Santa Monica Pier
200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, 90401
Thursdays through September 2, 2010
All concerts begin at 7 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: FREE
Website
Enjoy an eclectic mix of music along with a beautiful sunset every Thursday at the Santa Monica Pier Twilight Dance Series. The Santa Monica Pier offers a variety of entertainment, dining and shopping experiences, including the thrill rides of Pacific Park; a historic 1922 Carousel, and an interactive aquarium. Street performers — from musicians to artists plus fabulous vendor carts bring the pier to life.
July 8, 2010
Konono No. 1 – Congolese Trance Dance-Tronica
Can you imagine “Stomp” with an electronica vibe and dance groove that won’t stop? That’s Konono No. 1, a band founded over 25 years ago by Mingiedi, a virtuoso of the likembé, a crude “thumb piano” central to Bazombo trance music from the region near the border of Congo and Angola.
July 15, 2010
Australia Rocks The Pier!
Ben Lee
Brother
Ry Cuming
Ben Lee has been living as a working musician for over half of his lifetime. From the age of 14, he has stayed grounded and spiritually focused, with a quintessential niceness stemming from his Sydney-bred roots that has never faded. Ben Lee’s musical career began in 1993 with the band Noise Addict. The band came to the attention of Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys’ Mike D., who released their recordings in the United States.
July 22, 2010
Jovanotti – Italian Super Star
Jace Everett – Singer/Songwriter
Ana Tijoux – Chilean Rapera
Jovanotti (aka Lorenzo Cherubini) fills stadiums in his native Italy and throughout Latin America. He sets out this summer to bring his synthesis of rap and rock to festivals across America. Jovanotti’s music has transformed from its early roots in hip-hop and rap to a broader hybrid, incorporating pointed lyrics which address philosophical, religious, social, and political issues, more typical of a singer-songwriter, Italian cantautore tradition.
July 29, 2010
Kailash Kher’s Kailasa – Indian Pop/Rock/Bollywood
There is no greater star in Indian popular music today than Kailash Kher, a revered singer whose prodigious vocal gifts and inspiring personality have made him a household name across the subcontinent. Kailash Kher’s meteoric rise from a humble upbringing outside of New Delhi to being appointed a judge for the 2008-09 season of Indian Idol is nothing less than remarkable. It is also a testament to the strength and appeal of what is undeniably one of the most unique voices in Indian music today.
August 5, 2010
Rickie Lee Jones – Duchess of Coolsville
Rickie Lee Jones is one of the most singular artists in today’s music world. A clue to defining her iconoclasm comes from her own family description as “lower-middle-class-hillbilly-hipster.” From her emergence on the national scene in 1979, Rickie Lee has become one of the most acclaimed and talented singer-songwriters of our time spanning many genres: folk, rock, jazz, soul, spoken word and pop.
August 12, 2010
Soulive – Funk Jazz Organ Trio
Breakestra – Hip-Hop Funk Beats
Not many bands can say they’ve recorded with such diverse artists as Chaka Khan, Dave Matthews, Talib Kweli and John Scofield. Nor can many, if any, bands lay claim to opening for The Rolling Stones on one tour and having Stevie Wonder sit in with them on the next. The enduring musical relationships Soulive has developed, from the aforementioned artists to Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Joshua Redman, Robert Randolph, Kenny Garrett, The Roots, Fred Wesley, Ivan Neville and so many others, speak volumes about both how versatile and popular these talented musicians are.
August 19, 2010
Mick Taylor – Legendary Guitarist/Former Rolling Stone
Tom Nolan Band – Blues, R&B and Soul
As one of the most admired and respected guitarists in Blues, R&B and Rock music, Mick Taylor’s distinctive, elegant slide guitar work graces some of the key albums in Rock & Roll history. Mick Taylor’s biggest impact and recognition came when he joined the ranks of illustrious alumni of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, accepting the Rolling Stones’ offer to replace founding member Brian Jones in 1969. The Stones had already established their reputation as “the greatest rock’n’roll band” in the world, having just released the classic “Beggar’s Banquet.” Taylor quickly added his imprint to the Stones and was present for the legendary concert tours through 1974.
August 26, 2010
Beatlesfest
Beatlesfest, a three day tribute that began five years ago, is proud to be a part of the Twilight Dance Series this summer! “Abbey Road” will open the night with an acoustic set of the Beatles, followed by Los Angeles based Led Zepagain, as part of the British Invasion.
September 2, 2010
Dr. John & the Lower 911 – New Orleans Icon
Eddie Baytos & the Nervis Brothers – World Mardi Gras Music
An icon of American music born in New Orleans, Dr. John is indelibly linked to the traditions and singularity of the city’s musical and cultural heritage. Mac Rebennack burst onto the rock & roll scene in the late 60s as Dr. John, the Night Tripper, merging the Rhythm and Blues, voodoo rhythms and chants of his native New Orleans to create a persona perfect for the psychedelic era. Over the years he’s thrown Jazz, Classic American Songbook, Zydeco, Boogie Woogie and Rock into the musical mix.
