SUMMER FUN ’19
Arch madness
Live music series returns to Dumbo Archway
By Bill Roundy You can cross that bridge
later — for now, stay
underneath it!
Brooklyn’s only music series
located beneath an active subway
line will return for its fifth
fantastic year of tunes on June
13. The Live at the Archway
series sets the Archway under
the Manhattan Bridge echoing
with music each summer and
gets people dancing on its cobblestone
street. The architect of
the free weekly arts event says
that she loves the challenge
of working with the cavernous
tunnel beneath the Bridge.
“It’s an honor, and a lot of
fun, to curate this series —
to experiment with this epic
space, to play off its history, its
physicality, its acoustics, and
to collaborate with its community,”
said Clara Schumacher
For the series, the events
director for Dumbo’s Business
Improvement District looks for
unique musical acts that can
fill a tunnel big enough to feel
like the outdoors.
26 COURIER LIFE, MAY 24-30, 2019
Under the arch: (Left) Local soul singer Eli “Paperboy” Reed
will perform at Dumbo’s free Live at the Archway series on
July 11. (Right) Retro performer Dandy Wellington will lead
his brass band through some hot New Orleans jazz tunes in
the Archway Under the Manhattan Bridge on Aug. 8.
“The Archway is a unique
space, even for New York,”
said Schumacher. “I’m looking
for acts that have an unexpected
element, that are joyous,
that can hold their own in
the Archway — that feel very
Dumbo.”
She also looks for acts that
ref lect the diversity of the
neighborhood.
“It’s very important to
me that Live at the Archway
is inclusive, welcoming.
Collectively, the series is eclectic,
pulling in a diversity of
musical genres and performative
elements,” she said.
This year’s lineup includes
artists from a wide variety of
genres, opening with Live at
the Archway’s first Congolese
band, Nkumu Katalay and the
Life Long Project, and featuring
Afro-Brazilian dance band
Caique Vidal and Batuque,
1920s-style jazz from Dandy
Wellington, and local indierocker
Eli “Paperboy” Reed
— a familiar face who will
add a new twist this year, said
Schumacher.
“It’s always fun to hear Eli
‘Paperboy’ Reed live. I’m particularly
stoked he is bringing
his group of super-talented
kids, the Harlem Gospel
Travelers, out to open,” she
said.
Another new aspect to the
fifth annual summer series is
the Family Jam — opening
acts that will appeal to kids
and families, including puppets
shows, circus acts, and
ballet dancers.
Last year’s Archway innovation
will also continue — a
weekly celebration of visual art
at the pop-up Gallery Cubed,
which offers 32 square feet for
a different creator to fill with
art each week.
“It gives our audiences
unprecedented access to world
class visual artists,” said
Schumacher. “Where else can
you get this intimate with a
piece of art?”
All performances at the Archway Under the Manhattan
Bridge (155 Water St. between Adams and Pearl streets in
Dumbo, www.dumbo.is). All shows start at 5:30 pm, unless
otherwise noted. Free.
June 13: Nkumu Katalay and
the Life-Long Project Band, with
Fogo Azul NYC, plus students
from PS 307 and Dock Street
School.
June 20: Archway 10th
Anniversary Party! Celebrate
10 years of the Archway, with
performances from Brown Rice
Family, the Maybelles, Young
Soon’s White Wave Dance
Company, hula-hoop troupe Big
Sky Works, and more. Starts at
5 pm.
June 27: Avenida B, with
an opening performance of
“Rainbow” by Puppetsburg.
July 4: No show this week!
Go enjoy the fireworks!
July 11: Eli “Paperboy”
Reed, with opening act Harlem
Gospel Travelers.
July 18: Kombilesa Mi, with
an opening performance of “Pop
Music,” by Puppetsburg.
July 25: Caique Vidal and
Batuque, with opening act Trio
Rasteirinho. Presented in collaboration
with Brasil Summerfest.
Aug. 1: Yunior Terry and Son
de Altura, preceded by a fashion
show presented by the Center for
Cuban Studies.
Aug. 8: Dandy Wellington,
with opening act Miss Saturn.
Aug. 15: Alsarah and the
Nubatones, with opening act
Konverjdans.
Aug. 22: Say She She,
with an opening performance
of “Splendid Elephant” by
Puppetsburg.
Nina Galicheva
/www.dumbo.is
/www.dumbo.is)