Audio By Carbonatix
Tis’ the season for great festivals in the Valley — and we aren’t just referring to all those massive indoor and outdoor concert extravaganzas that are happening almost every weekend until the summertime. There are also events celebrating art, food, makers, and anything else of a creative nature.
That includes next month’s Spark! festival at the Mesa Arts Center, a four-day fiesta from Wednesday, March 18, to Saturday, March 21, that is inspired by the elemental forces of earth, air, water, and fire and focuses on “arts, innovation, and creativity.” It also features a number of performances by local musicians and bands, as well as a few exhibits of a music-oriented nature.
According to its website, Spark! will offer a wealth of visual and performance art exhibits, displays and interactive activities to sample — ranging from cutting edge and experimental to DIY and hands-on — located in and around the MAC complex.
It will include such participation-focused and music-related attractions as In Dark Waters by Creative Machines — an illuminated aquatic-like sculpture with glowing sea creatures that will react to musical tones played by users — and Shade Music by Montreal-based artists Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat, which consists of an interactive environment that will generate various sounds as people move through and around it.
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Meanwhile, the Wells Fargo Garden will host live music over all four days of the festival and the lineup, which was announced earlier this week, will run the gamut from American and indie roots to rock, soul, and reggae. Like with the fest itself and most of its activities, admission is free.
Here’s a rundown of who’s performing and when:
Wednesday, March 18:
Trio Rio (southwestern American acoustic) 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Sherry Finzer and Mark Holland (flautists) 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Thursday, March 19:
Kirsten Plambeck (pop/jazz) Pop/Jazz Vocalist 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Hans Olson (western blues) 2 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. 4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, March 20:
Rocksmith (classic rock/blues) 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Yourchestra (eclectic folk boogie) 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. 4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
The Upper Strata (indie roots) 5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. 6:30 p.m. – 7:30PM p.m.
Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra (Afrobeat/world) 8 p.m. – 9 p.m. 9 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday, March 21:
Exit 40 Band (variety) 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. 1:30 – 2:15 p.m.
The Sugar Thieves (blues) 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. 4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Teneia (foul/soul) 5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Radio La Chusma (reggae, Latin, cumbia) 8:15 p.m. – 9 p.m. 9:15 p.m. – 9:45 p.m.
Find any show in Metro Phoenix via our extensive online concert calendar.
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