This summer local music production and development company, The Collective Music Group (TCMG), will once again bring free outdoor live music to Downtown Northampton!
Riding the success of the 2014 season at the Old Courthouse Lawn, The Northampton Summer Concert Series will take place over five Fridays from July 17th to August 14th in downtown Northampton. “Last year the Courthouse Lawn provided our bands and sponsors with the next level of exposure, and also gave our attendees a much more comfortable space to relax and enjoy the music. It also gave us the opportunity to showcase fantastic local food and crafts, and to develop a new ‘Kids Zone’,” says concert Producer Jamie Kent.
Music will run each week from 6pm-8pm and will feature rising and established local acts like Wishbone Zoe, Ryan Hommel, and Mikey Sweet to name a few. It will also feature many nationally rising acts such as Sarah Blacker (Female Performer of The Year at New England Music Awards), Amy & The Engine (seen/heard on NBC’s The Voice and Entertainment Weekly) and Eddie Japan (Boston’s Best Live Band of 2014). The Series has also partnered with the Northampton Jazz Festival and will be closing the summer out with a showcase featuring some of the September festival’s best local jazz talent. “The Series continues to give us an amazing opportunity to showcase the wonderful talent rising out of the valley, and to pair them with the best up and coming independent national acts here right before they explode.” Says Kent. “I guarantee in the next couple of years you’ll be saying ‘I danced to that band at the summer concert series!’”
The Summer Concert Series will also dedicate it’s stage this year to one of Northampton’s great entrepreneurs and supporters, Dan Yacuzzo, who passed away earlier this year. “Dan and the BID were absolutely integral to getting this series off the ground and helping it grow over the past three years. He is sorely missed by us and many in this town, so I felt like there couldn’t be a better way to pay tribute to his amazing legacy than by dedicating our Stage in his honor.” Said Kent. The dedication will take place on the series kickoff, July 17th.
Over the past three years The Collective Music Group has established itself in the concert production/promotion scene as a means to enhance the music community of the pioneer valley and support its growing artists. While Kent has moved to Nashville to pursue his own music, he’s still able to work remotely, and his team at TCMG (Robyn Lee, Greg Cameron, and Griffin Bazzeghin) has really stepped up to the plate to help continue the tradition of free outdoor music for all in Northampton.
This series is made possible by the amazing support of many local organizations and companies. Smith College is this year’s Headlining Sponsor. Coca Cola, O’Connell Care at Home, Hampshire Power, A2Z, Mountain Farms, and Lia Auto Group are all Series Sponsors making free music possible! The Northampton Summer Concert Series will take place every Friday from July 17th to August 14th downtown Northampton on the Old Courthouse Lawn. Music will run from 6pm-8pm, and every concert is free to the public. In the case of rain, the concerts will be moved inside to The One Bar & Grill (corner of Pleasant and Pearl St).
For more info on the series and a full schedule of the bands visit:
