Listen up: Cape, Vineyard music hits some new notes this summer

Editor's note: Due to a change in the musicians' schedules, Fiesta Latina at Payomet in Wellfleet will now be one-night only, at 7 p.m. June 3.

Live music is a big part of summer and on Cape Cod and the Islands this summer there are a number of festivals and concerts, featuring a very eclectic mix of musical styles of both local musicians and big names past and present.

This Sunday, Memorial Day celebrations are highlighted by the Martha’s Vineyard SOUNDFEST in Vineyard Haven.

This year’s MV SOUNDFEST, which will take place from noon to 10 p.m. behind The Cove Golf & Grill, is “a family-friendly event featuring music, beer, food, outdoor kids’ games, and mini golf,” according to a written statement from organizers.

Food and beverages will be provided by El Gato Grande, Goldie’s Rotisserie, Chef Deon, Stoney Hill Pizza, and Mad Martha’s, among others.

But the main attraction is the music.

What musicians are featured on Martha's Vineyard?

A number of acts feature local Martha’s Vineyard bands including Johnny Hoy & The Bluefish, Dukes County Love Affair, a hip-hop, rock, blues band from West Tisbury, folksinger Darby Patterson, and the Black Brook Singers, who play and sing traditional Aquinnah Wampanoag music.

Other musicians are Exco Levi, from Jamaica and Canada, with his Reggae act, Boston-based Dwight and Nicole (Blues), and with a rather unique take on a classic band, The Grateful Dread from Stockbridge, which plays reggae/ska versions of Grateful Dead songs.

What about on Cape Cod?

Then there is more local music from Cape Cod as Nikki & the Barn Boys will be doing a record release show at The Music Room in West Yarmouth on June 1 to promote the band's first album.

Nikki and the Barn Boys is comprised of young musicians from Barnstable and Mashpee, who have been playing together in the current format since 2021.

The group is an indie rock band performing original songs based on the musicians' experiences living in a small town on Cape Cod. The band is geographically far-flung when not rehearsing or performing.

Lead guitarist Graham Hempstead is a graduate of Barnstable High School and just completed his first year of college at Eckerd College in Florida.

His younger brother Liam, the drummer, is finishing his senior year of high school at the Landmark School.

Twin Brothers, also from Barnstable, Thomas and Johnny Bresette, who play rhythm guitar and bass, respectively, attend Cape Cod Academy (Thomas) and Sturgis East for Johnny.

Nikki and the Barn Boys: 'Building the dream': Young Cape Cod musicians play local gigs, debut album with pandemic-born band

The four musicians played together as The Barn Boys in 2020, until they teamed up with lead singer Nikki (Nicole) Childs from Mashpee, who now attends Salem State College

Last summer, during school vacations, they recorded the entire first album, entitled, "Complicated Love," said Isabelle Bresette, the band's manager and older sister of Thomas and Johnny.

An all-female band plays in Provincetown

On May 27, at the town hall in Provincetown, as part of the Payomet Road Show concert series, will be a very interesting and unusual band, Lez Zeppelin. The all-female band, described in its press release as ‘the “She-incarnation of Led Zeppelin,” is a Led Zeppelin cover band.

Into June, here's what on tap on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard

And again at The Music Room, award-winning blues singer Curtis Salgado will do a record release show for his new album on Alligator Records, "Damage Control," on Thursday, June 15.

Salgado played with The Robert Cray Band and is credited with helping transform John Belushi into his "Saturday Night Live" Blues Brothers character, “Joliet” Jake Blues, according to a press release.

That’s just the beginning of a summer of diverse musical performances.

Back on Martha’s Vineyard, Jorma Kaukonen, legendary guitarist for Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna will be playing June 10 at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown as part of the Friends of Martha’s Vineyard Concert series.

Another old timer, Dave Mason, who was a founding member of Traffic, will also be part of that concert series, performing at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center on July 18.

Jakob Dylan, Bob Dylan’s son, will also be at the Performing Arts center with his band, The Wallflowers on July 29.

And folk legend, Livingston Taylor (brother of James and Kate) will be at the Old Whaling Church on Aug. 11.

Other acts in the series include: The Allman Betts Band, featuring the sons of Gregg Allman and Dickie Betts of the classic Allman Brothers Band, on July 10, Galactic, July 11, Crooked Coast, July 13, Emma Lovewell, July 25.

And there is still more on Martha’s Vineyard as Patti Smith heads up a lineup that includes Mumford and Sons, Regina Spektor and others as part of the Beach Road Weekend in Vineyard Haven, Aug. 25-27 at Veterans Memorial Park.

In Wellfleet, at Payomet, the schedule is full of a lot of different music, starting with Fiesta Latina on June 3.

Folk musician Tom Rush will play June 25; Buckwheat Zydeco, Jr, on July 3; “Folk Party” with Patty Larkin, Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky, on July 13; Delfeayo Marsalis (brother of Wynton and Branford) on Aug. 2; Cha Wa (described as “New Orleans brass band meets Mardi Gras Indian”) on Aug. 20, Start Making Sense, a Talking Heads tribute band on Aug. 26, and The Wailers (Bob Marley’s band) on Sept. 3, just to name a few.

Finally, The Melody Tent presents a wide variety of acts starting with Umphrey’s McGee on June 3, Trombone Shorty, June 8, bluesman Keb Mo on June 22, Rumours, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band on July 8, followed by Three Dog Night on July 9, The Beach Boys on Aug. 1 and Melissa Etheridge on Aug. 13 among others.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod tuning up for a summer of sound with music