Featured Image: Anthony Small performs at the Dana Point ArtFest in the city’s Lantern District on June 5. Photo: Courtesy of Cliff Wassmam
By Anthony Small
Summertime in Dana Point means music, music, and more music! Here’s your Dana Point ROCKS musical to-do list to put on your fridge.
I’m delighted to share that Music Preserves Foundation and Ocean Institute are teaming up to bring you “Summer Jams,” a two-concert series featuring New Orleans Jazz with The Gumbo Brothers on July 8 and Americana Bluegrass with Moonsville Collective on July 22.
Music Preserves will also interview the bands, delving into the history of their genres. I’m so grateful for the tremendous support of our sponsors City of Dana Point, Ohana Festival and Station Craft Brewery + Kitchen.
We couldn’t do this without our community’s support, and I hope to see you at the shows. Tickets are $25 and available at Ocean Institute’s events page online.
Thank you to Visit Dana Point’s Rachel O’Neill-Cusey and Relic Agency’s Cali Oram for having me on their new podcast “The Dana Point Wave,” where I was lucky enough to speak with them about Music Preserves, the Summer Jams concerts, my music and my experience as an arts advocate.
As I told Rachel, I’m so proud of her for “dreaming big and then doing something about it.” Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. More info can be found on Instagram @mydanapoint.
Thank you to both REDO Market and Dana Point ArtFest for having me as part of their bustling signature events in the Lantern District recently. Playing music for our community is a dream come true!
Welcome the newly formed Dana Point Sister Cities International Association and its president, Bob Zasa, to the community of local nonprofits. Dana Point Sister Cities will present events throughout the year that highlight the cultural aspects of Dana Point.
The Dana Point Historical Society is partnering with Dana Point Sister Cities, which is hitting the ground running with their first fundraising event, “Wine & Tastes of Italy,” on Monday, June 27, at 5:30 p.m. at Brio Tuscany Grille.
Lyric Opera of Orange County will perform several arias and share the opera’s history. Tickets are $75 and include membership, wine tasting, food, and music. More info can be found at danapointsistercities.org.
Another Dana Point ROCKS welcome goes out to Patrick Brien, newly named vice president and chief operating officer at ArtsOC, the County of Orange’s nonprofit arts council. Patrick created so many acclaimed programs in his 17 years at Riverside Arts Council, and our community is lucky to have him. We look forward to working with you, Patrick! Find out more at artsoc.org.
This ROCKS: Symphony on the Go!, the Pacific Symphony’s wonderful mobile community concert experience, is coming back to Dana Point for a free pop-up concert on Wednesday, June 29, from 7-7:50 p.m. at Pines Park (34941 Camino Capistrano).
Bring your picnic basket and blanket or lawn chair and enjoy this unique experience. More info can be found at pacificsymphony.org/sotg or by emailing recreation@danapoint.org.
Ohana Festival, a huge part of Dana Point’s musical fabric, will feature headliners Stevie Nicks, Jack White, Eddie Vedder and Pink on the weekend of Sept. 30 through Oct 2.
The recently announced Ohana Encore will present headliners Alanis Morissette and host Eddie Vedder on Oct. 8, and The Black Keys and Haim on Oct. 9. For the stacked full band lineups and tickets, visit ohanafest.com.
Any list of local music recommendations would be incomplete without mentioning the legendary City of Dana Point Summer Concerts in the Park, held at Sea Terrace Park on Sundays from July 10 through Aug. 14,from 3-6 p.m.
The series is in its 33rd year and is one of my favorite Dana Point summer traditions. Although it started out super small with no stage, today it’s a free rock and roll picnic with thousands of your neighbors!
Bands include outstanding tributes to Queen, The Cars, Elton John, AC/DC and others. More info can be found at danapoint.org/recreation.
Anthony Small is Executive Director and co-founder of Music Preserves Foundation, a local musician and former City of Dana Point Arts and Culture Commissioner. Small and his family have lived in Dana Point for 24 years.
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