Free Summer 2011 Concerts: Celebrate Brooklyn

The free summer concert season is almost here, and I'll be posting info on the schedules for them as they become available. Celebrate Brooklyn recently posted its full schedule for the summer of 2011 on its website (it was previously only in a PDF of a press release). As usual, there's a strong and varied slate of musicians (I've posted some highlights below), as well as a few money-raising paid shows. (Most of the benefit shows have already sold out, although there are still tickets available for Sufjan Stevens on Aug. 2nd and for Cut Copy with Foster the People and Midnight Magic on Aug. 11th.)

The sad news is that Brooklyn is losing two fun, free events. The one-day Village Voice Siren Festival on Coney Island is no more; the Voice has announced that in its place is it starting up a similar all-day event called 4Knots, to be held in the South Street Seaport area.

Also in Coney Island, the Seaside Summer Concerts series is no more. It had been the focus of noise complaints by a nearby synagogue, and apparently it lost its right to use the park it had used. Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz has vowed to relocate the series elsewhere in the borough, though I'm not sure that will mean any free shows for this summer.

But to keep things focused on the positive, here's a listing of some of the rock/pop highlights from the 2011 Celebrate Brooklyn schedule. Some of the ones I'm most interested in seeing are the Freedom Rides Project with Rosanne Cash and others; Court Yard Hounds (Marty Maguire and Emily Robison, two of the Dixie Chicks); the Latin bill of Los Lobos, Hello Seahorse!, and Zigmat; the show featuring New Jersey bands The Feelies and Real Estate as well as Times New Viking; and Ra Ra Riot.

• Fri., June 10 - Andrew Bird (Opening Night Gala)
  
• Thurs., June 16 - Hal Willner’s Freedom Rides Project featuring Rosanne Cash, Toshi Reagon, Steven Bernstein & many more
  
• Fri., June 17 - The Books, Junip, and Doveman
  
• Sat., June 25 - The Heavy, The London Souls, and Superhuman Happiness
  
• Thurs., June 30 - Justin Townes Earle, the Punch Brothers, and the Hackensaw Boys
  
• Thurs., July 7 - Court Yard Hounds and the Abrams Brothers
  
• Fri., July 8 - Los Lobos, Hello Seahorse!, and Zigmat
  
• Sat., July 23 - The Feelies, Real Estate, and Times New Viking
  
• Sat., July 30 - Dr. John & the Lower 911, Chuck Brown, Red Baraat
  
• Fri., Aug. 5 - Ra Ra Riot, Delicate Steve, and Buke and Gass
  

Later on I'll have information for other free summer concerts in NYC including SummerStage, the downtown River to River Festival, and others.