Music Notes
For 21 years, the Gardendale Magnolia Festival has brought a wide variety of entertainment to the community- including a car show, pooch parade, petting zoo, vendors, and more! One aspect of the annual festival that is always a crowd favorite is live music. With the help of brothers Joe and Randy Posey of TMI Productions, the Magnolia Festival has hosted a long line of talented artists including for King & Country, Russ Taff, and Birmingham’s own Wes Hampton of the Gaither Vocal Band.
“TMI Productions specializes in small-town festivals and outdoor events including orchestrating live performances at Atlanta Fest and more. In 2003, the Magnolia Festival management asked the Posey brothers to join the team. “My brother Randy and I grew up in the area and graduated from Gardendale High School. We felt like it was a great opportunity to bring better artists to our hometown festival,” Joe Posey explains. While TMI Productions doesn’t work strictly with Contemporary Christian artists, they do often book them for performances. “As people of faith, it just became a part of our business to include Contemporary Christian artists in events that will allow the Gospel to be shared in a more general public venue.” A few Christian artists that have performed at past Magnolia Festivals include Jason Gray, for King & Country, Russ Taff, and Echoing Angels. “Our relationship with the Magnolia Festival allows us the avenue to put Gospel music outside the walls of the church and the typical Christian audience,” Posey says.
TMI Productions strives to give new artists the chance to play for a large audience. “Back in the day, we made sure to include new and up-and-coming artists at our events. As a festival it allows us to give artists a chance to play and a few of them have become very successful,” Posey explains.
For the 2022 Magnolia Festival, expect to enjoy performances centered around the 80s! “This year we are celebrating all things from the 80s. Friday night we will feature the M-80s band. Then on Saturday, we will have the ultimate Johnny Cash Tribute Band, Cashback,” Posey says. In addition to great live music, the Magnolia Festival will also host 150+ vendors, a car show, pooch parade, petting zoo, artisan demonstrations, free art classes for kids, pony rides, and more! Come hungry because there will be a wide variety of food to choose from including cheesecake funnel cakes, shrimp and oyster po’boys, polish sausage, collard greens, BBQ ribs, foot-long corn dogs, kettle corn, gelato, and more! For more details about the Magnolia Festival happening on April 22-23, visit www.magnoliafestival.org.
-Melissa Armstrong
