Let’s say you like R&B, funk, Latin jazz, soul, hip-hop.
You like savoring bites from Milwaukee food trucks or checking out local artisans, makers and vendors. Well, there’s just the festival for you. It’s called the Summer of Soul — an Outdoor Marketplace & Concert Series in downtown Milwaukee. Here's the performance lineup.
The series is free to attend and happens every other Wednesday at 5 p.m., starting July 2 through August 27, at the Marcus Center’s Peck Pavillion. It's organized by Culture x Design, (CXD), a marketing firm with the aim of "foster[ing] vibrant, diverse artistic expression and inclusive communities in Milwaukee."
First night: Wednesday, July 2. Headliner: BILAL
BILAL is a Grammy-winning vocalist with extensive range. "You can put him on a rock album, right? You could put him on a gospel album very easily, R&B, soul, hip-hop, everything. I wouldn't be surprised if he did country at some point. He is just an amazing singer," says Geraud Blanks, CXD's managing partner and creative director. "BILAL, for me, was the epitome of what I want Summer of Soul to be."
Guitarist and adult contemporary R&B vocalist, Shonn Hinton, a Milwaukee native, will open the evening, and DJ Don Black will also be spinning soulful sets.
Second night: Wednesday, July 16. Headliner: hip-hop trio Digable Planets
"There are young people that I would think wouldn't be into Digable at all, right, because they came out in the early 90s, and that song [The Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)] resonates with them, right? And the reason why I say it's so important is because there's elements: the baseline, the melodies, that are used in so many different aspects of hip-hop, even artists that you wouldn't think of as jazzy or avant garde still used elements of that in their music. And Digable brought it to the forefront," says Blanks.
KidCutUp, a Milwaukee-born, LA-based DJ, will bring the energy with an opening set.
Third night: Wednesday, July 30: Soul Unplugged
Community organizer Kwabena Antoine Nixon brings his hit performance series Soul Unplugged combining two live bands alongside a roster of DJs spinning '90s R&B and hip-hop.
Fourth night: Wednesday, August 13. Headliner: Madison McFerrin
McFerrin is a is a genre-bending jazz artist, the daughter of jazz icon Bobby McFerrin. Her mix of soul, jazz and electronic elements may classify her as "alt soul."
"You should check out Madison's Tiny Desk," says Blanks. "It's really good. And again, she's just one of those performers that I think in the next few years really could break out."
"I think that's going to be that could possibly be one of our biggest nights," Blanks adds. Milwaukee native Grace Weber, an R&B singer-songwriter, will also be performing. The evening begins with DJ Gemini Gilly, a Milwaukee-born DJ and curator "with a deep love for Black music and culture."
Fifth night: Wednesday, August 27. Headliner: Septeto Charambó
On the last night of Summer of Soul, salsa band Septeto Charambó will turn people out on the dance floor. The septet "is a modern version of a popular Milwaukee based salsa band that was making music in the 80's called Conjunto Charambó."
Charambó is a word that combines two different names of rhythms from the Caribbean, one called Charanga and the other Bomba.
Milwaukee favorites Gego y Nony and DJ Kenny Perez open up the night and cover transitions. "This is one where you need to be ready to go, and get your dancing shoes on," says Blanks.
