Brooklyn was certainly alive this past Saturday. With nonstop jams out of Brooklyn Bowl, Rough Trade, and Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Comes Alive’s fourth annual festival far exceeded expectations. Hosted by Live for Live Music, the one day event provides a platform for musicians from a variety of bands to join forces and create some real improvisational magic on stage. We were so excited to be apart of such a special experience and our ears were truly treated. From the groovy beats to the mind blowing covers honoring some great late musicians, concert goers were able to keep their feet moving all day and late into the night. Attendees were able to move about the area with ease by having just one single wristband that granted entry into all three venues. Having unique, one time collaborations and surprise appearances from start to finish, there was never a dull moment, with great music to catch at all times throughout the day.
As for the specifics, each act was as enjoyable as the last. If you’ve been following along on our BCA journey, then you know that we were especially hyped for the Karina Rykman Experiment, which kicked off the fun at Rough Trade. The fairly new trio, comprised of Rykman, Adam November, and Chris Corsico, which featured special guests Robert Walter and Dave Harrington, displayed phenomenal on-stage chemistry and dished out non-stop jams transporting the audience to space and back. They fed everyone their first taste of the day’s improvisational creations that were soon to follow. Rykman also closed out the day along side Craig Brodhead, heading the stage in the Jam Room, which was the festival’s take on Jam Cruise’s open invitation set, allowing artists to come and go as they please. They followed first host George Porter Jr, and both acts brought out a collection of guests which helped keep Music Hall of Williamsburg party going until just about 4am.
Another highlight of the day was hosted by Brooklyn Bowl and honored musicians we’ve lost but not forgotten. 15 year old Brandon “Taz” Neiderauer shredded through epic versions of songs by Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, and more. Elise Testone delivered vocals that electrified your whole body and had a stage presence to match. Also included in this wonderful supergroup were George Porter Jr, Adam Smirnoff, Jeff Sipe, and Peter Levin.
This year’s BCA artists also paid homage to Prince, throwing what the festival dubbed the “Purple Party.” The performance was given by another uniquely curated group of wildly talented musicians, with vocalists cycling on and off stage and each instrumentalist truly delivering an experience that brought everyone back to “1999.”
We could continue to detail the day, such as the energetic set that was the Steely Dan Tribute, and comment on each act such as the Adam Deitch Quartet and all of the jam heavy performances that were led by members of The Disco Biscuits, Lettuce, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, etc. We could go into mentioning some of the surprise appearances that occurred, but it would all give only a small recap into how truly special the day was. Just know that each note of music played at Brooklyn Comes Alive 2018 was historic and made each attendee feel grateful to be apart of such a wonderful community. Every player brought the heat and we’re so thankful for everyone that contributed into making this event as special as it was! ‘Till next year…
