Returning for the first time since 2019, the Getty’s free concert series Off the 405 is back with an impressive lineup, kicking off May 21 and running through August 27. Featured artists include Zsela, Bartees Strange, Los Retros, Hand Habits, and Standing on the Corner.
Concerts take place from 6 to 9 PM and attendees are welcome to arrive early, explore the Getty Center‘s current exhibitions, bring a picnic, or purchase food and beverages onsite before the show begins.
Since 2009, Off the 405 has brought some of today’s most exciting music artists to the Getty Center for memorable experiences amid stunning architecture and breathtaking sunset views. Past performers include Moses Sumney, Allah-Las, Cate Le Bon, L’Rain, Chicano Batman and Thundercat among others.
The Getty Center is also reinstating Saturday evening hours on June 18, in time for the second “Off the 405” concert, featuring Bartees Strange. For the first time since 2020, the Center will stay open on Saturdays until 8 PM, and the restaurant will take dinner reservations. It’s also a great opportunity to take advantage of “Pay Once, Park Twice” where visitors can hop from one Getty location to another in one day, using the same parking ticket.
Off the 405 Lineup
Saturday, May 21 — Zsela: Pronounced ZHAY-lah, singer-songwriter Zsela first turned heads with the vast range of her deep, mesmerizing voice in the molten and moody single “Noise,” released in 2019. Known for taking her absolute time with careful songwriting and recording, Zsela worked with renowned producer Daniel Aged (Frank Ocean, Kelela) to craft her debut EP, Ache of Victory, featuring idiosyncratic pop that blends intimate virtuosity with an aesthetic edge leading to her first tour supporting Cat Power and a string of unique performances at MoMA PS1, the Whitney Museum, Black Rabbit Rose magic bar, Joe’s Pub and more. Accompanied by DJ Slauson Malone 1, Zsela’s captivating voice marks the return of live outdoor music to the sunset-lit atmosphere of Getty’s courtyard stage.
Saturday, June 18 — Bartees Strange: Next up in the series is Bartees Strange, an English-born and D.C.-based producer and songwriter whose music is described as akin to Bloc Party featuring a lively mix of indie rock, hip hop, and jazz. Named an Artist to Watch by Stereogum in 2020, Strange will perform with a full rock band that will energize crowds with songs from forthcoming album: Farm To Table.
Saturday, July 9 — Los Retros: Los Retros, aka Mauri Tapia, grew up in Oxnard, CA, and has been making music since his early teens, playing every instrument on his recordings. Tracing his musical inspirations to both American and Latin American left-field pop and soft-rock groups from the ‘70s and ‘80s, Los Retros is an homage to Chilean pop band Los Ángeles Negros. Los Retros will perform songs from his latest album, “Looking Back.”
Saturday, July 23 — Hand Habits: LA-based indie-folk band Hand Habits will take the stage with energizing new-wave beats and harmonic vocals by solo member musician and guitarist Meg Duffy (they/them). Duffy, who recently toured with Perfume Genius, will perform songs from their three studio albums, Fun House, placeholder and Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void).
Saturday, August 27 — Standing on the Corner: The New York collective Standing on the Corner (SOTC) often calls itself an “art ensemble,” a nickname that helps outline its approach to music and performance, while hinting at its creative roots and perspective. With composer, conductor and co-founder Gio Escobar at the center of a band line-up, SOTC moves freely yet decisively between jazz improvisations, dub excursions, garage-noise freak-outs, and lo-fi hip-hop collage.
This special iteration of the Off the 405 concert series also celebrates the dynamic creative exchange of the Harlem-based photographers chronicled in the exhibition Working Together: The Photographers of the Kamoinge Workshop, on view at the Getty Center from July 19 through October 9, 2022. The photographers fused the energy of jazz and improvisation into their stylistically untethered approach to representing the African American experience.
