Anderson .Paak Slated For Prospect Park Summer Performance

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, NY — Prospect Park is slated for a summer full of good music including a Anderson .Paak, a Tiny Desk trumpeter and folk giant The Head and The Heart.

Brooklyn arts institution BRIC's 45th Celebrate Brooklyn! festival boasts a far-reaching lineup of artists and events spanning from June 7 to Aug. 24. Some 25 summer nights of music and gathering will boast star-studded performances — most of them free.

This summer's lineup is a nod to the festival's history, recreating the most "unforgettable 'only at Bric'" moments, according to organizers.

"Over the years, we've brought together artists from all around the world who reflect the true diversity of Brooklyn and the broader BRIC community," organizers said on BRIC's website. "This summer is all about imagining the future through the lens of our past."

The lineup is star-studded and vast, from The Velvet Underground founder John Cale to The Wallflowers to Malian singer Oumou Sangaré.

Here are some of Patch's favorite moments from this summer's lineup:

June 24: Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge

NxWorries, Anderson .Paak's collaborative group with hip hop producer and songwriter Knxledge, will perform at one of the summer's few paid events to benefit BRIC.

Also taking the stage on June 24 is five-time Grammy award winner Robert Glasper. Glasper's album "Black Radio III" took home the 2023 Grammy for Best R&B Album.

Glasper played keys on Kendrick Lamar's iconic album "To Pimp A Butterfly."

The lineup for the benefit concert also features Grammy award-winning singer Lalah Hathaway, singer-songwriter BJ The Chicago Kid and R&B giant Bilal.

Tickets went on sale in March and were about $100 Tuesday through Ticketmaster.

July 1: Tiny Desk Contest

NPR Tiny Desk trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf and guitar duo Hermanos Gutiérrez will take the stage July 1 alongside the winner of Tiny Desk's ongoing nationwide competition.

Some 6,000 unsigned bands entered the Tiny Desk Contest — and one winner will perform a Tiny Desk performance at NPR's headquarters, according to BRIC.

The winner will also perform in cities across the U.S., hitting Brooklyn on July 1.

The July 1 concert is free at the Lena Horne Bandshell at 8th Street and Prospect Park West.

June 15: Queer Storytelling & A Converted Rikers Island Bus Instillation

Pop musician Jake Wesley Rogers will headline a "night of powerful queer storytelling," joined by musician and 2019-2020 National Youth Poet Laureate Kara Jackson.

The night will include an electronic pop DJ set and a mobile art instillation and community center made out of a retired Rikers Island bus.

August 24: The Head And The Heart

Closing out the summer of performances, The Head And The Heart will return to BRIC's festival 12 years after its first Prospect Park performance.

"Their signature lush harmonies and nuanced acoustic arrangements make them the perfect fit for our closing night," BRIC said on its website.

Joined by Izzy Heltai as their opener, The Head and The Heart's concert will be free — but RSVP early for a chance to win VIP passes.

"At once expansive and stripped down, opener Izzy Heltai’s music is inviting and intimate, offering listeners a grounding clarity of sound," BRIC said.