Contacts:
Robin Carr, Landis Communications
Phone: (415) 766-0927 | Email: redwoods@landispr.com
Performers to include Nahko; Ron Artis II & The Truth Featuring the Saeeda Wright Gospel Singers; and Jazz Mafia
Free festival in Yerba Buena Gardens celebrates League’s centennial and features Sierra Nevada beer garden, face painting, parade of dancing redwoods and more for all ages
Download the full press release
San Francisco, Calif. (September 5, 2018) — Save the Redwoods League, celebrating its centennial year, today announced the lineup of artists, partners and activities for its Stand for the Redwoods Festival. The festival takes place in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens on Sunday, October 14, 2018, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The festival, hosted by KBCS night anchor John Evans, features live performances by a dynamic and diverse array of artists: Nahko, Ron Artis II & The Truth featuring the Saeeda Wright Gospel Singers and the Bay Area’s own Jazz Mafia.
“It’s time we celebrated our redwood forests,” said Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League. “These quintessential California icons that inspired our nation’s conservation movement stand today because of the dedication of Save the Redwoods League, our partners, and the communities who care deeply for these ancient giants. Our festival, the culmination of our Centennial Celebration Week, is an opportunity for everyone to come together to stand for the redwoods, celebrate California’s world-renowned public lands, and commit to a vibrant and resilient future for the redwood forests that sustain us.”
Numerous centennial partners of the League offer activities to engage all ages, including the Sierra Nevada beer garden (21 and over); fantasy face-painting; a participatory Creatures of the Redwoods Parade featuring dancing redwoods and other forest creatures at 3 p.m.; and numerous booths from the California Academy of Sciences, California State Parks, East Bay Regional Park District, National Park Service, Oakland Trails, San Francisco Public Libraryand UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources. (list in formation)
The Stand for the Redwoods Festival is sponsored by Oracle. Media partners for the Festival are Alice@97.3FM, BARTable, All News KCBS and KPIX 5.
The free Stand for the Redwoods Festival is the culmination of the League’s Centennial Celebration Week, October 7-14, 2018. During this week, the League is hosting a variety of public, statewide events to honor the redwood forests and the communities that have rallied to protect them over the last century. The centennial also honors the League’s vision for its second century of conservation leadership. For details, visit our events webpage.
Complete Festival details and schedule are available at RedwoodsFestival.org.
Artists Performing at the Festival
Nahko
Nahko, an Oregon-native born a mix of Puerto Rican, Native American and Filipino bloodlines, considers himself a citizen in service to the planet. Inspired by vagabond Americana singers like Conor Oberst and Bob Dylan, Nahko left home as a teenager in search of adventure and self-discovery. Armed with stories, a guitar and a fierce set of ideals, he set out to bridge the cultural gaps dividing his own psyche. He began producing a public musical journal of his journey toward personal, spiritual and social healing, and thus his group Medicine for the People was born. Huffington Post called Nahko’s music ‘beautiful and stirring.” Nahko describes his music as a mix of hip-hop and folk rock with a world message.
Ron Artis II & The Truth/Featuring the Saeeda Wright Gospel Singers
Hawaiian musician Ron Artis has embarked on three full U.S. tours, playing sellout shows from coast to coast with a long list of collaborators, including his own band The Truth. His debut full-length album “Soul Street” dropped in early April 2018 and has already garnered wide critical praise. The album crystallizes the full range of Ron’s influences—deep delta blues and gospel, plus northern soul and R&B, alongside in-depth and personal lyrics—into a tight collection of fresh yet familiar songs that are at once urgent and timeless.
Saeeda Wright
Saeeda has been seen on stages backing Prince, as a member of his New Power Generation, the Pacific Northwest’s own Liv Warfield and is featured with the Tim Snider Trio. She is very well known and respected for her work as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony and has been a regular participant in Portland’s Annual Blues Festival. Currently, Saeeda is a lead vocalist for the emerging band Mother’s Favorite Child and is working to complete her debut self-titled album. Besides the gifting and incredible work ethic put forth from this powerful woman, her dedication to her family, her faith and giving back to her community remain her biggest priorities.
Jazz Mafia
The distinct sound of Jazz Mafia is rooted in its five brass instruments, mixing those organic sounds with heavy EDM, hip-hop, rock and world music. Soulful vocals are often added on top, and it all comes together to create something fresh, eclectic, and genre-defying. Each member is an established and innovative writer/arranger, and each voice fuels the eclectic diversity that shines through in a typical Jazz Mafia set.
Festival host John Evans, KCBS
John Evans is one of the night-time anchors on All News 106.9 FM and AM 740 KCBS. He keeps listeners informed from 10 p.m. to midnight and 2 to 5 a.m. John’s a 40-year Bay Area radio personality, having been an integral part of many legendary stations including Classical KDFC, Smooth Jazz KKSF, World Class Rock KFOG, K-101, and 610 KFRC.
CALENDAR EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:
Stand for the Redwoods Festival in San Francisco
When: Sunday, October 14, 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California
Who: General public, all ages. RSVP for the event on the League’s Facebook page.
What: The Stand for the Redwoods Festival in San Francisco is the capstone event of Centennial Celebration Week for Save the Redwoods League. This free family-friendly festival offers live performances by Nahko, Ron Artis II & The Truth/Featuring the Saeeda Wright Gospel Singers, Jazz Mafia and other entertainment and activities provided by the League’s lead centennial partners, including a Sierra Nevada beer garden. People from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond will gather to celebrate 100 years of redwoods conservation and take a stand for the future of these remarkable forests. Media partners: Alice@97.3, BARTable, KCBS Radio and KPIX 5.
Cost: Free (food and drinks available for purchase)
For info: Full details, including the performance schedule, are available at RedwoodsFestival.org.
Save the Redwoods League, one of the nation’s oldest conservation organizations, is celebrating 100 years of protecting and restoring coast redwood and giant sequoia forests and connecting generations of visitors with their peace and beauty. Its more than 20,000 supporters have enabled the League to protect more than 200,000 acres of irreplaceable forest and help create 66 redwood parks and reserves. For more information, visit SaveTheRedwoods.org.
Images, including the event poster, and other details for press usage are available in the League’s online newsroom.
Tags: 100th anniversary, 2018, centennial, Centennial Celebration, Press Release, Redwoods Festival
