Summer in St. Mary's: Motown/R&B act Sound Proof returns to the park

Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News
·2 min read
Sound Proof takes the stage this Thursday at St. Mary's Park. Provided
Sound Proof takes the stage this Thursday at St. Mary's Park. Provided

The Sound Proof Band is hoping for good weather and dancing Thursday.

The Michigan-based Motown/R&B act will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday in the bandshell at St. Mary’s Park, as part of Concert in the Park series sponsored by the City of Monroe’s Parks and Recreation department.

Admission is free. Attendees should bring blankets or lawn chairs.

Cilantro's and The Meat Guys will bring food trucks. Children’s activities will be set up. Activities are sponsored by Great Start Collaborative and the Monroe Family YMCA.

Sound Proof debuted in the Concert in the Park series in 2019.

“I recall that the weather was so hot that we were concerned about the concert being canceled,” Sheila Howard, band manager, said. “The weather turned out to be great, and we had a great turnout. But I feel like we would have more (attendees) if there were not concerns about the heat.”

This year, Sound Proof is bringing a male vocalist and a female vocalist to the park, along with a keyboardist, lead guitar player, bass guitar player and a drummer.

The band plays Motown, ‘80s and R&B favorites and jazz numbers by artists like Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder and Bruno Mars.

“We’ll perform a variety of music, a little something for everyone,” Howard said. “We love it when we have people dancing.”

"Sound Proof always puts on a great show. They are a favorite to many, as they have played in some local restaurants," Amy Mason, recreation programmer for the City of Monroe’s Parks and Recreation department, said.

Sound Proof began in 2007 and has performed in Monroe since 2011. Locally, members have played Amaya’s, McGeady’s, Public House, Pipers Holiday Festival and the 11th and 16th River Raisin Jazz Festivals.

The band began by playing instrumental jazz music, but later added vocalists and expanded its range.

Sound Proof just returned to a pre-COVID concert schedule.

“Live entertainment has been slow due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, but picked back up to normal this year,” Howard said. “We haven’t performed in Monroe since the pandemic.”

For more information, visit www.soundprooflive.com or soundprooflive1 on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Motown/R&B act Sound Proof returns to St. Mary's Park