By Jessica Dillon
Scuffle Hill hosted its second Scuffling Up Sounds music festival in Collinsville, bringing together local musicians and community members for a day of live entertainment.
The free festival featured seven hours of music and performances by Griffin Haley & Liv Sloan, Amber Collier & G, Shipwrecked Mind, Mike Everett, Pat Poekel, Matthew St. Cyr, and Jake Earles and Andy Burnette. Tammy’s Grill was on site, serving food throughout the event.
Owner Jake Abell said the lineup was selected to showcase both established local performers and artists seeking greater exposure.
“How I decided to book the artists was based on the local music scene from in and around the area. Most are known artists that people know and love from here, others were from a little outside the area, needing exposure. In years to come, we want to expand on the artists in and around the area, giving them more exposure and letting everyone see the talent this area has,” Abell said.
Abell said attendance was similar to the inaugural festival.
“It was great. It matched the turnout compared to the first Scuffling Up Sounds, which is awesome. We hope to build on the crowds in years to come as we grow and expand the festival. Maybe one day, we need an off-site area to conduct it. That’s the goal, to make it a huge, highly anticipated event yearly,” he said.
Abell said the event is intended to celebrate the area’s musical talent while creating opportunities for artists to connect with audiences.
“Music brings the community and people together, everyone vibes with music and likes their own styles. At a festival, it helps people realize we have great songwriters here making great music,” he said.
Scuffle Hill’s upcoming events include its fifth anniversary celebration on Aug. 29 and Oktoberfest on Sept. 26. The venue also hosts weekly events and live music throughout the year.
