A blues musician credited with influencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy is headlining the next performance in the Levitt AMP Carson City Music Series.
Free music by Guitar Shorty will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday at the outdoor Minnesota Street Stage near the Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St.
Opening the show will be Reno’s Grace Hayes, an independent Nevadan performing artist, actress, singer/songwriter, pianist/ukuleleist, spoken-word poet and comedian.
“She specializes in the satirical, exudes eccentricity, and oozes all things obscure,” said a Brewery Arts Center press release.
Following Hayes’ performance, Guitar Shorty, known for his explosive guitar playing, will take the stage. The musician has been electrifying audiences for five decades.
Sponsored in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a private foundation that empowers communities to transform neglected public spaces into thriving destinations through free, live music, the series is presenting 10 free family-friendly concerts this summer. With eight more to go, the series still has a diverse lineup of talent spanning several genres — reggae, Southern rock, cumbia, Celtic, and bluegrass.
Playing on July 15 will be Gene Evaro Jr., who performs in the tradition of Paul Simon and Sly & The Family Stone with lyrical poetry à la Jim Morrison.
La Misa Negra will take the stage July 22. The eight-piece band from Oakland, Calif., plays a blend of 1950s and 60s style cumbia and high-energy Afro-Colombian dance music. Yaple’s Ballroom will be offering Cumbia classes prior to the La Misa Negra performance.
Rounding out July is Nashville artist Southern Drawl Band on July 29.
August will see psychedelic cumbia-punk trio Thee Commons on Aug. 5; reggae’s Marla Brown on Aug. 12 and Dusty Green Bones on Aug. 26 with the Cherry Pickers opening.
The series will conclude with Ireland’s Young Dubliners on Sept. 2.
The public is invited to bring their own picnics, blankets and lawn chairs to the concerts, which will have an open lawn and lot setting.
Food trucks, libations and children’s activities will be available at each of the shows. Pets on leash are welcome.
For information, go to http://levittamp.org/carson_city.