.B L O C K P A R T Y .

Every so often Chuco outdoes itself. And for the past 3 years the first weekend of June has been the date for an amazing event that should make any el pasoan proud. The Sunset Heights Block Party has been supplying an amazing venue for Chuco to do exactly that, outdo itself, and make residents smile. And in bigger fashion each year mind you. Basically a mini music festival thrown together by the community, this ain’t your daddy’s block party. With 2 stages highlighting the diverse and in my opinion highly talented local music scene, the block party had no shortage of music. Not to mention djs spinning between sets, local vendors selling everything from jewelry to art as well as exhibitions by local dance troupes ranging from Brazilian Capoera, to modern belly/fire dancing. This year eco minded organizers also planned a group bike ride from different locations to the Sunset Heights neighborhood. The heat this year was almost too unbearable, but with a hearty supply of cold brew and a spontaneous water balloon fights to get ya face wet, it made waiting for the sunset in Sunset Heights slightly more bearable. And with that sunset, came cooler temps and hotter music. The night ended with 2 of Chuco’s best indie acts. The DA on one stage and The Royalty on the other. It’s a shame the crowd, of I’m guessing a few thousand, didn’t get a chance to see both of these great bands. Either way the day gave much opportunity to see and hear some really amazing stuff. What makes this event so great in my eyes is that there is no frill, you can tell this is an even put on by the people for the people. When I mentioned stages earlier, the reality is bands performed on the sidewalks. But that’s the beautiful thing about it, sidewalks for stages or not, these bands performed in front of hundreds of people who braved 100 degree plus heat to party with them! And let me tell you, did they! This isn't the El Paso's version of ACL, actually there are major efforts to put on a large scale music festival here in Chuco, more on that interesting development soon. But the Sunset Heights Block Party is its own amazing thing in its own right. A small community event made for music lovers. What I hope can happen is that this stirs the tide for more people to put on more events like this and more importantly for the willingness of Chuco residents to support events like this. The cool thing is it is already happening. The Root Yoga Studio and its owners put on an amazing event over in Downtown a few weeks ago. It was a multi-level party showcasing another half of El Paso's dope music scene. Over the next few posts I wanna highlight some of the acts who played the Block Party and this other event, aptly entitle Funky See Funky Do. In the meantime, enjoy some of the sites of the party. Sounds coming soon.