Apr

10

Nellie McKay: A GIRL NAMED BILL – The Life and Times of Billy Tipton (late show) Nellie McKay: A GIRL NAMED BILL – The Life and Times of Billy Tipton (late show)

Mon April 10th, 2017

9:30PM

Main Space

Minimum Age: 18+

Doors Open: 9:00PM

Show Time: 9:30PM

Event Ticket: $25

event description event description

“One of the Best Concerts of 2014…this singer and pianist put on “A Girl Named Bill,” a revue-with-dialogue about Billy Tipton, the little-known midcentury jazz bandleader, who was assumed to be a man but was discovered at his death to be a woman. Under deceptively ragged humor and a wildly broad repertory illuminating various angles of the story — by Jelly Roll Morton, Yoko Ono, Cindy Walker and Ms. McKayherself — lay a devastating theme: how, and why, to live with secrets.” – Ben Ratliff, The New York Times 
“Her last two ‘cabaret’ shows I saw have been jaw-dropping. They both completely subverted the genre…Among Ms. McKay‘s charms, Mr. Byrne said, “are the ways she playfully mixes what he called a “tragic noir vibe” with her “wicked sense of humor.” – David Byrne 
“Look under the frothy surface, and “A Girl Named Bill” is a serious exploration of stereotypes and gender identity role playing, all from a feminist perspective. Ms. McKay in her multiple disguises reminds us of what children in the attic trying on costumes know instinctively: Personal identity is fluid.” – Stephen Holden, The New York Times 
 
“..the artistic highlight of the summer… I have long suspected McKay of being a real genius and this engagement proved it in spades…her most lucid, comprehensive, and fully committed portrayal yet…the kind of empathy that only a true artist can muster.. I really hope she revives this insanely wonderful, important show in some way, shape, or form, so our entire community can experience it.” – David Noh, Gay City News 
 
“Singer-songwriter, show-tune savant, animal-rights activist and much more, Nellie McKay could easily fill an hour-long show with her own witty numbers and eclectic enthusiasms. But she has dedicated this tour to someone else entirely: the late jazz pianist and bandleader Billy Tipton, who died in 1989…She could stick to her own stuff, McKay acknowledges, “but I would be terribly bored.” – Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post

Ticketing Policy

TABLE SEATING POLICY Table seating for all seated shows is reserved exclusively for ticket holders who purchase “Table Seating” tickets. By purchasing a “Table Seating” ticket you agree to also purchase a minimum of two food and/or beverage items per person. Table seating is first come, first seated. Please arrive early for the best choice of available seats. Seating begins when doors open. Tables are communal so you may be seated with other patrons. We do not take table reservations.

A standing room area is available by the bar for all guests who purchase “Standing Room” tickets. Food and beverage can be purchased at the bar but there is no minimum purchase required in this area.    All tickets sales are final. No refund or credits.

the artists the artists

Nellie McKay

Under the lonesome cry of the midnight train, stars twinkling over hillbilly lights in the mountain fog, Nellie McKay returns with her first album of original material in 13 years. Recorded in Charleston, West Virginia with The Carpenter Ants & a roving retinue of musical compadres, Hey Guys, Watch This, due out August 25th, traces the haunted sounds of Appalachia to a renaissance of revelry. So unpack your washtub bass, fill up your red cup & pull on your shitkickers ‘cause the night is young & the moon is bright, even if we’re not.

“I admire any artist with the strength of vision to chart her own creative path, and it’s hard to imagine a better example than singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Nellie McKay…her performances are thought-provoking, emotionally affecting, and fun.. her sweet voice and innocent demeanor mask a singular ability to wield the catchiest popular music idioms of the last century in the service of a fiercely independent intellect.” – Renee Fleming

Watch Nellie perform “Half As Much” at Joe’s Pub

Watch Nellie on piano

Watch Nellie on ukulele

“McKay comes on as a Harlem Holly Golightly, a social activist with a disarming mastery of pop vernacular.” – Los Angeles Times

“..ambitious, intriguing, and clever..” – Billboard

“McKay must have been genetically engineered under an oyster shell in New Orleans’ Frenchman St.. a bizarre sense of busker authenticity… witty, bright, and gloriously inappropriate.” – Theatre Mania

“A renegade songwriter with an ultraflexible Great American Songbook sensibility. McKay finds modern resonances everywhere..” – Rolling Stone

Among Ms. McKay’s charms, Mr. Byrne said, are the way she playfully mixes what he called a “tragic noir vibe” with her “wicked sense of humor.” – David Byrne, Wall Street Journal

“The one thing certain about Ms. McKay is the size and range of her talent..” – The New York Times

Since Get Away from Me, Nellie’s debut record, she has released a bunch of well-received albums with as many different sounds, ranging from pop to jazz to rock & folk, always defying categorization.

Her music has been used on radio, TV, and in the movies, and she has appeared on many shows, from Letterman to A Prairie Home Companion, as well as writing & performing acclaimed bios of Barbara Graham, Rachel Carson, Billy Tipton, and Joan Rivers.

A nominee for The Ovation award for Ethan Coen’s A Play is a Poem, Nellie won a Theatre World award for her work on Broadway in The Threepenny Opera, & Drama Desk award for off-Broadway’s Old Hats.

She has written and activated for humans, animals, and the environment since childhood, and continues to push for peace & justice for all.

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