Music on the Bay Performances at Mingus Park

All concerts are held at Mingus Park, begin at 7 p.m., and are free to the public

From left to right-Portland Blues Allstars, Vista Kicks, and Digging Dirt are performing at Mingus Park as part of Music On The Bay.

Portland Blues Allstars Performs on August 18

AJ Lee and Blue Summit made their first appearance in Santa Cruz in 2015. Led by singer, songwriter, and mandolinist, AJ Lee, the bluegrass band has performed all over the world, but finds home in California's Bay Area. In 2019, they released their debut album, Like I Used To. Their second full length project, I'll Come Back, came out August 2021 - with national touring in support of the record ongoing.

Unlike their first record, which featured experimentation with session musicians and electric instruments, the new project is a pure reflection of the live sound of the group, hearkening back to their acoustic roots. Each band member performs at their peak, and the variety of songs on the record caters to their broad fanbase. Certain tracks ("Put Your Head Down," and "Faithful,") fall more in the classic bluegrass realm of songwriting, while others ("Lemons and Tangerines," and "I'll Come Back,") fall into that hard-to-define realm of acoustic Americana that blends mesmerizing lyricism and acoustic mastery.

Although falling loosely under the bluegrass label, AJLBS generally plays sans banjo, with Sullivan Tuttle and Scott Gates on steel stringed acoustic guitars, AJ on mandolin, Jan Purat on fiddle, and Chad Bowen on upright bass - a configuration effectively used to create unique space and texture in the arrangements not as commonly found in the music of their peers. Drawing from influences such as country, soul, swing, rock, and jam music, the band uses the lens of bluegrass as a vessel through which to express and explore the thread that binds and unifies all great music.

Vista Kicks Performs on August 25

Vista Kicks a rock and roll band is from Roseville, California. The band released their debut album 'Booty Shakers Ball' in 2017 followed by 'Twenty Something Nightmare' in 2018, produced by the band and Joe Napolitano. The albums are steeped in the band's rock and roll, soul, jazz, folk influences. With numerous American and west coast tours under their belt, the band has also played headline appearances at The Teregram and El Rey Theatre in LA, and festival appearances at KAABOO Del Mar (US), SXSW (US), All Points East (UK), and Camden Rocks (UK). They have supported The Kooks, Bad Suns and Milky Chance, as well as opening for The Rolling Stones at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara. 2019 saw the band tour major cities all over the UK, plus a huge support slot in Hyde Park for Bob Dylan and Neil Young. In 2020, Vista Kicks released Chateau Mae Mae - a collaborative album with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Audra Mae. The band have recently finished recording their latest EP set for release in early 2022

Digging Dirt Performs on September 1

This seven-piece band emerging from behind the redwood curtain in Humboldt County, California is skyrocketing through the west coast music scene. Shoveling out their own path, and consistently wowing audiences and filling concert venues, Diggin Dirt is no ordinary funk and soul band. Their sounds explode off the stage with a pure authentic energy, and once they have you in their clutches, the relentless dance party does not let up. Their intoxicating and infectious sound is fueled by a blazing horn section, pulsating rhythms, and searing guitars, that when combined into one, have been known to entice even the shyest of wallflowers to start moving and grooving. Tying it all together, is the band's front man, who is in possession of the pipes, charisma, moves, and natural-born-soul, and launches this ensemble into rarefied air. Behold, as they layer humble influences of psychedelic rock, Motown soul, Afrobeat, and even reggae, atop a sturdy foundation of late 60's inspired funk music. You might have flashes of James Brown or Sly and the Family Stone, Otis Redding or Tower of Power, but make no mistake that you are in the presence of spine-tingling originality.

Additional concerts are scheduled for September 8 and 15. For more information go to Music On The Bay.

Music on The Bay" is a Non-Profit Corporation bringing musical excellence to the Bay Area, along southern Oregon's coast. All donations are tax deductible.

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