New music series at Marquette Terrace provides soundtrack for First Friday artwalk

The First Friday Art Walk will have soundtrack to accompany it starting Friday. A group has reserved the Marquette Terrace for concerts to be held the first Friday of each month, coinciding with the art walk downtown.

The Wrights, who appeared at Old Towne Cape's Tunes at Twilight series June 13, will be the inaugural performers for the new First Friday music series.

"We wanted something to go along with the First Friday walk arounds," said Larry Underberg, a promoter in the area.

Underberg books the acts for Tunes at Twilight. The Underbergs — Larry and wife Jean — also host concerts in their home. They teamed up with James and Pat Allen of Celebrations and Paul and Peg MacDougall of PMac Music to bring the intimate concerts downtown to accommodate more people and add music to the art event.

The group is looking to hire in mostly blues artists or blues with rock infused sounds. The tentative name is "Blues on Broadway."

The seventh floor of the Marquette building will be set up with rows of seating for listeners and a bar in the back or the terrace area for socializing.

"I think it's going to work out pretty well," Underberg said.

They toyed with the idea of using the Garden Gallery but settled on Marquette Terrace after holding a few sporadic concerts there.

"If we have a more predictable schedule instead of just dropping them in there whenever we feel like it, we think it will be good," Underberg said.

Underberg said the group scheduled it with First Friday to catch people already downtown and allow them to cap their artsy evening with a concert.

"The notion is somebody could make a whole night out of First Friday," he said.

After the November concert, Underberg said they will not book anyone for December and will "start in earnest" the first Friday of the new year, Jan. 2.

Tickets are $15 at PMac Music, Marquette Restaurant or Celebrations, and $20 at the door. Concerts start at 8:30 p.m.