by Ari Roth
Philadelphia has a rich and varied musical community, and Make Music Philly 2014 is a city-wide festival designed to celebrate that. Featuring performances throughout our city, all available to the public and all absolutely free, the festival will encompass all sorts of venues, artists and styles, with more participating this year than ever before.
High profile performances will include legendary indie punk icon Ted Leo and soul singer Lee Fields at 6:30 PM at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing, which will also close the event. Other highlights include folk-soul songwriter Kwesi K at 3 PM at the Roxborough Solstice Festival at Gorgas Park, and a duet performance by local legends Pete Donnelly (of NRBQ and The Figgs), and Tayla St. Rose, at the same event at 6:15. Currently, there are 216 performances confirmed for the day, in styles ranging from rock, to R&B, to soul, to electronic, hip-hop, folk and beyond. No matter what your tastes and interests, if you love music, there will be something for you at Make Music Philly.
The festivities will begin at Love Park at 1599 John F. Kennedy Boulevard at 10 A.M., where a ceremony and performances will kick off the buzz of musical activity that will reverberate throughout the rest of the city. Many of these events will also be interactive and participatory, so you don’t have to just be a spectator! After the day is over, evening performances at 6:30 PM at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing (Columbus Blvd and Chestnut Street) will bring Make Music Philly to a close, ending what is sure to be an exciting, music-filled day in the city.
Make Music Philly will take place on Saturday, June 21st. For more information on the event, visit their website here, and check out a full list of performances, organized by artist, time, venue, area and genre, here. After that, be sure to Like MakeMusic Philly on Facebook here, and follow them on Twitter here. Nothing beats seeing great music you love in the city you love for free, and at Make Music Philly 2014, you will find just that. Come out next Saturday, and listen to the city sing.
