How did we get so effin’ crazy to think we could pull this ish off, you may ask. Well, it started many years ago at house parties, jamming to tunes that local DJs weren’t even dreaming of playing at clubs. Then in the mid-2000’s local spinners and culture pushers made cumbia and Latin rhythms cool again (it was never uncool, just super stigmatized), by playing them at galleries, speakeasy joints, and after-hours. It became the sound of defiance, the sound of our counterculture.

We lollygagged about bringing bands that aren’t the norm or the “money makers,” about having an anti-top 40 night at a place and just playing new stuff all the time. We’ve fantasized about concert lineups, schedules, and genres, also about which venues to produce these shows in, we even daydreamed about the friggin’ visuals for each stage. We’ve talked about catering to the Phoenikerx foodies and collaborating with artists and local partners to produce events that reflect La Phoenikera’s plurality.

So instead of just talking about it, we decided to do it and came up with La PHNKRA Music Fest (pronounced La Finikera Music Fest), a collection of las bandas más chakalosas we can find to throw a big ol’ party on a Sunday, ’cause you know? Sometimes, Sundays are kind of boring.

We’re creating a Sunday Fun Kind- event with some undertones of YOLO, and we’re aiming to pack the Monarch Theatre on September 23 to experience six bands and five DJs, some homegrown art, and grub from some of the best local eateries in the heart of La Phoenikera.

We partnered up with the peeps at Monarch Theatre, one of the most iconic clubs in Downtown Phoenix, to house eleven acts on two stages para tirar un pinshi pari que no se lo van a acabar. We’re proud to have local businesses as sponsors. One of our intentions from the beginning was to collaborate with local businesses so they can be part of making this happen. Those businesses include Monarch Theatre, Pa’l Mundo Designs, Céntrico, Novle, The Colibri Collective, and Fuerza Local. Contact us if you have a business and want to support LA PHNKRA Music Fest.

La PHNKRA Music Fest was created to represent the plurality of our city, and we hand-picked our artists: Banda La Alterada for some zapateado sinaloense, cumbia beats from Guerrero by the unmissable Tropicalísimos Demons, the velvety quintet Las Chollas Peligrosas, Cruise, a hip-hop artist from Maryvale, Reyno, an awesome rock band from Mexico City, and NuCumbia by El Dusty, el DJ más guapachoiso de Corpus Christi.

We also partnered with some of the most celebrated DJs in the local scene who represent La Phoenikera’s unique and unpredictable sound: DJ Philo, Byron Fenix, Stoneypie, Sir Smeezy, and Djentrification.

So here we are, asking you to support this crazy sueño guajiro, and to help us show how Phoenikerxs throw it down. We believe that Phoenikerxs are musically promiscuous and not monolithic; our lineup is a testament to that.

For now, we ask you to share our event with friends, family, and networks. Tell someone about it, mention the lineup (we encourage you to check it out!). Share it with your tías and tíos más desmadrosos, also your emo cousins, and those friends que les encanta tirar pari. . On September 23, we ask you to join us, share your energy with us, and let’s exchange some sweat!

WHEN: 9/23 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Monarch Theatre 122. E, Washington St. Phoenix, AZ
HOW MUCH: $30 pre-sale, $35 at the door
TIX: laphoenikera.com/musicfest

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