Now in its 8th year, Sound Session 2012 has expanded to include a variety of new activities! The festival begins with prelude events on July 10th and 11th on the Roots stage and ends on Sunday, July 15th with a new Gospel Brunch Buffet at the Hotel Providence featuring Terrell Osborne’s MUSICONE.
Under the direction of the Roots Cultural Center, Sound Session has showcased local and regional homegrown talent, and has attracted thousands of people. It’s a not-to-be-missed, multi-genre event offering a dizzying line up of indoor and outdoor performances. With stages stationed on Westminster Street, from Union to Mathewson, and inside the Roots Cultural Center, the streets will be filled with people dancing!
On Saturday, July 14th, kids and their parents will enjoy a new segment called KID CITY. Starting at 4 PM, a variety of workshops will be offered in front of the Hotel Providence. Providence City Arts! for Youth will help out with mask making; Big Nazo will create parade sticks with kids; Whole Foods will teach kids about better nutrition; and at 4:15, Miguel Almestica of Los Pleneros del Coco will lead a percussion workshop. At 5 PM, Joe’s Backyard Band will perform dance music for all ages!
Later that night, everyone is invited to join in the procession featuring Bolivian dancers Caporales Universitario San Simon, Providence’s Extraordinary Rendition Band (ERB), Big Nazo, Providence Roller Derby, Brass Attack, and much more. Other Saturday night highlights are The Silks; the Agents, a nationally-acclaimed band that blends Ska, Reggae, and Swing; and Akwaaba, a West African drumming ensemble.
Tickets for Sound Session are $7 per day for adults and $3 for children under the age of 12. Children under 5 are free. Tickets for the Gospel Buffet are $14.95. Visit soundsession.org for the complete line-up.
Sponsors include Mayor Angel Tavares and the City of Providence, The Providence Foundation, The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), WBRU, Johnson & Wales University, Providence Phoenix, Providence Tourism Council, SparkGapInteractive, The Hotel Providence, Providence Downtown Improvement District, and Coastway Bank.