Music from Cuba, Canada, Louisiana and beyond will flow freely from outdoor stages this summer thanks to three free concert series.
First up: Sequim’s Music in the Park with The Randall Wolf Band, which will play from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the James Center for the Performing Arts bandshell at Carrie Blake Park, 500 N. Blake Ave.
Next will be Port Angeles’ Concerts on the Pier, with The Works, a classic rock band that will take the stage at City Pier at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The third is the Concerts on the Dock, which are not actually on a dock but at Pope Marine Park on Water Street in Port Townsend. That free eight-week series starts at 5 p.m. July 11 with Marmalade, a funk-soul-hip-hop-Afrobeat band from Seattle.
“The majority of the bands will be new to our audiences, and we will also feature some local favorites,” said Mari Mullen, executive director of the Port Townsend Main Street Program.
That mix will happen in Port Angeles, too, said Juan de Fuca Foundation Executive Director Kari Chance.
“I was able to work with some agents,” Chance said, “and because our concerts are on Wednesdays, we were able to get a couple of [bands] that are going to be in the area” between gigs around the Puget Sound.
For example: The Powell Brothers will bring country music to City Pier on Aug. 14; Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble will play July 10.
Canadian rocker Jesse Roper will bring his five-piece outfit to City Pier for the first time in August. Roper, who played the main stage and taught a songwriting workshop at the Juan de Fuca Festival in May, is eager to steep himself in this place again.
The energy is high in Port Angeles, Roper said, “and folks are extra supportive. Every time we play there, we’re shaking our heads, saying, ‘That was something.’”
Both Chance and will Mullen close out their concert series with a well-known hometown act. In Port Angeles, that’s Black Diamond Junction with its classic hits; in Port Townsend, it’s Kevin Mason and the PT All-Stars.
The series have different weather policies: The Wednesday Concerts on the Pier seek shelter under the Gateway pavilion at Front and Lincoln streets in Port Angeles; while a Concert on the Dock is canceled if it’s raining on Thursday afternoon in Port Townsend.
Roper said whatever the genre, whichever the town, free outdoor concerts speak a universal language.
“I try to have a good time myself up there,” he said. “That translates to the people at the show.”
“You know, fun becomes addictive.”
Port Angeles Concerts on the Pier
City Pier stage, 315 N. Lincoln St., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays; rain brings shows under the Gateway pavilion at Front and Lincoln streets.
June 26: The Works, classic rock
July 3: Olympic Express Big Band, swing, big band
July 10: Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble, zydeco (new)
July 17: The Nasty Habits, 1980s rock/dance
July 24: Antbath, synthetic surf
July 31: Supernostalgic, ’90s rock hits (new)
Aug. 7: Jesse Roper band, blues, rock, funk (new)
Aug. 14: The Powell Brothers, country (new)
Aug. 21: Joy in Mudville, Americana/roots
Aug. 28: Black Diamond Junction, classic hits
Music in the Park in Sequim
James Center for the Performing Arts bandshell, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 500 N. Blake Ave. in Sequim.
June 25: The Randall Wolf Band
July 2: Bread & Gravy with The Harmony Honey Buns
July 9: John Hoover & The Mighty Quinns
July 16: The Fabulous Murphtones
July 23: Sun~Over Static
July 30: Kalan Wolfe & The Shift
Aug. 6: Black Diamond Junction
Aug. 13: Joy in Mudville
Aug. 20: The Buck Ellard Band
Aug. 27: Sound Advice
Concerts on the Dock in Port Townsend
Pope Marine Park, Water Street at Madison Street, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays; venue opens at 4:30 p.m. and rain cancels.
July 11: Marmalade, funk, soul, Afrobeat (new)
July 18: Sweater Weather String Band, honky-tonk/Celtic/indie rock (new)
July 25: Jay Si Proof, jazz, funk (new)
Aug. 1: Cold Comfort, alternative indie rock, with Small Paul, folk rock (new)
Aug. 8: Duende Libre, Latin jazz (new)
Aug. 15: Uncle Funk & the Dope 6, party/dance music
Aug. 22: Sweet N’ Juicy, funk, rock, soul, with Marco Marco, indie/dream pop (new)
Aug. 29: Kevin Mason and the PT All Stars, soul, Motown, R & B
