By Daily Press staff
Music is in the air this summer down at the Santa Monica Pier, with well-known bands such as the Indigo Girls performing for free in front of thousands of people.
The 22nd Annual Twilight Dance Series free outdoor concerts at the pier begin June 29. The concerts will be held on the pier from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Thursday evening through Aug. 31, featuring artists in the top of their game in their musical genre. This year’s line-up includes rock, reggae, Latin and folk, with a special emphasis on eclectic world music.
Here’s the line-up for the 10 concerts this summer: JUNE 29: LATIN JAZZ AND PERCUSSION KCRW PRESENTS PANCHO SANCHEZ More than anything else, Poncho Sanchez is a storyteller. And, as leader of the most popular Latin jazz group in the world today, it’s his congas and seasoned ensemble that do the talking. Live in concert or on recordings, they spin vivacious tales that pay homage to the glories of a half-century tradition that was born when Afro-Cuban rhythms merged with bebop. One-on-one, the Chicano conguero is equally expressive, recounting in vivid detail the encounters, friendships and passions that have contributed to his remarkable career as a band leader and recording artist. Behind the choice of every song, album title and guest artist, there’s a story Poncho Sanchez delights in telling. JULY 6: LEGENDARY FOLK ROCK INDIGO GIRLS and MICHELLE MALONE The Indigo Girls are one of the most popular and well-loved duos in the folk rock genre. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers blend luscious harmonies and catchy melodies with the fearless social commentary typical of traditional folk music. Although they have a number of billboard hits and Grammy nods under their belts, including their Top 10 hit “Galileo” from the platinum album Rites of Passage, their inspiring energy and insatiable cult following makes their live performances amazing and unforgettable.
The irrepressible folk rocker “Moanin’ Michelle Malone” will open the show, a long-time friend of the indigo girls and the daughter of a gospel vocalist. JULY 13: KILLER SURF GUITAR DICK DALE A pier favorite returns to the Twilight Dance Series stage. Dick Dale invented the wild, wicked surf guitar music featured in many films including Pulp Fiction. In the 1950s he was given the title “King of the Surf Guitar” by his fellow surfers with whom he surfed with from sun-up to sun-down. Since his first appearance in Balboa, California at the famed Rendezvous Ballroom, he has set and broken attendance records everywhere he’s performed. JULY 20: SOUL, GOSPEL AND GROOVE MAVIS STAPLES Soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples possesses one of the most recognizable and treasured voices in contemporary music. From her early days sharing lead vocals with her groundbreaking family group, The Staple Singers, to her powerful solo recordings, Mavis Staples is an inspirational force in modern popular culture and music. A 40-year-plus veteran of the music scene — a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and one of VH1’s 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll — Staples, both with The Staple Singers and on her own, is responsible for blazing a rhythm and blues trail while never relinquishing her gospel roots. Her voice has influenced artists from Bob Dylan to Prince — who dubbed her “the epitome of soul” — and she has appeared with everyone from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Bill Cosby, Presidents Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton, to Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Santana and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and has recorded with Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, Aretha Franklin, Marty Stuart and many others. JULY 27: CLUB-STYLE WORLD MUSIC LYRICS BORN and DAARA J A double feature of unusual hip-hop with a worldly twist: Born in Tokyo and raised in the East Bay, Tom Shimura, or “Lyrics Born,” makes the kind of robust, freewheeling hip-hop that followers of Outkast and Jurassic 5 will find appealing.
The Senegalese trio Daara J plays a new brand of hip-hop, a mixture of French or American rap, reggae, roots, soul funk and Cuban music.Ancient African rhythmic poetry tasso influences both the content and style.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 8, 2006. Read the original PDF.