Monthly Archives: June 2015

Caption_Music_moves_dazzling dance partners
#musicmoves are always more fun with your best dance partner! Special thanks to @katkinggg for showing us how music moved her at last week’s Pine Leaf Boys concert at Levitt AMP Lafayette. It looks like it was a great night!

Want to see more gleeful #musicmoves? Check out our live feed and be sure to share your own photos on Twitter or Instagram for a chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card!

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

Music is moving Black Violin across the nation, as part of the 2015 Levitt National Tour. After launching the tour in Memphis, Tenn. on 6/13, Black Violin packed the lawn and rocked the crowd in Arlington, Texas this past weekend (6/20).

We’re loving all the great #musicmoves we are seeing across the country! Many thanks to @alexandriawill for sharing this awesome photo and showing us how music moved Levitt Arlington last weekend!

This week, Black Violin is heading west, where they will be giving two performances in southern California: Levitt Los Angeles (6/26) and Levitt Pasadena (6/27). So if you’re in the area, come out and join the fun! You don’t want to miss this dynamic duo.

Both shows begin at 8pm. Arrive early, at 7pm, with your violin for a free music workshop led by Black Violin and stick around for a lively post-show Q & A with the artists!

To see more #musicmoves, check out our live feed and be sure to share your own photos on Twitter or Instagram for a chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card!

MuralWe were thrilled to see local artist Eric Clausen’s community mural recently come to life at Levitt Shell Memphis—a project that literally weathered the storm. This mural contributes to the rich public art legacy of the almost 80-year old band shell, which was created through a collaboration between the City of Memphis and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936. Continue reading

Spotlight_Series_Gedeon_USEAfter energizing Levitt Shell audiences with their soulful and uplifting sound last summer, Gedeon Luke & The People are back! And this year, they’re bringing three times the joy, three times the passion and three times the soul with performances at three Levitt venues across the nation. Two weeks ago, they brought their vibrant funk to Levitt SteelStacks, and this week they’re heading to Levitt Shell in Memphis (Saturday, 6/20) and Levitt Arlington (Sunday, 6/21). Continue reading

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The dapper and dynamic Mortimer Levitt (1907-2005) was not only a generous patron and outspoken advocate for the arts—he was also a leading clothier and creator of a men’s fashion empire of made-to-measure shirts.

In honor of his impeccable sense of style, here’s to all you dapper concertgoers out there who always show up to Levitt concerts dressed to the nines!

To see more stylish #musicmoves, check out our live feed and be sure to share your own photos on Twitter or Instagram for a chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card!

Spotlight_Series_Escovedos
Last year, legendary percussionist, Pete Escovedo delighted audiences at Levitt Pavilion Pasadena when he brought one of his sons onto the stage as a surprise guest.

This Sunday, he’s opening the season with another one of his famous children: GRAMMY-nominated percussionist and pop singer-songwriter, Sheila E.

For decades now, both have blazed musical trails—Escovedo as a member of Santana and bandleader of influential Latin jazz band Azteca, as well as his own Pete Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Sheila as both a solo act and touring musician with artists like Prince, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, and Diana Ross. Together, they have been making music for almost the entirety of Sheila’s life; she began playing her father’s instruments at the age of three and made her onstage debut two years later, when he invited her to play a solo at one of his shows.

Before this Sunday’s show at Levitt Pasadena, listen to some of the Escovedos’ most memorable songs, from Sheila’s debut single written by Prince to Pete’s groundbreaking work during his long career in Latin jazz. Continue reading