THE SCHEDULE
Note: Opening acts will be announced in the coming days. May 5: San Rafael Band - Rafael Vasquez blends Latin jazz into his blues-rock sound. Originally from San Antonio, he now calls Nashville home. May 12: The Suffers - The band's "Gulf Coast Soul" is a mix of the blues, soul, country, Caribbean and hip hop that they hear in their native Houston. May 19: Monday Night Social (RTN Winner) - This local group won the Road to Nightfall with their solid playing and professionalism. May 26: The Rad Trads - The indie-rock band started in New York in 2012 and has quickly built a following thanks to their live shows and music, which is a blend of New Orleans jazz, R&B, rock and Delta and Chicago blues. June 2: Jakubi - Two brothers, two cousins and one friend got together in Melbourne to mix hip-hop beats, jangly guitars and synthesized rhythms and the result is Jakubi. June 23: Divinity Roxx - She is perhaps best known for her work with Beyonce Knowles, but Roxx is also known for her rapping and bass-playing skills. June 30: Caveman - Also from New York, Caveman plays indie rock and pop and become a regular on the summer festival circuit since forming in 2011. July 7: Shawn Mullins - The Altanta-born artist is known for "All in My Head," which was featured on the TV show "Scrubs," and "Shimmer," which was used in "Dawson's Creek." July 14: Foxygen - Jonathan Rado and Sam France were 15-year-old high-school classmates when they formed the band in 2005 in California. They play psychedelic rock, garage and baroque pop. July 21: Fastball - The Austin-based rock band scored big in 1998 with "All the Pain Money Can Buy," which went platinum in six months. July 28: The Greyhounds - Anthony Farrell and Andrew Trube have written songs for Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Aug. 4: Ben Miller Band - The folk, blues and country band features Miller on a homemade one-string washtub bass. Aug. 11: Major and the Monbacks - The band jumps from rock to blue-eyed soul to garage rock to pure pop in the shows, but at its core, it all rock 'n' roll. Aug. 18: Mulligan Brothers - Americana, bluegrass and folk make up this band's sound. Aug. 25: KP and the Boom Boom - You expect a band with Boom Boom in their name to be big and danceable, and this one delivers with soul, funk and Latin rhythms.
Shawn Mullins will perform at Miller Plaza as part of the Nightfall series July 7.Shawn Mullins, the singer/ songwriter who had a big hit with the song "Lullaby" in 1998, will be joined by a host of lesser-known but equally talented acts for the 2017 season of Nightfall, the free Friday night downtown concert series.
San Rafael Band will open the series on May 5 and KP and Boom Boom will close it out on Aug. 25. The 30-year-old series will again suspend shows on the Fridays during Riverbend (June 8 and 15). It had experimented with having shows during the city's nine-day festival in recent years, but found crowds were neither big enough to call it a success, nor small enough to call it a failure.
"We didn't do it last year and we go back and forth on that," said Carla Pritchard, owner of Chattanooga Presents, which produces the series.
"We did okay, but not well enough to say 'Let's definitely do it again."
The series has added a couple of new wrinkles to the experience, as well. It will host a Young Entrepreneurs Expo on the final Friday of each month. For a $15 fee, entrepreneurs 18 and under can share their products or services.
"We'll also be working with [Association for Visual Artists] to create a Pop-Up Gallery the second Friday of each month in the Waterhouse Pavilion during our shows," Pritchard said.
Each gallery will feature works by local artists from a variety of backgrounds and genres. Most of the works will be for sale.
"I am so excited about doing the pop-up galleries at Nightfall. I think it will be fantastic for all involved and help AVA get some much needed exposure," said AVA's Rick Morris.
The shows at Miller Plaza begin at 7 p.m.