Joe's Pub Hosts Beck Song Reader Stage at MMNY Today

Joe's Pub at The Public has announced the Beck Song Reader Stage during Make Music New York, the annual festival of free concerts in public spaces throughout all five boroughs, today, June 21 from 11am - 7pm.

The Beck Song Reader Stage will be hosted by Joe's Pub outdoors at its downtown home at Astor Place and feature the music of Beck Hansen's groundbreaking 2012 album the Song Reader. The album consists of 20 songs published as sheet music byMcSweeney's. No recorded version of the album exists-in order to hear the songs, they must be performed live.

The Joe's Pub artists performing the Song Reader are romping anti-folk collective The Fall Café All Stars (featuring members ofBalthrop, Alabama), the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music's jazz improv group Great Time, talented student ensemble The Lazy Flies, bass virtuoso Robert Lundberg, 18-piece orchestral outfit Mother Falcon, acclaimed Theremin player and composer Rob Schwimmer and Brooklyn indie band The Universal Thump.

Make Music New York is now in its seventh year. Joe's Pub has participated in the festival since 2010. For more information on Make Music New York or the Beck Song Reader Stage at Joe's Pub, visit makemusicny.org.

The Beck Hansen Song Reader Stage at Make Music New York, presented by Joe's Pub at The Public Theater, will host concerts on June 21, 11 AM - 7 PM. Details: http://makemusicny.org/schedule/#!/feature/song-reader

SCHEDULE:

11:15 - 11:45pm Rob Lundberg (Solo Double Bass)

Robert Lundberg is a bassist, photographer and curious person originally from Wisconsin. While residing in New York for the past 7 years, Robert attended the New School, studying jazz and improvised music as well as history, and studying privately with renowned bassist/composer Mark Helias. Robert has had the opportunity to perform all over the US, Canada and Europe in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to living rooms and many in between. His solo pieces for double bass often draw on his work with photography as well as his interest in how water is viewed and used in contemporary society.

12:00 - 12:20pm Rob Schwimmer (Solo Theremin)

Rob Schwimmer is a composer-pianist/keyboardist, thereminist and Continuum player who has performed and recorded throughout the world. A founding member of the highly acclaimed Polygraph Lounge music and comedy duo, Rob was recently the piano soloist at the Crested Butte Festival in Colorado playing his own piano version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Rob was also theremin soloist with The Orchestra of St. Luke's at Caramoor playing the premiere of Bernard Herrmann's Scene d'Amour from Vertigo performed with theremin for the first time. Recent recording sessions include Trey Anastasio (on piano, theremin, Continuum, clavioline, Farfisa, vibes and celeste) and Paul Simon (on Continuum.)

12:40 - 1:40pm Great Time

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music is an innovative undergraduate college in the heart of New York City. Great Time is a group of New School Jazz students that play "Live, improvised future beatz for your health". Bassist Zack Hartmann is leading out a special version of the band, created just for this Make Music New York performance at Joe's Pub.

2:00 - 3:00 The Universal Thump

The Universal Thump is a Brooklyn-based band and production team led by Greta Gertler (piano, voice) and Adam D. Gold (drums, voice and more). Greta and Adam began recording The Universal Thump in Adam's recording studio (Oh Real Yum) in late 2009. Gradually, they brought in over 30 of their favorite musicians, including Roy Nathanson (Jazz Passengers), Rachelle Garniez, Jonathan Maron(Groove Collective), Oren Bloedow (Elysian Fields), members of OSSO string quartet, Barney McAll, backing vocalists Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses), Cat Martino, Courtney Kaiser, Clare Muldaur Manchon (Clare & The Reasons), Noe Venable, Carol Lipnik, Serena Jost and more, to layer an orchestral pop feast.

3:20 - 4:20pm The Lazy Flies

The Lazy Flies are an ensemble assembled specifically for the MMNY Beck Song Reader performance, comprised of musicians from New York University (both current students and alumni) who play in various NYC-based groups, among them the jazz ensemble Manhattan Nocturne and rock stalwarts The Academy Blues Project. The set will also feature the talents of music students of all ages from the Harlem Success Academy as special guest soloists.

4:40 - 5:40pm The Fall Café All Stars (featuring members of Balthrop, Alabama)

In 2006, Alabama-born songwriter-siblings Pascal and Lauren Balthrop moved to Brooklyn to start a band and ended up founding a town. Balthrop, Alabama, with a population of 11 or so, is their bustling folk rock township. Musically, the band travels the line between antebellum and anti-folk, singing songs of love, dead people, and dead people in love. In 2007, they released their double-album debut, "Your Big Plans and Our Little Town," on End Up Records, their friendly neighborhood record label. The Fall Café All Stars will feature Lauren Balthrop, Andrew Vladeck (Banjo, guitar, vocals), Chris Buckridge (Vocals, Bass, guitar and sax), Michael Quoma (Vocals, guitar), Alex Suarez (Baritone sax, vocals), Jason Lawrence (drums, vocals), Ray Saperstein (cornet), Michael Arthur (drawing, vocals).

6:00 - 7:00pm Mother Falcon

Mother Falcon are still coming down from a six-performance run at this year's SXSW, where they were cited as one of Bob Boilen's "15 Essential Moments From SXSW 2013." Born in Austin, Texas, Mother Falcon began to coalesce around multi-instrumentalist and composer Nick Gregg while still teenagers, coming together via orchestral and chamber music classes. Composing as a collective, the 18-piece ensemble includes several multi-instrumentalists, and most players contribute vocals as well. Mother Falcon includes three cellos, six violins, pianos, a horn section, a bassoon and a glockenspiel. The band also has a four-date residency at Joe's Pub featuring special guests that culminates in performances with Raul Midon (June 23) and a performance of Radiohead's OK Computer on June 30: http://bit.ly/114upPv

About Beck Hansen's Song Reader

Beck is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. The four-time platinum artist rose to underground popularity with his early works, which combined social criticism with musical and lyrical experimentation. He first earned wider public attention for his breakthrough single "Loser" (1994). Beck is known for creating musical collages of a wide range of styles. His 1996 album Odelay was awarded Album of the Year by Rolling Stone and by UK publications NME and Mojo, and received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Both Odelay and Sea Change appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". http://bit.ly/UxbAfD

About Make Music New York Festival

Make Music New York takes place simultaneously with similar festivities in more than 514 cities around the world - a global celebration of music making. From 10 in the morning to 10 at night, musicians of all ages, creeds, and musical persuasions - from hip hop to opera, Latin jazz to punk rock - perform on streets, sidewalks, stoops, plazas, cemeteries, parks and gardens. From high school bands to marquee names, MMNY is open to anyone who wants to take part, enjoyed by everyone who wants to attend. makemusicny.org.

Visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows or call 212-967-7555 for more information.

ABOUT JOE'S PUB AT THE PUBLIC Joe's Pub at The Public is one of New York City's most celebrated venues for emerging and established performance 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 young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and 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, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually. The diverse roster of programming featured at Joe's Pub includes top performers from Broadway, cabaret, dance, world, singer-songwriter, jazz, country and indie genres as well as New York Voices, its commissioning initiative, today's rising stars and GRAMMY Award winners. Joe's Pub also collaborates with other Public Theater programs to present events such as the Under the Radar Incoming series and the Public Forum lecture and debate series. The New York Times has praised Joe's Pub as at the "nexus" of "a downtown axis of clubs whose performers gleefully fuzz the boundaries between old and new, and between pop, rock, jazz, rhythm-and-blues, swing, country, world music and performance art." Its elegant neoclassical design, intimate atmosphere, and superior acoustics have consistently landed the venue on annual Best of New York lists. A top-to-bottom renovation was completed in 2011, leading to improved sightlines, expanded seating capacity and a new menu from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini.

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