Schenley Plaza

August 29
7 p.m.

Fans of the acclaimed folk-country rock band, The Felice Brothers, won’t want to miss the chance to see one of the group’s talented siblings perform live in one of the city’s favorite green spaces.

WYEP‘s 2014 Final Fridays Series will continue to provide your summer soundtrack, with free concerts animating Oakland’s Schenley Plaza until the leaves change colors. The tranquil outdoor oasis will serve as an idyllic backdrop for Felice’s rural-minded authentic brand of musical storytelling, so grab friends or family, pack a picnic, and treat yourself to live music under the stars. Presenting concerts that pair local opening acts with national talent featured on the South Side-based station, WYEP’s remaining Final Friday events take place on August 29th and September 26th.

Headlining the August installment is the celebrated songwriter, singer, drummer and writer Simone Felice. Born in 1976 in a small hamlet nestled in New York’s Catskill Mountains, Felice started making music at a young age, including forming a punk band with friends when he was 15 and playing noise rock in his grandparents’ barn. At 18, he fled to NYC, where he performed at bars and clubs, including storied CBGB on the Bowery.

In the mid-2000s, Simone went on to achieve international success as a central member of his siblings’ band, The Felice Brothers, which earned the Upstate NY natives a coveted spot in the Great American Songbook. One of the group’s key lyricists and arrangers, Simone Felice co-wrote some of the group’s most renowned songs, including “Don’t Wake The Scarecrow,” “Whiskey in My Whiskey” and “The Devil Is Real.” He can also be heard playing drums on The Avett Brothers’ 2009 album, I and Love and You, and was at the helm of his own band, The Duke & The King.

Felice’s latest full-length album, Strangers, showcases the artist’s rare songwriting craft and gifts as a poet. Recorded in the Catskills with producer David Baron, the 10-song collection features guest artists The Felice Brothers, Leah Siegel and Wesley Schultz & Jeremiah Fraites (of The Lumineers).

Getting the music started under the summer skies at 7 p.m. will be the Los Angeles, CA-based musical storyteller and guitarist, Tom Brosseau. A native of Grand Forks, ND, Brosseau has released several albums of FatCat Records, and has toured in the US, UK, Europe, Japan and Taiwan. in 2014, Brosseau released his 10th album, Grass Punks.

Free and open to all ages, WYEP’s Final Friday concerts have been known to draw up to 4,000 people. For its September edition, WYEP’s Final Fridays Concert will feature Nox Boys and Saintseneca.

And as you are out and about at local eateries and bars this summer, keep your eyes peeled for WYEP’s new Dancer Man Pilsner. To celebrate its auspicious 40th anniversary, the station teamed up with local brewing company Rivertowne to create the limited-edition beer, which is available through September 2014 at local beer distributors, and on tap at select locations. Commemorating WYEP’s 40 years in operation, the brew features the station’s iconic red, white and black logo. A portion of the proceeds from beer sales will support WYEP’s programming,

Jennifer has worked at the Mattress Factory, Brooklyn Museum of Art and Dahesh Museum of Art and is co-author of Pittsburgh Signs Project: 250 Signs of Western Pennsylvania. She also is co-coordinator of Handmade Arcade. Musically, she is in a band called The Garment District and is a founding member of Brooklyn's The Ladybug Transistor.