This morning, I’m bringing you two excellent additions to the Lowell Summer Music Series lineup.  I’m pleased to announce that the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies will perform on Saturday, July 19, and JJ Grey and Mofro will perform on Thursday, August 14.

Barenaked Ladies (Official Photo)

I have never seen BNL perform but I have it on good authority (some friends who’ve seen them many times) that the band puts on a wonderful show.

This year marks BNL’s 25th anniversary, although not all the original members are currently in the band. They are also celebrating the release of their 12th album. How appropriate that BNL will celebrate that anniversary with the Series which is also celebrating its 25th season!

Their press release states, “Canadian bands can rock out and they can also bring the funny. No outfit hailing from north of the border embodies these paired virtues more engagingly than the Barenaked Ladies, whose fusion of hooks and yuks has resulted in more than 14 million albums sold, as well as putting big audiences in the seats of concert halls and amphitheaters around the world. ”

Tickets for the Barenaked Ladies show are priced at $52 in advance (fee-free!), $60 on the day of the show, and children 12 and under are always free courtesy of Eastern Bank. There are also premium seats – beach chairs are provided by the series – set in two rows directly in front of the stage for $152.  Tickets go on sale Wednesday, April 2 at 9 a.m. through Lowell Summer Music Series.

JJ Grey and Mofro is another act I have yet to see perform, but it’s not for a lack of desire; I’ve always had conflicts for their local shows. I’m so glad I’m finally going to see them.

JJ Grey (Official Photo)

Their music was described by the New York Times as a mix of “impassioned singing, riff-based Southern rock, cold-blooded swamp funk and sly Memphis soul.”  Oh yeah, some  of my favorite styles of music!

The band’s press release states, “Over the course of six albums on Alligator Records and a decade of touring, JJ Grey’s grimy blend of front porch soul and down-home storytelling has taken him around the world and back again. Beating the streets on nearly every continent, he and his band Mofro have sewn a continuous thread of laying-it-on-the-line shows that move folks to dance and at times to tears.”

Tickets for the JJ Grey and Mofro show are priced at $28 in advance (fee-free!), $35 on the day of the show, and children 12 and under are always free courtesy of Eastern Bank. There are also premium seats – beach chairs are provided by the series – set in two rows directly in front of the stage for $128.  Tickets go on sale Friday, April 4 at 9 a.m. through Lowell Summer Music Series.

For those of you who are unaware of the  Series, or if you are aware of it but have never attended a show there, it is an outdoor (weather permitting) concert series held on National Park Service grounds in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Series is not-for-profit, which helps keep the ticket prices reasonable.

Surrounding Boarding House Park are old mill buildings, part of the Lowell National Historical Park, which you can tour if you arrive early enough. They provide an unusual setting for an evening of great music and ambiance.

The Series generally runs from late June to early September.

This Series is dear to my heart. I have been a season pass holder since 2007 and it is one of the highlights of the year (and of summer in particular) for me. Many lasting friendships have been made there. I expect this will be an especially excellent year since they are celebrating their 25th season!

I will post additional announcements for the Series as they are made.

Shows announced to date are:

Ziggy Marley – Thursday, June 19

Delta Rae – Friday, June 20

Amos Lee – Saturday, June 21

Neko Case – Saturday, June 28

Trombone Shorty – Thursday, July 10

Andrew Bird – Saturday, July 12

Barenaked Ladies – Saturday, July 19

Marcia Ball – Friday, August 8

JJ Grey and Mofro – Thursday, August 14

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band – Saturday, August 16