Gotham hosting rooftop concert series

Some underground bands are playing way above ground this summer.

Residents of three Gotham Organization luxury buildings in Midtown Manhattan will be treated to a private series of live rooftop concerts, called OpenA.I.R (Artist In Residence). Emerging musicians, including several independent-label bands, will play atop of the 48-story Atlas condominium, at West 38th Street and Sixth Avenue, twice a week through the summer.

The series starts tonight with a performance by singer/guitarist Charlotte Sometimes, who will play music from her debut album. She’ll spend the summer on the Vans Warped Tour, a popular punk rock festival.

Residents of two other buildings, the Nicole at 400 West 55th Street and the New Gotham at 520 West 43rd Street, will also get entry to the concerts. The three buildings house a total of about 1,150 tenants.

Katherine Sabroff, Gotham’s vice president of marketing and operations, said the program would promote both Gotham and the singers and bands, and provide something different for tenants.

“First and foremost, it’s for the tenants – we’re trying to create a very interesting experience for our residents,” Sabroff said. “On a secondary basis, it’s just a great continuation of the brand that we’ve created for the buildings.”

It won’t be the first time a musical performance has been hosted on the rooftop of the Atlas, as Gotham has been working to market its new buildings as hip for a while. Past performances include British singer-songwriter Carina Round, who played there last September.

Sabroff said the concerts were a natural way to take advantage of the rooftop space as well as her own background in the music industry.

“We all love music here, so I think it originated out of a musical passion,” Sabroff said. “It was something we wanted to see at our building because we have a progressive group of tenants and we thought we would enjoy it as well.”

Other May performers include Lady GaGa, a new artist who plays a fusion of disco, pop and punk, and Switches, a British band that names David Bowie and Brian Wilson as influences.

The rest of the summer’s schedule has yet to be finalized, but will focus on up-and-coming bands and singers.