BRAND SUMMER MUSIC SERIES
OVERVIEW
The Brand Summer Music Series is an outdoor concert series located at the Brand Library & Art Center. Concert attendees often bring their own chairs and picnic amenities and sit on the grassy hill. Please note that alcohol is prohibited. Performances may be experienced by children and families. The Brand Summer Music Series began in 2014 and is supported by the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission through funding from the Urban Art Program, with support from Glendale Library, Arts & Culture, Glendale Community Services & Parks, and the Brand Associates.
2026 SERIES SCHEDULE
All concerts are Friday nights at 7:00 PM. Admission is free.
Join us for eclectic live music outside on the lawn behind the Brand Library. Visitors are welcome to bring a chair or blanket and picnic on the grassy hillsides in Brand Park. Seats are not provided. Performances run 60 - 90 minutes without intermission.
Dustbowl Revival
Friday, July 10, 2026
Folk Funk
Dustbowl Revival is a pioneering project folk funk collective. Started by playwright/songwriter Z. Lupetin from a hopeful Craigslist ad in Venice Beach, the band has toured to over 11 countries in the last decade, put out 7 beloved albums and amassed over 20 million streams featuring collabs with Grammy-winners Keb’ Mo’, The Secret Sisters, members of Vulfpeck and more. Known for mixing their New Orleans-steeped brass section with lush Laurel Canyon harmonies and powerful lyrics that don’t shy away from covering social justice causes and sending love to the melting pot sounds of their beloved homebase of LA, Dustbowl never stops pushing the boundaries of what acoustic music can be. A tour of England is on the way in 2026 and they recently collaborated with longtime friend and fan Ed Helms (The Office) who laid down some banjo on their song “Tall Tales”.
The Secret Agents
Friday, July 17, 2026
Retro Jazz, Pop, and R&B
The Secret Agents is a thrilling high-speed pursuit through 1960s Jazz, Cinema, Pop, Rock and R&B: the music that makes whatever you’re doing... simply cooler. The Agents invite you into their headquarters for an evening of clandestine fun. Helmed by the suave “Agent Milan,” and the lovely but dangerous "Agent Essen," they lead you through your mission - to have a groovy time! So come on new recruits! Put on your dancin’ shoes and let’s twist again!
Bella Brown & the Jealous Lovers
Friday, July 24, 2026
Retro Soul/Funk
Los Angeles-based retro soul/funk sensation Bella Brown & the Jealous Lovers are set to ignite the music scene! Born from the creative genius of Grammy Award-winning vocalist/songwriter/dancer Carol Hatchett, Bella Brown emerges as a diva with a fiery stage presence. Led by producer/bassist/songwriter Daniel Pearson, The Jealous Lovers are an an impressive ensemble of A-list musicians, boasting pedigrees that include names like Mick Jagger, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Prince, and Stevie Wonder. This musical collective is on a relentless quest to redefine the boundaries of music, infusing soul and funk with elements of jazz, rock, and Afro-Caribbean influences. Bella Brown & the Jealous Lovers transcend genres, embracing the roots of soul and funk while celebrating individual truths, shared experiences, our common humanity, and the timeless power of music.
Willow Stephens & The Robbery
Friday, July 31, 2026
Pop, Soul, and R&B
Willow Stephens is making music to get you out of your funk and back in your groove. An LA-based Montana native, her music is a mood boosting blend of pop, soul and R&B with a touch of 70s flair. An accomplished band leader and multi-instrumentalist, Stephens has headlined the Troubadour and shared stages with acts such as KT Tunstall, Allen Stone, Macklemore and Andy Mineo. Her sophomore album Future Classic offers a fresh and unique brand of introspective indie soul. Her band, The Robbery, is comprised of Danny Hechter on guitar, Adam Egizi on bass and Jonas Sheeks on drums have been performing together for nearly a decade all over Southern California and the western United States. When she is not having contagious amounts of fun on stage with her band, you can find Willow live streaming music on Twitch to her international community of fans several times a week.
Raffi Joe Wartanian & the Sér Ensemble
Friday, August 7, 2026
Armenian folk/Appalachian bluegrass
Raffi Joe Wartanian & the Sér Ensemble unite oud, violin, guitar, bass, and percussion as a vehicle for original composition, intercultural conversation, and expressive transcendence. Helmed by composer, writer, and educator Raffi Joe Wartanian, the group explores soundscapes where Armenian musical inheritance meets contemporary global sound. At its core is the oud—the ancient, fretless ancestor of the guitar—reimagined here as a living, compositional tool. Drawing from Armenian folk, modal jazz, flamenco, rebetiko, and poetry, the ensemble’s music flows through geographic and stylistic borders while reveling in the uprooted groundedness of the diasporic experience. “Sér,” meaning love in Armenian and to be in Spanish, reflects a guiding ethos: compositions as a container of both presence and relation, as in an unfolding practice of community, contemplation, and mutual care.
Orchestre Moto
Friday, August 14, 2026
Congolese Rumba
Orchestre Moto is a Los Angeles and New York-based ensemble with a constellation of roots stretching from Kinshasa to Brazzaville to Lubumbashi to Pointe-Noire, dedicated to the Congolese sound. Moto means “fire” in Lingala: a name that reflects the explosive, high-energy guitar and drum heavy African dance music they bring to the stage. The ensemble performs a rich tapestry of genres, including Congolese rumba, sebene, mutuashi, and ndombolo. Beyond the stage, the band serves as the flagship for the nonprofit Congo Culture Connection. This mission-driven organization facilitates creative exchange between the U.S. and both Congos, aiming to bridge Anglophone and Francophone worlds while ensuring large format bands and dance troupes earn the dignified, livable wages their cultural labor deserves. The ensemble also seeks to rebalance the lens of crisis through which Congo is often seen, building a lasting community across the Atlantic.
Orquesta Ritmo Alegre
Friday, August 21, 2026
Cuban
Orquesta Ritmo Alegre is a latin dance band dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the golden-age traditions of danzón, mambo, bolero, and Cuban dance music The band features a signature charanga lineup—violins, cello, flute, and a driving Afro-Cuban rhythm section—fusing folkloric Cuban rhythms, rich jazz harmonies, and a refined classical sensibility into a vibrant and distinctive sound. With a direct lineage to the creators of the danzón-mambo, Israel and Orestes López, Orquesta Ritmo Alegre showcases master Cuban vocalist and percussionist Lázaro Galarraga. Formed in 2025, Ritmo Alegre brings together veteran musicians and rising young artists, creating a dynamic exchange between tradition and new generations.
Carl Verheyen Band
Friday, August 28, 2026
Rock/Jazz
In his 50-plus years of playing the instrument, Carl has created a wildly successful, multi-faceted career. A critically acclaimed musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and educator with 18 albums released worldwide, Carl has also been a member of Supertramp since 1985. The Carl Verheyen Band is a joyful, uplifting group of musicians to watch and hear. Their concerts will focus on new music as well as favorites from Carl’s albums dating back to 1988. Although all the music is rooted and informed by the blues, any single show combines rock, jazz, jam, fusion and country music in both electric and acoustic settings. Fans of real music, improvised and created in real time with no backing tracks or “playback” will enjoy the ride. Many fans join them “on the road” in an effort to see multiple shows since no two are alike! An exciting concert for all ages!