The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Musician starts festival for local artists
Six acts slated for 1-day music event Thursday.
Six artists. One day to perform. That’s Kamau Austin’s plan as he launches a new music festival in Atlanta next week.
MTK&Co. isn’t Coachella, Afropunk or Bonnaroo — yet. But Austin, who dubbed the festival after his stage name of Mauie the King Jr., is hoping to make a dent in the scene with a one-day music festival highlighting local Atlanta artists.
“It’s very interesting for me. I was born and raised in Southwest Atlanta — three generations in — and there’s nothing like it,” Austin said. “I don’t know of any festivals by local ATLiens, or people that have three generations in, that understand the culture (or) that are doing anything.”
So, he’s taking the reins. Mauie the King Jr. is headlining the R&B, hip-hop and rock show featuring MariTrustMe, Boregard, Neila, Johnny Apollo and Dos Dias. Austin said the festival came out of an idea of how to celebrate his birthday. He had headlined his own concerts before, but he said he wanted to “create a space where black artists had more control over their content, platforms and creative process.”
“MTK&Co. is so not about me. It is so about the artists that are on board with it because I believe in them,” Austin said. “I know what it means and what becomes of that when not only fans believe in you, but (also) other artists and other creatives.”
It’s all going down at Galleria 314, a 250-capacity event venue in Midtown.
Julian McLean, of On the Brink Music, who is helping to plan the festival, said the cozy space creates a more intimate setting between the artists and the audience.
“We wanted to get the artists together, but not for a showcase because there’s no fan experience,” McLean said. “It’s about community and bringing people together who all have a vision.”
While dreams of Coachella may be far in the distance, Austin hopes his festival plants a seed that will one day allow artists to be less reliant on big brand music streaming services or major festivals to find representation.
“If not me, I want to help the guy who does and hopefully, I can spark his interest by my attempt to do a festival myself,” Austin said. “It’s going to take time, but I’m patient.”