Tag Archives: Art Walk Rainier Beach

The Emerald’s Guide to Art Walk Rainier Beach

Today delivers Art Walk Rainier Beach to the south end of Seattle. Fast becoming the Rainier Beach area’s seminal event, this year’s festival proved too immense to pack into just one day and as a result has been extended over the entire weekend for the first time in its brief history. This means you might need to start practicing your “sick” voice now – so you can hoodwink your boss come Monday- as all the food, music, art, and dance the festival has to offer promises to necessitate a day for recuperation!

 

Note* The intersection of Rainier Ave and Henderson will be closed for the event

 

Here is our guide to this weekend’s festivities

 

Art Walk Day 1, Saturday September 6th On South Henderson Street Between Rainier Ave And Seward

(Day 1 Events Will Take Place on Two Stages)

10:00 AM: Event Kickoff

Stage 1: Mariachi Guadalajara de Seattle

10:30 AM

Stage 2: Zumba With Toni

11:30 AM

Stage 1: Pico Blvd

Stage 2: Lion Dance Group

12:00 PM

Stage 2: Mapes Creek Walkway Opening with Yegizaw Michael

12:30 PM

Stage 2: Martial Arts Demonstration

1:00 PM

Stage 1: Salem Band

1:30 PM

Stage 2: Fly Moon Royalty

2:30 PM

Stage 1: Vote for Pedro

Stage 2: Cuban Dance Party With Reinier Valdes

4:00 PM

Stage 1: Yirim Seck

4:30 PM

Stage 2: Soyaya

5:00 PM

Stage 1: Shady Bottom

6:00 PM (End Time)

Activities Throughout Day 1: All Ages Basketball Skills Competition,Interactive Art Activities for All Ages, Art Cars

Food Trucks For Day 1: Maya’s Mexican, Neema’s Comfort, Athena’s, Quack Dogs

Rainier Beach Community Club Bake Sale

 

Art Walk Day 2, Sunday September 7th

(Events Will Take Place at Various Locations)

12:00 PM

@Rainier Beach Playfield (4707 S Cloverdale St): Ethiopian New Year Celebration (Food, Music and Children’s Activities)

@Rainier Beach Community Center (8825 Rainier Ave S): Rainier Dance Center Performance

@Rainier Beach Community Center: Chalk Art Contest

1:00 PM

@Buddha Jewel Monastery (7950 Rainier Avenue South): Buddha Jewel Monastery Tour

@Rainier Beach Community Center: Touchstones Beach Square Tour

2:00 PM

@Kubota Gardens (9817 55th Avenue South): Kubota Gardens Guided Tour with Artist in Residence Mary Magenta

2:30 PM

@Rainier Beach Community Center: SEED Arts Curated Tour

@ Rainier Beach Community Center: Touchstones Waterfront Tour

8:00 PM (Festival Concludes)

Local “Royalty” to Headline Art Walk Rainier Beach

Their music has been hailed as everything from spellbinding to effervescent – and that’s usually just after the first 2 minutes of pressing the play button to one of their eargasmic inducing anthems.

Fresh off their performance at Bumbershoot that transformed the notoriously diffident Seattle crowd into zealous dance mavens, the duo of Fly Moon Royalty brings their lively act to Art Walk Rainier Beach this weekend.

Made up of vocalist, and Rainier Beach native, Adra Boo and DJ/Producer/Emcee Action Jackson the duo seamlessly steers between Jazz, Electronica, Funk, R&B, Soul, and Hip-Hop to produce a sound that defies the constraints of any genre.

The Emerald was fortunate enough to catch up with Boo before her group’s appearance at Art Walk Rainier Beach on Saturday:

Emerald: You guys are well known and have played  some fairly large festivals, including Bumbershoot most recently. What made you decide to accept the invitation to perform at the Rainier Beach Art Walk?

Boo: Aside of it working out, time wise, I actually live in Rainier Beach, so it made sense to bring a performance to the neighborhood.

 

Emerald:  They say that music and art are tools that are catalyst for transformation, be it socially or communally. As an area, Rainier Beach has seen its fair share of adversity in the recent weeks. How do you hope having a musical group of your caliber performing at its signature event changes the perception of the community?

Boo: I think that really, it’s not so much that our band performing there will change perceptions of the area, but rather people coming out to support us and the Artwalk that will do that. I mean, yes, Rainier Beach has seen it’s share of adversity, and having these events, having bands that are excited about the music they make, having a community that will come out and really stand with us and with neighbors… that’s what will change the perception of Rainier Beach, and I hope that people who know that I  live there, will be that much more amped to have us!

 

Emerald: Your music is almost impossible to pigeon hole into one genre. How would you describe your sound and who are some of your influences?

Boo: Our music tastes are vast, haha! We each listen to classic hip hop, old soul and R&B, 90’s jams, and alternative sounds, music with fresh sounds and textures, like Bjork, Little Dragon, and so forth. We grew up on good music… Stevie, Dilla, Parliament, Prince and MJ… A Tribe Called Quest, Roots, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott… to name a few.

 

Emerald: What can someone who has never seen one of your acclaimed live performances anticipate this weekend?

Boo: You might make some stank face, you might feel some good feelings, and you might be hungry afterward!

 

Emerald: You guys have been described as having a “rocket strapped to your back” in terms of a meteoric rise. What’s next for you guys?(Album, touring, etc)

Boo: Towards the end of the month, we’re kicking off our Fall Tour with a show in Everett, a Battle of the Bands show- pre game for the Seahawks vs Broncos game, and then we’re going through the Midwest, down the east coast, and performing in The Recording Academy’s first ever Grammy Festival At Sea!! We’l even have some unreleased music and visuals drop online! There’s a lot going on, but people can follow it all at our website, www.flymoonroyalty.com!