Switchyard Park will put on its first ever Summer Sendoff Concert 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 4, according to the Bloomington Parks and Recreation website. The concert will feature Matixando and Kid Kazooey and The BallRoom Roustabouts. The event is free, but a ticket is required for admission. The event is currently sold out.
Bloomington Parks and Recreation requires face masks upon admission and exiting as well as when viewers aren’t in their seats. They ask that you bring your own seating and practice social distancing, and audience size is limited to 150 people.
Crystal Ritter, Bloomington Parks and Recreation community events coordinator, said they typically put on a Summer Kickoff Concert in May. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they had to reschedule.
“We made the decision to reschedule the bands and kind of change the marketing for the event to call it the Summer Sendoff Concert,” Ritter said.
In the past, the summer concert had activities for children as well as a movie night following the performances.
“We have decided to eliminate all of basically the hands-on activities and things that were originally planned for the summer kickoff celebration,” Ritter said.
Ritter said there will be circles on the ground to designate where people can sit.
“There will be socially distant seating areas so that people who come to the event can sit with their group, and they'll be socially distant from other concert attendees,” Ritter said.
The first band, Matixando, will perform at 5:30 p.m. Matixando is a nine-member latin-fusion ensemble with music written and composed by Costa Rican singer-songwriter David Dávila.
Matixando will perform music from each of its three albums: “Compartiendo un Sueño,” “Perseverancia” and “Breaking Away.” Dávila said the band's songs have a unique style.
“We have a fusion of different things,” Dávila said. “We do reggae, funky, Latina.”
Dávila said he typically does the lead vocals and rhythm guitar for concerts. He said he likes to use both Spanish and English in his music.
“Most of the songs are in Spanish, but we have parts of the songs that are in English,” Dávila said. “We have songs that are mostly in English, too.”
The second band to perform will be Kid Kazooey and The BallRoom Roustabouts. Kevin MacDowell, Monroe County Public Library teen and digital creativity strategist, performs as Kid Kazooey.
MacDowell and his wife, Lara Lynn Weaver, will perform as a duo for the concert instead of all five band members due to COVID-19 safety precautions.
“As a band, we decided to play it safer than sorry,” MacDowell said. “Mr. and Mrs. Kazooey will be representing the band as a whole.”
MacDowell said the band is focused on educating kids and encouraging them to read and be creative. Kid Kazooey and The BallRoom Roustabouts’ set will be animal themed.
“We are picking our original material that highlights animals and pets,” MacDowell said. “A lot of local songs that are centered in our community and songs that celebrate animals and the love of our pets.”
