Sugar Land advisory board finalizes most Make Music Day lineup, sets Aug. 27 town hall to recruit venues and artists

The Sugar Land Music Advisory Board on Tuesday said its Make Music Day schedule for June 21 is nearly complete but still needs a 9 a.m. busker at the Farmers Market and a 3:30 p.m. act for Sugar Land Town Square, and the board agreed to market an Aug. 27 town hall to gather input from venue owners, performers and agents.

The board’s Civic Arts Manager, Charby Davis, told members the event’s roster is “completely booked” except for the two openings and that one recommended busker, Veil Brown, has already signed on. Davis said School of Rock will offer lessons and perform, Town Square’s concert will begin at 6:15 p.m., and an evening act will play at Baker Street Pub.

The board described the Aug. 27 session as a town-hall style listening meeting intended to collect on-the-ground reports — for example, rising insurance costs for certain acts — that the advisory board can compile and forward to City Council. Davis said the advisory board’s outreach currently relies on a small database of 31 contacts and that staff have published an online registration form the public can use to sign up.

Why it matters: advisory board members said the city needs a larger, better-targeted contact list and consistent messaging so the city can document venue- and artist-level barriers to live music and present options to council. Without that information, the board said, it cannot summarize problems such as insurance spikes or lost opportunities for council consideration.

Most important facts

- The board approved the minutes from its April 21, 2025 meeting by unanimous voice vote.

- Make Music Day (June 21) schedule details reported by staff: - Farmers Market: 9 a.m. slot remains open (unpaid busker opportunity). - Town Square: 3:30 p.m. slot remains open (listed as a $100-paid opportunity). - Confirmed performers listed by staff: Roxy; Mark (surname not specified); Sam Paul; Ryan Adams Wells; TA Trio (jazz); “Sia the architect” (funk/talkbox); Charlie Sciaba (Bolero); School of Rock demonstrations; an evening band at Baker Street Pub. - Town Square concert sound check and performance to start at 6:15 p.m.

- Outreach and town hall planning: - The board agreed to market Aug. 27 as the town hall/listening session date, and staff will add it to the city calendar and promotional materials. - Staff will circulate the advisory board’s existing contact database (31 entries) to board members and promote a web form/QR code to grow the list. - Members stressed that all civic-advisory messaging should be coordinated and issued from the Civic Arts Division’s official email to avoid inconsistent or misleading representations. - The group discussed recruiting at least five venues and several promoters and suggested using Make Music Day as a recruitment touchpoint.

What board members said

Charby Davis, Civic Arts Manager: “But we are in need of 1 more person for the 9AM slot for the farmer's market on that Saturday morning. Other than that, we are completely booked.” Davis also noted, “The database, again, only has 31 names in it.”

Board members recommended printed flyers, a QR code linking to the online sign-up, a short promotional slogan, and a single reactive message to share with venue owners during Make Music Day to drive attendance at the Aug. 27 listening session.

Context and limitations

Board members repeatedly emphasized that the advisory board can collect information and recommend actions to City Council but does not itself change city policy. Several members said examples of issues they want to document include insurance costs that rise when venues book certain music genres and the need to ensure small venues know about a forthcoming reimbursement program.

At one point a board member said the city’s reimbursement program can reimburse up to $300,000 for small venues (described during discussion as a forthcoming program that could reimburse certain taxes or expenses); the advisory board flagged that getting that information into the hands of small-venue owners depends on growing the outreach database.

Next steps

Staff will update the city calendar to show a town hall on Aug. 27, produce flyers and a QR code that links to the Civic Arts Division’s online submission form, reissue the 31-contact database to board members, and continue recruiting venues and artists from Make Music Day. The advisory board will gather input at the Aug. 27 listening session and prepare a summary for City Council consideration.