The Annual Sunset Junction Street Fair -- with headliners Built To Spill and Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band -- is scheduled for August 22nd & 23rd despite
jack at sunset junction - LA.COM
SILVER LAKE -- I do hope that head is air conditioned. Please come back Jack. (Photo via LA.com from Sunset Junction 2008)
ongoing struggles between the nonprofit Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance and the Silver Lake community. Local residents and businesses openly lament the parking snafus, stifling congestion, and having to pay admission just to walk through their own neighborhood during fair time.

Now in its 29th year, the neighborhood-celebration-turned-mini-music-festival has brought the likes of the New York Dolls, the Cramps, Elliott Smith, Beck, the Buzzcocks, Broken Social Scene, John Cale and X, as well as local indie favorites Castledoor, The Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf and Radars to the Sky, among others. Previously a donation-only event, Sunset Junction began enforcing an entrance fee in 2006. The year, however, if the show does actually go on there will be a number of important changes, most notably free admission for residents living within a one-block radius of the festival, and for employees scheduled to work at businesses in the surrounding area.

Thus it's time to prepare for another weekend of end-of-summer sun, fun, beer, food, crafts, artists, games, carnival rides, vendor booths, and of course, a musical line-up of 60 BANDS!!, performing on 4 stages, over 2 days.

LA.com is happy to be your guide through this noisy land of white hot rock. Keep in mind that live entertainment begins at 12 noon and continues throughout the day, with headlining acts performing on the Bates Stage at 4200 Sunset Blvd. Now, the bands...
THE BANDS OF SUNSET JUNCTION 2009

SATURDAY AUGUST 22  ::

Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band (HEADLINER)
Since 2008, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst has been writing and performing with this new band of Omaha boys, including Rilo Kiley's Jason Boesel on drums. They recorded their debut self-titled album while living in Mexico, and followup effort Outer South dropped earlier this year. Oberst is becoming arguably more Dylan-like all the time, trading in his signature young warble for straight-ahead Americana and folk.

Sly & Robbie
Jamaica's Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare are veterans of the reggae scene, having come together in the 70s and since enjoyed a longstanding careeer as recording artists and producers. The duo has worked with everyone from Serge Gainsbourg to Bob Dylan and Grace Jones, and produced No Doubt's 2001 reggae hit "Underneath It All."

Mary Wilson of The Supremes
Once again Sunset Junction's organizers give a younger generation the chance to check out an important musical icon -- in this case, one of the founding members of Motown trio The Supremes, who performed with the group from 1959-1977.

The Submarines
Husband-wife indie pop duo (of Apple commercial fame).

Warpaint
Hometown shoegazers.

The Delta Spirit
San Diego rockers.

Rumspringa
Genre-defying MGMT labelmates.



SUNDAY AUGUST 23  ::

Built To Spill (HEADLINER)
Led by Doug Martsch - a lesser known contemporary of Isaac Brock and Ben Gibbard - Built To Spill are the most noteworthy 90s indie rock band to emerge from Boise, idaho. The quartet has released six studio albums and are getting ready to release There Is No Enemy in October of this year. Although they might not play many (or any) songs from 1994's There's Nothing Wrong With Love, we're partial to its haphazard guitar jams and self-effacing, fumbling teenage boy lyrics.

The Sonics
You might want to leave the kids at home for this one. Also bringing the Northwest spirit down the coast are Tacoma, WA's protopunk/garage rockers The Sonics, known in the mid-60s for the grittiness and raunch of their UK-influenced rock 'n' roll. Jack White lists the band as an influence on The White Stripes, and calls them "punk long before punk."

Local Natives
It's worth getting to the Bates Stage relatively early on Sunday to catch Local Natives, who've been making a splash on the Eastside scene since relocating to LA, not to mention a successful run at this year's SXSW and some overseas lovin' from tastemakers NME. If you dig any of the new choral indie rock (see Grizzly Bear; Fleet Foxes), or just good music in general, you won't regret it.

Tiny Masters Of Today
Brooklyn adolescent punks.

Nico Stai, Love Grenades
Local favorites.

Mika Miko
The Smell mainstays.

Arrested Development
90s hip hop. You remember.
BEING THERE, GETTING THERE

SCHEDULE  ::

Click here for the complete lineup and full list of artists.


TICKETS  ::

$15 advance (BUY NOW! Day 1)
$15 advance (BUY NOW! Day 2)
$20 day of festival
(FREE for children 12 and under, patrons 65 and older)


PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION & PARKING  ::

- Metro to Santa Monica/Vermont or Sunset/Vermont
- Bus route 4 westbound to Maltman Avenue
- Park and shuttle available at LA City College



Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22-23
Sunset Junction Street Fair 2009
3700-4300 Sunset Blvd
4000-4200 Santa Monica Blvd
Silver Lake, CA, 90029
12PM
$15 advance
$20 day of
...more