Art + Soul Rocks Oakland's Downtown Renaissance: East Bay's Annual Flagship Festival August 19 & 20

PIEDMONT, CA - From downtown Oakland: The entire community will turn out August 19 & 20 for Oakland’s magnetic Art + Soul festival, celebrating local spirit, style, creativity, and pride. The 17th annual assemblage of world artists that call Oakland home will bring together the people of America’s most diverse and culturally exciting city to honor its rich musical heritage. Art + Soul Oakland is considered a living centerpiece of the city’s downtown renaissance which has garnered headlines and visitors from around the world. The two-day festival will kick off Saturday with sizzling soul and R&B singer/songwriter Goapele, Grammy-nominated, “rock-any-party” duoLos Rakas, and next-generation rap sensation Adrian Marcel. On Sunday, the high-energy lineup continues with certified Gold recording artist Angie Stone (back by popular demand after drawing one of the festival’s largest ever audiences with her 2007 appearance) and the fast-ascending pop/rock charisma of Sydney Nycole. John Brothers Piano Company, Grand Avenue Soul, gospel standout Tasha Page-Lockhart, and Stoney B Blues Band will also be featured in the festival’s eclectic lineup of more than 40 artists on four stages.

The ever-evolving festival fuses new activities and annual favorites, this year including:

• The ever-popular artisan marketplace offering hand-made goods ranging from clothing and housewares to artisanal soaps and unique art objects.
• A tempting array of food booths reflecting the myriad cultures that make Oakland and America great.
• An eclectic world/urban dance stage featuring some of the hottest urban and ethnic dance troupes performing hip hop, modern, afro-fusion, jazz and more, presented by Oakland’s Dance-a-Vision.
• Yak to the Bay (a.k.a. Yak Films) returns with another high-flying, must-see Turf Dance Battle.
• The largest Family Fun Zone of any festival in the Bay Area with kiddie rides, carnival games and interactive arts.
• Aerialists, contortionists and acrobats mesmerize at the standing-room-only Kinetic Arts Circus Stage.
• New activities this year include an interactive public mural painting project with Art Murmur where festival-goers can create a collective work celebrating Oakland spirit and pride.

2017 Art + Soul Lineup and Stages

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, Noon—6 pm

Art + Soul Stage

Goapele
Los Rakas
Adrian Marcel
In one breath, sonic shape-shifter and Oakland treasure Goapele urges social change and boldly standing up for righteousness in the face of inequality. In the next, she’s guiding her child with a sensitive understanding, hard-earned wisdom, and unconditional love. In between, she’s as seductive and soulful as ever seamlessly slipping from activist, mother, and poet to temptress. “As artists and especially as women of color, we have to be proud. I’m coming from an honest place and expressing the different parts of myself that make me whole.”
2017 Grammy-nominated Los Rakas was born in the youth centers of Oakland, CA in 2006. Of Panamanian descent, they are the future of world music and have trendsetted their way into mainstream, touring nationwide and internationally. Los Rakas are known for rocking any party - from youth events to festivals worldwide, they hype the crowd and get the party all the way live! Raka is a person who is proud of who they are. The Rakas are making sure that the voice of the pueblo is heard, their unique, bilingual sound bridges cultures from all over the world.
Adrian Marcel says, “There's no leaving the Bay Area, no matter how far away you might move, if you grew up in Oakland, you take it with you,” A protégé of Raphael Saadiq, Marcel is an early-twenties representative of the city that boasts a proud musical legacy including Sly Stone, Pointer Sisters, Tower of Power, MC Hammer, En Vogue, Toni! Tony! Toné!, Too $hort, Pete Escovedo, Sheila E., and countless others. Adrian Marcel picks up the torch for Oakland and timeless R&B. A fusion of traditional R&B, hip-hop, turf, and soul music blended together with beautiful melodies and detailed storylines that paint a vivid picture of young man in his early 20's overwhelmed by the realities of love.

Edwin Hawkins’ Gospel Stage

Tasha Page-Lockhart
Multiple-Artist Gospel Showcase
Headlining the Gospel Stage presented by the famed Edwin Hawkins and Community of Unity will be BET Sunday Best winner and 2015 Stellar Awards “New Artist of the Year” Tasha Page-Lockhart. Page-Lockhart rocketed to national recognition after winning BET’s popular gospel artist competition show in season 6. Her subsequently released solo album, Here Right Now, on RCA/Fo Yo Soul Records, immediately charted as one of Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums.
Page-Lockhart will be joined in the Art + Soul gospel lineup with artists including Lawrence Matthews & Friends, Dayanna Griffin Redic, Sis Vanessa Murphy, Kriss Ross, Leonard Bailey and Friends, Ja Ronn & FLOW, Ezell Ealy III & Friends, Nona Brown & IMC, and more.
A trailblazing force behind the evolution of contemporary gospel, Oakland’s own Edwin Hawkins is perhaps best known for his 1969 classic “Oh Happy Day,” one of the biggest gospel hits of all time and a major pop radio smash as well. His annual curation of the rousing Art + Soul Gospel Stage is always a huge draw.

Street Sounds Stage

Kenya B Trio
John Brothers Piano Company
The Kenya B Trio lays down funky, experimental, danceable grooves from jazzy blues and funk originals to original arrangements of blues, jazz funk, and soul from great artists of the 1960s through the 1990s and beyond.
Composer/vocalist/guitarist Kenya’s eclectic taste in old-skool music makes it come alive for today's audiences of all ages. Whether it's blues, mellow jazz, Memphis soul from the famous STaX music label, or classic funk, Kenya's arrangements are a fresh take on familiar artists including Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Guitar Watson, James Brown, BB King, Muddy Waters, Bill Withers, Isley Brothers, Parliament, and more.
The innovative sounds of John Brothers Piano Company are the colors of timeless energy – early jazz meets stride and swing. But the definitive quality of this Oakland-based quartet lies not just in genres they bend or blend, but in a strong notion that the audience has been the primary inspiration in the development of their sound. From their first sidewalk street show to a weekly appearance at an after-hours speakeasy, to theaters and festival stages throughout the country, the skillful compositions and playful dynamics unfold new musical possibilities with unrelenting energy, elegance, flowing through everything they produce. A festival favorite, John Brothers Piano Company will headline the new Street Sounds Stage on Saturday.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, Noon—6 pm

Art + Soul Stage

Angie Stone
Sydney Nycole
Angie Stone’s 2007 appearance at Art + Soul drew the festival’s largest crowds ever—clearly this Grammy nominated artist has a musical Midas touch. Her buttery smooth honey-toned pipes, undeniable gritty soulfulness, and epic songwriting talents have been called upon by everyone from Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, D'Angelo, Alicia Keys, and Lenny Kravitz, to name a few. The in-demand Renaissance woman moves seamlessly from the studio and stage (she's starred on Broadway) to television and silver screen without missing a beat. A legend in this tough business, Angie Stone stands in a class by herself. In September 2013 BET/CENTRIC made Stone the focus of their acclaimed "Being" artist profile series, capturing just how amazing this dynamic artist’s life and career has evolved.
Three songs Sydney Nycole wrote and recorded for her 16th birthday changed her life after flipping her script from being a two-sport high school athlete to a singer/songwriter: The songs landed her a music publishing deal with Grammy-winner Jamie Foxx. Now 23, and 82 songs later, Nycole has the entertainment industry elite buzzing about her infectious personality, lively stage presence, and prolific work.

West Coast Blues Society Stage

Stoney B Blues Band
Jimmy Smith Blues Band, Mechelle LaChaux, Oakland Blues Divas, West Coast Blues Caravan of All Stars
Stoney B Blues & Band delivers an outstanding Blues show performing Chicago and Southern Style Blues played by Masters of the Blues. Stoney B’s soulful licks, brilliant guitar riffs, and dynamic vocals captivate audiences with heart and soul felt Blues. Sharing the stage with Stoney B and company will be some of Oakland’s best and brightest blues legends and innovators in the festival’s annual Blues showcase presented by the West Coast Blues Society.

Street Sounds Stage
Grand Avenue Soul
Midtown Social
Grand Avenue Soul was started in Oakland in 2013 by drummer Mike Bond and is well known as the “house band” of the annual Eat Real Festival. Originally meant to entertain audiences and expose them to some lesser known Soul B-sides, the band has increasingly mixed a number of originals into its funky set of Soul classics. Drawing heavily from the catalogs of Motown, Stax, and Atlantic Records, Grand Avenue Soul keeps things fresh by putting its own spin on everything they play.
Midtown Social’s freshly squeezed blend of California soul, funk, and rock is downright irresistible, making them the Bay Area’s favorite soul party band. Together, these nine musicians are a collaborative community of writers, arrangers, and artists. When they’re on stage, they invite you into the family. They spread the message of positive social change through art and music.

Deeply inspiring and guaranteed to make you sweat just as much as it makes you think, Midtown Social presents a message of solidarity and hope, voiced by a community of people who are as diverse, bold, authentic and vulnerable as the community in which they were forged. Midtown Social brings us all together to find common ground, love, and camaraderie, to fight for our communities, way of life, and rights--and to stand together as one.
Art + Soul Oakland 2017 is Northern California’s most accessible festival with direct service via both BART’s 12th Street City Center station and AC Transit, in addition to $5 parking in the adjacent City Center West Garage, 12th Street at Martin Luther King Jr., Way.

Art + Soul Oakland 2017 takes place in downtown Oakland on Saturday, August 19 and Sunday, August 20, from noon to 6 p.m., centered in Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, encompassing 10 strollable city blocks. Admission is $12 for Adults; $7 for Seniors (65 & older) and Youth (ages 13-17). Children 12 & under enjoy free admission.

For more information, including the 2017 lineup, visitArtandSoulOakland.com or call (510) 444-CITY.

Art + Soul Oakland 2017 is presented by the City of Oakland in association with Oakland Central. Confirmed sponsors include the East Bay Express, KBLX 102.9-FM, Q-102.1-FM, Oakland Marriott City Center, BART, Clear Channel Outdoor, Oakland Magazine, Post Newspaper Group, Xfinity, and Yelp.

Image via Pixabay