Music on the Green, the free community concert series that takes place at New Frontiers, Thursday evenings throughout the summer, kicks off its tenth year of providing food, fun and fellowship for all ages Thursday, June 17, with original music by Doug Groshart and Joe Koenig of San Luis Obispo.
The concerts are sponsored and paid for by New Frontiers Natural Marketplace, and are held in the courtyard outside the store, which is located in the Valley Plaza at the corner of Alamo Pintado and Highway 246 in Solvang.
“It’s amazing to think that we’ve been doing this for 10 years,” said event organizer Ron Colone. “New Frontiers has a slogan that says ‘We’re all about Your Quality of Life,’ and that truly was the whole reason for starting this – to add to the quality of life in the Santa Ynez Valley.
We figured – when you put together good food and good music in a beautiful setting where people can enjoy each other that it adds to our health, happiness and well-being.
“It took a couple years for it to catch on,” said Colone, “but it has grown into a Solvang summertime tradition that now attracts hundreds of people a week. We really want to thank the ‘regulars’ who’ve been coming since the beginning and have helped make Music on the Green such a great event.”
As always, the series begins the week after the kids get out of school and continues through Labor Day.
The concerts take place on Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and are free to the public. This year’s series runs for 11 weeks, with seven “new” groups making their first appearance. Stylistically, the performances span the gambit – from folk music to funk music, alternative rock to bluegrass, “island sounds,” to R&B and soul, to straight up rock and roll.
“People often call asking – what kind of music is it tonight,” explained Colone, “and a typical answer might be – well, there’s violin, mandolin and acoustic guitar, or horns or a girl with a great big soulful voice – but that’s about the extent of our descriptions. We try not to get involved with labels and categories. We just want people to come and relax and enjoy themselves and the good original music, and experience the gratitude of living in this beautiful place.”
In addition to the music, Music on the Green features an outstanding all-natural beef, chicken and vegetarian barbecue – complete with all the fixins, including side salads, melon, drinks and more.
In Week One of this year’s series, New Frontiers will be hosting an old-fashioned ice cream social – with free ice cream for all. “There’ll be everything from sodas to sundaes, cones, cups and toppings galore,” explained New Frontiers Marketing Manager Amy Derryberry.
This year’s musical lineup includes:
June 17 – Doug Groshart & Joe Koenig
June 24 – Hot Blast Florence
July 1 – Tropo
July 8 – Champagne Sunday
July 15 – Hana & Satchwell
July 22 – Erland and the Family Band
July 29 – Blind Eye Turner
Aug. 5 – Wetlands
Aug. 12 – The Honeycombs
Aug. 19 – Cuesta Ridge
Aug. 26 – The Grasshoppers