Audra Isadora, Penny & Sparrow, Gordon Voidwell and More to Rock Summer 2014 Season at Joe's Pub
By: BWW News Desk Jul. 02, 2014
Rock your face off at Joe's Pub at the Public this summer. Scroll down for this year's lineup!
NONA HENDRYX: UNPLUGGED & UNHINGED
Monday, July 7 at 9:30 PM
$35
The title says it all but for clarity...Songs stripped down to expose the lyrics, melodies and vocal harmonies, unplugged versions of songs from the Nona Hendryx Songbook. Voices, Stories, Acoustic & Stringed Instruments & Surprises! Songs and tales from behind the veil of Nona's three musical transformations; The Bluebelles, Labelle and solo; featuring the magical fingers of Etienne Stadwjck on keys, V. Jeffery Smith (the utility man), the fierce & fabulous poet Liza Jesse Peterson and three of the 'baddest', 'hardest' workin' SANGA'S, Kiki Hawkins, Asa Arnold and Keith Fluitt. Unhinged? Come and see!
Friday, July 11 at 9:30 PM
$15
Henry Wagons returns with his band, which is aptly named Wagons. Drawing on a broad range of influences, the Wagons show is a high sensation roller coaster ride that ranges from the bluster of sequin jumpsuit-era Elvis, post-karate kicks, to the somber, drunken malaise of Lee Hazelwood. They can touch on the tenderness of a recently heart-broken Roy Orbison while simultaneously embracing the menace of Nick Cave, bloody and embryonic after a Halloween séance performance. Wagons has shared stages around the world with Lucinda Williams, Justin Townes Earle, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zero's, Calexico, Bill Callahan, Will Oldham, Okkervil River, John Hiatt plus more along with SXSW, Canadian Music Week and Americana showcases. Their latest and sixth studio album was produced by Mick Harvey (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey) and mixed by Matt Linesch (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros).
Saturday, July 12 at 9:00 PM
$12 adv / $15 door
With a name as big as her sound, Audra Isadora makes soulful glam pop all her own and is ready to unleash her booming voice and vivacious vibrato that echo Kate Bush's eccentricity and Annie Lennox's sensational solo efforts. Armed with a full instrumental band on her self-titled EP, the NYC-based sultry powerhouse is sure to make a splash with five wildly colorful tracks that showcase her apt ability to create a delectable journey of tunes for your earbuds to feast themselves on.
New Orleans-based rapper Boyfriend is bold and unabashed, perverse and artistic. Her audacious and uncensored rendering of hip hop, a genre which she has affectionately coined, "rap cabaret," is so wrong, it's right. Spitting rhymes that reference everything from Kurt Vonnegut to period sex, Boyfriend sounds like what Marilyn Monroe would have sung to President John F Kennedy, if no one were listening. Her hyper-sexual and shamelessly nerdy lyrics have been praised by her local tastemakers, NOLA Defender, Where Y'At and I Heart NOLA, as well as Playboy Radio. She is renowned for her self-produced visual accompaniments to her satirical tracks like "Swanky" and "Jealousy."
Wednesday, July 16 at 7:30 PM
$17.50
Bombadil, the whimsical, chamber/pop/folk North Carolina-based band, returns to Joe's Pub to celebrate the vinyl debut and re-release of Tarpits and Canyonlands (June 21, 2014). The highly-praised album, which has a sad, strange and triumphant story, was originally released in 2009. The band is James Phillips (drums), Stuart Robinson (piano, ukulele) and Daniel Michalak (bass, piano, harmonica). Tarpits was poised to be Bombadil's breakthrough album but major health problems for Michalak, the band's driving force, brought the trajectory to a standstill. After years of doctors and treatments, Michalak came back to music and performing. Since then, the band has been building up their momentum - releasing two full-lengths All That The Rain Promises (November 2011) and Metrics of Affection (July 2013), and a limited edition 7-inch Thank You (June 2012). Finally, Tarpits and Canyonlands gets a second chance.
BLACK ROCK COALITION ORCHESTRA PRESENTS STATE OF GRACE
A Grace Jones Retrospective, featuring Gordon Voidwell
Friday, July 18 at 9:30 PM
$25
The Black Rock Coalition Orchestra (BRCO) presents State Of Grace, a freak-flag waving retrospective of the unparalleled artist Grace Jones - the musical genius behind such enduring anthems as 'Pull Up To The Bumper', 'My Jamaican Guy', 'Slave To The Rhythm', among many others. Gordon Voidwell, whose latest project, Bad Etudes, has been drawing universal critical raves, will serve as creative director. Expect booties to shake and minds to shimmy in this sultry, sonic salute to the larger-than-life siren whose appeal crosses genres and generations alike.
The Orchestra has been the official performance arm of the Black Rock Coalition since 1986. Through its ever-evolving, ever-revolving incarnations, some of the most accomplished progressive artists of color have paid homage to significant bodies of work by noted progressive artists in some of the world's most respected venues and festivals-honoring such artists as Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield, Betty Davis, Santana, Gil Scott-Heron and others. The BRC is the nation's only non-profit, member-supported organization founded to facilitate the maximum empowerment, exposure and expression of Black alternative musicians as artists.
CONVEYOR: PRIME RECORD RELEASE
Saturday, July 19 at 11:30 PM
$12
Brooklyn-based band Conveyor is T.J. Masters (vocals, guitar), Alan Busch (vocals, guitar), Evan Garfield (backing vocals, drums) and Michael Pedron (backing vocals, bass). The band has released a string of self-released EPs, a cassette, a full-length album and a number of 7" singles. The music is best described as melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and predominantly major-key.
Monday, July 21 at 7:30 PM
$20
Musician Kyle Riabko performs his original songs along with selections from Burt Bacharach's catalogue, which were featured in his acclaimed off-Broadway show What's It All About? Bacharach Reimagined earlier this year. Named "One of the Year's Best" by The New York Times, the show received nominations for Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards. The New York Times wrote, "Riabko searches out the emotional layers of the songs with impressive precision," and New York Magazine said, "Riabko is the wonderfully appealing star." Riabko previously appeared on Broadway in both Spring Awakening and Hair. In his teen years, he recorded an album of original material for Sony/Aware Records and performed as an opening act for BB King, James Brown, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, Jason Mraz, Maroon 5 and more.
Thursday, July 24 at 7:30 PM
$20
Billy Lewis Jr. is an emerging songwriter and soulful vocalist. Though he has a history as a stage performer, this marks his first concert as an independent, original recording artist. Lewis makes his Joe's Pub premiere to release his self-titled debut EP, which was produced by Jack Daley (Beyonce, Lenny Kravitz, Joss Stone) and features musicians like Steven Wolf, Marc Copely, Dave Eggar, Pete Levin, Erik Rudic, Al Street and Marc Ribler. With a unique mixture of driving beats, intricate and sometimes thrashing guitars, a bluesy-undertone, addictive hooks and relatable lyrics, this EP makes a powerful introduction to Lewis.
EDWARD ROGERS KAYE RECORD RELEASE / NICK GARRIE
Sunday, August 17 at 7:00 PM
$16
Kaye is the fifth solo album from UK-born, NYC-based singer-songwriter Edward Rogers. Inspired and dedicated to the late English singer-songwriter and psychedelic legend Kevin Ayers (a founding member of Soft Machine), Kaye features 11 new original songs and a cover of Ayers's song "After The Show." The album features musicians like James Mastro, Sal Maida, Dennis Diken, Joe McGinty, Pete Kennedy, Tish & Snooky and more.
Nick Garrie is renowned in psychedelic collectors' circles for his 1970 debut, The Nightmare of J.B. Stanislas, a Baroque pop masterpiece effectively buried by nonexistent distribution and promotion. He began writing songs while attending Warwick University, but his interests primarily lay in surrealist literature and poetry but he did not become a performer until 1968, playing bars and restaurants while backpacking through the South of France.
PENNY & SPARROW / SONGS OF WATER
Friday, August 22 at 7:00 PM
$15
Penny & Sparrow is an Austin duo garnering much praise and attention. Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke write and play music that effortlessly draws you in with their deep, moving lyrics that are intimate and relational in nature, reminiscent of Bon Iver and The Swell Season. The pair possess that rare quality to captivate an audience to the point you can hear a pin drop. Not only was the band touted by BuzzFeed as #2 of 50 SXSW Bands to Know but The Huffington Post listed them as #4 of 30 SXSW Acts About to Break in 2014. When so much of radio is a blur of pop stars, synthesizers, drums, and light shows, the simplicity of two honest men laying bare the simple poetry of sound is profound.
Songs of Water is Elisa Rose, Michael Pritchard, Stephen Price, Greg Willette, Jon Kliegle, Luke Skaggs and Stephen Roach. Their distinct and evocative sound carries ancient roots. The group delicately blends instrumentation from across the globe in a uniquely American context. Hammered dulcimer, various acoustic instruments, heavy percussion plus layers of orchestral strings and sparse vocals create a cinematic appeal to the otherwise raw expression of musical composition. The band has independently released two full-length albums, which have been met with considerable praise. They have been featured on NPR's The State of Things, Fiona Richie's Thistle & Shamrock and WNCW's Music Mix with Martin Anderson plus the U.K. radio show Reach On Air.
CRAIG GREENBERG BAND: BIRTHDAY SHOW!
Saturday, August 23 at 7:30 PM
$15
Craig Greenberg has been called this generation's "troubadour piano man" (Jambands.com), combining the pop sensibilities and greatly skilled musicianship of Ben Folds, with the lyrical smarts of Randy Newman. His voice brims with soul and personality, propelled by his foundation as a New Yorker and getting his start playing on the streets of Chile and Spain from 2002 to 2004. Since his return to New York, Greenberg has been a mainstay on the downtown and Brooklyn music scene, touring internationally as well. He has performed with artists: Jackson Browne, Chris Barron (Spin Doctors), Jane Wiedlin (Go-Go's), Steve Conte (NY Dolls). He is currently working on 3rd album, to be released the end of 2014.
Sunday, August 24 at 7:30 PM
$14
Creaky Brooklyn band Kotorino plays darkly elegant, trippy, gypsy-flavored "parlor rock" with carnivalesque touches. Compared to the Fishtank Ensemble, Radio Fantastique, Piñataland, Starhead and Sufjan Stevens, they perform European waltzes, Latin Tangos and rural Americana on guitar, fiddle, tuba, bass clarinet, tenor sax, horn, piano, drums, and acoustic bass. Vocal harmonies are haunting and lyrics flirt with adventure, unease and triumph.
Visit us at joespub.com for a complete list of shows or to purchase tickets, or call 212-967-7555 or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street, NYC.
ABOUT JOE'S PUB AT THE PUBLIC Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public debuted in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. In 2013, Joe's Pub celebrates 15 years of the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. It received a top-to-bottom renovation in 2011, leading to improved sightlines, expanded seating capacity and a new menu from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC THEATER AT ASTOR PLACE Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public Theater is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare and the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to its beloved, free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all, new and experimental stagings at The Public at Astor Place, and a range of artist and audience development initiatives including its Public Forum series, which brings together theater artists and professionals from a variety of disciplines for discussions that shed light on social issues explored in Public productions. The Public Theater is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater's year-round activities.
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