A&E

Grupo music in downtown

by Anna Purdy

Downtown Alive! features Grupo Fantasma

Same bat time, same bat channel: Friday evenings are Downtown Alive! at Parc International.

Grupo Fantasma is a band with accolades as long as their name. National Public Radio, Billboard, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice and The Boston Globe are just a few of the media outlets that have sung their praises. The best, however, comes from Prince, who simply said, "Real musicians playing real music." Grupo is the Grammy-winning 10-piece funk orchestra based out of Austin. The sound is a mix of Afro and Latin beats. Right now this band is considered one of the most important to their genre. Cumbia, salsa, old-school funk and reggae inform their sound.

No word yet on which vendors will be peddling their delicious creations for you to try. As soon as we know we'll update, so check back. Soft drinks and booze will be available. It's a smoke-free event so keep your smoking to outside the park's perimeters - one of the event's sponsors is Let's Be Totally Clear. Music begins around 6 p.m. with food and drinks being served a few minutes before and during the show.

There are only two more nights of Downtown Alive!'s Spring 2011 series before it gets too ungodly hot to enjoy it. Come enjoy the free shows.

UPDATE: Joy's Curbside Cuisine and Johnson's Boucaniere are the food vendors for Dowtnown Alive! for the rest of its season.