Bettye LaVette, August 2012

Bettye LaVette, August 2012

Mad. Sq. Music is the Conservancy’s outdoor concert series and one of the best ways to enjoy free world class performances in New York City. For information about the series please contact us at (212) 325-2101.

Mad. Sq. Music: The Oval Lawn Series runs on Wednesday evenings from June 19 through August 7 and presents nationally touring acts. Check below and our calendar for our full lineup! For more details see the 2013 press release.

Mad. Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series is presented by Kew Management, Zwicker Electric Co.,Inc., NYC Culture, NYSCA,  radio partner WFUV 90.7FM, Fatty Cue, Time Out New York,  ACE Hotel New York, Motion Laboratories and Benvenuto Cafe.

Mad. Sq. Music is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Mad. Sq. Music is also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

Mad. Sq. Music: The Studio Series is devoted to folk, blues and Americana and pairs established and upcoming artists each fall during our intimate Saturday afternoon shows. Check back in August 2013 for our Studio Series lineup.

PAST EVENTS FROM 2012

Jun 27, 2012 – 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Gretchen Parlato & Gregory Porter

Gretchen Parlato comes to the Oval Lawn with her sultry, intriguing voice and unique, rhythmically agile phrasing. Describing her style and versatility, The Boston Globe notes, “Her voice is a conflux where hope, sensuality and tragedy all merge…the most original jazz singer in a generation.” With her last release, The Lost and Found garnering the… Read more

Aug 1, 2012 – 6:30pm - 8:30pm

An Evening of Folk

Join us for an evening of stellar folk music with Suzzy and Maggie Roche, Sloan Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche. **Tonight’s concert will be held on our rain location by the Shake Shack. Closest entrance on 23rd and 5th. Suzzy and Maggie Roche have been singing together for most of their lives. Together with sister,… Read more

Jul 4, 2012 – 3:00pm - 6:00pm

Mad. Sq. Music: Celebrate July 4!

NOAM PIKELNY AND FRIENDS | 5PM Virtuosic banjo player Noam Pikelny headlines MSPC’s 10-year anniversary July 4 celebration with his band of friends including Aoife O’ Donovan (Crooked Still), Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers), Dominick Leslie (The Deadly Gentlemen), Sam Grisman (The Deadly Gentlemen) and Alex Hargreaves. Part of the acclaimed bluegrass group Punch Brothers and… Read more

Aug 8, 2012 – 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Mad. Sq. Music: Bettye LaVette

Closing the 2012 season is acclaimed R&B legend, Bettye LaVette. LaVette is an American singer-songwriter with a 2011 Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary Blues Album.” In 2004, The Blues Foundation selected “A Woman Like Me” as “Blues Comeback Album of the Year,” and was the 2008 award winner for “Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist” at… Read more

Jul 25, 2012 – 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Mad. Sq. Music: Regina Carter

Carter’s most recent release Reverse Thread takes us through the world of hypnotically beautiful African folk melodies. Lauded as one of the finest violinists of her generation, Carter captures both the essence and allure of the original music through a lens of contemporary interpretation. To achieve the uplifting and stirring result, Regina added an accordion… Read more

Jul 18, 2012 – 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Mad. Sq. Music: CANCELLED

Watts is a Grammy Award winner and one of the most in-demand jazz drummers in the world today. Along with explosive power, blinding speed and mastery of complex rhythms and time signatures, Watts brings a rare sense of elegance, tried-by-fire composure, and a gritty street funk to his music. Voted best drummer by Modern Drummer… Read more

Jul 11, 2012 – 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Mad. Sq. Music: Nellie McKay

Nellie McKay is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and former stand-up comedienne, noted for her critically acclaimed albums. McKay has won a Theatre World Award for her portrayal of Polly Peachum in the Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera and performed onscreen in the film PS I Love You, as well as writing original music for… Read more

Jun 20, 2012 – 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Mad. Sq. Music: James Maddock and Band

James Maddock kicks off the 2012 Mad. Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series. British-born and New York-based, Maddock effortlessly translates the aspirations and longing of his ever-growing legion of followers into song. Winning the NY Music Award for Best Americana Album for his 2010 release, Sunsrise on Avenue C and in the same year winning Best… Read more

Sep 15, 2012 – 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Jim Lauderdale • The Honeycutters

JIM LAUDERDALE Jim Lauderdale is a multi-talented performer and songwriter, with successes in both country and bluegrass music. His roots stem from the Carolinas, yet his career has taken him all over the United States and abroad, making him an international recording artist with an ever-growing fan base. Jim won “Artist of the Year” and… Read more

Sep 22, 2012 – 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Rory Block • Heritage Blues Trio

Photo By: Sergio Kurhajec RORY BLOCK Rory Block comes to the stage with more than twenty highly acclaimed releases under her belt and five Blues Music Awards. Block has staked her claim to be one of America’s top acoustic blues women, an interpreter of the great Delta blues singers, a slide guitarist par excellence, and… Read more