Coronado’s annual summer of music begins Memorial Day Weekend — Sunday, May 25.
As it has for the past 44 years, the concerts will feature a mix of music from jazz to rock and roll, with a little country and healthy dose of Latin for variety. Fan favorites Rockola, Betamaxx, and Cool Fever will the there, as will last year’s sensation Iliana Rose Cuban Band.
Four other local bands — Crown Town Music (featuring Matt Heinecke), Ron’s Garage, Velvet Café (featuring Stacy Antonel) and the Lonesome Georges — will perform this summer as well.
Not all is tried and true, there will be some new bands coming on board ABBA FAB (an ABBA tribute band) and the Mighty Untouchables, who play a multicultural mix of music from Motown to contemporary Latin songs popularized by Marvin Gaye to Celia Cruz and AC/DC to Bruno Mars.
The biggest new thing this year is state of the art sound system provided by and run by J&S Sounds.
“They’ve been around for decades and has a great reputation,” said Ray Gosselin, a member of the Concerts in the Park board and an 18-year veteran of the concert business. Gosselin was instrumental in finding a new sound company.
The will be four speakers elevated 8 to 10 feet in the air, so you’ll be able to hear a clear, modulated sound from the bandstand outward. Of course, “people at the edge of the park still will not be able to hear the music as well,” Gosselin acknowledged.
The new sound system will cost $1,200 a week, double what the setup in previous years cost, but just half of what the system would cost in any other venue.
“It’s a screaming deal,” Gosselin said.
From its beginning Concerts in the Park has been a grassroots, volunteer enterprise. The cost of the sound system, the bands and programs is paid for by donations. A volunteer board books acts, publicizes shows, and puts on every concert.
If you are interested in being part of this Coronado tradition by volunteering, contact George Morgan at [email protected] by May 15th.
You can also donate or advertise in the concert program. Contact Maggie Hannegan at [email protected] for more information.
Great music is an important part of the concert tradition, but what keeps Concerts in the Park alive is the hundreds of people who come every Sunday to picnic with friends and family and enjoy a few hours of great music.
Come join the fun this summer!
2014 Concerts in the Park Schedule
All concerts begin at 6 p.m. expect where noted.
May 25: Coronado Concerts Band
Sponsored by the City of Coronado
June 1: The DestroyersNavy Band Southwest
Sponsored by the Brigantine/Miguel’s Concina
June 8: Cool Fever
Sponsored by SoCal Business Partners & Falletta Construction Inc.
June 15: Desperado
Sponsored by Willis Allen Real Estate
June 22: Lonesome Georges
Sponsored by Coronado Private Bank
June 29: Betamaxx
Sponsored by California American Water
July 4 (4 p.m.): Coronado Concert Band
Sponsored by Miss Match Apparel Company
July 6: Crown Town (featuring Matt Heinecke)
Sponsored by Bill Subang & Diane Jolley/Linda & Rick Hascup/Kory Kavanewsky/CMGF Financial
July 13: ABBAFab
Sponsored by Coronado Real Estate Association
July 20: PopVinyl
Sponsored by the Auen Foundation
July 27: Mighty Untouchables
Sponsored by Kennedy Publishing
August 3: Iliana Rose Cuban Band
Sponsored by Newman Foundation
August 10: Rockola
Sponsored by Edye Denney & Dick Zoellner
August 17: Navy Showband Southwest
Sponsored by Rotary Club of Coronado
August 24 (5 pm): Todo Mundo & Mariachi Estrellas de Chula Visita
Sponsored by Coronado Women’s and Coronado Junior Women’s Clubs
August 31 (5 pm): Velvet Café featuring Stacy Antonel
Sponsored by Optimist Club of Coronado
September 7 (5 pm): Ron’s Garage
Sponsored by CSF/Park Life Realty
