***EMBARGOED UNTIL TUESDAY, MAY 10 AT 2:30 P.M. EASTERN***
LINEUP ANNOUNCED FOR 38TH ANNUAL BRIC CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! FESTIVAL, JUNE 8 – AUGUST 13 AT THE PROSPECT PARK BANDSHELL
Brooklyn’s Premier Outdoor Summer Festival Returns With New Name
Including Free Concerts Headlined by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Violent Femmes, Alvvays, Baaba Maal, Bombino, Femi Kuti, Red Baraat & Friends, Josh Ritter, Dr. Dog, Rachid Taha, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Gregory Porter, Angelique Kidjo, Morgan Heritage, Dr. Dog, Andra Day, The Wood Brothers and Carla Morrison
The World Premiere of The Hubble Cantata, Composed by Paola Prestini, Conducted by Julian Wachner and Featuring Nathan Gunn, Jessica Rivera, the Norwegian orchestra 1B1, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and Large-Scale Projection in Virtual Reality
Live Music with Film screenings of Triplets of Belleville, Run Lola Run and Labyrinth
Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert by Dan Zanes’ Leadbelly Project
Benefit Concerts by Tame Impala, Ray LaMontagne, Case/Lang/Veirs, Beirut, The Lumineers and Herbie Hancock
BRIC is pleased to announce the lineup for its 38th annual BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, which returns this year under a new name and will comprise 30 performances, June 8 – August 13. The programming, reflective of Brooklyn’s eclecticism and diversity, will feature a wide array of free, world-class performances in the singular environs of the Prospect Park Bandshell.
Of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, The New York Times writes, “Brooklyn’s best festival only grows stronger over the years.” When it began in 1979 as a catalyst for a burgeoning Brooklyn performing arts scene, and to bring people back into Prospect Park after years of neglect, the Festival was an early anchor in Brooklyn’s renaissance. It has since become one of the city’s foremost summer cultural attractions. Winner of the Village Voice Readers’ Poll and Critics’ Picks for “Best Free Concert Series,” the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival is New York City’s longest- running summer outdoor performance festival. Over its 37-year history, the Festival has presented more than 2,000 artists, drawing a diverse audience upwards of 200,000 each season. Gothamist named Celebrate Brooklyn! #1 on their list of “100 Reasons Why Brooklyn Lives up to the Hype.” The New York Times says, “Prospect Park….truly comes alive in summer, when the tremendous Celebrate Brooklyn festival brings dozens of free and benefit shows to its bandshell.”
Beginning June 8 with a free concert by Brooklyn soul legends Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, the 2016 Festival exemplifies the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival signature mix of music, film, dance and multimedia works,
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complemented by food and other provisions from local artisans and vendors. Of the 32 total performances being presented this season, 25 are free (with a $5 suggested contribution at the gate): 19 music concerts, three Music & Movies performance events in which live music accompanies films projected on NYC’s largest (50’ wide x 21’ high) outdoor screen, two dance performances and one mixed-media world premiere featuring virtual reality visuals accompanied by live music. The remaining seven shows are BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! benefit concerts, which offer rare opportunities to see great artists in an extraordinary outdoor setting at reasonable ticket prices while supporting the Festival’s free performances.
A highlight of the season will be the world premiere of The Hubble Cantata, composed by Paola Prestini, conducted by Julian Wacher and featuring performances by Nathan Gunn, Jessica Rivera, the Norwegian orchestra 1B1 and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. This unique and ravishingly beautiful work combines music, electronics, filmed sequences with rarely seen photographs and footage from the Hubble telescope, and sung poetic movements to transport the audience to the far reaches of the cosmos. The finale will feature a unique immersive virtual reality experience for the entire audience.
The full season lineup consists of artists from Brooklyn and around the world—across the U.S., the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and Europe. They include Baaba Maal / Lakou Mizik (June 16), Alvvays / Ducktails / Big Thief (June 23), ¡Cubanismo! / Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca (June 24), Red Baraat’s Brooklyn Mela / Sunny Jain / DJ Rekha / Heems / Bhi Bhiman & More (July 7), Rachid Taha / Krar Collective (July 15), The Wood Brothers / Aoife O’Donovan / Hiss Golden Messenger (July 16), a double bill featuring Femi Kuti and Bombino (July 22), Angelique Kidjo’s Celia Cruz Tribute (July 29), Digable Planets / Camp Lo (July 30), and Morgan Heritage / British Dependency (August 5).
Returning for the 15th consecutive year is Series Title Sponsor Bud Light, which presents the Bud Light Music Series including Violent Femmes / Kristin Hersch (June 18), Carla Morrison / Hurray For The Riff Raff / Buscabulla (July 9), Dr. Dog (August 12), and Andra Day / Son Little (August 13).
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival also welcomes back Series Title Sponsor American Express, which will present the American Express Series including Josh Ritter / Martha Redbone / Birds of Chicago (July 8), Jon Batiste and Stay Human & Friends (July 23), and Gregory Porter / Marcus Strickland & Twi-Life (July 28).
Dan Zanes’ Leadbelly Project will headline this year’s Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert on June 11, performing the music of the blues icon. Dance performances this year include Philadanco (June 25), as well as Camille A. Brown & Dancers performing an evening-length piece, Black Girl: Linguistic Play, with an opening set by Brandee Younger (July 21). Music & Movies series events include a special Bastille Day screening of Triplets of Bellville with a live score composer Benoît Charest and his 9-piece Orchestre Terrible de Belleville (July 14); the U.S. premiere of Run Lola Run with a live score by The Bays (August 4); and a screening of Labyrinth, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connolly, with an opening set by the Donny McCaslin Group, which backed Bowie on his final album Blackstar (August 10).
This summer’s benefit concerts provide support for the free performances and include two nights with Tame Impala (June 14 & 15), Ray LaMontagne (June 22), supergroup Case/Lang/Veirs (July 26), Beirut (August 2) and The Lumineers (August 3) and Herbie Hancock (August 11).
To help ease congestion and offer additional transportation solutions, first time co-sponsor Lyft will offer discounts on rides to and from the Festival. New users can get $20 off their first ride with the code BRIC16. Returning Co-Sponsors include IKEA Brooklyn, and WorldStage.
The Festival is presented in partnership with the City of New York Parks & Recreation and the Prospect Park Alliance.
Returning long-time Season Media Partners are The Village Voice, WABC-7 and WNYC 93.9 FM/820 AM.
Longtime Promotional partners on select performances include WBGO 88.3 FM and WFUV 90.7 FM.
A complete list of supporters can be found at www.BRICartsmedia.org/cb.
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Beloved Ditmas Park eatery The Farm on Adderley will again offer a menu of seasonal, carefully sourced extraordinary food; Brooklyn-based The Good Batch will operate the onsite snack bar, serving treats including handmade ice cream sandwiches, coffee ice cream floats and other goodies; and local artisans collective Etsy NY will make it possible for concertgoers to shop for a range of handmade merchandise. Lastly, Transportation Alternatives will provide valet bike parking
BRIC President Leslie Schultz said, “As one of the leading lights of New York City’s vast cultural offerings, the world-class BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival will once again deliver a summer full of outstanding free performances by extraordinary and diverse artists. We are grateful for all the support BRIC receives to keep the festival free and accessible to all New Yorkers.”
Jack Walsh, BRIC’s Vice President of Performing Arts and Executive Producer of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival said, “We are excited to announce the 38th summer season of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell—the best outdoor venue in NYC. This special season features an amazing mix of both local and global artists – across the genres of music, dance, and film – that is sure to reinforce everything you love about the festival. Come out and be inspired.”
“Providing high quality, free public programs to the diverse communities surrounding Prospect Park is an important part of our mission,” said Sue Donoghue, Prospect Park Administrator and President of the Prospect Park Alliance. “We are delighted to partner with BRIC to present Celebrate Brooklyn!, which has enjoyed nearly four decades of tremendous success.”
Friends of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival memberships for individuals and small businesses offer reserved seats, Friends Tent access with food and beverage service, and ads for businesses. The Friends Tent interior is specially designed by IKEA Brooklyn. More information is available at www.BRICartsmedia.org/cb.
BRIC CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! FESTIVAL 2016 LINEUP
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 8:00 P.M. Opening Night Concert SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS FREE
Comeback queen Sharon Jones, whose “whirl of young Tina Turner energy and powerful, expressive vintage soul vocals” (Mojo) harken back to the glory days of Stax and Motown, returns to the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival with the unstoppable Dap- Kings, the beating heart of Bushwick-based Daptone Records, hell-bent on surpassing their legendary 2010 closing night show.
Prior to the free concert, BRIC will host the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Opening Night Gala, proudly honoring independent music and film entrepreneur Peter Shapiro. Pete is known for such celebrated endeavors as Brooklyn Bowl (Brooklyn, Las Vegas and London), The Capitol Theatre, Wetlands Preserve, the U2 3D film and the Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well concerts in Chicago’s Soldier Field. Pete is also founder of Lockn’, a 4-day camping and music festival in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as Jazz & Colors, an experiential music event encompassing the 843 acres of Central Park. Pete is a longtime supporter of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, and his commitment to the New York City music community is an inspiration.
Following the concert, at 10:00 P.M., gala guests and Friends of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival (i.e., members) are invited to the Opening Night After-Party featuring a celebrity guest DJ to be announced.
SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 4:00 P.M. Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert DAN ZANES’ LEAD BELLY PROJECT | TADA! YOUTH THEATER FREE
Dan Zanes delves into American and global roots traditions to create some of the most engaging and fun family music ever
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recorded. His forthcoming Smithsonian Folkways album celebrates the blues icon Lead Belly; Zanes takes to the Bandshell with Ashley Phillips and a gaggle of other friends for a special live sneak peek. The show honors the centennial of the birth of trailblazing author (and Brooklynite) Ezra Jack Keats, who introduced characters of color to mainstream children’s literature. The festivities begin with the delightful Tada! Youth Theater performing one of Keats’ most beloved stories.
THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 7:30 P.M. BAABA MAAL | LAKOU MIZIK FREE
The singular Senegalese singer-guitarist-percussionist Baaba Maal “has a gift, nearly unparalleled in all of popular music, for creating at once soaring and vulnerable melodies” (NPR). Maal has become one of Africa’s greatest musical exports by fusing a range of styles into something completely original; his 2016 record The Traveller continues down this restless path. Lakou Mizik, a rousing collective of Haitian musicians formed after the devastating 2010 earthquake, offers “a joyous antidote to Haiti’s hard times. (The Guardian).
SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 7:30 P.M. Bud Light Music Series VIOLENT FEMMES | KRISTIN HERSCH FREE
The first new album in fifteen years from Milwaukee-based acoustic punk originals Violent Femmes, We Can Do Anything, finds frontman Gordon Gano’s seething angst and rueful humor undiminished. The record pulses with “the playful quirkiness, infectious beats and jittery observations of the band's earliest work” (NPR Music). Kristin Hersch’s trenchant explorations of “rage, aggression and mental chaos” (The New York Times) with Throwing Muses helped define American alt rock in the ‘90s. Now the author of six books, she remains a ferociously intense presence onstage.
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 7:00 P.M. Presented in Association with The Village Voice ALVVAYS | DUCKTAILS | BIG THIEF FREE
Alvvays, an enchanting fuzz-pop quintet from Toronto, “creates the sound of pristine pop music blasted through cheap, blown-out headphones…you sense both the sadness and the liberation of knowing that nothing lasts forever” (Pitchfork). Matt Mondanile’s Ducktails “approximates the gentle comfort of a Sunday afternoon” (Spin) with a breezy approach reminiscent of his other band, Real Estate. Brooklyn’s own Big Thief, “everything you could possibly want from modern folk-tinged rock and more” (Vice), rounds out the bill.
FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 7:30 P.M. ¡CUBANISMO! | RICARDO LEMVO & MAKINA LOCA FREE
Led by trumpeter Jesús Alémañy, a prodigy who joined Havana’s great son group Sierra Maestra at 15, the sizzling dance band ¡CUBANISMO! approaches Cuban music with both a reverence for tradition and an outward-reaching flare, punctuating every performance with a “rhythmic kick and a sense of adventure” (AllMusic). The Congo-born, LA-based singer and bandleader Ricardo Lemvo plays “a blend of Cuban and Central African traditions that is seamless and organic—and infectious. (Los Angeles Times).
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 8:00 P.M. PHILADANCO FREE
The trailblazing choreographer Joan Myers Brown, who founded her extraordinary company Philadanco in 1970, has been engaged in shattering barriers for African Americans in contemporary dance nearly her whole life. This program will feature work by Thang Dao, Ronald K. Brown and Abdel Salaam that originally premiered in James Brown: Get on the Good Foot, a Celebration in Dance, along with a piece by Christopher Huggins and a New York premiere.
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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 7:30 P.M. RED BARAAT’S BROOKLYN MELA, co-curated by SUNNY JAIN | with DJ REKHA | HEEMS | BHI BHIMAN & MORE FREE
The fiery dhol player and frontman Sunny Jain gathers up his friends and fellow musical travelers for a night of contemporary South Asian culture. DJ Rekha takes to the turntables to set the mood, followed by a full set of music from Karsh Kale Soundsystem. Rekha returns with Ajna dancers and then Jain’s band Red Baraat, which “plays rollicking funk music steeped in Northern India's wedding celebrations, with a dash of D.C. go-go beats and hip-hop” (NPR), arrives for a Prospect Park-shaking closing set featuring guest appearances by the MC Heems (of Das Racist), Bhi Bhiman, Falu, and other surprises.
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 7:00 P.M. American Express Series JOSH RITTER | MARTHA REDBONE | BIRDS OF CHICAGO FREE
Ten years ago Paste Magazine put Josh Ritter on its 100 Greatest Living Songwriters list, and the honor was well deserved. His incisive narratives and warm delivery make him one of the finest storytellers in music. Exceptional writing abounds on this triple bill: the soulful vocalist Martha Redbone adapts William Blake’s poetry in her new project The Garden of Love, and Birds of Chicago, led by husband and wife JT Nero and Allison Russell, reflect on “the intense, freewheeling, all-too-fleeting attachments of youth” (NPR) with wistful, meditative lyrics and luminous harmonies.
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 7:00 P.M. Bud Light Music Series BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival & LAMC Present CARLA MORRISON | HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF | BUSCABULLA FREE
LAMC returns to the Bandshell with a bang with Mexico City’s Carla Morrison, whose voice “has the desperate grandeur associated with Robert Smith or Björk…(she’s) a doomed, spectral torch singer, incandescent with longing, desire, and grief” (New Yorker). The bluesy Americana of Hurray for the Riff Raff, led by Puerto Rican-American singer Alynda Lee Segarra, “sweeps across eras and genres with grace and grit” (NPR); Brooklyn’s own Buscabulla rounds out this diverse showcase with a set of electro-psych pop. Presented in association with the Latin Alternative Music Conference.
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 8:00 P.M. Music & Movies TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE | JESSICA FICHOT FREE
The unclassifiable Oscar-nominated (Best Animated Feature, Best Song) film—a fantastical caper involving the Tour de France and the French Mafia—becomes a wild spectacle featuring dancing, singing, foley sound effects, and the original hot swing score performed live by its composer Benoît Charest and his 9-piece Orchestre Terrible de Belleville band. With the Paris-raised singer- songwriter Jessica Fichot, whose “sound is cosmic cabaret, a delicious blend of acoustic styles delivered with syncopated verve” (San Francisco Chronicle).
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 7:30 P.M. RACHID TAHA | KRAR COLLECTIVE FREE
Algerian rock and raï god Rachid Taha’s music embraces “heart-stopping break beats, flamenco guitar, African choruses, crunching hard rock and the inevitable sappy love song” (Japan Times)—every show seems to be a party the whole world is invited to. The colorful feast of mind-blowing grooves served up by Krar Collective have earned them the nickname “The Ethiopian White Stripes.”
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SATURDAY, JULY 16, 7:00 P.M. THE WOOD BROTHERS | AOIFE O’DONOVAN | HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER FREE
A night of sublime harmonies and extraordinary musicianship, headlined by “masters of soulful folk” (Paste) The Wood Brothers and featuring Aoife O’Donovan, whose latest record The Magic Hour “evokes the reverberant chamber pop obsessions of Grizzly Bear and the lush austerity of Alison Krauss” (The New York Times). The shape-shifting M.C. Taylor, a.k.a. Hiss Golden Messenger, a musician with a voice that’s “craggy and wounded, but it soars in his broken sort of way” (Stereogum), kicks it off with a solo set.
THURSDAY, JULY 21, 7:30 P.M. CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS: BLACK GIRL: LINGUISTIC PLAY | BRANDEE YOUNGER FREE
The propulsive, explosively intelligent choreographer Camille A. Brown creates work that is both viscerally and intellectually exciting. Her evening-length piece Black Girl: Linguistic Play explores black female identity through a series of dances “so elastic, so intricate that the sense of cadence and rhythm is as visual an experience as it is an aural one” (The New York Times). The evening begins with a set by the remarkable Brandee Younger, “a harpist of rare prominence in jazz, building on an African- American legacy largely defined by Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane” (The New York Times).
FRIDAY, JULY 22, 7:30 P.M. FEMI KUTI | BOMBINO FREE
Femi Kuti, eldest son of Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, began his career playing in his father’s band Egypt 80, but founded his own group Positive Force in 1986 and has never looked back. Though he has forged his own path and become a world music icon in his own right, “the baton is definitely in his hand” (Questlove). He’s here with the Taureg guitar wizard Bombino, “whose pyrotechnic virtuosity in expressing tichumaren (desert blues) has been compared to that of Jimi Hendrix” (NPR).
SATURDAY, JULY 23, 7:30 P.M. American Express Series JON BATISTE AND STAY HUMAN & FRIENDS FREE
“A gifted musician with boundless artistic ambition” (Mix), Louisiana native Jon Batiste is equally at home in the roll of Stephen Colbert’s “crowd-thrilling rebel bandleader” (Rolling Stone) as leading one of his signature impromptu “love riot” street parades, as fluent in hip-hop and funk as in the great NoLA piano tradition he comes from. He curates this evening start to finish; expect an unexpected collection of special guests rotating in and out, with Batiste’s stellar band Stay Human at the center.
THURSDAY, JULY 28, 7:30 P.M. American Express Series GREGORY PORTER | MARCUS STRICKLAND & TWI-LIFE FREE
The Brooklyn based singer Gregory Porter showcases “outstanding original songs, erudite lyrics and social comment, top drawer musicianship and improvisation, and a voice to die for” (Jazz Wise)—qualities that led L’Express to call him “the next great voice in jazz.” Multi-reedist, beat-maker and BRIC JazzFest alum Marcus Strickland and his outstanding band Twi-Life, whose recent Blue Note/Revive debut Nihil Novi was produced by Meshell Ndegeocello, sets the tone.
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 7:30 P.M. ANGELIQUE KIDJO’S CELIA CRUZ TRIBUTE WITH PEDRITO MARTINEZ FREE
The Beninoise superstar and Brooklynite Angelique Kidjo, “Africa’s premier diva” (Time Magazine), dives headlong into the music of the Queen of Salsa in this unforgettable event, which features guest musicians like the outstanding Cuban percussionist
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Pedrito Martinez. “The power of Kidjo’s unflappable voice, the range of her emotional expression, the stellar, genre-bending musicians who back her, and the infectious, activist energy that courses through her songs all transcend any native tongue” (NPR).
SATURDAY, JULY 30, 7:30 P.M. DIGABLE PLANETS | CAMP LO FREE
Along with A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets did more to connect hip-hop with jazz—and put forward a positive, cerebral form of the genre—than any other group; their 1990s masterpieces Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) and Blowout Comb remain two of rap’s greatest and most original records. Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving have reunited, and are backed here by a full band. The classic Bronx duo Camp Lo have the opening honors.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 7:30 P.M. Music & Movies RUN LOLA RUN WITH LIVE SCORE BY THE BAYS (U.S. Premiere) | 2001 FREE
Mysterious London trio The Bays neither rehearse nor record. Their exhilarating improvised live score to Tom Twyker’s 1998 cult film Run Lola Run, in which Lola has 10 minutes to come up with 100,000 marks to save her hapless boyfriend from gangsters, careens between hip hop, drum ‘n’ bass and ambient grooves. It has only been performed a handful of times since it debuted at the Brighton Festival in 2007; this is the US premiere. 2001, Joan Wasser’s sultry experimental pop project with fellow Brooklynite Benjamin Lazar Davis, is loosely inspired by Pygmy musical patterns and sounds like a collection of Prince B-sides: “addictive looped guitar, complex rhythms and striking vocals” (The Line of Best Fit).
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 7:30 P.M. MORGAN HERITAGE | BRITISH DEPENDENCY FREE
Originally formed by the children of reggae legend Denroy Morgan, Morgan Heritage “has inherited the legacy of his influential music” (Billboard); their 2015 record Strictly Roots, which featured Shaggy, J Boog, Chronixx, and members of SOJA, won them a long overdue GRAMMY for Best Reggae Album. A trio from Anguilla with global ambitions, British Dependency’s smooth blend of roots reggae with rock and soul earned them a spot touring with The Wailers last year.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 7:30 P.M. THE HUBBLE CANTATA (World Premiere) | TIGUE FREE
This unique and ravishingly beautiful work combines music, electronics, filmed sequences with rarely seen photographs and footage from the Hubble telescope, and sung poetic movements to transport the audience to the far reaches of the cosmos. A section of the piece is designed to be viewed in virtual reality–6,000 VR headsets will be on hand for audience members. Composed by Paola Prestini with film by Eliza McNitt and a libretto by Royce Vavrek, The Hubble Cantata is conducted by Julian Wachner and features performances by Nathan Gunn, Jessica Rivera, the Norwegian orchestra 1B1 and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. The innovative trio Tigue opens: half new music ensemble, half art-rock band, they unite a homegrown ethos and conservatory precision to create something magical. Produced by VisionIntoArt & National Sawdust. Virtual Reality by Virtualize.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 7:30 P.M. Music & Movies LABYRINTH | DONNY McCASLIN GROUP FREE
The Thin White Duke plays the Goblin King in Jim Henson’s weird and wonderful puppet/live action fantasy Labyrinth, which also stars a very young Jennifer Connolly and features David Bowie’s music throughout. Donny McCaslin Group, which backed Bowie on Blackstar, the extraordinary record he released days before his passing,
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starts the evening off with a set of originals and possibly a few covers.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 7:30 P.M. Bud Light Music Series DR. DOG FREE
Dr. Dog’s mix of crunching psychedelic fuzz, Beach Boys-esque harmonies, and shimmery pop hooks have made them both one of the most accessible and most beguiling rock bands of the last decade—their “sun-drenched, feel-good vibe belies songs as full of personal conviction” (Paste). Given the Bandshell as a blank slate for the night, they’ve brought in and orchestra and choir to blow out the sound of their own catalogue to previously unexplored emotional frequencies.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 7:30 P.M. Bud Light Music Series ANDRA DAY | SON LITTLE FREE
Our 38th season comes to a mighty close with the R&B diva Andra Day, a superstar in the making who sings with “Eartha Kitt's unflappable confidence, Amy Winehouse's effortless grasp of classic jazz, Billie Holiday's access to raw emotion and Adele's range and pop sensibility” (NPR). The night begins with Son Little, a Philadelphia bluesman/nu-soul innovator who “doesn't strive to reproduce his influences; he recombines them into something new” (NPR).
About BRIC and the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. The organization presents and incubates work by artists and media-makers that reflects the diversity of New York. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.
BRIC’s main venue, BRIC Arts | Media House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio and artist work spaces.
Some of BRIC’s most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park, several path-breaking public access media initiatives, including the newly renamed BRIC TV, and a renowned contemporary art exhibition series. BRIC also offers education and other vital programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.
In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences.
BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables BRIC to most effectively reflect New York City’s innate cultural richness and diversity.
The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival is BRIC’s flagship performing arts program. The festival’s Executive Producer is Jack Walsh. Its Artistic Director is Rachel Chanoff. Leslie Schultz is the President of BRIC.
About Prospect Park Alliance
The Prospect Park Alliance is a non-profit organization that sustains, restores and advances Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s flagship park, working in partnership with the City of New York. The Alliance cares for the natural environment, restores historic design, and provides public programs and amenities for the Park, which receives more than 10 million visits each year. For more information, please visit www.prospectpark.org.
For more festival information, please visit www.BRICartsmedia.org.
Press Contacts: Blake Zidell and Ron Gaskill at Blake Zidell & Associates: 718.643.9052, [email protected] and [email protected].
323 DEAN STREET, #2 BROOKLYN, NY 11217 p 718.643.9052 www.blakezidell.com