There was a palpable sense of community at The Kessler in Oak Cliff on Saturday night, as Louder Than Stigma Fest brought together artists, supporters, movers and shakers of the Dallas music & arts scene. Coinciding with Suicide Prevention Month, the event became the epicenter of a health movement that would be announced later in the evening.
North Texas heavyweights Kessler Presents and the Dallas Music Office joined forces to help support the inaugural fest, benefitting Amplified Minds—the Dallas nonprofit whose work centers on providing mental health services to the creative community.
The street outside the venue was lined with mental health support booths with educational material, and inside attendees could bid on the “Jacket Up – It’s a No Brainer” art auction. Four jackets with custom designs by local artists were live-auctioned on stage (raising over $1700), and more jackets were won through the silent auction in the lobby.
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The music for the night kicked off with the pleasant surprise of a songwriter round-style set with Dallas Sounds Amplified Artists Remy Reilly, Sam Cormier and Gracen Wynn. Each artist spoke of their relationships with mental health, the importance of therapy, and the background behind their songs—giving a raw view into their soft souls and the resilience that inspires their music.
Headliners Cure For Paranoia wasted no time bringing the energy in the room, from sitting quietly to crowded in front of the stage, with fans ready to dance, sing and vibe — with the band dudded out in their signature fashion-forward style.
A camera crew lined the balcony, and all eyes were on the star-studded 10-piece collective, which included the core trio of Cure (Cameron McCloud, Jay Analog and Tomahawk Jones), plus Marcus Jones on drums, Camden Lee on guitar, Trusko on bass and more.
The set stretched over their many years of creating, including nods to their years of [NPR’s] Tiny Desk submissions, quarantine-inspired tracks, throwbacks and new music — plus a guest appearance by rapper Tye Harris performing a song and introducing Cure’s “The Artshow.”
The music culminated with the band’s new single and finale song, “No Brainer,” as McCloud left and reentered the stage in a head-to-toe outfit change created by local artist DTOX Davies. Waves of fans sang the song back to him, as the band lifted the room into a crescendo that put the proof in the pudding that Cure For Paranoia is one of Dallas’ most promising rising acts.
In an unexpected disclosure, guests of the fest became the first to hear about an incredibly game-changing new initiative that will bring health care to creative industry professionals in Dallas.
The unofficial launch of Creatives Care Dallas was announced on stage with Dallas Music Office director Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart and Arete Health founder Byron Sanders — a move that has roots of inspiration from the 2019 passing of Dallas spoken word poet Adam “Rage Almighty” Tench.
Tench worked with Sanders at Big Thought, an impact nonprofit benefiting youth in marginalized communities, working with youth on their spoken word programming. Tench didn’t have access to proper health care and ended up having a heart attack stemming from complications with his asthma.
“We’re doing this intentionally, very clearly, and from the heart.” Kirkenaer-Hart said outside of The Kessler. “When [Tench] died, Byron thought ‘This is wrong.’ He left Big Thought to figure out how to help people in the community who need access to health care.”
On stage, Sanders said, “I want to start off and be clear that what I’m about to tell you is not insurance in the traditional sense. But it’s been built to satisfy about 85% of what insurance provides. Extremely accessible. So, with one subscription, you get access to a primary care physician, no copay, however many times you need to use it. You get access to virtual care, 24/7 urgent care—any time, any day or night. You get access to over 2,000 of the most commonly-prescribed medications, no copay. You get access to mental health services — eight sessions, no copay. You get access to vision, dental and medical procedure discounts 15-50%. You get access to DNA genealogy tests to learn more about your DNA and your biology—what are the biggest risk factors and what you need to be aware of. All of that, together, for $65 per month.”
The crowd cheered in massive appreciation.
“But wait—there’s more,” Sanders said with a grin. “So I said $65 per month, right? So that’s you, whoever that subscriber is, and four more additional slots. So five people, for $65 total—everything I just said.” Another roar from the crowd.
“You might be thinking, I don’t have four children. How am I going to fill those slots?” Sanders mused. “Well, because this isn’t insurance, we’re not bound by some of the same things that you would typically have to be bound by—which are like, who are your dependents, spouses, things like that. The four additional slots can be family as you define it. All they have to do is live in the same state. So if it’s your mama, or even somebody you only casually like — but you’re like hey, you probably need to live — come get you some. However you decide it, it’s you and four additional people.”
“If you go and pull a pod of five total people, and each one wants to kick in $12-15, we’re cool with that,” Sanders emphasized. “You get access to this writ large; we’re not changing, this is the plan, this is the initiative. It’s not a special program, this is what it is. We’re launching it, and we’re launching it with the artist community in Dallas because we love you all. You all pour so much into our lives, it’s time for somebody to pour into yours.”
Creatives Care Dallas will be available to all gigging creatives who live in Dallas county, and will officially launch on Oct. 13 — the anniversary of Tench’s passing.
Keep up with announcements from the Dallas Music Office on their @dallas_sounds Instagram page. There will be a landing page on the DMO website to download an app, and receive care directly through it. Additionally, some proceeds from sign-ups of the initiative will go to Amplified Minds until December 2026.
https://kxt.org/2025/09/louder-than-stigma-fest-marks-milestone-with-unveiling-of-creatives-care-dallas/