This summer, Brooklynites have the opportunity to lace up their skates and listen to live music at Prospect Park’s LeFrak Center at Lakeside through the Glide and Groove series.
The reoccurring summer event kicked off on July 24 with bands Dogpark, Juice and Cab Ellis.
“We are a double rink, which is very unique in the city and we're in an outdoor space,” said Jordan Ekstein, vice president of Business Development at BQE Studios, the organization managing the LeFrak Center’s shows. “We really came in with the prerogative of wanting to give back to the community and make sure that they feel heard and we have programming that they like.”
This new programming is partly the result of feedback the center received from community members expressing the type of events they would like. In addition, Ekstein said some spaces were not used to their best potential.
“When we came in, we really saw this such an amazing, underutilized space for [music],” said Ekstein. “We really wanted to bring a live band presence.”
Dogpark and Juice, both New York City-based bands, performed at the rink for the first time and got the chance to skate before their performances.
“We’ve never been here, to Prospect Park, at all. Super nice park here in this area,” said Eamon Moore, Dogpark’s lead vocalist. “We did some roller skating. [It’s] way harder than I remember.”
Juice performed a few songs from their new album Fire In the Desert, as well as some older fan favorites.
“Getting the album out has been such an amazing experience,” said Christian Rose, the band's violinist. “You're intimately involved with the songs and then people get to experience the project, so playing a show in that context, especially in our hometown, feels like everything is coming together.”
There will be six more shows with Glide and Groove, with performances by Fish in a Birdcage, The Happy Fits, TRAGEDY: Glam Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees, Jukebox the Ghost, LSD Clownsystem and Phoneboy.
The series will run through the end of August. Click here for ticket details.
