Once again, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will present a summer series of outdoors shows on its entrance plaza on alternate Wednesday evenings. This season’s concerts, dubbed “Summer Sessions,” launch on July 8 with Philadelphia’s freewheeling, eclectic Man Man, known for their wild stage attire and wild assortment of instruments and noise-making devices, and Cleveland’s ’70s-underground-inspired Mystery of Two, giving a sneak peek of their new CD, due at the end of July. On July 22, experimental folk ensemble Akron/Family — who, despite their name, emerged from the fertile Brooklyn, NY music scene — will share the stage with Columbus’ Black Swans. On August 5, Brooklyn-based pop-rock trio Chairlift (whose tune “Bruises” was in an iPod commercial last year) and smart, quirky Cleveland pop band JJ Magazine, who released their latest CD, Dinner, in April, will play. Two Northeast Ohio bands — Gil Mantera’s Party Dream and This Is a Shakedown — conclude the series on August 19 with their different takes on high-energy, beat-driven electronic rock. All the shows start at 7 p.m. They’re free. In case of bad weather, they’ll move inside the Rock Hall to the lobby stage. — Anastasia Pantsios
