Here it is!

May 6, 2013

The 4th Annual Harvey Milk Festival (HMF) will take place in the historic downtown district of Sarasota, Florida on May 16th-18th 2013. The mission of the Harvey Milk Festival is to honor and celebrate the life of Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay Americans elected to public office, by fostering emerging talent in musicians and artists who support diversity and reject discrimination, and to promote equality for LGBTQ people through supporting equal rights legislation.

Admission is free except for the HMF/FILM component and the Official After Party.

On May 16th, HMF/FILM will host a screening of the documentary I Am Divine at Burns Court Cinema. Following the life story of celebrated actor and drag queen Divine, the ‘tell-all’ film features interviews with John Waters, Ricki Lake and Mink Stole. The HMF/FILM segment will be hosted by writer/filmmaker Anthony Paull.

On May 17th, HMF/ART will be held at The MillerBrady Art Gallery in the Rosemary District. This year’s theme ‘Beyond Bullying’ will feature artwork from local and national artists. Live music will be provided by Kenra Whyte and Dirty Ice.

On May 18th, HMF/MUSIC will commence with Sarasota City Mayor Suzanne Atwell‘s opening address in Five Points Park. Other speakers to appear throughout the day include Michael Farmer (Equality Florida), Tesla Gunderson (ALSO Youth), and artist Steve McAllister. The lineup also includes a candlelight vigil and a screening of the short film The Milk Effect. The 2013 Emcees will be local performers Joey Panek and Christine Alexander.

The 2013 HMF/MUSIC headliner is French Horn Rebellion. Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin the indie brother-duo have pioneered a new genre called ‘Next Jack Swing’ which mixes synth beats with funky bass lines. Garnering critical praise at 2013 SXSW, the band has toured with indie-pop heavyweights like MGMT and Cut Copy. The Guardian states the band makes ‘killer dance pop’ that sounds like ‘MGMT if they were to hook up with mustachioed disco producers from the 70s.’ Co-headliners include Clementine and The Galaxy, a NYC-based duo creating spacey art pop, gathering praise from The Huffington Post, Time Out New York and The Deli Magazine, which named the band one of the top emerging artists of 2013. Local Sarasota electro-pop quintet MeteorEYES will also co-headline. Other musicians to appear include Good Graeff, Jen Rock and The Cry Babies, Bard and Mustache, Zulu Wave, Brazos the Rat and Waking Giants. Art installations at Five Points Park will include The Labyrinth of the Unbroken Path by Steve McAllister. VIP tickets are available for $50. VIP admission includes free food and drinks in an air-conditioned tent located near the stage.

The HMF/MUSIC Official After Party will be held at Throb Nightclub. The five-dollar cover will be donated to HMF by any attendee wearing an official HMF bracelet.

The 2013 Harvey Milk Festival Schedule

May 16/HMF/FILM: Burns Court Cinema/506 Burns Ct. Sarasota Fl. 34236/I Am Divine Screening @ 9:30 p.m. $10 ticket. Advanced tickets available at iamdivinehmf.eventbrite.com.

May 17/HMF/ART: MillerBrady Fine Art Gallery/614 Florida Ave. Sarasota Fl. 34236/’Beyond Bullying’ Exhibit 7 p.m.-11p.m. Free.

May 18/HMF/MUSIC: Five Points Park/Intersection of 1st and North Pineapple Ave. Sarasota Fl. 34236. Free. VIP tickets available for $50 at 2013hmfvip.eventbrite.com.

4:00-4:15 p.m. Opening Ceremony feat. Sarasota Mayor Suzanne Atwell
4:15-4:45 p.m. Brazos The Rat
5:00-5:30 p.m. Zulu Wave
5:30-5:45 p.m. Guest Speaker Tesla Gunderson (ALSO Youth)
5:45-6:15 p.m. Bard and Mustache
6:15-6:30 p.m. Guest Speaker Steve McAllister (Artist)
6:30-7:00 p.m. Waking Giants
7:15-7:45 p.m. Good Graeff
7:45-8:00 p.m. Guest Speaker Michael Farmer (Equality Florida)
8:00-8:30 p.m. Jen Rock and The Cry Babies
8:30-8:45 p.m. Candlelight Vigil and short film The Milk Effect
8:45-9:20 p.m. MeteorEYES
9:35-10:20 p.m. Clementine and The Galaxy
10:45-11:45 p.m. French Horn Rebellion
11:45-12:00 a.m. Closing Ceremony

Official After Party: Throb Nightclub/2201 Industrial Blvd. Sarasota Fl. 34234. $5 cover donated to HMF w/official HMF bracelet. 12 a.m.-2:00 a.m.

For more info: harveymilkfestival.com.

For artist info or interview requests: press@feelmagik.com.

Harvey Milk Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Board members include President Shannon Fortner, Vice-President Turner Moore, Secretary Elisha Cash, Treasurer Tamsin Dayment, and Director Jen O’Connor.

Harvey Milk Festival, May 18, 2013 at Five Points Park, Sarasota, Florida

Performance Schedule:

4:00-4:15  Opening Ceremony

4:15-4:45  Brazos the Rat

5:00-5:30 Zulu Wave

5:30 Guest Speaker: Tesla Gunderson / ALSO Youth

5:45-6:15 Bard and Mustache

6:30-7:00 Waking Giants

7:15-7:45 Good Graeff

7:45 Guest Speaker: Michael Farmer / Equality Florida

8:00-8:30 Jen Rock and The Crybabies

8:30 Candlelight Vigil

8:45-9:20 MeteorEyes

9:35-10:20 Clementine and The Galaxy

10:45-11:45 French Horn Rebellion

11:45 Closing Ceremony

April 9, 2013

2013 HARVEY MILK FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINEUP

The 4th Annual Harvey Milk Festival (HMF) will take place May 16-18^th, 2013 in the historic downtown district of Sarasota, Florida. The mission of the Harvey Milk Festival is to honor the life of Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay Americans elected to public office, by fostering emerging talent in musicians and artists who support diversity and reject discrimination, and to promote equality for LGBTQ people through supporting equal rights legislation.

Admission is free to all events with the exception of the HMF film component.

On May 16^th, HMF/Film will host a screening of the documentary I Am Divine which follows the life story of John Waters’ drag queen protégéeDivine, the late celebrated stage and screen performer. The film features interviews with Waters himself, along with Ricki Lake, Mink Stole and others.

April 4, 2012
The 3rd Annual Harvey Milk Festival (HMF) will take place in Five Points Park, located in the historic downtown district of Sarasota, Florida from May 10th-12th, 2012. The festival’s mission is to promote emerging artists in music, art, and film, raising awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality.

Admission is free.

HMF is held in honor of the late Harvey Milk, an American equal rights activist and politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to a public office.

Founder and HMF Board President Shannon Fortner believes this year’s lineup will continue the tradition of celebrating artists who foster equality, earning the festival a national reputation for discovering new talent.

The 2012 HMF headliner is Breton. Hailing from the UK, Breton is comprised of filmmakers and musicians who create edgy cinematic live performances to compliment its dubstep/electro-house sound. The Guardian tagged Breton as ‘the multimedia Massive Attack.’ In March 2012, the band’s debut album ‘Other People’s Problems’ debuted in the top 5 the Amazon UK charts. The US album release was April 3rd.

Co-headliners include Minneapolis minimal synth-pop trio CLAPS and Sarasota locals MeteorEYES.

Other musicians scheduled to appear include The August Name, The Pauses, The Sexual Side Effects, Cassolette, HenryHenryHenry!, Elysian Sex Drive, The Northwest, The Send Offs, and (the) Umbrella Cult.

At the opening ceremony, Artist John Baden of San Francisco, California will present a special paint on wood art piece to the festival and the city. Sarasota Mayor Suzanne Atwell and Sarasota County Commissioner Carolyn Mason plan to attend, reading the city’s proclamation.

The official after party for the music portion of the festival will be held at Throb Nightclub. The special guest performer will be DiDa Ritz from RuPaul’s Drag Race. The five-dollar cover will be donated to the festival for any attendee wearing an official HMF bracelet.

On May 10th, HMF will host a screening of the music documentary Hit So Hard: The Life and Near Death Story of Patty Schemel at the Selby Public Library. The film, which includes never-before-seen footage of Kurt Cobain, depicts the gripping true-life story of Hole drummer Patty Schemel’s battle with drug addiction at the height of the band’s fame. A reception for the film will take place at The Ivory Lounge following the screening.

On May 11th, ‘The Silent T’ Art Opening will be held at The Ivory Lounge, presenting work from local and national artists on the theme of equality. The band Sons of Hippies is set to perform.  Artists interested in submitting a painting or sculpture should send a hi-res photo of the work to equalitygallery@gmail.com.

Harveymilkfestival.com

For artist info or interview requests: press@feelmagik.com

The lineup for HMF 2012 will be announced on April 1st. Stay tuned…

The 3rd Annual Harvey Milk Festival (HMF) will take place on Saturday, May 12th, 2012 in downtown Sarasota, Florida. Aligned with ceremonies across the nation, the Festival’s mission is to raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality. Please join us in celebrating and honoring Harvey Milk, one of America’s first openly gay elected officials and civil rights heroes. Admission is free.

For press inquiries or interviews, please contact Anthony Paull at FeelMagik Productions – press@feelmagik.com