COURIER LIFE, NOV. 13–19, 2020 25
OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BOROUGH OF KINGS
BY BOB KRASNER
You can dance in the street without
music, but it doesn’t hurt to have a
great band on hand.
It was more good news for Brooklyn
when the Abracadbra Trip jumped on
the bus for the fi rst time since December
to provide a soundtrack for revelers
celebrating the election results
over the weekend of Nov. 7. Although
the group, led by Laura Newman, usually
gives free concerts in the East and
West Villages, they decided to stay
closer to home this time.
Most of the band lives in Brooklyn,
and they determined that performing
in that borough would feel like they
were playing for their neighbors and
hopefully avoid larger crowds that
would likely greet them in Manhattan.
Playing a mix of originals — a
blend of psychedelic rock, funk and
a touch of reggae — and some timely
covers (such as the Bee Gee’s “Staying
Alive” and Queen’s “Another One
Bites the Dust”) the Abracadabra Trip
never lost their energy as they played
from the afternoon into the night.
“We hadn’t done any shows in the
city since December,” Newman explained.
“Normally we would have
started up again in April but COVID
happened.”
Sometime on the Friday night before
the media called the 2020 Election
for former Vice President Joe Biden,
Newman said she decided it was time
to get back on the bus. She called the
musicians to organize the day, having
no idea that the election results would
be announced Saturday morning as
they were putting the key into the ignition.
“We were ecstatic!” exclaimed Newman.
The group started at Domino Park
in Williamsburg before moving on
to Marsha P. Johnson State Park and
then McCarren Park in Greenpoint.
“Everywhere we went, people were
already lit!” she said. “We provided a
space to celebrate and dance, and it
was absolutely amazing.”
Singer Elliott LaRue took a minute
on stage (that is, the top of the bus) to
say how he felt.
“This is a day to celebrate America
and democracy,” he proclaimed. “It
doesn’t matter who you voted for, it’s a
celebration for all of us.”
Newman was succinct in summing
up her experience on Nov. 7: “It was the
most alive I’ve felt all year.”
The band can be followed on Instagram
@abracadabratrip and on their
website AbracadabraTrip.com.
A traveling band!
Musical bus back on the road to celebrate election results
ROLLING: (Clockwise from far
left) Rocking at Marsha P. Johnson
State park were (L-R) Deven
Williams (obscured), Casey-Leigh
Jordan, Damian Kukulj, Laura
Newman, Sebastien Gonzalez,
Elliott LaRue, and Juan Gallego.
Gallego and Newman feeling patriotic
at Domino Park. The band
played past sunset at McCarren
park. Photos by Bob Krasner
/AbracadabraTrip.com
