By Heather Sky | [email protected]

Summer is officially here, and the Midvale Arts Council’s free concert summer series continues to fill the air with the sound of local musicians. This month  Assembly 6.0 sat down to chat with Midvale Journal staff before their show on June 15. The band was originally established in 2006, but the current assembly of members have been playing together for about tw years. James Baxter—vocals, guitar, and husband of lead vocalist, Alta—playfully admits, “It feels like 28.” 

“We were all in the same neighborhood,” said Tyler Christensen—vocals, drums. After realizing how many of them played various musical instruments, they decided to get together and jam. It wasn’t long before the band began to formulate, which originally played at church functions, parties, and weddings. The name of the band has undergone nearly as much evolution as the band itself. At one point, they went by the name Some Assembly Required. However, it didn’t take long to realize the cleverness was lost on their fans. “People were confused. They thought maybe they had to provide the instruments,” laughed James, who gets a kick out of “double meanings.” They finally settled on Assembly 6.0, because “nobody said no,” according to Tyler. 

This was Assembly 6.0’s second year at the Midvale Summer Concert Series. They learned 11 new songs for this particular show, although they have about 100 in their repertoire. They continued the tradition of the “Volunteer Audience Choir” and were joined by fans in singing “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson. The fun and friendly band members also passed out red balloons to the kids during their cover of “99 Luftballoons.” 

Many of the band members are multi-instrumental and “all of us sing lead at one point or another, and everyone sings backup,” adds Tyler—who started jamming with the band after not having picked up a drumstick for 20 years. There is no denying that this fun and friendly band puts on a good show. “We really strive to work on our vocals and harmonies. That’s very important to us,” said Richard. You can find more information about additional upcoming events on their Facebook page. 

Next up in the series is Londs (LA ONDA NOREÑA DE SÁENZ) on July 6. This Salt Lake City band has made their mark on the Mexican Music scene, performing in venues from Las Vegas to Denver to Los Angeles. Their most recent album, Intentemos, was produced by American Grammy winner, Rafael Guevara. LONDS is made of six multi-instrumental musicians with high energy and a unique style. In 2015, LONDS were winners of the national Reality TV show, Tengo Talento Mucho Talento—which has attracted the attention of various radio, television and social media platforms. 

LONDS takes great pride in the responsibility to always provide an excellent performance for the public. “We love music.  We love our fans.  And we sincerely appreciate the opportunity to perform for you,” says band leader, Allan Moreno. They will have an opening act performance at 6:30 p.m. 

Amiron Village will be playing on July 13, and is made up of Pleasant Grove musicians K.C. Johnson, Shaun Johnson, Ryan Johnson, Cameron Johnson, and Kevin Johnson. Amiron Village is a group of talented musicians who have played all over Utah at dozens of festivals and events. You may recognize their lead singer (Ryan Johnson) as the winner of several popular vocal competitions across Utah Valley. Their performances always appeal to a wide audience with popular songs from a variety of musical genres (including rock, pop, country and funk).  You can learn more about them and preview their music at www.amironvillage.com. There will be a cake walk before the show at 6:30 p.m. 

On July 20, concert-goers will experience the musical stylings of the City Jazz Big Band—a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring the jazz musical art form to the public in a manner that is meaningful, educational, entertaining and affordable. The City Jazz Big Band is conducted by Emmy award-winner, composer and arranger, Dr. Marden Pond (ASCAP), and Julie Christofferson, M.Ed. 

The band is made up of twenty music educators and professional musicians in the Salt Lake, Orem and Provo area. The set list features sophisticated and entertaining original compositions, along with various big band contemporary styles and classic chart toppers. The band supports numerous community events, has been the headline group for Utah’s Arts in Education and the Mountain West Arts Conferences, and has performed for the Excellence in the Community concert series. You can find more information on their website at www.cityjazz.org. 

The final show in July will take place on the 27th with Crazy Coyote. The band is led by the head of the guitar department at BYU, Larry Green, and was established with his daughter, Julia, in 1993. This versatile four-piece country band is also made up of Robyn Green (bass and vocals), and Rocco Green (drums). Playing country music that ranges from nostalgic to current, as well as pop and rock favorites, this band is sure to keep the party going. The concert begins at 7 p.m. with free family activities beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the park including free balloons by a balloon artist. 

The remainder of the summer concert series lineup is as follows:

Londs – July 6

AmironVillage – July 13

City Jazz Big Band – July 20

Crazy Coyote – July 27

Jersey Street Band – August 3

The Bellamy Brothers – August 11 

The 6 remaining concerts will be held at 455 West 7500 South in Midvale.

All shows are free to the public. Please bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. with free family friendly activities including: games, contests with prizes, face painting, balloon artistry, chalk and bubble fun, and the splash pad.