Walden’s annual Music in the Grove Free Summer Concert Series will take place this year with social distancing precautions. A concert will be held each Wednesday from July 1 through August 26 at Wooster Memorial Park starting at 6:30 p.m.

The concert series is sponsored by the Village of Walden Recreation and Parks Department, the Josephine-Louise Public Library and the Walden Community Council.

Each family will have to stand in a painted square for the duration of the concert. Performers are far enough away from audience members so that they do not have to wear masks. No food or drinks will be served during the concerts, unlike past years. In addition, if there is inclement weather, a concert will be canceled.

Walden resident Kevin Cronin will kick off the summer concert series on July 1. He plays folk and soft rock music on his acoustic guitar. Cronin has played music for several local communities and is looking forward to playing at the summer concert series for the first time.
“[I’m] thrilled to kick off this summer concert series,” he said.

Midnight Slim & LaurieAnne cover classic rock, country and blues in addition to performing original songs. The duo will perform July 8. Fred “Midnight Slim” Scribner was a former member of the Levon Helm Band and has recorded with many blues legends such as Buddy Miles, Tom Jones and Donald Fagan. While with the Levon Helm Band, he served as the house band for nearly 20 years for the Imus in the Morning Show. In 2014, he was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame. He was also the curator at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in charge of the Blues at Bethel events.

Coldenham’s very own band the Bunker Boys will play July 15. The group features Michael Randazzo on banjo and vocals and Jake Wilson on guitar and vocals. Jon Randazzo provides additional vocals and plays the harmonica. The band also includes Don Riker on the fiddle, Shane Claflin on the dobro and Jim Wilson on the double bass. They describe themselves as a bluegrass, folk, country and hillbilly band. Their music as well as their iconic beards and plaid shirts have made them a hit with local businesses.

Kyle and Dan Acoustic will take to the stage on July 22. The duo covers punk, indie and classic rock songs from the 1960s through the 2000s on acoustic guitar and drums. The group has played at places such as Palaia Winery and Meadery in Highland Mills, Orange County Distillery in New Hampton and Loughran’s Irish Pub in Salisbury Mills.

The Mike Antonelli Jazz Quartet is scheduled to perform on July 29. The band consists of tenor saxophonist Mike Antonelli, guitarist Kevin Golden, double bassist Peter Nobile and drummer Tim Herrmann.

Each band member is a veteran of the music industry. Antonelli has been performing throughout the Hudson Valley since 1978. He was a performer/arranger and eventual leader of the popular dance band Silk-n-Sounds from 1982-2005. Antonelli currently performs with New York Swing Exchange, the Big Kahuna, the Big Bang Jazz Gang and his own jazz quartet. He is also the high school band director at Valley Central High School.

Golden has been playing jazz for over 22 years in the Hudson Valley. Nobile began his musical journey when he was 13, honing his electric bass skills in various rock bands up until the early 1990s, including the Barking Spiders.

Dale Hammond & Friends, a regular performer at Walden’s Music in the Grove Summer Concert Series, will play again this year on Aug. 5. Hammond, a Valley Central High School graduate, is a saxophone player who plays all styles of music.

Soul Purpose was recently named the best local band in the Hudson Valley by readers of the Hudson Valley Magazine. The group plays R&B, soul and swing music. They will perform at Wooster Memorial Park on Aug. 12.

They have headlined at iconic places such as Daryl’s House Club in Pawling, the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon, Colony in Woodstock and The Falcon in Marlboro.

The Dan Brother Band is scheduled for Aug. 19. They play blues, soul and rock music. Since his teenage years, Brother has been performing in venerable local blues clubs such as Waterwheel Café, Bakery & Bar in Milford, Pennsylvania and the Corner Stage in the Town of Wallkill. In addition to playing the guitar, he also writes his own songs.

The concert series will conclude with a performance by the Hillbilly Parade on Aug. 26. They are a dance pop country party band.

The most up-to-date guidelines from Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be followed in regards to planning this concert series. With fewer and fewer hospitalizations and active positive COVID-19 cases, village officials feel that this concert series can happen with the right precautions.

“We just feel that we wanted to offer something to the community that is positive,” said Jodi Lynn, a member of the Walden Community Council as well as its committee for the Music in the Grove Concert Series.