Sounds of the Experimental Latino Underground

Since 2008, Ann Blankenship has been producing Convergence — a sort of mini-festival within the Mission Creek Music & Arts Festival — whose goal is “to present experiment and progressive artists from Mexico and Latin America — artists that are really unusual and unique,” said Blankenship. For this year’s Mission Creek Fest (July 14-18), Blankenship plans to forgo the usual fest and throw a “preview party” for next year’s Convergence. “I’m trying to do a pretty ambitious festival next year,” she said, adding that she wants to conserve her energy for the bigger event next year. Specifically, Blankenship said she wants to expand the film component of Convergence: She wants to do a retrospective of Alejandro Joborowsky and screen I’m Going to Explode (Voy a Explotar) by Gerardo Naranjo and The Sentimental Engine Slayer by Omar Rodriguez Lopez (Mars Volta, At the Drive In).