary R&B. This unique blend of genres gives this singer/songwriter the ability to convey the collective experiences of human beings.
izzie contagious & nita bevvy
Those who can, do. Those who cannot, host. Co-Founders of Kiki Queens, Chicago’s only live-singing charity drag troupe, these two fake-bosom buddies could not have been more thrilled to emcee the worlds most anticipated postponed Kentucky music festival/ gay wedding extravaganza!
Rooted in fierce friendship, laced with a bit of sibling rivalry, their cutting and comedic banter has been loved by 10s and 10s of fans! Izzie Contagious serves high-glam drag with her decades and decades of experience as a makeup artist. Nita Bevvy, although so very young, delivers campy high-energy humor with a face only a Daddy could love.
These two divas celebrated the sexiest of grooms with their fabulous friends and family! Oh, and both are single, available, and on standby if Jamon or Joey jump ship.
VIRGINIA DEAVER
Virginia Deaver—sister to the groom—is a 21 year old actress/singer from Berea, Kentucky. After receiving a Liberal Arts degree from St. John’s College and pursuing a career in the non-profit sector of Washington, D.C, Virginia decided to turn her full attention to the pursuit of an artistic career path. Virginia has performed in nearly 20 theatrical productions, including Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, ‘Night, Mother, No Exit, and The Bacchae; she has worked as a public speaking consultant for multiple TEDX Talk presentations, freelance modeled in D.C, produced and emceed several bi-annual arts events and concerts, and has been featured in multiple arts publications for both her modeling and painting. Virginia will be moving to Los Angeles, California, to work as an actress at the start of fall 2021. In her spare time, she loves to play guitar, sing/write songs, and paint.
INTERACTIVE Art
Wylie Caudill | muralist
Central Kentucky has become a hotbed for public art in recent years, with muralists from all over the country competing for commissions in public and commercial spaces around every corner. Now there’s a new kid in town, and his name is Wylie Caudill.
Only two years into his professional career, the fresh-faced Caudill, 24, is popping up everywhere. He’s painted commissioned murals in Cynthiana, his hometown — including several at the historic Rohs Opera House and a recent one featuring Authentic, winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby — and in Lexington, where he now lives, including works at Soundbar, the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, Rise STEM Academy for Girls, and Futile Bakery. He’s also beginning to work in neighboring states including Ohio and Tennessee, where he created a large chalk mural in Nashville this fall for MTV’s early-voting campaign. — ACE Magazine
AMETHYST FOREST | healing creations
Amethyst began her business Run 2 the Wild long ago when she first stepped in the grass with her bare feet and squished the soil between her toes. Nature had inspired Amethyst and in 2011 she decided to share her love with others who hungered the same desire.
Nature has always been a cure for Amethyst in the best and worst of times. It's easy in today's world to forget about what the wild provides us. Her jewelry and healing creations were started to inspire and remind others of the special gift of life which exists out of love.
In all her work, Amethyst’s purpose is to make YOU feel special. To remind you of the simple everyday beauty in your life and that nature is our precious, everlasting gift from the world. She strives to make moments meaningful, products that have life to them.
BOB MONTGOMERY | BLACKSMITH
Bob Montgomery grew up on a farm in Garrard County near Lancaster, KY in a time when every farmer did his own horse shoeing, equipment fixing, and making of tools. On the farms surrounding Bob’s home place, every tobacco stripping room had a forge.
While renting a farm that had farrier tools and an intact old blacksmith shop, Bob became curious about steel and forging. He started reading books, practicing at the forge during the cold winter months, and eventually, in 1980, graduated from the Mt. Eden Farrier School in Mt. Eden, KY.
“My work is inspired from practice and experience—from time spent at the forge.” Since the early 1990s he has been sharing his art and love of blacksmithing with students throughout the state of Kentucky.
TERESA COLE | CERAMIC ART
Teresa (Jamon’s mother) specializes in functional pottery that is oven, dishwasher, and microwave safe. She is especially adept at designing for function and using colored clay slips and terra sigallata sprayed, brushed and trailed onto the surface of her pieces.
Teresa looks to nature for her imagery and often depicts ferns and flowers on her works. “Generally speaking, my work is definitely inspired by Mother Nature. My preference is always for the outdoors, and some of my fondest memories are of interactions with the earth and all its majesty.”