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
2000 Vine: Traveling tattoo artist inks Kansas City HQ with clients buzzing for her return
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series from Startland News highlighting entrepreneurs, businesses, and creators leading revitalization and redevelopment efforts in and around the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. Click here to read additional stories from this series. Before Kinesha Glover — better known as Keno G — ever picked up a…
Coworking space opens on former Sprint campus with former iWerx partner behind the (hot) desk
The sprawling Aspira campus in Overland Park is now home to a just-launched next-generation office workspace solution. Aspira NOW — a coworking space with a focus on tech connectivity — is the latest addition to the Occidental Management-owned development. “Aspiria NOW is a unique offering for entrepreneurs and businesses, providing them with a robust suite of…
2000 Vine: Chef Shanita’s urban eatery sets the table for prospects to access power
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series from Startland News highlighting entrepreneurs, businesses, and creators leading revitalization and redevelopment efforts in and around the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. Click here to read additional stories from this series. Renowned Kansas City chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant plans to open a “for purpose” urban eatery…
With boost to $31M in funding, how will state agency power MO innovation? Check out its plan
Two months after Gov. Mike Parson and legislators bumped the Missouri Technology Corporation’s budget back into the double digits, the state-funded investment agency introduced its plan for implementing five new strategies designed to catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship in Missouri. Presented early this month at the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development, MTC released an execution roadmap…