Edge Fest 2022 lineup to feature social media sensations

May 13—CHEYENNE — The lineup for Wyoming's largest free outdoor music festival, Edge Fest 2022, has been revealed.

After a successful 2021 due to landing the now world-recognized musician Tai Verdes, members of the selection committee at Warehouse Twenty One doubled down on their process of looking for performers poised to explode into stardom. They want a commanding stage presence — acts that will fill the Cheyenne summer night with music to celebrate with on Aug. 27.

"Cheyenne is growing as a music town, which is good," said Dave Teubner, CEO/owner of Warehouse Twenty One. "I think we want to be known for that. Frontier Days has put us on the map in the country scene. They're bringing in national acts year after year.

"And with the addition of The Lincoln Theatre getting renovated and bringing new music all the time, Cheyenne has a lot of freaking music."

The original goal of Edge Fest remains the top priority to Teubner and staff — bring more culture to the West Edge district. From humble beginnings playing in the vacant space where Wyoming Rib and Chop House now resides, to expecting 4,000 attendees for this year's show, they're continuing to do just that.

Edge Fest's rise in popularity can only serve to help Cheyenne's larger music scenes. This year, their presence is even more solidified by bringing in acts whose careers are on the rise due to recent popularity.

The staff at Warehouse Twenty One has been in pursuit of this year's headliner for the past several years. With COVID-19 restricting world travel, there was no chance of flying Tones and I in from the "land down under."

She's had a No. 1 song on Spotify — a tune that reached No. 1 on the top charts in 30 different countries. It's also one of the most scanned songs on the song recognition app Shazam.

Tracking a song's number of Shazams is an interesting statistic, and one that Warehouse Twenty One is enthusiastic about. If people constantly Shazam "Dance Monkey," then audience members unfamiliar with Tones' music will have a positive reaction when she steps up to perform.

Most probably don't know who she is. Yet they probably know her hit pop tune "Dance Monkey," which now has 1.8 billion views on YouTube and millions more plays on Spotify.

"We got her because of her stage presence, because of her song recognition," Teubner said. "We just think she's badass."

The two other artists were sought out by the same means, by having a team scrounging through YouTube, TikTok and other social media accounts. Utilizing these platforms to discover unrecognized talent helps book headlining quality acts before they become a blip on the traditional music industry radar.

Joe P, Claire Rosinkranz

Joe P and Claire Rosinkranz fit these criteria.

Joe P, a singer/songwriter from New Jersey, recently signed to Atlantic Records based off of his recent success on TikTok.

His music has gained significant traction on streaming services. He's the artist with the least exposure to take the stage at Edge Fest, and he is also gaining traction.

Then there's Claire Rosinkranz, the singer behind the popular song "Backyard Boy."

Rosinkranz is also the youngest performer to ever take the Edge Fest stage.

At just 18 years old, her on-stage persona is comparable to the high energy antics of Tai Verdes. She's at a similar place in her career as well. She was just booked into the lineups for Lollapalooza, Life is Beautiful festival and the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

In addition to performances, there will be a fleet of local food trucks and some vendors set up around Civic Commons Park. There will also be alcohol served on the premises, with one of the stations being Pine Bluffs Distillery.

"We raised over $100,000 to pull this off," Teubner said. "These acts aren't cheap at all, so it's really a unique opportunity, and there's not much on the Front Range that's free with this kind of caliber of acts. We feel a little innovative in that way."

The concert is made possible through donations from sponsors around the city, including Warehouse Twenty One, Visit Cheyenne and the Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority, among others.

Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.