Shine Music Festival inclusive for audience, performers alike

The Shine Music Festival is all about inclusion. Organizers make the Festival accessible to all music lovers, that also includes performers.

For decades, Jeffrey Marshall has been writing and performing original blues songs like this.

"I'm one of those musicians that I will do one thing, and then I want to do something completely different," Marshall said.

Marshall loves a challenge. He was born with no arms and no legs. But he came to music like many other musicians, while he was in high school.

"There's a point where all your friends want to be in a band, and you have a band of all your friends," Marshall explained.

He doesn't remember any real difficulties learning to play either.

"I wanted to play, and people were never around me saying I couldn't play or a I could play. And, when I was beginning to play with everybody else…everybody was horrible, so we were all horrible together, learning to play and just sticking with it and playing and wanting to be better," Marshall said.

For the second year, he'll be playing at the Shine Music Festival, in collaboration with M.C. Taylor.

"I think that it's phenomenal that Shine exists," Marshall said.

He's excited to perform for a crowd that includes all music lovers.

"If we're going to talk about, in society today, about inclusion, we should start including, so I believe that it's just great. I believe it should have been here a long time ago," he told CBS News Colorado.

Marshall grew up surrounded by music and wants that opportunity for everyone.

"My job and my goal is just to give people the best show that I can possible do," he said.

LINK: Shine Music Festival

Shine Music Festival is Saturday, August 26, 2023 at ReelWorks Denver. The doors open at 12 p.m. and the music runs from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.