Wed 7/2 @ 7:30PM
Last year, the Cleveland Museum of Art debuted its Ohio City Stages series — a July of Wednesday night concerts by bands and musicians playing ethnic music from around the world.
The free series, taking place on an outdoor stage on West 29th outside the Transformer Station, was a hit. So it’s back for a second season.
Kicking it off is Brooklyn-based Chicha Libre. Yes, there’s an element of hipster indie rock in their music, as their home base implies. But there’s much more.
The band features six musicians from France, the U.S., Venezuela, and Mexico, who start their musical stew with tunes from the repertoire of a form of Peruvian cumbia music called (unsurprisingly) chicha. Then they stir in a cupful of surf rock, some original tunes in several languages, and some reconceived covers of everything from old rock (Love’s “Alone Again Or,” The Clash’s “Guns of Brixton”) to classical music (Wagner’ Ride of the Valkyries). It’s a concoction that’s sure to provoke dancing in the street.
It’s the first of five concerts. Singer Noura Mint Seymali from Mauritania performs on 7/9, followed by Cuba’s Conjunto Chappottin on 7/16. BaianaSystem from Brazil brings the music on 7/23, and the series concludes Zimbabwe’s Makoombah on 7/30.
All the concerts are free.
clevelandart.org/events/music-and-performances/ohio-city-stages-2014