How do you tell someone you love them?
While you can certainly say it with flowers, chocolates, home cooked meals and more, we often find ourselves turning to one of the most romantic forms of expression of all: music. And to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’ve put together a playlist of songs about love by artists who have performed at Levitt stages across the country over the last couple of years! Continue reading
Last night, over 25 million viewers across the globe tuned in for music’s biggest night, the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the STAPLES Center. Five of the 83 gilded gramophones given out last night went home with artists who’ve performed at Levitt venues. A hearty congrats to GRAMMY-winning artists: Rosanne Cash, Mike Farris and Pentatonix. Continue reading
We’re kicking off Black History Month spotlighting one of our favorite Levitt artists, the phenomenally talented Booker T. Jones—a musician whose creativity is matched by his courage. Jones made his Memphis debut at Levitt Shell in Memphis (then known as the Overton Park Shell) in 1968 with his GRAMMY-winning group, Booker T. and the M.G.’s. According to Rolling Stone, this group, made up of two black members and two white members, “became a symbol of racial integration in the South during the civil rights years.” Booker T. Jones and the M.G.’s were awarded the prestigious GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for helping to create the sound of the 1960’s and using notes to build bridges between people.
Our hats go off to Jones, who has always used his courage and creativity to push our nation’s musical and racial boundaries. Learn more about Jones in his Meet the Artist video.
Iconic American songs like Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally,” and Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” are only two of the many songs that celebrate car culture; each sing of the thrill of hopping in your car and hitting the road. Here in Los Angeles, a city that loves its cars, we’re immersed in car culture–for better or worse. Having a car is a luxury that brings a new type of freedom and excitement…but what happens when the number of cars on the road increases while the amount of road space for those vehicles remains the same?
This brings us to the subject of today’s post: Mumbai.
Crawford Market traffic – image by Bipin Kokate, courtesy of Mid-day.com
Since Robert Redford founded it in 1978, the annual Sundance Film Festival has become a fixture in launching independent cinema. Many films have gone on to win or be nominated for awards after being screened at the famous Park City, Utah, festival—most recently, Academy Award “Best Picture” nominee Whiplash, which tells the story of a young jazz drummer and his formidable mentor.
This year, like Whiplash, a number of films and documentaries at Sundance feature music in a prominent role. We’re excited for these projects, inspired by artists like Daft Punk, Nina Simone, Nirvana and more: Continue reading
This young drummer with a contagious smile is one of the many young Angelenos who took part in our pre-concert drum circle during the 2014 Levitt National Tour, featuring Playing for Change. Who knows where this young drummer’s interaction with music might take him? Lifelong dreams are born everyday!
This week we’ve honored one of our nation’s most courageous dreamers and visionaries, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Let this post serve as a reminder that it’s never too early or too late to dream big.
Last Sunday, John Legend and Common’s collaborative work “Glory,” the soulful gospel-rap blend from the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic Selma, won the Golden Globe for “Best Original Song.” Yesterday, it also picked up an Academy Award nomination in the same category—and coincidentally, it happened to be the day that would have been King’s 86th birthday.
Legend and Common are among many artists whose music has been inspired by King’s activism, such as Stevie Wonder, Queen and U2. Continue reading
Courtesy of Andy Cross – The Denver Post
Ruby Hill Park (where Levitt Denver will open in 2016) boasts 88 acres of land, breathtaking 360 degree views of the city and, at the moment, a free snow-filled winter wonderland for urban skiers, snowboarders, inner tubers and sledders. The name of this playground for snow enthusiasts: Ruby Hill Rail Yard.
With the snow-covered Rocky Mountains right in Denver’s backyard, why is a little mid-city snow so exciting? Continue reading
Cheers to a new year and new beginnings!
We’re thrilled to bring free live music to ten additional cities in 2015! Underused public spaces across the country, like this vacant gravel lot in downtown Middlesboro, KY, will be given new life and transformed into thriving community hubs before the year comes to a close. Congrats, again, to the recipients of the first-ever Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards! We can’t wait to see your projects unfold.
All too often, high caliber art comes with a high price tag.
In this Faces of Levitt video, Ann Ward challenges us to take a hard look at arts access: “Just think, a family of four, a regular concert’s price of a ticket usually is $50 or $60. Who can afford that?”
Here at Levitt we believe that arts access isn’t a luxury, but a basic human need and a vital component of healthy communities. Studies continue to reveal the positive effects of the arts on our individual wellbeing and the cities in which we live. Shouldn’t everyone get to experience those positive effects? Continue reading