Casino del Sol hosts '80s R&B festival this weekend

Not sure what Casino del Sol was thinking when it booked 1980s R&B producer Stevie B’s “Spring Love Music Festival” on the final weekend of summer.

The title is a little optimistic when you consider the temperature at showtime Saturday, Aug. 30, could be teetering around the century mark.

Not exactly anyone’s definition of spring.

But hey, any excuse to relive the ‘80s without having to look like the ‘80s works for us.

And as far as we can tell, “Stevie B presents: Spring Love Music Festival“ at the AVA at Casino del Sol makes no mention of suggested attire.

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Stevie B (“Because I Love You (The Postman Song),” “Spring Love,” “Party Your Body,” “Dreamin’ of Love,” “I Wanna Be the One”) heads a lineup that includes Lisa Lisa of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam ( “I Wonder If I Take You Home,” “Can You Feel the Beat”), whose solo career consisted of one album, 1994’s “LL77,” and its one Top 40 single, “Skip to My Lu.” The singer, whose real name is Lisa Velez, went on to an acting career on TV.

• Freestyle and pop-dance singer-songwriter Brenda Shannon Greene, who went by the stage name Shannon, will no doubt play her best-known single, “Let the Music Play.” The song topped Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart in 1983 and her debut album the following year produced two other hits, including “Give Me Tonight,” which landed at No. 2 on the Billboard R&B charts. Between her 1984 debut and 2000, she released four albums; her last song to chart was 1985’s “Do You Wanna Get Away.”
• In her native Philippines, Maria Luisa Ramsey Kagahastian — aka Jaya — is the “Queen of Soul,” with her distinctively deep, soulful vocals. She got her start singing backup with Stevie B, who signed her to his record label as Jaya. Her debut album of freestyle dance tracks barely moved the needle on American charts but after moving home in the mid-1990s and recording in Manila, Jaya started to see her popularity climb. Over the course of recording 11 studio albums, her latest in 2019, her sound evolved from dance music to R&B/soul. Over the past 20 years, Jaya has also focused on a television career, including hosting variety shows in the Philippines.

“Spring Love Music Festival” starts at 8 p.m. at the AVA, 5655 W. Valencia Road. Tickets are $31.40-$107.40 through casinodelsol.com.