Arts Council announces 2019 Sunday in the Park concert series lineup

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge has announced the lineup for the spring 2019 Sunday in the Park outdoor concert series.

The free concert series takes place in the spring and fall.

The first concert is scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 28 at the Shaw Center for the Arts Plaza on Lafayette Street in downtown and will feature The Rusty Yates Band.

April 28 - The Rusty Yates Band
May 5 - EscoSoulMusic
May 12 - Phunky Monkeys
May 19 - John Cleary

Sunday in the Park also features activities for kids, such as face painting and balloon art. For more info about the festival series, contact Jonathan Grimes at 225-344-8558 ext. 236 or email JGrimes@artsbr.org.

Detailed information about each artist can be found below.

Rusty Yates Band - Rusty Yates is from Baton Rouge and has played music venues throughout the United States and Canada in his music career. Rusty is considered by many to be one of the premier performer’s in the country. Although Rusty has his own sound, the media has been quoted as saying that “Rusty’s music brings to mind the best of Delbert McClinton, Vocals comparable to BB King, but with a touch of old school Ray”. Rusty and his band have been performing throughout Louisiana and in Florida in recent months, and have just released their new CD “PASSION”. Rusty Yates carries with him a band of seasoned performers that bring it every show. Rusty has taken the music that has influenced him the most as he was growing up as a kid in Louisiana, and continued a sound that his Grandfather (The Evangelist Preacher) and the Great Soul and R&B Performer’s both past and present can be proud of.

EscoSoulMusic - EscoSoulMusic is a band that you will instantly connect with. From Al Green to Z.Z. Hill. Soul is the genre of music he interprets, creating a nostalgic experience while providing an atmosphere of fun and love. Esco began playing music in Baton Rouge and quickly became a local favorite. Esco will certainly have you on your feet to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. EscoSoulMusic believes, “Whatever is from the heart will reach the heart”.

The Phunky Monkeys - Imagine having your own concert featuring Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Ray Charles, Shaggy, Journey, Bruno Mars, Eminem, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Beyonce all in one afternoon... that’s what you get with the PHUNKY MONKEYS. They consistently deliver a stellar entertainment experience with precise sound and a high energy performance beyond what you can even imagine. With over 4,000 performances under their belt, THE PHUNKY MONKEYS have a synergy of uniquely talented, and professional musicians that bring unparalleled vocal and instrumental expertise. Explore the sounds, the look, and most importantly the feeling that we create. We are ready to help in creating a memorable event that will be talked about long after we stop getting PHUNKY...

Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen - Beyond Cleary’s considerable skills as a tunesmith he is equally renowned around the globe as an accomplished keyboardist and guitarist, and a deeply soulful vocalist. Cleary’s thirty-five years of intensive hands-on work on the Crescent City scene has made him a respected peer of such New Orleans R&B icons as Dr. John and Allen Toussaint. Toussaint, in fact, took time from his busy schedule to write most of the horn arrangements for GoGo Juice – thus bringing symmetry to Cleary’s recording of an entire album of Toussaint songs, entitled Occapella, which garnered rave reviews in 2012. Cleary has gloriously achieved this desired synthesis of tradition-rooted originality and forward thinking on GoGo Juice. From the ska-inflected “Pump It Up” to the life-affirming Fellini-esque “second line” that is “Boneyard,” from the introspective confessional ballad “Step Into My Life” to the rambunctious funk of “Getcha GoGo Juice,” from the exquisitely unhurried syncopation of “Love On One Condition” to the pulsing Southern-soul feel of “Beg, Steal or Borrow,” GoGo Juice makes a deep personal statement by Cleary and shimmers as a multi-faceted jewel of variegated grooves.