Contact: Caroline Williams
(315) 404-6604
jcw28@cornell.edu
For immediate release
MAYOR PALMIERI ANNOUNCES CONCERT LINEUP FOR LEVITT AMP UTICA MUSIC SERIES
Free, family-friendly outdoor concerts to feature a wide range of musical talent
28 June 2016 – The countdown to an unforgettable season of free concerts in Utica, NY is underway! Today the Levitt AMP Utica Music Series announced an impressive lineup of artists scheduled to perform in Downtown Utica’s Oneida Square Arts District each Monday night starting at 6:00pm during July 4th to September 5th. So bring your family, friends and neighbors, along with lawn chairs or blankets, to Kopernik Park, just across from Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute on Genesee Street.
The Levitt Series is sponsored by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a private family foundation that empowers communities to transform neglected public spaces into thriving destinations through the power of free, live music. The Levitt AMP Utica Music Series, presented locally by The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, will feature 10 free, family-friendly concerts and a diverse line-up of high caliber talent - jazz, pop, indie rock, swing, funk, blues and country.
Kicking off the series on Monday, July 4th is Groove Legacy- fresh off of the Syracuse Jazz Festival. They are a seven-piece band with a sound forged out of love and respect for great American jazz, funk and soul music. Collectively, the musicians have played with a virtual who’s who of jazz, blues, soul and pop – Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Sara Bareilles, Rod Stewart and many more.
The full line up is on page two.
The public is invited to bring their own picnics, blankets and lawn chairs to the concerts, which will have an open lawn setting in Kopernik Park, 302 Genesee Street at the corner of Genesee and Eagle Streets. Admission is free. Visit http://levittamp.org/utica for a full schedule of concerts.
Last January, Utica was named one of 15 small to mid-sized towns and cities across America to win a Levitt AMP Utica Grant Award of $25K in matching funds to present a free concert series at Kopernik Park in 2016. Cornell Rust 2 Green submitted the Levitt AMP proposal and the City of Utica is presenting the concert series along with The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties. Partners include the City of Utica, Cornell Rust 2 Green (R2G) Urban Studio, DeSales Center, Midtown Utica Community Center (MUCC), The R2G Downtown Committee and Utica Monday Nite. In an effort to inspire and engage communities across the country around the power of creative placemaking, the Levitt Foundation invited communities to help choose the Top 15 Finalists through online voting. Learn more about the winners and the 150 free Levitt AMP concerts across America at http://levittamp.org
For questions, please contact Caroline Williams from Rust 2 Green
at (315) 404-6604 or email jcw28@cornell.edu
WEEK #1 Monday, July 4 2016
BAND NAME: Groove Legacy
“Contemporary Funk with an Edge”
This funkified jazz band from LA, known for its danceable music, has played alongside the likes of Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Rickie Lee Jones, Sara Bareilles, Boz Scaggs, Carrie Underwood, Rod Stewart, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Natalie Cole, Lenny Kravitz and many more. Their masterful instrumentals can be previewed at: www.groovelegacy.com
Opening Act: Kappa
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WEEK # 2 Monday, July 11, 2016
BAND NAME: Bumper Jacksons
“Hot and Sweet – Painting America’s Story”
This band will instantly bring you to your feet with the convergence of genres like swing, country, jazz and blues. They usher the classic sounds of yesterday into the 21st century with their upbeat and cross-generational take on music.
www.bumperjacksons.com
Opening Act: Dharma Burns
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WEEK #3 Monday, July 18, 2016
BAND NAME: Incendio
“Instrumental World Music”
The primary “voice” of the band is the guitar, but other instruments such as the mandolin, bouzouki, violin, Celtic harp, piano, bass, synthesizer and various ethnic percussion instruments play a huge role in the ensemble’s sound. Meaning “fire,”Incendio’s instrumentation invokes vivid imagery with their rich, yet soothing rhythms and their worldly and exotic melodies transport listeners to another place.
http://incendioband.com/
Opening Act: Rusty Doves
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WEEK #4 Monday, July 25, 2016
BAND NAME: SIRSY
“Little Band, Big Sound” (Boston Globe)
An American rock group formed in Albany NY in 2000, they play over 200 shows a year, bringing their indie rock sound to the masses. They have been special guests of such musical talents such as Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Maroon5, Train, RaRaRiot, Boys Like Girls, Third Eye Blind, Lifehouse, Blues Traveler, Cheap Trick, and many more. The edgy vocals accompanied by energetic guitar riffs are catchy, gritty and full of life.
Opening Act: The Old Main
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WEEK # 5 Monday, August 1, 2016
BAND NAME: One Red Martian
“Homegrown Prog-Psychedelic Pop Band”
One Red Martian ebbs and flows with wailing electric guitar sounds and their daring vocals, laced with falsettos, are paired with melodic keyboard and gravitational lyrics. This self-produced and homegrown (West Canada High School) indie band produces lyrically-rich songs which express their humanity and inspire positive change.
http://oneredmartian.com/
Opening Act: Girl Blue
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WEEK #6 Monday, August 8, 2016
Tumbleweed Highway
“Routed in Americana Rock-n-Roll Tradition”
From Upstate NY, but inspired by everyone from Gram Parsons to W.C. Handy, Tumbleweed Highway brings a distinctly Mississippi sound with a hearty dose of Memphis shuffle, a little boogie-woogie, blues based rock-n-roll, and a sprinkling of creole zydeco. Their songs are focused on tarnished love, barroom travails and triumphs, truckin,’ and good drinking weather.
www.tumbleweedhighway.com
Opening Act: The John Keller Band
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WEEK # 7 Monday, August 15, 2016
BAND NAME: Jane Monheit
“Timeless and Transcendent”
Jane Monheit moves and captivates audiences with her smooth and entrancing jazz vocals. Her energy and talent are foremost in the jazz industry. Her 10th CD, The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald, released on her own Emerald City Records - pays tribute to Ella while sharing a definitive portrait of her with listeners.
Opening Act: Devin Garramone and Jeff Palmer
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WEEK #8 Monday, August 22, 2016
BAND NAME: Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
“Zydeco Roots”
For over 30 years, 2-time GRAMMY award winning artist Terrance Simien, 8th generation Louisiana Creole has been shattering the myths about his indigenous Zydeco roots. Leading his Zydeco Experience band, Simien has become one of the most respected and accomplished artists in American roots music today. He and his band mates have performed over 7000 concerts, toured millions of miles to over 45 countries during their eventful career. Their music brings just the splash of color and culture on which Downtown Utica thrives. The force of his unique, creole influence is undeniable and a wonderful indulgence.
www.terrancesimien.com
Opening Act: Castle Creek
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WEEK #9: Monday, August 29, 2016
BAND NAME:The Chronicles
“#ForThe Funk of It”
The Chronicles are a 6-piece high energy band that brings together Jazz, Funk, Soul, and Hip Hop into one genre-bending sound. The group was formed in 2009 in Albany NY and their
funky bass lines, a playful horn section, soulful keys (and the vocals to match) join together for a psychedelic groove that is hard to resist.
www.thechroniclesband.com
Opening Act: Darryl Rahn
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WEEK #10: Monday, September 5, 2016
BAND NAME: Funky Blu Roots
“Barn Burnin” CD
The strong influence of blues guitar and harmonica along with the feeling that accompanies it flows so true for the Funky Blu Roots. The unabashed reality of the lyrics tells a story that will strike a chord for many. Formed in 2005, the band mixes their original songs with unique arrangements of covers by such artists as The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band, The Steve Miller Band, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, and Carlos Santana, among many others.
www.funkybluroots.com
Opening Act: The Jimmy Wolf Band
