Gordon Voidwell, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Bombadil and More Set for Joe's Pub, 7/9-20
By: BWW News Desk Jul. 08, 2014
Joe's Pub at the Public Theater has announced its shows, running July 9 - 20, 2014. Details below!
Wednesday, July 9 at 7:30 PM
$12
Kamara Thomas is a song-speller and storyteller. Her newest work Tularosa is a song-cycle and musical theater work-in-development that explores the mythology of the American West and the cultural, economic, religious and environmental movements that have shaped the American Dream. Thomas performed, recorded and toured nationally and internationally for over ten years as singer-bassist in the rock band Earl Greyhound, and fronted Americana group Kamara Thomas & The Ghost Gamblers, who in 2013 released their debut album EARTH HERO. In 2005 Kamara returned to her roots in theater and began writing, developing and performing musical storytelling experiences. Her work BULGARIA, a dark fairy-tale examining rock-n-roll mythology and the feminine creative experience, has seen numerous workshop presentations in New York.
BRIDGET EVERETT: ROCK BOTTOM (special preview performances)
Wednesday & Thursday, July 9 & 10 at 9:30 PM
$22
In Rock Bottom, Bridget Everett, who The New York Times has called "a pure id on the rampage," barrels through life tip-toeing toward disaster, wine bottle by wine bottle and man by man. Instead of succumbing to her chardonnay-induced stupor, Bridget embraces a series of revelations that lead this voice of an angel to redemption. Rock Bottom is what happens when you're too passionate to give up, and too big to fail. The show will feature new original songs plus a few old favorites from Everett's wildly popular monthly showcase at the Pub with her band the Tender Moments. These performances are special preview performances preceding the full theatrical run of Rock Bottom, which opens The Public Theater's 2014-2015 season.
Thursday, July 10 at 7:00 PM
$22.50
Nora York, singer, performance artist and Joe's Pub favorite, presents her new multimedia concert, Fables and Yarns, which combines the work of post-pop history painter Jerry Kearns and York's music compositions. Fables and Yarns joins the vision of these two iconic artists, as they, "keep an eye on things." York will jump cut through American culture as she fact checks rapid fire shifts in the narrative. Her two musical adventures, Water Water Everywhere (Joe's Pub 2013, commissioned by the Robert Rauschenburg Foundation) and Jump (Under the Radar Festival 2011) embraced Baroque and Classical operatic musical sources. This show marks her return to Rock and Roll, Country and Gospel music. Her band is Jamie Lawrence, piano; Dave Hofstra, bass; Steve Tarshis, guitar; Peter Grant, drums; and Sherryl Marshall, voice.
Friday, July 11 at 7:30 PM
$16
The Amigos return to Joe's Pub, joined by virtuoso percussionists for a show fusing deep grooves of various cultures with the Amigos' Americana grab bag of original and traditional songs. The Amigos deliver foot-stomping, accordion-infused Americana music blending folk-rock, zydeco/cajun, and hot jazz. Rockin' solos, dare-devil harmony singing, and wild western-wear have taken the Amigos from sold-out shows at Lincoln Center to the Philadelphia Folk Festival and Nashville's Music City Roots. Fresh off of a six-week tour of Southeast Asia, The Amigos are gearing up for an exciting summer schedule that includes opening for the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Tab Benoit, and performances at the Kerrville Folk Festival, Ola Belle Reed Festival, and Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival.
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).
Friday & Saturday, July 11 & 12 at 11:30 PM
$30
PAM ANN returns to the Pub with her show, Fly, her most UN PC, filthiest, topical, funniest, most explosive show to date. Pam will hit the JFK tarmac Asiana style, and take passengers on the flight of their lives from check-in to security, boarding and (hopefully) landing with filthy material guaranteed to make your toes curl and have you gagging for more. With enough chutzpah and insider knowledge to rival a Qantas CEO, no one - bar no one - does airline satire quite like Pam. Her genius mix of camp, culture, humor and Pucci-clad fabulousness has seen her crew Elton John's private jet, share a stage with Cher, and count Madonna in her legion of cult-like dedicated fans worldwide.
LUCY WAINWRIGHT ROCHE & SUZZY ROCHE
Saturday, July 12 at 7:00 PM
$22.50
Mother/daughter duo Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche are celebrating their first album, Fairytale and Myth, and were recently featured on NPRs Mountain Stage. Suzzy Roche is a founding member of The Roches, the much beloved trio of three sisters. Lucy Wainwright Roche will release her fourth solo recording, There's a Last Time for Everything, in the fall of 2013.
Saturday, July 12 at 9:30 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."
ADAM ENRIGHT: GOOD BITCH GOES DOWN
Sunday, July 13 at 7:30 PM
SOLD OUT
Armed with a badass rock band and the voice of a fallen angel, Adam Enright takes the stage for a killer cabaret in Good Bitch Goes Down. Witty original songs, stylized pop covers and playful mash-ups tell the ludicrous tale of one man's descent from a prudish moral high ground to the dark side. Join him on a brutally funny journey to self-discovery. Good Bitch Goes Down showcases a comic and subtly moving performance about losing yourself on the way to finding out who you really are. Enright's previous performances include the title role in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (Los Angeles), Progressive Theatre Workshop's GOD HATES THIS SHOW at HERE Arts Center and can be seen singing at Damn The Light Productions' monthly party MIDNIGHT SPECIAL.
FACING OUR TRUTH: TEN-MINUTE PLAYS ON TRAYVON, RACE AND PRIVILEGE
Sunday, July 13 at 9:30 PM
SOLD OUT
One year ago, the country was shocked by the not guilty verdict rendered in the George Zimmerman trial. The New Black Fest responded by commissioning eight diverse artists to respond to the themes of race and privilege in America. What resulted are six gorgeous ten minute plays, some hilarious and some sorrowful. With the wide range of perspective they bring, the plays incite serious discussion in our collective communities around these urgent issues.
On the anniversary of the Zimmerman verdict, the Public Theater and National Black Theatre in association with The New Black Fest are proud to present free readings of these plays in Joe's Pub. The six plays, which will be directed by Saheem Ali and Patricia McGregor, were written by Dominique Morisseau, Winter Miller, Dan O'Brien with Grammy winner Quetzal Flores, Marcus Gardley, Mona Mansour and Tala Manassah, and A. Rey Pamatmat.
Presented by the Public Theater and National Black Theatre in Association with The New Black Fest
Facing Our Truth is NOT associated with the Trayvon Martin Foundation.
Monday, July 14 at 7:30 PM
$22
The riveting songstress Floanne returns to the Pub with her magnetic solo show Love is French. Floanne has an unparalleled passion for lyrics and acoustics - she is an instrument, resonating songs with her chanteuse and coloratura sound. Her show contrasts old-fashioned romantic songs in a didactic presentation, dissecting with humor and wisdom the cliché that love can be. Floanne has been one of our regular performers since 2012. With her acting and improv chops, she lifts the concert experience to a theatrical presentation: the perfect Bastille Day affair for the culturally hungry New Yorker.
TATIANA EVA-MARIE & THE AVALON JAZZ BAND
Monday, July 14 at 9:30 PM
$14
With a repertoire of timeless standards with a hot twist celebrating France, love and music, Avalon Jazz Band has established itself as the ambassador of Parisian swing spirit in New York City. Avalon's co-leaders, the charismatic vocalist Tatiana Eva-Marie, who has been called "one of the best young singers around" by The Wall Street Journal, and the virtuosic le jazz hot violinist Adrien Chevalier, create a beautiful balance between freewheeling Gypsy energy and the deep sensitivity of French jazz. This tribute concert for the French National Day (aka "Bastille Day") celebrates the music of the Zazous, the wartime swing kids of Paris who adopted swing as their lifestyle in a cry for freedom and expression of nonconformity. Come discover obscure French tunes and enjoy classic favorites made famous by Charles Trenet, Yves Montand, Juliette Gréco with a fresh gypsy jazz sound inspired by Django Rheinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. Avalon Jazz Band will be joined by a young Manouche guitar master from Finland, Olli Soikkeli, and one of the most prolific clarinetists on the hot jazz scene and a specialist in French swing, Dan Levinson.
Tuesday, July 15 at 7:00 PM
$12
The Dupont Brothers are two brothers reunited after years of geographical separation through a fortified collaboration in music. Blending the contemplative winters of the northeast with the solitary beauty of south western desert, Sam and Zack DuPont are co-conspirators in a shared passion that runs deep in their family. Lush finger-style guitar work is complimented by elegant prose and a vocal blend that could only be matched by blood relation. The sound is Vermont Made Folk-Americana.
Tuesday, July 15 at 9:30 PM
$14
Intricately epic, viscerally cerebral: Deb Oh & the Cavaliers are a powerful study in contrasts. With orchestral, piano-driven arrangements that have grown fiercer over time, this NYC-based band boasts a singular sound led by Deb Oh's equally singular voice - a subtle mix of soul and sheer drive. The Huffington Post said, "Deb Oh and her troop are quickly making a name for themselves in the NYC music scene with their richly layered arrangements and commanding vocals, drawing comparisons to acts such as Feist, London Grammar and Daughter."
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.
Wednesday, July 16 at 9:30 PM
$16
Known for her absurdist humor and "magnetic diva aggression" (NYT), Erin Markey creates an at once riotous and unexpectedly moving performance about figuring out who you might be. Developed with Kenny Mellman (The Julie Ruin, Kiki and Herb, Our Hit Parade), original music and pop covers score the frailties of midwestern family life and salvation by Bible-Belt Christians, leotards, hurricanes and psoriasis. Kenny Mellman plays piano. Emily Bate (Potpurri of Pearls) plays guitar and sings back-up vocals.
Thursday, July 17 at 7:00 PM
$20
The incomparable "cabaret star" (NY Magazine) Lady Rizo is back for an unchaperoned evening of song and decadence. You may have seen her here at Joe's Pub with her "glam bottom baring dance troupe the Assettes" (Village Voice), in the monthly series Our Hit Parade, or midtown at the gothic Night Hotel co-hosting the weekly transnational lounge Foreign Affairs. Her seamless mix of baudy humor and elegance has been likened to Mae West but it's her vocal chops that have garnered recent attention: collaborating with both Yo-Yo Ma & Moby on albums this year, singing selections of the American Songbook in front of the internationally acclaimed 36 -piece orchestra The Knights, and at MOMA for a sold out cabaret for the Kirchner Exhibit. Let her lashes beguile you as she interprets an irresistible mix of popular songs from all eras backed by some of the finest musicians in New York City.
TAKE IT PERSONAL: THE HIP-HOP IMPROV SHOW
Thursday, July 17 at 9:30 PM
$12
DJ Cipha Sounds, of Hot 97FM and Chappelle's show, has uncovered the ancient connection between Hip Hop and Improv. The powers that be have been trying to keep them separated for generations... We will risk our freedom to bring them back together. This show consists of a surprise Hip-Hop star mesmerizing the crowd with some amazing true life stories, and normal rapper shenanigans. This will then spark the creativity of some of the country's best improvisers to create a live comedy show on the spot... You will NOT be disappointed.
JILLETTE JOHNSON / GAYATHRI KRISHNAN
Friday, July 18 at 7:30 PM
$15
For Jillette Johnson the journey has been as integral to her musical experience as the destination. Jillette, who began taking music lessons and penning songs as a child, has been performing live since she was 12, captivating audiences with her sultry, thoughtful piano-driven tunes. The musician, now 24, has spent the last decade cultivating her sound and defining her unique perspective. When she moved to New York City from her small town of Pound Ridge, NY at 18, Jillette was already familiar with the city and its clubs, from Sidewalk Café to The Bitter End, To Rockwood Music Hall and now Joe's Pub.
With songs that range from evocatively low rumbling and moody ambiences to brutal and intense anthemic melodies, independent singer/songwriter Gayathri Krishnan's voice is her identity. Reigning from Dubai, a champion of the independent movement with a growing and active fan base, her debut album 'The Unknown' is the result of a highly successful crowd-funding campaign. One of the highest rated unsigned artists to date by RollingStone ME, Gayathri spent the last year touring Asia & Middle East playing festivals and renowned music venues, achieving milestones along the way such as becoming a TEDx performer and speaker as well as collaborating with Grammy-winning artist Joss Stone.
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.
Friday, July 18 at 11:30 PM
$15
Welcome to El Caribefunk---an exotic fusion of Salsa, Funk, and Reggae, where undeniable rhythm and poetry express intense color and feeling and inspire "alegría." This band of Colombians has built a fervent underground following with 2.5 years of nearly non-stop touring in South America. They've headlined festivals with acts like Bomba Estereo and Herencia de Timbiqui, played live on Colombian National Radio, and performed on numerous national television programs including TeleAntioquia and RadioUno, but can still be found playing casually in the plaza after a show or jamming with street musicians. Whether or not you planned to, El Caribefunk's rhythm and positive energy will have you on your feet and dancing from the first note.
Karikatura makes life-affirming, body-shaking music that moves people around the world. While the band has toured everywhere from Japan to Brazil, New York City is home. With bright horns, socially conscious lyrics and booty-bouncing beats, Karikatura delivers real songs that transcend style and genre. An organic synthesis of all the music heard blasting out of car windows and shops onto the streets of NYC, Karikatura lives where cumbia meets hip-hop, reggae meets klezmer and indie-rock meets afrobeat. Neither purist nor revivalist, this is music of the present, for the future. The band is about to release its debut full-length album, Eyes Wide, on Ropeadope Records, following up two EPs and DIY tours of Europe, Asia and South America.
Saturday, July 19 at 7:00 PM
$12 adv / $15 door
Raised in an eclectic musical household, Natalie Cressman has only continued to diversify and expand her musical universe. Still in her early 20s, the trombonist/composer/vocalist has assimilated the full range of her sonic influences into a startlingly mature, strikingly original voice that melds the sophistication of modern jazz with captivating storytelling and intoxicating melodies reminiscent of indie rock's most distinctive songwriters.
Cressman has spent much of the last four years touring the jam band circuit with Phish's Trey Anastasio, while also performing with jazz luminaries Nicholas Payton, Wycliffe Gordon, and Peter Apfelbaum. Those varied experiences are reflected on her gorgeous second release, Turn the Sea. Anastasio calls the album "a beacon of light in an increasingly cold and mechanized era of music. Natalie is standing on the precipice of an incredible life in music, and if this album is any indication of where she's headed, then I'll be listening every step of the way."Saturday, July 19 at 9:30 PM
$12
Real beats, real rapping, real champagne, real realness. Champagne Jerry closes out his yearlong monthly residency with the release of his album For Real, You Guys. The self-proclaimed Greatest Rapper in the World paired each show to a thematic single, culminating in the release of this album. Champagne Jerry, also known as Neal Medlyn, is a rapper and performance artist who, along with his main producer, Max Tannone and his onstage entourage, the Champagne Club, seek to transform the world every single time they hit the stage.
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.
Sundays, July 20-August 10 at 12 Noon
$30
New Orleans musicians laid the cornerstone for a large swath of American music, and Allen Toussaint is among the city's most gifted players. As a composer, arranger, producer, pianist and singer, Allen has created an enduring body of work that includes local hits by Irma Thomas and Lee Dorsey; songs covered by Glen Campbell, the Rolling Stones and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss; national hits by Ernie K-Doe and LaBelle; and collaborations with Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello, all in addition to his own recording career. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in July, 2013.
CLARA SANABRAS: SONGS OF SPANISH EXILE ALBUM RELEASE
Sunday, July 20 at 7:00 PM
$14
Sioux and Gypsy blood runs through Clara Sanabras' veins. Born in France, raised in Barcelona, now a Londoner, her enigmatic voice and multi-instrumentalism feature in top Hollywood soundtracks such as The Hobbit, The Hunger Games, Snow White and The Huntsman. With her new album "El Vol Dispers", she returns to her roots with an elegy to exile. Expect a visionary, musically expansive voyage. This show ispresented by renowned author Simon Schama, who will do a pre-show Q&A with the artist.
MELISA LE RUE LIVE: DEBUT EP RELEASE
Sunday, July 20 at 9:00 PM
$25
From a lost soul to the zippy, breezy "Let's Go," Melisa Le Rue playfully captures the thrill of letting go and seeking adventure. The song comprises of simple chords and a poppy bounce, with lyrics that are in parts cheeky ("do it al fresco in the sun"), social critique ("the men in suits how they prostitute their souls to the city so they can buy pretty girls") and transcendent ("give birth to new experience, see the world and feel it's essence"). The breadth of Le Rue's open-ness to the planet's possibilities comes from childhood. Her parents, an English Quaker father and Filipino Catholic mother, fostered teenagers including asylum seekers from Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, opening the musical child to experiences and sounds from across the world.
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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