The increased crowds on the Tram in recent years may have have changed the
enjoyment level of pop up musical and dance performances for Roosevelt Island
Tram riders.
The Roosevelt Island Tram is becoming a performance space for artists. Earlier this year:
Boulder based Bluegrass band Hot Rize performed the song A Cowboy's Life from their new album When I'm Free for some nighttime passengers on the Roosevelt Island Tram...
Boulder based Bluegrass band Hot Rize performed the song A Cowboy's Life from their new album When I'm Free for some nighttime passengers on the Roosevelt Island Tram
For a band that's been around since 1978, Hot Rize shows no signs of letting up. In their new video, Nick Forster, Tim O'Brien, Pete Wernick, and Bryan Sutton take "A Cowboy's Life" high above New York City's East River, performing the tune from their latest album, When I'm Free, live on the Roosevelt Island gondola.
The team at Mason Jar Music conceived and crafted the project. According to Wernick, they told the band, “'We like the idea of doing the song 'A Cowboy's Life' from the latest record and shoot it on the tram that goes over the East River in New York City … at night.' When I first heard that, I thought, 'That is so weird.' But we gave it a shot.”
Wernick continues, “It was quite interesting to be in our suits and have our instruments out and get on a tram in New York City filled with unsuspecting people. Even though we were, at first, told we were not going to be able to do it, the video people talked the security guy into letting us have one shot at it. So we had the duration of a four-minute ride to fit in a song that's just under four minutes. So … we did it. We started right at the right time and, then, as the tram kept moving through the side of Manhattan heading over the East River, our job was to stay put and not fall over as the tram was moving and play the song, 'A Cowboy's Life.'”
And of course the New York commuters on the tram have to pretend they don't even notice 4 super cool bluegrass musicians performing among them. Classic.
Were you one of the Tram Riders during the Hot Rize performance?
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
