The Harvey Milk Festival returns to Five Points Park on Saturday. STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER / 2015
The centerpiece of the seventh annual Harvey Milk Festival remains the free live music event Saturday featuring another impressive lineup of local and national acts at Five Points Park in downtown Sarasota. Other elements of the festival have changed, though, with live art and theater by Miami-based artists now in the mix. Theater is replacing the film component of previous years but will resurface as part of the annual Fabulous Independent Film Festival scheduled for October. It’s exciting stuff, especially considering Harvey Milk Festival organizers were initially concerned about funding following heavy weather at last year’s music event.
“It was a pretty rough bump to get over,” says Shannon Fortner, president and founder of Harvey Milk Festival. “It had never rained before and that really hurt attendance.”
The festival is largely funded by the music event’s concession sales, which were pummeled by the rain. To make this year's festival a reality Fortner assembled a successful fundraiser concert in July and then applied and received a grant for $5,000 from Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The money goes to securing music acts, which come this year from as far away as New York and Moscow.
“We pay the bands but as far as myself and everyone else it’s all volunteer,” Fortner says. “We generally have around 60 to 80 volunteers.”
Shannon Fortner, president , pictured right, and
Ed Midler, secretary, of Harvey Milk Festival. STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER / 2016
As for vendors this Saturday, attendees will be able to nosh on tacos at Taco Bus, Latin-style pulled pork at TK Grill, an array of chicken wings at Ain’t No Thang, Hungarian pastries at Kurtos and ice cream at B’s Cool Treats. As for beer, Sarasota-based Big Top Brewing Co. is a sponsor at all three main festival events with Motorworks and Darwin, both Bradenton breweries, also at the music event along with Tampa-based Coppertail Brewing Co. and Islamorada Beer Co.
“One hundred percent of profits go to Harvey Milk Festival,” Fortner says. “We rely solely on concessions, sponsors and donations to put on the festival.”
The mission of the Harvey Milk Festival is to honor the life of Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay Americans elected to public office, by fostering emerging talent in musicians and artists who support diversity and reject discrimination, and to promote equality for LGBTQ people through supporting equal rights legislation.
“Both the headlining bands this year are queer bands, which is amazing,” Fortner says. “These are amazing performers and activists. PWR BTTM requests gender neutral bathrooms at all their shows and that’s what we have.”
Below is info on the punk duo PWR BTTM and all the other events at the Harvey Milk Festival taking place Thursday through Saturday.
Miami multidisciplinary artist Belaxis Buil, whose three-hour durational production, “High Resolution Paradise,” is part of the Harvey Milk Festival’s new theater initiative. COURTESY PHOTO
HMF-ART
Belaxis Buil’s “High Resolution Paradise”
Miami multi-disciplinary artist Belaxis Buil describes her three-hour extravaganza High Dimension Paradise” as “visual, durational performance art using the platform of theatrical viewing as an opportunity to discuss social issues,” reports our arts writer Carrie Seidman. With its kaleidoscopic sets and costumes, inspired by cascading waves, tropical shorelines, writhing palm trees, disco ball sunrises, and rainbow parades, it’s intended to promote Harvey Milk’s message of embracing diversity.
7-10 p.m. Thursday; Florida Studio Theatre’s Bownes Lab, 1247 First St., Sarasota; $10
Opening Night After Party
Go upstairs to the former brothel area of the Gator Club and party with musical performances by Eduardo Correa, Jamie Z and Anything But Broke while mingling with guests such as playwright Octavio Campos.
10 p.m. Thursday; The Gator Club, 1490 Main St., Sarasota; $5 cover or free with HMF-ART ticket
"America's Next President," by Cuban-American dance/theater artist Octavio Campos, will have its American premiere at the Harvey Milk Festival. COURTESY PHOTO
HMF-THEATRE
Octavio Campos’ “America’s Next President”
The U.S. premiere of “Octavio Campos: America’s Next President,” by the Cuban-born dance/theater artist, is a more traditional show only in terms of its length of just over an hour, reports Seidman. The Miami-based “subversive entertainer” asks viewers to imagine the 45th President as gay, Latino, female and campaigning on a slogan of “Yes, we change!” Advertising for the show promises that “every taboo in the chuck wagon of political incorrectness will be challenged.”
7 p.m. Friday; Florida Studio Theatre’s Keating Theatre (pre-show mixer at 6 p.m.), 1241 N. Palm, Sarasota; $15-$50.
Theater After Party
Hang with the theater crowd while quaffing high-quality craft beers and first-rate bar food at Mandeville.
10 p.m. Friday; Mandeville Beer Garden, 428 N. Lemon Ave., Sarasota; free
“Emotional Gymnastics”
A workshop intensive with Yoshiko Waki of Bodytalk and artists of “America’s Next President,” it’s for dancers and actors from advanced beginner through professional level.
12:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday; Florida Studio Theatre Studio A, 1241 N. Palm, Sarasota; $20.
PWR BTTM / COURTESY PHOTO
HMF-MUSIC
Five Points Park, Downtown Sarasota; Free
2:30-2:40 p.m. Opening Ceremony: HMF President Shannon Fortner and Sarasota City Commissioner Suzanne Atwell
2:40-3:20 p.m. Sam Robertson: Singer-songwriter who relocated to Sarasota from Texas, where she was nominated for Best Female Vocals at the Dallas Music Awards, returns to a big festival stage for the second Saturday in a row following her performance last week at the Pickin’ Picnic at Bradenton Riverwalk.
3:35-4:15 p.m. Physical Plant: Sarasota four-piece writes and performs an intriguing brand of psychedelic rock that melds freak-outs with more focused indie rock, creating sounds that are familiar and fresh, trippy and propulsive.
4:30-5:10 p.m. Someday River: An experimental folk rock project and art platform envisioned last year by singer/guitarist/keyboardist Greyson Charnock, Orlando-based trio Someday River incorporates “sweeping drum patterns and funk bass over songs rooted in folk,” reads the band’s website.
5:25-6:05 p.m. Bluejay: Self-described “indie-soul” trio has been conquering the South Florida music scene — Miami New Times named them best band in 2015 — with a distinctive style of music that’s smart, sexy and often wonderfully weird.
6:20-7 p.m. Millionyoung: Mike Diaz, aka Milionyoung, is a Miami-based DJ and producer who will supply the chillwave sonics that should pair nicely with the summery weather and outdoor setting.
7-7:15 p.m. Keynote Speaker: Nate Quinn successfully challenged Pine View School’s transgender bathroom policy while attending as a senior there earlier this year.
7:15-7:55 p.m. AMFMS: Shawn Kyle, a longtime frontman fixture in the Tampa music scene, seems to have found the ideal band for his bombastic vocals, flashy guitar playing and swaggering stage presence with AMFMS earning praise by the likes of Entertainment Weekly, Paste magazine and Kyle's hometown alt-weekly Creative Loafing.
Avan Lava / COURTESY PHOTO
8:10-8:50 p.m. Tomboi: Alex E (vocals/beats), Paige McMullen (guitar), and Summer Wood (drums) describe Tomboi as “a queer indie electronic band from Jacksonville, Florida, whose music incorporates psychedelic pop vocals, driving guitar leads, and a combination of live and electronic beats.”
9:05-9:45 p.m. Pompeya: Perhaps the most interesting “get” on the lineup, Pompeya is an indie-pop band from Moscow. Yes, that Moscow, in Russia! Even cooler? The band’s catchy neo-New Wave tunes that recall your favorite 1980s daydream, even if you weren’t even alive yet or remember the ‘80s.
9:45-10 p.m. Candlelight Vigil: Performance by Miranda Colette, HMF’s theater coordinator
10-10:45 p.m. PWR BTTM: Queer punk duo from New York with a keen sense of humor recently toured the nation with Ra Ra Riot, winning over fresh fans with delightful ditties such as “I Wanna Boi,” “Ugly Cherries” and “Dairy Queen.”
11-11:55 p.m. Avan Lava: New York-based dance band Avan Lava’s music has been used in numerous high-profile fashion campaigns for good reason: It’s irresistible. Seriously, listen to the track “It’s Never Over” and within moments you will be attempting to hit those sugary high notes while singing along.
11:55-11:59 p.m. Closing Ceremony
Music After Party
Keep the festivities going by heading over to Made Restaurant, 1990 Main St., immediately following the closing ceremony.
RELATED: Harvey Milk Festival launches theater iniative
HARVEY MILK FESTIVAL
May 12-14, various downtown Sarasota locations; harveymilkfestival.org
