Joe's Pub Live! Features Samora Pinderhughes, The Hot Sardines, and Stephanie Chou's 'Comfort Girl' This Week
By: Stephi Wild May. 13, 2020
Joe's Pub, a program of The Public Theater, continues Joe's Pub LIVE!, its free series of live-streamed and archived performances from their iconic stage in New York City. Designed to facilitate social connection during this time of physical distancing, Joe's Pub will share events with audiences worldwide each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8PM Eastern.
This week's schedule of performances will feature an evening of intimate and personal compositions by Samora Pinderhughes on Thursday, May 14 at 8PM; The Hot Sardines performing lively updates of jazz standards on Friday, May 15 at 8PM; an exploration on themes of human trafficking with Stephanie Chou's Comfort Girl on Saturday, May 16 at 8PM.
Beyond this week, other confirmed shows include a powerful, original, and groundbreaking fusion of musical genres in Gian-Carla Tisera & Richard Padrón's Dueto on Thursday, May 21 at 8PM; a marathon of musical genres and caffeinated emotions with Sarah Stiles' SQUIRREL HEART on Friday, May 22 at 8PM; an intriguing fusion of Eastern and Western musical styles with Gary Lucas, Feifei Yang & Jason Candler's The Edge of Heaven on Saturday, May 23 at 8PM; the deeply soulful sounds and life-giving vocal performance of Kiah Victoria on Thursday, May 28 at 8PM; orthodox expressions of cante in fresh coherence with the modern sounds of flamenco from María Terremoto's La Huella de mi Sentío on Friday, May 29 at 8PM; a total celebration of individuality with ZviDance's On The Road, inspired by Jack Kerouac's novel of the same title, on Saturday, May 30 at 8PM; an evening of his signature sit-down comedy with Isaac Oliver on Thursday, June 4 at 8PM; a celebration of tattooed ladies, Korean popstars, '70s queer culture, the apocalypse, and more with Max Vernon's Existential Life Crisis Lullaby on Friday, June 5 at 8PM; a salute to a perennial pop goddess by way of Kim David Smith Sings Kylie Minogue on Saturday, June 6 at 8PM; an evening of modern Arabic fusion music from Mira Awad with Guy Mintus on Thursday, June 11 at 8PM; a balls-to-the-wall drag fest in the form of The Martha Graham Cracker Drag Cabaret on Friday, June 12 at 8PM; a night of fresh tales, classic jamz, and the same ol' bad attitudes from 2Scoops on Saturday, June 13 at 8PM; a star-studded celebration of Michael Callen with Purple Heart: The Music of Michael Callen on Friday, June 19 at 8PM; Jomama Jones' BLACK LIGHT, a critically acclaimed musical revival for turbulent times, on Friday, June 26 at 8PM; and the creation of a safe space to process, to commune, and to laugh with Justin Sayre Makes The Case for America on Saturday, July 4 at 8PM.
In addition to these presentations, Joe's Pub has launched Joe's Pub Live! Artist IG Live Takeovers, which occur daily on Joe's Pub Instagram. The current schedule includes Tuesdays at 1PM with Ikechuwu Ufomadu, Wednesdays at 1PM with Roopa Mahadevan, Thursdays at 1PM with Julian Velard, Fridays at 1PM with Isaac Oliver, Saturdays at 4PM with Celisse Henderson, and Sundays at 4PM with Justin Elizabeth Sayre.
For the most up to date information, please visit the Joe's Pub Calendar. Photos are available HERE.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
SAMORA PINDERHUGHES
Thursday, May 14 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will be FREE and available to all on YouTube
Samora Pinderhughes is a singer/pianist/activist/composer known for raw, honest, layered multidisciplinary projects. He wrote, produced, and performed on Common's 2019 album, Let Love, and has collaborated with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Daveed Diggs, MeLo-X, Sara Bareilles, Lalah Hathaway, and Christian Scott, among others. Pinderhughes is the first-ever Art for Justice/Soros Justice Fellow.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on July 12, 2018.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
THE HOT SARDINES
Friday, May 15 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Over the last few years, The Hot Sardines have emerged from the Brooklyn neo-speakeasies where they got their start to make a global name for themselves playing hot jazz as it was in the era when live music was king, bridging generations and captivating 21st-century audiences. The group, led by frontwoman Elizabeth Bougerol and piano player Evan Palazzo, has been described as "potent and assured" (The New York Times) and "simply phenomenal" (The Times of London), notching more than a year on the Billboard Jazz chart and 25 million streams on Spotify (over 90 countries). They've guested on "Later... With Jools Holland," NPR's Weekend Edition, "CBS Saturday Morning," NPR's Soundcheck, Live at WFUV, and appeared at major jazz festivals including Newport, Montreal, Toronto, London, and Blue Note in Japan, in addition to sold-out shows at more than 400 venues worldwide. They've performed their Boston Pops-debuted symphony show with orchestras throughout North America. Their three major albums have landed on best-of lists in the jazz press (Downbeat, JazzTimes) but also crossed over to the mainstream, with Rolling Stone noting that "100-year-old jazz standards get reborn" in the hands of the Hot Sardines.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on April 26, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
STEPHANIE CHOU: COMFORT GIRL
Saturday, May 16 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Comfort Girl is an exploration - in song and story - of the lives of Chinese "comfort women," a cruel euphemism for the women who were abducted and forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during WWII. There were over 200,000 of these young women, most of whom were from China or Korea. Lured by false promises of work or kidnapped - shipped far away from their families - they were kept in terrible conditions. Many died or were killed during the war. The few who survived stayed silent about their horrifying ordeal, because it was seen as shameful, and even considered treason. Comfort Girl is a tribute to these young women and their courage, not only during the War but also afterward - when they returned home to families who didn't always welcome them back with open arms. Their story is still relevant, as survivors continue to fight for justice, and human trafficking remains a major global issue. The music is inspired by true stories survivors have told.
Stephanie Chou - voice, alto saxophone
Orville Mendoza - voice
Andy Lin - erhu, viola, violin
Kelly Lin - piano
Kenny Wollesen - drums, percussion
Peregrine Heard - narration
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on March 29, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
GIAN-CARLA TISERA & RICHARD PADRÓN: DUETO
Thursday, May 21 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
As a Bolivian-American artist trained in the opera and theater worlds, Gian-Carla Tisera's subversive musical prowess is the result of two worlds colliding to create a powerful, original, and groundbreaking fusion of musical genres. She was raised in Cochabamba, Bolivia and later moved to the United States, where she completed her Master's Degree at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Since 2008, she has lived in the city of New York, where she found herself re-united with the folk music of her homeland, and where she discovered the liberating force of jazz. She had toured with the Bolivian Baroque Project, which showcased her voice on the world's greatest concert halls - including London's Wigmore Hall, Berlin's Konzerthaus, Vienna's Mozarteum, Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Switzerland's KKL, Singapore's Esplanade Concert Hall, and many others. But when she moved to New York, she began to collaborate with visual artists and to submerge herself in the city's famous jam sessions to explore improvisation and to expand her ideas on musical fusion. In this way, she discovered her own musical and vocal artistry in the realms of jazz and world music.
Richard Padrón is an accomplished composer and guitarist known for his versatility, virtuosity, and ability to blend in with almost any ensemble across a wide variety of genres. He has strong Cuban roots that color his compositions while still retaining his own identity as a composer. His music has been described as deceptively simple and easy on the ear, yet pulls you in with its complex harmonies.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on August 8, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
Sarah Stiles: SQUIRREL HEART
Friday, May 22 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Sarah Stiles' cabaret extravaganza SQUIRREL HEART, a marathon of musical genres and caffeinated emotions, wrapped up in 20 or so costume changes and big hair, is back at Joe's Pub.
Sarah Stiles stars opposite Kevin James in the new Netflix comedy "The Crew." She is also one of the stars in the critically acclaimed EPIX Original Series "Get Shorty." She is a two-time Tony nominee for her role as Sandy in the Broadway production of Tootsie and her performance as Jessica in Hand to God. She is currently recurring on Showtime's "Billions" and voiced the character Spinel in Steven Universe: The Movie.
Her other Broadway productions include On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, Kate/Lucy Avenue Q, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Recent television and film credits include Steven Soderbergh's Unsane, "I'm Dying Up Here," "The Blacklist," "Dietland," and the animated "Sunny Day" for Nickelodeon. Stiles lends her voice on the recording of Pasek and Paul's James and the Giant Peach.
SQUIRREL HEART is written by Sarah Stiles and Holly Gewandter, directed by Darren Katz, musical direction by Brian Nash, and videography by David N. Stiles.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on January 3 & 8, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
Gary Lucas, Feifei Yang & JASON CANDLER: THE EDGE OF HEAVEN
Saturday, May 23 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Join Joe's Pub for an evening of dreamy '30s Shanghai pop-jazz inspired by Gary Lucas' celebrated album, The Edge of Heaven, which rose to #1 on the World Music Charts. An intriguing fusion of Eastern and Western musical styles mingles with new Mandarin versions of classics by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Jeff Buckley. Grammy-nominated guitar legend Gary Lucas (Captain Beefheart, Jeff Buckley) has been called "one of the best and most original guitarists in America" by Rolling Stone.
Vocalist and erhu virtuoso Feifei Yang is a dual 2017 Global Music Award winner and was recently praised by Indie Nation as "an extremely talented pop star in the making." Multi-instrumentalist Jason Candler has worked closely with Gary Lucas for years and is also music director of the Hungry March Band. This formidable trio will perform alongside amazing images of Old Shanghai, "the Paris of the East," courtesy of lighting designer Kris Anton. Their new album is coming soon on Knitting Factory Records.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on February 20, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
KIAH VICTORIA
Thursday, May 28 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Kiah Victoria has traveled the globe gracing audiences with her deeply soulful sounds and life-giving vocal performances. Her music and timeless lyricism speak to the spirit, body, and mind. Last January, the young songbird had just released a 7-track EP entitled Memo, now available on all music platforms, and made her return to the Joe's Pub stage for an intimate evening of togetherness and storytelling.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on January 30, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
MARÍA TERREMOTO: HUELLA DE MI SENTÍO
Friday, May 29 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
María Terremoto comes from the Terremoto legacy, from Jerez de la Frontera: granddaughter of the genius Fernando Fernández Monje, "Terremoto of Jerez" and daughter of singer Fernando Fernández Pantoja "Fernando Terremoto." She was the youngest ever artist to receive the Giraldillo Award for new artist at the Seville Flamenco Biennial. Following a career replete with glowing reviews, María has been labeled as "The flag bearer for young flamenco singers." She has just released her first album, La Huella de mi Sentío, in which she presents the cantes (songs) that have been with her since childhood. Her orthodox expression of cante maintains a fresh coherence with the modern sounds of flamenco. María was accompanied by Nono Jero (guitar) and singer José "El Pechuguita".
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on March 9, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
ZVIDANCE: ON THE ROAD
Saturday, May 30 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
On the Road, inspired by Jack Kerouac's novel of the same title, is a multimedia dance piece that contemplates the upheaval of the 1960s and that generation's startling notions of social rebellion. The road trip is a metaphor of an improvised life and having no ties to anything. Author Kerouac was trying to hold onto his youth and fight the passage of time. Virtuosic in form and versatile in style, Kerouac's On the Road entwines the thrills of freedom, the sounds of jazz, and the perplexity of youthful American voices discovering their closeted and social selves. Zvi Gotheiner's On the Road is a total celebration of individuality. Performed against the backdrop of Joshua Higgason's hypnotic video designs, On the Road is set to Jukka Rintamki's distinctive score. The video by Higgason was shot during a two-week road trip through the rust belt of America, in the spring of 2016, with four of ZviDance's dancers improvising movement along the way.
Choreography by Zvi Gotheiner, in collaboration with the dancers
Music by Jukka Rintamki
Video by Josh Higgason
Performed by ZviDance
DANCE NOW was created as a pilot program of the Downtown Multi-Arts Festival in 1995. In 1997, they launched independently and, for two and a half decades, have offered unconventional performance events, presenting in traditional and non-traditional venues. In 2003, Dance Now created Dance-mopolitan for the intimacy of Joe's Pub. The closeness of artists to their audience at the Pub provides a vital stimulus to spark creativity. This, along with the challenge initiative, encouraging work marked by brevity and clarity, inspired the commissioning of more than 27 full and shared evening works for Joe's Pub. With this success, Dance Now merged all programs to Joe's Pub in 2011, where audiences have come to expect risk-taking, surprise, extraordinary dancing, and magical experiences.
Today, Dance Now is a network of interacting performance, creative development, and educational opportunities, serving a diverse roster of multi-generational artists. Partnerships with like-minded arts organizations, including Joe's Pub, the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA, and The Bang Group in Boston, allow Dance Now to offer multiple performance opportunities through the Dance Now Joe's Pub, Raw, SteelStacks, and Boston programs.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on April 27, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
Isaac Oliver
Thursday, June 4 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Writer/performer Isaac Oliver (Intimacy Idiot, The New York Times, HBO's "High Maintenance," Netflix's "GLOW") returns to Joe's Pub for an evening of his signature sit-down comedy.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on June 5, 2018.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
Max Vernon: EXISTENTIAL LIFE CRISIS LULLABY
Friday, June 5 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Described by the New Yorker as "equal parts Bohemia and Broadway," Max Vernon has emerged as a singular and eccentric voice in the world of musical theatre. He received the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, three Drama Desk Nominations, a Jonathan Larson Grant, and the Richard Rodgers Award for his musicals The View UpStairs and KPOP, both of which had critically acclaimed extended Off-Broadway runs. Following a sold-out debut at the Kennedy Center in 2018, he returned to Joe's Pub for a three concert-stint of high spectacle, high fashion, and high belted F sharps. Featuring a cast of Broadway stars and Downtown divas, Existential Life Crisis Lullaby will be a celebration of tattooed ladies, Korean popstars, '70s queer culture, the apocalypse, sentient robots, aging club kids, homicidal hipster cults, and...love?*
*Warning: costume changes will occur
Directed by Ellie Heyman
Costume design: Max Vernon
Video: Matt Marlinski
Guests:
Michael Longoria
Jo Lampert
Gianna Masi
Andy Mientus
Fancy Feast
Sophia Ramos
Helen Park
Leah Lane
Band:
James Dobinson - piano/music direction
Paul Heaney - guitar
Tristan Marzeski - drums
Alan Hewitt - bass
Avery Leight Draut, Michelle Geo, Gianna Masi - backup vocals
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on April 23, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
Kim David Smith SINGS Kylie Minogue
Saturday, June 6 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Kim David Smith salutes perennial pop goddess, Kylie Minogue, with an intimately fabulous cabaret-fantasia celebrating Kylie's catalogue of gargantuan hits and glittering deep cuts, from 1987's The Loco-Motion all the way through to 2018's Golden. Labeled the "male Marlene Dietrich" by The New York Times, Smith deconstructs three decades of Minogue dance anthems with music direction by the multi-MAC Award winning Tracy Stark, and with costumes by Miodrag Guberinic (Katy Perry, Madonna, Nicki Minaj).
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on November 19, 2018.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
Mira Awad WITH GUY MINTUS
Thursday, June 11 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Tel Aviv-based singer, songwriter, actress, and cultural activist Mira Awad has collaborated with many International Artists including Noa, Idan Raichel, Andrea Bocelli, Bobby McFerrin, and more. Born in Rameh village in the Galilee to a Palestinian father and Bulgarian mother, she studied at the Rimon School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Awad has developed a unique fusion of sounds, combining the East with the West, weaving the Arabic language and its oriental ornaments with Western harmonies, thus creating unique modern Arabic fusion music, with a rich tapestry of sounds.
As an actress, Awad participated in numerous theater productions, hosted several TV shows, and starred on the high rated series "Arab Labor." She established her own world music label called LabelFree and writes music for theatre and film. She teaches stage performance and gives talks.
Awad is very much identified with the agenda of dialogue and co-existence. She is a relentless peace activist and believes in anti-violence activity to build bridges towards resolutions.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on February 28, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
THE Martha Graham CRACKER CABARET
Friday, June 12 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
This balls-to-the-wall drag cabaret is hosted by Martha Graham Cracker, who is, perhaps, the world's tallest and hairiest drag queen. Backed by a four-piece live band, Martha Graham Cracker, hailed as "The Drag Queen King" by the Philadelphia Inquirer, performs new arrangements and mashups of songs by artists ranging from Prince and Lady Gaga to Black Sabbath and Nina Simone, and a bit of everything in between.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on January 18, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
2SCOOPS
Saturday, June 13 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Long after cassingles, beepers, and neon colors have gone out of style, these 2 girlz from around the way still cling tight 2 the music and style of the 90's. Holding the world record for the most breakups of any group in history, they were recently reunited, broken up again, and re-reunited on the Joe's Pub stage. Don't Miss Dana and Deena for a night of fresh tales, classic jamz, and the same ol' bad attitudes.
2Scoops is written and performed by Adam Enright & Aaron Fuksa
Video content filmed & directed by Chris Ford at Glamsmash Productions
"Donuts" - written by Sharon Kenny
2Scoops Photography by John Keon
Production Manager: Scott Delacruz
Meaghan Sands Ungar - Kiffany
Oprah - Oprah
Austin Sanders - TMZ
Ryan Chittaphong
Kimberly Chesser
Alyssa Kim
Robbie Guerra
James Roberts IV
John Swader
Travis Kent - Caveman
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on April 15, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
PURPLE HEART: THE MUSIC OF Michael Callen
Friday, June 19 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
As a composer, singer, writer, and activist, Michael Callen played a major role in shaping America's response to the AIDS epidemic. For Veteran's Day 2019, a stellar cast of singers and musicians breathed new life into Callen's music.
Special guests include Taylor Mac, Bridget Everett, Toshi Reagon, NathAnn Carrera, Richard Barone, Xavier Smith, Kat Edmonson, and more. Musical Direction by Matt Ray.
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on November 11, 2019.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
Jomama Jones: BLACK LIGHT
Friday, June 26 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
BLACK LIGHT is a revival for turbulent times. Jomama Jones invites us to the Crossroads to contemplate what we must choose at this moment in our own lives, in our civic relationships, in our country, and our world(s).
featuring
Daniel Alexander Jones - Jomama Jones/creator
Trevor Bachman - voice
Tariq Al-Sabir - voice, keys
Josh Quat - guitar, voice
Vuyo Sotashe - voice
Michelle Marie Osbourne - bass
Sean Dixon - drums
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on March 17, 2018.
Joe's Pub LIVE! FROM THE ARCHIVES
Justin Sayre MAKES THE CASE FOR AMERICA
Saturday, July 4 at 8:00PM
Access to this stream will bea??FREE and available to all on YouTube
Are you worried about the impending demise of our democracy? Has the approach of a fascist dictatorship got you feeling a little blue? Are you seething with anger as you're being "gaslighted," out of a future? Well not to worry, (still worry), but join Justin Elizabeth Sayre for a live "Love-in to Get You Through!"
Sayre invites you to "their apartment" for one of their "philosophizing nights," a ritual where Justin asks the big questions. Why are we here? What are we doing? The night involves lots of stories and all the feelings, and even a little fried chicken. The question for this show: what does it mean to be an American at this moment and how do we move forward?
Sayre is creating a safe space to process, to commune, and to laugh.
In the words of Allen Ginsberg, "America, I'm putting my queer shoulder to the wheel."
Recorded live at Joe's Pub on September 30, 2018.
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