Brooklyn soul-pop band Lake Street Dive will play the June 7 opening night of this year’s Bric Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, the annual kind-of-free summer concert series in Prospect Park.
The band may be less of a household name than previous headliners such as Chaka Khan and Janelle Monae, but organizers say the four-piece is rocketing to fame right now.
“Their last proper performance sold out Radio City Music Hall, which I don’t think Chaka Khan could do at this point in her career,” said the festival’s executive producer Jack Walsh.
Lake Street Dive has been around for more than a decade, but really broke out after its Youtube video of a Jackson Five cover went viral in 2012, according to Rolling Stone.
The group just released its first major-label record “Side Pony,” which topped Billboard’s rock, alternative, and folk albums charts.
The ensemble’s sound blends jazz, folk, rock, and soul, and should really kick off the coming of the concert series with a bang, Walsh said.
“We want to make sure everyone has a rollicking good time on opening night, and we think they really fit the bill,” he said.
Celebrate Brooklyn, organized by local arts institution Bric, has taken over Prospect Park’s Bandshell every summer since 1979, and features both free and paid shows.
Bric is staying tight-lipped on the other gratis gigs — those will be announced in May — but tickets for the Shins on June 15, and Conor Oberst on July 20 are already on sale.
