Tag Archives: Levitt AMP Lafayette

daddy dance movesWhat better way to kick off our 2016 “levitt loves” series than with some excellent daddy dance moves? 

It’s hard to say which dance partner is having more fun! And this is exactly what Levitt lawns are for—creating places where concertgoers of all ages can come together and have a blast listening to free, live music. There’s plenty more Levitt lawn fun coming your way, so stay tuned for updates about the 2016 Levitt concert season!

A special thanks to Sara Virginia Yongue for capturing this great moment from the Levitt AMP Lafayette Music Series!

Spotlight_Series_the_suffers

If you happen to be near Memphis, Tenn., this weekend, you’re in for a treat, because The Suffers—who’ve already taken Levitt lawns in Arlington, Texas and Lafayette, La. by storm this season—will be heading to Levitt Shell this Friday night! This ten-piece retro soul band hailing from Houston, Texas, will be serving up a healthy portion of what they call “Gulf Coast Soul.”

In a recent interview, Kam Franklin—the band’s fiery vocalist—explained how the group came to define their sound as “Gulf Coast Soul:” “When I think of the Gulf, I think of good food, humidity, diverse cultures, and this is all reflected in the Suffers. We come from different backgrounds, but it all comes together in our band and we create a gumbo of music. It might not make sense on paper to put a Latin percussionist with a gospel singer with a classically trained saxophonist with a jazz drummer, but for us, it works.” Continue reading

SpotlightMarcellaAndHerLovers

Growing up with GRAMMY-winning zydeco artist Terrance Simien as her father, Marcella René Simien always knew she wanted to be on stage. By the age of 14, she was performing and touring with her father’s band, appearing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Festival International de Louisiane and the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, among others. 

Marcella and Her Lovers performing at the Levitt AMP Lafayette Music Series. Photo by Sara Virginia Yongue.

Marcella and Her Lovers performing at the Levitt AMP Lafayette Music Series. Photo by Sara Virginia Yongue.

Now a professional musician in her own right, Marcella wowed audiences in her hometown of Lafayette, La., at the Levitt AMP Music Series earlier this summer. And in the coming week, she will play two more Levitt stages with her band, Marcella and Her Lovers: Levitt Shell on September 13 and the Levitt AMP Cleveland Music Series on September 16.  Continue reading

#musicmoves winner

What better way to soak up the summer than with free, live music and a dance partner who makes you smile?

Congrats to our July #musicmoves winner, @hgarci3! Thank you for sharing how music moves you! We hope that you ladies enjoyed the 2015 Levitt AMP Lafayette Music Series.

You could be our next winner! Keep sharing your Levitt concert pics on Twitter and Instagram with #musicmoves for your chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card—there will be a winner every month through October 31!

USE_Music_moves_dazzling-dance-partnersThank you to Levitt AMP Lafayette for reminding us that in times of great sorrow, we need to come together more than ever.

Last Wednesday, music filled the air and brightly colored flagslike the one young Laila holds in the picture to the leftmoved in the wind, honoring the victims of Lafayette’s recent shooting. A special thanks to @musicjunkie42 for capturing your community’s beautiful prayer flag tribute and sharing how #musicmoves and strengthens 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!

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

Levitt-AMP-Header_smallWith the first Levitt AMP Music Series launching soon, we’re thrilled to announce our new Levitt AMP website, your destination for all things Levitt AMP—from concert schedules to artist biographies to information about the unique places where each concert series will take place.

Which brings us to the topic of today’s post: place. Some people are born to a place. Others create it. The winners of the 2015 Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards fall into this second category. They are creators and activators, transforming underused sites—like a neglected horse farm in Lafayette, La., and abandoned railroad tracks in Cleveland, Miss.—into lively, music-filled community hubs as part of the inaugural Levitt AMP [Your City] Music Series. Continue reading

Drumroll please…

The votes have been tallied and the review process has come to an end. The moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived!

Today Levitt Pavilions and the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation awarded $250,000 in matching funds to 10 nonprofits serving small to mid-sized cities across America to present free outdoor concerts as part of the first-ever Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards. A new chapter of Levitt history has begun!

Continue reading