JOHNNY FLORES, JR/Coachella Unincorporated
COACHELLA, Calif. — Calling all performers! The HUE Music and Arts Festival wants your talents for its the third annual family-friendly event Saturday, April 6, 2013.
The youth-led Event Planning Committee is seeking local performers to share their talent to entertain the community. Examples of entertainment include: rock bands, R&B groups, reggae bands, grupos norteños, DJ’s, grupos danzantes, dance troupes, rappers, traditional performers, and drama groups.
All Riverside County bands are encouraged to apply, although priority may be given to Eastern Coachella Valley individuals and/or groups.
This festival is designed to showcase the talent and creativity of youth in the Eastern Coachella Valley and will consist of various genres of music, culture, and art.
“Art is something you can feel…Opening a park at 9 o’clock at night in a neighborhood that isn’t always seen as the safest, and inviting people of all ages to come together to celebrate their community,” said Esperanza Navarro, youth coordinator for Eastern Coachella Valley Building Healthy Communities. “That is The HUE.”
Over 60 applications were submitted last year and 30 acts were selected to perform at the festival. Among the most popular was MULA. MULA is a Latin American alternative group based in Riverside that is known for many different styles of music – including reggae, cumbia, merengue and ska.
According to MULA’s manager Abrielle de Leon, ska is something you don’t come across very often. It can vary depending on the city of the band’s origin. It is a type of music that everyone can enjoy and that most people can’t help but dance to.
“We believe in empowering the youth,” said De Leon, “The HUE was spoken to us through a friend and it sounded like a cool event so we said yeah. We were a little scared if anyone in Coachella was going to like us. After we played, we were a hit. We had so many people telling us that they loved our music because it just made them dance, so we said, hey, let’s do it again!”
“The HUE Music and Arts Festival is open to the whole community – to youth, to families, to our elders. It is a safe space, one that allows our youth to feel empowered, and to take ownership. It is free, it is fun,” continued Navarro. “Join us in celebrating our young people’s hard work!”
The deadline to submit an application to perform at The HUE is Friday, March 12, 2013. More information on the event and the application process can be found at www.thehue.us.
Esperanza Navarro of BHC can be reached at (760) 972-4628 or [email protected]
