Irena Kaci
Summer is almost upon us and the time to outdoor live music is as precious as it is fleeting. The three-to-four months’ worth of sunshine and easy living is best enjoyed while listening to outdoor live music. To that end, we have taken the liberty to curate a wonderful list of options and opportunities all over Central Massachusetts for your auditory delight.
Enter The Downtown BID. The BID, which stands for the Business Improvement District, is a local nonprofit dedicated to a ‘safer and more vibrant’ city center. They have a hand in a number of downtown initiatives. I connected with Program Director Victoria Mariano to learn a bit more. “We have clean and safe-ambassadors, folks who walk around and clean the streets, help with events, and landscape beautification. Our volunteers have put out planters and baskets, they’ve engaged in public art projects, and even helped coordinate the World Cup Watch Party. “ For the past few years, the BID has also been hosting regular ‘Out To Lunch’ food truck Wednesdays intended to give folks who live and work downtown (or who simply want to come out for a stroll in that neighborhood) a summer daytime break complete with delicious food and some form of live entertainment. Mariano took some time to walk me through what’s in store for this summer.
“Our biggest live music program is the out to lunch 10 Wednesdays in a row starting June 24th through August 26th. It is a great time for everyone who’s already downtown on Wednesday afternoon. You can grab some food and listen to live music. If you don’t work or live downtown, recommend taking the day off work and come out. The music line up is incredible. I’ve been doing live music booking in Worcester since 2007, I know a lot about booking live music from the northeast. I’m super excited about this particular lineup.”
To kick things off on June 24th we have Minka: an ‘up and coming funky 80s style rock band’ from Philadelphia, PA. They play only original music created to sound exactly like it time traveled here from the 1980s, while also being technically current music. ”Think of it as Bowie, mixed with Prince and then sprinkled with some Talking Heads.”
On July 1st we have Gable Johnson III or, as he is better known, Honeycomb. Honeycomb is a performer born and raised in Massachusetts. “He’s worldly and he’s country, he’s gone from local artist to nationally touring artist in a very short window of time. He’s a producer, a beatboxer and rapper. Lately, he’s been mixing rock tones into his music and for this set he will be bringing along some additional guests. It’s going to be super fun. The beat boxing is incredible.”
If you’re a Deadhead, don’t miss out on Brown Eyed Women, an all female Grateful Dead tribute band. They’ll be in Worcester on July 8th. “They are all very talented musicians from all over the country. They do mostly regional tours, but sometimes tour nationally. They are all such impressive musicians in their own right and together they have captured a truly niche vibe. “
July 15th is more than just a regular ‘Out to Lunch’ Wednesday, because it will also be the date of our 3rd annual Disability Pride Theme Day. In honor of that theme, we have invited Flame, a cover band composed of people with disabilities, to play mixed rock covers. “We had them last year. They are incredible players. They’re based in upstate New York. We like to try to have more high energy, lower tone acoustic stuff,
there are a whole bunch of different options, but we gravitate towards them because they bring that energy to an outdoor space.”
Switching gears from pop, July 22nd will welcome Seattle’s own Polyrhythmics- a band that is known for “combining impossibly tight grooves with bold brass and hypnotic percussion that showcased elements of R&B, progressive jazz, and Afrobeat”. Featuring Adryon De Leon, Polyrhythmics will “incorporate huge brass band energy, strings, horns with r & b, and soul sounds. It’s a different style than New Orlean’s. This is a special tour as they don’t typically travel with DeLeon so it’ll be especially unique and cool.”
Bringing it back home to wrap up July, on the 29th the Worcester Common Oval will be hosting Acoustic Winos, a local classic rock tribute band. “At least one player, but probably multiple players are coming from 100 Front Street, that’s how local they are. They work right downtown and they’re super fun. They all have these serious day jobs, but this is their passion. I used to book them all the time for Bull Mansion. It’s guaranteed to be a good time.”
On August 5th Boston- based Salsa tribute band known as “Agua Fresca” will be taking a turn at making the city dance. “It’s a tribute Senora Poncia and they’re
a phenomenal and huge band that plays a variety of styles of music. The band’s lead is an award winning drummer, so you know you’re in for a good time. We expect that the entire oval will transform into a dance floor.”
If you’re a Lana Del Rey fan, you won’t want to miss August 12th’s offering of Nikki Luparelli’s Born To Die Trio. “They’ll be playing a, popular mix. Many iterations of her [Luparelli’s] talent and this is one of them. I’ve been dying to see this band. The show she’s played I haven’t been able to see them, and they don’t typically play free public events. It’s really cool. These all are high quality bands that you’d go see anyway, and you’ll get to see them for free.”
Sampling some funk and jazz is never a bad idea, so on August 19th the Worcester Common Oval will welcome the K Fingers Band, along with Ernie Floyd. “Keith Muhammad AKA K Fingers is a New England based musician, composer, producer, songwriter, and live performer. His blend of R&B, Hip-Hop,Pop, and Jazz-Funk can be heard on his solo projects, as well as collaborations with local recording artists. The band consists of producer K Fingers on keyboards, piano, and drum machines, Bobby J on soprano, and alto saxophone, and Paul Yu on lead and rhythm guitar . Their brilliant contributions can be heard on the latest K Fingers Band EP Up Next. Bass player Duane Rawls, and drummer Ernie Floyd are the newest additions to The K Fingers Band.”
Wrapping up the lineup is a collaboration with Crocodile River Music. On August 24th, Mbienie (sp? I gotta follow up with Victoria) . “Crocodile river music is partnering with us and we are bringing a truly singular sound into the city. The leader of ccr music is a great partner. They are supportive of our mission and connect us to some really unique music. With so many of our performers too, there will be intermission performers, including things like poetry, dance. To be fair, it’s mostly dance.”
But if you’re looking to branch out of the city and connect to a more country feel for your music hits, Indian Ranch is always a good option to explore. It just so happens that Indian Ranch will be turning 80 this year, so you know they’re going to do it right. I connected with Suzette Robert, President of Indian Ranch, and she was able to share some of the upcoming shows with us.
For the month of June, the shows to be on the lookout for takes place on the 7th, the 12th, the 13th and the 28th. “This is our 80th anniversary season at Indian Ranch. We will be presenting over 25 shows this summer, and the lineup cuts across all genres. Our season opens on June 7th with Little Feat as part of their “Last Farewell Tour”. Brothers Osborne will make their debut at Indian Ranch on June 12th. They are a great country act that we have been trying to get at Indian Ranch for a very long time. You might not have scored tickets to see Journey’s sold-out show at the DCU Center, but you can see Voyage (for a lot less) on June 28th. Same with Rush and their tribute act, Lotus Land, which will make their Indian Ranch debut on June 13th.”
Later in the summer, there are additional shows waiting for audience participation right on the water. “We’re also thrilled to host The Mavericks & Friends on August 22nd. The Mavericks became a fan favorite here at Indian Ranch because their music is infectious, gets people up and dancing, and they just bring so much joy. The front man, Raul Malo, passed away last year, and so these are the first shows since his death and will have a rotating cast of singers. I’m sure it will be a great celebration of Raul.”
Not to be outdone, Melissa Etheridge herself will be stepping into Central Massachusetts for a visit. “We’re also excited to have Melissa Etheridge return to Indian Ranch on August 29th – she’s such a strong and powerful performer, and it’s a real treat to have her on our stage. In addition to those shows, we have a number of nationally touring tribute acts that are popular, from Get The Led Out (Led Zeppelin tribute) to Yachtly Crew (yacht rock music) and The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA. Everyone knows the music and sings along for these shows, plus the tickets are very affordable.”
Melissa Etheridge
The options are pretty versatile and endless at Indian Ranch, so the only hurdle is securing those tickets. I asked Robert what she recommends for locking in the best rates. “Easiest way to get tickets is to go to indianranch.com. We always have to remind our attendees that this is the safest way to get the right tickets and at the face value. Our official ticketing partner is Etix. Any other outlet is a reseller so it is buyer beware!”
But once you’re out in the country, the offerings don’t just begin and end with live music. There is still so much to do out in Webster. “In addition to the concert venue, our restaurant Samuel Slater’s will be open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to closing and we are finishing up our seasonal menu. It’s a great place to dine, of course, with waterfront views, and our function hall holds comedy nights and local cover and tribute acts almost every weekend year-round. Our paddlewheel boat, the Indian Princess, is out of the water until the end of June for some routine maintenance, but once we get her back in the water, there will be all sorts of offerings from sunset cruises and the fireworks cruises to themed cruises and more. Plus we offer these great pre-concert cruises. Tour the lake and then go to the show.”
Why does everything seem so much easier and more filled with potential once the temperature rises over 50 and the sun stays out ‘till after 6pm? I don’t know, but I do know that we are on track to have a pretty rocking summer and that winter is over, if you want it.
photo by Keith Katsoulis Photography