Bass Country at the Intersection
For the past year Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services has been receiving checks from an unusual source: a bass and electronic dance music (EDM) event in Grand Rapids called Bass Country.
Bass Country was held four times in 2019 at The Intersection, a live music venue in downtown Grand Rapids. D&HHS benefited after each event.
And how Bass Country and D&HHS came to be connected is an interesting story.
Chad Smith is a Detroit-based DJ and president of Ignyte Events, the organization that plans the Bass Country events.
He notes that the nickname for Grand Rapids had become “Bass Country” because of how passionate the fans are for this style of music so they decided to make that the name for their local event series.
As the name suggests, the Bass Country events are highlighted by bass music that can be felt as well as heard.
Smith said that early in the Bass Country series, which began in 2017, he and his staff took notice of a core croup of Deaf fans who kept coming out to their events at The Intersection.
“We try to provide an over-the-top experience,” Smith said, “where bass music and EDM fans can come together in a safe, positive setting. We bring in extra sound, lighting and try to make the experience extremely memorable for everyone with the bass so loud everyone can definitely feel us.”
Smith said that early in the Bass Country series, which began in 2017, he and his staff took notice of a core croup of Deaf fans who kept coming out to their events at The Intersection.
“We try to provide an over-the-top experience,” Smith said, “where bass music and EDM fans can come together in a safe, positive setting. We bring in extra sound, lighting and try to make the experience extremely memorable for everyone with the bass so loud everyone can definitely feel us.”
Deaf fans led to partnership with D&HHS
Smith said Deaf fans got him and his partner, Scott Hammontree with The Intersection, excited and eager to give something back.“We could instantly tell how passionate and excited about Bass Country this group was,” Smith said. “This is the type of energy we love and connect with, so we decided to make Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services our partner for the Bass Country 2019 Charity Program. It’s a perfect fit! We see them striving to make a real difference in Michigan, and we wanted to support that so we donated $1 for every ticket sold to Bass Country in 2019.”
Hammontree noted that giving back is not unusual for The Intersection which has provided over $75,000 in charitable giving to the Van Andel Institute organization to help fund cancer research and annually donates thousands of dollars in concert tickets a year to various charitable organizations and fundraisers.
Deb Atwood, executive director of D&HHS, admits that she doesn’t know much about bass music or EDM but was thrilled to partner with Smith and Hammontree and exceedingly grateful for their donation, which at last tally was just a little north of $8,000!
“We receive no federal funding,” she said, “and little state funding, so we work with a lot of local corporations and are always open to more such partnerships. This partnership with Chad and Scott was unexpected but very meaningful and will allow us to continue to serve many, many people in West Michigan.”
LINK TO BASS COUNTRY
LINK TO THE INTERSECTION