06 May Sunday Sounds

Where’d the days go?!

My thought process this morning is the following — I’m not ready for my favorite Florida festival to be over, I’m not ready to get way too emotional during the fireworks tonight, I’m not ready to go back to work.

But I’m going to step back from all that for now. Instead, let me tell you about some artists performing this afternoon that you oughta know. If they’re not already added to your SunFest itinerary, hopefully they will be shortly. So hear me out —

DAFEAUXNITO

DAFEAUXNITO

When Rodolfo Beckles Jr. and Steven DelRosario take the stage, you can tell the partnership is more than musical. The childhood friends formed DAFEAUXNITO as a way to tell their stories honestly, creatively and unapologetically.

And when the duo takes on our West Palm Beach music festival, it’ll be a 10-year-dream getting lived out. 

“Not only has it always been a dream of ours since 2008, our first time going, but it’s also our biggest concert ever,” the group told SunFest. “We told ourselves one day we’ll be rocking out on that stage and 10 years later, the dream came true.” 

The West Palm Beach-based project compares itself to a “modern day Outkast,” merging the divide between more polished hip hop and street rap.

“We make music about our lifestyles and ultimately for people to feel,” DAFEAUXNITO told us. 

And you can’t box Beckles Jr. or DelRosario’s lifestyles in — musically or creatively. One day, they’ll be dressed in jeans and hoodies, the next, studded leather jackets. And just like with their personal stye, the group’s music is the same way. “[It’s] all about embracing what and who you are,” the group said.

DAFEAUXNITO perform at 4:45 p.m. at the Tire Kingdom stage. 

RDGLDGRN

RDGLDGRN

It’s pronounced “red, gold, green” if you weren’t sure 😉

RDGLDGRN got its start in Virginia back in 2011 and immediately caught the mainstream music scene’s attention. From notables like Dave Grohl to Pharell Williams, the alternative hip hop group attracted big names to work with the band on its debut album — not bad for a first release, right?

The band’s versatile, playful style was highlighted a couple of years ago for an NPR Tiny Desk Concert that you need to listen to before its set today on the Ford stage.

Songs like “I Love Lamp” but the group on the map for its sweet, delicious merge of indie music and hip-hop — think Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend at a weekend barbecue bash with The Roots. That’s what this sounds like.

But other, lesser known tracks like “Karnival” are equally delectable, placing a heavier emphasis on rapper Pierre Desrosiers’ lyricism.

The trio credits acts like Chuck Brown, Vampire Weekend, Outkast, The Neptunes and Bad Brains for inspiration and you honestly get a taste of all of that and more with its variety track-by-track.

Trust me when I say RDGLDGRN is not a group you should sleep on. But if my opinion isn’t enough, listen to the men of Foo Fighters and N.E.R.D.

RDGLDGRN perform at 12:45 at the Ford Stage. 

Sublime with Rome

Sublime with Rome

Working at an alternative secondhand CD store growing up, I’m pretty familiar with Sublime.

The self-titled album and “40 Oz. to Freedom” were constantly used as store-play. When customers called asking if we had one of the band’s albums in stock, I’d be able to pull them out in an instant, the album art committed to memory. We even sold some of the band’s posters — a blacklight one (with the sun, of course) and an oversized version of the self-titled album, with that big ol’ back tattoo of the band’s name in old English font.

So when Sublime with Rome formed in 2009, it became a second chance. A second chance for me, a 90’s baby, to see an integral band that brought genres I love into the mainstream, live.

At Sublime with Rome’s set today on the Ford stage, attendees can expect a perfect mesh of old and new.

“I think it’s kind of the rule of thirds,” singer Rome Ramirez explained to the Salt Lake Tribune last year. “We’ll do a third [of a set] as hits, then a third as the not-so-famous hits, like crowd favorites, and then we’ll do like a third [as] Sublime With Rome material. That’s been kind of the ratio.”

The band’s album, “Sirens,” came out in 2015 and features songs like “Skankin’,” “House Party,” and “Sirens” (which features SunFest alum, Dirty Heads) — all perfect tunes to break out this afternoon as the guys play along the Intracoastal Waterway.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a proper set without the group playing “What I Got.”

Don’t miss this set. I know I won’t.

Sublime performs at 2:30 p.m. at the Ford stage.