Friday, August 10, 2012, 7:30 PM

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY

FREE!

The Swedish electro-soul outfit LITTLE DRAGON, fronted by the enchanting vocalist Yukimi Nagano, plays “richly textured and highly vibe-y electronic music that could soundtrack both the dance party and the chill-out room.” (Rolling Stone) After recording a handful of hits with various collaborators in the European downtempo lounge scene, Nagano formed the band and released Test, its first single, in 2006. Their self-titled, full-length debut came the next year, followed by 2009’s Machine Dreams and 2011’s Ritual Union, which along with their reputation for ecstatic live shows have led to a deeply devoted and exponentially increasing fan base—expect a packed and happy Bandshell for this one. With Brooklyn indie scene vet FRANKIE ROSE (ex. Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, and Dum Dum Girls), whose sophomore solo effort Interstellar is “a big, second-album leap of faith into deeper waters, a sparkling synth-pop record,” (Pitchfork) and special guest DJ’s VOICES OF BLACK. (CB!)

Saturday, August 11, 2012, 7:30 PM

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY

FREE!

Lyle Lovett’s wry wit and omnivorous musical palate embrace everything from country and folk to big-band swing and traditional pop, and his live performances feel “like the best kind of soul-stirring church service, full of joy, solemnity, reverence, and contemplation (Boston Globe)—a fitting way to wrap up the season. Lovett is a renaissance man who along with singing and songwriting has produced records and acted extensively (including roles in the Robert Altman films The Player, Short Cuts, Prêt-à-Porter, and Cookie’s Fortune). The Texas native has been actively touring and recording since 1980, prompting Esquire to write “The secret of Lyle Lovett’s endurance comes down to the three C’s: class, charisma and consistency.” Our closing night begins with transplanted Brooklynite AOIFE O’DONOVAN, well known as the leader of the revered bluegrass band Crooked Still and an in-demand collaborator with the likes of Chris Thile and Yo-Yo Ma. She’s here with her country-folk leaning solo project; if the style has shifted, her angelic voice is as heartbreakingly pure as ever.(CB!)

Friday. August 3, 2012, 7:00 PM

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY

FREE!

Wild Flag has risen from the ashes of a number of storied bands: it’s fronted by Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney (and recently of Portlandia fame) and Mary Timony of Helium, and includes Sleater-Kinney’s Janet Weiss and The Minders’ Rebecca Cole. The band’s eponymous debut album from last year is “a glorious reminder of rock at its most exuberant,” (Chicago Tribune) and it has been tearing up the festival circuit, and every stage it takes to really, with performances that have critics waxing nostalgic about the days when rock still rocked.

Meanwhile the resurgence of “post-punk legends” (Pitchfork) Mission Of Burma continues. With the release of its new record Unsound this July, a much-anticipated next in line to 2004’s OnOffOn, 2006’s The Obliterati, and 2009’s propulsive The Sound the Speed the Light, the band has effectively doubled the early ’80s recorded output that made it a talisman for the louder faction of the last three decades of alternative and then indie music. They’ll descend on the Bandshell with a hurricane of snarling guitars and raw power not seen in Prospect Park since Sonic Youth in 2010.

To start the night off on the right rock ‘n roll foot, everyone’s favorite East Coast rocker, Ted Leo, will be performing a solo set.

WILD FLAG has risen from the ashes of a number of storied bands: it’s fronted by Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney (and recently of Portlandia fame) and Mary Timony of Helium, and includes Sleater-Kinney’s Janet Weiss and The Minders’ Rebecca Cole. The band’s eponymous debut album from last year is “a glorious reminder of rock at its most exuberant,” (Chicago Tribune) and it has been tearing up the festival circuit, and every stage it takes to really, with performances that have critics waxing nostalgic about the days when rock still rocked.

Meanwhile the resurgence of “post-punk legends” (Pitchfork) MISSION OF BURMA continues. With the release of its new record Unsound this July, a much-anticipated next in line to 2004’s OnOffOn, 2006’s The Obliterati, and 2009’s propulsive The Sound the Speed the Light, the band has effectively doubled the early ’80s recorded output that made it a talisman for the louder faction of the last three decades of alternative and then indie music. They’ll descend on the Bandshell with a hurricane of snarling guitars and raw power not seen in Prospect Park since Sonic Youth in 2010.

To start the night off on the right rock ‘n roll foot, everyone’s favorite East Coast rocker, TED LEO, will be performing a solo set.

Friday, July 27, 2012, 7:30 PM

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY

FREE!

The Head And The Heart is a band whose “name describes its sound perfectly—lyrics and music inspired by both intellect and emotion.” (NPR) The six-piece came together in Seattle in the summer of 2009, and the speed with which it went from handing out burned copies of it’s self released debut in custom denim sleeves to selling out multi-thousand capacity venues across the country is a testament to the connection people find in its music. While everything about The Head and the Heart’s swelling vocal harmonies and driving acoustic stomps seems at the very center of the American roots revival, the “stunningly gorgeous” (LA Times) orchestral folk of LOST IN THE TREES represents the far left of the same movement. Both its 2010 debut Alone in an Empty House and this year’s stunning A Church That Fits Our Needs have mesmerized critics and fans alike with their expansive arrangements, taking listeners on sonic journeys that range from the pure melodies of American folk and pop to symphonic sound exploration. “Don’t be fooled by the lush orchestrations and friendly acoustic guitars of Lost in the Trees. There’s high drama in the band’s self-described campfire arrangements, with tales of heroes and villains and biblical-like imagery of raging fires.” (LA Times)

Saturday, July 21, 2012, 7:30 PM

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY

FREE!

A night of red hot Latin jazz with two Grammy winners. ARTURO SANDOVAL can burn through an Afro-Cuban groove, tear up a bebop tune, or soar over a Mozart concerto with equal power and grace. A protégé of the great Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval was born in Artemisa, a small town in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, in1949—just two years after Gillespie became the first musician to bring Latin influences into American Jazz. Sandoval began studying classical trumpet at the age of twelve, but quickly turned to jazz. He has since evolved into one of the world’s most acknowledged guardians of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist, and composer.

ARTURO O’FARRILL & THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA, “a remarkable New York institution” (NY Times), present a celebration of the O’Farrill family featuring O’Farrill’s sons in a tribute honoring three generations of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Latin musical heritage; Arturo, a world-renowned pianist, composer, and bandleader, is the son of legendary composer, arranger, and bandleader Chico O’Farrill. The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), led by director Arturo O’Farrill, exemplifies the best that Latin jazz culture offers: rich tradition through music and timeless appeal around the world. Performing the very best of traditional compositions in the canon of the Afro-Latin genre, the large ensemble commissions new work and leads education events under the auspices of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to the performance, education, and preservation of Afro-Latin Jazz. O’Farrill is a proud resident of Brooklyn.

Friday, July 13, 2012, 7:00 PM

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY

FREE!

CALLE 13’s groundbreaking and eclectic urban style has made this Puerto Rican band “one of the most popular and innovative in Latin music, without fitting any recognizable mold.” (NY Times) Formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar a.k.a. Residente (lead singer and songwriter) and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez a.k.a. Visitante (multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, beat producer) and their sister Ileana a.k.a. PG-13 (choirs, background vocals). They released their self-titled debut in 2005 and have since won a record nineteen Latin Grammy Awards, as well as two Grammy Awards. Calle 13 headlines our annual Latin Alternative Music Conference blowout, with which also features Chilean rapper ANA TIJOUX, “a heavyweight on the mic,” (Austin 360) and RITMO MACHINE, a collaboration between Cypress Hill percussionist Eric Bobo and mix master Latin Bitman.

CALLE 13’s groundbreaking and eclectic urban style has made this Puerto Rican band “one of the most popular and innovative in Latin music, without fitting any recognizable mold.” (NY Times) Formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar a.k.a. Residente (lead singer and songwriter) and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez a.k.a. Visitante (multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, beat producer) and their sister Ileana a.k.a. PG-13 (choirs, background vocals). They released their self-titled debut in 2005 and have since won a record nineteen Latin Grammy Awards, as well as two Grammy Awards. Calle 13 headlines our annual Latin Alternative Music Conference blowout, with which also features Chilean rapper ANA TIJOUX, “a heavyweight on the mic,” (Austin 360) and RITMO MACHINE, a collaboration between Cypress Hill percussionist Eric Bobo and mix master Latin Bitman.

Saturday,  June 30, 2012, 7:30 PM

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY

FREE!

World music superstar ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO, named one of the “World’s 100 Most Inspiring Women” by the Guardian UK, curates this very special commissioned tribute to Wangari Maathai, the late Nobel Peace Prize winner and Kenyan political, environmental and women’s rights activist. WOMEN WAGING PEACE features a concert at the Bandshell with an opening set by “world music luminary” (The New Yorker) SOMI followed by Kidjo and her band, who will be joined by special guests LAURIE ANDERSON and the great South African opera star SIBONGILE KHUMALO.

We are also happy to welcome Women for Women International, Human Rights Watch, Equality Now, Shining Hope, Family Care International, Sauti Yetu Center for African Women and Amnesty International to the Bandshell. Please stop by their booths to learn more about their organizations.(CB!)

Saturday, June 23, 2012 – 7:30 PM

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY

FREE!

Featuring Ghostface Killah, Camp Lo,  Astro and more.

Many of the greatest names in the game have passed through the legendary Lyricist Lounge, and what began 20 years ago as an open mic night in a studio apartment on the LES has become one of the most revered showcases in hip-hop. Def Jam core artist GHOSTFACE KILLAH, the most prolific record-maker in the Wu-Tang Clan pantheon, headlines this birthday celebration. Celebrate Brooklyn! and Lyricist Lounge have a history that dates back to 2006 and includes shows with KRS-ONE, a Crooklyn Dodgers reunion, Big Daddy Kane, and Raekwon—it’s always a highlight of the NYC summer in hip-hop. Check back often for lineup updates.