Strangeheart Headlines Roaring Nights, LA ZOO's Summer Music Series

Electro pop sound indie band STRANGEHEART brings a different kind of wildlife to the Los Angeles Zoo as it kicks off this summer's first ROARING NIGHTS music series on Friday, June 27, 2014, 7 to 10 pm, featuring a DJ dance party, food trucks, full-service bars, pop-up zookeeper talks, animal encounters and visits to Zoo's new Rainforest Of The Americas plus other animal habitats. Also part of Roaring Nights is a new "Animal Artistry Paint Party" at which guests can express their creativity by painting a favorite animal (or whatever inspiration strikes them) on a small canvas to take home as a souvenir. Complimentary bicycle valet service provided by Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and plentiful parking are available for the series, open to ages 18 and up. Two additional Roaring Nights evenings take place with all-different lineups on Friday, July 25 and Friday, August 22. KCRW is the Roaring Nights series Media Sponsor.

Joining Strangeheart for the June date are DJ V Money, who spins tunes at the dance party, and high-profile food trucks that includes Coolhaus, Komodo, Lobsta Truck, Mandoline Grill, Ragin Cajun, The Grilled Cheese Truck, and Urban Oven.

Los Angeles-based Strangeheart band members Jeff Thompson, Brandon Queen and James Longstreet draw upon influences ranging from modern bands such as Crystal Castles and Empire of the Sun to 80?s bands like The Cure and Pet Shop Boys. They recently released "A Common Theme," their first full-length studio album, available on iTunes.

The Zoo's Roaring Nights series, which debuted in 2013 to large crowds, continues on Friday, June 25, 7 to 10 pm, headlined by Kiven, the multi-faceted rock band, along with DJ Caroline D'Amore and food trucks including Coolhaus, Komodo, Lobsta Truck, Mandoline Grill, Ragin Cajun, The Grilled Cheese Truck, Umami Truck and Urban Oven. DJ V Money returns to conclude the series on Friday, August 22, 7 to 10 pm, featuring a food truck lineup of Baby's Badass Burgers, Coolhaus, Lobsta Truck, Mandoline Grill, Ragin Cajun and The Grilled Cheese Truck, with the headliner band to be announced..

Roaring Nights is presented by the landmark Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, which is home to a diverse collection of 1,100 animals representing 250 different species, many of which are rare or endangered. Its lush grounds on 133 acres feature a botanical collection comprising over 800 different plant species with approximately 7,000 individual plants. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), whose members meet rigorous professional standards for animal welfare, the Zoo has achieved renown as an international leader in the preservation of endangered species and a conservation center for the care and study of wildlife. Among its most popular habitats are the LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles), Elephants of Asia, Campo Gorilla Reserve and Rainforest of the Americas. More than 1.6 million people visit each year. The private, non-profit Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) has supported the Zoo for more than five decades, providing funding for exhibits, conservation, capital projects, and outreach programs as well as building endowment funds and operating six essential Zoo departments. GLAZA has 65,000 member households representing more than 240,000 adults and children, the largest membership base of a cultural organization in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive in Los Angeles' Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways.

Roaring Nights tickets, which are $18, or $15 for GLAZA members (age 18 and up with valid ID for both price levels), are available atwww.lazoo.org/roaringnights/. For additional information, call (323) 644-6042.