City Parks Foundation Presents SummerStage, 7/21-30

City Parks Foundation presents SummerStage from July 21 to 30. Check below for a list of events!

NEW SONGS OF JUSTICE
An Evening Honoring PETE SEEGER with ANTI-FLAG (ACOUSTIC), STEVE EARLE, REBEL DIAZ - JAMES MADDOCK, TONI BLACKMAN , THE CHAPIN SISTERS, SARAH LEE GUTHRIE/, JOHNNY IRION, ELIZABETH MITCHELL, MIKE + RUTHY - NYRAINE , AMANDA PALMER, DJ SETS BY KOOL HERC

Presented by SummerStage, Central Park, Manhattan, Monday, July 21 at 7:00pm, FREE

Hip hop, Indie-rock, punk and folk artists committed to social change will come together to honor musician and activist Pete Seeger. The program's hosts are Gina Belafonte, Harry Belafonte's daughter and Kitama Jackson, Pete Seeger's grandson. Mr. Seeger and Mr. Belafonte became international household names as singers who stood for change. For Belafonte that meant being involved in both the Civil Rights Movement in US and the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa. For Seeger that meant getting people singing, and then using song to lead marches and rallies around the world. From the labor movement to the Civil Rights movement to the environmental movement, Pete Seeger was always on the front lines. Today's artists aren't that different from Seeger and Belafonte, they also use music as a means to give voice to the voiceless and inspire people to change the world for themselves, their communities and future generations.

*CHRONIXX & THE ZINCFENCE REDEMPTION
*JUNIOR REID
*THE RICE AND PEAS CREW
In association with LargeUp and Federation Sound 'Celebrating 15 Years of Okayplayer'

Presented by SummerStage, Central Park, Manhattan, Saturday, July 26 at 3:00pm, FREE

Chronixx was the 'stage' name his friends bestowed on him, replacing the name 'Little Chronicle' he was given as the 'junior' to his father, the artist Chronicle. He was born October 10, 1992 and was named Jamar Rolando McNaughton. His father, a musician, recognized his talents and nurtured him in an environment in which he could grow into whatever area of music he chose. Always accompanying him to the studio, Jamar grew up around the likes of Burro Banton, Norris Man and the legendary Gregory Isaacs. With a big smile and an engaging personality, he confidently set out to make his mark in music, by writing his first song 'Rice Grain' by the age of five and going on to be choir director and worship leader at 11. At 14 years, he started producing and 'building riddims' for artistes such as Konshens and Munga Honorable and composing riddims such as the 'Freezer Riddim' for Icebox Records and voicing artistes such as, Popcaan for Maverick Records.

A Kingston, Jamaican native, Delroy "Junior" Reid spent his youth in the city's Waterhouse district, notorious for being one of the most dangerous places in Jamaica. It was there in the politically turbulent late '70s, that he recorded his first-ever single "Speak the Truth" at the age 13, taking his first step towards becoming an internationally known reggae and dancehall artist. Reid joined the first ever Grammy Awards Winning Reggae group, Black Uhuru, as lead singer in 1986 where his work on the album Brutal earned him a Grammy-nomination. However, Junior's interest in producing material for himself, and desire to regain his domestic popularity, drove him into the solo arena and into his own studio where in 1989, "One Blood" saw him re-established at the forefront of the reggae scene. Today, Reid is a frequent collaborator and often sampled artist in today's hip-hop scene, including contributing his voice to Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys, as well as working with the Wu-Tang Clan, Guru, The Game, M.I.M.S., and many more.

New York City's Rice and Peas is a movement whose high energy party environment is home to a loyal following of creative influencers, artists, musicians, dancers and all around beautiful people. Since its inception in 2007, Rice and Peas has been bringing diverse groups of people together in a uniquely curated environment where dancehall and Caribbean culture meet downtown. A who's who of reggae's biggest stars like Wayne Wonder, Gyptian and Shaggy have called on Rice and Peas to do their exclusive release parties. Federation Sound's own Max Glazer, LargeUp founder DJ Gravy, and the silent killer Orijahnal Vibez handle DJ duties while the ladies' favorite East Flatbush badman, Micro Don, narrates the experience with raw energy, humorous ad-libs and infinite star power.

ROCK STEADY CREW 37th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

Presented by SummerStage, Central Park, Manhattan, Sunday, July 27 at 3:00pm, FREE

Active since its 1977 formation in the South Bronx, The Rock Steady Crew is both a breakdancing collective and recording outlet that has spread its membership to include chapters in Japan, Italy, and Great Britain. Initiated by Jojo and Jimmy D., the crew has continually mutated throughout its existence; members have left the fold over the years, and those who join must first battle an existing member and win in order to be included. A 1982 show with Afrika Bambaataa earned enough respect from the pioneer that he allowed them to join the Zulu Nation. Classic team members include Ken Swift, Crazy Legs, Frosty Freeze, and Mr. Freeze.

JOHN LEGUIZAMO'S GHETTO KLOWN
Directed by Fisher Stevens
In association with Westbeth Entertainment

Presented by SummerStage, Central Park, Manhattan, Monday, July 28 at 8:00pm, FREE

Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo, who has appeared in more than fifty films and was also seen on Nickelodeon series "The Brothers Garcia," as well as on "ER" and "Miami Vice," is also one of the nation's most accomplished stage performers. "Ghetto Klown" is the next chapter in John Leguizamo's popular personal and professional story. It is his fifth one-man play, his third on Broadway, and follows in the uninhibited tradition of his "Mambo Mouth," "Spic-O-Rama," "Freak," and "Sexaholix ... a Love Story." In Leguizamo's trademark style, the piece explodes with energy, heating up the stage with vivid accounts of the colorful characters that populate his life. He takes audiences from his adolescent memories in Queens to the early days of his acting career and on to the sets of major motion pictures. Leguizamo explains, "Ghetto Klown is all the things I say to my therapist and my manager, but would never want the general public to know. It's cheaper than a lawsuit and I get to take a bow at the end. It's like Wiki leaks but with no international manhunt. Yet."

FELIX HERNANDEZ RHYTHM REVUE

Presented by SummerStage, Clove Lakes Park, Staten Island, Tuesday, July 29 at 7:00pm, FREE

Felix Hernandez is in the business of remembering the good ol' days. Hernandez's wildly popular radio show, Rhythm Revue, takes on a life of its own at New York's Roseland, where three thousand disciples regularly come to hear Fernandez spin the sounds of the past and boogie down. Felix Hernandez will rock the crowd once again at SummerStage again with his mix of soul, Motown, funk, salsa and disco dance classics. Bring your dancing shoes.

URBAN THEATRE MOVEMENT'S HANDBALL

Presented by SummerStage, Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan, Tuesday, July 29 Wednesday, July 30, Thursday, July 31, Friday, August 1, Saturday, August 2, All Dates at 8:00pm, FREE

Urban Theatre Movement's Handball, written by Seth Zvi Rosenfeld and directed by Brenda Banda delivers an explosive take on gentrification in New York City. The play tracks a park filled with characters as unique and diverse as the city itself. Tempers flare as new transplants work to make their mark while old residents struggle to maintain their way of life. Over the course of two hot, summer days we watch a once lively, buoyant park become extremely tense as each character struggles to find their way and survive while witnessing their neighborhood falling apart. Stories become intertwined, power is shifted and change reveals itself to be inevitable. Handball tells the story of modern-day urban America and the people struggling to find their way in it.

LISETTE MELENDEZ, CORO, GEORGE LAMOND
Hosted by Mick Benzo
In Association with Universal Zulu Nation & The 40th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Culture

Presented by SummerStage, Clove Lakes Park, Staten Island, Wednesday, July 30 at 7:00pm, FREE

Lisette Melendez is an American freestyle/ Latin pop/ dance-pop singer. Her debut albumTogether Forever was propelled to gold status after her smash hits "Together Forever" and "A Day In My Life (Without You)" both sold over 700,000 copies in 1991. In 2008 Lisette teamed up with famed music producer Carlos "After Dark" Berrios and performed two new tracks "I Need a Lover" and "Don't Ever Say" on albums Don't Look Back Sessions One & Two.

Coro is a Latin freestyle singer and actor of Cuban and Dominican heritage, partnered with freestyle music producers Zahid Tariq and Todd Terry in 1989. Coro's first single, "Where Are You Tonight", became the #1 dance record in New York and Florida. The song reached the Top 25 on Billboard 's club chart and put Coro on the road doing shows in dance clubs across the country. On his self-titled debut album, Coro collaborated with producers Zahid Tariq and Ziggy Gonzalez to create a selection of up-tempo dance tunes like "Can't Let You Go", "Where Are You tonight", "My Fallen Angel" and ballads such as "Missing You".

George Lamond's first album, Bad of the Heart, released in 1990, had underground dance hits like "Bad of the Heart", "Look Into My Eyes" and "Without You". Lamond has also released a couple of salsa albums and scored a number of hits on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks. 2001 saw the release of his highly acclaimed salsa album GL on Sony Records, and in 2006, Lamond returned with the release of his album Oye Mi Canto, bringing a new sound to his music career. The album was a combination of reggaeton, bachata and salsa, with seven songs produced by G1E Productions. In 2008, Lamond released a new single, "What is Love", on an album titled Don't Look Back - Session 2 produced by famed freestyle producer, Carlos "After Dark" Berrios, and a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin".

Mickey Bentson aka Mick Benzo owns and runs rap-oriented Pay Up Management. He was one of the founding members of the Zulu Nation, arguably the most important catalyst for hip hop. He has previously managed Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Everland and Big Punisher, and he now manages Ice-T and Fat Joe.