Arts District Liberty Station has announced a free concert series for its second year, featuring San Diego Music Awards winners and nominees.
The four 5 p.m. concerts — outdoors on the grassy North Promenade on Sunday evenings — will feature a collection of popular San Diego musicians and acts.
Audiences are invited to bring blankets and a picnic. (All ages invited, but no alcohol can be brought into the venue.)
Produced in partnership with Damian DeRobbio — of Beer, Food & Music — the venue is set up to allow room to dance and get close to the acts, organizers said.
“We wanted to include local bands with roots in San Diego and that have helped build a vibrant culture here,” said Andrew Waltz, Arts District program manager. “The concert series highlights regionally known groups that are setting the bar for San Diego’s music scene.”
The 2018 Liberty Station Concert series presents notable San Diego Music Awards winners and nominees, including Rebecca Jade, winner for Best Jazz Album with Peter Sprague; Birdy Bardot, winner for Best Pop; Earl Thomas, a former four-time SDMA winner; and Casey Hensley Band, nominated for Artist of the Year.
“The venue at Arts District Liberty Station is one of the best places to see an outdoor concert in San Diego,” DeRobbio said. “I am very excited about this year’s lineup.”
Alan Ziter, NTC Foundation executive director, said: “Sponsorships assure we can continue this free community program so that everyone can enjoy concerts featuring regional musicians that appeal to music lovers of all ages.”
Sponsorship opportunities from $5,000 to $1,500 are available through the Foundation.
Concerts are held at 2848 Dewey Road — between Stone Brewing World Bistro and the Greetings mural.
LIBERTY STATION CONCERTS 2018 SCHEDULE
(All concerts start at 5 p.m.)
- Sunday, June 24: The Six String Society
- Sunday, July 22: Earl Thomas / Rebecca Jade
- Sunday, August 26: The Redwoods Revue featuring Birdy Bardot
- Sunday, September 23: Vaud & The Villains / Iron Sage Wood
Sunday, June 24
The Six String Society
This eclectic, music theatre production celebrates all things crazy, magnificent and fun! The Six String Society mixes theater and multimedia with some of the finest performers around. Each show is unique. This special Liberty Station edition will break new ground and feature the amazing Nathan James, Whitney Shay, Casey Hensley, Billy Watson and Sharifah Muhammed.
Sunday, July 22
OPENING ACT: Rebecca Jade and the Cold Fact
This act will deliver body-moving grooves to its brand of beach city soul, paying homage to the pioneers of the genre while adding vintage West Coast textures and psychedelic overtones. Whether digging down into gritty funk or lifting the roof on some high-octane gospel, the Cold Fact’s deft musicianship proves the ideal complement to Jade’s powerhouse performances. She glides smoothly between sultry sweetness and diva brass, conscientious of each song’s feel with every syllable and every purposeful breath.
HEADLINER: Earl Thomas
Earl Thomas will ignite audiences and bring rock and roll, R&B and blues to the ARTS DISTRICT. The two-time Grammy Award-nominated artist has won four times at the San Diego Music Awards! Also a songwriter, his songs have been covered by Tom Jones, Etta James and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
Sunday, August 26
The Redwoods Revue
The Redwoods, a local independent record label and music collective, will create a show from its growing list of talented artists. From hard-hitting soul and swampy psychedelic rock to desert noir and spectral folk, the label brings together songwriters, musicians and vocalists of the highest caliber, with a shared purpose to strive for a new standard for musical collaboration and song craft.
Sunday, September 23
OPENING ACT: Iron Sage Wood
Iron Sage Wood, featuring Damian DeRobbio, Paul Cannon and Abner Nevarez, will play a soulful groove combined with world rhythm and conscious lyrics. ISW moves audiences to laugh, dance and sing along. Writing songs of hope and transformation, their work encourages an uplifting human experience all the while blending elements of world beat and Native Americana.
HEADLINER: Vaud & The Villains
Back by popular demand, Vaud & The Villains were the highlight of last summer’s concert series. The big show is a 19-piece orchestra and cabaret, which has evolved over the years from a folk band singing traditional tunes to an originally voiced genre-bending spectacle commonly described as Americana Noir meets Moulin Rouge. Bring your dancing feet! The ever-evolving cast of the show is composed of a five-piece horn section, incredible vocalists, a rhythm section and three dancers.