Carol Lipnik - the spellbinding, darkly-humorous singer and songwriter - will introduce her debut solo residency at Joe's Pub at The Public with Thursday evening shows on March 3, March 10 and March 17 at 7:00 PM.
Lipnik, who blends folk music and art song with the classic nightclub tradition, will perform a concert celebrating her latest album "Almost Back To Normal" with an expanded musical palette featuring strings and percussion. In addition, she will premiere original musical compositions.
The band will include music director Matt Kanelos on piano and sounds; Kyle Sanna on guitar and synthesizers; and other special guests.
Carol is winner of the 2015 BroadwayWorld Award for "Best Alternative Cabaret Show." The Joe's Pub residency is produced by TWEED TheaterWorks (Lypsinka) and DAX MGMT (Weimar New York, Joey Arias).
"Almost Back To Normal is an album comprised of songs that are talismans and shields to take into the battle of today's increasingly uncertain world," Lipnik reflected. "The heartbreaking joke of the title is that we will never be 'back to normal.' I love channeling delusional characters - it's delusional to aspire to tyrannical standards of normal, though the notion of normal can be a very sweet and tender thing. But when the cultural anesthesia wears off, can we ever fix problems like the environment or income inequality?" The album is produced by Jacob Lawson, who also provided string arrangements.
Carol Lipnik is acclaimed for her hauntingly beautiful multi-octave voice and enchanting performances of her own wistfully funny and wrenchingly honest songs. "Lipnik is surprisingly strong in her ethereality," says Time Out New York,"maintaining an eerie self-possession as she shares enigmatically spooky folk-art songs in an octave spanning wail." New York Music Daily proclaimed "Carol Lipnik might not just be the best singer in New York, she might be the best singer anywhere."
"Earth-mother nightingale Carol Lipnik is a mesmerizing find," says James Gavin, the journalist who penned biographies of Peggy Lee, Lena Horne and Chet Baker. "She writes fantastical tunes, full of mythic imagery, that carry the listener to worlds unknown." According to a recent notice from BroadwayWorld, "Lipnik's songs have a quality akin to chants, mantras, and prayers. Her voice is clear, full, reverent, beautiful. The imagery she uses is of the natural world: oysters, sand, trees, honey, weeds, and antlers. Her truth is emblematic, universal."
"Carol Lipnik's music does more than evoke a shadow-world of mysterious, often misunderstood creatures, from sideshow freaks and B-movie monsters to love's obsessive victims," says musician and Village Voice music writer Franklin Bruno. "It creates that world, bringing it into audible being through her stunningly versatile four-octave voice and expressive, impeccably crafted songs, drawing audiences in with an intimacy and intensity that is both theatrical and deeply musical."
In addition to critical plaudits, she has been praised by her fellow downtown performers as well. Justin Vivian Bond said "If you are in NYC and you only do one thing culturally, go and see Carol Lipnik." Penny Arcade raved "Carol's new songs, which are truly art songs, set in the jewel-like quality of her voice reach such levels of glorious individuality that we were all gobsmacked." John Kelly hailed Carol as "that rare bird, the complete artist, with the soaring voice of a Dawn Upshaw, and the probing musical intelligence of Joni Mitchell."
For more information, visit www.CarolLipnik.com.
CAROL LIPNIK grew up in Coney Island and studied fine arts at Pratt Institute and The Art Students League. She draws from her visual arts training to create a singular cinematic style rooted in blues, pre-war Berlin cabaret, folk, and more as filtered through her very own carnival and psychedelic sensibilities. She has released six albums on her own Mermaid Alley label and has built a dedicated following through performances at Joe's Pub, Abrons Arts Center, Galapagos Art Space, P.S.122, Barbes, Spiegelworld and many other venues, as well as appearances at the River to River Festival, the Siren Festival, Weimar New York, and the Chapel at Greenwood Cemetery. Carol was awarded the 2014 Peter S. Reed Foundation Grant for music and in year 2009 she was an artist-in-residence at Yaddo. She composed music for the groundbreaking performance artist John Kelly's 2011 show The Escape Artist.
MATT KANELOS is a pianist and songwriter who is a widely sought-after collaborator in the New York City jazz, avant garde and rock worlds. According to NPR, "Kanelos crafts tunes that sneak up on listeners - that begin harmlessly but ultimately overwhelm with the weight of their poignancy, sorrow and joy." He draws equally on his classical conservatory background as well as his experience in jazz and new music. In recent years, he has performed and recorded with Jon Lundbom, Lorraine Leckie, Richard McGraw, Andrew Smiley, Nick Podgurski and Jason Liebman. Kanelos has released four well-received albums as a bandleader, most recently 2014's Love Hello, praised by New York Music Daily as "a masterpiece of pensive, allusively lyrical psychedelia." www.MattKanelos.com
CAROL LIPNIK will perform "Almost Back to Normal" at JOE'S PUB at The Public on Thursday evenings, March 3,March 10 and March 17, all shows at 7:00 PM. The venue is located at 425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th and Astor Place) NYC, adjacent to The Public Theater. For tickets - which cost $16 - call (212) 967-7555 from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PMor visit joespub.com, or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office at 425 Lafayette Street from 2:00 PM daily. There is a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person per show, unless otherwise noted.
Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public opened 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 consistently presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. The organization also offers unique opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians the resources and tools needed to develop original theater works. Commissioned artists have included Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Bridget Everett, Allen Toussaint and more. In 2011, the Pub received a top-to-bottom renovation, 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.
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