Pier 54 – Hudson River Park

Focused on up-and-coming artists, RiverRocks has featured such groups as the White Stripes and Rooney. The series has become a mainstay of the Park’s Take me to the River festival and is enjoyed by thousands of New Yorkers.

RiverRocks growth in reputation and popularity has resulted in a number of top level artists taking notice of Hudson River Park’s Pier 54 and selecting it as a venue for their concerts. These include Ashanti, Natalie Cole, Moby, Spyro Gyra, George Benson, and The Roots.

8 July 2010, Thursday – Phosphorescent & Dawes

Fronted by singer/guitarist Matthew Houck, Phosphorescent is an infectious indie folk/alt country band that performs a modern version of what Gram Parsons once dubbed “Cosmic American Music” – music that could be from another era, but sounds perfect right here, right now, any time, any season.

With its debut release North Hills in 2009, Dawes produced an ode to their hometown, Los Angeles, and in so doing gained critical attention as “a perfect band” with an “authentically vintage” sound. They are known to create Southern-tinged tunes that are graceful and poetic, yet firmly L.A. rock-n-roll.

22 July 2010, Thursday – The Antlers and Dinosaur Feathers

The emotional, self-released debut album Hospice by The Antlers catapulted the fledgling Brooklyn band into the stratosphere in 2009. Their music has evolved from post-rock to “a massive sound” doused in delay, reverb and unrehearsed chaos.

Dinosaur Feathers may come from Brooklyn, but musically the roots of the band extend to locales around the globe. The trio’s music sails through Motown melodies, tropical grooves and African rhythms to get its tropical
surf-pop sound.

12 August 2010, Thursday – Deerhunter and Real Estate

Musically, Deerhunter is, and has been, many things – ambient punk, noise rock, art rock, shoegaze, post-punk and plain pop. Their second and third albums Cryptograms and Microcastle were ranked by music critics and aficionados alike as among the best albums of their respective years – and the latter ranked among the best of the past decade.

Real Estate’s sound wafts in on vibes of hazy summers from days past living in the burbs. Flagged by Stereogum as a “Band to Watch,” this Yo La Tengo-influenced quartet recently released its debut, full-length LP Real Estate and garnered critical praise and “best new music” accolades.

River Rocks

See also River Rocks website