Sunny skies shone down on scores of smiling faces as the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series again filled Soldotna Creek Park with sound. Hundreds attended Wednesday’s show, headlined by Blackwater Railroad Company, the first of 13 weeks of bands and performances to be held at the park each Wednesday through August.
Before any band hit the stage, the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce kicked off the fun miles away with a color run that started at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor Center and followed the Sterling Highway to the park.
Nearly 200 had preregistered for the race, and even before it started they were suitably rainbow-hued as colorful powder flew early.
Racers arrived at the park by 5 p.m., an hour before the music started with BenJammin & The Jammin Band, who brought a rock sensibility. At the end of their set, they took a moment to honor their late drummer, Nuson Smith, who died of cancer late last year.
The man’s son, Kensington Smith, was brought to the stage and presented with a piece of the drum set his father once played on — removed from a drum that had seen use only moments before.
A dark cloud had hung over the stage for much of the night, threatening rain. Drops began to fall as the Jammin Band packed up, prompting the crowd to shift into raincoats and under umbrellas. That rain cleared up immediately as Blackwater Railroad Co. played their first notes.
Last week, the members of Blackwater Railroad said their music was music to dance to. They were right, as a small group kept up a lively scene toward the stage.
Lead vocalist Tyson Davis said they hadn’t played in the sunshine since last summer.
“We’re just up here working on our tans.”
Davis was joined Wednesday by Ben Sayers on bass, Kyle Comeau on piano, and Matt Faubion on mandolin. The crowd grew as they rolled through 8 p.m. into the second hour of their set.
This year is the 10th for Blackwater Railroad, which they said meant each show was special.
“It’s a culmination of 10 years of sharing our music, collecting stories and putting them into songs,” Davis said last week. “Having the energy of the midnight sun.”
Each Wednesday another pair of bands will hit the stage at Soldotna Creek Park. Next week will be Dennis Johnson and the Revelators, described on their website as a showcase of slide guitar steeped in blues and rock. They’ll be opened for by Curt Hahn.
For more information about the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series, visit facebook.com/LevittAMPSoldotnaMusicSeries.
Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series
June 14 — Dennis Johnson & The Revelators, opening with Curt Hahn
June 21 — Connie Brannock’s Tiny House of Funk, opening with Wasabi Black
June 28 — Todd Griebe & Cold Country, opening with HWY9
July 5 — Ava Earl, opening with Appalaskan Jess
July 12 — Diggin Dirt, opening with Ellie Nelson
July 19 — Bunny Swan Band, opening with Ridgeway Rounders
July 26 — Free Creatures, opening with Sam Tenhoff
Aug. 2 — Tom Rigney and Flambeau, opening with Mike Morgan
Aug. 9 — Jackie Venson, opening with Robb Justice Band
Aug. 16 — Pipeline Vocal Project, opening with Luna and Ursus
Aug. 23 — Riverfront Gang, opening with Hot Mess
Aug. 30 — Derek Poppin Band, Opening with Sue Biggs & Jack Will
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
Ben Sayers performs as part of Blackwater Railroad Company during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Tyson Davis performs as part of Blackwater Railroad Company during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Attendees gather to listen to Blackwater Railroad Company during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Blackwater Railroad Company’s Tyson Davis, Matt Faubion and Ben Sayers perform during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Blackwater Railroad Company’s Kyle Comeau performs a piano solo, cheered on by Tyson Davis, during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Tyson Davis performs as part of Blackwater Railroad Company during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Attendees gather to dance and to listen during a performance by Blackwater Railroad Company, part of the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Attendees huddle under umbrellas and in raincoats during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kensington Smith, son of BenJammin & The Jammin Band’s late drummer, Nuson Smith, is honored on stage during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. Kensington was given a piece of the drum set Nuson had used from where it sat on the stage. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
BenJammin & The Jammin Band perform during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion) BenJammin & The Jammin Band perform during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Ben Mattox performs as part of BenJammin & The Jammin Band during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Ben Mattox performs as part of BenJammin & The Jammin Band during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Participants are covered with colored powder during a color run held as part of during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, along the Sterling Highway in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Participants are covered with colored powder during a color run held as part of during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, along the Sterling Highway in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Participants are covered with colored powder during a color run held as part of during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, along the Sterling Highway in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Maddy McElrea speaks during a color run held as part of during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor’s Center in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Participants are covered with colored powder during a color run held as part of during the Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor’s Center in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
