First Wave of Concerts In The River House Restaurant Concert Series Revealed

Prescott Park Arts Festival, an independent non-profit arts organization, returns to its picturesque waterfront home in downtown Portsmouth for a summer of dynamic performing arts. One of the most treasured aspects of summer on the Seacoast is the River House Restaurant Concert Series, featuring an outstanding line-up of nationally touring acts as well as regional and local favorites. The Arts Festival is excited to bring the community together for music and fun all for an optional, suggested donation.

The Festival will complement its signature summer-long musical theatre production with an exciting presentation of acclaimed artists on the Wilcox Main Stage. As they did last season, the Festival will announce the River House Restaurant Concert Series in a roll-out style again this year. The waves of concerts will be revealed starting in May and offer a wide range of concerts happening throughout the summer season. The entire series will be fully announced by June, with the possibility of a few additional acts that will be made public as they are confirmed.

"The Arts Festival looks forward to being back in the park along the beautiful Piscataqua for this summer's concert series. The heart of our mission is accessibility and that is what adds to the magic of this place. The intentional inclusiveness we all feel when we walk through those gates to our summer home," said Executive Director, Courtney Perkins, "we hope that all members of our community feel that and know that without them the Arts Festival wouldn't be the same. This year we have an incredible line-up of artists that represent a diverse array of music, perspective, and style. Our community partnerships, like with The River House in presenting our concert series, continue to be incredibly meaningful. We couldn't do what we do without our loyal Festival community. Whether it's your first time or your fiftieth, all truly have a home here."

The Arts Festival continues to bring the highest caliber of acts to the Seacoast community and its visitors, even with no fixed admission. As a non-profit, the Festival relies on the generosity of the community; both individuals, like the People for the Park donors, and businesses, like the Main Stage sponsor, Wilcox Industries and the Concert Series sponsor, The River House. Without this incredible support, the ability to provide meaningful live arts and entertainment experiences to everyone in our community simply would not be possible.

The concert series kicks off on Thursday, June 22 with the San Diego-based soul trio, Thee Sacred Souls. Making their Festival debut, for Thee Sacred Souls, the first time is often the charm. The band's first club dates led to a record deal with the revered Daptone label; their first singles racked up more than ten million streams in a year and garnered attention from Billboard, and Rolling Stone; and their first fans included the likes of Gary Clark Jr., The Black Pumas, Princess Nokia, and Timbaland. Now, the breakout San Diego trio is ready to deliver yet another landmark first with the release of their self-titled debut album. They will take the Wilcox Main Stage alongside the Piscataqua to kick-off what will be an unforgettable season.

Up next, as a band coming from New Orleans, Tank and the Bangas are surrounded by plenty of grand musical traditions. And the five-piece group has a rare knack for combining various musical styles-fiery soul, deft hip-hop, deep-groove R&B and subtle jazz-into one dazzling, cohesive whole that evokes the scope of New Orleans music while retaining a distinctive feel all its own. See them slay the Wilcox Main Stage on Monday, June 26 for a night you won't soon forget.

Next in line for this wave of concerts are Alisa Amador and Oshima Brothers, set to play the park on Wednesday, July 19. The winner of the 2022 NPR Tiny Desk Contest, Alisa Amador's music is a synthesis of the many styles she's voraciously absorbed: rock, jazz, funk and alternative folk, all wrapped in the spirit of the Latin music she grew up with. Maine-based indie duo, Oshima Brothers have been creating music together since childhood. The brothers blend songs from the heart with blood harmonies to produce a "roots-based pop sound that is infectious." (NPR)

The fourth concert announced is The Heavy Heavy. Led by lifelong musicians Will Turner and Georgie Fuller, the Brighton, UK-based band began with a shared ambition of "making records that sound like our favorite records ever," and soon arrived at a reverb-drenched collision of psychedelia and blues, acid rock and sunshine pop. They create the kind of unfettered rock-and-roll that warps time and place, immediately pulling the audience into a euphoric fugue state with its own sun-soaked atmosphere, perfect for a night in the park on Wednesday, August 9.

The final concert revealed in this first wave is Virginia-based, 49 Winchester. Ready and roaring to break onto the national scene with its unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock-n-roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk, 49 Winchester take the Wilcox Main Stage on Friday, August 18, delivering their own special brand of hardscrabble, salt-of-the-earth sound.

The Concert Series is once again sponsored by the River House Restaurant, a long-time supporter of the Arts Festival and its mission.

"The River House Restaurant is so proud to sponsor the Festival's Concert Series each summer, and has been doing so for over ten years," commented Michael Labrie, co-owner of River House Restaurant. "If you haven't sat among other music lovers on a warm summer evening with a salty breeze wafting through, listening to perfectly curated music, experiencing what can only be described as magical, then you have not experienced the best that Portsmouth has to offer. Many in attendance pay nothing. Others pay what they can afford. It's a gift to families and to local businesses who benefit from this weekly communal occurrence."

The Festival will be revealing new concerts each week throughout May and June for the 2023 Summer Season. Perkins and the Arts Festival team are especially thankful for the River House Restaurant's dedicated support of the concert series, a favorite among the Seacoast community.

In addition to the River House Restaurant Concert Series, Prescott Park Arts Festival offers the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Movie Night Series along with their signature musical theater production, Little Shop of Horrors, presented by Service Credit Union. Tables in the VIP Seating Area can be reserved for all of the Festival's series, in addition to limited blanket reservations, in front of the Wilcox Main Stage. The Best Seat in the House, sponsored by Key Auto Group, is a special seating area at the front of the VIP section that is available for reservation as well.

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