UPSIDE DOWNTOWN – POP UP, GET DOWN
Concerts + Art on Rotary Square, Casa
Thursday, August 28, 5pm – 10pm
Cash Bar
FREE
This Thursday: Shaela Miller + Guests, ADEQUATE!, Hippodrome
Food Truck Guests: Beaus’ Birria, Mac n’ Custard, Cookie Crimes, Pita Pit
Join us for the inaugural POP UP, GET DOWN! Last year no one wanted to leave after the last concert, so we created this summer dance party just for you! The AAC is closing down 8th Street, added an Art Market, brought in more food trucks, and hired 3 amazing local bands to boogie with into the night.
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Shaela Miller’s years spent doing good country music work are safely etched into public consciousness. A turn at this point is by no means an undoing, but a welcome lead into new territory. Miller’s fast-rising path is set to be amplified by a sonic reintroduction to one of Alberta’s best voices and most sincere stage personalities.
On the heels of a 1st Place Project WILD finish, years of top-tier folk festival circuiting, TV placements like HBO’s True Blood, and many other accomplishments, Shaela is set for much more in 2025.
Early dreams stay in the blood. Pulsating drum beats meet ring-spun synthesizers balanced by steel guitar professions as the listener is introduced to a captivating story. It’s one of a dual world – a binary of New Wave and Classic Country – the expression that reared a young songwriter years ago. For Shaela, it’s a self-indulgent trip back to a world of music she’s been patiently waiting to explore. The listener should take comfort in feeling a little tense, but this is no sleight of hand. It’s all from the deep well of emotion where Shaela lives as a songwriter. Where dreams go unspent, the host can be left to wither. Take a small comfort knowing that Shaela is guiding her own career path as every artist should – with no fear of expectations. http://shaelamiller.com/
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Get ready to bounce and boogie to a bountiful barrage of bumpin’ beats, classic funk, R&B, and original tunes from Lethbridge’s four-piece funk-tet, ADEQUATE!
ADEQUATE! was founded in 2014 in the city of Lethbridge, Alberta by Keenan Pezderic (Drums and lead vocals), Scott Mezei (Bass, backing vocals), and Josh Thorlakson (Guitar, backing vocals). Little did they know that this fortuitous crossing of paths was the genesis of a great musical journey. With the addition of their long-time sound engineer and session player Shael Pezderic (Guitar, percussion, backing vocals), ADEQUATE! has rounded out their sound into the full and captivating sound that they had always imagined.
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Funk, soul, rhythm and blues, blues and even some Jazz are part and parcel of the repertoire of Lethbridge’s premier “rhythm and groove” band, Hippodrome. A rock-solid rhythm section, coupled with a dynamite horn section, all backed by a frontline of fantastic vocalists, makes this 11-piece group a truly exciting experience for any music lover! Based in Lethbridge, Alberta, Hippodrome features the talents of some of the finest musicians in southern Alberta. The group performs at a wide variety of venues–from stadiums to nightclubs. Outstanding musicianship, high-energy presentation, and lots of singable, danceable music make Hippodrome a terrific music treat for everyone!
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Upside Downtown Concerts + Art 2025 Schedule
Weekly concerts on Rotary Square at Casa every Thursday night after work from 5pm – 7pm. Meet your friends, have a drink, grab a snack, and listen to local music in the downtown core. While you’re visiting, explore the galleries inside Casa, as it is always FREE.
JULY 3 – Veronica Raine, The Decadent Phase
JULY 10 – Makiisma
JULY 17 – Joce Reyome
JULY 24 – Joshua Beebe & The Forest Orchestra, Willy Big Bull & Wintercount
JULY 31 – John Wort-Hannam
AUGUST 7 – Nuela Charles
AUGUST 14 – Bailey Kate Band
AUGUST 21 – Richard Inman & The Western Canadian All-Stars
AUGUST 28 POP UP, GET DOWN 5pm until 10pm
Shaela Miller + Guests, ADEQUATE!, Hippodrome
A summer dance party with three bands, an art market, and we’re closing 8 Street!
This summer in The Gallery at Casa: Re:Turning the Stories, a community exhibition with over 40 local artists reflecting on their relationship to the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden and Nikkei cultural stories in southern Alberta.
Order an Upside Downtown 2025 concert t-shirt designed by Tatianna Cook from Nectar Fine Tattooing and printing by So Normal Print Shop by visiting http://artslethbridge.org
See all the arts events happening in Lethbridge here: http://yqlarts.ca
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The Allied Arts Council is thankful to the Upside Downtown sponsors that support arts programming in Lethbridge: FACTOR, Spectrum Ale Works, Westco Construction, Precon, Andrew Hilton, Anova Law Group, CIR Realty, Nectar Fine Tattoo, Safeway, So Normal Print Shop, Tourism Lethbridge, and Warwick Printing. Thank you to our media sponsors: CJOC, The Ranch, and MyLethbridgeNow.com.
If you like this event and other free arts programming supported by the AAC, consider donating here: https://bit.ly/AACDonate
