Kenyon Phillips to Launch UNISEX SALON at Joe's Pub This Spring

Kenyon Phillips, known for his inventive blend of orchestral rock, surrealist theater and interactive cabaret, is piloting a brand new variety series with an improvisational format at Joe's Pub, the musical outpost of downtown Manhattan's storied Public Theater.

Following a series of sold-out performances at Joe's Pub and The Box over the past year, the genre-hopping musician, actor and writer will launch Unisex Salon with Kenyon Phillips on April 30, 2017, with a schedule of performances to follow into the spring of 2018.

Anchored by Phillips and his all-girl orchestral backing band, The Ladies in Waiting, each show will feature a rotating lineup of musical guests in addition to vaudeville and burlesque-style acts. In lieu of interviews à la Ed Sullivan and other variety show hosts, Phillips will engage in sung conversations with his guests against improvisational accompaniment by The Ladies in Waiting. While songs will be rehearsed and the guest list curated ahead of time, the order of appearances will be decided upon spontaneously by Phillips based on the mood of the room - making each show utterly unique and impossible to duplicate.

"I'm in love with Joe's Pub!" exclaims Phillips. "It's been named one of the top 10 musical venues in the country by Rolling Stone, and yet the room itself is incredibly small and intimate. As an institution built on variety and diversity, Joe's Pub is the perfect place for me to do a variety show. I'm so grateful to them for letting me host a party where every guest is someone you wish you'd known for your entire life!"

In addition to the first performance, Joe's Pub will host Unisex Salon with Kenyon Phillips again on July 23, 2017 before switching to a monthly schedule beginning in September 2017. Throughout the series, the guest list will include TV personality Michael Musto; actors Mare Winningham, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Cady Huffman, Erik Liberman, Jacob Ware and Justin Sams; beatboxer Shockwave; illusionist, clown and performance artist Geoff Sobelle; nonagenarian artist, singer and muse Ilona Royce Smithkin; international drag performer Joey Arias; and musicians Bebe Buell, Raven O & The Pious, Mina Caputo, Rachelle Garniez, Royston Langdon, Mat Fraser, Angela McCluskey & Paul Cantelon, Mimi Goese & Ben Neill, Bellehouse, Inyang Bassey, and Lance Breakfast.

The show is set for Sunday, April 30, 2017 at 9:30 p.m. Doors open at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available online at bit.ly/2n0iy7B. There is a $12 food minimum or two-drink minimum. The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street, and is accessible by the R, N and 6 trains.

Crowned "the new King of New York" by The Huffington Post, wildly theatrical singer, songwriter, emcee, actor, model, and DJ Kenyon Phillips knows how to put on a show. In addition to founding and fronting the bands Roma! and Unisex Salon, Phillips has shared the stage, screen and studio with such luminaries as comedienne Amy Poehler, pop culture commentator Michael Musto, international drag performer Joey Arias, choreographer Karole Armitage, director Mark Romanek, and Broadway bombshells Cady Huffman and Daphne Rubin-Vega. His songs have been featured on several network and cable television programs, including Shameless on Showtime and Eleventh Hour on CBS. Together with his all-girl orchestral rock band The Ladies in Waiting, Phillips delivers danceable drama in the spirit of Rocky Horror.

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