Author Archives: Katie Huang

SpotlightSeries_KarlaBonoff

Most of my music has always been personal, and that’s the thing that I think people relate to. This kind of music, the singer and songwriter style, is very personal and I think that’s why people like it.Karla Bonoff

Ever since getting her start in the 1960s at Los Angeles’ famed The Troubadour, singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff has become famous for writing songs recorded by Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt and Wynonna Judd. Also an accomplished performer in her own right, Bonoff plays a free show this Friday at Levitt Pavilion Pasadena. Learn the stories behind some of her hits!  Continue reading

A happy family of Levitteers picnics on the lawnThank you for being a Levitteer during the most exciting Levitt season yet! Over half a million people are coming together in 16 cities for 400+ free concerts and building stronger, healthier communities in the process.

Want to help even more people experience the power of free, live music? Support America’s largest free outdoor concert series today with a tax-deductible donation at http://levitt.org/donate!

SpotlightJimmyRose

Saturday night, Marine Corps veteran and America’s Got Talent finalist Jimmy Rose will take the stage at the Levitt AMP Middlesboro Music Series, playing a free show in partnership with Freedom Fest 2015. The festival, presented by nonprofit organization Veterans Serving Veterans, celebrates the service of veterans and helps spread awareness about PTSD.

Learn more about Rose before his free show! Continue reading

A couple enjoys a free show by Brothers Osborne at the Levitt AMP Denison Music Series

What’s more romantic than free, live music under the stars?

Congratulations to @nickyt11 and his fiancee, who celebrated their new engagement at last Friday’s Levitt AMP Denison show. Thanks for sharing how #musicmoves you!

Want to see more moments like these? Check out our live #musicmoves feed and share your #musicmoves on Twitter or Instagram for a chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card!

LevittPasadenaChildrensSeriesLooking for free, summer activities to do with the kids? Head to the Levitt!

In addition to all free Levitt shows being family-friendly, many Levitt sites feature children’s concerts and activities to entertain your little ones. Check out fun happenings for kids at Levitt locations across the country! Continue reading

SpotlightSeriesJudyCollinsAt 76, Judy Collins shows no signs of slowing down.

The four-time GRAMMY-nominated folk singer, best known for her versions of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides, Now” and Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” has kept busy since the 1961 release of her debut album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow. Over her 50-plus year career, she’s released 27 studio albums; collaborated with a number of legendary musicians including Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen, Don McLean and Pete Seeger; and championed such causes as suicide prevention, landmine abolition, civil and women’s rights and more.

Learn more fun facts about Collins before her free show tonight at Levitt Los Angeles! Continue reading

Dustbowl Revival

Dick Van Dyke’s still got #musicmoves!

Last month, the 89-year-old Mary Poppins star made a delightful surprise appearance in the music video for “Never Had To Go,” The Dustbowl Revival’s first single off their new album With A Lampshade On. Filmed in his Malibu home, Van Dyke’s spry footwork and infectious sense of humor helped the video go viral, landing over 2 million views on YouTube.

Van Dyke and his wife Arlene (who also appears in the video) have been longtime fans of the Venice, Ca.-based eight-piece Americana band, which features a washboard, ukulele, mandolin, fiddle and more. After meeting accidentally at a private event years ago, they continued to keep in touch, which is how Dustbowl Revival got the idea to collaborate on their newest video. Continue reading

PineLeafBoys

There’s perhaps no description more apt for the Pine Leaf Boys than their own: “Louisiana music: Worldwide.”

Over the past ten years, the band has brought their exuberant mix of Cajun, Creole and zydeco to not only 42 states across the country but also 22 countries around the world. On multiple occasions, they’ve been invited by the U.S. State Department to tour internationally as ambassadors of American music, performing in the Middle East (2009), Central Asia (2012) and Europe (2010 & 2013).

But whether they’re playing in their home state or overseas, the sound of the Pine Leaf Boys is unmistakably that of Louisiana, driven by a swinging accordion and fiddle and sung almost exclusively in traditional Cajun French.

Beloved internationally and in their hometown of Lafayette, La.—where the band was formed in 2005 and where members Drew Simon and Thomas David were born and raised—the Pine Leaf Boys perform tonight at the Park at the Horse Farm at the Levitt AMP Lafayette Music Series, bringing their neo-traditional music to a space considered one of the last undeveloped properties in Cajun country. Learn more about the band before they take the stage at 6:30 p.m. tonight! Continue reading

Salvador Santana

“Just being exposed to so much music at such a young age…music found me rather than me finding music.” —Salvador Santana

In Salvador Santana’s case, it’s all in the family.

As the son of legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and grandson of blues pioneer Saunders King and internationally celebrated violinist and mariachi bandleader Jose Santana, it’s safe to say that Salvador grew up with strong musical roots.

Learn more about the talented keyboardist and his musical family before he opens the concert season at Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles this Saturday! Continue reading

Spotlight Series: Trout Fishing in America

Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet are no strangers to Levitt stages.

As Trout Fishing in America (TFIA), the duo has performed at Levitt Arlington (2013, 2010), Levitt Shell Memphis (2011) and Levitt Westport (2011), and they’ll be adding Levitt SteelStacks to the list when they bring their family-friendly folk-rock show to the Lehigh Valley this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Get to know the band before they take the stage with some fun TFIA trivia! Continue reading