Sat, August 16, 2025
Lake Street Dive
Lake Street Dive has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 per ticket goes to supporting organizations working for equity, access, and dignity for all. www.plus1.org
Lake Street Dive have pushed the possibilities of pop music as a unifying force, not only through their eclectic sound — a boldly original cross-pollination of soul, folk, jazz, classic pop, and more — the five-piece’s all-embracing ethos has also made them a beloved live band known for building a potent connection among every crowd. In the making of their new album Good Together, vocalist Rachael Price, bassist/background vocalist Bridget Kearney, drummer/background vocalist Mike Calabrese, keyboardist/vocalist Akie Bermiss, and guitarist/background vocalist James Cornelison reinforced the deep sense of purpose behind their output, often turning their attention to the many factors driving us apart today (e.g., unchecked technological growth, culturally imposed isolation, the cult of relentless self-optimization). Born from a mindset they refer to as “joyful rebellion,” Good Together arrives as a body of work both gloriously defiant and primed to inspire unbridled dancing and ecstatic singing-along.
The follow-up to 2021’s Obviously, Good Together finds Lake Street Dive working again with Grammy-winning producer Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark Jr.). With its sonic landscape encompassing everything from R&B to funk to Brazilian pop, the album opens on its title track: a left-of-center love song celebrating the thrill of defying expectation and following your heart’s desire. Next, on “Dance with a Stranger,” Lake Street Dive once again prove their undeniable gift for crafting feel-good songs with an illuminating message, simultaneously inducing a carefree euphoria and gently fostering empathy. The wildly cathartic “Walking Uphill” presents gripping meditation on the work of self-repair, while “Seats at the Bar” puts a sweetly playful twist on the classic love song. And on “Twenty-Five,” Price shares a stark and lovely ballad steeped in tender reminiscence of a long-ago romance. All throughout Good Together, Lake Street Dive tap into the palpable camaraderie that’s fueled the band since their formation, ultimately delivering their most collaborative, expansive, and powerfully exuberant work to date.
Sammy Rae & The Friends
For as much as Sammy Rae & The Friends may be a band, this collective of dreamers and artists considers themselves a family first. That all-for-one and one-for-all camaraderie ignites their unforgettable and can’t-miss live shows, which serve as a catharsis for both the musicians and their fervent audience. Fronted by singer/songwriter Sammy Rae and honed through years of touring, the group is capable of flourishing in any spotlight thanks to its signature blend of palpable chemistry, deft virtuosity, and vocal fireworks.
Their sound, which has attracted new fans by the thousands in the past few years, is a unique mélange of Sammy’s influences: classic rock, folk and funk and sprinkled with soul and jazz. Rae has been building toward this moment since moving to NYC from Connecticut in her early 20s. Finding herself without a built-in peer group, she simply built it herself: the literal and proverbial Friends. When she started playing shows, she made sure the audience was part of the family too. Everything that’s happened since – from EP’s “The Good Life” (2018) and “Let’s Throw a Party” (2021) to sold-out shows in major markets and secondary markets alike across North American and the UK & Europe, to high-profile festival sets around the world, including Bonnaroo’s main stage, Sound on Sound, All Things Go, and more – has been based on friends telling friends.
With the release of their debut album “Something For Everybody” in 2024, Sammy Rae & The Friends have come to represent more than just a band: they are a full-on movement being adopted with refreshingly diverse clientele.