Brainquility Music & Arts Festival Debuts in Safety Harbor FL Next April
Safety Harbor is a cozy little town tucked safely away between the madness of Tampa and the beach hustle and bustle of Clearwater and its namesake beach. Safety Harbor is nestled right on the northwest part of Tampa Bay, and frankly not many people know where it is or much about it.
That is fixing to change on Saturday, April 21st, when the Brainquility Music and Art Festival descends upon little Waterfront Park for nearly 12 hours of amazing music. This location has safely housed the Safety Harbor Songfest the past four years with performers such as Fantastic Negrito, The Wood Brothers, and Joe Craven.
Brainquility is proud to announce its first wave of artists featuring Beats Antique, Lettuce, TAUK, Voodoo Visionary, MZG, and SIDE TRACK’D. The first five of those all appeared at the recent Suwannee Hulaween at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and are regular visitors to Florida.
Beats Antique will bring their “electro-acoustic, experimental dance” music to the party, but nothing adequately describes what this amazing band does in concert. Belly dancer Zoe Jakes, drummer David Satori and percussionist Tommy “Sidecar” Cappel form this most eclectic performance art band, creating their sound with a variety of instruments and programming.
“We Lay it DOWN, so there’s NO question where the groove is. Our shows go OFF.” That is Lettuce’s story, and they are sticking to it. They embody the epitome of funk groove, with a pocket so deep, you can’t get out of it. Their shows are legendary; current album title Mt. Crushmore should give you a good indication of what to expect: blasting rhythm section, amazing horns, monster guitar and keyboards. Lettuce are: Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, guitar; Adam Deitch, drums; Erick “Jesus” Coomes, bass; Ryan Zoidis, alto, tenor, baritone saxes; Eric Krasno, guitar; Neal Evans, Hammond B3, keyboards; Eric “Benny” Bloom, trumpet; and Nigel Hall, Hammond B3, keyboards, vocals.
TAUK is a time-traveling quartet, because those who were there for the fusion explosion of the ’70s will tell you that this is the shit. Like Lettuce, they call New York home. Keyboard wizard Alric “AC” Carter and Matt Jalbert on guitar draw your attention first with their excellent playing, but it is impossible to miss drummer Isaac Teal, a true powerhouse. Meanwhile, bass player Charlie Dolan quietly blows up every set.
Atlanta’s Voodoo Visionary have vaulted from a great regional band into a national touring juggernaut. In December they take their “improvisational funk and dance grooves” to the Midwest, Colorado, Texas and New Orleans. They continue to play to packed houses with their funk and original music. The quintet includes Dennis Dowd, keyboards; Jimmy Lynch, bass; Scottie MacDonald, vocals; Mac Schmitz, drums; and Mike Wilson, guitar.
MZG stands for Monozygotic, and it also represents identical twins who excel in programming and production, delivering an entertaining and diverse EDM show. Charles and Zachary Weinert blend keyboards and guitar into the mix for an uptempo set. Jacksonville is proud to claim them. Funk and fun go together with MZG.
Now you know about the initial release for Brainquility Music and Arts Festival. Tranquility? Not with this lineup!
