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Emerging Voices At Emerge Fest

This weekend  Emerge a new festival featuring writers, poets, artists, and musicians will open in Las Vegas.

The festival was organized by one of the originators of the Life is Beautiful festival that is held in downtown Las Vegas. 

It was supposed to be held in November but was moved after the October 1 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. 

Two people who regularly talk to KNPR's State of Nevada about everything from the Academy Awards to RuPauls' Drag Race and all the interesting stuff in between will be part of the festival.

Podcasters Emmanuel “Babelito” Ortega and Justin “Favy Fav” Favela otherwise known as  "Latinos Who Lunch" will be introducing a speaker series.

They say the curators of this festival were "very conscious about emerging voices in the Latino community."

The musicians they're excited to see include Cuco, a 19-year-old young man from California they refer to as a "sad boy," meaning he brings a moody 80s vibe to his music that reminds them of Morrisey.

From NV89 Discover Music: Cuco Is The Cariño Of Young Latinos Who Keep Dreaming

Another band the "Latinos Who Lunch" guys are excited to see is Hurray for the Riff Raff. The singer, Alynda Segarra, is originally from the Bronx.

Ortega and Favela said she brings some of her Puerto Rican musical and cultural roots to the band's new album. And while the American folk-country music background she came from isn't their "cup of tea" her inclusion at Emerge shows "that we belong in all kinds of spaces and that representation does matter."

From NPR: NPR Tiny Desk Concert: Hurray For the Riff Raff

The "Latino Who Lunch" guys are also thrilled by the festival's inclusion of queer spaces. They said it is "celebrating queerness" like they have never seen before.

Emmanuel Ortega, co-host of the podcast, "Latinos Who Lunch;"  Justin Favela, co-host of the podcast, "Latinos Who Lunch"

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Since June 2015, Fred has been a producer at KNPR's State of Nevada.