SUNSET CONCERTS AT THE SKIRBALL to Close 29th Season With Annie and The Caldwells, The Campbell Brothers

SUNSET CONCERTS AT THE SKIRBALL is set to close its 29th season with performances by Annie and The Caldwells and The Campbell Brothers, wrapping a summer outdoor concert series at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

The evening, on Thursday, August 6, at 7:00 pm, will also feature DJ sets by Sonrisita. Doors and galleries open at 6:00 pm. Concert admission is free. Walk-up tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating will be limited.

For more information, visit https://www.skirball.org/programs/sunset-concerts-annie-and-caldwells-campbell-brothers.

Annie and the Caldwells are a family from West Point, Mississippi that plays a powerful strain of disco soul. Led by mother Ms. Annie Caldwell, the band won't only move you spiritually but emotionally as well, with songs that are as much at home in a church of God as in the church of the dance floor. On vocals, Ms. Annie is backed by daughters Deborah and Anjessica and goddaughter Toni Rivers. The band's lineup also includes Ms. Annie's eldest son Willie Jr. on bass, her youngest son Abel Aquirius on drums, and her husband of the last fifty years Willie Joe Caldwell, Sr. on guitar. The Caldwell sound is married to a vision of opulent feminine power, unflinching, honest witness, and devotion.

The band released their latest album, Can't Lose My (Soul), in 2025. Twenty years in the making, Can't Lose My (Soul) was recorded in the Caldwells' hometown of West Point, Mississippi down the street from Annie and Joe's house at a church where Joe plays guitar every other Sunday and where his father used to be a deacon. The album was hailed by The Guardian as 'a masterpiece to drag you out of despair,' Dagens Industri called it 'stunning,' Popmatters said it 'transcend(ed) time, place, and—on occasion—even the most unshakable atheism,' and Mojo said it 'may just get you through any darkness looming on the horizon... or simply get you dancing.'

Born and raised in Rush, New York, The Campbell Brothers have spent decades bridging the sacred and the secular through their extraordinary mastery of the sacred steel tradition — an African American gospel music style centered around the pedal and lap steel guitar. Rooted in the worship services of the House of God Church (Keith Dominion), where the steel guitar became a voice of praise and testimony, the Campbell family transformed this unique musical form into a vibrant art heard around the world. Led by brothers Chuck and Phil Campbell and featuring their late brother Darick Campbell (lap steel, 1962–2020) and Phil's son Carlton Campbell on drums, the group carries a spiritual lineage that fuses faith, blues, funk, and rock into one transcendent sound.

Over the past three decades, The Campbell Brothers have performed at major festivals and venues, including Lincoln Center, the Rochester International Jazz Festival, and The Kennedy Center, as well as global stages across Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. Their critically acclaimed album Can You Feel It? (Ropeadope Records, 2005) reached the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart, and their recording Sacred Steel on Tour was released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, further cementing their role as ambassadors of the sacred steel tradition. Through every note, The Campbell Brothers celebrate a tradition born in praise and carried by passion, proving that sacred music can heal, move, and electrify. Their performances are both ministry and celebration, bringing the joy of the church to audiences everywhere.

2026 Sunset Concerts Schedule

The remaining schedule of the 2026 Sunset Concerts is as follows: Terrace Martin Plays Miles, Brandee Younger, DJ Wyldeflower (July 23); Tortoise, Kassa Overall, DJ Dave Orlando aka Boss Harmz (July 30); Annie and the Caldwells, The Campbell Brothers, DJ Sonrisita (August 6).

For more information about Sunset Concerts, visit https://www.skirball.org/programs/sunset-concerts.

Visitors are encouraged to arrive early to eat, drink, shop, and enjoy complimentary admission to the exhibitions. Currently on view are the exhibitions Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution, Outsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976–1986, and Robert Russell and Lisa Edelstein: A Palace in Time. Concert goers have FREE after-hours access to all three exhibitions, which will remain open on Sunset Concerts evenings until 9:00 pm.

Parking (at the door): $20. Street parking is strictly prohibited. Or take Metro Rapid 761/233. Carpooling, ridesharing, and Metro are encouraged.

Light fare along with a full bar will be available until 9:00 pm. Guests may bring their own food. Note: No outside alcoholic beverages or chairs are permitted.

Audrey's Museum Store will be open until 8:00 pm, offering merchandise inspired by the Skirball's mission, values, and programming.

Sunset Concerts at the Skirball are generously sponsored by the Bilger Family. The 2026 Sunset Concerts season is made possible in part by additional support from the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; and U.S. Bank. Media sponsorship provided by KCRW 89.9 FM.

About Sunset Concerts at the Skirball

Marking its twenty-ninth season in 2026, the longstanding summer concert series kicked off just a year after the Skirball Cultural Center opened to the public in 1996, when the Skirball began to hold monthly dinnertime concerts inside its restaurant, Zeidler's Café. The following summer, upon popular demand, the Skirball launched a free concert series on Thursday nights. These performances took place in the Skirball's much more spacious central courtyard, offering a view of the hillside at dusk, and soon the series was named Sunset Concerts at the Skirball. For several seasons in those early years, along with Grand Performances in downtown and Santa Monica Pier's Twilight Concerts, Sunset Concerts at the Skirball represented one of the city's few free outdoor summer music series, launching a summertime tradition that has been adopted by multiple organizations throughout Los Angeles.

Noteworthy Sunset Concerts performers over the years have included Lila Downs, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars (US debut tour), Bassekou Kouyate, Yasmin Levy (US debut), Hugh Masekela, Vieux Farka Touré (LA debut), Natacha Atlas, Red Baraat, Conjunto Chappotín y Sus Estrellas (US debut tour), Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Novalima, Daymé Arocena, Goapele, Kishi Bashi, The Marías, The Klezmatics, Gaby Moreno, Quetzal, Booker T. Jones, Billy Valentine, Antibalas, El Laberinto del Coco, Helado Negro, Rodrigo Amarante, and Say She She.

About the Skirball

The Skirball Cultural Center is a place of meeting guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. The Skirball welcomes people of all communities and generations to participate in cultural experiences that celebrate discovery and hope, foster human connections, and call upon us to help build a more just society.

Visiting the Skirball

The Skirball is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049. Museum hours: Tuesday–Friday, 12:00–5:00 pm; Saturday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm; closed Mondays and holidays. Reservations are recommended for General Admission and the permanent exhibition Noah's Ark at the Skirball, which requires timed entry and is ticketed separately. Tickets are $20 for adults, and $15 for seniors, full-time students, and children 2-17 years old. The Skirball is always FREE for Members and children under 2 years old. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit skirball.org.

Photo Credit: Image courtesy of Annie and The Caldwells / Image courtesy of The Campbell Brothers

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