South Padre International Music Festival (also known as SPI Music Fest) is an annual 3-day music festival held on South Padre Island, Texas. The event features international and national artists, encompassing a wide range of musical genres including country, funk, reggae, rock, indie, Latin rock, ska and jazz. 2007 marked the inaugural year of SPI Music Fest with almost 10,000 visitors throughout the weekend. The festival producer is GamePlan Marketing & Events, a strategic marketing and advertising agency located in Austin, Texas.."Work Page". www.gpexperience.com. Accessed November 4, 2008
The festival is set in a tropical atmosphere with temperatures averaging high 70s in late October and early November."http://weather.com" Accessed March 26, 2008
History When The South Padre Convention and Visitors Bureau had a goal to attract visitors during the fall off-season, it held a bidding for a music festival. GamePlan Marketing & Events was selected and began the process of producing a music festival that would help South Padre be a cultural entertainment destination, attracting worldwide tourism. Early visions for a music festival included concerts on the sand flats north of the South Padre Island Convention Centre. However, the producer and CVB agreed they wanted to put the concerts near the businesses to better help the local economy.Brownsville Herald. "Island Destination" Phillips, Carl. November 2, 2007 November 2–4, 2007 marked the inaugural SPI Music Fest. The 2008 date for SPI Music Fest will occur on October 31-November 2.
2008 lineup
Willie Nelson Foghat Los Lonely Boys Blue Öyster Cult Ghostland Observatory Steel Pulse Alejandro Escovedo Del Castillo Grupo Fantasma Fastball Sara Hickman Vallejo Airline meridianwest Nakia and his Southern Cousins Pelican West The Last Vegas Ginger Leigh Twanguero Bongodogs Stewart Mann & the Statesboro Revue James Speer Big Burn Brownout Phillip Thomas Kellogg Suzanna Choffel Eric Hanke Bree Stevens
More to come… for updated lineup
2007 lineup More than 60 bands in 14 venues were officially involvedCoastal Current Weekly. "Music Festival washes over SPI". November 2, 2007 in the 2007 South Padre International Music Festival. Musical acts included:
Jaguares Robert Earl Keen Robert Randolph & the Family Band Reckless Kelly Plastilina Mosh Grupo Fantasma Los Amigos Invisibles Dirty Dozen Brass Band Jumbo Patrice Pike Mike Doughty Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Suzanna Choffel Jumbo Meridian West Boombox Big Burn Kathleen Braun Hope for the Stars Gerry's Kids Pelican West Band Stewart Mann Frontera Jazz Quartet Haydn Vitera Joy Davis Eric Hanke Third Coast Peoples Army Bongodogs Twanguero! Leslie Blasing Wesley Cox On the Roadside Allstars Honeybrowne Rabanes Bombasta Papa Mali Jesus War Danny Schmidt Ideophonic Brownout Carrie Elkin Two Tons of Steel The Authors Green Mountain Grass Amy Atchley Espina Billy Harvey Airline Homer Hiccolm & the Rocketboys Eidman Hall Nakia and his Southern Cousins Amy Cook Ruby James Pilaseca Miser Stereo Kitsch Slim Richey Jitterbug Vipers Leonhardt The Throwbacks The Gospel Silverstones Moving Matter DJ Gmau Philip Thomas Kellogg
Weather The average temperature for South Padre Island during the last week of October and the first week of November is 80' (average high) and 66' (average low).http://weather.msn.com . South Padre Island. Accessed April 2, 2008.
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