End of the line
Sunset Junction heralds summer’s end with Conor Oberst, Built to Spill, Delta Spirit, Sly & Robbie, Arrested Development, Morris Day & the Time and many more
By Bliss 08/20/2009
Just as Pasadena’s Rose City Rocks festival signals that summer is just around the corner from Memorial Day, when it traditionally takes over a handful of clubs in Old Town, so too does Silver
Lake’s splashy Sunset Junction street fair herald the imminent end of lazy summer days. Scores of vendor tents and four stages are scheduled to invade Silver Lake’s boho community this weekend.
“Community” is the key word. Now in its 29th year and designed to celebrate the ethnic, cultural, religious, gender and lifestyle diversity of the Silver Lake-Echo Park-Los Feliz districts, Sunset Junction has generally lived up to that mandate with a funky mix of indie-rock heroes, deejays, pop veterans and scruffy up-and-comers.
This year the fest’s marquee attractions include Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band headlining the Bates Stage on Saturday, and Built to Spill doing the honors on Sunday. Still touring behind their solidly reviewed CD “Outer South,” Oberst and company’s Aug. 27 show at the EchoPlex is already sold out, making Saturday’s show the best bet for many local fans to see him live. Hopefully Built to Spill’s Sunday set will hopefully include new tunes from their forthcoming CD “There is No Enemy,” due to be released Oct. 6.
Support acts aren’t exactly slouchy. On Saturday alone, attendees can wander between the Hoover, Sanborn, Hyperion and Bates Stages and savor 2008 indie-rock surprise Delta Spirit, reggae legends Sly & Robbie, sleek NYC hip-hop trio Sa-Ra, East LA’s Ollin, Afro-soul duo Les Nubians, glam punker Miss Derringer, Boogaloo Assassins and Supremes survivor Mary Wilson.
On Sunday, they can choose between reunited ’90s conscious hip-hoppers Arrested Development, electronic-norteño fusionists Nortec Collective: Bostich + Fussible, Morris Day & the Time, Cody Chesnutt & Martin Luther plus LA’s Nico Stai, Mika Miko, Colombian vallenato dance fiends Very Be Careful and just-returned-from-touring alt-country outfit Rose’s Pawn Shop. The eclecticism and quality of the lineup are key to Sunset Junction’s appeal, not least because they so colorfully reflect LA itself.
Additionally, North Carolina indie-rocker Benji Hughes is scheduled to play a Sunset Junction pre-party on Friday along with an after-party Saturday, both at Spaceland in Silver Lake. Hughes’ soulful, unpredictable sound and bearded mountainman persona make him a psychedelic heir to the likes of Leon Russell, not to mention a fitting jester for street fair celebrants not ready to head home.
The 29th Annual Sunset Junction Street Fair is Saturday and Sunday from 3700 to 4300 Sunset Boulevard (between Edgecliffe Drive and Fountain Avenue) and from 4000 to 4200 Santa Monica Boulevard (between Sanborn Avenue and Hoover Street), Silver Lake. Tickets are $15 advance, $20 the day of event, and available at TicketWeb.com or Tsunami Coffeehouse, 4019 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake. Admission is free for those 12 and under or 65 and older. For details, call (323) 661-7771 and/or visit www.sunsetjunction.org.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT