Nellie McKay Brings Eclectic Cabaret-Rock To Helsinki Hudson

Cabaret-rock singer-songwriter Nellie McKay brings her uniquely eccentric blend of pop, rock, jazz and hip-hop to Club Helsinki Hudson on Sunday, March 8, at 8pm.

The multi-talented Nellie McKay made her smash debut in 2004 with her groundbreaking double-CD, "Get Away from Me," showcasing her eclectic musical reach and her dazzling lyrical wit (which extended to the album's title, a subtle play on the breakthrough album by a somewhat similarly inclined pop-folk jazz singer named Norah Jones).

McKay has released seven full-length albums, including "Normal as Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day" and "My Weekly Reader," featuring music of the 1960s, produced by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick. Most recently, she released a pair of albums, "Bagatelles" and "Sister Orchid," in which she put her idiosyncratic touch to pre-rock pop standards.

McKay won a Theatre World Award for her Broadway portrayal of Polly Peachum in The Threepenny Opera; co-created and starred in the award winning off-Broadway hit Old Hats; and has conceived and performed musical biographies of Barbara Graham, Rachel Carson, Joan Rivers, & Billy Tipton (named one of the Best Concerts of the Year by the New York Times). Most recently, McKay was a featured performer and composer in Ethan Coen's "A Play Is a Poem," at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

McKay performed onscreen in the films "PS I Love You" and "Downtown Express" and wrote original music for the Rob Reiner film "Rumor Has It" and the Emmy Award-winning documentary, "Gasland."

McKay's music has been heard on the TV shows Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Weeds, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS and Nurse Jackie, and she has appeared on numerous TV shows including The Late Show with David Letterman (with the Brooklyn Philharmonic). In 2010, the Chase Brock Experience produced a ballet of Obligatory Villagers, and McKay contributed the foreword to the 20th anniversary edition of "The Sexual Politics of Meat," by Carol J. Adams. Her writing has also appeared in The Onion, Interview, and the New York Times Book Review.

A recipient of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Humanitarian Award in recognition of her dedication to animal rights, McKay is a vocal advocate for feminism, civil rights and other deeply felt progressive ideals.

For reservations in The Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800. For the most up-to-date concert information, visit www.helsinkihudson.com.