Singing in the Santa Monica street
By NORA SORENA CASEY Special to the Daily Press
MAIN STREET The streets will rock this Sunday with an infusion of music, movies, ponies, clowns and community building product placement at the Eighth Annual Summer SOULstice Festival.
The Festival is presented by the Main Street Business Improvement Association (MSBIA) as a fun way to introduce and reintroduce people to Main Street’s restaurants, boutiques and shops. There are events planned for all ages: Live bands will play from 11 a.m. into the evening, a scavenger hunt leads seekers from storefront to storefront, and pony rides, a petting zoo and a clown are available to keep kids engaged.
The festival evolved from humble beginnings. Several of the merchants suggested a summer activity featuring music, and for the first two years the festival included a few bands playing inside different stores. It was well received, and grew over time. Six years ago the scavenger hunt began. The hunt now includes 33 stores on the street, 90 prizes from different contributing stores and this year’s grand prize of a custom made Schecter electric guitar.
“The feeling on the street, it’s very joyous, very jubilant,” said Elaine Levi, one of the Partners of Ten Women, an artist partnership that sells original jewelry, ceramics and art. “Instead of people just walking by on a shopping spree, its more of a community.”
Five years ago the festival turned to tribute bands to attract crowds. Today, 16 different bands are scheduled to play at five different stages along the street. They are primarily tribute bands from the 1960s, ‘70s, and by popular demand, a number of ‘80s bands.
“It’s a super fun day,”said Joel Gilbert, the singer of Highway 61 Revisited, a Bob Dylan tribute band.“It kind of feels like the late ‘60s walking around in San Francisco. It’s very lackadaisical feeling, like you don’t have to do anything, you’re just enjoying the music.”
Gilbert has played the festival for the past five years to an audience well versed in Dylan’s work who often sing along. He notes that the crowds, stages, and gift baskets have all grown over time.
In addition to Gilbert’s group, this year’s lineup includes tributes to Madonna, The Police, Tom Petty, the Grateful Dead, and the Allman Brothers.
“Nothing drew like these show bands and these tribute bands,” said MSBIA Executive Director Gary Gordon. “It’s about bringing people to the streets and these bands really draw.”
Main Street has changed over time, but the businesses still pride themselves on the feeling of community that is cultivated at events like the festival, according to Levi, who has worked on the street since 1994. The number of nail salons, clothing stores and big business coffee shops has increased over the past few years. However, Levi believes that the vibe of the street is still different from other Santa Monica shopping areas like Montana Avenue or the Third Street Promenade.
“This still has more of that beachy, earthy, flip-flop, surf shop, beach-casual feel,” Levi said.“I think we are back to our grass roots.”
Although the festival is a day of fun, its goal is more long term. The MSBIA hopes the festival will bring people to Main Street on Sunday, but that the quality of the stores will bring them back over time.
“It’s a tough economy right now and anything we can do to bring people to the streets, to have fun,” Gordon said. “If people have a great time, they’re gonna come back.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 21, 2008. Read the original PDF.