There are growing rumors that a new Latin music festival is headed downtown.
I'm hearing the start-up will be in the fall, possibly October, and could offer the kind of alternative and indie music that the Neon Desert Music Festival folks have done so well.
If true, it would join a growing list of downtown fests including NDMF, the KLAQ Downtown Street Fest, the Plaza Classic Film Festival, KidsPalooza, Chalk the Block and Alfresco! Fridays.
Stay tuned.
Speaking of NDMF, no news on when the lineup will be announced.
Last I heard, organizers were trying to lock in the last couple of acts.
The third NDMF will be May 25 downtown.
In other festival news:
• Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the "Star Wars" movies, will return to El Paso to headline the first Sun City Scifi convention April 26-28 at the airport El Paso Marriott.
Mayhew also appeared at the second El Paso Comic Con in 2011, which was a huge success. Ean Puhlman and Jeannine Puhlman, who sponsored that appearance, are putting on the sci-fi-lovers convention.
Despite problems and failures of EP Con last year and Frank 'n' Con, the Puhlmans promised in a post on their website and Facebook page to "deliver the kind of family oriented sci-fi convention El Paso can be proud of."
Also announced: Marina Sirtis, who played Deanna Troi in "Star Trek: Next Generation,"voice actor Tom Kane (Yoda in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"), Tony Amondola (Jaffa Master Bra'tac on "Stargate: SG-1"), David Yost (the Blue Ranger on "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"), Aaron Douglas (Gaylen Tyrol of "Battlestar Galactica") and Joseph Gatt (who has a role in the new "Star Trek Into Darkness" movie).
Tickets are $20 for Saturday, $20 for Sunday and $35 for a weekend pass, which includes the Friday night preview and a free autograph from Kane.
Admission is $15 GA, $30 for a weekend pass for military with ID.
Tickets are on sale at suncityscifi.com.
The preview will be from 6-9 p.m. Saturday hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m., with Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• El Paso's Souldies event promotion collective is putting together what it's calling a "post SXSW rock 'n' roll extravaganza" called the So!Sick! Fest!!!
It will feature 18 garage rock/punk/indie bands on four stages on March 18, the day after South by ends, at the Lowbrow Palace and the Black Market.
They include Acid Baby Jesus from Greece, King Automatic from France, Anomalys from Holland and two bands from Canada, Nu Sensae and Hellshovel, and two from Puerto Rico, Los Vigilantes and Las Ardillas.
There's one local band, Nalgadas, and one from Las Cruces, Far Corners, plus groups from Oakland (including Bad Vibes and Lenz), Charlotte (Paint Fumes), Nashville (Useless Eaters) and Seattle (the Spits).
Tickets are $15 for 21 and over, $20 for 18-20, on sale holdmyticket.com.
• In addition to its four-city Canadian tour later this month, Sparta has added three April shows in Europe to its growing itinerary.
The group, which recently did some recording for the belated followup to its "Threes" album, will play Canada Feb. 20-23.
The three Euro shows are the Monster Bash on April 27 in Berlin, Groezrock on April 28 in Meerhout, Belgium, and the O2 Academy Islington on April 29 in London.
• The "Stress Free Tour," featuring underground rap acts First Light, Pep Love and Opio (of Souls of Mischief), Equipto and others, comes to Frankie's East at 9 p.m. April 11.
El Paso rapper Zyme will host.
Tickets: $12 for 21 and over, $15 for 18-20, on sale at holdmyticket.com.
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