For the sixth consecutive year Rukaz Kultura and the Miller Outdoor Theatre are teaming up to present the Miller Summer Mixtape. The event focuses on highlighting Houston’s diverse musical community and allowing local artists a chance to shine on the city’s historic and beloved stage.
The Miller Summer Mixtape will take place on Saturday, August 15 with a lineup designed to showcase the range of Houston’s independent music scene and a goal to share their music with audiences at the Miller Outdoor Theatre.
This year there will be performances by Sara Van Buskirk, Saint Judas & The Black Hymns and Rodell Duff. The evening will feature DJ Mikey Drag spinning records to keep the blood flowing between sets and Houston music favorite, Kam Franklin serving as host.
Like all events at Miller Outdoor Theatre, the show is free to the public and open to all ages, making it a perfect way to spend a Saturday night on the historic hill. Tickets for the seated area are available online starting Friday, August 14 at 10 a.m. and the entire event will be live streamed online.
“Personally, the music community is just a big part of my passion and personal world and in Rukaz, we’ve made it a pillar of our business,” says marketing director and founder of Rukaz Kultura, Marissa Saenz.
Rukaz Kultura, which produces events locally and at a national level, prides itself on integrating original music and artists into their events. “You’re always going to see that consistently from one of our Rukaz productions so we were really blessed with the trust of the Miller Outdoor Theatre,” says Saenz.
“We work closely with Claudia de Vasco, the managing director of the Miller, so we are presenting to her different styles of showcases and upcoming bands. She’s definitely involved in the curation as well but we are happy to always give her different scenarios. We’ve done hip hop, we’ve done rock, we’ve done a lot of different showcases and this one is really special.”
The three featured acts each reflect a different side of Houston’s varied independent music community filled with artists who have something to say and distinct sounds of their own.
Sara Van Buskirk is a powerhouse songwriter who recently won the Houston Blues Challenge as a soloist and will go on to represent Houston at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis next year. Van Buskirk is currently working on releasing her self-funded sophomore release.
Saint Judas and the Black Hymns are a blues rock duo that incorporates the grit of a garage rock band with the soul of the Gulf Coast. Rodell Duff is a Trinidad & Tobago native who grew up in Houston and has built his audience around his deep, country roots and warm sound.
Host Kam Franklin, a longtime presence in the Houston music scene will bring her natural charisma and love of this city to her hosting duties. She is on the verge of her first solo album release Land of The Neon Sun, due out August 28.
After six years of organizing this event, Rukaz Kultura and the Miller Theatre have developed a deep relationship with the artists involved and are always looking for ways to extend the partnership.
“The other cool thing that we do is we work with a lot of the alumni bands from previous years,” explains Saenz naming Franklin as a previous performer for the series. This year, the event will also feature past alums Ancient Cat Society, Rachel Winters and Astralace hosting their own picnic on the hill, inviting friends and fans to enjoy the show with them.
Like every year, this year’s Mixtape isn’t simply a showcase of individual artists, but a reflection of Houston’s interconnected music community. “The Houston music scene is really beautiful,” says Saenz. “They are down to support each other and they’re down to show up when they can.”
The Miller Summer Mixtape will take place on Saturday, August 15 at 8 p.m. at the Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park. For more information, visit milleroutdoortheatre.com
