How Pamyua and Kelly Caballero Celebrate Native Heritage Through Music

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, today we’re highlighting the work of two compelling Native artists who have performed on Levitt stages either in person or virtually. There are myriad ways to be Native and express Native culture, each with intricate cultural traditions and modern interpretations, and these artists — Pamyua and Kelly Caballero — both draw on their heritage in their songwriting and musical expressions to showcase these complexities.

Pamyua — Inuit music for the soul
“Pamyua” (pronounced bum-yo-ah) is an Inuit, specifically Yup’ik, word which means “tail end of (something)” and is traditionally used to say “Encore! Do it again!” Pamyua calls their music “Inuit soul,” because they play with traditional melodies from the Inuit cultures of Alaska and Greenland mixed with contemporary vocalization and instrumentation. The result is a joyful and sincere representation of the enduring Inuit heritage that the group believes can help bring unity between different cultures.

The marks of Indigenous culture in Pamuya’s music are plentiful — inspired by their Inuit community, they incorporate traditional Yup’ik dance and face masks, and have also used “seal call” vocalizations to express their relationship to animals and the natural world, creating what Native People’s Magazine described as “a blizzard of interlocking harmonies.”

The group was formed in 1995 by brothers Philip Kilirnquc Blanchett and Stephen Qacungatarli Blanchett from Anchorage, Alaska. The Blanchett brothers grew up going to a Black church in Anchorage, and describes this community as their “second village” in addition to their Inuit community. From the beginning, they have incorporated both their African American and Inuit heritages into their music: “When we started Pamyua it was really clear; we’re Black. We’re Yup’ik. This is what we do,” Philip Kilirnquc Blanchett said. In addition to the Blanchett brothers, the group is complete with Ossie (Aassanaaq) Kairaiuak of Chefornak, Alaska and Karina Moeller of Greenland, and they also play with additional musicians from around the world.

Pamyua performed at the 2019 and 2021 Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series, with each show  featuring a number of Native artists as part of a larger effort to amplify Native stories in Soldotna to make reparations for past violence against Native communities and increase representation of Native Alaskans. “We’re a testament that there’s still room for change in the culture, the awareness of people,” Blanchett said in an interview with Indie Alaska.

Kelly Caballero — reclaiming Tovaangar through music and poetry
Kelly Caballero is a Tongva, Yaqui and Xicana singer and songwriter, performer, poet, and jeweler who uses her art to educate about the history of Tongva people on the land that is now known as Los Angeles, but historically was part of the tribal territory Tovaangar (originally meaning “the world”). Caballero’s work largely focuses on the lived experiences of Indigenous people living in urban settings: “Being in the city and being a Native American is a whole different ball game,” Caballero said, “it feels like the grass that pokes up through the cement, it’s finding the beauty in the rubble.”

Caballero performed virtually at Levitt Los Angeles’ Barrio Fino, Episode 1: “Natives in the Now.” Performing on her ancestral land, she gave an emotional performance in which she dedicated her song “Mountains” to people who’ve been struggling during the pandemic, and “Anywhere” to Angelenos who have to “drive over two hours just to be in some kind of nature, to be alone with the trees, to find some clean running water.”

https://youtu.be/KF2fFLCAdOE

Caballero’s songwriting often emphasizes her and her people’s strong connection to nature and their physical land. Her first song, “Siren,” is about a girl calling people to her like a siren to make them hear and see her as a Tongva woman, and in her poem “California,” she says “maybe if I could speak my mother tongue the rivers would rise to meet me.”

Activism is also a strong focus in Caballero’s work, and part of what inspired her to become an artist was the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. “Standing Rock was definitely the catalyst for me to be more open and proud of my culture and heritage,” Caballero said. The protests inspired her to “do good work in my community and bring awareness to the original people of Los Angeles.” Caballero also performed at the Yo-Yo Ma Day of Action, in which the world-renowned cellist brought cross-sector groups together to explore how culture can help build a better future.

Both Kelly Caballero and Pamyua, while different in their expressions, circumstances and culture, use their music and artistry to celebrate and educate others about their Native cultures. Through the unique power of music to bridge past and present, they show that Native artists and culture are here now, as alive and vibrant as ever.

The Recording Academy recently announced its full list of nominees, recognizing the amazing artists and their music that brought joy to our lives during another challenging year. The 64th annual GRAMMY® Awards are just around the corner, and 18 Levitt artists rock the nominations from among the 86 different music categories. We’re thrilled to congratulate these nominees who’ve brought their artistry and rhythms to Levitt stages around the country. Ranging from Latin, pop, bluegrass, jazz and R&B, these talented performers have captured the attention of critics and audiences around the globe, from country star Maren Morris who performed at Levitt Pavilion Arlington to American legends The Blind Boys of Alabama who headlined the Levitt National Tour in 2018. Check out the list of nominated Levitt artists below and be sure to tune into the 2022 GRAMMY Awards show on Monday, January 31, 2022, at 8–11:30 p.m. ET / 5–8:30 p.m. PT. on the CBS Television Network (check local listings).

Masego – Levitt AMP Chattanooga (2017)
Best Progressive R&B Album, Studying Abroad: Extended Stay

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles (2013)
Best Improvised Jazz Solo, “Sackodougou” Track from: The Hands Of Time (Weedie Braimah)

Jason Isbell – Levitt Shell Memphis (2019)
Best Country Solo Performance, “All I Do Is Drive”

Brothers Osborne – Levitt AMP Denison (2015)
Best Country Duo/Group Performance, “Younger Me”
Best Country Album, Skeletons

Maren Morris – Levitt Pavilion Arlington (2009)
Best Country Duo/Group Performance, “Chasing After You” (with Ryan Hurd)
Best Country Song, “Better Than We Found It” (with Jessie Jo Dillon, Jimmy Robbins & Laura Veltz)

The Baylor Project – Levitt AMP Chattanooga (2018)
Best Jazz Vocal Album, Generations

Kirk Franklin – Levitt Pavilion Arlington (2019)
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song, “We Win” (with Lil Baby)

Alex Cuba – Levitt Pavilion Arlington (2009) and Levitt Shell Memphis (2009, 2017
Best Latin Pop Album, Mendó

Bomba Estéreo – Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles (2012) and Levitt Pavilion Denver (2015)
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album, Deja

Billy Strings – Levitt AMP Sheboygan (2017)
Best Bluegrass Album, Renewal
Best American Roots Performance, “Love and Regret”

The Blind Boys Of Alabama – Levitt Pavilion Arlington (2018), Levitt Pavilion Dayton (2018), Levitt Pavilion Denver (2018), Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles (2018), Levitt Shell Memphis (2018), and Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks (2018)
Best American Roots Performance, “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free”

Valerie June – Levitt AMP Chattanooga (2019), Levitt AMP Santa Fe (2019), Levitt Pavilion Denver (2020/Virtual)
Best American Roots Song, “Call Me A Fool” (Featuring Carla Thomas)

Yola – Levitt Shell Memphis (2019)
Best Americana Album, Stand For Myself
Best American Roots Song, “Diamond Studded Shoes” (with Dan Auerbach, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Lee Tasjan, songwriters)

Cedric Burnside – Levitt Shell Memphis (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016), Levitt AMP Cleveland (2016), Levitt AMP Hattiesburg (2017), Levitt AMP New Albany (2016), Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks (2016)
Best Traditional Blues Album, I Be Trying

Sarah Jarosz – Levitt Shell Memphis (2016)
Best Folk Album, Blue Heron Suite

Cha Wa – Levitt Shell Memphis (2015), Levitt AMP Sheboygan (2019), Levitt Pavilion Westport (2019)
Best Regional Roots Music Album, My People

Rocky Dawuni – Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles (2010, 2013, 2014, 2016) and Levitt Pavilion Denver (2017)
Best Global Music Album, Voice Of Bunbon, Vol. 1

Lucky Diaz and The Family Jam Band – Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles (2014, 2015, 2017)
Best Children’s Music Album, Crayon Kids

 

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, today we’re highlighting the work of two compelling Native artists who have performed on Levitt stages either in person or virtually. There are myriad ways to be Native and express Native culture, each with intricate cultural traditions and modern interpretations, and these artists — Pamyua and Kelly Caballero — both draw on their heritage in their songwriting and musical expressions to showcase these complexities.

Pamyua — Inuit music for the soul
“Pamyua” (pronounced bum-yo-ah) is an Inuit, specifically Yup’ik, word which means “tail end of (something)” and is traditionally used to say “Encore! Do it again!” Pamyua calls their music “Inuit soul,” because they play with traditional melodies from the Inuit cultures of Alaska and Greenland mixed with contemporary vocalization and instrumentation. The result is a joyful and sincere representation of the enduring Inuit heritage that the group believes can help bring unity between different cultures.

The marks of Indigenous culture in Pamuya’s music are plentiful — inspired by their Inuit community, they incorporate traditional Yup’ik dance and face masks, and have also used “seal call” vocalizations to express their relationship to animals and the natural world, creating what Native People’s Magazine described as “a blizzard of interlocking harmonies.”

The group was formed in 1995 by brothers Philip Kilirnquc Blanchett and Stephen Qacungatarli Blanchett from Anchorage, Alaska. The Blanchett brothers grew up going to a Black church in Anchorage, and describes this community as their “second village” in addition to their Inuit community. From the beginning, they have incorporated both their African American and Inuit heritages into their music: “When we started Pamyua it was really clear; we’re Black. We’re Yup’ik. This is what we do,” Philip Kilirnquc Blanchett said. In addition to the Blanchett brothers, the group is complete with Ossie (Aassanaaq) Kairaiuak of Chefornak, Alaska and Karina Moeller of Greenland, and they also play with additional musicians from around the world.

Pamyua performed at the 2019 and 2021 Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series, with each show  featuring a number of Native artists as part of a larger effort to amplify Native stories in Soldotna to make reparations for past violence against Native communities and increase representation of Native Alaskans. “We’re a testament that there’s still room for change in the culture, the awareness of people,” Blanchett said in an interview with Indie Alaska.

Kelly Caballero — reclaiming Tovaangar through music and poetry
Kelly Caballero is a Tongva, Yaqui and Xicana singer and songwriter, performer, poet, and jeweler who uses her art to educate about the history of Tongva people on the land that is now known as Los Angeles, but historically was part of the tribal territory Tovaangar (originally meaning “the world”). Caballero’s work largely focuses on the lived experiences of Indigenous people living in urban settings: “Being in the city and being a Native American is a whole different ball game,” Caballero said, “it feels like the grass that pokes up through the cement, it’s finding the beauty in the rubble.”

Caballero performed virtually at Levitt Los Angeles’ Barrio Fino, Episode 1: “Natives in the Now.” Performing on her ancestral land, she gave an emotional performance in which she dedicated her song “Mountains” to people who’ve been struggling during the pandemic, and “Anywhere” to Angelenos who have to “drive over two hours just to be in some kind of nature, to be alone with the trees, to find some clean running water.”

https://youtu.be/KF2fFLCAdOE

Caballero’s songwriting often emphasizes her and her people’s strong connection to nature and their physical land. Her first song, “Siren,” is about a girl calling people to her like a siren to make them hear and see her as a Tongva woman, and in her poem “California,” she says “maybe if I could speak my mother tongue the rivers would rise to meet me.”

Activism is also a strong focus in Caballero’s work, and part of what inspired her to become an artist was the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. “Standing Rock was definitely the catalyst for me to be more open and proud of my culture and heritage,” Caballero said. The protests inspired her to “do good work in my community and bring awareness to the original people of Los Angeles.” Caballero also performed at the Yo-Yo Ma Day of Action, in which the world-renowned cellist brought cross-sector groups together to explore how culture can help build a better future.

Both Kelly Caballero and Pamyua, while different in their expressions, circumstances and culture, use their music and artistry to celebrate and educate others about their Native cultures. Through the unique power of music to bridge past and present, they show that Native artists and culture are here now, as alive and vibrant as ever.

Historic places and buildings are not just monuments to the past, preserving moments and memories in physical form. Actively including historical spaces as current centerpieces in community life can forge a powerful connection between people and place, creating common ground for future generations. Such is the case with three Levitt AMP communities — Carson City (NV), Springfield (IL) and Ocala (FL) — where the dedicated individuals and nonprofits behind the free Levitt AMP Music Series have brought new life and meaning to previously underused historical spaces, creating vibrant gathering places for the entire community. Read on to learn more!

Carson City, NV: A historic district with a future in the arts

The Levitt AMP Carson City Music Series, located in the Nevada state capital city of Carson City, takes place in the same area where the city’s history began, nestled in between two of the oldest buildings in the city: the 1864 Carson Brewery and the 1871 St. Teresa of Avila Church. According to Gina Lopez, Executive Director of the Brewery Arts Center, no one would consider the historic district a place for community prior to the Levitt AMP Carson City Music Series. The difficulty of maintaining the old, historic buildings left them appearing run-down and closed to the public. The vision for the Levitt AMP Music Series was to “bring life back” to the area, which has been realized every summer since first presenting the Levitt AMP Music Series in 2016 (with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic), with several thousand people attending each show from all over Carson City and the surrounding areas. The area has become “a place to be, a place to experience,” Lopez said, and she attributes this change in large part to the free, accessible format of Levitt AMP concerts removing barriers to participation. “The free concerts took away a sense of class,” Lopez said, “everybody was dancing in the street together and it really became a community building exercise. The music and the art were just the vehicle.”

When the Levitt AMP concerts in Carson City first started, Lopez believed she needed to book big-name artists in order to draw people to the space. After five successful seasons, the music series has become part of the social fabric of Carson City. It is established as a draw in and of itself, giving the Brewery Arts Center the opportunity to program emerging artists and provide them with a platform that they could not offer previously. Levitt AMP concerts have built trust within the community, and crowds show up expecting high-quality music regardless of whether the lineup is filled with well-known names. “Everybody wants to be part of something great, and this is something great — it is magical,” Lopez said.

Bridging the historic with the new is a “touchy balance,” according to Lopez, particularly when making changes to spaces with historical ties to the community. Change, however, is necessary to navigate in order to create places where people feel welcome to come together for years to come. The momentum from the Levitt AMP Music Series has allowed for the development of the historic district, with additions such as a pedestrian-only street between the two historic buildings, an interactive harmony sculpture park, and murals on the historic buildings making the area welcoming for all. Now, “we’re a historic district that has a future as well, and that future is in the arts,” Lopez said.

Springfield, IL: A city divided, healing through free music

Another AMP community that’s also the state capital, Springfield, Illinois, is perhaps best known as the home of Abraham Lincoln, and the Y Block — home to the Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series — is located just a few blocks from the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln gave his pivotal “House Divided” speech in 1858. The Y Block is an entire city block in downtown Springfield, an area which former Downtown Springfield, Inc. Executive Director Lisa Clemmons Stott describes as “truly the center of our community.” The block sits adjacent to the Governor’s Mansion and has had many uses over the years, including the now-demolished Hotel Abraham Lincoln, a YWCA, which vacated after a bad storm in 2007, and most recently, a gravel parking lot for state employees.

At the same time, the area has a painful history; a 1908 violent riot targeting the city’s Black community was the catalyst for the inception of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series has served as a source of healing, giving audience members a chance to gather with a large cross-section of the community and enjoy a shared experience together. “It is a space that makes you remember your humanity and that all the other people around you are just humans appreciating good music, too,” Stott said.

Following two summers of Levitt AMP concerts in 2019 and 2021 (the music series was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic), the Y block now symbolizes a common investment in the future of Springfield’s historic downtown. The visibility from the Levitt AMP Music Series has sparked more interest and learning about what the community envisions, paired with new partnerships to execute their vision. “The Levitt AMP Music Series has really allowed us to work across neighborhoods in a way that we hadn’t been able to before,” Stott said, and cites collaborating with the organizers behind Juneteenth, Inc. as one example. Through a joint Juneteenth celebration kick-off, Stott says they were able to use the Levitt AMP Music Series to amplify the work that the Juneteenth committee has been doing for more than two decades. According to Stott, “We’re trying to make it so that every person can see a version of themselves on the stage and on the lawn.” Currently, Stott says they are working with an architect and a landscape architect to create renderings of future plans for the block based on community input, which will then be released back to the community for feedback once the plans are ready.

Ocala, FL: Bridging the divide of disinvestment 

Just over a mile west of downtown Ocala, Florida, sits the historic Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Complex’s Webb Field. In the 1920s, the three-acre green space was used for the Mets’ summer baseball training, but has since sat largely unused until the inaugural Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series in 2017 — a baffling phenomenon considering how close the field is to Ocala’s lively downtown. “It was really strange to us how we had done all this revitalization in our downtown core, a mile away, and we weren’t seeing any development there,” Jennifer Normoyle, Grants and Outreach Manager for Ocala’s Recreation & Parks Department, and an organizer of the Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series, said.

The underuse of Webb Field was tied to Ocala’s history of disinvestment in Black communities post-segregation, including the detrimental effects of The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. The construction of US Highway 301 cut a line through the historically Black neighborhood, disrupting local community life and creating a perceived barrier. Prior to the Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series, “no one went to West Ocala from downtown even though it’s super close,” Normoyle said. “There are people who’ve lived in Ocala all their lives who had never been to Webb Field or that side of town.” This separation was a key motivation for bringing the Levitt AMP Music Series to the area and “prove the space viable to get people to come from all over the city to experience free, live music … no matter what neighborhood you live in, no matter your race, age, or gender,” said Normoyle.

The Levitt AMP Music Series laid the groundwork for a cascade of other development projects in the area, and has become an important social arena for the local community as well. According to Normoyle, many concertgoers have become regulars and continually make friends through the concerts.

While the Levitt AMP Music Series has played an instrumental role in the long-term goal to improve quality of life in West Ocala on a deep level, work remains. Most pressing, the neighborhood west of the 301 is a food desert — “we’re still fighting to get a supermarket on that side of town,” Normoyle said. She emphasized the importance of including art in any efforts to recover a space, and says that this aspect has been key “not just visually, it’s not just aesthetics, it is an economically redeveloped area.”

These three AMP sites all harness the power of free, live music to bring new life and meaning to historical spaces in their communities, proving the transformative effects of Levitt AMP grants. Levitt AMP concerts have been key in building trust and connectivity in these places, fostering a vibrant arts hub for artists and audiences and making planning for the future a community exercise.

In August, the Shine Music Festival—billed as a “booty shaking, progress making, radically accessible music event”—brought hundreds of concertgoers of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to Levitt Pavilion Denver’s expansive lawn to experience the healing power of music. Today we’re taking a closer look at this historic daylong celebration three years in the making and exploring some of the ways permanent Levitt venues across the country are working to improve the live music experience for people of all abilities.

A ‘radically-accessible’ music festival
Little did six-year-old Lacie and guitar-playing street performer Cliff Woodage know that their spontaneous jam session on the streets of Grimsby, England, would one day inspire a day of music, community and access across the Atlantic Ocean. When Shine Music Founder and ‘Inclusion Architect’ Shawn Satterfield stumbled across a 2018 YouTube video of Lacie, who is blind and autistic, hearing Woodage’s music on the street, Satterfield was struck by the young girl’s elated smile. “I know that smile” said Satterfield, “that’s the feeling I get when I’m at live music.” Time and again Satterfield had experienced live music’s ability to bring people together and create a palpable joy amongst artists and concertgoers alike. Reflecting on the barriers that often prevent people living with disabilities from experiencing that collective joy, Evergreen, Colo.-based Satterfield set to work bringing the Shine Music Festival to life—where people of all abilities could feel the shared joy of free, live music.

The August 8, 2021, event at Levitt Pavilion Denver attracted an exciting and eclectic lineup of 11 bands presented across two stages. “Honestly, [the musicians and bands] picked us. As musicians found out about the Shine Music Festival, they reached out to us telling their stories of why this means something to them and asked to participate,” said Satterfield in an interview with 303 Magazine. Upon reading the event’s description, Graham Good of Graham Good & The Painters thought, “Wow, this sounds like something that this band needs to be a part of” he shared in a recent interview. He went on to explain how “every song that you play live for people has the ability to enhance their life,” recognizing the potential impact his band’s music could have on Shine attendees. For Michael Jochum of Ryan Chrys & The Rough Cuts, it was all about connection. “Everybody wants to be able to connect,” he explained in a recent interview, “and the opportunity to connect is everything.”

To help Shine Music Festival attendees connect with the music onstage—regardless of their ability to hear and/or see the performers—ASL interpreters and groundbreaking adaptive technology were brought onsite. Full Body Sound demoed their immersive wearable tech, a handheld device that receives audio and outputs tactile audio stimulation, allowing users to enjoy a full body surround sound experience and feel the music being played. And Feel the Beat invited attendees to do just that, to feel performers’ vibrational energies through a state-of-the-art bone conduction dance floor for the hard of hearing. All concertgoers enjoyed a festival-like atmosphere, centered around accessibility.

Setting the visual tone was a stunning festival poster illustrated by AJ K. of Access Gallery. Lively colors could be seen across the lawn as well, where color-coded pathways corresponded to grade steepness to show the easiest and safest routes for people with different levels of mobility. From food vendors with Braille menus to accessibility-centered booths featuring organizations like Rehabilitative Rhythms, Art from Ashes and Special Olympics Colorado, there were plenty of services and products to explore. Attendees could also enjoy a designated neurodiversity area, featuring the Autism Community Store’s Sensory Bus, where attendees experiencing sensory challenges could shelter if they needed relief from the music festival’s atmosphere.

Appreciation ran especially deep for concertgoers like Jordyn Castor, who shared the following on the event’s Facebook page:

“Thanks for giving me the gift of an accessible music festival. I felt empowered and confident to enjoy the experience on my terms and at my own pace. This is the first time I’ve ever been able to not depend on a sighted human to enjoy a festival like this. It was a blast!”

Building more inclusive experiences across the Levitt network
While the Shine Music Festival was produced by Satterfield’s nonprofit, Shine Music, during the past several years Levitt Denver has partnered with community organizations serving people of all abilities, including the Wayfaring Band, which provides travel experiences for adults who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities; Pass the Bass, a campaign to spread awareness about brain injuries; and Phamily Theatre Company, Colorado’s award-winning creative home for theatre artists with disabilities. Like Satterfield, Thomas has witnessed that all too often, concertgoers living with disabilities don’t always have the freedom to enjoy the full concert experience. “Our hope is that Levitt Pavilion Denver can be a space where people of all abilities have that freedom,” said Thomas.

Levitt Denver’s physical structure includes ADA-compliant ramps for concertgoers and artists with mobility devices, and earlier this year the venue became a KultureCity Certified Sensory Inclusive Venue. Levitt Denver committed to this certification to better support visitors with sensory concerns and provide valuable on-site resources like signage, sensory bags with headphones and lap pads to help concertgoers feel calm, and a dedicated space for anyone who needs a break from the lively concert atmosphere. As part of the KultureCity certification process, the venue has joined the KultureCity app. The app provides prospective concertgoers a step-by-step guide to what it’s like to attend a show at Levitt Denver—a service that allows individuals of all abilities to plan their visit. Thomas explained the importance of creating an environment where “the person who has the most accessibility concerns can feel safe and access the venue the way you want,” he said.

Over in Memphis, Levitt Shell received the KultureCity certification as well 2019. According to Executive Director Natalie Wilson, “The Levitt Shell is committed to inclusivity and accessibility on AND off our historic stage…This initiative promotes an accommodating and positive experience for all guests and fans with a sensory issue who visit the Levitt Shell.”

Up in Bethlehem, Pa., on the historic ArtsQuest campus, Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks is partnering with Accessible Festivals for several 2022 concerts to help concertgoers enjoy the live music experience on their terms, regardless of ability. This partnership comes on the heels of Accessible Festivals hosting ‘The Inclusion Zone’—a safe, sensory-supportive space that provided services, tools and amenities for concertgoers with sensory-processing difficulties—at ArtsQuest’s annual music festival, Musikfest. As Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Executive Director Anne Sturm shared, she and her team “continue to work towards diversity and inclusion in everything [they] do.”

Across the Levitt network, nonprofits are working to create accessible experiences in person and in the digital space. The Levitt Foundation and permanent Levitt venues in Arlington, Dayton, Denver, Memphis, and Sioux Falls have implemented interactive accessibility toolbars to remove online barriers for those with disabilities, learning difficulties and visual impairments, and those who’d prefer to view the site in a different language. The assistive toolbar provides users with a range of features including screen reading functionality, multiple reading aids, customizable styling options, and an on-demand live translation feature that boasts over 100 languages including 35 text-to-speech and styling options. Regarding this commitment to web inclusivity, Thomas said, “Making our website a more accessible space reflects our overall mission and is an important step in making our resources available to all Coloradans.” He added, “Having a tool like Recite Me is just another way of letting all the members of our diverse community know that they are welcome at Levitt Pavilion Denver.”

Listening is Key
“I hope you leave here being more inclusive in your thinking,” Satterfield shared from the Levitt Denver stage at the close of the Shine Music Festival. She went on to explain that she hoped the day inspired people to be more inclusive in their plans, buildings, architecture and music.

With one in four adult Americans—61 million people—living with disabilities, the need for inclusive live music experiences is of paramount importance. Satterfield expressed a common adage in the disability community, “Nothing for us that’s not with us,” an important reminder that representation goes beyond programming or communications. It begins with planning and decision-making, sharing power and learning along the way. “It’s up to all of us to continue to learn,” echoed Thomas. “There are always things to learn. There are always people to talk to.” For Thomas, the key to increasing accessibility boils down to listening: “All venue owners, promoters and people who produce events, we need to be able to listen because we don’t know as much as someone who is experiencing that day to day….”

Here’s to continuing to learn and listen how to create more inclusive concert experiences, so people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can experience the power of live music.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, free Levitt concerts this past season offered hundreds of thousands of people nationwide a safe outdoor space to experience the unifying power of free, live music; connect with old and new friends; and at some venues, even acquire protection against Covid. More than a thousand concertgoers chose to receive a Covid vaccine at pop-up clinics held at permanent Levitt venues and Levitt AMP concert sites in cities including Denver; Los Angeles; Carson City, Nevada; Soldotna, Alaska; and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, reflecting Levitt’s role as a trusted gathering place that not only enhances cultural life but also promotes the health and well-being of its communities. Learn how several Levitt venues, large and small, made getting a Covid vaccine more accessible.

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October is Filipino-American History Month and today we are highlighting talented and inspiring FilAm artists you should know!

Established in 2009 by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), this month celebrates and brings awareness to the significant role Filipinos have played in American history, both past and present. The month of October commemorates the first recorded presence of Filipinos in what is now the state of California on October 18, 1587.

Read on to learn about both well-known and up-and-coming Filipino-American musical artists who are bringing their talents into the spotlight.

Ruby Ibarra

Ruby Ibarra is a rapper, music producer, and spoken word artist who has performed on the Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles stage herself. And on top of her musical talents, she’s also a vaccine scientist, having earned a biochemistry degree from UC Davis.

Ibarra, 33, was born in the Philippines and immigrated to California with her family when she was four. Her music heavily centers around her cultural heritage and experience as an immigrant living in the U.S. She raps in English and Tagalog and Waray, which are two major dialects spoken in the Philippines.

“I would have done an album a disservice if I had this project talking about the Filipino American experience and not include elements of Filipino language…. Language is an important part of the culture.” Ibarra said in an in interview with The Center for Asian American Media.

When she’s not making music, Ibarra is a scientist in the biotechnology industry where she works on COVID-19 test kits and conducts research on vaccines.

The rapper has always been outspoken about her Filipino pride and identity. In an interview with Asian Journal Media Group, she said, “…when I think about the identity of what it means to be Filipina, it’s to be completely resilient, strong, and selfless.”

H.E.R

H.E.R, whose real name is Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, may only be 24 years old, but her CV is quite impressive. She’s won four GRAMMY Awards for Best R&B performance, Best R&B Album, Best R&B song, and GRAMMY Song of the Year, and she also has one Academy Award under her belt for Best Original Song from the movie Judas and the Black Messiah.

Born to a Filipino mother and African American father, Wilson stated in an interview with CNN Philippines that her Filipino upbringing played a large role in her love for making music.

“Filipinos are so family-oriented! My family has always supported me….They always pushed me to hone my talents and gifts.” she said.

The R&B songstress is known for her mysterious identity and prefers to keep a low profile, because she’d rather let her music speak for itself. Her debut album, Volume 1, in which her real name and image were kept a secret, was praised by artists such as Alicia Keys and Wyclef Jean.

Upon accepting her Academy Award for Best Original Song this year, Wilson said, “Me being up there is a message to all the young Black and Filipino girls. You can be up here too.”

Dominic Fike

Not many young artists can say they were handpicked by legendary Beatles member Paul McCartney to be featured on his album, but Dominic Fike can. The 25 year-old multi-genre artist was named as one of McCartney’s favorite new artists, and was enlisted onto his 18th solo album, McCartney III Imagined, which was released earlier this year.

Growing up in Florida, Fike, who is of Filipino and African American descent, had a rough upbringing. He experienced homelessness, drug addiction, and had a mother who was in and out of jail.

Despite the adversity, Fike has become one of the biggest new artists to emerge in the music industry. Since his debut, he’s signed a $4 million contract with Columbia Records, starred in a Calvin Klein ad campaign, was featured in Rolling Stone magazine, and collaborated with artists such as Justin Bieber and Halsey.

P-Lo

If you’re well-versed in the Bay Area rap scene, you’ve definitely heard of P-Lo. Born Paulo Rodriguez, the 30 year-old rapper and producer from Pinole, Calif. is credited for revitalizing Bay Area rap with his hip-hop collective, HBK Gang. This year, he was featured on the Space Jam: A New Age movie soundtrack on a song with NBA superstar Damian Lillard.

Growing up in a large, music-oriented Filipino family influenced Rodriguez to launch a career in hip-hop and beat-making. He recalls listening to his father’s vinyl collection which consisted of Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, and The Beatles records. His older brother was a music producer named “Kuya Beats” (“kuya” means “elder brother” in Tagalog).

In an interview with KQED, P-Lo reflected on the importance of representation in a genre where Filipinos are largely underrepresented.

“For people to accept this Filipino dude and rock with it, that’s what the world should be. And I didn’t have anybody to identify with that looked like me when I was growing up. So it’s important to become that.”

Jasmine Villegas

Jasmine Villegas, also known as Jasmine V, is a pop and R&B singer and actress from San Jose, Calif. Since her rise to fame as Justin Bieber’s love interest in the music video for his hit single, “Baby”, Villegas has taken off on a music career of her own and collaborated with rapper Kendrick Lamar on her debut single, “That’s Me Right There”.

The 27 year-old started her acting career at a young age, and has appeared on shows such as My Wife and Kids, and Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. At the age of 16, she signed to RCA Records, and was the opening act for Justin Bieber’s 2010 world tour.

Villegas, who is Filipino and Mexican, has always taken pride in her roots and culture.

“Being Filipina and Mexican (Mexipina!), I have been blessed to learn so much about different cultures,” said Villegas during an interview with The Huffington Post. “People just want to find something in common with an artist, some way they relate to them. Once they find that connection whether it’s because they’re Latina or have curly hair or eat certain foods, they stick by you and show endless support,”

These artists are a wonderful example of the cultural and musical contributions of Filipino-Americans in the U.S, and examples of how Filipino culture is preserved in the Filipino diaspora community. May we continue to celebrate, uplift, and support them both during Filipino-American History Month and beyond.

This week wraps up Hispanic Heritage Month, a monthlong celebration from September 15 to October 15, celebrating of the rich and complex histories, cultures and contributions of the 62.1 million Hispanics, Latinos and Latinx individuals who call this country ‘home.’ Today we’re highlighting three ways that past Levitt performers are harnessing the power of music to protect, uplift and empower some of the most vulnerable members of the group Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates.

Flor De Toloache | the power of music to protect

This GRAMMY-winning, all-female group brought their fresh, edgy interpretations of Mexican mariachi music from New York City to Levitt venues across the country as part of the 2019 Levitt National Tour. That same year, ‘Las Flores’ partnered with the Southern Poverty Law Center to release “El Corrido de David y Goliat,” the first single released as part of the center’s ‘Immigrant Songs’ campaign to provide legal information and “protect and advance immigrant rights” through song. Created to reach people who have little access to legal information, the song’s narrative gives listeners important information about immigrant rights to help them avoid human rights abuses.

Making Movies | the power of music to raise awareness

With roots in Panama and Mexico, this Kansas City, Mo.-based Afro-Latino meets psychedelic rock four-piece uses socially charged musical storytelling to bring awareness to immigrants’ struggles. Levitt audiences in seven different cities have experienced this GRAMMY-nominated group’s powerful narratives and irresistible grooves. “Telling people’s stories and sharing each of their unique suffering through music, unites and connects people,” explained the group’s guitarist and lead singer Enrique Chi. Offstage, the group’s deep-rooted activism inspired them to invite DACA recipients—undocumented immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program—to attend their paid shows free of charge and to host a benefit concert to help reunite the Latin American children and parents seeking asylum who were separated at the US-Mexico Border.

Quetzal | the power of music to imagine and advocate for new realities

This GRAMMY-winning ‘East LA Chican@’ rock band was formed in Los Angeles in 1992 in the wake of civil unrest to “create good music that tells the social, cultural, political, and musical stories of people in struggle.” Levitt Los Angeles audiences have enjoyed the group’s dynamic approach to musicmaking, which is equally inspired by the eclectic musical soundscape of East Los Angeles—ranging from Mexican ranchera and salsa, to rock and R&B—and their deep commitment to social activism. Quetzal’s dedication to fighting oppression with community art practices, like collective songwriting, helped popularize the term “artivism.” The group’s founder Quetzal Flores has taken this commitment to the next level, partnering with Aloe Blacc and other like-minded artists to form Artivist Entertainment—an organization that supports and creates music and art that inspires positive social transformation.

These three examples are only a few of the many ways artists are bringing awareness to social injustices and using their music to build a more just future. Here’s to Flor De Toloache, Making Movies, Quetzal, and all those working at t

October is Filipino-American History Month and today we are highlighting talented and inspiring FilAm artists you should know!

Established in 2009 by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), this month celebrates and brings awareness to the significant role Filipinos have played in American history, both past and present. The month of October commemorates the first recorded presence of Filipinos in what is now the state of California on October 18, 1587.

Read on to learn about both well-known and up-and-coming Filipino-American musical artists who are bringing their talents into the spotlight.

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Amid the ongoing pandemic, free Levitt concerts this past season offered hundreds of thousands of people nationwide a safe outdoor space to experience the unifying power of free, live music; connect with old and new friends; and at some venues, even acquire protection against Covid. More than a thousand concertgoers chose to receive a Covid vaccine at pop-up clinics held at permanent Levitt venues and Levitt AMP concert sites in cities including Denver; Los Angeles; Carson City, Nevada; Soldotna, Alaska; and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, reflecting Levitt’s role as a trusted gathering place that not only enhances cultural life but also promotes the health and well-being of its communities. Learn how several Levitt venues, large and small, made getting a Covid vaccine more accessible.

Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Since 2018, the Levitt AMP Music Series in Woonsocket, R.I., has injected vitality into River Island Art Park and the surrounding area in this town of 40,000 people, located near Providence. Levitt AMP grantee NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley builds affordable housing in the downtown neighborhood, and had witnessed “a lot of inequitable distribution of the vaccine,” says Meg Rego, NeighborWorks’ Director of Resource Development and Communications. “Most of the residents in our affordable housing are Black or Latino and if you looked across the state and also across the country, they were far less likely to get vaccinated.”

Encouraged by previous successful health-related events at Levitt AMP Woonsocket concerts, such as exercise classes and blood pressure screenings, NeighborWorks developed a partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Rhode Island National Guard to bring pop-up Covid vaccine clinics to nine of this summer’s 10 Levitt AMP concerts. While musical styles including zydeco, salsa, and West African drumming got audiences on their feet at River Island Art Park from July through September, the Levitt vaccine clinics got 67 shots into arms. By the end of the music series, audiences were able to choose between the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

“We were getting people who wouldn’t go out of their way to get the vaccine but would just drop in,” says Rego. “People could show up with their kids and while doing a family-friendly activity, could also get a shot. It was making it accessible in terms of time, location and parking.”

At the final Levitt AMP concert of the season, the clinic also offered free Covid testing. Sixty people took advantage of the service, and all the tests fortunately came back negative.

Carson City, Nevada
“A shot for a shot”—that’s what concertgoers at this summer’s Levitt AMP Music Series in Carson City, Nevada, were offered as part of a vaccination campaign that leveraged a popular concert tradition. Since 2017, Levitt AMP grantee Brewery Arts Center has transformed the city’s underused Historic District into a dynamic musical showcase drawing attendees from all over Nevada’s capital. Brewery Arts Center has a tradition of selling custom-made jello shots at Levitt AMP shows for $5 each. A devoted regular at the Levitt AMP Music Series pitched the idea of a vaccination clinic to Brewery Arts Center’s Operations Director Mikey Wiencek. “He said, ‘If you can set up a vaccination clinic, then I’ll pay for the jello shots,’” recalls Wiencek.

Wiencek reached out to nonprofit Immunize Nevada, which helped coordinate three pop-up Covid vaccine clinics at Levitt concerts in August and September. Smoke from nearby wildfires reduced concert attendance, but the concerts still drew an average of 2,700 people. The Nevada National Guard administered 28 shots total, offering a choice between the three available vaccines.

“We have a new LED video wall next to the stage so we put up messages saying, ‘Another person just got vaccinated, let’s get a round of applause!’” says Wiencek. Those over 21 years old also were eligible for the jello shot perk; at the show for Celtic band The Fire, for instance, they received a free Jameson and ginger ale jello shot.

“One of our volunteers had been trying to get vaccinated but had no car and was so thankful this was on site,” says Wiencek. “Doing these clinics lets people know we’re more than just concerts. We care about the community and want to make things easier for them.”

Soldotna, Alaska
Located in Southcentral Alaska, Soldotna has about 5,000 residents but its Levitt AMP Music Series at Soldotna Creek Park this past season drew attendees from as far as Anchorage, which is several hours away and Alaska’s most populous city. In collaboration with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, nonprofit Levitt AMP grantee Vision Soldotna and the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce offered Covid vaccine clinics at all 13 of this summer’s concerts.

“We wanted to see our community gather and make meaningful connections again,” says Shanon Davis, Executive Director of both Vision Soldotna and the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce. “We also wanted our community to be back to work and we really feel the best avenue for getting back to normal is having our population be safe.”

Around 600 people received either Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines during the Levitt AMP concerts, which ran from June through August. With funding from the state of Alaska, the clinics were even able to offer $25 gift cards from local restaurants and coffee shops to those who received a vaccine.

Davis points out that the Kenai Peninsula Borough, where Soldotna is located, has the second-lowest vaccine rates in the state of Alaska. “People had some hesitations and concerns, so it was great to be able to bring local public health officials right there to the park where people were comfortable. We also had a pharmacist there to answer questions,” says Davis. “Having vaccine clinics at such a welcoming, all-inclusive event was a perfect pairing.”

Los Angeles
For nearly 15 years, Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles has been bringing free live music to MacArthur Park, a historic park in one of the city’s densest neighborhoods that’s also a hub for immigrant and underserved populations, according to Allegra Padilla, Director of Community Relations and Partnerships for Levitt LA. “There are a lot of challenges in the surrounding neighborhood in terms of systemic inequities in health, housing, security and food. This is also one of the local communities with the highest death rates due to Covid,” says Padilla.

Having offered STD screenings and access to breast/cervical cancer screenings in the past through nonprofit partners, Levitt LA had already earned trust in the community when it came to health services. In partnership with Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, St. John’s Well Child & Family Center, and CIELO, a nonprofit organization advocating for Indigenous communities, Levitt LA brought pop-up Covid clinics to its pared-down roster of 12 in-person concerts this past August. All three vaccines were available at various times. Padilla says about 90 percent of those vaccinated were Latino—primarily immigrants—and ranged in age from teenage to elderly.

Altogether, the clinics helped more than 200 people get vaccinated. “We saw more people coming through the clinic each week—it took time to build momentum and presence,” says Padilla. “Consistency is really key when providing services to areas with high immigrant populations, a digital divide, and mistrust of institutions.”

Padilla recalls one event centered around the Mayan community where a holistic healer was asking questions about the vaccine. Later, he told her he had went ahead and gotten it. She says, “There were people who thought, ‘the vaccine’s here, I’m here, why not?’”

Denver, Colorado
Earlier this year, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reached out to Levitt Pavilion Denver about setting up Covid clinics, seeking to reach the tens of thousands of people expected to attend Levitt Denver’s full season of 50+ free concerts in Ruby Hill Park.

More than 82,000 people experienced Levitt Denver’s free music series in 2021. “Surprisingly, it was the best season we’ve ever had,” says Andy Thomas, Deputy Director of Levitt Denver, which opened in 2017. “People were really itching to get out and see free music after not seeing it for a while.”

The walk-up Covid clinics during Levitt Denver’s shows vaccinated seven to ten people per night for most of the summer concert season. Thomas himself got a booster shot from one of the Covid clinics and said the whole process was smooth and efficient. The clinics eventually ceased only because a large percentage of the state population was already vaccinated.

“People didn’t know exactly where to go when vaccines were first rolling out, so it was nice to be able to have that for our patrons,” says Thomas. “We were honored to be able to offer people an easy solution to help them be safe.”

Covid vaccine clinics were also offered at Levitt AMP Music Series shows in Springfield, Illinois; Fort Smith, Arkansas; and Stevens Point, Wisconsin. And during the early phase of the Covid pandemic, CREATE Portage County, the nonprofit behind the Levitt AMP Stevens Point Music Series, manufactured face shields for first responders and senior care facilities using 3-D printers. We’re grateful to all the Levitt partners and grantees across the country who have played a role in helping to protect and strengthen their communities in the face of a worldwide pandemic, reflecting their role as trusted community spaces.