JOE'S PUB LIVE! Continues With Alan Cumming, Shaina Taub and More

Joe's Pub, a program of The Public Theater, continues Joe's Pub LIVE!, its free series of live-streamed and archived performances from their iconic stage in New York City. Designed to facilitate social connection during this time of physical distancing, Joe's Pub will share events with audiences worldwide each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8PM Eastern.

This week's schedule of performances will feature a performance from the King of Calypso Mighty Sparrow on Thursday, April 16 at 8PM; a cabaret that blends icons Judy Garland, Kate Chopin, and Annie Lennox in Salty Brine's Living Record Collection: These Are The Contents of my Head on Friday, April 17 at 8PM; an evening of Cretan folk with a punk rock drive from Xylouris White on Saturday, April 18 at 8PM.

Beyond this week, other confirmed shows include a poetic meditation of political and social reform in the form of Carl Hancock Rux's Rux Revised on Thursday, April 23 at 8PM; prolific songwriter and Public Theater Artist in Residence Shaina Taub on Friday, April 24 at 8PM; a fusion of music, dance, theater, and fashion with The Illustrious Blacks' HYPERBOLIC! on Saturday, April 25 at 8PM; storyteller and provocateur for hire Alan Cumming's Legal Immigrant on Thursday, April 30 at 8PM; the 2020 Vanguard Gala Honoring Laurie Anderson on Friday, May 1 at 8PM; a concert from international ukulele virtuoso and songwriter Taimane on Saturday, May 2 at 8PM; a joyfully eclectic set from Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shazad Ismaily Trio on Thursday, May 7 at 8PM; a night of song celebrating a myriad of love's forms with Martha Redbone on Friday, May 8 at 8PM; and Cheeyang & Khiyon: EASTBOUND, a new bilingual musical, on Saturday, May 9 at 8PM.

MIGHTY SPARROW

Thursday, April 16 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will be FREE and available to all on YouTube

The Mighty Sparrow has written over 600 songs and made over 80 albums. His career and legacy span the entire history of recordings, from 78s to digital downloads. His importance to the second half of 20th century music stands alongside Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, James Brown, and Frank Sinatra.

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on July 6, 2019.

SALTY BRINE'S LIVING RECORD COLLECTION:
THESE ARE THE CONTENTS OF MY HEAD

Friday, April 17 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

Imagining track lists as blueprints for evening of musical mayhem, cabaret artist Salty Brine brings you THE LIVING RECORD COLLECTION, a dazzling expedition into the heart of popular music that takes incredible albums and twists them in style and form until they are at once familiar and foreign, nostalgic and new.

Careening from Judy Garland's definitive 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall to Kate Chopin's groundbreaking feminist novel The Awakening, Salty Brine unleashes the power of Annie Lennox's devastating debut solo album DIVA to reveal the stories of strong, defiant women and the little gay boy who loves them. It's feminism meets goddesses in THESE ARE THE CONTENTS OF MY HEAD: The Annie Lennox Show.

Created and performed by Salty Brine
Directed by Shaun Peknic
Arrangements and Music Direction by Ben Langhorst

Production Design by Christopher Bowser
Costume Design by Heather McDevitt Barton
Stage Management by Devin McCallion Fletcher

For The Living Record Collection:
Executive Producer Renee Blinkwolt
Producer Lucy Jackson

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on February 25 & 27, 2020.

XYLOURIS WHITE

Saturday, April 18 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

Xylouris White is firmly rooted in the past and future. Playing Cretan music of original and traditional composition, the band consists of Georgios Xylouris on Cretan laouto and vocals and Jim White on drum kit. Xylouris is known and loved by Cretans and Greeks at home and abroad and has been playing professionally from age 12. White is an Australian drummer known and loved throughout the world as the drummer of Dirty Three, Venom P Stinger, and now Xylouris White. For the last four years, these two men have been performing as Xylouris White, the culmination of 25 years of friendship forged through music and place.

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on April 19, 2019.

Carl Hancock Rux: RUX REVISED

Thursday, April 23 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

Rux Revised is a celebration of Carl Hancock Rux's inaugural performance at Joe's Pub-a live recording (for the CD History & Memory), a poetic meditation of political and social reform pairing new and selected poem songs with improvisational classical electronic music. Rux is joined by Will Calhoun (sampling, Korg Waverdrum, guitar pedals, Mandala Drum), Chris Eddleton (upright drum), Hamilton "Fitz" Kirby (electronic samples), Daniel Bernard Roumain (violin), and Mimi Jones (bass).

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on April 19, 2019.

Shaina Taub

Friday, April 24 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

This performance by songwriter/performer Shaina Taub was captured during her (almost) monthly concert residency at Joe's Pub. Each show was a creative laboratory as she and her band debuted new songs, plus lots of selections from Old Hats and Visitors, and special guests joined along the way.

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on November 12, 2018.

THE ILLUSTRIOUS BLACKS: HYPERBOLIC!

Saturday, April 25 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

The Illustrious Blacks have arrived to save the world one beat at a time!

Once upon a time in a galaxy not far away, there lived two kings. Each was the ruler of his own deliciously glorious planet. The first king, Manchildblack, was well known throughout the cosmos for his ethereal vocals, celestial sonics, and earthy musical messages. The other king, Monstah Black, was a star in the solar system for his gravity defying performances, gender bending fashions, and spacey disposition. One magical night, an inexplicable ultra-magnetic pull forced the two planets to collide. A technicolored explosion occurred, turning night into day, with a feast of aural and visual delights. It was then that the universe was changed forever. Manchildblack and Monstah Black united and became The Illustrious Blacks!

The acclaimed duo fuse music, dance, theater, and fashion as the main ingredients to expand minds, shake bootys, and encourage all to be bold, be brave, and be you! #LiveTheHypeLife

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on September 20 & November 15, 2018.

Alan Cumming: LEGAL IMMIGRANT

Thursday, April 30 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

Alan Cumming has been described by Time Magazine as one of the most fun people in show business, by The New York Times as a "bawdy, countercultural sprite," and by The Guardian as "European, weird, and sexually ambiguous."

He has won over 30 awards for his humanitarianism and social activism, received both the Great Scot and Icon of Scotland awards from his homeland, and was made an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for his contributions to the arts and LBGT equality by the Queen, whose portrait was taken down when his was unveiled at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in 2014!

Alan Cumming is many things to many people - renaissance man, style icon, social activist, bon viveur - but to himself he is a storyteller and provocateur for hire.

He lives in New York City and Edinburgh with his husband, illustrator Grant Shaffer, and their dogs, Jerry and Lala.

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on June 30, 2018.

2020 VANGUARD GALA HONORING Laurie Anderson

Friday, May 1 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

The Vanguard Award & Residency is an award and yearlong residency that celebrates the career of a singular artist who has contributed to American Life and pop culture and is part of the Joe's Pub family of artists. This artist also sustains and leads their own artistic community while creating a body of work that stands apart from their peers. Additionally, the award helps to close the music industry's widening gaps in funding.

Join us for a special performance in Joe's Pub celebrating Laurie Anderson with a slate of artists and friends, with music direction by Shara Nova (of My Brightest Diamond) and Chris Bruce leading and all-star band featuring Meshell Ndegeocello, Daniel Mintseris, Jack DeBoe, and performances from (in order of appearance):

Starr Busby with Stuart Bogie, Alex Koi & Colin Stetson - "From the Air"

Carl Hancock Rux - "The Puppet Motel"

Shara Nova with Stuart Bogie & Colin Stetson - "Beautiful Red Dress"

Theo Bleckmann - "Falling"

Alex Koi - "Gravity's Angel"

Theo Bleckmann & Helga Davis - "Walking and Falling"

Colin Stetson & DM Stith - "Fear of the Unknown and the Blazing Sun"

Nona Hendryx with Kiki Hawkins, Asa Lovechild & Alex Sopp - "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)"

Christina Courtin - "Flow"

Meg Harper directed by Derrick Belcham (film) with My Brightest Diamond - "The Beginning of Memory"

Joan as Police Woman - "Blue Lagoon"

Morley Shanti Kamen - "Only An Expert"

Justin Hicks - "Nothing Left but Their Names"

Mmeadows (Kristin Slipp & Cole Kamen-Green) - "Walk the Dog"

Meshell Ndegeocello - "O Superman"

Theo Bleckmann & Nona Hendryx - "In Our Sleep"

Gala Co-Chairs: Eric Ellenbogen & Dominic Ramos-Ruiz, Alicia Hall Moran, Megan Mullally, and Nick Offerman

Benefit Committee: David Bither, Jolean & David Breger, Linda Brumbach, Dr. Nadine Chang, Jeff Gates & Mike Moran, Bob Hurwitz, Joe Hall & Martin Dagata, Gary Lippman & Vera Szombathelyi, and Eileen O'Kane Kornreich

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on February 3, 2020.

TAIMANE

Saturday, May 2 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

International ukulele virtuoso and songwriter Taimane returned in January of 2019 following her Joe's Pub debut the previous fall. Since that time, Taimane has continued to build momentum by filling venues from coast to coast, performing to a crowd of over 20,000 at The Staples Center in Los Angeles, and releasing a new album, Elemental, which illuminates her maturation into a complete artist - songwriter, virtuoso, singer, and producer. On the recording, which features a song for each element ("Water," "Fire," "Air," "Earth," and "Ether"), Taimane continues her exploration of natural and metaphysical worlds and successfully weaves several distinct threads (classical, Latin, and ethereal) into a cohesive cloth, one that looks and feels like its unique creator - contemplative, as well as playful and fun.

From Bach to rock, flamenco infernos to tribal hymns, Taimane creates an enthralling experience that uplifts all. Come see the passion, talent, and grace that have garnered Taimane over 8 million video views and a legion of fans worldwide.

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on January 5, 2019.

AROOJ AFTAB, VIJAY IYER & SHAZAD ISMAILY TRIO

Thursday, May 7 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

Arooj Aftab is a neo-sufi and minimalist composer/singer who gracefully experiments and bends the lines between ancient mystic poetry, South Asian classical, jazz, soul, and electronic dreamscape music. In 2018, Aftab was named among NPR's 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women, and The New York Time's 25 Best Classical Songs of 2018. Aftab has opened for Mitski at the Brooklyn Steel, and has performed at MoMa's Summer Series and the Brooklyn Museum's First Saturday Series.

Vijay Iyer is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, producer, electronic musician, and writer based in New York City. He is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow. He became the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts at Harvard University in early 2014.

Shahzad Ismaily is a multi-instrumentalist composer, studio owner, and film scorer. Ismaily has recorded and performed with an incredibly diverse assemblage of musicians, including Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed, Tom Waits, and Jolie Holland to name a few.

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on April 28, 2019.

Martha Redbone

Friday, May 8 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

In a time when the world is filled with hatred, fear, and division, we want to remind ourselves of love, respect, peace and positivity, and healing. For Martha Redbone's concert during Valentine's week 2019, she offered a night of song celebrating love - self-love, fun love, funky love, love of humankind, love of the land, honoring the earth, ancestors, and our children's children. There's lots to celebrate! Congregate, and sing, with us!

Band line-up:
Aaron Whitby - keys, Musical Director
Fred Cash - bass
Marvin Sewell - guitar
Rocky Bryant - drums
Keith Anthony Fluitt - vocals and more

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on February 12, 2019.

CHEEYANG & KHIYON: EASTBOUND

Saturday, May 9 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube

"I don't want to just survive. I want to live." Told through the soundscape of a contemporary score amalgamated with traditional Chinese folk music and Mandopop, EASTBOUND is a new bilingual musical about the unexpected meeting of two brothers from opposite sides of the world, their quests for survival, and the power of choice.

Performed by Zachary Noah Piser (Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked), Jessica Tyler Wright (Broadway: War Horse, Sweeney Todd, Company), Ya Han Chang, Xiaoqing Zhang, Zachary Infante (Off-Broadway: Alice by Heart; Regional: Kiss My Aztec) and Cheeyang Ng (Tour: Vocalosity).

Book & Music by Cheeyang Ng
Book & Lyrics by Khiyon Hursey
Directed by Desdemona Chiang

Born and raised in Singapore, Cheeyang Ng is an award-winning singer-songwriter who has performed around the world, including Lincoln Center with Carole King and Carnegie Hall with a cappella group Vocalosity. They are the first Singaporean to headline a concert at Joe's Pub and Millennium Stage at Kennedy Center showcasing their original music, and their songs have been performed around New York, including The Duplex and Feinstein's/54 Below. They are a graduate of Berklee College of Music (BMus) and NYU (MFA). Musicals in development include EASTBOUND (Village Theatre Festival of New Musicals, NAMT Writers Grant, NYTB IMPACT Award) with Khiyon Hursey, ONLY US (Drama League Residency) and THE GOLDEN THRESHOLD (Live & In Color) with Eric Sorrels. Select credits include: 2019 ASCAP Foundation Lucille & Jack Yellen Award, 2019 Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, 2019 Prospect Musical Theatre Lab, and 2018 Front and Center with Tom Kitt.

Khiyon Hursey is a writer and composer based in Los Angeles and New York. A 2014 graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Songwriting, he recently finished a stint as a staff writer for Netflix's romantic musical drama, "Soundtrack". He is the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation's Irving Burgie Scholarship, Bart Howard Songwriting Scholarship, a 2016 NAMT Writers Grant, a 2016 - 2017 Dramatists Guild Musical Theater Fellow, 2017 Space on Ryder Farm Residency, 2018 Johnny Mercer Songwriter's Project residency, 2019 ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop with Stephen Schwartz, and the 2019 Rhinebeck Writer's Retreat.

Recorded live at Joe's Pub on January 18, 2020.