From a 2-time Grammy winner to 'funka hop pop poet,' here are the 10 acts playing free Levitt AMP concerts at Leicht Park
GREEN BAY - Ten touring artists from across the country will play music that spans cultures and genres to bring people together this summer on Sunday afternoons at Leicht Memorial Park.
On Broadway Inc. has revealed the headliners for the new Levitt AMP Green Bay Music Series that will launch June 25 and run from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sundays for 10 consecutive weeks along the Fox River in downtown Green Bay.
The free concerts are made possible by a $90,000 Levitt AMP Grant Award secured by On Broadway and an online voting campaign. Green Bay was one of 15 cities announced last fall as new recipients of a three-year matching grant of $30,000 per year to host a music series in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
It's not the city's first Levitt AMP Grant Award. On Broadway Inc. received $25,000 in 2019 and hosted 10 concerts at Leicht Memorial Park.
Awarded through the Levitt Foundation, the concert series grants are given to nonprofits to celebrate a city’s diversity and changing demographics, bring people together through music and inject new life into an underused public space.
"Levitt concerts are critical at providing free music in outdoor public spaces that promote equity and inclusivity, and that is why we chose to partner with Levitt, because we believe it is at the core of Green Bay and at the heart of who we are," Brian Johnson, executive director of On Broadway Inc., said during Tuesday's lineup announcement at Titletown Brewing Co.
Each concert will feature an opening act and will include activities between sets, including poetry, cooking, dancing and marching band performances.
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2023 Levitt AMP Green Bay Music Series headliners
June 25: Empire Strikes Brass. The high-energy brass-funk-rock collective from Asheville, North Carolina, has opened for Billy Strings and Umphrey’s McGee, since forming in 2012.
July 2: Nancy Sanchez. Born in Mexico and emigrating to the United States with her family at age 3, Sanchez incorporates Mexican folkloric, mariachi, Latin alternative, jazz standards, pop and bossa nova in her music. She’s toured with Los Lobos and been featured at South by Southwest.
July 9: Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience. The Louisiana native, known for his soulful vocals and fiery accordion playing, has won two Grammy Awards and played in more than 45 countries.
July 16: The Rumble featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. The New Orleans group formed in 2021 continues the legacy of “Mardi Gras Indian funk” pioneered in part by Boudreaux’s father, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux of The Wild Magnolias.
July 23: Raye Zaragoza. The Indigenous singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles has made standing up for women, and particularly women of color, an ongoing thread of her political folk music. She’s also the composer of the animated children’s series “Spirit Rangers” on Netflix.
July 30: The Claudettes. The piano-powered roots-pop band from Chicago has been described as “a skewed cabaret band of blues, jazz and rockabilly … a sensibility that feels equal parts James Dean and David Lynch.”
Aug. 6: Emily Wolfe. The Austin, Texas, singer-songwriter-guitarist just wrapped up spring tour dates with The Gaslight Anthem. Her modern blues-rock sound has been called a sonic merging of PJ Harvey and Jack White.
Aug. 13: Ric Wilson. The Chicago rapper and rising star describes himself as an “electrified motivational funka hop pop poet." His musical style masterfully blends hip-hop and electronic dance with social political issues.
Aug. 20: Chatham Rabbits. North Carolina husband-and-wife roots duo Sarah and Austin McCombie simultaneously released their 2022 album, “If You See Me Riding By,” with a PBS television series in their home state called “On the Road with Chatham Rabbits.”
Aug. 27: Bumpus. The funk and soul band from Chicago is known for its upbeat, party-oriented shows and is a regular at Windy City clubs as well as on the college town circuit.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KendraMeinert.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: 10 headlining acts announced for new Levitt AMP Green Bay Music Series
