Health & Fitness
Three Acts Keep Soul Alive in Central Park
Marc Broussard, David Ryan Harris and Ben Deignan play this Saturday's edition of Winter Wonder Jam, live at Atlantic Station's Central Park starting at 6:30 p.m.
Let’s face it. It’s hard to get into the holiday spirit when the weather is so unseasonably warm, even for Georgia. A great alternative is to just pretend you’re in a winter wonderland during Atlantic Station’s annual Winter Wonder Jam series. There’s an awesome lineup of artists set to play in Central Park throughout December, and the shows happen to coincide with scheduled snow flurries that will make you feel like it really is holiday time.
This Saturday features Marc Broussard supported by opening acts David Ryan Harris and Ben Deignan. Read all about them as Local Notes gives you the skinny.
Ben Deignan
Find out what's happening in Midtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Ben Deignan shows us that the singer-songwriter format is definitely not dead. His smooth, soulful voice and skillful guitar are enough to elevate his songs on love and world peace to another level. His sound is pop-rock influenced by the soul artists like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson that he grew up listening to.
Fans of John Mayer will love Deignan. Check out some of his tracks on his Soundcloud page.
Find out what's happening in Midtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
David Ryan Harris
Drawn to music since childhood, the talented David Ryan Harris experimented with many instruments before realizing his passion for the guitar. Harris believes music shouldn’t be confined to narrow viewpoints and should be played freely. After forming a band he describes as “Bad Brains meets Stevie Wonder,” Harris has gone solo and plays guitar-based soul music. He’s worked with artists from Santana and Dave Matthews to Cassandra Wilson and Guy Sebastian.
Local Notes recommends Harris if you like Ray LaMontagne. Get a listen for yourself here.
Marc Broussard
If you haven’t heard from Marc Broussard yet, you’re definitely missing out. Broussard blends elements of funk and R&B with sounds from his Louisiana roots to create music that transgresses stereotypes. His deep voice and heartfelt lyrics bring back memories of the bygone era of Bayou soul. Broussard’s single “Home” has been a huge radio hit, and with an LP set to drop in early 2013, his success is certainly far from over.
See the video for “Home” here and learn more about Broussard on his website.
Saturday’s concert featuring these soulful acts starts at 6:30 p.m. Read up on the Winter Wonder Jam concert series and get tickets on Atlantic Station’s blog.