By: Amanda Meyer//

On September 23, X Ambassadors will be tearing up their hometown of Ithaca, New York and bringing along some special guests for their neighbors. This event is a little bit different for them, as it’s the Cayuga Sound Festival. Cayuga Sound is a festival actually curated by X Ambassadors themselves, as a way to thank their hometown community. Recently, I spoke with Casey Harris, the keyboard player of XA, about Cayuga Sound and what the attendees should expect of this awesome experience!

So you guys started Cayuga Sound Festival to celebrate your music and your hometown with the city of Ithaca. What inspired you to go ahead and make such a huge festival, rather than some hometown shows on a tour?

Ithaca has an amazing music scene and has for a long time. When Sam and I started playing in that scene ourselves, we were also starting to listen to bands and artists that were on the radio and on the internet. We’ve always loved hip-hop, rock, R&B, and all kinds of new music from all over the place, and we loved the rare occasions they would come to town. What we always dreamed of though, was an event that would bring together Ithaca’s music with all the incredible new music being made throughout the rest of the country and the world. So here we were, years later, and we just figured, why not try to make that a reality ourselves?

You’re bringing some awesome acts – The Roots, K.Flay and Jukebox The Ghost, just to name a few… How did you decide on who to bring back to Ithaca with you?

We had a wish list a mile long for who we wanted to play the festival. Basically, we just reached out to as many of our favorite artists as we could, and honestly, I’m still stunned and humbled at how many of them signed on. I can’t tell you how excited I personally am to see all of them play!

It’s a pretty busy festival. Aside from the music, you’re also celebrating local businesses, nonprofits, food and more. What are you most excited about with this festival?

Ithaca brought us up.  We grew up eating the food, attending the after school programs and summer camps, and just wandering around the commons, the parks, you name it. We really wanted to give back to all the businesses and organizations that are the backbone of the city, and especially those that help people learn and do things that they might not have had the chance to otherwise.

Can we expect any surprises for Cayuga Sound Festival?

As far as any surprises for the festival, well… they just wouldn’t be surprises if I told you. Expect the unexpected… or not… or maybe yes… you’ll have to wait and see.

Anything else you would like to add for your fans and attendees of the festival?

This whole festival is going to be something special. We can’t wait to play for everyone, and we’re so excited to be a part of the whole experience. See you all there!

For tickets to Cayuga Sound Festival, please click here.