Every Tuesday during all July 2008, it’s going to be FREE music at the pier in Long Island City (LIC).

I went there, the last July 1st, and it was very cool.. you can enjoy the music at the same time that enjoy the view of the city.

More images coming soon..

LIVE AT THE GANTRIES
Free outdoor performances featuring some of the borough’s most celebrated entertainers

Tuesdays from June 24 – August 26, 7pm
Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island City, Queens
Presented by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation in association with Queens Council on the Arts, Queens Theater in the Park and the New York Water Taxi
Sponsored by Rockrose Development Corp.

Schedule

July 1 – The F# Miners – Irish Traditional music.
The F# Miners have been playing together for two years influenced by the likes of Planxty and The Bothy Band. Instrument line-up consists of uileann pipes, whistles, bodhran, banjo and guitar. They play every Thursday at Maguire’s Pub in Woodside.

July 8 – Blue Pipa – Chinese Folk Music
Along with her accompanying musicians, Min Xiao-Fen of Blue Pipa is renown for her exploration of traditional and modern music from all cultures. Famed for her virtuosity and fluid style on the pipa, she has recorded and performed with Björk.
www.bluepipa.org

July 15 – Blimnal – Indie Rock
A self-described “band of vagabonds that gathers together to exchange thoughts of radical sound,” the Astoria-based group lists among its influences Pavement, The Darkside and Sergio Leone.
www.myspace.com/bliminalmusic

July 22 – Calpulli Mexican Dance – Traditional Mexican Dance
Calpulli celebrates the rich regional traditions of Mexico by telling stories through colorful dance pieces. Their fresh, vital repertoire honors not just Mexico’s past, but also the lives of its emigrants in the United States. The performance-based program will include didactic information and interactive exercises for the young and young at heart.
www.calpullidance.org

July 29 – York College Summer Big Band
The student jazz ensemble performs annually at the CUNY Jazz Festival at City College and in April 2006 was featured in Weltreisen on the German television station ARD. The members of the workshop perform regularly throughout the borough.
www.myspace.com/yorkcollegejazzworkshop

August 5 – Mahina Movement – Folk, Rock and Rhymes
Drawing on their African-American, Chicana and Tongan heritages, the members of this threesome fuse folk, blues, hip hop, poetry and dance in their performances. Through their music, they aim to address social and political injustices.
www.mahinamovement.org

August 12 – open date

August 19 – Zikrayat – Arabic Music and Belly Dancers
This Long Island City-based ensemble considers improvisation a critical element of their performances. With a classical Takht lineup of oud, nay, violin, qanun, riqq and tabla, in addition to folk instruments like buzuq, mizmar and rababa, Zikrayat captures the original spirit of Arabic music. The group’s dancers focus on authentic Egyptian Raqs Sharqi.
www.zikrayatmusic.com

August 26 – Noirceur/Uzuhi – Punk
Flushing-based Uzuhi is known as the Japanese acoustic punk rock band. Uzuhi means Sun in Japanese, a name chosen because of the band’s strong belief that music has no borders. Fellow punk rockers Noirceur describe themselves as wanting to let everyone know they’re around playing original songs and having fun.
www.myspace.com/nynoirceur

More info: