Big Bad Voodoo Daddy opens Carson City free summer music series

Returning for the second year, the Levitt AMP Carson City Music Series will bring free live music to the Brewery Arts Center.

Kicking off the series is jazz music by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on June 23.

This year marks the 24th anniversary since Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s arrival onto the music scene.

Since its formation in the early 1990s in Ventura, Calif., the band has performed an average of 150 or more shows a year.

Cofounded by singer Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren, the band helped lead the charge of the swing revival, blending classic American jazz with the energy and spirit of contemporary culture.

The band has performed at landmark sites including the Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl and Lincoln Center.

Add to its list of achievements a performance on TV’s “Dancing with the Stars” in addition to the 1999 Super Bowl halftime show with Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan.

The free music takes place Saturdays this summer at the outdoor Minnesota Street Stage in downtown Carson City.

Continuing the series will be The Novelists, playing pop and folk, on July 1.

Guitar Shorty, who’s credited with inspiring both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, will be at the BAC on July 8.

Gene Evaro Jr. will bring a mix of funky blues and slick pop on July 15.

An eight-piece band from Oakland, Calif., La Misa Negra, will be on hand on July 22.

Southern Drawl Band will play Southern rock and country on July 29.

Thee Commons from East LA will play a blend of cumbia, punk and psychedelia on Aug. 5.

Marla Brown’s blend of reggae, jazz and soul will be on Aug. 12.

Rock music by The Dusty Green Bones Band from San Francisco will be on Aug. 26.

Celtic rock by The Young Dubliners will round out the series on Sept. 2.

Besides the free music, food vendors will be on site as well as wine and beer, children’s activities and space to dance.

For information, go to breweryarts.org.