One of the annual traditions on Mercer Island is the Mostly Music in the Park concert series, which brings Islanders of all ages together to enjoy live music on summer evenings.
The series, organized by volunteers on the city’s Arts Council, always features a variety of genres and groups. Joy Liechty, the new chair of the Mostly Music committee, said that this season might be considered a departure from previous seasons, with more of a focus on original artists.
Liechty said that her goal for the changes to the concert series was “evolution, not revolution.”
“Cover bands are crowd pleasers, and I understand the appeal of hearing the oldies,” she said. “Hopefully we got a good mix, with something for everyone.”
The concerts, which are free, are held on Thursdays from 7-8:30 p.m. at Mercerdale Park in downtown Mercer Island. The first one is July 20.
This year’s series will highlight singer-songwriters and genre-defying bands, while still providing that “crowd-pleasing” element, Liechty said. Some of the artists include Americana group Evening Bell, alternative/indie songwriter Chris Staples and dream-pop group Lemolo.
The female-fronted Lemolo will perform on Aug. 24, when Mercer Island will celebrate Women’s Equality Day.
“This is an exciting group who plays lots of indie festivals like Timber!, Upstream Music Fest, and they’re playing the Gigantic Bicycle Festival in August,” Liechty said.
Liechty said that the Arts Council’s mission is to “advocate the arts, artists and arts organizations of Mercer Island,” and that extends to its music series. She said that her primary interest in the realm of arts is live music, and recently attended Upstream, Seattle’s newest music festival, where she caught a performance by Evening Bell.
“Songwriting, stage presence, vocals — this group is saturated in talent,” she said.
She said she’s also excited about Staples, a successful artist signed by Barsuk records, the label known mostly for Death Cab for Cutie. His songwriting is truthful and beautiful, she said.
“We’re going to start hearing a lot more about him,” Liechty said.
Other artists are bluegrass/rock/zydeco blend band Woodland West, New Orleans style honky-tonk group Joe Ross and the Birdwatchers and electro-swing band Good Co.
“I want to showcase songwriters, and performers who are trying to make a living with music,” she said. “It’s so meaningful to watch someone pour out their heart, their poetry.”
As part of Mostly Music in the Park, there will be a concert by the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle Concert at 5 p.m. on Aug. 19 at the Luther Burbank Park amphitheatre.
If you would like to support the concerts to ensure they continue, please consider making a donation. Donations can be sent to: City of Mercer Island, Mostly Music in the Park, 2040 84th Ave. SE.
Mostly Music in the Park 2017 schedule
July 20
Band: Good Co
Genre: Electro swing
July 27
Chris Staples
Alt/indie songwriter
Aug. 3
Joe Ross and the Birdwatchers
New Orleans style honky-tonk
Aug. 10
Woodland West
Bluegrass/rock/zydeco blend
Aug. 17
Evening Bell
Americana
Aug. 24
Lemolo
Dream-pop
*Aug. 19
Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle
For more, see www.mercergov.org/Page. asp?NavID=3176.
Movies, Shakespeare in the Park round out Mercer Island’s summer arts lineup
The city of Mercer Island has a full schedule of arts events to entertain Islanders this summer. Along with its summer concert series, Mostly Music in the Park, it recently announced the lineups for Movies and Shakespeare in the Park.
Movies in the Park
The city will show “The Never Ending Story” at sundown, or about 9:22 p.m., on July 22, and “Finding Dory” at about 8:36 p.m. on Aug. 19.
The free family movies, sponsored by Mercer Island FC, are shown on a giant inflatable screen in Mercerdale Park. Moviegoers should bring blankets, lawn chairs and flashlights. Movies are cancelled during inclement weather, so call the Community and Event Center at 206-275-7609 to confirm showings on bad weather days.
Activities and crafts related to the movie will begin an hour before showtime. See www.mercergov.org/MIevents for more.
Shakespeare in the Park
This year’s Shakespeare in the Park program, presented by Wooden O and sponsored by the Mercer Island Arts Council, will feature “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Pericles.”
“Much Ado About Nothing” will run at 7 p.m. on July 6, July 7, July 13, July 14, July 15, July 23 and Aug. 3 at the Luther Burbank Park ampitheatre.
The July 23 show is a special double performance that allows you to see both shows in one day, “Pericles” at 2 p.m. and“Much Ado” at 7 p.m.
See “Pericles” at 7 p.m. on July 16, July 20, July 21, July 22, July 27, July 28, July 29, Aug. 4, Aug. 5 and Aug. 6.
There will be Summer Celebration performances of both shows: “Much Ado” at 2 p.m. on July 8 and “Pericles” at 7 p.m. on July 9.
For more, see www.seattleshakespeare.org/woodeno.
