Cloverdale brings back live summer music series

California has been officially open for business for the past week and a half. And as the reopening of Sonoma County entertainment venues becomes less tentative and pandemic concerns start to ebb, concert promoters are emboldened to return to full programming, just in time for us to enjoy live music on summer evenings.

One offering with a variety of fun, upbeat music genres, from rock and blues to Latin funk, is the free Friday Night Live concert series in Cloverdale, last held in 2019. It’s returning July 9, with a later start than in past years, but with a full 14-week program of live shows at Cloverdale Plaza through Oct. 1.

The series features such Sonoma County favorites as Kingsborough, the Brothers Comatose, Royal Jelly Jive and the David Luning Band, as well as Bay Area favorites Tommy Castro & The Painkillers and Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings.

“Our focus is on original music. We don’t book cover bands or tribute bands,” said Mark Tharrington, Friday Night Live program manager. “Tommy Castro and Roy Rogers play almost every year. We bring them back because they’re so popular.”

Uncertainty over the specifics of state and county regulations for reopening initially delayed the planning for this summer’s series, said Tharrington, who also serves as executive director of the Cloverdale Arts Alliance, the sponsor and donor-driven nonprofit that funds Friday Night Live and other arts programs in Cloverdale.

“I started planning last December. In January, I had the whole calendar planned from May 28 through Sept. 3 and the bands booked, but then we weren’t sure we could go ahead,” he said.

The schedule is particularly heavy this year on local and regional bands because time ran short for bringing in bands from other parts of the country.

“I had to go back square one,” Tharrington added. “This is the third iteration of our lineup. We saw we couldn’t start in June, and we were almost going to cancel July. But then we got the go-ahead, so we added dates to the back end of our calendar. We don’t usually go into October.”

Tharrington characterized Friday Night Live, launched 18 years ago, as a street fair, with food, drink, children’s activities and crafts for sale. The shows are held at the plaza in downtown Cloverdale, with a couple of adjacent streets blocked off.

Fans are advised to arrive early and bring their own lawn chairs. Chairs are not provided and the seating area is limited.

“You can dance and party to the music,” Tharrington said. “There are concessions, and you can go to the downtown restaurants. There are wine and beer vendors, but we don’t allow people to bring in alcohol from outside.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.