Watch: Choir Bar debuts ‘One Day’ video from its first reverse karaoke singalong event
June 20, 2018 | Tommy Felts
The excitement was palpable Saturday as Choir Bar launched into song for the first time in River Market, said Matt Baysinger. Now organizers are ready to share the singalong experience with the world.
“People are so dang impressive,” said Baysinger, co-founder of Swell Spark, which debuted the Choir Bar concept in hopes of it becoming a semi-regular event series. “We thought it would be fun to get a bunch of people together and learn how to sing a song as a three-part harmony. … [It was] absolutely one of the coolest things I have ever been involved with.”
About 90 people — family, friends and strangers — gathered Saturday at the River Market Event Place for a professionally choreographed, “reverse-karaoke”-style singalong. The crowd learned and then sang “One Day” by Matisyahu, an alternative artist who fuses reggae, rap and rock.
The result?
With the crowd of singers led by vocalist Jazz Rucker and musician Jared Scholz, Saturday’s event spurred enough interest to warrant another Choir Bar singalong — likely coming in July, though organizers still are working out venue details, Baysinger said.
Watch for news about coming event dates here.
Choir Bar is the latest concept from Swell Spark, a Kansas City-based innovator of interactive, experience-based entertainment. It’s suite of offerings includes popular brands Blade & Timber and Breakout KC.
Swell Spark was named one of Startland’s Top Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2018, in part because of the rapid growth of its Blade & Timber axe-throwing concept, as well as the ongoing development of new business verticals.
The company opened a second Kansas City-area Blade & Timber location in May with 12 lanes at Leawood’s Town Center Plaza. Another location in Wichita is expected to open in July, with Blade & Timber soon expanding to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, as well as to sites in Portland, Seattle, Springfield and St. Louis, Missouri, Oakland, Honolulu, and Miami.
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Fund Me, KC: Lips of Steel gives women iron-clad smiles, healthier bodies
Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by contacting news@startlandnews.com. Today’s featured campaign — Lips of Steel — spotlights a business co-founded by Kansas City-expat Sofia Gahn, who manages social media for…
Techstars Kansas City accepting startups for second accelerator class
One of the Midwest’s most competitive accelerator programs is looking for technology enabled startups with global potential. Techstars Kansas City is now accepting applications for its three-month, mentor-led 2018 class. The program is set to begin July 16, culminating with an Oct. 11 demo day event in which participating startups will pitch to the community…
Four leading Kansas City entrepreneurs among 2018 Pipeline class
The lives of four Kansas City entrepreneurs selected for the 2018 Pipeline class are about to change forever, said Brian Handrigan, Pipeline member and co-founder of St. Louis-based Traaqr. New fellows were announced Thursday evening at Pipeline’s The Innovators gala, with 13 startup leaders from across the Midwest taking the stage as the first step…
Pipeline celebrates Innovator of the Year, diversity of fellows’ firms (Photos)
Throughout Thursday night’s The Innovators gala, alumni of the Pipeline fellowship teased that their individual classes were the best in the entrepreneur network’s 11-year history. Newcomer to the stage Evan Luxon, however, made a case for the tight-knit 2017 fellows based on the group’s perseverance. “We’re a small, but mighty class,” said Luxon, winner of…