After the last porches wrap up at 6pm on June 17th, come to Arlington Service Station, 334 Mass Ave, for GARAGE BAND, a special dance party finale that caps off Arlington Porchfest 2023.
GARAGE BAND is a family-friendly pop-up dance party, a celebration of community, and a gathering in an unusual venue, the Arlington Global Service Station, a classic auto service station that has become, thanks to input from neighborhood artist Johnny Lapham, a public art landmark in the heart of Arlington’s Cultural District. We’ll close a side street for room to dance to rocking tunes by the band BackPocket, an ensemble originally from Morningside Music Studio, featuring local accomplished musicians and Cuban-born percussionist along with backup singers “The Torchtones.”!
The venue itself is a work of art! The service station’s owner Abe Salhi was inspired to bring art to his establishment when he heard about his neighborhood’s designation as Arlington’s first Cultural District. He cooked up a design with Lapham, an artist and long-time client who lived just down the street, and now the station’s canopy and upper walls are embellished with colorful circles and stripes out of a Dr. Seuss story.
Now the vibrant service station will also serve as host to a celebratory dance free-for-all, sponsored by the established Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture (ArtsArlington.org) along with Porchfest presenters, the Arlington Center for the Arts. GARAGE BAND is the musical culmination of all the tonalities generated by the participants in this year’s Arlington Porchfest.