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Arts & Entertainment

Catch the Best of the Bay Area’s Music Scene at the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival, September 10-11

All-New Sunset Saturday Concert With The Houserockers Plus Salsa Sunday With Orquesta Borinquen and Ruckatan Headline!

Tim Beeman, Community Contributor

Posted Sat, Aug 20, 2016 at 10:14 am PT

Two unforgettable days of sizzlin’ rhythm and blues, classic rock ‘n roll, cool jazz, Motown soul, world-beat, Celtic folk and danceable party music transform downtown Mountain View into the Bay Area’s entertainment hot-spot during the Art & Wine Festival, September 10-11 on Castro Street. Thirteen of the Bay Area’s best bands play a non-stop, wide-ranging musical mix on the Linked-In Concert Stage in Civic Center Plaza and several street locations throughout downtown.

This year, we’re extending festival hours into the evening on Saturday until 7:00pm with the newly added Saturday Sunset Concert with rock and roll stalwarts The Houserockers and then back strong with our ever-popular Salsa Sunday with the fabulous Orquesta Borinquen and Ruckatan.

Blue House will kick things off on Saturday with their unique blend of folky acoustic & electric originals and covers, powered by plenty of rocker ‘tude. Their beautifully blended harmonies are the perfect way to start the day.

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The Blackouts will rocket you into an all-out ‘80s dance-o-rama – complete with plenty of neon, crazy hair styles, wacky shades and irresistible hits. The totally awesome Santa Cruz-based band is not to be missed.

Pacific Soul Band, a 10-piece powerhouse of talent, will rock you to the core with funk, old school rock, pop, Top 40 tunes. This sensational Bay Area-based family band is mentored by musicians from Earth, Wind & Fire and Sheila E.

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The exciting, all-new Saturday Sunset Concert extends the festival by an hour, featuring the power-packed, 10-piece classic rock dynamo, The Houserockers. Homegrown from the South Bay, their popular mix of timeless rock classics earned them KFOX’s coveted “Best Cover Band in the Bay Area” award. From the Rolling Stones to Van Morrison, their energetic lineup of rock, blues, funk, ‘60s soul and R&B will send everyone home on a high note.

Festival favorite Salsa Sunday will start off sizzling in a big way with The Hitmen. They’ve been entertaining Bay Area audiences with their wide range of favorites from ‘70s to modern hits, including many Latin songs, for over 20 years. The 7-piece band has also shared the stage with Cameo, The Ohio Players, Pete Escovedo, and members of Santana and Tower of Power.

Salsa comes in many forms from spicy to mild, and the same goes for Orquestra Borinquen. One of the first bands to master the range of salsa dura and salsa romantica with complete authenticity, this talented 10-piece band is truly unique and inspiring.

The Ruckatan Latin Tribe, a fusion of Latin and Reggae, will close out Salsa Sunday with their dance-oriented Latin, Caribbean and World music-inspired rhythms. The perfect close to a high-energy day, this uplifting 7-piece band includes members from three different continents who love to share their culture and celebrate life with their original music.

STREET PERFORMER LOCATIONS

As you take in the art and delectable eats, be sure to find these talented street performers at various spots around the festival.

Ancient Winds

Get transported to the lush Andes of Ecuador with the haunting traditional flute playing of Ancient Winds. This family-filled quintet is led by Jose Cabezas who hand-carves all the flutes and composes many of songs.

John Clarke Trio

John Clarke’s beautiful Spanish classical acoustic guitar playing will stop you in your tracks. It did just that to his bandmates, Josh Melligner (cajon) and Rob Hansen (violin). After the three met while individually playing on the streets of San Francisco, they decided to form a trio. Be sure to find them on the map.

Bob Culbertson

An early adopter of the Chapman Stick, Bob Culbertson is known worldwide for his unique playing technique which allows him to play the bass line, chords and melody simultaneously. With his great compositional talent, he has sold over 100,000 albums. Come by and listen to his intriguing blend of light jazz, folk, blues, Spanish-influenced classical, as well as contemporary and traditional music.

The GroWiser Band

The feel-good tunes of this soulful group are known for inspiring audiences with their uplifting messages of hope and peace. Hubert Emerson leads the group with his son on drums and his daughter on piano. Joe Lococo plays the guitar and Sahar Miller sings when she’s not wailing on her saxophone.

You might have already heard of the incredible street performer, Man in White. The nationally known performance artist entertains audiences of all ages with interactive performances where he stands like statue until a crowd brings him to life and then entertains with soft bluesy numbers on guitar.

HeartStrings Music

Tickle your heart strings with these two love song gurus – Al Fabrizio and Hugo Wainzinger. Their beautiful string ensembles, featuring Fabrizio’s expressive “tremolo” style on the Neapolitan mandolin, will make you swoon.

MOUNTAIN VIEW ART & WINE FESTIVAL

LINKED-IN CONCERT STAGE SCHEDULE

IN CIVIC CENTER PLAZA

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

11:00am

Blue House

www.bluehouseband.com

12:30pm

The Blackouts

www.theblackoutssantacruz.com

2:15pm

Pacific Soul Band (Soul/R&B)