Off Beat Festival rocked Reno this past weekend, bringing 50 eclectic bands to the Biggest Little City.
Much like SXSW’s music festival in Austin, Texas, a variety of shows take place in venues throughout the city over the course of the festival. It’s like a culmination of a bunch of little events into one big event. The beauty of festivals like this is that if you are interested in just one or a few performances, you can pay separately to attend those rather than paying for the entire festival.
Austin is a larger city and its venues more spread out, but going venue to venue helps one to explore new places. Off Beat takes place throughout midtown, Reno – one of the more artistic parts of town as is evident by the colorful street art displayed on buildings as you walk down the main drag of South Virginia Street.
Reno’s midtown is small, easy to navigate and incredibly walkable, contributing to that Biggest Little City vibe. Most of the scheduled shows are in the evenings and nights of Friday and Saturday, but the festival also hosts awesome block parties during the day. Not to mention the festival’s time of year – early October makes for an extremely pleasant climate that isn’t too hot or too cold and it rarely rains.
Off Beat hosts a diverse range of genres, including funk, bluegrass, folk, alternative and more. Reno’s local giants such as Mojo Green are represented as well. Mojo Green’s loyal following made the space exceedingly energetic in the Craft Wine and Beer venue Friday night, but they weren’t the only ones who rocked the stage. More Fatter was another notable performance at Craft. From the trumpeters joining the audience in the center of the venue, to practicing their twerk skills onstage, More Fatter put on a show to remember.
There were countless great performances from bands such as Mattson 2, Hillstomp, and Marty O’Reilly & The Old Soul Orchestra.
Going to Off Beat is a great way to see amazing bands you love and some new ones you’ll quickly become a fan of whilst getting to know a surprisingly cool and artsy city. It’ll be a festival you strive to attend again and again, so we will see you there next year.
— Amanda Jacobs
