THE GARDEN: A NEW FOLK MUSICAL to Have Concept Album Release Concert at The Bitter End

The Bitter End will welcome Hannah Bakke and a slew of Broadway and bluegrass legends on June 16th at 6pm to play songs from her upcoming album The Garden: A New Folk Musical, which will be released the same day.

THE GARDEN is a boot-stomping, honkytonk reimagining of the garden of Eden in which Adam, Eve, and Lucifer are in a folk band. The story is set in a divine dive bar managed by "The Trio"; three siblings dead set on maintaining paradise (who also happen to be the creators of the universe). When a secret buried beneath the floorboards comes to light and a badass outlaw in red cowboy boots comes to town, it becomes clear that "paradise" ain't built to last. As her world begins to unravel, Eve discovers the gift - and the gamble - of trusting her gut.

Bakke, who wrote book, music and lyrics, reflects: "I like to think that [The Garden] is a 'living room jam sesh' about human curiosity, ambition, and the search for purpose in a complex and messy world. The garden of Eden is more than one of our oldest stories - it's the foundation for how we understand human nature, choice, and morality. And (besides being a lot of fun) it makes sense to me that this story be told in this way. Folk music is community music, and dive bars, cathedrals, and theatres are all dimly lit rooms where people can sit side by side and ask big questions together."

Bakke and The Garden have made a home on stages around the city, most recently producing "Honkytonk Sessions: Selections From The Garden and Beyond" at The Green Room 42 alongside Cassidy Stoner (Titanique, Aladdin), who voices Lucifer on the album. Stoner is joined by Savidu Geevaratne as Adam (Life of Pi Tour, LCT3's Your Own Personal Exegesis) Jake Nelson lending supporting vocals, and Bakke herself as Eve. The album features an incredible band including Rick Snell (Wicked, Oklahoma! 2019 Revival, The Outsiders, Water for Elephants) on guitar, Cesar Moreno on mandolin and banjo, Erik Alvar on bass, Nyssa Grant (Once, National Tour) on fiddle, and Justin D. Cook (who did the orchestrations and arrangements for the album) on keyboard and percussion.

The album was recorded at Raven Recording Studio in Manhattan following a successful Kickstarter campaign. It will consist of 13 songs total, including a bonus track that will feature some special guest vocalists:

"If you ever have the opportunity to have 20 high school students joyfully screlt [read: scream-belt] music that you have written, I highly recommend it. Does wonders for the self-esteem". Bakke is referring to the world premiere of The Garden that went up at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis last August. The show was workshopped through the theatre's Triple Threat Summer Intensive: a summer camp program that provides students with the opportunity to hone their craft, dig deeper, and build their community while working with theatre professionals. Past productions include Carrie, Rent, Be More Chill, and Head Over Heels. While the Children's Theatre Company is known for its new works development, The Garden was the first time this particular program tackled a new musical.

"These students underwent a true new works development process. I was bringing in new pages every day, and remain so impressed by how every cast member approached this fledgling musical with enthusiasm and grace. They have forever left their stamp on the work" Bakke says.

Now, their voices will forever be memorialized: students from the production gathered to sing "A Blessing" at a fundraising event Bakke held for the album at The Hive Collaborative this December. The live audio was recorded and will be released as a bonus track on the album.

When asked about why she chose to place Adam and Eve in a band, Bakke spoke about hearing her aunt, uncle, and cousins sing songs by Peter, Paul & Mary, Indigo Girls, and Bob Dylan in their folk cover band, Danville, (a band which she would eventually join herself) while she was growing up. She talked about folk music's ability to tell a good story, and the genre's long history of community-building and social activism. Looking at the photos of musicians peppering the walls of The Bitter End, it is no surprise why Bakke chose this venue to celebrate the release of The Garden concept album.

"This story is iconic. Eve is iconic. I'm curious about what might happen if we allow her journey to be visceral, grounded, and ambitious. Maybe this becomes a story that sets the table for how we understand one another."

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