by Ari Roth
Each year, the Beta Hi-Fi Emerging Music Festival takes over Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live for a full week of new, rising, unsigned and undiscovered music. Artists from across genres will perform, with a lineup focusing on singer-songwriters, but also encompassing folk, rock, jazz, soul, R&B, and more. You can come check out all 26 different artists, or just stay for one evening, and it won’t cost you a thing: entrance for every single night is free of charge.
The festival is participatory, too: the audience ultimately must vote for their top band or artist for each of the first six rounds of the festival, Monday through Saturday. Then, on Sunday, the official judges convene with the winners of each day’s competition for a best-of-the-best showcase. From there, the judges select which artist will come out on top, reigning supreme as the 2014 Beta Hi-Fi champion.
As Danielle Ferrari, marketing coordinator for World Cafe Live – which organizes the festival itself – told us, “Beta Hi-Fi is a great, week-long event where people can come out and support local music and talent. We have had a ton of artists, who have won and participated in Beta Hi-Fi in the past, continue on to do great things. It’s great to see the emerging talent in the area perform, and every year more and more people apply and the talent continues to get better.”
This year’s festival will feature Ben Kessler, Christopher Davis-Shannon, Elspeth Tremblay, and Sympathy and the Lion on Monday. Tuesday will bring Valerie Broussard, Paige-Allbritton, Jacqueline Constance, Vertical Current and Black Horse Motel. On Wednesday, Nalani & Sarina, Chaquis Maliq, the Bobbie Morrone Trio and ILL Doots will perform. Thursday’s artists are RaLeaf, The Wayside Shakeup, Billy Roach & Political Theatre, and WaveRadio. The lineup for Friday is Problem Solving, Innoko, Chalk and the Beige Americans, RFA, and Thunderhank. Finally, on Saturday, Allie Carroll, The Mellowells, Blood Sound, Static Mountain, and Crucial will step up as the last contestants.
The Beta Hi-Fi Emerging Music Festival will run from Monday, August 18th, through Sunday, August 24th, at the Philadelphia World Cafe Live on 3025 Walnut Street. Each day of the festival will commence in the evening, at 7 PM, and run until all of the bands have played. It’s all taking place on the upstairs stage of the venue, right near the entrance.
