Sunnyvale police let the band play on for SoFA Music Festival
“The online SoFA Music Festival ended on a strong note Sunday — with the help of some level-headed thinking by Sunnyvale public safety officers.
The fusion hip-hop band Barely Funktional planned to record its 30-minute set at Orchard Gardens Park in Sunnyvale, hours before it would stream at 8:30 p.m. The five members — mostly in face masks and spread out with several feet between them — were just getting started when they were approached by Sunnyvale public safety officers who were responding to a complaint. “We might be shut down, boys,” one band member can be heard saying on the video posted to Facebook.
Lysen To, the band’s lead singer, explained to an unidentified officer that they were recording a short set for the festival, and would be wrapped up and gone within 40 minutes. The officer said he’d been in their shoes before as he’d been in a band — it sounds like “Romance and Glory” in the recording — long ago. But good memories still lingered apparently, because after being told what kind of music the band played, he said, “Let’s hear it,” and let them finish out their set.
SoFA Music Festival organizer Fil Maresca said it was one of his favorite tales from a day when he really felt the South Bay music and art fans found a way to come together while still staying apart. “There were stories like this all day — showing the magic of live music strengthening our community — even virtually,” he said, adding that those Sunnyvale officers are welcome to SoFA Music Festival t-shirts.”
Click on the title to read the full article by The Mercury News.