Seaport Music Festival is an international indie-oriented music festival staged on Pier 17 at The Seaport in lower Manhattan during the summer. Founded in 2002, initially as part of The River To River Festival, the annual music series is recognized for presenting a plethora of indie music’s most relevant breaking and established bands—indie veterans to critically acclaimed newcomers—from around the globe.
The free open-air series is held on Friday nights in July and August amid the backdrop of tall ships, skyscrapers and New York City's harbor.
| Seaport Music Festival | |
|---|---|
| Founded | Summer 2002 |
| Founder | Dima Productions |
| Genre | Indie Rock |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location |
Pier 17 Stage |
| Official Website | SeaportMusicFestival.com |
Contents |
Seaport Music Festival, founded and curated by Dima Productions, is renowned for “taking risks” and giving many New Yorkers their first opportunity to discover and/or hear a particular band live, and for free.
National music critics describe the Seaport Music Festival as:
"...an essential indie-rock series."
The New York Times[1]
"Dramatic backdrop views, impeccable sound, daring of-the-moment bookings, and lots of enormous cups of cheap beer...all free, all the time...massive crowds.''
New York Magazine[2]
"must-see hipster series at South Street Seaport."
The New York Times[3]
"WHY ESSENTIAL: People think the warm season means SummerStage and Celebrate Brooklyn. But as those two behemoths wrestle with trying to be too many things to too many people, the Seaport Music Fest has simply started presenting big names of the indie world, for free, on Friday nights, in one of the nicest settings to be had."
TimeOut New York[4]
Featuring national and international artists, SMF concerts (past and present) draw crowds of 4,000-plus fans who turn out to see bands not widely recognized by the general public. Yet, the sizes of the audiences are a testament to the sophistication of the indie music crowd in New York City.
In its eight-year history, SMF has become a gateway for new bands to break into other larger New York festivals in subsequent summers. The once “new” artists who made SMF their first free large outdoor concert in New York City reads like a who’s who of indie music. They include The xx, Deerhunter, Joanna Newsom, Au Revoir Simone, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sufjan Stevens, The Polyphonic Spree, Juana Molina, Benjy Ferree, Hot Chip, Oppenheimer, Camera Obscura, Bishop Allen, Tokyo Police Club, Devotchka, Atlas Sound, Spinto Band, Dirty on Purpose, Dr. Dog, Menomena, Oneida, No Age, and Telepathe, among others.
Veteran acts that are Seaport Music Festival alumni include Animal Collective[5], Suicide, The New York Dolls, Angelique Kidjo, A Place to Bury Strangers, Dirty Projectors, Wire, Super Furry Animals, Battles, The National, Superchunk, Polvo, and John Fogerty, among others.
Pier 17 Stage, The Seaport
The Apples in stereo
Avi Buffalo
Bear In Heaven
Best Coast
Free Energy
Golden Triangle
Loose Limbs
So Cow
Thee Oh Sees
Chad Van Gaalen
The Wedding Present
Woven Bones
Yacht
YellowFever
Zola Jesus
Pier 17 Stage, The Seaport
Bachelorette
Blank Dogs
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Casiokids
John Fogerty
Here We Go Magic
Obits
Polvo
Ribbons
School of Seven Bells
Slow Club
Superchunk
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Wave Pictures
The xx
Versus
Zaza
Also, appearing in 2009 as part of the Bicycle Film Festival Bike's Rock! concert in conjunction with Seaport Music Festival:
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Teenagers
Pier 17 Stage, The Seaport
A Place to Bury Strangers
Abe Vigoda
Atlas Sound
Black Acid
Brother Ali
Die! Die! Die!
Dirty Projectors
Grand Archives
King Khan and the Shrines
Mary Weiss
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
No Age
Nouvellas
Oneida
Telepathe
The Lost Crusaders
The Rub
Violens
White Williams
Wire
Also, appearing as part of the East Village Radio Music Festival in conjunction with Seaport Music Festival in 2008:
Awesome Color
Bearsuit
Boris
Crystal Stilts
Dan Friel
Flying Lotus
High Places
Kirsten Ketsjer
KRS-One
Olof Arnalds
Vivian Girls
Pier 17 Stage, The Seaport
Animal Collective
Au Revoir Simone
Battles
Beat the Devil
Bishop Allen
Camera Obscura
Danielson
Deerhunter
Fujiya and Miyagi
Menomena
Metronomy
Ra Ra Riot
Rock Plaza Central
Suicide
Takka Takka
The Death Set
The National
Pier 17 Stage, The Seaport
Chatham County Line
Dave Alvin and The Guilty Men
Dirty on Purpose
Hot Chip
New York Dolls
Oppenheimer
Spinto Band
Super Furry Animals
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
The Black Hollies
Tokyo Police Club
Uncle John & Whitelock
Highlights of the 2002 - 2005 Seaport Music Festival lineup included Devotchka, Elvis Perkins, Joanna Newsom, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sufjan Stevens, Dr. Dog.
Launched on June 11, 2008, Seaport Music Radio broadcasts every Monday from noon to 2 p.m. on East Village Radio (www.eastvillageradio.com). Hosted by dj Pledge (aka Stephen Dima, Dima Productions), the program features a mix of pop, rock and indie from the '60s to today, as well as interviews with special guests.
By leveraging Seaport Music Festival’s role as a presenter of indie music, the producers behind the series debuted Seaport Music Records in December 2009. The start up is slated to introduce new work and new bands to audiences via electronic downloads and the pressing and distribution of 12-inch vinyl records in 2010 and beyond.
The fledgling label's inaugural release was the Phil Spector/The Waitresses-inspired single This Christmas by The Elves of Heaven, featuring Martin Clancy.
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| Cat No. | Artist | Title | Date | Configuration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMR 001 | The Elves of Heaven, ft. Martin Clancy | This Christmas | 2009 | mp3 download | |
| SMR 002 | Loose Limbs | Red Hands | 2010 | 7” single | |
| SMR 003 | gLab | Delivery | 2010 | 7” single |
Mancuso, Anne (July 2, 2009). "Down by the River (and New York Harbor).". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/arts/03bbrooklyn.html?ref=music. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
Sisario, Ben (July 2, 2009). "Keep the Music, Add the Views.". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/arts/music/03brooklyn.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=keep%20the%20music%20add%20the%20views&st=cse. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
St. John, Colin, "Seaport Firms Up Summer Schedule", Time Out New York (May 7, 2009), http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/thevolume/2009/05/seaport-firms-up-summer-schedule
Cardace, Sara, "Big Rock in the Park (Which concerts are worth more than A/C?)", New York magazine (June 25, 2007), http://nymag.com/guides/summer/2007/33993/
Chung, Jen, "Stephen Dima, Producer, Seaport Music", Gothamist (June 2, 2006), http://gothamist.com/2006/06/02/stephen_dima_pr.php