We've found ourselves up at the Seuffert Bandshell a lot this summer, listening to some great music and enjoying some nice weather.  On Saturday the bandshell in Forest Park was the site of an International Music Festival.  From the official blog of the festival:

The international theme is derived from the cultural backgrounds of the artists (Korea, The Philippines, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent, Japan, Senegal, etc.) and the music (reggae, hip-hop, gospel, Latin rock, etc.). Our goal is to give Brooklyn & Queens the best outdoor independent artist showcase they have ever experienced.   As Queens is the most culturally and ethnically diverse of the 5 boroughs, it only makes sense to hold an event like this one here. 

The event ran from 2 to 8 PM.  We had a lot of things to do, so we got there for the start of the show -- and then we came back later for some more.  We didn't get to see all the artists -- in fact, we only got to see three of them.  So, if we don't mention an artist, it's not because we didn't like them.  You can visit the official blog for the entire lineup.  The first artist we watched was Ganessa James.    

She's very talented -- and we really enjoyed her set.  Here's a sample of her work -- I don't know the exact title of the song, but I'm guessing it's "New York City."

Then we had some shopping to take care of, so we hopped in our car and took a run to Jamaica Avenue.  We came back a few hours later, and lucked into a good parking spot.  It wasn't a huge crowd -- but there was a steady stream of passersby.  And a number of people who were in the park barbecuing came over for some music.       

We arrived in time to catch the last few songs of L'una Soul.  The lead singer, Ariadne, has a real powerful voice -- and the whole band was real sharp.   

Here's a sample of L'una Soul -- along with a brief chat with their lead singer:

Next up was Illard Scott.  Illard's talent is hip-hop and, we'll be honest, it's not our kind of music.  But, when in Rome, right?  So we sat for a few songs.  

 Here's a sample of Illard's performance.  The audience seemed to really enjoy his show.

Afterwards, we wandered about the various booths that were set up.  The organizers were a friendly bunch and they put on a real good show.  We saw some good music -- in fact, we ended up walking home with 2 CDs!  One was free, a sampling of all the artists.  And we bought a L'una Soul CD.  We would have bought a Ganessa James CD, but didn't see any for sale.  From when we heard, the organizers are hoping to make this a yearly event -- if so, we look forward to attending next year!   

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.  

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