Culver City’s Summer Sunset Concert Series returns

Culver City will hold its third iteration of the Summer Sunset Concert Series starting tonight at the Town Plaza, located at the Culver Steps. The series will run every Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. until August 28. The free, family-friendly concerts will showcase a new theme each week, highlighting a different music genre. 

The Summer Sunset Concert Series had been in Culver City for approximately 30 years, previously produced by Boulevard Music. These concerts were held at the front plaza of Culver City Hall, but had to be shut down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In 2023, the Culver City Arts Foundation (CCAF) asked the Culver City Council to revive the concert series, offering to contribute $32,000 in the first year. Following the success of the concert series in 2023, CCAF recommitted to financially supporting the event with about $23,000 in 2024. This year, they are contributing pre-show presentations at 6 p.m. before each concert.

As a project from the Office of Economic Development, the Summer Sunset Concert Series aims to promote Downtown Culver City’s economic growth through the enrichment of cultural offerings. Edgar Varela, the city’s Special Events Manager, worked with CCAF to bring back the Summer Sunset Concert Series for a third year.

“We work hard to book incredibly talented musicians, many of whom tour worldwide, from all different genres,” Varela commented. “These Summer Sunset Concerts are a perfect way to enjoy a full Thursday evening in Culver City. Bring family, friends, grab some dinner, and just have a good time. It’s such a unique opportunity and I think people will love the lineup this year.”

Here's a look at this year's performers:

July 17: The Ultimate Beatles Experience

The Fab Four

The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute is a Beatles tribute band established in 1997 by John Lennon impersonator Ron McNeil. The Fab Four — which refers to a nickname for the Beatles coined in the 1960s — sing and act as the Beatles members, recreating their songs note for note through instrument replicas and period-perfect costumes.

Their stage production offers music spanning all of the eras of the Beatles’ music, from their Ed Sullivan and Shea Stadium days to their Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road eras and beyond.

Originally based in Southern California, the Fab Four have performed across the globe, with performances in Japan, Malaysia, France, Hong Kong, Germany, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and the UK. They have headlined International Beatle Week in Liverpool, performing at the world-renown festival five times.

In addition to headlining multiple Beatles Festivals, the Fab Four have also been selected to perform motion capture for The Beatles: Rock Band video game in 2009, which Sir Paul McCartney has used to project images on a screen behind him at his concerts. In 2013, they received an Emmy for their PBS special, “The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute.”

July 24: Nashville Country Music Party

Dani Rose & Friends 

Dani Rose, a Virginia-born singer now based in Nashville, blends contemporary country music with pop/rock to create a unique sound within the country music genre.

Bringing familiar favorites like Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”, Rose will also sing her viral song “Got It From My Mama” which received over 1.2 billion views on TikTok, reaching number 2 on US TikTok charts. Other popular songs to listen for include “Chess,” “Love Someone,” and her most recent single, “Girl Math.”

Dani Rose has performed internationally in the Middle East and Africa, as well as in major American music festivals like CMA Fest and Stagecoach. Her music has been featured in NFL commercials and TV shows such as “Yellowstone,” “Fire Country,” and “True Blood.”

Other featured artists will include Southern Californian country singers Sabrina Lentini, Kylie Trout, Alyssa Ann, and Jeff Livingston.

July 31: Jazz at Sunset

Nicole McCabe Quartet

Nicole McCabe is an alto saxophonist, composer, and educator. Originally from Portland, McCabe has released four albums since her move to Los Angeles in 2020.

Her first three albums show a development from her roots of the more traditional bebop and hard bop styles to more contemporary jazz influenced styles. An alum of the Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center as well as the recipient of the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s New Note Award, Nicole McCabe is an up-and-coming jazz artist exploring both traditional jazz standards and avant garde sounds.

The Nicole McCabe Quartet have performed in Amsterdam, winning first place in the Keep an Eye International Jazz Award competition in 2023. McCabe has also performed in Barcelona with her label Fresh Sound, releasing Live at Jamboree in 2024.

She will be accompanied by Justin Brown on the drums, Karl McComas-Reichl on the bass, and Isaiah Harwood on the piano.

Ponpon Chen 

Ponpon Chen is a 23 year old Los Angeles based jazz guitarist and vocalist. Originally from Taipei, Chen’s career started when she competed in music contests at age 12.

She has appeared on the Chinese music variety show “Come Sing with Me” in 2018, performing with singer/songwriter and actor Roy Wang. After seeing a video of George Benson on the guitar, Chen aspired to play jazz guitar and moved to the US in 2022. Taking inspiration from Benson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Chet Baker, Chen creates her own East-West fusion style jazz complete with scat singing, jazz guitar, and storytelling.

The Ponpon Chen Quintet will include a saxophone, keyboard, upright bass, and drums. They will be performing a mix of classic jazz standards and Latin jazz — including genres like bebop, bossa nova, and cha-cha.

August 7: Latin Dance Party

The Yari Moré Latin Band 

Yari Moré is a bandleader and vocalist originally from Bogota, Colombia, where he performed with top bands like “La Tropibomba” and “La Catedra de Colombia.” In 1978, Moré toured with Hermes Niño and the Colombian Boys in Los Angeles, where he stayed to pursue a solo career.

He has released singles such as “Pegaito” and most recently “El Amante,” showcasing his skills in singing salsa. Moré’s vocal talents have also been featured in many commercials on radio and television for products like Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coca-Cola, Mexicana Airlines, and more. 

With a band of musicians from all around the world, the Yari Moré Latin Band has performed across North America as well as on notable stages like the Hollywood Bowl and the Madison Square Garden. This Latin band was the official West Coast band of the late “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz. 

Other significant singers they have shared the stage with include Tito Puente, Willy Chirino, Linda Ronstadt on "The Jay Leno Show" and more. The Yari Moré Band play multiple genres, including salsa, cumbia, merengue, cha-cha, and bolero.

August 14: SWING!

Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander 

Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander is one of the world’s premier swing dance bands, playing deep cuts and hidden gems from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s. They have headlined swing dance festivals around the world, including the UK, France, Germany, and South Korea. 

The Campus Five is dedicated to recreating an authentic sound and feel of the Swing-Era, with a band makeup modeled after groups such as the Benny Goodman Sextet, Artie Shaw and his Gramercy Five, and Count Basie’s Kansas City 6. 

Co-leaders Jonathan Stout and Hilary Alexander are both accomplished dancers who bring their experience to their music, tailoring their setlist to songs swing dancers would prefer to dance to. Stout plays the guitar in the style of pre-bebop jazz, drawing from the likes of Freddie Green, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and Allan Ruess. Alexander’s vocal style is greatly influenced by jazz vocalists such as Anita O’Day, Betty Carter, and Ella Fitzgerald. 

August 21: A Night of Mariachi

Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles

Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles is the first all-female professional mariachi band, founded by mariachi maestro José Hernández in 1994. Hernández, a board member of the Mariachi Heritage Society, noticed that a lot of young members were talented with traditional mariachi instruments like the violin, trumpet, and the Mexican bass guitar. Considering the few female role models to look up to, Hernández took this opportunity to create Reyna with the girls and women taking lessons at the Heritage Society. 

Since 1998, they have released nine albums, with their 2008 album “Compañeras” receiving a GRAMMY nomination. Their latest album “Alma de Reyna 30 Aniversario” released in 2024, celebrated 30 years since their founding.

Reyna has shared the stage with Vicki Carr, Guadalupe Pineda, Miguel Aceves Mejia, Lucha Villa and more. They have also performed for big names like Tom Petty, John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Robin Williams, George Harrison, and at the White House’s Cinco de Mayo celebration in 2009.

Mariachi Alta California

Mariachi Alta California is a mariachi band that formed in 2006 from an Ethnomusicology mariachi class at UCLA, instructed by Jesus “Chuy” Guzman, the musical director of GRAMMY award-winning ensemble Mariachi Los Camperos. 

Upon graduating, core members of the band decided to continue to play together off campus. They began a four year residency at El Texate Restaurant in 2009 before taking a hiatus. In 2019, the band reconnected for a monthly residency at the Santa Monica restaurant The Victorian. The pandemic cut that short, but the band has been together ever since. 

They are the only group to originate from Los Angeles’ Westside, with two members currently residing in Culver City. The band is composed of many talented players, including Chris Logan, who plays a small Spanish string instrument shaped like a guitar called a vihuela and is currently pursuing a solo career blending Mexican music with country and rock. Mariachi Alta California will bring mariachi classics as well as some original medley arrangements to the concert.

August 28: A Caribbean Dream

Upstream

Upstream is a Caribbean band based in Southern California known for their upbeat and danceable tunes. Since forming their band in 1989, they have released eight recordings, compilations, and live albums. These include the 1995 EP “Upstream,” the album “Life” released in 2000, “Jump to the Rhythm” in 2001, and more recently, “Here, There and Everywhere” and “Steel Drum Session Volume I” in 2014.

Bandleader Haile Blackman, son of Ras Shorty I — a pioneer of the soca genre originating in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago — is the lead vocalist as well as a guitar and drum player. Along with Blackman, other band members Derek Brewster on the steel drums and Einstein Brown on the electric steel pan are all originally from Trinidad and Tobago.

They will be joined by Granville Cayetano on the bass, and Robert Abraham on the drums, and John McKnight on the keys, pedal steel, and trombone. 

Upstream will bring a lively mix of reggae, calypso, soca, and steel pans.

To learn more about the Summer Sunset Concert Series, visit the official page.