The Garland Parks and Recreation Department outdid itself with the 2022 Garland Concert Series – Sounds of Summer. The series, sponsored by Veritex Community Bank, Jimmy Wallace Guitars and the city of Garland, were split between Audubon Park and Winters Park. The concerts, which were every other Thursday, began in mid-May and finished up July 21.
There were food vendors as well as bounce houses and other activities for the kids. And, Garland’s Mayor Scott LeMay got each show off to a good start by thanking everyone involved for their hard work that made the events successful.
Cody Canada & The Departed
The crowds were great and attendance didn’t even decrease as the summer temperatures increased!
Acts included Grady Spencer and the Work, Wallace/Stacy, Kingfish, Ally Venable and Robert Miller at the Audubon Park shows. At Winters Park, artists included Brodie Lane, A.J. Vellejo, Zac Wilkerson, Dylan Wheeler, Mike and the Moonpies, Carson Jeffrey and Cody Canada & the Departed.
Some of the artists were on-the-rise entertainers. Others, such as Cody Canada & the Departed and Mike & the Moonpies are recognized in the music industry
Canada, former frontman for Cross Canadian Ragweed, had great success with that band before moving on to form The Departed. The band’s music has been described as everything from hard-edged country to alternative country to Americana roots rock music. Canada has long been an important part of both the Texas Music movement and the Oklahoma Red Dirt Music Scene.
Mike & the Moonpies, together since 2007, is described as an American neotraditional country band and an Americana band. The band had the honor of recording their album, “Cheap Silver and Country Solid Gold” at the famed Abbey Road Studios. The songs, however, were written in the Texas Hill Country. The group was formed more than 10 years ago and has grown influential in the Texas Music Scene. They have also gained international recognition.