“Twice on Sundays,” a mini concert series featuring local musicians, transforms Smooth’s Sports Grille downtown into a new favorite spot for live music and cheap drinks. The event is co-hosted by community groups Schooled in Song and We Love Long Beach, featuring a four-week performance residency with music by Jay Buchanan, Chris Paul Overall, Brett Bixby, So Many Wizards, and many other special guests. Another cool feature is the live video art performances by Warren Woodward, streaming in the background while the bands play.
The ongoing event debuted March 15 and will continue until April 5, offering $2 admission, $2 beers, and 2 hours of free parking with validation. Justin Hectus, co-founder of Schooled in Song, understands the slogan for these weekend outings — “Feed your soul with music every day of the week and twice on Sundays” — all too well.
“Art and music are a city’s vitamins,” he said. “Without them, a city starves. But Long Beach doesn’t have to starve! We have world-class musicians living all over town. This event showcases that local talent, while simultaneously feeding our downtown what it needs to grow.”
Not only does the event serve the community, it provides an opportunity for various types of musicians to share the spotlight and showcase eclectic entertainment. “Twice on Sundays is great because it brings artists together who wouldn’t normally play together,” Chris Paul Overall, a Long Beach artist, said. “Our fans are exposed to their fans and vice versa.”
The two organizations responsible for the “Sunday Fundays” are constantly working hard to build a relationship between the arts in Long Beach and the residents. We Love Long Beach is a non-profit community organization actively working to know and serve the People, the Neighborhoods and the City of Long Beach.
Schooled In Song is a cooperative of Long Beach residents that raises money to support music and art education programs and scholarships through high-quality music experiences featuring many events all over town, such as “Twice on Sundays.”
“Like nearly every music-related event that Justin Hectus and his organizations has organized for Long Beach, Twice On Sundays is a great vehicle for bringing art and music to the downtown area,” Justin Burrow, guitarist for Chris Paul Overall and Jay Buchanan said. “Venues like Smooth’s that provide drink specials and free parking to encourage people to come out and experience a taste of the local scene are doing a great service to local musicians and songwriters that play all too often in LA and OC instead of right in their own backyard.”
With two weeks left, Twice on Sundays gives you two more reasons to come out and celebrate your day off with great live music, food, and drinks. Bring a neighbor… or two.
Jenny Dubois is a contributing news reporter and current journalism student at Long Beach City College.
Disclosure: Smooth’s Sports Grille is an advertiser of the lbpost.com.