Image courtesy of Downtown Long Beach Associates.
Long Beach band Rival Sons is set to headline Buskerfest, the last and quite coveted event of the 2015 Summer and Music Festival (SAM), with an acoustic performance on Saturday, September 5 in downtown’s East Village, the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) announced today.
Inspired by the street musicians fondly known as buskers, this annual tradition asks Long Beach’s local talent to perform low-tech, stripped-down sets while using their sound to coax wooden nickels from audience members. The act that collects the most carved currency will win a prize package designed to help further their career.
Past performers include Cold War Kids, Delta Spirit, Everest, Beachwood Sparks, Avi Buffalo, Tijuana Panthers, Chicano Batman, Sam Outlaw, The Fling and Wild Pack of Canaries.
“Buskerfest was birthed out of two necessities: to celebrate local talent but also encourage artists to rethink how they approach music,” said SAM co-founder Rand Foster in a statement. “The idea behind busking—how musicians play, where they play, the uniqueness of the moment—really drives this event’s success.”
Foster added that challenging the musicians in this way produces the best night of live music in the city.
Joining Rival Sons in headlining, but not competing, will be legendary guitarist and songwriter Terry Reid and renowned composer and percussionist Stephen Hodges, while the following bands and musicians will compete in this year’s Buskerfest:
- Bloody Death Skull
- Rosie Harlow & the Tall Tale Boys
- Full Tilt Trio
- Tall Walls
- XO
- Forest of Tongue
- Paper Thin Hands
- Tacky Little Hatshop
And to end the night on an especially high note of revelry, MOVE will give busker-fans a full-out jam session.
For more event details, click check out the Facebook event page here or visit the SAM site by clicking here.