Festival Entertainment

2006 *** 2006 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT MAP ***

Mo'Rockin Project

Wells Fargo Stage 1:00pm

Sahaba. Companions. North African and American musicians exchanging cultures and creativity in an effort to dispel inaccurate beliefs and create world community.

This music was handcrafted from traditional Moroccan melodies, and with striking musicianship, salient vision, and immeasurable spirit, celebrates the creative confluence that is Mo'Rockin Project. The music is alluring, lyrical, creative, funky, spirited and spiritual. With compatible musical minds and a need to create community, Mo'Rockin Project has taken on a life of its own. It should also be noted that on more than one occasion this music has been directly responsible for the end of lower back pain in particular listeners.

As Salaamu Alaikum

Peace be On You

Gamelan Sekar Jaya

Wells Fargo Stage 2:15pm

The Bay Area ensemble known internationally as the "finest Balinese gamelan orchestra outside of Indonesia" performs a free outdoor concert at the Berkeley International Food Festival. Sekar Jaya's performance will be filled with the powerful rhythms and sonorities of its bronze gamelan angklung ensemble, and the expressive intensity of Balinese dance.

Gamelan Sekar Jaya will be directed by Balinese artists-in-residence, composer Made Arnawa and dancer Tjokorda Istri Putra Padmini; with special guest artist, musician Dewa Putu Berata. These three artists are among Bali's most brilliant performers.

The group will perform a wide range of music and dance works, played on gamelan angklung -- a percussion orchestra of tuned gongs, drums, flutes, and other bronze instruments. In addition to traditional works, the 20-member ensemble will perform a new instrumental piece, Komposisi 1, by Made Arnawa.

The Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band

Wells Fargo Stage 3:00pm, joined at 3:30pm by Tiare o Te Aua Polynesian Dancing & Entertainment

Hailing from the neighborhood, the Templebar Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band is composed of all ages of expert musicians and vocalists.

The Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band has through the years grown from six to forty members. The instructor and leader of the band is Kem "Kanikapila" Loong. He performed professionally in Hawaii and continued performing in the mainland.

The band operates as a ukulele class for all levels and also a performing group. As a performing group the band plays all types of music but specializes in Hawaiian. Best known for lively march medleys that blend American and Hawaiian, they have performed for social events, festival gatherings, and corporate events. The band has also performed at large venues such as the Oakand Athletics, University of California Berkeley, and Pixar Animation Studio.

The members of this lively group are composed of all ages and have become expert musicians and vocalists. At the annual Solano Stroll in Albany, California, the band is a favorite and attracts large crowds who instantly feel the breeze of trade winds and the rustle of coco palms. The band has performs at the Solano Stroll since 1997. They have also performed at the annual and most popular among Hawaiians and Hawaiians at heart, Ukulele Festival of Northern California held in Hayward, California; and the Aloha Festival in San Francisco. They can also be seen occasionally hosting Aloha Sunday Open Microphone at the Templebar Restaurant in Berkeley, California.

Many members have been in the band since its inception in 1995 and many more have joined the group as beginners to become expert musicians. Information on classes can be obtained by contacting Uncle Kem by email: u k u l e l e @ t e m p l e b a r . org

For small social functions, the band is formed into a smaller performing group that is available for booking. For booking contact: Kem Loong (510) 524-6403 or e-mail: u k u l e l e @ t e m p l e b a r . org.

Dhamaal

Wells Fargo Stage 4:30pm - Dhamaal: featuring Maneesh the Twister, Ferhan Qureshi (tabla) & Srini Reddy (sitar)

Over the last seven years, the Dhamaal crew has created cutting edge music, video, art and events that tap into the rich culture of South Asia, while creating a future-forward style all their own. The crew has produced three month-long festivals, a traditional Indian music concert at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and several massive club events at Club Six and 1015 Folsom, making Dhamaal events the largest and longest running showcase of South Asian infused electronica events in the world.

Cofounders Maneesh Kenia (Maneesh the Twister) and Janaka Atugoda (Janaka Selekta) started Dhamaal at a house party that was shut down by the cops -but left guests wanting more. "We were inspired by people's reaction to what we were doing. They said "you guys have to do this in a club," said Atugoda. "We wanted to push artistic boundaries and bring something that hadn't been done before to the Bay Area South Asian art scene."

The Dhamaal crew have performed all over the world and their music has aired worldwide from John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show and NPR, to a slew of college and community based radio stations all over North America and Europe. Over the last couple years, Dhamaal has released their debut full length CD Dhamaal Soundsystem, which cracked i-Tunes top 20 Electronic chart and the 12" EP Transitions, which have been released in the US, India and Japan. Dhamaal has garnered recognition as winner of the SF Bay Guardian's "Best of the Bay Award" twice for Best Electronic Act, and Dhamaal Cofounder Janaka Selekta received the Best DJ award. Dhamaal has also won Best DJ crew honors from Asian Week.

Dhamaal has a deep history of community involvement working to raise money for various non-profits, including Narika, an organization serving South Asian women impacted by domestic abuse, for fighting the AIDS crisis in Africa, for the Breast Cancer Research Fund, and for relief from both last year's tsunami and the recent earthquake in South Asia. "We created Dhamaal with the vision of doing something positive for the community, and we made sure that would be reflected in our music and events," said Kenia.

The David Thom Band

Freight & Salvage Coffee House 1:00pm

The David Thom Band is a traditional bluegrass band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Appearances at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Strawberry Music Festival, and with the Del McCoury Band at the Great American Music Hall in San Francsico, are just a few of their landmark venues. The DTB plays bluegrass the old-fashioned way -- no instrument amps or monitors. Band members sing into a single microphone resulting in a tight, classic sound at every performance. Their second album, The Thief, released in 2004, receives national airplay and praise, and includes performances by David Grisman, Jim Nunally, and other notables.

The David Thom Band is Northern California's Premier Traditional Bluegrass Band.

Leading the band for 10 years is David Thom, a solid lead vocalist, songwriter, and experienced showman. Guitarist and singer for the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience from 2002 to 2004, David sings his own brand of bluegrass that's powerful and soulful.

Andy Shaw's driving 5-string banjo style gets to the heard of the music. Upright bassist Mary Shaw anchors the band with her rock-solid rhythm and great contralto singing. Fiddler Paul Shelasky has been featured on over 40 recordings since 1973 and was California State Fiddle Champion in 1975 and 1981.

Los Cenzontles

Freight & Salvage Coffee House 2:00pm

Los Cenzontles play and sing with a confidence and style well beyond their years and with the timeless infectious appeal of traditional Mexican music.

Cenzontle is the Aztec word for mockingbird. Like the multi-voice mockingbird, Los Cenzontles explore and interpret a variety of vernacular and traditional styles of Mexican Music in a style that is uniquely theirs. From tropical Sones Jarochos of Veracruz, presented with dance and percussion, to haunting Pirecuas of Indigenous Michoacán, sung in Purepecha, Sones de Mariachi, played in the traditional style with two violins, guitarrón, vihuela, and zapateado, and upbeat rancheras sung in the ever popular dueto style, Los Cenzontles is embraced enthusiastically by both Mexican public, from whom these traditions come, as well as new audiences of all backgrounds. The group's authenticity and freshness is an irresistible introduction to these rich, varied and rare traditions of Mexico. The touring group of Los Cenzontles consists of two female singers, two male singers, three female dancers, violin, clarinet, guitarrón and guitars of various folk variations such as the vihuela, jarana, and guitarra de son.

This dance and music ensemble represents Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center's (LCMAC) most valuable asset. LCMAC provides training and performing opportunities for this group of singers, instrumentalists, and dancers, aged 10-22, playing alongside top professional musicians in their field. Los Cenzontles Touring Youth Group has recorded 10 compact discs and has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Mexico. They perform frequently at local and regional festivals and concerts, and make regular appearances on local Spanish-language television and radio.

This group has been a source of pride for the entire community and an extremely effective recruitment tool for LCMAC's educational and outreach programs. The success of the group, and the opportunities that it has provided, have together created a powerful and attractive alternative peer group identity for teens in an area being over-run by gangs and the gangster image. Los Cenzontles performed for audiences that exceeded 48,000 in attendance this past year not including their many television and radio appearances. They have toured to Chicago IL, San Antonio TX, Ogden, Utah, Columbus, Ohio; and Palms Springs, CA.

"...remarkable... Los Cenzontles play and sing with a confidence and style well beyond their years. This is a joyous celebration of youthful energy and of the timeless infectious appeal of traditional Mexican music." - Sing Out Magazine

"... a vocal supergroup... featuring the best of Chicano repertory." - El Pais, Spain

"The group's exquisite vocal harmonies shine." - Ramiro Burr, San Antonio Express

Irene Sazer & the School of String Improvisation

Freight & Salvage Coffee House 3:00pm

Irene Sazer, original member of the Turtle Island String Quartet is a gifted and experienced teacher and coach.

She offers classes and coaching of chamber ensembles, as well as "Creative Strings Summer Camp." www.stringimprovisation.org

Sazer offers lessons where students may learn and hone the skills of improvising in an encouraging, warm, safe and creative environment. Students play fiddle, swing, blues and many world styles of music with other string players.

The introductory class begins with simple musical games. Other classes teach participants to develop soloing, playing chords and bass lines in many styles. Some sessions include student compositions. There is also opportunity to play classical chamber music.

Farm Fresh Choice

Freight & Salvage Coffee House Activity Area 2:00pm and 3:00pm

Tiffany Golden and Hera Marin from Farm Fresh Choice will be giving a cooking demostration at 2pm and 3pm at the activity area in front of Freight & Salvage Coffee House.

See the cooking demonstration recipe West African Sesame Spinach (PDF, 68Kb)

FFC is a community-based organization offering fresh, local produce at cost. This means we offer our produce to our customers for the same price we purchase it for. We intentionally contract with small scale farmers who reflect the communities we serve. Our produce is organic and/or pesticide free, because our farmers understand the detrimental effects of harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers on our communities and our environment.

FARM FRESH CHOICE MISSION
1.) To improve health and nutrition by increasing access and consumption of fresh, nutritious and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables to communities with limited access to produce outlets; and

2.) To support small scale, independent sustainable farmers in the Northern California region.