Pandemic? Forget that. How about, PandeMUSIC?
Music is an artform, a universal language, a mode of expression. It allows us to communicate, feel, and move - and thanks to modern technology, it has never been easier to listen to it in near-perfect quality. Never before has it been so easy to have the recorded history of music in your pocket at all times; which is quite the crazy notion to muse over. Music transcends not only language, but race, creed, culture, and so much more. This ethereal artform is truly going to new heights in New York City (yes, even during this pandemic) thanks to the hard work and dedication to the arts from the fine folks at PandeMUSIC NYC and Silverstein Properties.
The COVID19 pandemic has made 2020 a year to remember. Musicians especially have felt the impact as live concerts, touring, gigging, jamming, and recording have all been severely curtailed, if not outright eliminated. The days of packed jazz nightclubs, booming rock venues, or underground punk clubs are sorely missed. Jam spaces and recording studios had limited capacities, stores became appointment/online-only, and personal, one-on-one lessons were increasingly harder to come by.
That left musicians to find entirely new ways to connect with their audiences, teach their students, create new music, and share their creative ventures with the world. 2020 took concepts like livestreamed concerts to entirely new heights, and spawned the idea of #athome jams, virtual band practices, impromptu band and solo performances on social media, shared songwriting sessions with fans over Zoom, virtual teaching, and so much more! If you had a connection to the internet and love music, you have likely experienced several of these 2020 revelations already.
Thankfully there are places, especially in urban areas, that go above and beyond the status quo to make sure that artists continue to be heard, seen, and felt. After all, it can be fun to watch your favorite artists jam in their home studios, but what could be cooler than seeing them storm into an empty venue, take over a famous club for a one-off appearance, or perform on top of the world? Granted, you may not be there in person, but the novelty of it all creates a thrilling experience in its own right. Join us on a journey to check out how the World Trade Center in NYC is keeping one of NYC’s most valuable artistic mediums thriving - 79 stories above the streets of Lower Manhattan!
The World Trade Center is no stranger to the fine arts quite literally living within its own campus. Since 2013, Silverstein Properties (developer for the WTC) has been passionate about inviting artists from not just New York City but around the world to work inside the as-yet unfinished WTC towers. They're able to perform their craft high above the city on unfinished and unleased floors.
The WTC campus has historically been home to outdoor concerts every summer, massive indoor concerts inside the futuristic WTC Transportation Hub ‘Oculus,’ and even live shows on the rooftop! From local musicians performing in parks, to busking on the streets, to chart-topping musicians like John Legend, Nicki Minaj and Cole Swindell playing to huge crowds and global TV audiences; the WTC is full of music everywhere you look.
The latest ‘2020’ incarnation of music at the World Trade Center comes to us in the form of PandemusicNYC. While we may be unable to watch John Legend pack the Oculus with thousands of New York fans, or experience local and underground bands pack crowds inside clubs and bars on a Saturday night; artists have yet again found themselves playing a new type of concert on an all-new type of stage. Thanks to modern tech, we can bring just a bit of that live music magic into our homes.
PandemusicNYC recently livestreamed a full concert from soul supergroup Brent Carter & Friends, featuring none other than legendary singer Brent Carter (Tower Of Power, Average White Band) on lead vocals, alongside a truly epic backing band. So sit back, relax, and take in the out-of-this-world views of the Big Apple as these musical icons play a live set chock-full of hits from artists like Prince, Toto, Tower of Power, Average White Band, and Marvin Gaye.
💥 FRET12 PROTIP: Shown here in the video below is Mark performing in the ‘audience’ days, where he’s shredding a PRS at NYC’s famous ‘Village Underground,’ a staple venue located between Soho and Greenwich Village.
If you’d like to check out Brent Carter & Friends performing a massive all-star jam, then make sure to check out "Work To Do," which is available for download via Bandcamp - with proceeds going to Save The Children, which supports communities directly affected by this global crisis.
FRET12 PROTIP: Keep your eyes peeled for legions of superstar talent, including David Spinozza (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, James Taylor) on guitar, and 8 drummers including David Garibaldi, Steve Ferrone, and Larnell Lewis; just to name a few!
And if all of this left you craving more, there are plans in the works to bring even more music to the 79th floor in the coming months, so stay tuned to these future ‘concerts in the sky’ by following the fine folks at Pandemusic on Instagram.
