Get Down
for the Sake of Getting Down
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| photo by p.dunkly |
Imagine, if you will… a beautiful summer day, neon
pop colors, surf loving vibes, vibrant giant jellyfishes, rocking new music,
local commodities for sale, a family friendly environment… Now imagine this in
your very own neighborhood, walking distance from the beach and downtown Santa
Barbara.
If you went to the inaugural Summer Shakedown
event in the Funk Zone this last weekend, you don’t have to imagine it, you
experienced it.
The pop-up day festival was the conception of a
few of
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| Jessica Puchli of NNSB, Kyran Million of KM Productions |
Santa Barbara’s established and budding local music promoters. New Noise
Santa Barbara, along with Kyran Million Productions and Haley Ashbury Studios, had
a vision of a festival that featured more local artists in an outdoor setting
that was a family friendly event. According to Kyran, “The day setting allows
for more freedom for families to enjoy local businesses, vendors, and artists;
giving Santa Barbara a reason to connect and a space to bring their families.
This festival is not solely focused on the music or art, but people being
engaged with each other. Hopefully, creating a sense of community.”
And create they did. Arts from Scraps, a local
business that sells gently used items for art stuff, had a table where patrons
could build “wish necklaces” – with little bottles to hold your wishes and
gems, free for all to enjoy. Some of the local vendors slinging goods included
McConnells Ice Cream, Figueroa Mountain Brewery, and Blaze n Blues BBQ. Businesses that contributed to the event
included KjEE, Arbor Skate Shop, and Eureka Burger. All this to build
community.
But of course – what of the music? Kyran
claimed the Summer Shakedown was created for people to get down for the sake of
getting down and they made an effort to bring new music that’s happening right
now to SB. Some local music, some not. Jared and The Mills are from Arizona,
Torches are from LA. The Kinds, Indian Trading Furs, and Saint Anne’s Place –
all from Santa Barbara baby.
Each band offered a different flavor. Need
some indie rock – you got Torches. Need some bluesy rock jams with a strong
female voice – The Kinds. Need some fast paced folk rock – Indian Trading Furs.
Need some psychedelic rock – St. Anne’s Place.
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| The Kinds, photo by p.dunkley |
There’s an opportunity to fall in love
with something new. I
fell in love with The Kinds (mostly because I have seen the
other bands before, and The Kinds were new to me – I like new). The Kinds
consists of Khasy Modisette (vocals, guitar),
Nathan Modisette (bass), Anders Bergstrom (guitar/keys), and Erich
Riedl (drums, owner Haley Ashbury Studios). Khasy’s voice is gripping,
drawing you in and keeping you there until you are a bit uncomfortable. The
music is rootsy, combining easy rock jams with a bit of southern soul and
California ease. The Kinds have a sophisticated sound, that is both new and
familiar. The future is bright for
this band.
Imagined or not, the
Summer Shakedown accomplished what the creators set out to do – it brought the
Santa Barbara community together to enjoy new music, local vendors and artists,
and each other. Cheers to getting down!
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| ITF |
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| The gentle giant |
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| The SB Community |
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