Dr. Dog – The Beach at Governors Island – August 15, 2010
August 16th, 2010
Photos courtesy of Charles Steinberg
Tag Archives: Gone to Governors
Neon Indian – The Beach at Governors Island – August 14, 2010
August 16th, 2010
Have Yourself a Sandy Little Weekend
August 11th, 2010The weekend is, thankfully, fast approaching, and the weather looks great. So why not spend two nights outside with your feet in the sand listening to cool music? Neon Indian is the brainchild of composer Alan Palomo. He had been writing and creating music as part of the band Ghosthustler and then as the artist VEGA prior to creating the dreamy lullabies and grinding guitar of Neon Indian. After Palomo missed a date to take acid with a friend—Alicia Scardetta, who now provides Neon Indian’s visuals—he sent her a musical apology called “Should Have Taken Acid with You.” When she responded positively to the tune, it spurred him on to create more. The results of which, Psychic Chasms, came out last year to much acclaim. But when Palomo plays live, he doesn’t go it alone, instead he’s joined onstage by drums, keys and guitar. See for yourself when Neon Indian (above, doing “Terminally Chill” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) plays The Beach at Governors Island on Saturday.
The Philly pop-rock quintet Dr. Dog (below, performing “Stranger” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!) openly embraces lo-fi production and the upbeat, late-’60s sounds of the Beatles and the Beach Boys. They’re led by two frontmen, bassist Toby Leaman and lead guitarist Scott McMicken, but as you’ll see for yourself at The Beach at Governors Island on Sunday, the whole band harmonizes throughout their shows. The group formed in 1999 and has toured extensively over the years while still finding time to produce six albums, the most recent of which, Shame, Shame, came out earlier this year. And want to know the best part? Not only can you close out your weekend with a night of great music, but as part of the Gone to Governors series, this show is absolutely FREE.
Josh Ritter – The Beach at Governors Island – August 8, 2010
August 9th, 2010
Spend Your Weekend at The Beach
August 4th, 2010If you check the weather forecast for this weekend, you’ll see nothing but sunny skies ahead, which is pretty great in itself. But why not make it even better with two nights of terrific music in the great outdoors? The L.A. five-piece Local Natives first gained attention last year at SXSW and then when the band toured Europe in support of their debut disc, Gorilla Manor, which came out in the U.K. nearly four months before its release in the U.S. While some groups have a clear leader and a set of complementary pieces, Local Natives (above, playing “Airplanes” for Seattle’s KEXP FM) are a true collaboration, from singing to songwriting to artwork. And when they come to The Beach at Governors Island on Saturday, expect to be dazzled by lush harmonies, lofty melodies and thumping tribal beats.
Josh Ritter has been at the game a little bit longer. He knew at a young age that he wanted to become a singer-songwriter, and so he did, self-releasing his first disc, Josh Ritter, back in 1999. Ever since then, the prolific musician has put out a large collection of EPs and LPs filled with intimate, folk-inspired music. As noted rock historian Mary Louise Parker says, “If you love music and have a device on which to play it, you should listen to Josh Ritter whenever you need sound.” And if you need sound on Sunday, head to The Beach at Governors Island to see Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band (below, playing “The Curse” on The Late Late Show). As an added bonus, this is part of Converse’s Gone to Governors series, which means the show is FREE.
Caribou Plays The Beach at Governors Island for Free
July 15th, 2010
Canadian electronic musician Dan Snaith began his career under the name Manitoba, and his debut EP, People Eating Fruit, came out in 2000. But despite releasing more material under the same moniker, a lawsuit forced him to make a switch. So following a move to London, Snaith, like a, well, caribou rising from the ashes, emerged as Caribou. His most recent albums, Andorra and Swim, have earned him much praise. The talented multi-instrumentalist and composer—who also happens to hold a Ph.D. in mathematics—plays live with a full band, which you can see for yourself when as part of the Gone to Governors series, Caribou (above, performing “Odessa” for Channel 4’s Music on 4) plays for FREE tomorrow night at The Beach at Governors Island with electro-rock duo Phantogram and the psychedelic the Chain Gang of 1974 opening.
FERRY INFORMATION
We encourage everyone to come early and enjoy The Beach. Governors Island ferries will run from the Battery Maritime Building until 5:30 p.m. If you are on the island early, please make sure to get yourself to The Beach by 5:30 p.m., when concert wristbands will be available. After 5:30 p.m., ferries will depart regularly from the north end of the Battery Maritime Building, which is easily accessible from the 1, 2/3, J/Z, R/W and A/C subway lines.
Lucero – The Beach at Governors Island – July 10, 2010
July 12th, 2010
Sometimes You Get a Little Wet
July 10th, 2010
Tonight’s Lucero show (with J. Roddy Walston and the Business and Johnny Corndawg) at The Beach at Governors Island is rain or shine. In the event of an electrical storm or high winds, management will work with local authorities to protect the health and safety of both the artists and audience. In the event of lightning, this may include short delays of the performance. Just letting you know. Knowledge is power.
Lucero Hits The Beach at Governors Island (Plus a Free MP3)
July 9th, 2010
Lucero, out of Memphis, has been expertly combining country with punk and rock since 1998. They’re as much known for their red-hot live shows as for frontman Ben Nichols’ raspy, evocative growl. And the best news is, as part of the Gone to Governors series, Lucero (above, playing “I Can Get Us Out of Here Tonight” for Fuel TV) is playing for FREE tomorrow night at The Beach at Governors Island.
And as an added bonus, Converse, the Gone to Governors sponsor, is offering you a free MP3 download of “All Summer,” featuring Kid Cudi, Rostam, of Vampire Weekend, and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, here.
Governors Island Ferry Information Update
We encourage everyone to come early and enjoy The Beach. If you are on the island before the show tomorrow, get to The Beach venue by 5:30 p.m., as concert wristbands will be distributed earlier. Governors Island ferries will run from the Battery Maritime Building until 5:30 p.m. There will be no boats to the concert departing from the Battery Maritime Building after 5:30 p.m. Dedicated concert ferries will depart after 5:30 p.m. from Pier 11, located at the corner of South Street and Wall Street in lower Manhattan. Wristbands will be distributed at the ferry departure point on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 5:30 p.m.
Two Great Bands for the Price of None
July 6th, 2010Portugal. The Man – The Beach at Governors Island – July 3, 2010
On a perfect preholiday Saturday night, The Beach at Governors Island was an urban oasis with Portugal. The Man—and show-opener Alberta Cross’s blazing fireworks display of crackling rock and roll—serving up the soundtrack. With the sun recently departed over the horizon, a light breeze blowing, sand from the Water Taxi Beach sticking to our toes, tap beer in hand and July 4th just a couple of hours away, it would seem like a radio-friendly red, white and blue set was in order for the headliner. But Portugal. The Man doesn’t paint in those shades, sticking instead to their Day-Glo, funked-out psychedelia.
From where I was standing, the tone of John Gourley’s guitar was a bit thin and under amplified, leaving Zachary Carothers’ bass and Ryan Neighbors’ keyboards to carry the music. This brought an extra-groovy underbelly to early-set versions of “How the Leopard Got Its Spots” and “The Sun.” Gourley’s voice, though, was the dominant element in the mix, crisply carrying across the crowd, over the river to Manhattan and back.
The band didn’t shy away from any open-ended rocking out, turning their backs to the audience and ripping through a fuzzy jam on nearly every song. The show ended with the pairing of the near-perfect “People Say” segueing into “AKA M80 the Wolf,” both of which had the ready-for-the-long-weekend crowd belting out the chorus rock-anthem style. The vocals took center stage for the encore, with the quartet singing moving versions of “Created” and “1989” before sending us back across the water to the real world again. —A. Stein
Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com
Free Music in the Sand This Weekend
July 2nd, 2010With sunny skies ahead all weekend long, you’ll want to spend some quality time outdoors beneath the sun and stars, which works out perfectly since we’ve got two great FREE shows for you—one during the day and one at night—at The Beach at Governors Island this weekend.
SATURDAY
Tomorrow, the very cool experimental-rock band Portugal. The Man (above, performing “People Say” for Fuel TV) and badass Brooklyn blues-rockers Alberta Cross hit the stage as the first part of the Gone to Governors one-two Fourth of July weekend punch.
Governors Island Ferry Information Update
We encourage everyone to come early and enjoy The Beach. If you are on the island before the show tomorrow, get to The Beach venue by 5:30 p.m., at which time concert wristbands will be distributed. Governors Island ferries will run from the Battery Maritime Building until 5:30 p.m. There will be no boats to the concert departing from the Battery Maritime Building after 5:30 p.m. Dedicated concert ferries will depart after 5:30 p.m. from Pier 11, located at the corner of South Street and Wall Street in lower Manhattan. Wristbands will be distributed at the ferry departure point on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 5:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
Before you head out to see the fireworks on Sunday night, start Fourth of July with your feet in the sand while checking out Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward’s She & Him (above, playing “In the Sun” on Late Show with David Letterman)—with Brooklyn’s Oakley Hall opening. This is a day show and The Beach opens at 10 a.m.—so come out and get your holiday started early. Please check here on Sunday for this show’s ferry information.
The Morning Benders on a Saturday Night
June 18th, 2010
(Photo: Michael Jurick)
Hallelujah! It’s finally Friday and the weekend is upon us. And with sunny skies ahead, why not spend some quality time outside at The Beach at Governors Island? Tomorrow night the Morning Benders, Freelance Whales and Wild Nothing play the second FREE show as part of Converse’s Gone to Governors series. And you should definitely be there.
What began as a project for just one guy with a laptop and a microphone blossomed into a full-fledged band when Chris Chu invited three UC Berkeley classmates to join him as the Morning Benders. Chu, who recently moved to NYC essentially for Joe Shanghai’s soup dumplings, recorded the EP Loose Change on his own but the quartet has since put out several EPs plus two full-lengths, and the most recent, Big Echo, which came out this past March, is filled with well-crafted atmospheric pop tunes. (Chu has cited Brian Wilson as an inspiration.) So if you think about it, the Morning Benders (below, doing “Excuses” with some friends) are kind of the perfect band to see for free outside with your feet in the sand.
The Morning Benders with Freelance Whales and Wild Nothing
June 19, 2010 – 8:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
FREE SHOW
All Ages
Governors Island Ferry Information Update
We encourage everyone to come early and enjoy The Beach. If you are on the island before the show, make sure you get to The Beach venue by 5:30 p.m., at which time concert wristbands will be distributed. Governors Island ferries will run from the Battery Maritime Building until 5:30 p.m. There will be no boats to the concert departing from the Battery Maritime Building after 5:30 p.m. Dedicated concert ferries will depart after 5:30 p.m. from two locations:
Manhattan
Pier 11, which is located at the corner of South Street and Wall Street in lower Manhattan (about four blocks south of South Street Seaport).
Brooklyn
Pier 6, which is in Brooklyn Bridge Park at the foot of Atlantic Avenue (where Furman Street turns into Columbia Street).
Wristbands will be distributed at both the Manhattan and Brooklyn ferry departure points on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 5:30 p.m.
