Tag Archives: Levitt AMP

Spotlight on Levitt AMP Middlesboro

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Before and after photos of the public space home to Levitt AMP Middlesboro concerts

Before and after photos of the public space home to Levitt AMP Middlesboro concerts

Once a vacant gravel lot in the middle of town surrounded by decaying infrastructure, “Performance Park” in downtown Middlesboro, Ky. is now a lush green space with a state-of-the art stage built by local volunteers through a donation. For the past five summers, it’s been home to the Levitt AMP Middlesboro Music Series, which has delivered free, live music under the stars to thousands of people in the community on Thursday nights.

Southern Avenue performing at Levitt AMP Middlesboro in 2019

Southern Avenue performing at Levitt AMP Middlesboro in 2019

Although live concerts won’t return to Levitt AMP Middlesboro until 2021 due to COVID-19, the series is bringing music to the community virtually for the first time ever tonight as part of the 2020 Levitt AMP Virtual Music Series! Featuring an all-new performance from GRAMMY-nominated Memphis blues group Southern Avenue, the show premieres at 8pm EDT / 5pm PDT. Following a thrilling show at Levitt AMP Middlesboro last summer, Southern Avenue is sure to bring a polished, energetic performance to the digital space.

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Spotlight on Levitt AMP Sheboygan

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For the past five summers, Thursday nights in the town of Sheboygan, Wis., have become synonymous with community and free, live music under the setting sun. “It’s this feel-good moment of coming together, as everyone knows that’s the night of the Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series!” says Angela Ramey of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC), the nonprofit behind Levitt AMP Sheboygan.

And so it’s fitting that tonight, Thursday June 25, marks Levitt AMP Sheboygan’s entry into the 2020 Levitt AMP Virtual Music Series with the exhilarating brass and street funk fusion of Chicago-based LowDown Brass Band, plus an opening set by Florida-based R&B soul artist CeCe Teneal. The concert, recorded live last summer during the Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series, was a natural choice for Ramey and her fellow Levitt AMP Sheboygan organizers. “It was such a joyful and uplifting night of music that was truly a shared experience between the artists and our audience,” explained Ramey. “There was something for everybody.”

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Recap: 2020 Levitt AMP Convening

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  • Grantees and Levitt Foundation staff pose for a group photo under the sun.

Last week, nonprofit leaders and arts advocates from 20 communities across the country joined us in Los Angeles for the 2020 Levitt AMP convening. A spirit of togetherness and collaboration permeated the event as this year’s cohort of Levitt AMP grantees explored the vision and values driving the Levitt AMP program through two days of conversations, presentations and interactive activities. Highlights included a powerful workshop on diversity, equity and inclusion led by an expert in the field; a brainstorming session on ways to make the concert series more eco-friendly; multiple panels where grantees shared their ideas and experiences; and a collective songwriting workshop led by GRAMMY-winning musician and activist Quetzal Flores that had everyone in the room unleashing their creativity (and singing voices!). Another impactful season of Levitt AMP concerts will be here soon, and we can’t wait to see how this incredible group of grantees will strengthen the social fabric of their communities through Levitt AMP in 2020!

Check out 3 intriguing global instruments
delighting Levitt AMP audiences this summer!

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picture4With an estimated 1,500+ instruments in existence worldwide, there’s a lot more musical variety around us than we might expect. From Sweden to West Africa to The United States, explore three fascinating instruments making an appearance at Levitt AMP sites this season. 

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Spotlight: The Foxies

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Look out for The Foxies, a four-piece alternative rock band whose shimmering, ultra-danceable indie-pop sound is guaranteed to get concertgoers on their feet tonight at Levitt AMP Earlham.

Based out of Nashville, Tenn., the group consists of charismatic front woman Julia Lauren Bullock, guitarist Jake Ohlbaum, bassist Kyle Talbot and drummer Rob Bodley. The band is based out of Nashville, Tenn., but their roots are nationwide—spanning the wide-open expanse of Arizona to the tangled urban jungle of New York City. Since the 2015 release of their first single, the sparkling yet hard-hitting “Floods”, the group has quickly gained recognition for their addictive sound. Their grungy guitars, sensual vocals and fat-bottomed beats are the perfect recipe for versatile indie music—the kind that’s just as welcome on a cross-country road trip as it is on a thumping dance floor.

Now, The Foxies are providing the soundtrack for their own nationwide tour, and they’ve already stopped at legendary music festivals like Bonnaroo, South by Southwest and Sundance. Their contagious sound has earned praise from Native Mag and Nashville’s Lightning 100 Radio, and even a spot for 2017’s “Wander In Lust” on the 63rd volume of NOW That’s What I Call Music. Their latest EP, Battery (2019), includes four tracks described by Bullock as the band’s most “raw and authentic” work to date.

Listen to The Foxie’s dreamy discography here, and if you’re in Earlham tonight, don’t miss out on their live performance at Levitt AMP!

Spotlight: Tameca Jones

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This week, we’re turning our Spotlight series to Tameca Jones, a Texas-based sensation who will be hitting the stage this Sunday (6/16) for the Levitt AMP Galva Music Series! You’ll also be able to catch Tameca next week for a Levitt AMP show in Green Bay (6/18), and later this summer at Levitt AMP sites in Springfield (7/4) and Trenton (8/8).

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Calling all music lovers: 2019 Levitt Season Dates and more!

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It’s that time of year again! Last month marked the beginning of free Levitt concerts nationwide, with a show-stopping performance by country crooner Deryl Dodd at Levitt Pavilion Arlington. This summer and fall, more than 550 free concerts will take place in 26 towns and cities across America, both at permanent Levitt venues and Levitt AMP sites.  We love seeing friends, families and neighbors of all ages and backgrounds come together on Levitt lawns to enjoy free music under the stars (many showing off their #musicmoves on our feed!). With concerts in full swing, read on to check out all the great places free Levitt concerts are taking place in 2019!

Permanent Levitt Venues

Each permanent outdoor Levitt music venue presents 50 free concerts every year and is managed, programmed and supported by a Friends of Levitt nonprofit partner, with Levitt Los Angeles run by the Foundation. This year marks the opening of the stunning Levitt Shell Sioux Falls, which launches its inaugural free summer concert series June 14! Click on a venue to see artist lineups and more!

Levitt Pavilion Arlington: May 17 – July 21; August 30 – October 20
Levitt Pavilion Dayton: May 30 – September 21
Levitt Pavilion Denver: May 24 – September 15
Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles: June 1 – September 1
Levitt Shell Memphis: May 30 – July 21; September 6 – October 14
Levitt Shell Sioux Falls: June 14 – August 10
Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks: May 24 – September 7
Levitt Pavilion Westport: June 25 – August 23

Levitt AMP Music Series

Every year the Levitt AMP Music Series takes place in small to mid-sized towns and cities, each presenting at least 10 free concerts throughout the summer or fall. Click on a venue to see artist lineups and more!

Berea, KY: July 19 – October 4
Carson City, NV: June 22 – August 24
Chattanooga, TN: August 23 – October 25
Earlham, IA: June 2 – August 11
Galva, IL: June 2 – August 4
Green Bay, WI: June 18 – August 27
Middlesboro, KY: July 18 – September 19
Ocala, FL: May 31 – August 8
Santa Fe, NM: June 8 – August 27
Sheboygan, WI: June 20 – August 22
Soldotna, AK: June 5 – August 21
Springfield, IL: May 30 – August 1
St. Johnsbury, VT: July 14 – September 22
Stevens Point, WI: June 6 – August 8
Trenton, NJ: June 27 – September 5
Utica, NY: June 24 – August 26
Whitesburg, KY: May 30 – August 8
Woonsocket, RI: June 14 – August 23

So if you haven’t already, pack your picnics and lawn blankets and get ready to enjoy a season of free, live music with friends, family and neighbors. And be sure to share your #musicmoves!

Vote Now for Levitt AMP 2019!

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Choose the Top 25 Levitt AMP Finalists!

It’s time to vote! Over 40 proposals have advanced to online voting! Help decide which towns and cities will be one step closer to receiving $25K to present their own Levitt AMP Music Series of 10 or more free concerts in 2019. Vote now through November 20 on the Levitt AMP website, and be sure to spread the word! An individual voter may vote for up to five different proposals, but can only vote for each proposal once.


Important dates to note:

  • Online public voting opened this morning and ends November 20, 2018 at 5 PM PST.
  • After public voting determines the Top 25 finalists, the Levitt Foundation will then begin the selection process and choose 15 winning Levitt AMP grant recipients.
  • Winners will be announced on December 18, 2018.

Congratulations to Middlesboro, Sheboygan and Trenton!

We’re thrilled to announce that previous Levitt AMP winners Middlesboro, KY (Middlesboro Main Street), Sheboygan, WI (John Michael Kohler Arts Center) and Trenton, NJ (Trenton Downtown Association) have each been awarded multi-year funding to present the Levitt AMP Music Series in their towns for the next three years (which is why you won’t see them listed on the voting roster this November)!

During the past four years, each nonprofit has shown tremendous impact in their communities through Levitt AMP, bringing people together of all ages and backgrounds through the power of free live music, while creating a meaningful community gathering space. We’re proud to continue our support of these inspiring communities.

What are you waiting for? Head over to levittamp.org and help get your community AMPlified!

Spotlight Series: Appalatin

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Spotlight_Series_APPLATIN

Levitt AMP concertgoers in Berea are in for a night of vibrant rhythms and dancing tonight with Kentucky’s own Appalatin! A perfect match against the rustic backdrop of the Old Artisan Village of Berea, Appalatin has been making waves in the South’s thriving folk fusion scene as well as across the United States, thanks to their unique confluence of pan-Latin genres and traditional Appalachian music––beautifully bridging the gap between these seemingly disparate styles.

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Levitt partnerships in action: When community takes center stage

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Community is at the heart of every Levitt concert—whether it’s at a permanent Levitt venue or one of 15 Levitt AMP concert sites across the country. As Friends of Levitt nonprofit partners and Levtitt AMP grantees curate an exciting roster of local, regional, national and international artists for their free concert lineups, they also develop meaningful partnerships with a range of community organizations, schools, nonprofits and affinity groups that play an important role in programming and enhancing the Levitt experience. By reflecting the vitality of the towns and cities they call home, Levitt venues become an extension of home itself.

Throughout each concert season, community partners bring their connections with Levitt to life and perform on Levitt stages! These performances have given, and continue to give, music-loving Levitteers a chance to see their respective community’s diverse cultures, history and talents reflected on stage. From local youth ensembles to vibrant dance troupes and more, read on to learn how free Levitt concerts across the country are bringing their local communities into the spotlight.

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