Monthly Concert Series

Ouachita Live Continues in Downtown West Monroe

DOWNTOWN WEST MONROE WILL CONTINUE ITS monthly concert series, Ouachita Live, during the month of July with internationally touring blues artist Kent Burnside and his band. The free outdoor concert series takes place the last Friday of every month from March through October in Alley Park (located on the corner of Trenton and Natchitoches Streets) from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. A food truck will be on-site and spirits will be available for the public to purchase from downtown restaurants. Attendees are asked to bring a chair to enjoy the show.

The Burnside name is synonymous with the blues. Grandson of blues legend R.L. Burnside, Kent is blazing his own trail in the Hill Country Blues scene performing high-energy blues shows around the world. He plays his grandfather’s hits and many of his own originals.

City of West Monroe’s Main Street Director Adrienne LaFranceWells hopes the activities will encourage people to visit downtown. “We are thrilled to showcase some incredibly talented artists at Ouachita Live to help ensure high- quality live music programming continues to be a part of our downtown’s culture. These concerts have quickly gained popularity with people of all ages and have even attracted people outside of our area to attend. For the July show, we have the honor of welcoming an incredible talent, Kent Burnside. Kent’s audiences are given a glimpse into real blues history with an electrifying modern twist. He played with us last year and we received numerous requests to bring him back to perform.”

The concert is being made possible in part by grant funding from the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative, a program administered by the National Park Service and Jefferson National Parks Association. In addition to funding several of the Ouachita Live community concerts, music programming and educational activities are being organized in the South Riverfront Cultural District and the downtown district. Projects will have a focus on blues heritage from the Delta.

Additional July sponsors include the City of West Monroe, KEDM 90.3 FM Public Radio, and Louisiana Lottery. More information is available on the Downtown West Monroe Facebook page.