Plattsburgh, NY -- The Strand hosts its annual outdoor concert series on the lawn of the Arts Center. This free community event features local and traveling talent. Each week in July, a new band or solo artist will take the stage and perform a two hour set including a short intermission. All performances throughout the month will start promptly at 5:30 PM. Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available on site as well as the usual concessions. The Strand will set up the grounds with their iconic rainbow adirondack lawn chairs, but attendees are still encouraged to bring their own seating as the space does fill up quickly. This year will feature: Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers, Taylor Lavalley, Damaged Goods, and Beau Sassier Trio

7/6/2022 - Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers

Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers will make you move with their award-winning “Boogie, Blues & Beyond” – an electrifying original sound that takes you from the delta to the dance floor. Mixing the vintage country blues and roots she was brought up on with more contemporary sounds like funk, psychedelic rock, and even reggae, the two-time “Blues Artist of the Year” (2019 NEMA & 2012 BMA) leads the band on vocals and electric guitars (plus the occasional kazoo solo!), backed by her husband Jim Countryman on bass and vocals, with Shawn Meehan on drums, and special guest Bob Mackenzie on harmonica.

7/13/2022 - Talor LaValley

Taylor Renae LaValley was born in Nashville, Tennessee in the summer of 1995 to parents Doug and Elisa La Valley. Her father was a seasoned musician and performed all over the country. He wrote songs and performed at the Grand Ole Opry with some of the late greats and was also inducted into the New England music Hall of Fame, as well as the New England Opry Hall of Fame—he brought the country music scene to New England. He succumbed to Stage 4 prostate cancer in 1999–Taylor was just 4 years old. Growing up, Taylor heard all of the stories and saw all of the pictures of her father being the star that he was. She didn’t know it, but she was already following in her dad’s footsteps from a very young age.

Taylor has been writing songs since the age of 9. When she was in the 7th grade, she performed and recorded some original songs live for her music class. That performance led to leads in plays and chorus, school talent shows, area wide talent shows and eventually her first band at 16. Taylor loved performing on stage so much that she lied about her age to play in bars, would sneak into open mic nights and found new inspiration for new songs. She was introduced to a family friend who believed in her so much that he recorded her songs and wanted to start a band (the Intangibles are still together to this day).

7/20/2022 - Damaged Goods

What other band performs 1912 vaudeville tunes mixed with Celtic style fiddle romps? Damaged Goods puts a unique spin on music by meshing several styles into a modern genre of its own. Keith King, the band’s frontman and vocalist, is the only original member still with the band today. Keith is known for his ability to play a long list of instruments, especially ukulele, flute and harp. Dave Melbie, guitarist and vocalist, is known for his melodic rhythm and eclectic taste. Educated in R&B, funk and jazz, the designated “anchor of the group” Randy Vaughn is the band’s drummer. Randy’s drumming career started at the age of six, and over the years he’s mastered stopping and altering time signatures to fit the tempo of any song. The newest member, Nelson "The Fiddler" Rock, is a flawless accompanist, adding some beautiful harmonies that seem to float on top of all the music. Damaged Goods is certainly an extremely unique band with incredibly talented musicians that know how to rock!

7/27/2022 Beau Sassier Trio

Beau Sasser has been a staple artist in the live music scene for decades. Sasser started his career with his original project Uncle Sammy before moving on to tour as a side-man with the late great Melvin Sparks, Alan Evans Trio, and Ryan Montbleau just to name a few. He is currently in the progressive funk/fusion band, Kung Fu, and working with his own band, The Escape Plan. The Beau Sasser Trio is yet another outlet for Beau to pay tribute to the classic organ trio sound with soul classics in the boogaloo and acid jazz stylings.

To round out the trio, Beau features a couple of musicians very prominent in the Northeast live music scene: Justin Henricks on guitar and Bill Carbone on drums. Both artists, similar to Beau, are involved in several other touring outfits, for Justin, his main gig is in the Albany-based funk & soul outfit Wurliday. Bill has been a core member of the legendary jam band, Max Creek, for several years as well. Justin, well-styled in the boogaloo tradition takes inspiration from jazz guitar giants such as Grant Green and Wes Montgomery while adding a sound all his own. Bill, a deeply studied drummer in the jazz and funk idioms has a certain undeniable and exciting recklessness to his drumming reminiscent of Terry Bozzio in the Frank Zappa era.

Beau and his trio pay tributes to the giants of the genre such as Charles Earland, Lou Donaldson, Melvin Sparks, Grant Green and so much more.

Location: The Strand Center for the Arts, 23 Brinkerhoff Street, Plattsburgh, NY, 12901.

For more details https://www.strandcenter.org/calendar.