DOWNEY – This Saturday, June 27, music lovers will enjoy the third annual Make Music Downey – a free, all-day music festival hosted at five different venues in the downtown area.  

The festival celebrates all genres of music, including, but not limited to, bluegrass, jazz, folk, indie rock, classic rock, alternative rock, and post punk.  

Many of the musicians are returning performers, including the local band, New American. This alternative rock group has grown in popularity since their first appearance with the festival in 2013. Last January they debuted their first album at Stay Gallery. 

The four band members, Jonny Strang, Karim Bedran, Alex Mendez, and Chris Pleasant, are all graduates of Downey High.

Geoff and Scarlet Gross, who shared the stage at Porto’s last year, are Downey residents who will be appearing this year with their band, Merlot Embargo. The performers say their style of music is their own unique blend.

 “If you have to pin it down,” says Gross, “I’d call it guitar-driven acoustic pop-folk-rock-jazz.”  The group has an album coming out, and most of their songs will be original music from the album, “with an occasional cover thrown in for fun.”  

Other returning performers include the jazz fusion group Per Se, the rock 60’s cover group Mosaic, and the blues/soul performer Shy But Flyy.  

All of the venues are within walking distance of each other.  The overall hours of the festival are 11 a.m. to  10 p.m., but performance time at the individual venues will vary.  A full schedule is listed below. 

Epic Lounge
12-1 p.m. Mosaic (rock, cover favorites)
1:30-2:30 p.m. Rivertrain Company (rock, soul)
3-4 p.m. Benny's Forgotten Garden (post punk)
4:30-5:30 p.m. Lonliest Casanova (indie soul)
6-7 p.m. Hurt and the Heartbeat (rock)
7:30-8:30 p.m. Tiny Stills (indie pop)
9-10 p.m. New American (alternative rock)

Bastards
1-3 p.m. Black Jack Cadillacs (classic rock, top 40)
3-4 p.m. Mike San Juan (folk rock, singer/songwriter)
6-8 p.m. Street Slim (swampy blues)

Stay Gallery
11 a.m. Cross Your Fingers (bluegrass, classic country)
12-12:30 p.m. Dan McNay (folk, solo vocalist)
12:30-1 p.m. Mike San Juan (folk rock, singer/songwriter)
1 p.m. Jen Spazmaster & Steve Delamater (singer/songwriter)
2 p.m. Esmoladera (alternative)
3 p.m. Shy by Flyy (blues, rock, soul)
4 p.m. Joshua's Woodcutters (free jazz, blues, experimental)
5 p.m. Per Se (fusion, jazz)

Downey Music Center
12 p.m. Richard Schmieg (indie/pop-rock)
1 p.m. Masks We Made (indie pop)
2 p.m. Merlot Embargo (pop-folk-rock-jazz)
3 p.m. Steve Delamater (indie pop)
4 p.m. The Lovely Outlaws (country, folk)
5 p.m. Betty & Jetty (family pop)

Mambo Grill
2-4 p.m. Jay Nixon (rock)
4 p.m. Gary Myers (pop, rock, oldies)
5 p.m. Shy But Flyy (blues, rock, soul)
7-9 p.m. Cross Roads (classic rock)
9-10 p.m. Jay Nixon (rock)