Levitt AMP Berea 2019
Who is playing this summer in Berea? Check it out!
JULY 19: HO ETSU TAIKO
Ho Etsu Taiko is a collective of musicians with a fresh take on the art of Japanese drumming. Through our music we attempt to blend the deep-rooted culture of Japanese-American taiko with influences that inspire and celebrate the diversity of our performing members. Our mission is to spread joy through each and every drumbeat by creating music that is true to who we are.
This event is presented in partnership with the Madison County International Committee and with support from the Japan Foundation, New York Grant for Arts & Culture. |
JULY 26: THE SOPHIA GOODMAN GROUP
The Sofia Goodman Group is a jazz fusion group, led by drummer and composer Sofia Goodman, based in Nashville, TN, U.S.A. Sofia had the honor of performing with Esperanza Spalding in Boston in 2005 and Esperanza’s encouragement motivated Sofia to keep perfecting her craft. Radio host “Wildman” Steve Bronson had this to say after their performance at Alex City Jazz Fest: “The surprise of the night was The Sofia Goodman Group. Excellent band, jazz-fusion fun!” They have performed at festivals like The Alex City Jazz Fest, USM Jazz and Blues Fest, Fort Harrod Jazz Fest, West Georgia Jazz Fest, and Jazz on the Point. In 2018, they released their debut album “Myriad of Flowers” comprised of all original compositions and it has been streamed worldwide.
Supporting Artist: The New Developments |
AUGUST 2: SINGING BIRD MUSIC SCHOOL TEACHING ARTISTS
The second annual Singing Bird Music School happens July 31 - Aug 2, 2019. Musicians of all experience levels (age 10 and up) are welcome to participate in three days of hands-on classes in old time fiddle, clawhammer banjo, bluegrass banjo, guitar, flatfoot dancing, and singing led by exceptional teaching artists. The Singing Bird Music School is presented by the Berea Tourism's Festival of Learnshops and supported in part by the Outreach Fund of the Country Dance and Song Society.
Master Artists: Lewis Lamb and The Ritchie Nieces Teaching Artists: Pam Gadd, Sam Gleaves, Carla Gover, John Harrod, Greg Ives, Donna Lamb, Cari Norris, Lucian Parker, Mike Parks, Deborah Payne. Supporting Artists: Singing Bird Music School Students |
AUGUST 9: OLIVIA MAINVILLE & THE AQUATIC TROUPE
Of her own volition, Grand Rapids-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Olivia Mainville dove headfirst into the world of music as early as the fifth grade, when she had begun playing viola and upright bass in orchestra. Following her first Wheatland Festival in 2012, Mainville fell in love with the idea of performing her own songs on stage, which eventually inspired her 2014 gypsy swing and baroque pop debut EP, Full Steam Ahead featuring members of The Accidentals.
Since the release of her first solo output, Olivia has forged a unique path, becoming known alongside her band, the Aquatic Troupe, for their energized, dynamic performances and their |
gargantuan musical talent. Olivia Mainville & the Aquatic Troupe’s debut album, Maybe the Saddest Thing, released on December 10th, 2015 with a special guest appearance by none other than David Bowie’s bandleader and lead guitarist, Gerry Leonard —their multifarious, enthusiastic delivery is sure to be a hit with listeners everywhere.
Supporting Artist: RAINBOW STAR
Supporting Artist: RAINBOW STAR
AUGUST 23: CHRIS AND JENN SHOUSE
Husband and wife songwriting team of Chris and Jenn Shouse play a variety of songs written from their past lives and present life of living in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Their songs are deep, melodic, Kentucky based Americana music that
involve a variety of instruments including Chris on mandolin, Jenn on guitar, Cody Dugger on banjo, and Owen Reynolds on upright bass. Forming in 2016, Chris dropped his guitar and picked up mandolin to play behind his wife, Jenn's soothing voice and bone chilling lyrics. The debut album “Gray Space” was released June 2018 with 12 original songs, since then the couple has continue to hone their musical repertoire with more original songs and unique covers. Supporting Artist: Sparrow Hawks |
AUGUST 30: ANGELA PERLEY
“Marked by Perley’s sultry, twangy vocals and guitarist Chris Connor’s electric-fuzz wizardry, the Howlin’ Moons create an enduring classic-rock sound that is appropriately road-weary, far from trendy, and still building steam.” -Kyle Harris, Westword
Formed in Columbus, Ohio, in 2009, Angela Perley & The Howlin’ Moons radiate with electric guitars, swooning vocals, and songs that split the difference between rock & roll, Americana, and dreamy psychedelia. The Midwestern four-piece comprised of Angela Perley (vocals, electric guitar and sometimes musical saw), Chris Connor (lead guitar), Billy Zehnal (bass) and a rotating team of drummers for live shows, have released five EPs and two full length albums. Performing over 100 shows a year since 2014, the band has built a slow and steady grass-roots |
following among critics, radio DJ’s and fans. Perley is currently working on her third studio album which is estimated to be
released sometime in 2019.
Supporting Artist: Anything But Sue
released sometime in 2019.
Supporting Artist: Anything But Sue
SEPTEMBER 6: LA MISA NEGRA
La Misa Negra is a 7-piece band from Oakland, California, known for their unique blend of heavyweight cumbia and high-energy, Afro-Latin music. On stage, they deliver an electrifying performance that explodes with infectious dance grooves and punk rock energy, powered by horn and accordion-driven riffs, a fierce rhythm section, and a vintage-inspired sound.
On the strength of their wild and one-of-a-kind shows, they have gained a reputation as one of the most exciting live bands to emerge from the Bay Area in recent years, garnering a diverse fan base that transcends musical, cultural, and generational divides. Channeling Colombia’s Golden Age, they dive into retro-future cumbia, with tracks like “Me Voy Pa’ Porce” and “Acosadora,” and tap deep into their Afro-Colombian influences by incorporating traditional styles, such as currulao and tambora. They showcase their love for Latin jazz on the monster Salsa tune, “Pistola,” and their hyper-speed reimagining of the Cuban classic, “Yayabo.” They also allude to their non-Latin influences, with instrumental tracks and samples that pay homage to Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, and Wu-Tang Clan. Finding common ground between their heavy metal leanings |
and mambo-inspired horn lines, La Misa Negra’s arrangements serve as the perfect delivery mechanism for both their humorous storytelling and exploration of heavier subject matter, like gun violence, water scarcity, and gender inequality.
Supporting Artist: Mariachi Aguilas de Oro
Supporting Artist: Mariachi Aguilas de Oro
SEPTEMBER 13: REV SEKOU
Rev. Osagyefo (oh-sah-GG-fo) Uhuru (ooh-WHO-roo) Sekou (SAY-koo). Noted activist, theologian, author, documentary filmmaker, and musician, Reverend Osagyefo Sekou was born in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in the rural Arkansas Delta. Rev. Sekou's music is an unique combination of North Mississippi Hill Country Music, Arkansas Delta Blues, Memphis Soul and Pentecostal steel guitar. In May 2017, he released "In Times Like These” produced the six-time Grammy nominated North Mississippi Allstars. AFROPUNK heralded the ”deep bone-marrow-level conviction” of his first album, “The Revolution Has Come”. The single, “We Comin'”--was named the new anthem for the modern Civil Rights movement by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A consummate entertainer, Paste Studio celebrated his barn-burning performance saying: "Rev. Sekou delivers the spiritual performance we need now."
Supporting Artist: Jack Herranen & the Little Red Band |
SEPTEMBER 27: 1200
Jecorey "1200" Arthur is an award-winning music educator, composer, percussionist, hip hop artist, and community organizer from the West End of Louisville, KY. He earned the nickname “1200” after teaching himself how to use a KORG D-1200 digital recording studio at age 12, and a decade later earned his B.M.E. and M.A.T. in Music Education at the University of Louisville. As an educator he has taught music to more than 150,000 students around the world, all-ages, in public schools, community centers, colleges, universities, and beyond. As a performer he has played festival lineups such as Big Ears Festival, Forecastle Festival, and Jungfrau Erzählfestival in Switzerland, education concerts at New York City’s 92nd Street Y, as well as stages with the Stereo Hideout Brooklyn Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony
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Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and Oregon Symphony Orchestra. He was the first hip hop artist to perform with his city’s Louisville Orchestra, including a 4th of July celebration with over 40,000 attendees, and world premieres of The Way Forth, a folk opera by Rachel Grimes, and The Greatest: Muhammad Ali, a rap opera by Teddy Abrams where Arthur starred as his hometown hero and performed with Rhiannon Giddens and Jubilant Sykes. Arthur is currently the Music Education Manager at Louisville Public Media, Professor of Percussion Studies at Simmons College of Kentucky, a member of the IMAN Artist Roster, endorsed by Salyers Percussion, and serves as the Executive Director at Athiri, a nonprofit he founded to better communities through social justice art.
Supporting Artist: Melody Youngblood
Supporting Artist: Melody Youngblood
OCT 4: PINE MOUNTAIN SESSIONS: DANIEL MARTIN MOORE & THE OTHER YEARS
We are beyond excited to introduce the Pine Mountain Sessions! In a few recording sessions scattered over the autumn and winter and spring of 2017 & 2018, forty-four musicians and writers from all across Kentucky pulled together by Daniel Martin Moore, gathered on the slopes of Pine Mountain in Harlan County. Four sides that follow the seasons were recorded in a near-century-old chapel with the aim of connecting us all to the important work of the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust and the Pine Mountain Settlement School.
Learn more and get your copy of this album visit pinemountainsessions.com Author/Poet: TBD |
The Levitt AMP Berea Music Series is supported in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a private foundation that empowers towns and cities across America to transform underused public spaces into thriving destinations through the power of free, live music. In 2018, nearly 500 free Levitt concerts will take place in 26 towns and cities, all featuring a rich array of music genres and high caliber talent. Learn more at levitt.org.