Virtual music festival starts this week

Grammy Award-winning San Diego singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus and rapper YG are among the 35 artists who will perform online at independent venues Oct. 16-18 as part of #SOSFEST. The three-day virtual music festival is designed to fuel support for the National Independent Venues Association’s Emergency Relief Fund and for the Save Our Stages initiative, the U.S. Senate’s stalled $10 billion relief package to help independent venues.

The specific dates and times for each pre-filmed #SOSFEST performance will be announced next week. Mraz filmed his 30minute set on Sept. 29 with two members of his band, Raining Jane, at the Belly Up. The 46-year-old Solana Beach nightclub is one of 23 independent venues and annual events producers in San Diego County that are members of the National Independent Venues Association.

NIVA was launched this year after the coronavirus pandemic brought live-music venues to a standstill across the country. Its goal, like that of next week’s event — which will air on NIVA’S Youtube channel — is to raise awareness and emergency funds.

“Our nation’s most-loved venues are fighting to hold on because they’ve had no revenue since they’ve been shuttered by the pandemic in March,” NIVA Board Treasurer and #SOSFEST Executive Producer Stephen Sternschein said in a statement.

Belly Up Entertainment President Chris Goldsmith headed up the San Diego NIVA sub-committee created to enlist the support of area members of Congress.

“Our goal is to continue to raise awareness of the dire plight of concert venues around the country, because we are affected much more substantially than most businesses,” Goldsmith said Friday. “We hope this will translate to legislation passing to help us. Government aid has been oriented toward businesses that are operating, but losing money. Venues can’t operate, because we’re closed.”