Summer is here again, and Long Beach is welcoming it with music.
The Summer and Music (SAM) concert series will return full-fledged with new music variety, bringing more Long Beach locals and music enthusiasts together during multiple events throughout the summer.
The summer festivities kick off on June 15 with Matt Costa, Sam Outlaw, Reverend Baron and Dancin’ in the Streets with DJ Lithuanian Prince, starting at 7 p.m. on Pine Avenue. Attendees will be able to dance the night away as the SAM staff will have the street closed off.
Funk of July on July 6, the next concert in the series, will feature artists like Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Blackbyrds and Henry and the Invisibles, among many others. Other events include Indie Rock at the Shoreline on July 20, the Bicycle Drive-In on August 10 and finally Buskerfest on August 17.
Owner of Fingerprints record store Rand Foster said that unlike last year, the Funk of July event is being moved and improved, lighting up the sky with a Fourth of July theme at Promenade Park in South Broadway instead of Pine street.
The Dovelles, who performed and won last year’s Buskerfest local music contest, will return and perform at the Bicycle Drive-In.
Dovelles Vocalist Alyssandra Nighswonger said it feels great to return and play for the community they love in the concert series that jumpstarted their success.
“That show was our second show ever and our first show under the name of the Dovelles, so it’s only been onward and upward since then,” Nighswonger said. “Long Beach is the kind of town that is fun to play for and feels so much at home … Long Beach is so warm and loving, and there are just so many talented people here, you just fit right in.”
Throughout its years, the SAM concert series has also proven to have a positive economic impact on shops in Downtown Long Beach.
“Not only have these events provided the community with a safe environment [and] quality music, but we’ve also provided a significant impact to the downtown shops and restaurants,” Chair of the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) Board of Directors Kristi Allen said.
Allen said that 20,000 music lovers attended SAM last year, which led to $350,000 worth of economic impact on local shops and restaurants.
The concert music festival started off five years ago with great ambition and has only continued to improve each year, according to Julie Meigis Korinke, communication manager of the DLBA.
“We’ve had a great first year, but we’ve definitely seen some growth … even from last year,” Korinke said. “We’re adding a fifth concert this year. We’re expanding the genres, expanding the neighborhoods that are covered, and then we’re going to bring out more music lovers to downtown too.”
For further information on the SAM concert series, visit www.summerandmusic.com.
