New Yorkers often think they live at the center of the world, and tomorrow, at least in the East Village, they won't be far off. That's when the eighth annual globalFEST music extravaganza takes over Webster Hall, with 13 acts from Latin America, Africa, Asia and even Hawaii hitting the venue's three stages.
"There are a lot of groups this year that are going to be incredible surprises," says event co-producer Isabel Soffer about the great music on tap. "These bands might not have a lot of name recognition, but that's the fun of introducing people to new sounds."
Highlights include Orquestra Contemporanea de Olinda, a rock-ska-funk fusion band from Brazil; La-33, from Colombia, whose mambo version of the "Pink Panther" theme rocks; and Hawaiian artist Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole in his New York solo debut.
While most artists travel far and wide to perform, some, such Sunny Jain, frontman for the bhangra-funk group Red Baraat, have it easy. He doesn't need a passport to get to the show, just a MetroCard to get him from his Fort Greene home.
His group has one mission with its Punjabi rhythms.
"Our goal is basically to bring a dance party -- we want people to get down with the groove and shake their hips," says Jain.
While Jain is excited to perform at globalFEST for the first time, he's also simply a fan.
"I've heard about globalFEST for years. It always brings great artists -- I'm just looking forward to checking out some new music."
