Allapattah's Knight-Funded Venue the Bridge to Hold Splashy Fundraiser

Nicole Martinez is a musician and owner of the Bridge, a venue and studio hive located on Allapattah's growing NW Seventh Avenue near Wynwood. To celebrate winning a two-year 2016 Knight Arts Challenge Grant, Martinez is hosting Wet, a summer-survival party and fundraiser with water slides, floatie costume contests, live music, and other fun Sunday, September 2, at the Bridge.

"There's not a lot of normalcy here," Martinez says with a smile as she contemplates the past two years of heavy remodeling the Bridge has endured. The goal of the grant was to transform the main room into a fully equipped live recording studio. Finally, after installing acoustics and sound boards and retrofitting the control/main room, the Bridge is now ready to open its doors to musicians and spectators.

Along with the newly remodeled space come opportunities for Miami musicians to thrive. "We're going to be providing either free or subsidized recording opportunities," Martinez says. The large space will provide analog equipment for bands to record live together with an audience, a recording technique that Martinez describes as reminiscent of the '50s and '60s, when musicians would record their albums live in a room together.

Despite the constant remodeling, Martinez made sure to keep the Bridge a comfortable place for her tenants to rehearse. "The renters are really carefully curated... This isn't a hang space," she says. The Bridge will host a diverse group of musicians who are permanent renters of seven studio rooms. Renters include the State Of, Electric Kif, Magic City Hippies, and Lemon City Trio.

The venue is not only a home to many of Miami's beloved bands but also a diverse event rental space. The Bridge has hosted Miami bass parties, the psychedelic music series Melochromania, Miami Girls Rock Camp meetings, and many other happenings. There are no limits to the music endeavors the Bridge can host.

Guests attending Wet can expect a diverse lineup of music, along with water slides, mega slip 'n' slides, water balloons, and other splashy fun. Attendees wearing floatie costumes will receive free admission and can participate in a floatie costume contest. "We want to celebrate our hard-core 305ers for surviving another summer," Martinez says. The live music, presented by Smurfio, Cog Nomen, Sol & the Tribu, the State Of, Ashiyushi, and other acts, will be recorded and available after the event.

Everyone is welcome. Martinez plans to reach out to the Allapattah community to ensure the neighborhood's locals attend as well. "I'm going door-to-door for this one."

Wet Fundraiser. 3 to 11:55 p.m. Sunday, September 2, at the Bridge, 4220 NW Seventh Ave., Miami. Tickets cost $5 via wetthebridge.splashthat.com or $10 at the door.