Big Brother & The Holding Company first performed in the Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, in 1965. After their appearance at The Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, Janis Joplin quickly became a phenomenon, and Big Brother was a major factor in Janis’ rise to international stardom. Big Brother’s classic 1968 album “Cheap Thrills” charted at #1 for eight weeks, and has sold more that 10 million units, considered by both fans and rock historians as one of the greatest albums of all time. After Janis left the band in 1968, Big Brother continued to perform with a new female vocalist, before disbanding in 1972. Having reformed with the original four members in 1987, they have performed in Germany, Greece, England, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Denmark, France, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, Russia, Bosnia, Mexico and throughout the United States. Featuring the vocal talents of Darby Gould, guitar wizards Tom Finch and David Aguilar, and founding members bassist Peter Albin and drummer Dave Getz, Big Brother & The Holding Company celebrates the full catalogue of classics performing all of Janis’ legendary hits. Visit website

Samba Soul, Los Angeles’s first and only dance Escola de Samba is ready for Spring Carnival season in Southern California! While colorful costumes, exceptionally trained authentic samba techniques, and big smiles are what characterize them the most, the Samba Soul dance company has already brightened up the stages of Brazillian music icons, such as Sergio Mendez, Qviolin and Sheila E. “Samba Soul brings so much more than the average dance company! What I enjoy the most when sharing the stage with them is their positive energy and respect for the art!” - Qviolin Directed by the first Samba Queen USA, Gisella Ferreira, Visit website

Moonalice is a band of seasoned musicians who feel that live music should be a communal experience where the listener and musicians feed and derive inspiration from each other. Their songs try to speak to everyone, mixing a variety of genres with extended musical improvisations that evoke a sense of adventure and exploration. Photo © Bob Minkin Photography Moonalice is: * John Molo: Drums, Vocals. (Bruce Hornsby & The Range, John Fogerty, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Other Ones, David Nelson Band).* Barry Sless: Lead Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar, Bass. (Phil Lesh & Friends, David Nelson Band, Kingfish, Cowboy Jazz). * Roger McNamee: Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Bass. (Guff, The Engineers, Random Axes, Flying Other Brothers) * Pete Sears: Bass, Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals (Sam Gopal Dream, Rod Stewart, Jefferson Starship, Jerry Garcia, Hot Tuna, John Lee Hooker, David Nelson Band, Phil Lesh & Friends). * Big Steve Parish: Road Scholar/Medicine Man/Storyteller. (Grateful Dead crew for 26 years, co-founder of Jerry Garcia Band). Visit website

The Ya Harissa Belly Dance Theater company performers amix of different styles from traditional to cabaret. The ladies of Ya Harissa are veterans of both the Venice Spring Fling and Venice Beach Music Fest and are welcomed back for an intriguing dance set in front of the Ocean Stage. Visit website

The The Venice Philharmonic Orchestra will be rocking the Ocean Stage at Venice Beach Music Fest 13 - August 25, 2018. The first use of 'philharmonic' was in London in 1813. An organisation was founded called the Philharmonic Society. The word 'philharmonic' translates to 'musiclover'. The Venice Philharmonic Orchestra is centered around Venice musicians & music lovers Michael Jost (guitar) & Barry Conley (sonic artist). VPO has changing members to keep it fresh & exciting. Currently VPO consists of Hailey Demian (bass) & Andy Kravitz (drums) & Geoff Haba (drums) Former & sometime members include Micah Nelson, Milo Gonzalez, Jeff Smith, Marwan Mograbi & more... VPO is a psychedelic fusion of many styles. Music Lovers to keep the spirit & multicultural background of Venice of America alive. No show is like the other...be prepared to be surprised by great musicianship & stylistic innovation... Visit website

LOONER - Alternative Dream Rock organically made in Los Angeles, CA. We look forward to LOONER returning to the Ocean Stage again with the release of their new album, Fantasy World, being released on August 10, 2018 just before the VBMF performance. Visit website

Lindy and Swing dancing by the Arthur Murray Dancers! Their mission: "Changing Lives One Step At a Time!: Visit website

Maureen & The Mercury 5 has close ties to the Swing dance scene and also the Indie Pop scene in Venice -- Maureen's former band, THE FLUTTERBIES, were based in Venice/Culver City and had music featured in THE DESCENDANTS w/George Clooney. A former long time resident of Venice Beach (Abbot Kinney area and Mar Vista), Maureen is Master Vocal Coach at the esteemed School of Rock West L.A. / Venice (sister schools). Four of Mo's students have been cast in "School of Rock The Musical" and "Little Miss Sunshine" on Broadway and she was featured on FOX News as a driving musical force in West L.A. MAUREEN & THE MERCURY 5 (Catty Town / Rhythm Bomb Records) blend raging Rockabilly, sultry Blues, and toe-tappin’ Swing into a sound for fans of IMELDA MAY, BRIAN SETZER, AMY WINEHOUSE and even THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS Visit website

The ensemble will deliver an art & rock- show with outfits made with recycled materials, such as newspapers, plastic bottles, plastic and paper rolls to name a few. The show is compiled of the music from years past that we all recognize and the artistic creations worn by our energetic and edgy models. Visit website

BOA is the mystical alter-ego of multi-instrumentalist Chris Noonan. A veteran of a variety of colorful counter-culture scenes across the continent, BOA is a rebirth, and the reformation of an artistic concept developed and evolved over many moons and miles. BOA finds Noonan at the wheel of an entirely new vehicle, manipulating the controls of global bass and world electro, an amalgam of electronic and instrumental creation. BOA is clearly comfortable as a producer, confident as a composer, and a prolific horn player; in unveiling his debut full-length LP, the aptly-titled Incarnations, he shows a penchant for taking chances, and for breaking new ground. Blended together with lush, cinematic production and gritty, rugged low-end rumble, BOA's menage of tenor and baritone saxophone, flute, and even the Shanai elevate and serenade across the shimmering soundscapes. BOA's ethereal vibes and tension/release evoke a myriad of styles, but they will not be pigeonholed to a genre. BOA is at home playing alongside future bass, world-bass, dub, drum & bass, footwork, and experimental programming, yet he is empowered to perform on any stage, and for any massive. BOA is currently a member of Ethopian funk ensemble Sun Hop Fat, as well as Sepiatonics. He was previously a founding member of Afromassive. BOA has toured with Object Heavy, Rashan Ahmad/Fred Wesley, Vinyl, and more performed/collaborated with Lafa Taylor, The Human Experience, Michal Menert, Medium Troy. BOA has sat in with Lettuce, DJ Logic, Polyrhthmics, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Break Science, Dumpstaphunk, Monophonics, and more. Look for his debut LP Incarnations in Spring 2018. Visit website

What do the late great BUTCH TRUCKS, BOB WEIR, LINDA PERRY and BILLY GIBBONS all have in common? DISREPUTABLE FEW as their backing band. We are four musicians who come together to play the music we love – Psychedelic Blues Rock. Bassist/songwriter/singer PAUL ILL lists playing bass with the Willie Dixon Family at Mr. Dixon’s Los Angeles wake and tracking live with Tina Turner in a London studio as definitive career highlights. He's toured nationally and internationally with Linda Perry, Courtney Love, Daniel Powter, Wayne Kramer (MC5), Juliette Lewis, Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones) and Bill Ward (Black Sabbath) to name a few. He's written songs with many high profile artists and his instrumental compositions grace numerous films and television shows. MARK TREMALGIA, Guitar player and Co-Lead Vocals for the Disreputable Few. Started playing guitar at age 6. Took lessons from Jim Shepley the same gentleman who Duane Allman had credited as being his teacher. The professional playing started in a band called Dox Haus Mob, who won a record deal on Dick Clarks battle of the bands! RANDY RAY MITCHELL, guitar & vocals, has played side by side with such notables as Matt Sorum, Daniel Lanois, Jackie DeShannon, Elvin Bishop, John Waits, and Keb Mo, to name just a few. He's performed and recorded with Warren Zevon, with whom he won a Grammy, as well as Donna Summer and Billy Bob Thornton. He brings not only his decades of professional music experience across a wide spectrum of genres, but the equivalent experience in music recording magic as well. Drummer, DAN POTRUCH, has been a working drummer in Los Angeles since 1986. He's worked with Jazz artists Tony Guerrero, Doug Webb, Brian Bromberg and Deron Johnson, of Miles Davis fame, as well as host of R&B and Blues artists including Guitar Shorty and Joe Houston and Kevin Moore - A.K.A.- Keb Mo. He’s performed on various film soundtracks including The Bachelorette and Anchorman II. Recently, Dan performed with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry on The Tonight Show and continues to stay very busy in and around Los Angeles and abroad. Together they are the Disreputable Few! Visit website

RA RA SUPERSTAR: A local fixture in Venice for almost two decades, RaRa Superstar is one of the most energetic and engaging visual artists on the boardwalk. He began his career in New York, where he slept under the Brooklyn Bridge with a drum and a suitcase as he birthed himself as an artist and joined the arts community worldwide. Since then, RaRa has become a true international superstar, with his signature colorful style livening up residencies in Japan, Holland, Italy, Jamaica, Africa, New York City, Miami, and elsewhere around the globe, bringing joy and inspiration to all he meets. Visit website

Audrey McNamara will be in the art show at Venice Beach Music Fest 13 - August 25, 2018. Welcome back for VBMF 13! Audrey is a hard working Venice artist who can often be found setup in Venice on the boardwalk. You can also contact her for special commissions. Visit website

Local artist William Brun now in his 80's is a utopian painter. At first glance you might see Van Gogh or Post Cubism Picasso in his works; but William art is modern surrealism, painting his figurative tarot-like figures with bordering commentaries, yet this is not message art,,,, Allegorical stories one paint brush stroke at at a time. William is confirmed to display his works in the Art Show at Venice Beach Music Fest 13 - August 25, 2018!! Visit website

Gabby Tary was born on October 23, 1941 in Budapest, Hungary. She immigrated to America after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. During her childhood in Hungary Gabby was an actress, a member, of the Hungarian National Theater for ten years. Art was her hobby, a way to escape from the darkness of post war communist Hungary. At eighteen she moved to New York City. Through the twist of fate a prominent Hollywood make-up artist, Vincent Kehoe, saw her drawing and offered to teach her makeup artistry for the film industry. And the film sets became Gabby’s Art School. Gabby Tary is a mixed-media artist living and working in Santa Monica, California. Her art is a unique style of her own, combining classic impressionism with modern expressionism. Each artwork Gabby creates is a story told in color. Her work is an eclectic collection of emotional vignettes recorded in vivid colors. Gabby’s artistic process stems from life experiences, memories of childhood, and immigrating to America. Visit website

This is the art of Violeta Moreno, a Santa Monica native who is noted for her bold use of harmonic color. Her mother was her first drawing teacher. She began to paint at age 16 and sold her first painting for $100 when she was 18. Moreno's work involves impressionistic self-portraits, flowers, geometrical mind escapes and figurative subjects centered on vivid hues and vibrant strokes. While living in North Carolina Moreno served as art curator an exhibiting artist for the Microcosm Gallery at Cosmos Cafe exhibited work at Spirit Square, the Art Institute of Charlotte. She frequently displayed her paintings in these art spaces. Moreno returning to California in 2006 she exhibited her first West Coast solo show, " Hearing Color" at the Coffee Gallery with a theme that synchronized art and music. Moreno has displays of her work in Chinatown, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. We look forward to her participating in the art show at Venice Beach Music Fest 13 on August 25, 2018! Visit website

Maria Campbell is a Rainbow on a Mission. She is a fabric artist who has been adding color to the scene for three years. She creates works of wearable, shareable marbled and tie dyed fabric. In addition, she brings the kinematic experience of creating a piece of marbled art. Kids of all ages are invited to come create a marbled piece of their own! The goal is to bring this experience to all and donations are greatly appreciated to continue to spread color throughout our world. Visit website

Rob Tobin is a California artist specializing in community participatory art. As Director of Creativity for the nonprofit A Reason To Survive (ARTS), Rob worked with schools and communities facilitating large scale mosaic murals and acted as a mentor to many young artists. Rob is also deeply involved in creating ambiance at music festivals. He guides groups of volunteers, turning lackluster tents and venues into exciting magical spaces to suit the great music created within. Rob calls his new passion Interactivational Art, taking underutilized spaces and activating them though the installation of a framework that calls upon the public to jump in and add their own special creative touch. Participants are encouraged to collaborate and enlist more players to help the happening grow and expand. Rob rejoices using reclaimed and repurposed materials in all his creations. Giving a second life to objects heading for the landfill. The freer the better. We look forward to hosting Rob and his students and encourage all the festival participants to come particpate in creating art at Venice Beach Music Fest 13!! Visit website