Jeremy Pinnell and Kaleta & Super Yamba Band Performing at Galva Music Series

Get the lawn chairs ready for a summer of live music in the park. Galva Arts Council is excited to welcome Jeremy Pinnell and Kaleta & Super Yamba Band to Wiley Park on Sunday, June 12 as part of the 2022 Levitt AMP Galva Music Series. Wiley Park is located at 503 NW Fourth Avenue in Galva.

Jeremy Pinnell is a soft-spoken man, born to an area that is equal parts Southern hospitality, Northern attitude and Midwestern charm. Raised by singing in church and learning the guitar from his father, his music quickly made heads turn and rooms fall silent. But when he left home at 18 to venture into the world with his music, he soon found himself surrounded by the demons of the world he used to try and sing away.

The stories told are true, not embellished folklore. Jeremy will not speak of them, only sing. While he has returned to his modest beginnings and is living an honest life, his experiences must be heard to be believed.

Brooklyn’s Kaleta & Super Yamba Band are fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek a.k.a. Kaleta. The singer/guitarist from the West African country of Benin lived his adolescent life in Lagos, Nigeria where Afrobeat was born.

Kaleta got his start in the late 70s performing in church and was soon after picked up by iconic Juju expert and world music pioneer King Sunny Ade. A few years later, Fela Kuti came calling. Kaleta’s guitar chops earned him decades of touring and recording with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Lauryn Hill and more. Kaleta would go on to tour the world playing guitar for the King of Afrobeat in his storied band Egypt 80 through the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Now based in New York City, Kaleta has been leading Super Yamba Band since 2017. Their debut album “Mèdaho” draws on the group’s shared reverence for the raw, psychedelic sounds that captivated Kaleta as a music loving kid in 1970s Benin. Mèdaho means “big brother,” “elder” or “teacher” and is dedicated to Kaleta’s late brother Ligan-Ozavino Pascal, who introduced him to funk and soul music at a very early age. The album was included on Bandcamp’s “Best Albums of Summer 2019” list and two of the songs were chosen for the ABC/Hulu series “High Fidelity” staring Zoe Kravitz.

Kaleta and his band have erupted onto the stages and video screens of major music festivals and music publications across the U.S. They performed at the historic Apollo Theatre in 2019 and performed on Adult Swim’s Fishcenter Live show the same year.

The members of Super Yamba Band have honed their craft performing with a diverse range of artists including David Byrne, Rubblebucket, Yeasayer and Between The Buried And Me. Working with Senegalese griot and talking drum master Modou Mbenge, was a defining moment in the development of Super Yamba’s sound and the musician’s understanding of the African music tradition. Super Yamba has also collaborated with Ghanaian singer Osei Korankye and Guinean singer Ismael Kouyate.

Every Sunday through August 7, except for July 3, this family-friendly concert series will bring free live music to Wiley Park in Galva. The concerts run between 6-8 p.m. and feature two acts per night. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating on the lawn. A variety of food vendors will be on-site and guests are welcome to bring in outside food. A playground area, basketball courts and restrooms are available on-site. Street parking is available around the park and neighboring streets. Those needing assistance with seating should contact Tina at (309) 853-7537 to make arrangements. The street running through the park will be closed during concerts. Anyone bringing golf carts/UTVs are asked to keep their vehicles on the perimeter of the audience to prevent blocking the view of guests and minimize the risk of accidents.

Learn more about the concert series by clicking here.