Phoenix Festival

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SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, October 3rd brings the 2nd Annual Phoenix Festival

TwispWorks and Methow Art Alliance, in partnership with Confluence Gallery & Arts Center, present Phoenix Festival, a creative arts festival celebrating the resilience of the Methow Valley. Phoenix Festival is an arts-inspired experience full of music, interactive art, local food and beverages. Through music and art we will come together, honor our experiences and share our love for the Methow Valley.

Experience an autumnal Brazilian Carnivale with music, Brazilian dance and Capoiera arts interwoven with our talented local musicians, artisans, and art making. Local food vendors, a beer garden available throughout the day. This year brings a giant pinata for kids and adults alike, firedancing, juggling, warming fires throughout the TwispWorks campus and open art studios.

Stage:

8:15 – Luc & the Lovingtons
Christina Stout – Fire Spinning (During the Lovingtons’)
6:45 – Show Brazil! with Eduardo Mendonça
6pm Piñata!
5:45 – Wild Mountain Nation

Robert Thran
Danbert Nobacon & Anna Dooley
David Williams
Twig (Poetry)
5:30 – Sky Kyss (Buddy Thomas, Rudy Shade, Tim Odell and Ray Robertson)
Sarah Prochnau – Aerial Arts

Mural painting
Terra Holcomb – Headdress making
Artist Studios
Piñata
Flower Bashing with Sara Ashford
Glassblowing Demos at Lucid Glassworks

TICKETS: $19 Advance, $25/Door, $5 students 5-15 years of age. Tickets available at Methow Arts, TwispWorks, Confluence Gallery and online at BrownPaperTickets.com. LOCATION: TwispWorks, 502 S Glover St, Twisp, WA. CONTACT: 509.997.4004, info@methowartsalliance.org

A BRAZILIAN CARNIVALE with Eduardo Mendonça and Show Brazil

So you weren’t (unless you’re lucky) in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador or São Paulo for Carnaval this year. The good news is that you’ve got great options for celebrating Carnaval right here. Gorge yourself on the sights and sounds of an authentic Brazilian Carnaval at this year’s Phoenix Festival. Methow Arts director Amanda Jackson Mott selected this year’s vibrant theme to connect with the resiliency of our community along with our fans’ appreciation of dance, diverse cultures and high quality entertainment. Eduardo Mendonça, Show Brazil’s organizer, is a singer, guitarist and percussionist. He brings four multi-instrumentalists and four dancers and two Capoeira artists. They mix traditional rhythms with contemporary styles from across Brazil, to booty-shaking effect.

“[We use] many traditional drums mixed with horns, electric guitar and bass. That’s an unusual combination for those that know only the real Carnaval,” says Mendonça.

“[There] it’s only drums on the street. Our intention is to take away all the stereotypes. For people outside of Brazil, it’s more often exposure to Carnaval from the South, from Rio, so they don’t expect how many different things we can bring in one night to this stage.”

Likewise, dancers won’t just be clad in feathers, but also wearing traditional costumes. Attendees are encouraged to join in. Worried you can’t dance the samba? Dancer Dora Oliveira will give a warm-up lesson during the show.

“It’s pretty simple — I ask you to enjoy yourself and listen to the music and dance to it … You’re just having fun, so that’s the idea,” says Oliveira.

Originally from Salvador, Bahia, Mendonça has been throwing a yearly party here since he fell in love with Seattle in 1994. He’s also the co-organizer, with his wife Ana Paula, of Seattle Center’s annual BrasilFest and one of four Washington State representatives in the President’s Music National Service.

“I go back [to Brazil] every year to recharge my batteries there and see what’s new in the culture, and come back to Seattle and share here with our community,” says Mendonça.

Oliveira, a dancer for 30 years and a four-time Carnaval Queen in Salvador, met Mendonça in high school. They represented Bahia with a large group in Carnaval. Last week she put the final touches on her costumes for the festivities in Seattle.

Luc and the Lovingtons

are a World-Soul-Reggae band based out of the Pacific Northwest with roots also in South America. Known for their raucous live shows and authentic, powerful message, the Lovingtons’ songs cut to the core in the likes of artists such as Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and India Arie. They come with a sincerity and class that leaves all listeners touched with an undeniable feel-good-ness. Rich vocal harmonies embedded in a jambalaya of Roots Reggae, Afro Pop, Motown and Soul, Luc and the Lovingtons are truly an inspiring and refreshing group that has sent their love around the world and back, and continues to receive the love and warmth of fans from all walks of life. lucandthelovingtons on Facebook

Wild Mountain Nation – Home-grown Americana!

Hailing from the quaint but beautiful Methow Valley, Wild Mountain Nation blends the diverse sounds of country, folk, rock and Americana with rich instrumentation and haunting harmonies. Most of their original material consists of tails of a bygone time. Timeless narratives about bandits, outlaws, heartbreak, whisky, six shooters and trains flavored with the scenic beauty and small town oddity from which they hail. Rowdy live performances with enough drive and foot stomping pair perfectly with a favorite brew, bottle of whiskey, or glass of warm milk. Wild Mountain Nation on Facebook