Columbus restaurant to host ‘one-of-a-kind’ festival in midtown. See the lineup

Chad Scrimpshire is more than just “the restaurant guy.”

Scrimpshire, along with his business partners and friends Miles Greathouse, Robert Battle, Garrett Lawrence, and Scotty Declue, owns several popular restaurants and bars around Columbus, including Nonic, Jarfly, Ray’s Quick Stop, and, most recently, Super Regular.

But before he started owning restaurants and bars, Scrimpshire told the Ledger-Enquirer, his dream job was to own a music venue.

“And,” he said, “this is the closest thing to it.”

This is why Scrimpshire and his team started hosting Jarfest, a one-day music and arts festival at Jarfly, 1358 13th St. This is Jarfest’s third consecutive year. The festival is Nov. 1, from 1-11 p.m.

“I love live music,” Scrimpshire said. “This event in particular means a ton to me.”

Scrimpshire said Jarfest fits a missing gap in the Columbus music scene.

“We have great venues, and they do a great job, but outside of that, [the city is] pretty lacking as far as original acts,” Scrimpshire said.

Julio Portillo, executive director of MidTown Inc., told the Ledger-Enquirer that Jarfest is a “uniquely vibrant celebration.”

“JarFest offers a special opportunity for surrounding neighborhoods and all Columbus residents to come together for a fun, family-friendly experience,” Portillo said in an emai. “With a phenomenal lineup of both local and national musicians, the festival promises a weekend full of energy, connection, and great music. “

Portillo and his musical group, The Midtown Dad Band, will perform at Jarfest.

“What started as a few dads jamming during their kids’ garage band rehearsals has grown into a beloved local act,” Portillo wrote. “Their performance is a joyful tribute to family, friendship, and the power of live music to unite a community—guaranteed to get everyone moving, grooving, and singing along.”

Tickets for Jarfest can be purchased in advance for $28.28 or at the door for $30. Advance tickets are available online at tickets.thelocalcolumbus.com.

“If we can get you here,” Scrimpshire said, “we can show you a good time.”

Who is playing at Jarfest?

Scrimpshire says this year’s lineup at Jarfest has more of a rock and country music theme than past years.

“We pride ourselves on saying that we put on the best show we can with the money we have,” Scrimpshire said.

Headliners include indie rock band Susto Stringband and country music singer Dale Hollow. Other acts have a mix of local and regional performers. They include the Pink Stones, Elijah Johnston, Billy Wish, Bea Porges, Lazarus Lake, and The Midtown Dad Band.

The Ledger-Enquirer spoke with some of the artists about their background and what Columbus can expect from their performance.

About Dale Hollow

Dale Hollow’s roots run deep in the music industry.

Before the Nashville-born, New York City-based country singer started his music career, he did a bit of everything. He has worked as a security guard at concerts, a scout, a marketing representative at a label, a promotions associate at a radio station, a concert photographer and a music journalist.

“I always tell people that I fell bass ackwards into playing music,” Hollow said. “I’ve enjoyed it enough not to leave it yet.”

Hollow’s music stands out for its satirical, lighthearted lyrics infused with a deeper meaning. He credits the comedians Conan O’Brien and Bernie Mac as profound influences for his sound.

“Those are kind of like two of my North Stars in terms of performing and creativity,” Hollow said. “I’m just kind of trying to chase that rabbit with my music. It’s like ‘Can I have it be silly?’ Then, if you listen to it or read it again, maybe there’s a little more substance there than this goofy guy might present.”

At Jarfest, Hollow says to expect a “fun” and “high-energy” performance, mixing crowd interaction with a carefully curated set list. He also will play new songs from his upcoming album.

“I believe it is the one thing that I think I’m better at than anything else, than being silly or maybe writing a slightly clever song, is finding and convincing much more talented musicians than myself to play with me,” Hollow said. “My band, … it’s comprised of guys that have been playing with me for a while, but we got a couple of new people playing as well, and they are, in my opinion, some of the best and nicest people in the music world, incredibly talented.”

He also will perform some covers, putting his spin on well-loved songs.

“We do a cover of ‘Dancing on My Own’ by Robyn, which I think is truly one of the greatest songs ever written,” Hollow said. “And I make this sort of joke on stage. I say, ‘It’s one of the greatest country songs never written.’’”

After Jarfest, Hollow is flying back to New York to run the New York City Marathon the next day.

“When there’s a Dale, there is a way, with a little help from the Jarfest crew,” Hollow said.

About Billy Wish

In some ways, Jarfest was the nudge for Will Bishop, known as Billy Wish, to start playing public music shows again.

“We’ve been talking about playing music the entire time we’ve been here, and it was finally the catalyst to be like, all right, we’re putting something together,” Bishop said.

Bishop, a Columbus native, started his music journey early. At 14 years old, he played guitar in his middle school youth bands and at church. Then that evolved into starting a band with his roommates, called American Roommates. He moved to Nashville to chase his dream.

“It was definitely some dream chasing but very much an adventure,” Bishop said.

As the years went on, Bishop noticed a hard truth about pursuing music as a career. The COVID-19 pandemic was the turning point, sparking him to change his mind.

“I realized that people who were more successful than me were still working at pizza shops and doing a lot of things,” Bishop said. “They played Bonnaroo and then came home and then served tables. And I just thought, ’OK, let’s pivot.’”

Bishop completed a coding bootcamp at Nashville Software School and became a software engineer.

Even after his day job changed, Bishop never left music behind, instead discovering a balance that let him sustain his passion. He describes music as a creatively fulfilling hobby.

“Ironically, I have just as much time to play music and record as I did when I had zero money and was Ubering people around town,” Bishop said. “It was the best thing I ever did.”

Bishop returned to Columbus in 2024, in part due to Columbus 2025’s “Make My Move” program, an initiative to attract remote workers to move to Columbus, according to its website.

He said the program came at a perfect time.

“We could afford a house, we could live close to family ... Just the quality of life we have here is leagues ahead of what I even imagined,” Bishop said.

On what to expect from his Jarfest set, Bishop said he is performing music from his solo project, Billy Wish, and songs he wrote for the American Roommates. His music has an indie rock feel. He is especially excited to perform the song “I Want More,” which is “very sentimental and sweet” to play, he said.

“Some of these songs are extremely old,” Bishop said. “Some of them are songs that I haven’t put out yet for the Billy Wish project.”

Bishop said he respects the purpose of Jarfest, which, in his opinion, is helping to create a rich culture in Columbus. He is happy to be a part of it.

“I think it’s really cool that Chad and the group do so much to contribute to the culture of Columbus,” Bishop said. “When you live in a smaller place, you have a larger responsibility in contributing to the culture. I feel like Chad and the rest of the guys take that responsibility seriously, and it’s inspiring.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 10:00 AM.