People of all ages come to downtown festival

The festival reinforces downtown Youngstown’s comeback, musicians and organizers said.

By SEAN BARRON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

KIMBERR ESTREMERA likely saw most of the several dozen bands that rocked downtown Youngstown on Sunday, but for her, The Kellys stood out.

“They have their own sound; she has her own vibe about her,” Estremera said about Kelly McCracken, the group’s singer. “The band is so awesome.”

“[The Kellys] get along with everyone. They’re good people and down to earth,” added Kimberr's husband, Jose.

The Boardman couple brought their 5-year-old son, Antonio, and were among several thousand fans to attend Sunday’s fourth installment of Vexfest, a free downtown music festival on and near Central Square.

People of all ages came to the all-day event, which featured more than 40 bands that played on four stages — two each indoors and outdoors — as well as disc jockeys. Music fans also took advantage of vendors and tents that sold compact discs, jewelry, T-shirts and other merchandise.

“This is a great event — one of the biggest crowds we’ve played in front of in a long time, maybe ever,” said Moe Angelo, the bass player for The Kellys. “[The festival] proves Youngstown is a good place to be right now.”

Bringing people downtown

The group, among other things, plays “classic rock with a pop feel,” he said, adding that band members want to do their part to help the local music scene.

Margaret Jones, a Youngstown State University student who lives in Pittsburgh, heard about Vexfest IV through friends. She was on hand to see a folk/rock band that featured a few friends, Jones said, adding that she planned to stay for most of the 14-hour festival.

Musicians and organizers alike shared the view that Vexfest IV is symbolic of a renaissance in the city and will be good for Youngstown in several ways.

“It’s musically diverse and a reason to come downtown, basically. It’s an all-around good time and something for everybody,” said Jeremy Hanhold, a bass player for five-member Asleep, which was the headliner band that was scheduled to start its performance at midnight.

“There’s a lot of [local] musical talent people don’t know about. We want to revive the area and make people aware of the musical talent here,” said Fred Rafidi, owner of the West Federal Street building that contains Barley’s, one of the venues.

“It’s bringing to downtown a lot of people who have not been here for years and years,” said Bernard Marinelli, owner of Core, a downtown nightclub that served as one of the four performance sites.

“It’s also pulling people from the suburbs to take a look at downtown,” he added.

Vexfest history

Vexfest ran from 2001 to 2003, with the last installment drawing about 5,000 people. It was sidelined for a few years, but should continue to grow, said Rafidi, who predicted between 5,000 and 7,000 people this year.

The festival began as a showcase six years ago after a popular band called Cyrus approached Rafidi about putting together a festival for the city, he explained. The band came up with the name “Vexfest,” which has no significant meaning but caught on nonetheless.

Rafidi noted that 90 percent of the bands have local ties, with a few from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Nashville, Tenn. A long-term goal is to bring in a national act, he added.

With more eateries and clubs opening in the corridor, people need to realize the area is safe, Marinelli said. Youngstown police make routine foot patrols, and there’s a good rapport between the police and business owners, he added.

As of 9 p.m., Youngstown police had reported no problems at the festival.

Major sponsors of this year’s Vexfest IV included Valley24.com, 93.3FM The Wolf, Maynstream Promotions and The 3rd Arm Promotions.