Local bands offer inspiration to artists in 18b festival

Music and art share a stage, literally, at the third 18b Music Festival. As each of six local rock acts plays an outdoor platform erected behind the Arts Factory Saturday, one or more of six local artists will create a painting inspired by the music. The results will be offered to the public in a silent auction.

"It's no longer about bringing culture to Las Vegas, it's bringing Las Vegas to the culture that it already has," says festival co-founder Erik Amblad of Born and Raised Productions.

Headlined by Big Friendly Corporation, 18b's bill also includes a Crowd of Small Adventures, the Clydesdale, Shaun de Graff, Interzone, My First Rodeo, and Mike and Josh from Avalon Landing.

The painters announced so far include Andre Hines, George Graham, Jeremiah Harrison and 3 Bad Sheep (a collective consisting of Alexander Huerta, Eddie Canumay, and Sky Carranza).

"I'm really interested to see what they come up with for our music," says Melissa Marth, vocalist for Big Friendly Corporation, a hard-driving yet melodic rock combo.

"Hopefully, they'll do something with glitter."

This will be live-action painting's first appearance in the biannual festival, founded in 2009 by Amblad and his business partner, Mundana Ess-Haghabadi.

"We're always looking to do something to make each festival different," Amblad says.

The festival proper will be preceded at 4 p.m. by another new addition, ARTgasm, a performance-art event in which audience members interact with musicians, dancers, painters and poets.

"It's a way to get people in the community literally involved in their art," Amblad says.

The festival, which Amblad predicts will draw 1,500 spectators, is the latest effort in a years-long campaign to build 18b -- bordered by Commerce Street, Hoover Avenue, Fourth Street, Las Vegas Boulevard and Colorado Avenue -- into a world-class arts district.

That goal seemed right around the corner in 2006, with the expansion of First Friday -- a monthly festival drawing 10,000 visitors -- into the Holsum Lofts and the construction of several nearby Manhattan-style high-rises.

The economy had other plans. But Amblad says he has seen signs of renewed hope in the past year.

"Things have gotten much better in the arts district," he says. "There is so much going on culturally in this town -- from the music scene to the visual arts scene to the theater scene to the poetry scene -- that if the people who are looking for the arts could find it, they'd realize just how vibrant this city is."

Contact reporter Corey Levitan at clevitan@review journal.com or 702-383-0456.