Eight different musicians will come to The Alaskan Hotel and Bar March 4 and 5 for a Fairbanks-themed mini-festival with more than eight individual performances from musicians across the state. “We aim to recreate the spirit and inclusivity of life up North, while sharing our music and culture with Juneau’s nightlife,” said co-organizer Annie Bartholomew.
Bartholomew organized the event along with Rebecca File; the two are members of the Fairbanks psych-folk band Harm, and currently reside in Juneau. University of Alaska Southeast and Katie Bausler, UAS Director of Public Relations, helped fund travel for group members living in Fairbanks, as Harm will perform a free show as part of UAS’ “Sound + Motion” series Friday at 7 pm. Saturday at 7 pm, they’ll tape an episode of Alaska Originals at KTOO’s @360 North.
After landing the UAS gig, File and Bartholomew were brainstorming other performing opportunities around Juneau and convinced a couple of friends up North to share the bill for a show at the Alaskan Hotel. Once they convinced key members of the Barcelona Boys Choir and Annie Where The Sun Don’t Shine to make the trip down, more musicians joined them. The group now totals more than eight supporting acts filling two nights of music and 18 people flying to Juneau for the events.
The Invasion will be emceed by Fairbanks personality and event organizer Donald Crocker, known by his larger than life stage persona “Filipino Heat.”
Though it will be the first Juneau performance for many of the bands, all have played for years on Alaska’s festival circuit including the Southeast Alaska State Fair, Seward Music and Arts Festival, and Trapper Creek Bluegrass Festival.
Juneau songwriter Dara Rilatos will collaborate. File, Bartholomew and Rilatos have been working on a Folk Festival project interpreting the music of Dolly Parton.
At the Alaskan on Friday, Dara Rilatos, Kittiwake, Barcelona Boys Choir and DJ Be Gross will perform. Saturday, Dan Firmin, The Forest That Never Sleeps, Annie Where The Sun Don’t Shine, Harm and DJ Be Gross will perform. Harm is an Alaskan ensemble that blends psych-folk and hip-hop with classical themes. The experimental chamber group defies any notion of musical normativity. Focused on texture and lyrical activism, Harm utilizes synth bass, cello, harmonium, banjo, clarinet, guitar, beat boxing and vocal layering to explore themes of violence, gender and sexuality. Whether the music compels you to dance or intently listen it leaves you with a feeling that is hard to describe, and not easily dismissed. Barcelona Boys Choir is fronted by Fairbanks songwriter Jake Chavez. It combines traditional rock sensibilities with modern brass to create an honest and sometimes sinister response to party culture, young love and freedom found up North. Annie Where the Sun Don’t Shine is fronted by Juneau’s Annie Bartholomew. This modern blues quintet loves to get rowdy and whips up traditional folk songs and jazz standards into boot stomping jams. This will be the first performance with the band’s full lineup in Juneau. DJ Be Gross is a Fairbanks music promoter. He spins a high energy mix of rump-shaking music to heat up and close out the night. Kittiwake, or Laila O’Sullivan is a singer-songwriter from Anchorage who currently resides in Fairbanks. She is a passionate vocalist whose music ranges from soft whispers to big brash sounds. Her lyrics are emotional, personal and surreal in their content. Daniel Firmin is an Athabascan songwriter from Fairbanks and Fort Yukon, Alaska whose acoustic arrangements and original folk songs reflect vulnerable and intimate experiences from his life. The Forest That Never Sleeps is Kat Moore’s solo project. Enjoy the ride as she takes you down an emotional wormhole through ballads and unique piano work. Juneau by-way-of Wrangell songwriter Dara Rilatos’ incredible voice will steal your heart during her set of original tunes and tasteful covers of contemporary and classic songs.
