The Downtown Sacramento Partnership announces 2016 Concerts in the Park lineup

Concerts in the Park, Sacramento’s free annual outdoor music festival, will welcome a diverse group of headliners to Cesar Chavez Park for its 25th year of the concert series.

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership announced the lineup of bands and DJs that will transform Cesar Chavez Park into an outdoor music venue on Friday nights from 5-9 p.m., starting in May and running through July.

James Cavern, a Sacramento indie-soul artist who auditioned for the NBC smash hit The Voice, will kick off the series (which will feature both local and national acts) on May 6. Chico-based Hail the Sun will take the stage on June 3 with its repertoire of post-hardcore progressive rock, while Vokab Kompany, a hip-hop duo from San Diego will keep things flowing on June 17.

On June 24, Arden Park Roots, the rock-reggae quartet that swells with hometown pride, will be headlining for the third time at Concerts in the Park, and on July 15 Carly Duhain will lead her blues-rock band Drop Dead Red in its self-described “emotionally charged rock ‘n’ roll.” The Brodys, a surf-rock punk band that has been an area staple since 1995, will close the series on July 29. 

Other headliners include the Brooklyn-based reggae trio New Kingston (May 13); singer-songwriter Chuck Ragan (May 27), whose rootsy folk music will rouse the crowd with its foot-stomping melodies and his raspy vocals; Arizona-based punk band Authority Zero (June 10); country singer—and Yuba City native—Tyler Rich (July 8); and Some Fear None (July 22), who took home the 2015 Sammie Award for best hard rock band.

“One of the most exciting things about this [year] is as Concerts in the Park has evolved throughout the years, its significance to the Sacramento music scene has also grown,” says Maria Robinson of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. “We are now able to bring national touring bands to the stage, and even five years ago we weren’t able to do that.”

The main acts will be joined on stage by local favorites like violinist Joseph in the Well, blues-rock quartet Humble Wolf and country crooner Hannah Jane Kile, as well as acts from around the Golden State like soul singer Tessa Evans, post-punk hardcore group Ghost Town Rebellion and instrumental hip hop group the Good Samaritans. DJs like Young Aundee, DJ Epik, My Cousin Vinny, Trash Rock DJs and Zephyr will keep the party going between sets.

The DSP has also launched a new logo and brand for Concerts in the Park. Designed by local marketing firm, the Honey Agency, the logo draws from such iconic buildings in downtown Sacramento as the Renaissance Tower, the Sacramento Public Library, the Wong Center and the U.S. Bank Tower, and combines their silhouettes with art deco elements of the park, and honors the history of Concerts in the Park, says Robinson.

Free. May 6-July 29. Friday (except July 1). 5-9 p.m. Cesar Chavez Plaza. 910 I St. For updates and the full concert list, visit godowntownsac.com/cip

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