The 23rd annual Summer Courtyard Concert Series
The series will showcase regional acts as well as local favorites.

Thursdays 6- 8 pm
FREE TO THE PUBLIC, plenty of parking
Princeton Shopping Center Courtyard

June 18 - Animus

Animus is a Philadelphia based world fusion music ensemble. Their exciting original music melds the exotic musical traditions of the Middle East, Greece, India & Latin America with jazz, funk & rock.

June 25 - The Klez Dispensers

An explosive force of collective creativity, The Klez Dispensers' music is remaking what American Klezmer is, has been, and can be. Having revived and mastered American Klezmer music from their study of the New World's Klezmer legends, most notably Dave Tarras, the band is now forging new directions, riffing on Klezmer's jazz undercurrents to stir up a stunning variety of fresh Klezmer sounds. While they sometimes push Klezmer to the edges of tradition, they are mostly journeying further inside Klezmer and discovering its latent possibilities - the melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and influences that were always there. Their latest explorations of Yiddish swing, featuring vocalist Susan Watts, has them restoring and sometimes remixing popular Yiddish songs of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Kontorovich, Holmes, Banner and Mervine have all been composing original material inspired by the intersections of Klezmer and jazz.

July 2 - The Blawenburg Band

The Blawenburg Band is among the most active community bands in the country. Founded in Blawenburg in 1890, it is part of a great band tradition that began when towns depended on local people to provide live music. Members range in age from their teens to their eighties, and include teachers and students, research scientists and engineers, homemakers and active retirees. The conductor, Dr. Jerry Rife, is Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Area at Rider University.

July 9 - Alex Mitnick and the Kaleidoscope Band

A kaleidoscope concert is an electrifying communal experience. The chemistry of the band is explosive... band members immediately capture and engage the audience for an unforgettable interactive performance. While the words of each song unfold like a storybook, the unique flavor of the music tugs at the very core of your being. Expect hand-clapping, foot-stomping, world music infused rhythms alongside beautiful emotional arrangements that provide a precious bonding opportunity for parent and child to embrace, sway and get lost in the magic of the music.

July 16 - The Eric Mintel Band

A dynamic jazz quartet consisting of accomplished musicians. Learn more about the quartet on their website.

July 23 - Alash

The Alash ensemble is a quartet of master throat singers (xöömeizhi) from Tuva, a tiny republic in the heart of Central Asia. The ancient art of throat singing (xöömei) developed among the nomadic herdsmen of this region. Alash remains grounded in this tradition while expanding its musical vocabulary with new ideas from the West.

July 30 - Patty Larkin

Singer/Songwriter Patty Larkin is a rare combination of talents. Over her 10 CD history, she has honed a reputation as a "musician's musician", working with some of the brightest talents in American music. Long a favorite with critics, Patty is that unique level of artistic sophistication - one that her audiences have come to appreciate and her new fans will love. Patty Larkin has achieved a personal best with "Watch the Sky."

August 6 - The Alfred James band

Alfred James is the only cellist in the world playing a black, 5 string carbon fiber cello -- standing up! They made their national TV debut in September 2007 on Comcast CN8's nightly entertainment program, Backstage with Barry Nolan. XM Satellite Radio's XMU named Alfred James one of their Elite 27 of 2007 - the best 27 unsigned artists in the XM Nation and featured us on their year-end best of show. The band toured Greece and Turkey in June 2007 accompanying The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale. While we were on tour, XM Satellite Radio selected us as their Artist of the Week on The Radar Report. They won a Grammy songwriting contest in May 2007 and performed at 2 Grammy showcases. NPR featured their song, Better Days, on their online music show, All Songs Considered where it received the highest rating of any artist on the program. They have opened for Bruce Hornsby and Dave Mason and Alfred was featured in the August issue of Main Line Today Magazine as one of the Main Line's Artists to Watch. Lucky If Easy was nominated for 2 Underground Grammy's in 2006 -- for Album of the Year and Song of the Year.

August 13 - Rackett

Rackett emerged during the summer and fall of 2004 when Paul Muldoon (lyrics, guitar, percussion) and Nigel Smith (bass, vocals) began writing and recording songs. They invited Stephen Allen (keyboards, vocals), Bobby Lewis (drums), and Lee Matthew (lead vocals, guitar) to join them. "When Irving Berlin meets blues and boogie-woogie, or Cole Porter meets prog and punk," Paul Muldoon says, "or Ira Gershwin glam and grunge, you're looking at what can be described only as 3-car garage rock." The band is currently at work on its third CD.

August 20 - The VooDudes

Well first you gotta make a Roux!!!
Throw in some New Orleans funk, blues, boogie-woogie and honky-tonk. Add a pinch of zydeco, southern folk & soul and a pinch of Caribbean party music. Now let it simmer until it's bubblin', poppin' and spicy as all get-out.

In the vast VooDUDES library of original songs, nothing is sacred, whether it's imploding the hits of Hank Williams into the ultimate drivin' and cryin' song ("That Hank Williams Feeling") or eulogizing the jazz funeral tradition ("Party When You're Gone"). Nor is anything sacred when The VooDUDES tackle cover tunes. Imagine The Who played as a Louisiana zydeco dance number or The Beatles performed Texas roadhouse style. The VooDUDES do it all --- and with a beat that's custom made to move the feet.

August 27 - Sarah Donner indie music showcase

Her debut album 'Reluctant Cat Lady' is a wholesome low-carb blend of punchy guitar and clever, sassy lyrics that take their inspiration from the gay men she dated, the feral cats she feeds, and the hardcore punk shows she has endured. Take out the cliche and throw in the Casio keyboard. Her ever-increasing influences include artists Fiona Apple, Ben Folds, Ani Difranco, Regina Spektor, Holly O'Reilly, the ocean, kittens, London, pink cars, and cheap wine. In 2002 with a degree in music from Westminster Choir College, she picked up a guitar, denied her classical roots, and started rocking out. Her heart lives in New Jersey and Massachusetts, and she wishes Connecticut wasn't so big. Sarah Donner is also the host and founder of Indie Music Night, an acclaimed monthly series featuring premium live music held in Princeton, NJ.

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