Downtown Ithaca Alliance enthusiastically announces the full schedule for the CFCU Summer Concert Series! Free and fun for the whole family, these performances will take place at 6:00 PM each Thursday between June 25 and September 10, 2015. The series will return to the State Theatre Marquee (107 West State Street in downtown Ithaca, New York) for the first half of the season, and it will move to the brand-new Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Ithaca Commons in early August.
Bands will include perennial local favorites like Sim Redmond Band, Jimkata, and Big Mean Sound Machine, as well as national acts like ANTI- Records recording artist Son Little who is on tour with Mumford & Suns this summer.
The series will cover just about every genre under the sun. Latin dance aficionados will love El Rumbon and free dance lessons. Hip-hop fans won’t want to miss The Gunpoets with Ave Mack and Greatest Common Factor. Radio London and the Jeff Love Band will deliver double doses of ’60s and ’70s rock ‘n roll and soul. Kevin Kinsella and the Analogue Sons will get everyone swaying with reggae and roots rock. As a Wednesday GrassRoots preview, Sophistafunk will win over the crowd with their huge sound and compelling stage-presence, following a high-energy opening set of old school funk by DJ Ha-Meen.
CFCU, the new title sponsor of the concert series, will be hosting a food drive at their booth each week. Attendees can donate cans and enter a raffle to win a Dillon DR500 electric guitar autographed by artists from the series lineup courtesy of McNeil’s Music. CFCU will also be selling t-shirts for $5 (and giving them away for free to CFCU members with proof of ID) with proceeds benefiting The United Way. Other sponsors include Seneca Beverage and Six Mile Creek Winery, who will be providing a rotating selection of craft beer and wine for purchase during each of the concerts, as well as The Haunt, The Dock, and GreenStar.
On August 27, a very special surprise guest performer will kick off the Commons Celebration Weekend, a three-day extravaganza of music and festivities to mark the unveiling of the newly renovated and redesigned Ithaca Commons pedestrian mall. A second surprise guest will take the stage the following week.
Full schedule for the CFCU Summer Concert Series:
25-Jun Radio London
2-Jul Kevin Kinsella and The Analogue Sons
9-Jul Big Mean Sound Machine
15-Jul GRASSROOTS- Sophistafunk – DJ Ha-Meen
23-Jul Son Little – Stone Cold Miracle
30-Jul El Rumbon w/ Free Dance Lessons
6-Aug The Gunpoets, Ave Mack, and Greatest Common Factor
13-Aug Jimkata
20-Aug The Jeff Love Band
27-Aug Special Surprise Guest TBA!
3-Sep Special Surprise Guest TBA!
10-Sep The Sim Redmond Band
Can’t wait for June 25? Head to bit.ly/SummerConcertSeriesPlaylist to listen to a preview playlist featuring all the performers in the series. And be sure to check into Downtown Ithaca’s website, Twitter (#downtownithaca, #CFCUConcerts), Facebook, and Instagram for weekly updates to the beer menu as well as new music from the artists.
