25 Must-See Performances at PVDFest 2018
GoLocalProv Lifestyle Team
25 Must-See Performances at PVDFest 2018
This year's festival will run from Thursday, June 7 through Sunday, June 10 and include live music, dancing, art, food and much more.
Performers include local musicians like Back Rhodes and Kayciblu to national performers like Australia's Sway Poles to the New York group herMajesty.
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25 Must See Acts at PVDFest 2018 - June 2018
June 9
The concert will take place at Kennedy Plaza.
The Van Nostrand Sisters are a country folk band based in Providence, RI with Willa and Glenna Van Nostrand on vocals and Ken Linehan on guitar and banjo. VNS grew up together on a small farm just outside of Providence and have been singing and dancing the days away ever since. Streaming sister harmonies and catchy melodies are sure to leave get you clapping, knee-slapping and humming their tune!
June 9
The performance will take place on Mathewson Street.
Kiran Ahluwalia is a modern exponent of the great vocal traditions of India and Pakistan which she honors intensely yet departs from in masterful, personal ways. Her original compositions embody the essence of Indian music while embracing influences from Malian and Western blues, rock, R & B and nuances of jazz.
Along with her 4-piece group of electric guitar, accordion, and tabla, Ahluwalia creates boundary-breaking songs that invite us to explore the human condition.
June 9
The concert will take place on the Main Stage.
As comfortable in small intimate venues as they are on large festival stages, RAS transforms every audience they reach with a refreshing magic and flair that few possess today.
In everything they touch, ceremony scrapes the floor and atmosphere – hopping through, from seam to seam, cloaked in their own ideas of regalia and change, Riders Against the Storm cast out invitations to world – come and party.
June 8 & 9
Australia’s Sway Poles Presents “Tall Tales from the High Seas”
The event will take place at 101 Washington Street
“Tall Tales from the High Seas” is filled with equal measures of spectacle, disaster, and beauty. This fantastic voyage follows the antics of three eccentric mariners as they explore the power of the imagination in a quest for common ground.
Expect astonishment as these world-renowned acrobats perform atop incredible sway-pole masts as their vessel “The Fabulist” pitches and rolls above the crowd.
This celebrated Melbourne-based company last appeared in Providence in 2014 for mesmerizing elevated performances inside color-changing spheres at FirstWorks Urban Carnevale.
June 9
The concert will take place on Middle Street.
DIrtyDurdie is a New England hip-hop duo comprised of Dirty Ice & Lord Gremithy.
Winners of the “BEST HIP HOP ACT” for the 2012 & 2014 Motif Magazine Music Awards, DirtyDurdie prides itself on making classic rap music and delivering a powerhouse performance. Opening for major artists such as Mos Def, Kool Keith, KRS-ONE, and many others, DD’s high energy and crowd involvement will have moving, dancing, and celebrating life.
Their music is conscious, comical, and controversial without being profane.
June 9
The concert will take place at Mathewson Street.
Su Casa weaves an acoustic/electric blend of thoughtful songwriting, skilled musicianship, and sweet vocal harmonies that create a unique but familiar sound. With over thirty years of musical collaboration and a wide range of musical influences, the band’s songs range from soft ballads and singer/songwriter storytelling to twangy rock and intricate soaring anthems.
A recently completed EP of new songs is set to be released in May 2018.
June 9
The concert will take place at 1 Exchange Terrace.
Back Rhodes is a progressive country group with Americana and rock influences sprinkled on top. A 6-piece, ensemble, the group features an array of unique instrumentation and an eclectic style. Its members hail from northwestern RI to South County.
See Back Rhodes perform at the Alex & Ani Lounge:
June 9
Tiny Diamond will perform at the Union Street Stage.
Piera Leone, Mia Dady, and Jess Texieira are Tiny Diamond, but don’t let the word ‘tiny’ fool you. This Providence trio brings a heap of electric guitar, cello, and drums, topped off with luscious harmonies.
Citing a range of influences including the analog warmth of the ’60s, the digital delights of the ’80s, and the attitude of the 90’s, Tiny Diamond has staked its claim in the local music scene.
June 9
Burlington Taiko will perform on Washington Street.
Since 1987, Burlington Taiko has been mesmerizing audiences with the powerful, spellbinding and propulsive sounds of the taiko. With the power of an elemental force of nature, men and women play with the passion of complete abandon, fully committing their bodies and spirits to the beautiful, precise choreography and powerful, surging rhythms expressed by taiko.
Using a background of thunderous drums, graceful movement, and colorful pageantry, Burlington Taiko provides a unique opportunity for entertainment and education.
June 9
Pilobolus "The Umbrella Project"
Pilobolus will take place at the Washington Street Stage at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 p.m.
Festival-goers of all ages are invited to join a large-scale participatory live-art experiment and light up the night sky.
Participants will wield lighted umbrellas to create a color-changing landscape of images that are projected in real time on a giant screen. It’s a moving demonstration of the power of groups to be greater than the sum of their parts. Audience members unleash their inner artists to experience and help create brilliantly illuminated magic.
June 9
The concert will take place on the Main Stage.
Troker is a six-piece band that exploded out of a bar in Guadalajara, Mexico with a combination of mariachi horns, funk rhythms, Latin grooves, metal riffs, and hip-hop DJ scratching. Traveling the world since 2004, they’ve been astounding audiences and collecting any musical influence they find along the way.
Their music careens between sublime and dangerous, turning on a dime from precise and complex to wild and free. It sounds like the score of a heist film directed by Salvador Dali.
June 9
The concert will take place at the main stage on Snow Street.
Born in Spain, and of Equatorial Guinean descent, Buika’s music reflects a wide range of global influences—from jazz and flamenco to pop, soul and African polyrhythm. Described as “the voice of freedom” by NPR music radio, her sensual, languorous, soulful voice can reach any fiery heart.
June 9
The concert will take place at Burnside Park.
Since their inception in 2006, this large ensemble band has won raves for their groundbreaking take on Ethiopian pop music (think Ethiopiques), which incorporates traditional scales and vocal styles, alongside American soul and funk rhythms, and instrumentation reminiscent of Eastern European brass bands. Debo Band has received broad critical praise from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and NPR, who placed the band’s debut album— produced by Thomas “Tommy T” Gobena of Gogol Bordello—on their “50 Favorite Albums Of 2012” list.
In the PVDFest spirit of collaboration, Rhode Island’s own rhythm king Sidy Maiga will bring West African beats to the Debo Band mix!
June 9
The concert will take place at Kennedy Plaza.
Verdant Vibes is a new music collective/concert series bringing together artists and musicians to create new work in a variety of genres and using a variety media, both acoustic and electronic.
By highlighting the diversity of music composition and performance the collective seeks to eschew perceived boundaries, cross-pollinate ideas and influences, and build a greater community celebrating the work of living artists.
June 9
The concert will take place at Kennedy Plaza.
Christian Diana, Christian Cordero, Brandon Vallejo, and Adam Kahn are The Foxfires, an oceanic indie rock band straight from NY and NJ.
June 9 & 10
The concert will take place on Westminster Street.
Providence singer-songwriter Steve Volkmann writes and performs original songs inspired by everyday people and their stories. His new songs aim to uplift and move people to make positive changes in their lives, follow their dreams and challenge stereotypes.
These songs spread a message of empowerment and hope.
See Volkmann perform at the Alex & Ani Lounge:
June 9 & 10
The concert will take place at 1 Exchange Terrace.
Squonk Opera’s “Cycle Sonic” is a celebration of “all things bicycle,” featuring human-powered stages propelled by original chamber rock music! Sprouting bulb-horns and whirligigs, whistles and bells, these parade floats become musical instruments through the swirl and thump of wheel and pedal.
As double-decker bike-stages circle the audience, backdrops of undulating flags and 20-foot legs pump with the rhythm of sustainable power. With no carbon footprint, “Cycle Sonic” combines the thrill of a live concert with the world of everyday transit.
June 10
The show will take place at Kennedy Plaza.
Betsy Miller Dance Projects presents site-specific contemporary dance.
June 10
The concert will take place on Washington Street.
Blackletter is a theatrical rock band from Providence with a killer live show. Its music has been described as “post-apocalyptic,” “rock done right,” “guitar shredding,” “gothic western,” and even “intense like a prog-rock version of Metallica’s ‘Unforgiven.’” Blackletter has been featured on WHJY, WBRU’s Home BRU’ed, Boston Rock Radio and internationally on German and Australian radio and has shared the stage with the Giraffes of Brooklyn and the Ghost Wolves of Austin, TX.
June 10
The concert will take place at 1 Exchange Terrace.
Take a confident dynamic flow, mix it with the swag and charisma of a boss chick, and add a pinch of spunk and a handful of creativity and you have the amazing Kayciblu.
Born in Rhode Island this multi-talented young entertainer has managed to create a name for herself that is making waves on the hip-hop scene in New England by showcasing vivacious talents far beyond her years.
See Kayciblu perform at the Alex & Ani Lounge:
June 10
The concert will take place on Washington Street.
Poetic, weighted lyrics paint alluring, sometimes dark stories against multi-layered guitars and keyboards, a flirty bass, and dance-able drums.
The result is songs that haunt, soar and envelop the audience in intimate soundscapes. herMajesty is comprised of frontman JP (vox, samples, guitars), with David Leatherwood (bass, lead guitars), Joan Chew (bass), and Konrad Meissner (drums).
June 10
The concert will take place at Washington Street.
JeanLou is an r&b singer/songwriter who released an album last summer, Since You’re Listening.
They will be performing a couple songs from that project, as well as songs off their upcoming EP entitled, Melodies & Remedies Vol. 1.
June 10
The concert will take place on Washington Street.
Kollin Heyward, Jamie Dolan, Jacob Ott, Pat Birell, and Justin Bousquet are Jungle Fiction, a 7-piece band that formed in Connecticut in 2015.
The group’s music represents its collective strengths and interests. The product is a fresh vibe that fuses funk, hip-hop, and rock. Jungle Fiction is guaranteed to get the crowd grooving.
June 10
The concert will take place at Kennedy Plaza.
Dedicated to enriching Rhode Island through the choral arts, Collegium Ancora performs choral music from ancient times and modern, sacred and secular. Now entering its third season, the chamber choir features singers whose day jobs range from music educators to therapists, clergy, architects, professors, and more.
The ensemble cultivates innovative partnerships with educational, civic, & cultural institutions around the region, and welcomes invitations from communities and organizations throughout southern New England!
Amy Beth Parravano is a versatile performing artist whose specialty is mime. Her unique ability to respond to her environment while incorporating off-beat and topical satire make her performances a treat for audiences of all ages.
