The Randy Andys, Raquel Cion and More are Heading to Pangea in February

February is festooned with fun treats from beginning to end as a rainbow assortment of artists of many persuasions continues to take risks and break ground at the Downtown supper club Pangea. Among the headliners are the equally astute and daring comic and singer David Mills (who returns for an exclusive 2-night weekend engagement Feb 7 & 8); the high-harmony girl-group The Randy Andys (Feb 10); the scintillating singer-host Colin Cunliffe (Feb 17); and the ill-born and bad-mannered Jazz Bastards who continue to make a royal nuissance of themselves the last Friday of the month (Feb 28).

In a rare delight, two of The New Yorker's beloved humorists - the cartoonist Roz Chast and the writer Patricia Marx - appear together to celebrate the publication of their new book, "You Can Only Yell at Me for One Thing at a Time" in a concert experience to write home about (Feb 19).

Among the scene-makers carrying on the East Village's tradition as a hotbed of innovation are Penny Arcade with her new show, "Notes from the Underground," and rising singer Lauren Frazza returning to performing after an eventful career as an advertisting creative. Pangea resident artists include Hannah Reimann and Raquel Cion, with new presence Sue Matsuki who gets us going with an open mic Saturday jazz brunch series on Feb 15.

David Mills, "Bitter Endings," an evening of outré stories and songs...
Fri & Sat Feb 7 & 8, both at 9:30pm. Cover $25

WELCOME ONE AND ALL!
Back from London, and none too soon, it's the comedy cabaret firebrand David Mills whose new show, "Bitter Endings," offers us an apocalyptic mix of caustic comedy and crooning that will put our current American meltdown in unimpeachable perspective. With Jody Shelton on piano, Mills is "darkly funny, bristling with sharp-tongued satire and incisive wit" according to Fest Magazine in Edinburgh. With shades of Lenny Bruce, Mills delivers his signature droll, stylish stand-up, unhinged rants, and re-invented radio hits as he dissects celebrity, relationships, politics, and the end of the world (which may put a bit of a crimp on our ability to enjoy special late-night weekend shows like this one).

"Lauren Frazza: Feelin' Good," Sat Feb 8, Fri Feb 21, both at 7pm. Cover $25

The sultry Lauren Frazza is "Feelin' Good" about launching a new career as a pop-blues singer-entertainer in the homey environs of Pangea, where her storytelling instincts are being put to good use. With soaring singing, incisive wit and an arresting honesty about modern womanhood, Frazza, backed by a trio, has been called "remarkably assured" by Gerry Geddes (BistroAwards.com), "a cabaret star" by Sue Matsuki (Cabaret Hotspot), and "appealing, revealing and engaging" by Rob Lester (Edge Media).

The Randy Andys - 2nd Monday of the month... Mon Feb 10, 7pm. Cover $25

Starting Valentine's Week off with a "White Hot Valentine's Day Soirée" it's the The Randy Andys, a singing trio of Broadway actresses who interpret a crazy assortment of pop songs by channeling the Andrews Sisters. On the second Monday of the month, in rotating formations based on who's in town and not serving time, the Andy's will torch super eclectic repertoire with radio-era vocal arrangements. This month's Andys roster includes Alison Mahoney, Sarah Pothier, Katie LaMark, Imani Williams, Erin Burniston, Paola Hernandez, Chelsea Barker, Joanie Anderson, and Catie Pires-Fernandez. But there are always a few extra surprises. In February the sisters are joined by Katerina Papcostas ("Tootsie").

Hannah Reimann Wednesdays Feb 12, Mar 11, Apr 8, all at 8pm . Cover $25

Hannah Reimann continues a 4-month residency reprising her on-going celebration of Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now: The Music of Joni Mitchell 1966 - 1974." This evolving work, incorporating some of her own compositions, features Pere Ubu band member Michele Temple as guest instrumentalist and back-up vocalist. A singer, filmmaker, actress, and theatre/film composer, Reimann (playing piano and dulcimer) has been called, "an uncanny interpreter of Mitchell's canon" by the New Yorker.

Sue Matsuki hosts "The Pangea Jazz Brunch Open Mic" Saturdays Feb 15, Mar 21, 12pm to 2:30pm. Cover $15

A new monthly Saturday jazz brunch open mic series hosted by the writer and singer Sue Matsuki launched in January and continues on the third Saturday of the month. Featuring The Gregory Toroian Trio, with Toroian on piano, Skip Ward on bass and David Silliman on drums, Matsuki uses her deep industry contacts and supportive reputation to stir up the fun, attracting singers from all corners of the industry, interested in all genres. Matsuki and Toroian, who are a singer-songwriting team, craft mini in-the-moment sets with the participants who contact Matsuki in advance, though walk-ins are welcome.

"Colin Cunliffe and Friends... Dirty Dancing" - Mon Feb 17, at 8pm. Cover $25

Rising Broadway star Colin Cunliffe -- with Lance Horne on piano and Ray Cetta on guitar -- takes charge of the 3rd Monday of the month with a new on-going series of shows mixing the intimacy of late-night piano bar with precision stagecraft, vocal fireworks and outré hilarity. Since he captivated us this summer as part of Pangea Pride, Colin has become one of our favorite talent instigators able to draw a crowd with the barest of means. This month's love-themed show features a live performance of the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack.

Patricia Marx and Roz Chast in "You Can Only Yell at Me for One Thing at a Time" - Wed Feb 19, at 7pm. Cover $25

In a remarkable coup Pangea has landed two rock stars of the brainy set for an unprecedented "concert experience." To celebrate the publication this month of their new book of advice and stories about love and relationships, "You Can Only Yell at Me for One Thing at a Time" (Celadon Books), New Yorker writer Patricia Marx and New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast reunite their smokin' rock band Ukulear Meltdown, featuring the two frequent book collaborators on their first loves, the ukulele. The ribald, highly structured, and for Pangea at least, high-production-value concert will include incredible ukulele tuning, talking about and changing lyrics of songs, failed sing-alongs, and homages to some of the great ukulele masters who have influenced the two... oh and stuff about the latest book. Possibly the launch of a their first ukulele world tour... or not.

Raquel Cion in "Me and Mr. Jones", Fri/Sat Feb 21 & 22; Fri/Sat Mar 13 & 14, all at 9:30pm. Cover $25

The rock-cabaret sensation Raquel Cion is in the midst of a 6-show theatrical run of her highly praised David Bowie tribute, "Me and Mr. Jones: My Intimate Relationship with David Bowie." Written and performed by Cion, directed by Cynthia Cahill, with music director Karl Saint Lucy on piano leading a four-piece combo, this time and dimension-traveling evening not only conjures the world of David Bowie... Cion slips into it, and through her own existential struggles with mid-life and cancer, she finds herself tethered to Mr. Jones in major and unexpected ways. Opened Jan 16.

Penny Arcade in "Notes from the Underground" -- Wednesdays Feb 26, Mar 4, and Mar 18, all at 7pm. Cover $25

Avant-garde icon Penny Arcade returns to Pangea for a work-in-progress of a new show, "Notes from the Underground," which will be seen three times in this early incarnation. Co-created with her long-time collaborator Steve Zehentner, this mixed-media grudge match between the mainstream and the world of the outsider, the dispossessed, poor and put-down, "Notes from the Underground also includes several songs interpreted by the newly ascendant singer. A rollicking exploration of the underground values that made (and make?) New York City a gritty, authentic and creative Mecca.

Since it began programming music in January 2015, Pangea prides itself on being a leader in the burgeoning alt-cabaret movement, serving as an incubator for new work -- in particular theatre-music hybrids -- in a city that has become prohibitively expensive for artists. Mixing spirited downtown hospitality with a deliciously priced Italian-Mediterranean menu, Pangea has been called "a bohemian oasis not unlike the fabled Max's Kansas City from days gone by" by The NY Times. There is a $20 food and drink minimum for all shows. To purchase tickets online visit www.pangeanyc.com , or for info call 212/995-0900. Pangea is located at 178 Second Avenue (between 11th & 12th Streets).

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