BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Welcome to this year's final day ofLehighValleyNews.com's Fest in Show, a daily offering of some of the can't-miss acts on the free stages of Bethlehem's Musikfest festival.
This year, 422 acts will play those stages during the festival's 11 days.
Here are music acts you should see today, the 10th and final official day of Musikfest 2024, Sunday, Aug. 11:
Sloan Wainwright, 3 p.m. Liederplatz
Sloan Wainwright comes from one of America's foremost musical families — the younger sister of Loudon Wainwright III and aunt to Rufus Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche. But Sloan Wainwright is a great artist in her own right — a hybrid of pop, folk, jazz and blues that has proved itself over her 30-year career. Her show is part of Musikfest's partnership with Bethlehem's storied coffeehouse Godfrey Daniels.
Danielia Cotton, 6:30 p.m. Liederplatz
New York City roots singer-songwriter Cotton has covered a lot of ground in her 25-year career, and now is promoting her EP "Charley’s Pride: A Tribute to Black Country Music," out Aug. 29. The disc "draws inspiration from Charley Pride’s timeless songs, reflecting everyday life," Cotton said, and honors "a profound conversation" with her 103-year-old grandmother about her late grandfather's secret admiration for Pride during a time when it was uncommon for Black people to openly listen to country music. ArtsQuest's Senior Programming Officer Patrick Brogan is more concise: "She's fantastic," he said.
Cocomama, 7 p.m. Plaza Tropical
A virtual United Nations of women, the six-member Cocomama has members from around the globe, gathering musical influences from salsa, soul, Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz. And, in fact, they have performed at the United Nations, as well as top jazz festivals nationwide and as musical ambassadors for the U.S. State Department in Latin America. Their debut album, "Quiero," was included in the 2016 Grammy pre-nominations for Best Tropical Latin Album, and they're recording a third album, "Evolución," for release this year.
Zack Person, 7:30 p.m. Americaplatz
Person, who will close Americaplatz for this year's Musikfest, is a "great blues, hard-hitting rock 'n' roll guitarist with great vocals," ArtsQuest's Brogan said. And his appropriately titled new sophomore album "Let's Get Loud" showcases his ability to produce a variety of both high-energy rock anthems and head-bobbing funk rhythms.
The Rev. Shawn Amos, 6 p.m., and The Sensation Barnes Brothers, 7:30 p.m., both Staatplatz
As usual, Musikfest packs its final night with top talent, and The Rev. Shawn Amos and The Sensational Barnes Brothers are "A good one-two punch at the end of the night," Brogan said. Amos, from Dallas, "has got this blues-gospel-, soul sound," Brogan said. "And then it closes with The Sensational Barnes Brothers, who are no strangers to SteelStacks, but playing their first Musikfest show. They have this high-energy blues-rock, pop, gospel sound. They're a great way and a great place to watch the fireworks" that close the festival.
