40th Street Summer Series| June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27
THIS EVENT IS OUTDOORS AT THE 40TH STREET FIELD, 40th Street between Walnut and Locust.
IT IS NOT AT THE ROTUNDA!
Rain or Shine.
Each summer UCD, Penn and The Rotunda invite internationally-acclaimed ensembles—such as the Millennial Territory Orchestra and the Sun Ra Arkestra— to play free outdoor concerts that capture the soul of the neighborhood. Since its beginning, the 40th Street Summer Series has enlivened the 40th Street corridor (now home to Distrito, HipCityVeg, RAVE Cinema, Ben & Jerry’s, and more) during the typically slow summer months by increasing patronage at nearby retailers and building upon the existing vibrancy of 40th Street, while providing entertaining, enriching and safe outlets for families, visitors and students.
In addition to live music, there is a face painter, balloon artist, human circus acts such as juggling and tight rope walking, fire artists (after the music), and free samples from Ben & Jerry's.
A Philadelphia favorite, Man Man is an energetic group of talented musicians and vocalists who are undeniably ambitious and focused on greatness. The 2013 release of their On Oni Pond, is a compelling mash-up of Fear Of Music era Talking Heads, classic soul, psychedelia, hip hop, and 50’s rock and roll. With its imaginative yet economical rhythms, huge hooks, and overriding sense of urgency, On Oni Pond melds these seemingly disparate influences into an unexpectedly lush, melodic album, exquisitely consolidated by the band’s unique and affecting vision. Opening is Needle Driver, a new collaboration by three NYC musicians bridging the realms of extreme rock and the classical avant-garde.
Opening is Needle Driver
Brandon Seabrook. Named "NYC's Best Guitarist of 2012" by the Village Voice, his work has been profiled by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Fret Board Journal, and the UK avant-music magazine, Wire. Needle Driver's work typically reflects the energy, dissonance, and hardworking ethos of the creative rock underground while harnessing hyperreal technique and impeccable articulation to stratify ecstatic cacophony, bridging the realms of extreme rock and the classical avant-garde.
Allison Miller: has performed with songwriting vocalists Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, and Erin McKeown, and toured with avant-garde saxophonist Marty Ehrlich and organist Doctor Lonnie Smith. She has been touring with Brandi Carlile for the past two years.
Johnny Deblase is a bassist and composer from New York City and a member of genre-bending guitar trios Many Arms and Zevious. He also leads his own quartet and composes an eclectic mix of chamber and electronic music. Johnny has toured the US and Canada extensively and has released albums on Tzadik, Cuneiform Records, Engine-ESP, Majmua Music