eye heart new york.: Rock the Boat! (NYC Music & Transportation Pt. 3)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Rock the Boat! (NYC Music & Transportation Pt. 3)

Ok, check it. Part three of my ongoing obsession of music performed on various modes of transportation in the big city. This time around it's live music on boat cruises around Manhattan Island! Sounds really bougie, but it's surprisingly affordable. Some of these boat cruises are only $20. A lot of people would pay that much for a cover charge. Not me, but lots of people do. And you not only get to see big name bands (Bad Brains, New Mastersounds, Matisyahu) but you're on a freakin' boat! How cool is that? And not a normal boat ride, oh no, you're cruising around Manhattan Island, down the Hudson,, out into the harbor, out to the Statue of Liberty, up the East River (which is actually not a river but a tidal straight), under the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge, all the while soaking in the beauty of the Manhattan skyline.

Back in October I took my girlfriend on a Circle Line Cruise around Manhattan for our seven year anniversary. It was really amazing. Great way to see the city from a whole different perspective. I can only imagine how much cooler it would have been with live music and alcohol. Apparently the Circle Line does offer live music cruises featuring Jazz and Latin music.

For those about to rock... we offer you the Rocks Off Cruises, which showcases some of the finest independent music on the high seas (Punk, Indie, Hip Hop, DJs).

If Blues is more your speed, there's the NYC Blues Cruise (now called NYC Rockin' the River Cruises) which plays not only live Blues, but also Alt-Country, Rock and Zydeco. Unfortunately their cruises are way more expensive. $40 and up. Even for the cover bands. WTF?

On the other end of the spectrum there's Barge Music. It's perfect for anyone who enjoys listening to Classical music performed in the bowels of a vessel that used to run sacks of coffee beans up New York Harbor. This flat-bottomed barge was beautifully converted into a floating recital hall in 1977. Barge Music offers year round concerts at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Best yet, they offer free monthly concerts.

So, landlubbers, put on yer skipper hats and check out the YouTubes below. They vary in sound quality, but I chose a few with bad sound because they are much more obviously shot on a boat. Enjoy!