The Grassy Strip Music Series | On Our Lawn

Join us On Our Lawn for weekly summer cookouts and live acoustic music.

Music begins at 7:30 p.m.

July 18: Jay and Nick: As an acoustic duo, the sky is the limit for Nick & Jay. Covering everything including old fiddle tunes, bluegrass, classic rock, country, jazz and artists such as Mumford & Sons, Keith Urban, Michael Jackson, John Denver, Jimmy Cliff, Pure Prairie League and countless others, there is always something for everyone.

Mexican Flavors are the cookout theme, featuring build-your-own shrimp / mahi / chicken tacos, corn and black bean salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, Deep River chips, and Rustic Ice Cream Sandwich varieties.

 

July 25: Meadows Brothers: The Meadows Brothers’ distinct brand of roots music combines folk, blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll into what the Boston Globe calls “An engagingly twangy sibling sound all their own.” Ian and Dustin Meadows are the Meadows Brothers. They share that essential brother-band DNA: a telepathic tightness, the ability to stop and start vocal phrases in lockstep, to fall effortlessly into close harmonies, trade off phrases and navigate together the fresh expression of American roots music they create. Their 2017 release, “TRUTH”, demonstrates the brothers’ keen ability to get to the heart of the matter with simple melodies, blood harmonies, unsweetened songwriting, expressive guitars and blues tinged harp.

Crawfish Boil is the cookout theme, featuring one-bag-boil crawfish, andouille, red potatoes and corn, hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, Deep River chips, and Rustic Ice Cream Sandwich varieties.

 

August 1: Ric and Rhon: A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Rhon Lawrence doesn’t even remember the day he wasn’t playing guitar– something he’s been doing since the age of two-and-a-half. “My first instrument was a plastic Mickey Mouse guitar,” he admits, “on which my parents swear I was playing real songs.”

As a youngster, he cultivated his own concepts by listening to his musical heroes–including non-guitarists such as Count Basie and Lionel Hampton. He played acoustic guitar through elementary school, began building guitars before he turned nine, got his first Stratocaster at age eleven, and switched to electric guitar exclusively when he was about thirteen. “I like electric because you can control the volume and you just have more to work with as far as sound is concerned.”

Playing in New Haven Funk bands such as “Good News” and “The Lift” (which included saxophonist Marion Meadows), Lawrence soon developed into a first call axeman for several of the most active players on the contemporary music scene. He has continued to perform with Meadows, while also cultivating associations with other notables like George Duke, Diane Reeves, Jonathan Butler, Alex Bugñon, Freddie Jackson and Najee.

Lobster Night is the cookout theme, featuring cold lobster rolls, boiled lobster, corn on the cob, new potatoes, hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, Deep River chips, and Rustic Ice Cream Sandwich varieties.

 

August 8: Michael Cleary: The Michael Cleary band is a Hartford institution. They are celebrating their 27th year of making original Groove/Funk/Rock music with a twist. In 2014 MCB took home the award for Best Jam Band in the Ct Music awards. In 2009 MCB was voted Best Jam Band in the Hartford Advocate Readers poll and they are previous winners in the Best Rock and Best Blues category.

They have played with Tower of Power, Little feat, Average White Band, Joan Osbourne, Peter Wolf, NRBQ and countless other regional and national acts. Their fifth cd, MCB Five, was released in 2012 and is available on Itunes and CDBaby.com. Their latest CD ‘Uplift” is out now on CDBaby and iTunes as well as dozens of other online sites.

Summer picnic is the cookout theme, featuring fried chicken, potato salad, corn bread, hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, Deep River chips, and Rustic Ice Cream Sandwich varieties.

 

August 15: Jake Kulak: Jake Kulak and the LowDown bring their blend of modern and traditional guitar-driven blues and blues-rock to music lovers everywhere.  Formed in 2013, these talented young artists have represented CT for the past 4 years at the International Blues Challenge Youth Showcase in Memphis, TN.  They have also been nominated for a New England Music Award in the “Best New Act of the Year” category and were one of 6 Boston-area bands to win the the House of Blues emerging artist competition. Bassist Anthony Dailey, from Longmeadow, MA is a crowd favorite with his quiet swagger and tasteful grooves. Drummer, Jeremy Peck, from Manchester, Connecticut is a formally trained, multi-instrumentalist whose killer, high-energy beats anchor the band.

Summer Fair is the cookout theme, featuring deep fried pizza, sausage and peppers, chili dogs, and snow cones for adults and kids, hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, Deep River chips, and Rustic Ice Cream Sandwich varieties.

 

August 22: Scott Kirby: Singer, songwriter, guitarist, storyteller, sailor and road warrior are all words that aptly describe Scott Kirby. Writing songs for a new CD, performing 150 live shows a year throughout the US and Canada, and holding down the stage at his own club—Key West’s Smokin’ Tuna Saloon—keep the barnacles off this modern-day troubadour.

Caribbean Flavors is the cookout theme, featuring hot pepper and mango marinated chicken / shrimp kabobs, tequila lime sauce, coconut jeweled rice, hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, Deep River chips, and Rustic Ice Cream Sandwich varieties.

 

August 29: Annalyse & Ryan: Annalyse & Ryan are an Americana husband and wife duo based in Beacon, NY. The two recorded three albums and toured extensively with their former band 2/3 Goat. After making a name for themselves as an emerging Americana act (2/3 Goat described by Lee Zimmerman in No Depression as “one fine ensemble” whose “every song [on 2016 album Let It Rise] is outstanding”), Annalyse & Ryan began branching out into various songwriting projects and a musical duo of their own.

Annalyse, a true McCoy descended directly from the Kentucky side of the McCoy-Hatfield feud, brings deep storytelling roots to their music. Ryan was brought up on the coast of southern New Jersey singing on the boardwalks, and the epic movements of the Atlantic come through in the grooves he brings to their songs.

BBQ Night is the cookout theme, featuring beef brisket, pulled pork, cole slaw, cucumber and red onion salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, Deep River chips, and Rustic Ice Cream Sandwich varieties.

 

Menu will be change weekly | Full cash bar available.

**Rain Plan: should it rain…the music will move inside to The Wharf Restaurant and run from 8:30 – 10:00 p.m.

 

Past Events:

July 11: Frog Hollow