Brooklyn Roads Celebrates A Musical Summer in Brooklyn!

September 10, 2017 by Ray Fontaine

BRIC’s Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival has brought diverse and exciting entertainment to Prospect Park’s Bandshell stage every summer for nearly four decades.

People’s Choice/ photo by Ray Fontaine

The 39th year had a number of landmark moments, including the Garth Fagan Dance Company’s 45th performance at the Bandshell stage! History, community, nature and the arts come together at this festival tucked away in the urban oasis that is Prospect Park.

Sylvan Esso / photo by Ray Fontaine

Other performance highlights included Yeasayer, People’s Champs, Musiq Soulchild, Sylvan Esso and Youssou N’Dour. 2017’s mild summer awarded a number of perfect evenings to lie back in the grass and enjoy the show; however, there were nights that the weather did not cooperate.

Within the first song of Musiq Soulchild’s performance on July 7th, rain began to pour down on the unsheltered audience. Loyal fans crowded in together underneath tents to stay through the storm, singing along to Musiq Soulchild classics like “Teach Me How to Love”, “Just Friends”, and “Don’t Change”.

Yousou N’Dour / photo by Ray Fontaine

On July 26th, Sylvan Esso’s live performance highlighted the summer festival with a state of the art lighting system including a larger than life LED spiked structure and inspiring light show. Singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, who are Sylvan Esso, kicked off the show, emerging silhouetted by light and smoke. Sylvan Esso’s live performance brought a whole new level of energy and dance ability to the music, not audible in the recorded versions.

Senegal’s first pop star, Youssou N’Dour, played on August 12th and brought a lot of dance and energy to the Bandshell stage, but unlike Sylvan Esso, came with back up dancers and a full blow band!

This past summer’s weather was as unpredictable as the Celebrate Brooklyn! Lineup, but this year’s performing artists brought the heat to Prospect Park!

Artists on our Radar

Ricky Stein: Texas Roots in Brooklyn

Ricky Stein/ photo courtesy of the artist

If you’re looking for music inspired by New York City with a Texan flare, look no further than Ricky Stein, a Brooklyn-based artist originally from Austin, Texas. Stein is a singer-songwriter whose music is grounded by a combination of his upbringing in Texas and his present life in the bustling streets of New York City and Downtown Brooklyn. Stein has an impressive discography of singles and albums, and since moving to New York City in August 2016, he has released a full album, “Long Summer” and many singles. Stein’s music is best defined as Americana and roots, with folk-infused acoustic and electric guitars, and his lyrics paint vivid images of nature and life. The listener feels connected to Stein, as his musical stylings resemble talent from the likes of John Prine and Bonnie Raitt. His most recent single, “Passenger,” highlights Stein’s talents with a strong harmonica section. The song’s instrumentation and structure is built on one verse, which compliments the song’s message about the uncertainty and ominousness of being a passenger on a long journey. Another standout, “Street Lights,” is a lighthearted commentary on the comfort of hope, the street lights representing persistent light even in the dead of night. Stein’s live performances are carefully tailored, his sets performed at local venues in Brooklyn like Pete’s Candy Store and many other venues known to support live roots and country music. His talents are always showcased, whether performing a solo show with a guitar and harmonica or being supported by a full band. Stein’s upcoming months are packed with performances at many venues, including Saturday, January 11th at Skinny Dennis Bar in Williamsburg and Friday, March 7th at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook. You won’t want to miss it!

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