Walla Fest Opens for Norristown Arts Hill Festival, 5/4; Adds Regional Talent

As part of the multi-day Norristown Arts Hill Festival, Walla Fest returns to the Centre Theater stage with a evening of music, art and film on May 4. Walla Fest expands its horizons with a show full of regionally acclaimed bands.

The event will cost only $5.00. Doors open at 5:30 and guests will be able to peruse the art show on the first floor of the Centre Theater.

At 6pm, performers will take the Centre Theater stage. This events expands Walla Fest's musical reach, bringing bands from around the tri state area to Norristown. The program features ChildSavage, Seismic Thrust, Satellite Hearts, Resin Gypsy, and The Skins.

ChildSavage performed at the February mini Walla Fest. She returns after performances around the regions including Steel City in Phoenixville.

Satellite Hearts are a three piece band that combine both the raw, unpolished, and unapologetic sound of today, with the soul of true classic rock. They create a sound that mixes the best of classic and alternative rock and roll, with elements of soul, funk, and R&B that give them a unique resonance that is hard to find in today's music scene. Satellite Hearts headlined the January 2012 Walla Fest.

Seismic Thrust, a 3 piece psychedelic/garage/shoegaze-folk band from Philadelphia including members Zach D (guitar/voice) Tiffany H (drums/voice) and Brandon W (bass). They have been playing together since 2007.

The Skins, consisting of siblings Bayli, Reef, and Kaya Mckeithan, along with friends Daisy Spencer and Russell Chell, showing a maturity beyond their years, have released a 3-track EP. The Skins have been making a lot of noise around the NYC and Brooklyn area.

The first floor art show will feature work by Chris Heidel, Danny Markle, Molly Litchner,
Maeve Rooney, Makeba Robinson, Robert Hunt. This Walla Fest will also include films by Marcus Branch ( Yearn: A Self Portrait ) and Vi Tran.

The Centre Theater will again offer its main stage for the event. Bello, Robinson and Bui have organized the event.

The Norristown Arts Hill Festival takes place on May 5 from 10am-5pm and will feature theatre, art, music and vendors all day long. The Arts Council invited Walla Fest to open the event on Friday, extending the festival to a mulit day event.

The Centre Theater has receivEd Barrymore nominations for a number of their productions. The company has also premiered seven plays in the past two years including “The Life of John Henry,” Jeffrey Hatcher’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” and “Molumby’s Million.” The Centre’s musical theatre repertoire includes “High School Musical,” “The Sound of Music” “Man of LaMancha” and more. The Centre’s recent Independent Voices Festival presented 22 nights of theatre by 11 regional companies.

The Centre Theater is in the Montgomery County Cultural Center at 208 DeKalb Street in Norristown. The new marquee marks is location as the anchor of the Norristown Arts Hill. It is easily reached via routes 202, I-76, I-476 and Ridge Pike. There is plenty of free parking and the theater is one block from Septa’s Norristown Transit Center on the Manayunk/Norristown line.

For more information call 610-279-1013.

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