Lake George Arts Project’s Summer Concert Series announces schedule

LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Arts Project’s Summer Concert Series is back.

The beloved summer concert series brings the most fun bands to Shepard Park for concerts on Wednesday nights in July and August. All concerts are free, so grab your family and friends and bring them to Lake George for an evening of great music!

SCHEDULE

Robanic with the Caribbean Sound

Wednesday, July 21, at 7 p.m. 

The only authentic reggae band in upstate New York, Robanic plays a wide and colorful range of Caribbean music including old-school reggae, traditional rock-steady, ska, calypso, contemporary lovers rock, as well as the hottest new dance-hall sound from Jamaica. The four-member ensemble is made up of talented musicians with decades of experience.

The Spirit of Johnny Cash Harold Ford, Our June & The Cash Band

Wednesday, July 28, at 7 p.m. 

Harold Ford’s voice and physical resemblance to Johnny Cash are unmistakable, making him a natural as a Johnny Cash tribute artist. Ford grew up in the foothills country between the Berkshire and Green Mountains bordering New York State. Raised on the old American pioneer songs, at the age of four Ford began singing duets and harmonies with his sister Dorothy. His father accompanied them on the banjo and his mother followed along with the piano. Music, and a pioneering love of America, became an integral part of his existence. As an adult, Ford spent many years driving the cross-country roads and corridors of America, often with family in tow. Weaving his way north, south, east, west and settling in towns and villages along the way, Ford explored the back roads, country woods and the people of this great land. As a true American figure and artist himself, Harold Ford’s many experiences make him a storyteller in his own right and lend a deep identification to Johnny Cash’s music.

Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra

Wednesday, Aug. 4, @ 7 p.m. 

Formed October 1980 in Amsterdam, NY, this 12-piece orchestra is led by the Bronx-born bassist Alex Torres. The band have been presented by hundreds of festivals, performing arts centers and events annually to perform its original blend of Afro-Caribbean rhythms such as salsa, merengue, cha-cha, bomba, plena and Latin jazz. The orchestra has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the New England Cultural Arts Preservation Award, the New York State Music Achievement Award, the Schenectady League of Arts Award, The Governor´s Excellence in Arts Award, The NAACP Albany Chapter Award and three awards from NY Capital District Original Music Awards in 2016.

The Dylan Perrillo Orchestra

Wednesday, Aug. 11 @ 7 p.m. 

The Dylan Perrillo Orchestra from Albany, NY, performs popular American music from 1890 to 1950, taking a particular liking to the songbook of the 1920s. Complete with a six-piece horn section, violin, vocalist and rhythm section, DPO boasts an impressive lineup of accomplished musicians of their own accord. Beginning in 2013, the big band has steadily been working towards building an audience for its unique interpretation of classic and not-so-classic, jazz-influenced compositions.

The Stony Creek Band

Wednesday, Aug. 18 @ 7 p.m. 

For over 40 years, the Stony Creek Band has been one of the most enduringly popular musical groups in the northeastern United States. The Stony Creek Band has thrilled generations of fans with its high energy blend of rock, folk, country and bluegrass; a sound that has consistently defied description but is “a product of the landscape as authentically upstate as any Hudson River School painting or sculpture by David Smith” and performed in a manner described by one reviewer as “a ferocious ensemble attack; like a runaway train.” Over the last 40 years, the Stony Creek Band has evolved from an acoustic trio with roots in traditional folk and country music to a purveyor of American idioms, and back again. The band’s music is the sound of mature, seasoned artists who have outlasted the years and its own baser instincts to mentor and encourage younger artists, enrich its communities and preserve and transmit a living memory. With the release of 2013’s Stony Creek Band Live! album, the band has successfully captured the proverbial “lightning in a bottle” bringing to fans around the world the sound, raw energy and contagious excitement of the Stony Creek Band’s legendary concert performances.

Mark Gamsjager & The Lustre Kings

Wednesday, Aug. 25 @ 7 p.m. 

The Lustre Kings boast a devoted international fanbase and continues to perform over 150 dates a year, including regular stops at nightspots, festivals and casinos, like Tip Top Deluxe, Skinny Dennis and The Continental Club; Viva Las Vegas, Heritage Folk Festival, the Rockin 50s Fest and the Potawamoti Hotel. Gamsjager, a Gretsch guitars endorsee who has taught for the National Guitar Workshop, has been a guest at prestigious venues ranging from Kennedy Center (Washington DC) to the Montreal Jazz Fest. Beginning with 1995’s Mark Gamsjager Rocks & The Lustre Kings Roll, the band staked a claim to a modern take on the reverb-driven sounds of early rock, leaning also on touchstones of country, blues and R&B. Other artists, like the famed “Queen of Rock,” Wanda Jackson, hear the authenticity in The Lustre Kings. Perhaps that’s why she hired Gamsjager and the group as her backing unit for many tours. “I have worked with many bands around the world through the years,” Jackson said, “and none are better than Mark Gamsjager and The Lustre Kings. [Its] fine showmanship and musical ability make [it] the greatest in my book. They rock!!”

For more information, visit https://www.lakegeorgearts.org/.