SummerStage to Present TWO BOOTS 25th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT, 8/23

On Thursday, August 23rd, City Parks Foundation's SummerStage Presented by AT&T presents the Two Boots 25th Anniversary Concert featuring the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars. Two Boots, born on the Lower East Side in 1987, is co-presenting this FREE concert as the centerpiece of its yearlong celebration of a quarter century as NYC's pizza pioneers. The event kicks off at 5:00 PM in the East River Park Amphitheatre for a full evening of food, music, art, aerialists and poetry.

With a headline performance from the highly energetic African pop band Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars and supporting sets from emerging talents Mamarazzi, Odetta Hartman, Himalayas and The Wiskheyhickon Boys, the show is an integral part of the SummerStage season. With performance groups including Lady Circus and the Magic Beans, live painting by Free Art Society and 4Heads Art Collective, poetry from the Nuyorican Poet's Café and the City Lore/Bowery Poetry Club's POEMmobile, along with the Homespun Mini-Merry-Go-Round, the evening is bound to be a fun filled extravaganza with something to suit everyone's taste.

Since its inception in 1987, Two Boots has worked to support its local Lower East Side community, and the neighborhood will be well represented by the Lower Eastside Girls Club, the Lower East Side Ecology Center and Time's Up. Free samples of Two Boots' two most popular pizzas for the last 25 years will be available -- The Newman and Larry Tate, plus beer from Smutty Nose & Louisiana's Abita Brewery, and Two Boots' favorite sparkling drink, Fizzy Lizzy.

For the most up-to-date scheduling and line-up for all SummerStageprogramming, follow SummerStage via the below links and visit www.SummerStage.org for festival information.

About Two Boots
Two Boots was created by two indie filmmakers who loved pizza, beer and all things New Orleans (the two "boots" refer to the geographical shapes of Italy and Louisiana). Still owned and operated by co-founder Phil Hartman, and with locations in NYC, LA, Bridgeport, Bard College, Jersey City, Baltimore and soon Nashville, Two Boots brings its unique Cajun-Italian cooking, funky folk art and deep commitment to the community wherever they go.For more information, stay tuned to Two Boots on Facebook.com/TwoBootsPizza and Twitter.com/TwoBootsHQ as well as the new website, www.TwoBoots.com launching in August.

About City Parks Foundation
City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. We work in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and education programs, and empowering citizens to support their parks on a local level. Our programs and community building initiatives reach more than 600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City.

Artist Information

Thursday, August 23 at East River Park in Manhattan
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Mamarazzi
Odetta Hartman
Himalayas
The Wiskheyhickon Boys
Poets: Nuyorican Poet's Café / City Lore / Bowery Poetry Club's POEMmobile
Performance Artists: Lady Circus and the Magic Beans / Free Art Society / 4Heads Art Collective
5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars have risen like a phoenix out of the ashes of war and enflamed the passions of fans across the globe with their uplifting songs of hope, faith and joy. The band is a potent example of the redeeming power of music and the ability of the human spirit to persevere through unimaginable hardship and emerge with optimism intact. From their humble beginnings in West African refugee camps Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars have performed on some of the world's most prestigious stages and matured into one of Africa's top touring and recording bands.

Like a ripe grapefruit, Mamarazzi is that sweet, jarring and just-right combo of unlikely elements: tart funk, acidic groove and nectar of ancient lullaby. Spanning hip-hop and African grooves, Mamarazzi's unique sound has been described as mathro-beat and underwater gypsy funk. Dance. Sweat. Love.

Odetta Hartman writes songs of greek myths and traveling; of pride, Pynchon, and fairy tales; of animals and body parts and made-up words. Classically trained on the violin for 18 years at Third Street Music School, her musical education was further supplemented with courses at Bard College in jazz voice and improvisation, composition, electronic music, and traditional folk songs. Currently back at home in New York City, her time is devoted to studio work, performance art, curating events, cultivating the Dalton School's rooftop garden, and preparing for the release of her first solo EP (due out this summer).