‘4 the Love’ mixed-media social amps up Island nightlife

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Art by ARC Spraypaint. — Photo Courtesy of Erin Bayer Santos

Updated 12 pm, Feb. 10

Music, comedy, an art exhibit, farm-fresh food — an upcoming fundraiser has it all. The “4 the Love” mixed-media social is a benefit for MV@Nite, an art, culture, and entertainment website that will soon launch a video series on MVTV. Appropriately, the event will showcase the mixed bag of talent that they will present on the show.

“Basically the idea is to capture the essence of the Island and have a little fun,” Erin Bayer Santos, founder and director of MV@Nite, said. She launched the website two years ago. The site lists Martha’s Vineyard entertainment options, along with information about various Island musicians. It will soon expand to include other listings, as well as video content.

Since launching the site, Ms. Santos has become more and more involved in promoting the Vineyard nightlife scene. She began producing events, and eventually branched out into filming. The upcoming mixed-discipline show will be the first of what she hopes to be a series of MV@Nite-sponsored evenings.

Since October, Ms. Santos and her team have been filming and assembling segments for a new MVTV show called “MV @ Nite TV.” The show will include footage from local events as well as studio-filmed segments, including “artROCKus” and the “On the Rocks Variety Show,” which incorporates music, scripted and improv comedy, and dance and performance art, as well as the visual arts. “The whole point of this is to give people a platform for their art,” Ms. Santos said.

The artistic and production team is made up of Andy Herr, musical producer; Allie Carr, who will be doing a lot of writing and acting; and Jessica “Rabbit” Francis, professional dancer and performance artist, will act as well as conduct dance and improv interviews and doing editing.

Ms. Carr, who has performed around New York and New Jersey, will be doing a standup routine at the fundraiser. Mr. Herr, performing original compositions on guitar, will kick off the musical portion of the evening, followed by Siren and the Waves (world groove) with Melanie Chaunce on vocals, the Pickpocket All Star String Band (bluegrass and Irish music), and the Love Band, featuring Sabrina Luening and Tsunami (reggae and dance music).

Visual artists will include Michael Wooley, Rob J. Chaunce (3D drawings), Allie Carr (spray-paint art), and Alan Byron Hampshire, who will be painting live at the event. The artists are donating 10 percent of their sales to the cause.

Daniel Ochoa will be preparing gourmet tacos made with farm-fresh ingredients and homemade sangria (both will sell for $4). Mr. Ochoa has his own line of sauces and salsas, which will be included in a serve-yourself salsa bar at the event. The P.A. Club bar will be open all night.

Ms. Santos hopes to add other entertainers and artists to the lineup before Friday. She is also seeking donations for an auction that will take place during the event.

Proceeds from the evening will go toward the extensive postproduction work that needs to be completed before the MV@Nite content can go live on MVTV. “We’re editing now,” Ms. Santos said. “We’re so far into this; we need to get some funds to get it to work.”

“4 the Love” mixed-media social: Friday, Feb. 12, 7 pm to 1 am, P.A. Club, Oak Bluffs. $10 at the door. 21-plus event. For more information, visit mvatnite.com.