Play that funky music, hipsters.
Funk fans can shake their asses off on the streets of Williamsburg all day on June 21 at a 12-hour music marathon organized by Williamsburg resident Meredith Nadler.
It’s just one of nearly 1,000 outdoor free concerts included in the Make Music New York festival.
Ten bands are on the docket for the funk fest, happening outside of Rose Live on Grand Street, including Spanglish Fly, Mokaad & The Flexpoints, The Rozatones, mamarazzi, Urban Sun, and Ikebe Shakedown, and the Washington, DC-based Funk Ark.
“The lineup is really great,” said Joseph Herrera, trumpet player for Funk Ark. “It’s a great opportunity to get out and play more in Brooklyn. Right now afrobeat is really popular here.”
Indeed, in December, Nadler started a meet-up group, NYC Funk Live, to find like-minded funk fans to dance with.
So far, the group has attracted 250 members, and once a week, they congregate at music venues such as Zebulon, Brooklyn Bowl, and Rose Live for whatever funk, soul, afrobeat or funk acts happen to be in town that day.
“In a way, it builds community, helps you meet more people, let loose, and allow you to let down all their pretensions,” said Nadler. “At a funk show, I am dancing my ass off. I sweat, look around and see everyone else having a great time.”
Make Music New York funk marathon (Havemeyer Street and Grand Avenue in Williamsburg, no phone), June 21 from noon-10 pm. For info, visit www.funksolstice.com and www.makemusicny.org.
