Charlotte Church, Jomama Jones and More Set for Joe's Pub, 3/25-31
By: BWW News Desk Mar. 25, 2013
Pegi Young, Charlotte Church, Pascal Schumacher, Tecla Esposito, Bill Kirchen, NY Theremin Society, Abigail Washburn, Slavic Soul Party!, Aputumpu Festival 2013, Justin Vivian Bond, Kenyon Phillips, Scream Along with Billy and Jomama Jones are featured in the lineup at Joe's Pub at the Public this week, March 25-31, 2013.
PEGI YOUNG & THE SURVIVORS WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANTHONY DA COSTA
March 25 at 7:00 PM
$15
Singer-songwriter Pegi Young's third release spotlights her beautifully spare and resonant vocals, world-weary and eloquent lyricism, and hushed yet immediate emotional landscape. Bracing For Impact features Pegi once again accompanied by her acclaimed recording and touring band, The Survivors: legendary keyboard player Spooner Oldham on piano, bassist Rick Rosas (part of the reunited Buffalo Springfield), guitarist Kelvin Holly, and drummer Phil Jones. The album was produced by Pegi Young with The Survivors, with the exception of the final track, "Song For A Baby Girl," produced by Elliot Mazer (who co-produced Young's last full-length, Foul Deeds). Eight of the album's 11 songs are originals written by Pegi Young, with highlights including "Flatline Mama"-featuring a horn section and background vocals from The Watson Twins-"No Heart Beats Sound," and "Trouble In A Bottle." Neil Young wrote the rollicking "Doghouse," and contributes background vocals and harmonica as well. Neil is also featured playing electric guitar on "Lie" and "Song For A Baby Girl," and on harmonica for "Number 9 Train," written by the late bluesman Tarheel Slim. On "I Don't Want To Talk About It"-a song by Crazy Horse's Danny Whitten that first appeared on that group's 1971 album-Chandra Wilson delivers additional vocals.
March 25 at 9:30 PM
SOLD OUT
After 10 long years, Charlotte Church returns to the USA with a fresh new sound that has confounded all expectations. Her thrilling synthesis of fractured electronics and bruised guitar rock has drawn overwhelming acclaim from the British indie music press, with 'ONE & TWO', the first and second of 5 EP's that she will release in 2013. It seems like only yesterday that the 12 year old Charlotte Church was singing her way to worldwide superstardom. She performed for President Clinton and Pope John Paul II, among an astonishing list of world leaders and statesmen, as well as countless thousands of adoring fans all over the world. She sold 11 million records before she was 16. Now Charlotte is 26, and despite comparisons to Bjork, Radiohead and Kate Bush, there is no mistaking the spirit and originality she conveys on her new tracks. Charlotte is enjoying the creative freedom that self-releasing brings, she is working with local musicians and recording in her own studio, allowing Charlotte to express herself honestly and openly. Taken together, both EP's are beautiful, emotional records that move through patches of delicacy, strength, vulnerability and confidence. The tone varies from the tautness and intensity of 'TWO's 'Nerve' to the ethereal lustre of 'How Not To Be Surprised When You're A Ghost' from 'ONE'; the bluster of 'Beautiful Wreck' contrasting with end-of-the-world lament 'Lasts, or Eschaton'. Listening to these two EP's, it becomes clear that Church has finally found her true sound.
March 26 at 7:00 PM
$15
For the first time in the US, Luxembourg vibraphone player Pascal Schumacher showcases the music of his award winning album Bang my Can, released on ENJA Records. His quartet features Franz von Chossy on piano, Christophe Devisscher on bass and Jens Düppe on drums. "Schumacher is one of the finest vibes players in contemporary jazz. This is an imaginative band, with the talent to use that imagination creatively. The resulting music puts the Quartet at the forefront of European jazz." -Bruce Lindsay, Allaboutjazz
TECLA'S "WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES" ALBUM RELEASE SHOW
March 26 at 9:30 PM
$15
NYC sonic renegade Tecla Esposito will release her second full-length studio album, We Are The Lucky Ones, on March 19th via Mayimba Music. We Are The Lucky Ones is a kaleidoscopic album that evinces the spectrum of Tecla's life and musical journey from a child piano prodigy to years singing, rapping, djing, and producing in New York's underground. We Are The Lucky Ones was entirely written by Tecla. The album's genre-defying sound infuses Tecla's uncompromising songwriting and rap lyricism with tropical, Caribbean, pop and funk elements.
March 27 at 7:30 PM
$20 Advance / $25 Door
You wouldn't be wrong to refer to Word to the Wise, the latest outing from songwriter, singer and Titan of the Telecaster Bill Kirchen, as a "duets" album. The record-Kirchen's second for Proper American, hitting May 25-is crammed to the brim with memorable appearances from a revolving cast of characters including Norton Buffalo, Paul Carrack, Commander Cody, Elvis Costello, Blackie Farrell, Dan Hicks, Nick Lowe, Maria Muldaur and Asleep at the Wheel alumna Chris O'Connell. Justly famous for his indelible Telecaster sound on "Hot Rod Lincoln," his 1972 Top 10 hit with Commander Cody, Kirchen has been everywhere since he first plugged in during the mid-'60s: he was a founding member of the legendary Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, he's released eight critically acclaimed solo albums, he's toured internationally with Nick Lowe and has performed with the likes of Doug Sahm, Gene Vincent, Elvis Costello, Dan Hicks, Emmylou Harris and Link Wray. Each step of the way, he's made a deep impression with his singular six-string virtuosity. As the Washington Post's Mike Joyce put it, "The folks who make Fender Telecasters ought to stop what they're doing and cut Bill Kirchen a fat check."
THE NY THEREMIN SOCIETY PRESENTS "THE UNTOUCHABLES"
March 27 at 9:30 PM
$15
Performances on Theremin by: Dorit Chrysler, Benjamin Ickies, Scott Robinson, Rob Schwimmer & special guest Joe McGinty on Therevox. Founded by Suzanne Fiol and Dorit Chrysler, musician/composer, the NY Theremin Society launched its concert series December 2nd 2005, bringing together skilled interpreters on Theremin, each presenting their solo works and joining in an experimental Theremin Orchestra. Those concert series took place at Issue Project Room and sold out regularly, featuring noted players such as Pamelia Kurstin, Dalit Warshaw, Anthony Ptak, Elizabeth Brown, David Simons & Armen Ra, just to name a few. The NY Theremin Society started to serve as a platform for Thereminists and Enthusiasts and its mission statement evolved; namely to exchange, inspire and educate, as well as to demonstrate the surprising variety of different approaches that this relatively young and unique instrument has to offer in the contemporary world of music. The NY Theremin Society was instrumental in the recreation of a Ten Piece Theremin Orchestra performing at the LA Disney Hall (emulating the first Theremin orchestra concert taking place at Carnegie Hall in 1930.)
ABIGAIL WASHBURN: POST-AMERICAN GIRL (PART OF NEW YORK VOICES)
March 28, 29, and 30 at 7:00 PM
$15
Commissioned by Joe's Pub at The Public as part of its New York Voices series, Abigail Washburn's Post-American Girl is a stage piece about a young woman coming of age in a swiftly changing global order. It features folk arts of China and Appalachia in shadow puppetry, sacred harp song, traditional music, new compositions and special guests Kuang Yu Fong (founder and Master Vocalist at Chinese Theater Works); Stephen Kaplin (Puppeteer & Set Design); composer, violinist and violist Jeremy Kittel; Chinese percussion master Tian Gang; cellist Tristan Clarridge; Guzheng master Junling Wang, actress Jennifer Limand director Meiyin Wang of The Public's Under The Radar. A singing, songwriting, Illinois-born, Nashville-based clawhammer banjo player, Washburn is every bit as interested in the present and the future as she is in the past, and every bit as attuned to the global as she is to the local. Abigail pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody's ever heard before.
SLAVIC SOUL PARTY! PLAYS ELLINGTON: THE FAR EAST SUITE
March 28 at 9:30 PM
$16
Slavic Soul Party! plays with the idea of "the east" to re-imagine Duke Ellington's iconic Far East Suite through the filter of East European brass. With fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, Gypsy accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops, Slavic Soul Party! is just what it says. These nine musicians have created an acoustic mash-up of Balkan and Gypsy sounds with North American music, weaving the gospel, funk, dub, jazz, and Latin influences of New York's neighborhoods seamlessly into a Balkan brass setting and always "delivering a great time." (New York Times) Tonight SSP! debuts their interpretation of the Far East Suite and kicks off a monthly series of special programs at Joe's Pub.
FEATURING DERRICK N ASHONG & SOULFÈGE, DENITIA, AZANIA, OSEKRE, AND GONE QUITE MAD
March 29 at 9:30 PM
$12 Advance / $15 Door
Aputumpu is a new archive that tracks and profiles rising bands in Brooklyn and beyond. The Aputumpu Festival celebrates the work of rising bands who are on the verge of greatness. This year's showcase at Joe's Pub includes Derrick N. Ashong & Soulfège, Denitia, Azania, Osekre and Gone Quite Mad.
JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND: MX. AMERICA
March 30 at 9:30 PM
$25
In Mx America trans-disciplinary artist Justin Vivian Bond explores "ways of seeing and being seen" as a patriot, a gender non-conformist and a cabaret artist. This brand new production incorporates video, spoken word, and original songs from V's critically acclaimed records Dendrophile and Silver Wells, plus a few cheap jokes V bought off a drunk queen in San Francisco. As the singular finalist in this pageant Mx Bond expects to be judged in such categories as presentation, economic status, mental health, family values, and talent all while creating an elegantly formidable evening of beauty and delight.
KENYON PHILLIPS & THE LADIES IN WAITING
March 30 at 11:30 PM
$15
Felliniesque front man Kenyon Phillips whips glam rock, surrealist theater, and cabaret into a heady froth with a little help from his all-girl backing band, The Ladies In Waiting, and cameos by downtown celebs Joey Arias, Michael Musto, Mina Caputo, and 92 year-old chanteuse Ilona Royce Smithkin. "Kenyon Phillips is a superstar. He's the love child of Luther Vandross and Steven Tyler." - Village Voice
SCREAM ALONG WITH BILLY: TWIN PEEPS (A DAVID LYNCH EASTER MASS)
March 31 at 7:00 PM
$20
Billy Hough and Susan Goldberg return to Joe's Pub with an all-star cast in an all-new show: TWIN PEEPS, a tribute to David Lynch's iconic films. Come and see the "provocative" (Time Out), "mesmerizing" (New Yorker), "hilarious" (New York Magazine), and "terrifying" (Banner) duo present their usual blend of punk rock, sex, drugs, and chaos, filtered through a Lynchian lens. After last Easter's infamous tribute to Robert Altman's "Nashville," Hough and Goldberg return to the scene of the crime with an army of guest stars and surprises.
March 31 at 9:30 PM
$15 in advance; $20 at the door
After taking the nation by storm with her sold-out comeback tour, Jomama Jones and her musical director Bobby Halvorson secreted themselves in the recording studio in Los Angeles. They've emerged with a dozen fresh cut songs and they invite you to this special, intimate concert event to hear their new music. The forthcoming new album, Flowering, contains songs of renewal, longing, confrontation and delight. Jomama will bring you her trademark humor and heart and mischief. Jomama and Bobby are joined by bassist Michael O'Brien, trumpeter John Raymond, keyboardist Ted Cruz and celebrated singerHelga Davis.
Visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows and to purchase tickets, or call 212-967-7555, or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office (1 PM to 6 PM) located at 425 Lafayette Street, NYC.
ABOUT JOE'S PUB AT THE PUBLIC: Joe's Pub is one of New York City's most celebrated venues for emerging and legendary performing artists. Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub debuted in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting new artists while providing established artists with a safe, intimate space to develop new work. Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home. Open seven days a week, dinner and drink service is available during every performance. www.joespub.com
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. www.publictheater.org
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