Music fest boosts arts district

You've heard all the jokes, lame as they are.

Q: Why is there no yogurt in Las Vegas?

A: Because there's no culture.

Yeah, about as funny as a pulled groin, right?

Erik Amblad's heard them, too.

His whole life.

And he's not laughing either.

"We were told growing up that there's no culture in Vegas," Amblad says with a sigh. "But we know it's here. Now it's a matter of making sure that everybody in this town sees that it's here."

To this end, Amblad and the multipronged arts and entertainment company he co-founded, Born and Raised Productions, is putting on the 18b Music Festival, a multiband bill at the Arts Factory (107 E. Charleston Blvd.) that kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday. The fest is meant to call attention to the downtown arts district, an eclectic, diverse community of artists of all stripes.

"What's going on in the 18b Arts District is this physical testament to everything new that's happening in Vegas," Amblad says. "There's a lot of amazing opportunities for the arts for all of us in this city."

Now in its second incarnation after debuting in June, the 18b Music Festival is decidedly different this go-round. The initial fest was a battle of the bands and was held on the same day as First Friday.

This time, the show is all-ages and free and acts aren't competing with one another.

There is one constant between the two, however: a return appearance by Vegas electro-popsters Kid Meets Cougar.

The duo are preparing to put together a new album and stage show and will be taking the next six months off from playing live.

This will be their farewell gig until then.

"We've been wanting to do another all-ages show for a while now, so that's a plus for our last show," says Kid Meets Cougar singer/drummer/keyboardist Courtney Carroll. "If there are any kiddies that will miss us or haven't seen us yet because we always play in bars, now is their chance."

Joining Kid Meets Cougar at 18b will be indie pop troupe Big Friendly Corporation, Golden Nugget mainstay Frankie Moreno, spoken word performers and a variety of other acts.

And it'll all go down in a setting as vibrant as the sounds.

"I think the best thing that could happen with this festival is that this city that I grew up in can know the amazing things happening here," Amblad says. "It's become pretty apparent that the 18b Arts District is becoming a real beacon for arts in this town. If you come here, you're going to find something new."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.