Off Beat festival is the real deal in Reno this weekend

Off Beat? It already sounds like Main Street.

The lineup is set for the second-annual Off Beat Arts & Music Festival to be held in venues throughout Reno from Thursday, Nov. 3, through Sunday, Nov. 6. Headlined by The Polish Ambassador, The Veils, The Main Squeeze and Con Brio, the event also boasts an impressive list of rising talent from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and beyond.

“We are absolutely stoked by the quality of bands coming to play at Off Beat this year,” said co-organizer Loren Condron.

“We have The Veils from London, The Polish Ambassador from San Francisco, and local favorites as well. The second year of Off Beat is going to be bigger and better than last year and we cannot wait to bring this event to Reno again.”

Major sponsors include Pabst Blue Ribbon, Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno, Eldorado Resort Casino and Circus Circus Reno. Off Beat kicks off Nov. 3 at the Whitney Peak Hotel’s Cargo Concert Hall with LOLO, The Soft White Sixties and The Last Internationale. Tickets are available at OffBeatReno.com. Several options are offered for general admission wristbands that allow fans to see multiple shows.

The four-day festival will showcase northern Nevada’s growing music, arts and culinary scene, focusing the spotlight on emerging regional bands in addition to nationally recognized artists. All told, more than 100 bands will perform in a variety of indoor venues, galleries, retail outlets, bars, nightclubs and restaurants throughout downtown, midtown and the newly renamed Old Brewery District.

Reno and Lake Tahoe area bands include Jelly Bread, Mojo Green, Moondog Matinee, Failure Machine, Lavish Green, The Greg Golden Band, Strange Weather, Rigorous Proof, Drinking with Clowns, Jake Houston & the Royal Flush, and 4 Piece Puzzle with Molly Taylor.

The headliners are heady:

• The Polish Ambassador, aka David Sugalaski, is an EDM musician “who lays claim to producing the sweetest beats this side of the Milky Way Galaxy, but the world’s funkiest diplomat is also using his popularity to steer the millennial generation toward a nourishing and sustainable way of relating with art, community and the planet.”
• The Veils will bring its indie rock all the way from the United Kingdom. As the son of keyboardist Barry Andrews (XTC and Shriekback), The Veils’ Finn Andrews “knew nothing else (growing up) except a world full of music and art.” As a teen-ager he was exposed to artists such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Patti Smith. At 18, Andrews, a guitarist and vocallist, befriended Ben Woollacott (drums), Adam Kinsella (bass) and Oliver Drake (guitar) as The Veils were unveiled in London in 2001.
• Con Brio has a number of Sierra Nevada performances under its belt, including one at the 2015 High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy. Formed in 2013 in San Francisco, Con Brio is the combination of “seven musicians with diverse backgrounds but a shared loved for the vibrant Bay Area funk and psychedlic-soul sound pioneered by groups such as Sly & the Family Stone.” Get ready to dance.
• Seamlessly blending funk, soul and rock and roll, “The Main Squeeze promises to keep your body moving with its infectious, feel-good musical gumbo.” The Los Angeles-based band has been winning fans over with its unique blend since its formation in 2010. Keyboardist Ben “Smiley” Silverstein and guitarist Max Newman, the group’s founding members, first began writing music together after a chance meeting at a camp in upstate New York. The Main Squeeze played at the last two High Sierra Music Festivals and co-headlined Squaw Valley’s Brews, Jazz and Funk Fest.

Off Beat Arts & Music Festival
4 Days of Art, Music and Fun
When: Thursday, Nov. 3 to Sunday, Nov. 6
Where: Various location in Reno’s downtown, midtown
Tickets and more info: OffbeatReno.com