By Laura Latzko, Oct. 9, 2014.
Just as the bold and vibrant hues of the rainbow converge into a spectrum of beauty, so do members of the LGBT and allied community — from throughout Arizona and beyond — each fall at Rainbows Festival.
Each year, as the summer sizzle subsides, Phoenix Pride showcases “Arizona’s Greatest Street Fair.” And, again for 2014, Rainbows Festival will take place on the third weekend in October at Heritage Square in Phoenix.
The two-day festival brings together organizations, businesses, attendees of all ages, and a wide variety of entertainers.
“It’s the first event after we cool down a bit for people to go out and have fun,” said Justin Owen, Phoenix Pride executive director. “It’s definitely got that fun outdoor feel.”
According to Owen, an important part of the festival’s purpose is to promote tolerance, awareness and acceptance within and outside the LGBT community.
“At the end of the day, it is an opportunity for our community to get together and to be who they are, and an opportunity for our allies to show their support,” Owen said. “The allied community wants to come out and celebrate with us … it can help us to move closer to eventual full equality.”
Phoenix Pride continues to work to get more people and organizations involved, according to Owen, and this year’s entertainment speaks to the community’s desire to be a part of Rainbows. He added that careful consideration was made to ensure the entertainment is as diverse as those in attendance.
SETTING THE STAGE
Eryn Woods and Vassy will headline the main stage on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and attendees will see youth and adult drag performers, DJs and local musical artists on the main and community stages.
The lineup for the main stage, hosted Afeelya Bunz Saturday and Barbra Seville Sunday, features local and national acts, including current and former Phoenix Pride royalty, DJ Aris and DJ Tsunami, hip-hop artists Miny and Luna Aura, Tucson indie rock band The Borderline Sound and Barbra Seville’s group The Phoenix Phollies.
Taking the main stage at 10 a.m. Sunday is DJ Éclair, aka Samantha Munoz, the resident Saturday night DJ at Sevens Lounge in Glendale.
Munoz, who has spun also at Sky Lounge and Forbidden, hopes that Rainbows Festival will open up more opportunities for her to work within LGBT community moving forward.
“I want people to know who I am and what I am about,” she said. “I’m grateful and blessed to play in a community I’m comfortable with, and I look forward to playing in more areas and events in the community.”
Munoz recently, won two of three local DJ battles she participated in.
“It’s an art to me, being able to manipulate the songs with your hands,” she said. “You are the entertainer. You are not just a push/play DJ, you are adding some form to it.”
Although she grew up listening to high-energy electronic dance music and hip-hop, festivalgoers can expect a wide variety of music, especially remixes, to in her Sunday morning set.
The community stage will showcase various local acts, including a drag show with hosted by Aimee V. Justice, electronic dance music artist Astony, Miss DJ MJ and the Miss and Mister Junior Phoenix Pride finals.
One n ten’s Stacey Jay Cavaliere, drag queen Aimee V. Justice and Tuesday Mahrle of Aunt Rita’s Foundation will be among those hosting the community stage.
Voices of the Desert, taking the community stage Saturday at noon, plans to bring numbers that demonstrate its show choir style and serve up a sample of its Nov. 23 concert.
The mixed LGBT and straight choir, will performs songs, including K.C. and the Sunshine Band’s “Boogie Shoes,” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” from the musical Hairspray.
Voices of the Desert will also have a booth at the festival, which, according to Keith Clark, the choir’s artistic director, usually attracts four to five new members each year.
Clark hopes to raise awareness of the 40-member choir — built around the idea of “bridging the gap between the gay and straight community” — within the local and LGBT communities at this year’s festival.
“It’s challenging because straight choirs don’t embrace and support our cause; the gay community really does,” he said. “Having this ‘in-the-middle-thing’ is a little tricky, but it’s really important … to bring the two together.
A COMMUNITY AFFAIR
Attendees can expect about 150 vendors, including Phoenix Pride, Echo Magazine as well as a variety of food and beverage options, set up in Heritage Square for the festival.
Owen attributes the increase in businesses and organizations wanting to be involved in LGBT events to Senate Bill 1062, the “Religious Freedom” bill vetoed by Governor Brewer in February.
“SB 1062 got the business community to rally behind the LGBT community,” he said, “we’ve seen that transferred to Rainbows.”
The festival’s street fair atmosphere allows vendors to connect with community members. And, as a volunteer for Out2EnrollAZ who is coordinating 600 agencies in Arizona, that is Robert Hess III’s primary objective.
Hess, along with federal government officials from San Francisco and local volunteers representing Out2EnrollAZ, will be on hand to provide information about the Affordable Care Act, a law that affects the healthcare choices and protections of different populations throughout the country.
According to Hess, the LGBT community is less likely to have insurance through their jobs and be at higher risk for diseases such as HIV and AIDS, making them an important population to educate about healthcare options.
“The White House wants to engage the LGBT community. This is a huge validation to us because the White House is reaching out and wants to include us,” Hess said.
Because open enrollment begins Nov. 15, Hess said the festival is the perfect time for community member to come by the booth and ask any questions they have about the Affordable Care Act. e
VITAL STATISTICS
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 18-19
Heritage Square Park
115 N. Sixth St., Phoenix
Vassy Brings International Flavor To The Rainbows Festival Stage
While the name Vassy may not ring a bell right away, her music is everywhere.
From Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty to the trailer for the Disney’s Frozen and the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s dance chart, this Australian singer is making her mark.
And, as part of her Arizona debut she is bringing her high-energy style to the Rainbows Festival main stage, Sunday at 2 p.m.
As an international artist who pairs indie, rock, pop and neo-jazz with up-tempo beats, Vassy is known for getting her audiences moving.
The eclectic, high-energy singer-songwriter regularly performs at venues around the world, including Pride events. And, she said, she’s had a following in the LGBT community from the beginning of her career.
“I’ve got a great fan base … It’s been awesome being embraced by the community,” Vassy said. “I find there’s something a bit more special about them. There’s a very celebratory vibe and energy that you definitely feel.”
Vassy said she plans to engage the Rainbows Festival crowd as she does with every performance.
“It’s just naturally what I do, I feel like I need that connection with people,” Vassy said. “I’m like that with my friends [and] when I’m up on stage, it’s just another level of it.”
Born Vasiliki Karagiorgos, the daughter of Greek immigrants, Vassy grew up in Darwin, Australia. Throughout her life, she said, she felt a driving need to write and sing music.
“The music chose me. It’s one of those things. It’s like you have no choice but to do it,” she said.
Vassy moved to the United States to pursue her music career in 2008. In 2012 she released Beautiful Day, an energetic collection of songs that showcase her unmistakable voice.
“I think it is my voice that really stands out, kind of as its own instrument,” she said, “I’ve just found my own sound. It’s just an authentic process. It just evolved.”
Her most recent achievement was breaking into the top 10 on international charts earlier this year with “Bad,” a rebellious collaboration between David Guetta and Showtek on which she lends her unmistakable voice. e
— Laura Latzko
Rainbows Headliner Eryn Woods Talks New Music, Being Different
With a voice similar to Cyndi Lauper’s, a message of acceptance and a signature mohawk, singer Eryn Woods has all the making of a “pop punk” artist.
Woods — a Louisiana native who launched her career as a solo artist in Atlanta six years ago — brings her eclectic sound to the Rainbows Festival main stage Saturday at 3 p.m.
Throughout the past several years, Woods has performed at two to three Pride events each year and said it’s a community she’s always felt accepted in.
“I feel the LGBT world is more accepting to new music, something new, something fresh, and that’s what I’m trying to bring to the music industry,” she said.
And, as an individual who considers herself “different” and as an artist who encourages self-expression, Woods finds the messages in her music are also inline with the LGBT community.
“I like to make my fans feel OK about being different because growing up, I wasn’t able to really express myself as much as I wanted to. I think it hurts you a little bit,” she said. “If you’re able to find yourself earlier in life, it’s easier to move on in your life and do what you really want to do and have good self esteem and love yourself. So my whole message has been around, ‘It’s okay to be unique. It’s okay to be different.’”
Similarly, on her forthcoming album (due out at the end of October) the song “Popular” is actually about just the opposite.
“It’s very important for me to express myself and let people know it’s OK to be different,” she said, “that it’s OK not being the most popular ... as long as you are happy.”
In the meantime, proceeds from her recently released single “It’s a Wrap,” available on iTunes, benefit AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
Woods said her fan base, which she fondly refers to as Kupcakes, comprises all ages.
“It’s very important for me to get to know my fans as much as possible. I want them to feel like they know me and that I know them … [and] let them know I see them, I recognize they are there.”
Although Rainbows Festival marks Woods’ first performance in Phoenix, it’s far from her last stop in Arizona. She’ll be playing Yuma Oct. 31, Phoenix again Nov. 1 and Tucson Nov. 2 as part of the Black Moon Rising Tour. e
— Laura Latzko
Come Early, Stay Late
The Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel is hosting the official Rainbows Festival afterparty, which will include live performances by international recording artist Kristine W. (left), DJ Urban and Erika Jayne — and you’re invited.
The singer-songwriter, who’s produced such hits as “One More Try,” “Everything That I Got,” “Fly Again” and “Stronger,” is known for landing at #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts. And earlier this year she released New & Number Ones Club Hits Part Two, her 10th album.
The Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel
6-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18
50 E. Adams St., Phoenix
Admission is free
The Stage is Set
Junior drag performers compete in third annual community pageant
By Laura Latzko
After months of work on their own and with mentors, seven young drag performers will bring their show in front of the local LGBT community and judges during the Rainbows Festival.
On Oct. 19, two junior performers will become the youth faces of Phoenix Pride as reigning titleholders Miss and Mister Junior Phoenix Gay Pride Rihannan Nichell and Cody Ateraz step down.
Dani Logan, Phoenix Pride program manager, said the junior pageant has become a major part of the Rainbows Festival that engages, and showcases, different facets of the community.
The finals pageant for youth contestants, ages 14 to 20 years old, has a similar structure and feeling as the adult Phoenix Pride pageant, Logan said. Adding that the youth pageant is tailored to the young participants and includes essay, volunteer and rainbow wear categories.
“These contestants are deserving of a pageant that is professionally put together because that is what we are asking of them,” Logan said. “Not only do they appreciate it, but I think the community members that come out also appreciate it as well because they are looking at a professional performer putting on their pageant package.”
During the finals pageant — hosted by Aimee V. Justice and Coco St. James — the youth drag performers will represent one n ten’s Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, Glendale and Scottsdale locations.
Two drag kings — returning drag king Busta D. Ateraz and Skyler Starr — will compete in the finals.
And the five drag queens competing in the pageant include Britney Summers, Evelyn Inches, Cher’i Poppins, Scarlet Von Dixson and Juicy Fruit Couture.
With the common goal of making it to the festival stage, approximately 15 contestants competed in the five preliminary pageants.
Along the way Logan has watched the performers grow and develop their skills.
“What I noticed about a lot of them was their confidence and demeanor as they spoke,” she said. “Last year, everyone was really nervous. Seeing them speak and articulate their thoughts, it was really nice to see.”
Logan added that many returning contestants have improved in their rainbow wear modeling and lip-synching abilities as well.
“They knew their lyrics. Their lip-synching was flawless. They were so committed to [the] little details,” Logan said. “With a lot of them, it was wonderful to see how detail-oriented they were.”
The contestants also answer questions onstage and do talent numbers for judges, including Miss Gay Arizona USofA and Arizona USofA Classic promoter Mike Fornelli, who returns as head judge for the prelims and finals.
The panel of judges also features the reigning Miss and Mister Phoenix Gay Pride, Barbra Seville and Eddie C. Broadway, Phoenix Pride and one n ten board members and a prominent community member (who remains to be named). Last year, U.S. Senator Katie Hobbs served on the panel.
Before the finals competition, different judges looked at essays from the youth contestants.
This year, contestants answered essay questions from the perspective as if they were already titleholders. And, instead of fundraising, the youth could earn points through volunteer hours with community organizations.
“It gives them the opportunity to volunteer where they want to volunteer and to make their own mark on their community outside of performing,” Logan said.
Past and present titleholders from the Phoenix Pride and other pageant systems, including Tyra Marie, Adriana Galliano and Zonnique Glam DeMornay, served as mentors to the drag queens and kings up until the finals pageant.
For the second year, Deborah K and Sonja Jae will provide guidance to youth contestants.
Logan said mentors have played major roles in helping the contestants from the end of the prelims until the finals.
“All of our mentors and judges have been so committed to the process and these contestants,” Logan said. e
Miss and Mister Junior Phoenix Gay Pride
2 p.m. Oct. 19
Community Stage
Heritage Square Park
113 N. Sixth St., Phoenix
Free admission
