Seaport Music Winter Fest Launches January 30

The team behind the acclaimed summer Seaport Music concerts in lower Manhattan, are stirring up an intriguing musical cocktail -- on the rocks, if you will -- by presenting a five-week series of free outdoor concerts at Seaport Ice, the only ice skating rink in lower Manhattan.

Slated for frigid Friday nights beginning January 30 and continuing through February 27, the Seaport Music Winter Fest will present New York City-area indie rock bands at a venue unlike any other in the city -- the outdoor ice rink adjacent to tall ships, skyscrapers and New York Harbor. Only strong-bodied, dressed-in-layers, die-hard indie music fans need attend.

Brooklyn-based Neckbeard Telecaster and Grand Mal kick off the series on January 30. Neckbeard promises a "Calvacade of Stars on Ice," from its band of singing bearded men fronted by members of Dirty on Purpose (Joe Jurewicz) and the Shorebirds (Mark Ephraim). They deliver music that is part psychedelic, part country, and part glam.

Opening is Bill Whitten's "8.0-rated" Grand Mal, recognized for "dispensing classic riffs, bad attitude and stupid wisdom."

All showtimes are 7 p.m., and the concerts are free. Individuals wishing to listen to the shows from the ice and/or partake in the skating, pay a $5 admission fee and $7 for skate rental (cash only).

Made possible via support from The Seaport, General Growth Properties, Inc. (GGP) and Upsilon Ventures, LLC, the complete five-week series will be announced in the coming days.

Lockers and bag check services are available in the skating pavilion lobby.

Seaport Ice is locate on Pier 17 at The Seaport, and is accessible by the J, M, Z, 2, 3, 4, 5 at Fulton Street or the A, C at Broadway-Nassau