events

Encore! Downtown Park Reprises Popular Concert Series Tomorrow

Encore! Downtown Park Reprises Popular Concert Series Tomorrow

Kam Franklin (photo courtesy of Mint Talent Group)

SURE, TAYLOR SWIFT is scheduled to land in Space City this Friday, but we got something else exciting going down musically the night before. Sponsored by the University of Houston, Downtown, the UHD Thursday Night Concerts series gets rolling on April 20 on the Anheuser-Busch Stage at Discovery Green. Positioned to face the green’s Fondren Performance Space, and with the Downtown skyline as its backdrop, the state-of-the-art concert venue features a top-notch audio and lighting system designed with the city’s diverse performing arts community in mind. This year’s series includes some incredible Houston-based talent, as well as acts from San Antonino, Austin and New Orleans.

Kicking things off this Thursday is Grammy-nominated New Orleans-based ensemble Tank and the Bangas with special guests, Houston’s own roots reggae, lovers rock, and Jamaican dancehall ambassadors Sunami Force. Founded by bassist Susie Hernandez, Sunami Force describes their mission as “to bring positive energy and promotion of higher consciousness through sweet reggae music.” Sounds like the perfect opening act for Tank and the Bangas, who blew up after winning the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk contest. Their feel-good music is a joyful amalgamation of New Orleans funk, hip-hop, nu-jazz and neo-soul.

Other upcoming, must-see Thursday night acts include Texas soul singer Micah Edwards, who will open for the always-resplendent Kam Edwards on May 11. We’ve kept our eye on Edwards ever since he dropped his now heavily streamed single “Girl from the Valley” back in 2021. We anticipate he’ll perform plenty of songs from his latest album Jean Leon, which is all that and a bag of chips. Meanwhile, Franklin, best known as the lead singer for The Suffers, one of Houston’s most popular musical exports, continues to stretch out into unexpected sonic directions, while never forgetting her gospel, folk, and classic soul roots.

Micah Edwards (photo by Philip Emerson)

UHD Concert Series (photo by Morris Malakoff)

Art + Entertainment
promoted

Thrive & Inspire: Alchemy’s Arquella Hargrove ‘Inspired by People Making an Impact in the World’

Thrive & Inspire: Alchemy’s Arquella Hargrove ‘Inspired by People Making an Impact in the World’

Arquella Hargrove, Chief Culture Officer and Owner of the Alchemy Consulting Group

WHAT IS THE secret to running a successful business? The secret to a successful business is a rockstar team. With a rockstar team, clients experience the transformation within their culture. This also is connected to other success factors — a commitment to relentless change, communicating courageously, and collaborating to win. The ultimate goal is to be the change for our clients and to create a culture where team members thrive and grow exponentially.

Keep Reading Show less
food

Októ Joins Mi Luna and Marmo as Hot Spots at Mediterranean-Marvelous Montrose Collective

Paella Valenciana at Mi Luna

THOUGH IT'S BEEN in Houston less than a decade, Sof Hospitality has made major inroads with foodies and critics alike. Its concepts include Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa and Badolina Bakery, all of which deliver the rich flavors of Israeli cuisine in complex, photogenic and delicious dishes. Its newest, Októ, opened earlier this year, one of several energetic restaurants to bow in the Montrose Collective, just in time for the holidays.

Keep Reading Show less
Food
art

Five Fabulously Diverse Exhibits Are Arriving at Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Bill Viola’s ‘Ascension,’ on display as part of ‘Living with the Gods’ at MFAH

THE ARTIST WHO ushered in the expressionist movement in the early 20th century was not, in fact, Picasso or Matisse. It was Paul Gauguin, whose career spanned the decades just preceding the turn of the century. The French painter is the subject of the Museum of Fine Arts’ latest exhibit, Gauguin in the World, which was organized by Henri Loyrette (formerly of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris). The show, just one of the museum’s diverse winter season shows, debuted in Australia in June and will be on display through Feb. 16, 2025, at the MFAH, the only U.S. venue for the survey.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment