Street Fair Samples a Bit of Everything

The annual Sunset Junction Street Fair in Silver Lake had everything you’d want in a summer weekend festival: colorful people to watch, cheap food to savor, lots of art and trinkets to buy, silly balloon hats to wear with abandon, and a wide range of live music to enhance the mood.

Starting in the early afternoon Saturday, groups performed on three stages, providing a piquant sampler of the sounds that move the city.

Ethnic music and dance groups enlivened the Sanborn Stage at the midpoint of the fair’s eight-block stretch, while by early evening the main stages on either end of the site were split between local acts such as Mike Watt and old-fashioned soul artists such as the charismatic Sam Moore, the 63-year-old surviving half of legendary duo Sam & Dave, who was joined by surprise guest Billy Preston.

On the local side, The Negro Problem’s expertly crafted, kaleidoscopic blend of ‘60s pop, psychedelia and soul best reflected the festival’s offbeat yet laid-back vibe. Local musician Patrick Mata did double duty, first blasting out metallic garage-punk with his new band the Legendary Wrong People, in a set interrupted by technical difficulties, then returning later with a reincarnation of his ‘80s avant-goth group Kommunity FK.

Also among the soul acts was spirited singer-songwriter Brenda Holloway, who crooned Motown classics such as “My Guy,” along with such hits of her own as the emotional ballad “Every Little Bit Hurts.”

Four of the five original Velvelettes cranked up the crowd’s energy with a set-long medley of Motown favorites (including “My Guy” again), at one point bringing so many people on stage to dance in a joyful tangle of limbs and bodies that the structure swayed precariously.