Nona Hendryx, Kamara Thomas, Audra Isadora/Boyfriend and More Set for Joe's Pub This Week
By: BWW News Desk Jul. 01, 2014
Joe's Pub at the Public has announced its upcoming performances this week, July 2-13, 2014. Details below!
Wednesday, July 2 at 7:00 PM
$15
Such is the enigmatic message which ushers us into the kaleidoscopic new album by incomparable Berlin-based band OY, aka Swiss-Ghanaian vocalist & musician Joy Frempong and drummer & producer Lleluja-Ha. A collection of colourful songs weaving OY's own strains of electronica, whirling drums and captivating & humorous storytelling, laced with distinctly African musical and lyrical elements, "No Problem Saloon" is driven by Joy's soulful, melodic and arrestingly versatile voice. Joy and Lleluja-Ha then started exploring the songs on stage, injecting further ideas into the pieces before finalizing the production. This quasi-alchemical process worked wonders, and resulted in a mesmerizing and thoroughly engaging album, which OY have managed to masterfully transpose to the stage, as their exhilarating, dynamic live show has already electrified crowds at prestigious events such as Transmusicales, Les Eurockéennes, Sonar, SXSW, Montreux Jazz and more.
Wednesday, July 2 at 9:30 PM
$16
Leading the new generation of soul crooners, Paul Loren sings songs that will make you move. A talented songwriter and producer, he takes elements from classic R&B, Pop and Jazz, and makes them truly his own. With a dynamic and powerful stage show, Paul Loren evokes the great Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding at their prime.
Thursday, July 3 at 7:30 PM
$14
Grammy Award-nominated progressive hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon and Indian classical violinist Nistha Raj present their collaborative works mixing genres of music native to their cultural upbringings; acoustic Hip-Hop, DC's Go-Go and Northern Indian classical music. Working for cultural acceptance and unification through music, Bacon is constantly pushing the envelope - from performances at the National Cathedral to becoming the first Hip-Hop artist to be featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and composing and orchestrating an entire concert for a 12-piece orchestra commissioned by the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute. Raj is an emerging fresh voice in creative and world music. Her recently self-released debut album, Exit 1, funded by the Sparkplug Foundation, has been described as "edgy, innovative, and clearly awe-inspiring...Indian fusion at its best" (Inside World Music).
ECHOES OF ETTA: A TRIBUTE TO ETTA JAMES
Thursday, July 3 at 9:30 PM
$30
Awarded the prestigious MAC Award for "2014 Show of the Year," William Blake (lead/co-creator) and Michael Thomas Murray (music director/arranger/co-creator) and the entire Echoes team are back to deliver this energetic, no-holds-barred performance that is sure to move you out of your seat. Blake, the Echoes band, and gorgeous back-up singers, "The Peaches," excel with stellar musicality led by Murray's rockin' authentic period arrangements with a contemporary twist. This combined with one of the greatest songbooks of all time is sure to have audiences jumping to their feet. Blake delivers palpable life to these long-loved classic songs in this musical testimonial to the legend who bridged the gap between Rock 'n' Roll and Rhythm and Blues. Fans can expect to hear many of their favorite Etta James tunes such as, A Sunday Kind of Love, At Last, Tell Mama, You Can Leave Your Hat On, I'd Rather Go Blind, Something's Got A Hold On Me and Purple Rain, just to name a few.
ROB SCHWIMMER'S BIG AIR CONDITIONED CONCERT: PIANO, CONTINUUM & THEREMIN
Saturday, July 5 at 7:30 PM
$14
It's too hot outside. Come on in... In a Murakami world, the mundane and the fantastical live side by side in peaceful yet jarring harmony, and usually the world doesn't end! In that spirit, come for the air conditioning but enjoy the unexpected with Rob Schwimmer, master pianist, composer and thereminist. Now a leading exponent of the amazing Continuum, Schwimmer plays as if his life depended on it as he tries to escape the oppression of comedy... or perhaps not. A founding member of the legendary comedy music group Polygraph Lounge, curator of The NY Theremin Society and a well-known personality and solo artist on his own, Schwimmer will guide you through the narrows of his unique outlook on music and life. Playing in such diametrically opposed settings from Carnegie Hall to CBGB's, and for strippers at trucker conventions, somehow his continuity survives in this harsh Murakami-esque environment. Schwimmer's show is a place where deep artistry and a sense of humor can still be friends.
DYLAN GOLDEN: HUMBLE BEGINNINGS ALBUM PREVIEW
Saturday, July 5 at 9:30 PM
$14
Miami-native turned Brooklyn resident Dylan Golden is a Hip-hop artist coming off a solid year. Having only released one video in 2013 for Humble Beginnings, Golden has been working diligently on creating one of the most anticipated albums of 2015. This show will be a special sneak peak at what he and his Golden State of mind crew have been cooking up.
BROWN GIRLS BURLESQUE: LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE
Saturday, July 5 at 11:30 PM
$20-25
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life is collaboration between Brown Girls Burlesque and DJs to create a brilliantly fun and sonic burlesque show. The BGB Lovelies will save your life and make your night!
For each show, a different DJ creates mixes for each burlesque piece in collaboration with the dancer and spin to heaven with pre-show, intermission, and post-show sets. This evening will feature Renaissance woman DJ Rimarkable.
Monday, July 7 at 7:00 PM
$20
Aziza Miller's unique fusion of jazz, soul, Latin, and spoken word is enlivened by the pulse and the energy of New York City. She spellbinds audiences with her original compositions, peerless musicianship, and soulful yet sophisticated melodies. A native New Yorker, Miller is proud to debut her new album What's On Your Mind? at Joe's Pub. This album, Miller's third, is the defining musical portrait of her career as both composer and musical artisan. Miller blazed a trail in the 1970s as one of the first female Musical Directors for Natalie Cole from 1975-80. Miller's many talents have flourished everywhere from Broadway to the Professional Performing Arts School where Alicia Keys was among her many talented students. In 1997, she received the Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher Award from President Bill Clinton. She played in the orchestra for Oprah Winfrey's The Color Purple and was Musical Director for Rain Pryor's Fried Chicken & Latkes. She has also authored a book called The Divanary: A Dictionary for Divas, which was inspired by her interactive musical piece Divas Don't Apologize.
NONA HENDRYX: UNPLUGGED & UNHINGED
Monday, July 7 at 9:30 PM
$35
The title says it all but for clarity...Songs stripped down to expose the lyrics, melodies and vocal harmonies, unplugged versions of songs from the Nona Hendryx Songbook. Voices, Stories, Acoustic & Stringed Instruments & Surprises! Songs and tales from behind the veil of Nona's three musical transformations; The Bluebelles, Labelle and solo; featuring the magical fingers of Etienne Stadwjck on keys, V. Jeffery Smith (the utility man), the fierce & fabulous poet Liza Jesse Peterson and three of the 'baddest', 'hardest' workin' SANGA'S, Kiki Hawkins, Asa Arnold and Keith Fluitt. Unhinged? Come and see!
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.
Visit us at 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, 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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