Music can be heard all around, from the main stage to the acoustics that bounced off of the classic gazebo at the community stage. Art surrounded the park grounds as vendors sold curated pieces such as jewelry and local artists showcased their art creations.
The Riverside Art and Music Festival returned after the last two years of success. The family-friendly event that took place at historical White Park in Downtown Riverside on Sept. 27 welcomed all ages and even pets with free admission.
The Voodoo Glow Skulls encouraged that welcoming nature as they headlined the main stage and demanded the moshpits to open. There was a mixture of old punk heads and new generations of punks like kids on the backs of moshers, jamming out to the music.
The Riverside Art and Music Festival, held by the Riverside Arts Council aims to encourage hometown pride and create an inclusive space for creatives to express themselves.
“The Riverside Arts Council is a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is ‘to provide, develop, support and sustain the arts’,” the RAC website states.
They organize the ongoing monthly artwalks, workshops in collaboration with other Riverside art locations along with other events.
One of the many bands that played on the main stage was Badsoma, an experimental indie band from Los Angeles. They have played around the LA music scene but have started to branch out to Riverside’s scene last year when they performed at one of the Artwalks.
This year, they returned to Riverside to play their first official festival.
The Badsoma members explained that they all come from different musical backgrounds which allows them to experiment with their sound.
Auditory Cortex, a band of childhood friends, founded in Perris were next on the setlist after Badsoma’s performance on the main stage. Their sound is heavily influenced by surf psychedelic indie.
They started off as a ska band, a rock reggae type of genre. They had previously opened for the Voodoo Glow Skulls, who perform the ska and punk genres. They had a full circle moment as they got to play with them once again, as their current indie band.
“It’s a mixture of everything, a lot of 70’s psyche and 60’s garage rock,” Diego Dueñas Hernandez, lead singer said.
The Auditory Cortex members expressed their admiration for all age events, like this festival, so that their younger fans and families can enjoy the show.
“Riverside is one of our favorite spots to perform at,” Hernandez said.
Vendors and artists blended into one at the event. Artists displayed their artworks and had them for sale. A collection of different forms of art were up for grabs like handblown glass vases, collages and one-of-a-kind hand painted pieces.
Jay Via, an artist at the festival, was selling pieces that displayed different mediums and textures. There were large paintings and collages that almost popped out at you with the color variations.
He explained his art process and how it can act as a release for him.
“I feel like if I don’t get this stuff out I’m going to explode,” Via said.
Via expressed that he has been influenced by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a 1980’s artist known for his expressionist paintings.
The Basquiat inspired collages also originated from witnessing life all around him.
“You look around and everything is just fighting for our attention. There’s ads and social media. Sometimes my brain feels like a computer with a virus,” he said.
People came for the art and food but stood for the music. The lineup included 17 different music artists and performers playing at either stage.
“There’s so much art here and music. The bands were so good, even the small performers,” Anna Mcmiller, an attendee at the festival said. “I am so astonished by the talent.”
