Acura House of Energy Hosted The Sundance ASCAP Music Café 2025

BY Wesley Dwaine

January 31, 2025
SUNDANCE ASCAP MUSIC CAFÉ AT ACURA HOUSE OF ENERGY FEATURED COMPOSER CONVERSATIONS AND LIVE PERFORMANCES FROM ERIC BAZILIAN & JAMES BOURNE, TOBY GAD WITH ANTONIQUE SMITH & MAE MAE, THE WILD FEATHERS, HAFFWAY AND AMBAR LUCID ON JANUARY 26 AND JANUARY 27
ASCAP Screen Time Hosted Exclusive Interviews Featuring Composers Jeff Morrow (SALLY) Katya Mihailova (How to Build a Library), Jay Wadley (The Wedding Banquet) and Josh Dibb (OBEX)
PARK CITY, UT, Jan. 28, 2025 – The 27th Sundance ASCAP Music Café returned to Acura’s House of Energy on January 26 and January 27 to celebrate the love affair between music and film at the heart of the Sundance Film Festival with a mix of chart-topping and up-and-coming songwriters and composers.
This year’s Sundance ASCAP Music Café featured performances from Eric Bazilian of celebrated rock band The Hooters with James Bourne of pop-punk band Busted; Grammy-winning hitmaker Toby Gad (John Legend’s “All of Me,” Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry”) alongside acclaimed vocalist and actress Antonique Smith and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Mae Mae; southern rock band The Wild Feathers, whose eclectic mix of Americana and heartland pop has landed them on tours with major acts like Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson; Nashville singer-songwriter HAFFWAY, whose unique sound is a blend of folk and alternative or “folkternative;” and Mexican-Dominican singer-songwriter Ambar Lucid, an artist who transports listeners with her dreamy music.
In addition to the exciting performances, ASCAP Screen Time, the ASCAP Film & Television team’s ongoing interview series about the craft and business of music for screens, hosted four exclusive conversations with the creators behind some of the festival’s most anticipated films. On day one, composer Jeff Morrow spoke with director Cristina Costantini on scoring SALLY, a documentary about Sally Ride, the first woman to blast off into space. Later, ASCAP AVP Film & TV Mike Todd talked with composer Jay Wadley about his score for The Wedding Banquet starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone. Day two kicked off with an engaging conversation with composer Josh Dibb and director Albert Birney on their film OBEX, a black-and-white fantasy film following a man living in seclusion with his dog Sandy. Afterward, composer Katya Mihailova discussed working on the documentary How to Build a Library, a story that follows two Kenyan women as they transform a dilapidated, junk-filled town library in downtown Nairobi into a hub for the city’s citizens and creatives.
For more information and to hear the music of Café artists, please visit www.ascap.com/sundance2025 
DAY ONE
Check out the Day One Recap Video here!
The audience at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café at the Acura House of Energy
Photo by Fred Hayes
ASCAP’s Erik Philbrook, Ambar Lucid, ASCAP’s Loretta Muñoz and Danny Schiller at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
Antonique Smith at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
ASCAP’s Erik Philbrook with composer Jeff Morrow and director Cristina Costantini, creators behind the film SALLY, winner of the Alfred P. Sloane Film Prize at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
HAFFWAY at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
James Bourne (Busted) and Eric Bazilian (The Hooters) at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
ASCAP’s Mike Todd with composer Jay Wadley at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
The Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr., President of the Hip-Hop Caucus, addressing the audience about taking action on climate change at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
Grammy Award winner Toby Gad, his daughter Mae Mae and Dave Eggar at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
DAY TWO
Check out the Day Two Recap Video here!
Director Albert Birney and composer Josh Dibb (OBEX) with ASCAP’s Mike Todd at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
ASCAP’s Ibbi Schwartz and composer Alex Weston at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
Director Chelsea Christer and composer Matthew Taylor, creators behind the Sundance short film (Out for Delivery) at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
Composer Katya Mihailova (How to Build a Library) at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
The Wild Feathers’ Joel King, Ricky Young, Ben Dumas, Brett Moore and Taylor Burns at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
ASCAP’s Erik Philbrook with composer Josh Dibb (OBEX) at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café
Photo by Fred Hayes
The Sundance ASCAP Music Café finale. Pictured onstage (l-r) are ASCAP’s Ibbi Schwartz, Antonique Smith, ASCAP’s Mike Todd, Mae Mae, Toby Gad, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., ASCAP’s Loretta Muñoz, Erik Philbrook, Sandra Villa and Pam Workman
Photo by Fred Hayes
About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than one million songwriters, composers and music publishers, and represents some of the world’s most talented music creators. Founded and governed by songwriters, composers and publishers, it is the only performing rights organization in the U.S. that operates on a not-for-profit basis. ASCAP licenses a repertory of over 20 million musical works to hundreds of thousands of businesses that use music, including streaming services, cable television, radio and satellite radio and brick and mortar businesses such as retail stores, hotels, clubs, restaurants and bars. ASCAP collects the licensing fees; identifies, matches and processes trillions of performances every year; and returns nearly 90 cents of every dollar back to its members as royalties. The ASCAP blanket license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. ASCAP puts music creators first, advocating for their rights and the value of music on Capitol Hill, driving innovation that moves the industry forward, building community and providing the resources and support that creators need to succeed in their careers. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook.

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