Adams Avenue Street Fair celebrates diversity

From the electro-Norteño blur of border music known as the Nortec Collective to the classic Delta blues piano tones of Pinetop Perkins, the Adams Avenue Street Fair has brought a stunning array of artists to the streets of Normal Heights over its 27-year history.

Now celebrating its 28^th year, the festival hosts a bevy of bands ranging from the classic South Bay punk rock of The Zeros to the SoCal brassy funk stylings of Breakestra, the country twang of Dave Gonzalez and the Stone River Boys to the acoustic balladry of Gregory Page.

The San Diego neighborhood of Normal Heights has experienced a full-scale revitalization over the past decade or so, emerging as one of the central entertainment hubs along with North Park, South Park and the East Village. One of the key aspects of Normal Heights’ turnaround is the street fair, an annual event presented by the Adams Avenue Business Association and billed as Southern California’s largest free music festival.

Landing in Normal Heights this Saturday and Sunday, the festival hosts 70 bands on six stages stretching along the east-west corridor of Adams Avenue. You can follow the band splaying Saturday by following SDNN music editor Chris Nixon on Twitter @chrisnix.

Here are a few picks for this weekend’s free music festival:

Breakestra
WorldBeat Park Stage, 7:30 p.m., Saturday
http://www.myspace.com/breakestra

This bad-ass L.A. funk band is led by Miles Tackett, kid son of Fred Tackett (L.A. session player and member of Little Feat). Donning the monikers of This Kid Named Miles and Musicman Miles, Tackett has gained notoriety as a DJ around L.A. Breakestra is classic ’70s funk complete with brassy brass and rough-hewn soulful vocals. The band released “Hit The Floor” on Ubiquity Records in 2005 and a new disc “Dusk ‘Till Dawn”  on Sept. 22, 2009. After listening to their music for years, I’m really looking forward to finally seeing Breakestra live.

Maren Parusel
Dimille’s Stage, 5:15 p.m., Saturday
http://www.myspace.com/marenparusel

This 20-something German-born singer-songwriter with sweet pop songs has been gaining momentum locally. Now the same momentum has carried her out of San Diego and into an opening slot for The Killers on their current West Coast swing. Her tunes draw you in with innocent vocals and keep your ear with flourishes of strings and a sunny afternoon ethereal haze.

The Creepy Creeps
33rd Street Rock Stage, 6:30 p.m., Saturday
http://www.myspace.com/thecreepycreeps

The Creepy Creeps land somewhere between Herman Munster surf music and and a punkier version of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Dr. Creepenstein (keyboards, guitar, vocal), Creepture (guitar, vocals), Dia de los Creep (bass) and Creepula (drums) with also be playing The Casbah Halloween show with The Night Marchers. Awesome stuff.

The Zeros
33rd Street Rock Stage, 8 p.m., Saturday
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zeros_(US_band)

The Escovedo family has a long tradition of making music in Southern California. Brothers Alejandro Escovedo (famed singer-songwriter), Coke and Pete Escovedo (percussionists in Santana and Azteca), Mario Escovedo (The Dragons) and Javier Escovedo, who led this ’70s punk band out of Chula Vista. The Zeros were awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Diego Music Awards this year.

Read more about The Zeros in this SDNN story by Will K. Shilling.

Jack “Mr. Bongo” Costanzo & His Latin Orchestra
Worldbeat Park Stage 4:45 p.m., Sunday
http://www.myspace.com/jackcostanzo

Mr. Bongo is a straight-up legend when it comes to promoting percussion in the U.S. He brought back Afro-Cuban percussion from a trip to Havana and helped earn percussion a spot in big bands. He made the biggest splash musically with Stan Kenton and Nat King Cole in the ’40s and ’50s. But he’s appeared in a couple of high profile films over the years, like “Harum Scarum” with Elvis in 1965 and “Bernadine” with Pat Boone in 1957. But his recent work with his Latin Orchestra — check out the big bandy, Latin jazzy, percussionist heavy “Scorching the Skins” — gives Costanzo’s legendary status.

Check out a nice clip of Mr. Bongo ripping it up with Nat King Cole (see video).

Chris Nixon is SDNN’s music editor. You can reach him at chris.nixon(at)sdnn.com.

Saturday, Sept. 26

33RD STREET ROCK STAGE

11:15 a.m. — Roxy Monoxide

12:45 p.m. — Swim Party

2:15 p.m. — Montana 1948

3:45 p.m. — Crash Encore

5:15 p.m. — Republic of Letters

6:30 p.m. — The Creepy Creeps

8 p.m. — The Zeros

34TH STREET ROOTS ROCK STAGE

10:30 a.m. — Grand Canyon Sundown

Noon — Jinx King

1:30 p.m. — John Meeks

3 p.m. — Merle Jagger

4:30 p.m. — The Buzzbombs

6 p.m. — The Palominos

7:30 p.m. — Dave Gonzalez & The Stone River Boys

LESTAT’S STAGE

12:15 p.m. — Murrugun the Mystic

1:15 p.m. — The Flowerthief

2:15 p.m. — Aaron Bowen

3:15 p.m. — Mirror Image

4:15 p.m. — The Turtle Project

5:15 p.m. — Silverleaf

6:15 p.m. — Rob Deez

7:15 p.m. — Alexis Allan

8:15 p.m. — Josh Damigo

HAWLEY BLUES STAGE

Noon — Delta Blues Dogs

1:30 p.m. — Burnsville Blues Band

3:15 p.m. — Brothers of Praise Phase II

4:45 p.m. — Billy Watson Show

6:15 p.m. — Robin Henkel Band w/Horns!

7:45 p.m. — Roy Gaines & the Tough Texas Blues Band

DIMILLE’S STAGE

Noon — Ballet Folklorico del Centro

12:45 p.m. — Omo Ache Afro-Cuban Dance & Music Co.

2:15 p.m. — Sol E Mar

3:45 p.m. — Daily Daily

5:15 p.m. — Maren Parusel

6:30 p.m. — Travis Larson Band

7:45 p.m. — Top Dog

WORLDBEAT PARK STAGE

Noon — Patrick Berrogain’s Hot Club Combo

1:30 p.m. — The Jazz Pogs

3 p.m. — Lexington Field (fmr Fiffin Market)

4:15 p.m. — Los Alacranes

5:45 p.m. — Akayaa & Bolga Zohdoomah

7:30 p.m. — The Breakestra

Sunday, Sept. 27

33RD STREET ROCK STAGE

11:45 a.m. — Lands on Fire

1:15 p.m. — Red Pony Clock

3:15 p.m. — Get Back Loretta

4:45 p.m. — Pollyn

34TH STREET ROOTS ROCK STAGE

10 a.m. — Big City Hicks

11:15 a.m. — Three Chord Justice

12:30 p.m. — Rio Peligroso

1:45 p.m. — The Rumblers

3:15 p.m. — The Farmers

4:45 p.m. — Cash’d Out

LESTAT’S STAGE

12:15 p.m. — Oculus Sinister

1:15 p.m. — Carlos Olmeda

2:15 p.m. — Jordan Reimer

3:15 p.m. — Gregory Page

4:15 p.m. — Curtis Peoples

5:15 p.m. — John Hull

DIMILLE’S STAGE

Noon — Blues Lyne

1:30 p.m. — Bill Magee Blues Band

3:15 p.m. — Tchopatoulis Street

4:45 p.m. — Cafe R & B

DIMILLES STAGE

11:30 a.m. — Wendy Bailey

12:30 p.m. — Phil Bellante

1:30 p.m. — Dropjoy

2:45 p.m. — Endoxi

4 p.m. — Soul Plow

5:15 p.m. — The Mainland

WORLDBEAT PARK STAGE

Noon — Science Fiction

1:30 p.m. — The Self Made Men

3 p.m. — The Styletones

4:45 p.m. — Jack “Mr. Bongo” Costanzo & His Latin Orchestra

Tags: Adams Avenue Street Fair, Breakestra, Dave Gonzalez and the Stone River Boys, Gregory Page, Jack "Mr. Bongo" Costanzo & His Latin Orchestra, Maren Parusel, Miles Tackett, Normal Heights, Nortec Collective, Pinetop Perkins, SDNN, The Creepy Creeps, the Zeros

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