In bigger 2nd year, Hi Lites Fest highlights experimental performance, music and film

When musician Angela Saylor moved home to Charlotte — after graduating from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and teaching in South Korea — she was pleasantly surprised to find a budding experimental art scene.

“There was Recess Fest and some other festivals that I thought were doing great things, but there was an opportunity to pull in more experimental groups, different types of performances and mediums,” says Saylor, whose first event, Keepsake, was a benefit for the 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland that destroyed its community arts space.

Following a tour with a friend where Saylor was introduced to other regional experimental artists and musicians and playing Raleigh’s like-minded All Data Lost Fest (organized by Christina Cucurullo and Charles Ovett, who perform as Spookstina and Dallas Thrasher, respectively), she decided to organize the inaugural Hi Lites Fest at Goodyear Arts in 2019.

“That’s when I realized Charlotte could benefit from this kind of event and bringing light to artists that don’t get to play out a lot in Charlotte,” Saylor explains.

In its second year, Hi Lites Fest expands to three days, with the main event taking place Saturday at Goodyear Arts. Thursday’s Hi Lites First Night at Petra’s focuses on film, with the premiere of works by Tyler Baum, Krizia Maria Torres and Brett Green. On Friday, Norwegian free jazz outfit Friends & Neighbors joins Zodiac Lovers and new Charlotte outfit Cathy Music at Snug Harbor.

Saylor isn’t one of the 31 performers this year, but as someone who experiences stage fright herself, she wanted to provide a comfortable space for both artists and audiences.

“I want to present things that maybe the audience has never seen or heard before,” she says. “Afterward last year a lot of the performers emailed and said how much it meant to them and that it was cultivating the community.”

Lena Gray, who designed this year’s poster and will perform an ambient audio/visual set at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, was in the audience for the inaugural show.

“It was one of my favorite events last year,” Gray says. “It really introduced me to how diverse the scene is here in Charlotte and in North Carolina. A lot of the experimentation is something I don’t typically see at a lot of local shows. I immediately tried to get in contact with Angela.”

“The thing that stood out to me is how it didn’t feel like it was all coming from one place,” Gray explains. “The performers came from different backgrounds and perspectives. As a black trans woman, I’m hyper aware of the spaces I’m in. I didn’t feel like I was the only one there who had a similar identity as me.”

Adds Saylor: “She went from audience to performer, and that’s cool if that keeps happening.”

Saturday’s event will also include the reunion of Great Architect; a clarinet quartet aptly called Splinter Tongue; a dance performance from Sarah Ingle; Dirty Art Club; and many others.

“There’s music constantly going. We set up two stages, so it bounces back and forth,” Saylor says. “(Last year) everyone was watching the music, and people were outside talking, and performers were meeting each other and watching each other play for the first time. It just came together and created a comfortable feeling.”

Hi Lites Fest 2

When: 9 p.m. Thursday, 10 p.m. Friday, and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave., on Thursday; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St., on Friday; and Goodyear Arts, 301 Camp Road, on Saturday.

Tickets: $5 Thursday and Friday, $15 suggested donation Saturday

Details: http://bit.ly/2T3gbhp; http://bit.ly/2SH8lLE.