Live Art 2 Live Music returns for an expanded collaborative event at Tupps Brewery

Watch talented artists create on the canvas and the stage when Live Art 2 Live Music returns to Tupps Brewery in McKinney from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on May 25. Organized by the Arts and Music Guild, the annual free family-friendly event invites attendees to watch visual artists at work throughout the brewery while enjoying live music on stage.

“This event is going to flourish because Tupps Brewery is in its new, expanded gorgeous location,” Arts and Music Guild Executive Director Annie Royer said, referring to the brewery’s recently opened East McKinney location.

According to Royer, Live Art 2 Live Music ’24 will make full use of the brewery’s new space. Live Art 2 Live Music will nearly double in size this year compared to its first event at Tupps Brewery in 2023, with two music sets and at least 25 artists scheduled to attend. “I want this to grow to where everybody knows they can come and paint or create…on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend at Tupps,” Royer said, later adding that the expanded four-hour format came as a result of last year’s attending artists requesting a longer event.

The event kicks off at 3:00 p.m. with the returning band Quantum Katz. Royer said the band will appeal to attendees who “love great American rock, jazz and bluegrass.” Quantum Katz, which features an ever-shifting lineup and musical style, will bring back three of its four highly accomplished members from their performance at last year’s Live Art 2 Live Music: Gerald Jones, George Anderson and Reggie Rueffer. Brad Davis, who Guitar World Magazine named one of the greatest Texas guitarists of all time, will join the band at this year’s event.

Following Quantum Katz, award-winning Latin guitarist Russ Hewitt will take the stage for the event’s 5:00 p.m. set. “He’s so highly recognized for his originality (and) his brilliance,” Royer said of Hewitt’s unique mix of Latin styles that’s earned him multiple Billboard Top 40 Smooth Jazz singles.

With the artists working throughout both music sets during the event, Royer said the value of a collaborative evening like Live Art 2 Live Music is in the “synergy” it creates between those involved. “(Musicians) have this built-in energy. They love to perform,” Royer said. “That just flies off the stage and sweeps through the artists. We feel it in the music, the atmosphere and the crowd. We’re already anticipating a great event.”

Live Art 2 Live Music ’24 runs from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Tupps Brewery on May 25. For more information, including a full list of attending artists, visit https://www.artsandmusicguild.org/la2lm.

The Arts and Music Guild is an official advertiser with the Collin-Denton Spotlighter. Advertising does not guarantee coverage, nor does it affect the content of any coverage on the Spotlighter. This interview has been edited for clarity.