Nikki M. James & More Set for Joe's Pub this Week

Joe's Pub this week, Oct. 21-27, will feature performances by Deb OH & THE CAVALIERS, Nikki M. James, Bebe Zahara Benet, JEAN ROHE. SWEET CRUDE / ALEXIS & THE SAMURAI, Erin Markey, THE REAL AMERICANS, RAVEN O-ICON, THE MATERIAL WORLD, BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT, Robin Spielberg, SVEN RATZKE, Martha Graham CRACKER, BAD REPUTATION VOLUME 2 CD RELEASE, and RYAN MONTBLEAU.

Deb OH & THE CAVALIERS
October 21 at 7:30 PM
$14
Intricately epic, viscerally cerebral: Deb Oh & the Cavaliers are a powerful study in contrasts. With orchestral, piano-driven arrangements that have grown fiercer over time, this seven-piece, NYC-based band boasts a singular sound led by Deb Oh's equally singular voice - a subtle mix of soul and sheer drive. Deb Oh originally hails from Alaska, where she grew up learning classical piano and singing in choirs at a very early age, before moving to the east coast in her later childhood. Having split her life between Alaska and NYC, there is a complexity in perspective that shines through in her songwriting. With the collaboration of the Cavaliers, these songs become richly textured works, likening Deb Oh & the Cavaliers' sound to Feist and Florence and the Machine. Musical arrangements aside, Deb also stands out for the caliber of her lyrics, which stray from conventional writings and often incorporate literary and political themes - demonstrated in their single, "Primacy." Winner of Silversound's 4th Annual Band Battle, featured on Indie Shuffle, and Deli Magazine's 'Best NYC Indie Pop of 2012', Deb Oh & the Cavaliers have been playing extensively to support their debut EP, "Hieroglyphs."

Nikki M. James
October 21 at 9:30 PM
$20
Tony Award Winner Nikki M. James will share an evening of song and personal stories. The evening will include a mix of Broadway favorites, contemporary pop and a few surprises. In addition to her award winning performance in the Book of Mormon, Ms. James has appeared on Broadway in All Shook Up and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and will star in the upcoming movie musical Lucky Stiff.

Bebe Zahara Benet
October 22 at 7:30 PM
$20
Following the tremendous success of CREATURE, Bebe Zahara Benet presents another Beto Sutter-produced show, VANITY, a cabaret-style show sure to bring audiences to their feet. Featuring an intimate showcase of live music, VANITY pairs original music with new interpretations of jazz standards and pop classics in a way only BeBe can deliver. Of the new show, BeBe says, "It is about taking what's old and making it new and taking what's new and making it old. It's just me with a live band and background singers. I want people to be able to experience my show all around on a smaller scale."

JEAN ROHE
October 22 at 9:30 PM
$12 Advance / $15 Door
Jean Rohe and her 8-piece band present their long-anticipated album, Jean Rohe & The End of the World Show, a collection of Jean's genre-defying narrative songs. Produced collaboratively with Jean's long-time artistic partner, Liam Robinson, the album is a multi-lingual travelogue, charting her lone journeys in New York, Latin America, and beyond. It bears her signature aesthetic mark--rhythmic playfulness and carefully crafted stories, delivered directly to the heart--and features creative orchestration by Jean and the band: Richie Barshay (drums), Rogério Boccato (percussion), Liam Robinson (accordion), James Shipp (vibraphone/percussion), Skye Steele (violin), Christopher Tordini (bass), and Ilusha Tsinadze (guitar). "A sure-footed young singer-songwriter" -The New York Times

SWEET CRUDE / ALEXIS & THE SAMURAI
October 23 at 7:00 PM
$15
Sweet Crude, a young New Orleans 7-piece, has created a sound that sets Louisiana's native French dialect to decidedly non-Cajun music. The band, boasting surnames like Marceaux, Arceneaux, and Chachere, seeks to reconnect with their lineage in the context of 4-part harmonies, tribal rhythms, and pop hooks. "We're making the quirky, energetic indie pop that we'd otherwise come up with as creative New Orleans musicians. We've got five people playing drums, we've got everybody singing, shouting, and dancing. We're just singing a lot of the time in Louisiana French. We want to show that the language is still alive and kicking, and that it sounds great in any genre," says primary lyricist Sam Craft. Alexis & the Samurai are due for an EP release in the coming months. According to Marceaux, "Our sound is evolving, we're getting less afraid to be weird and eclectic in the studio, and we want to push the envelope to make music that will be genre-defying so that we can keep showing the world how diverse New Orleans music really is."

Erin Markey
October 23 at 9:30 PM
$15
Known for her dark, absurdist humor and "magnetic diva aggression" (New York Times), Erin creates an at once riotous and unexpectedly moving performance about figuring out who you might be. Pop covers and original music score Erin's tales of midwestern family life and her salvation by Bible-Belt Christians, birthday presents and Ypsilanti strippers. Erin Markey at Joe's Pub is directed by Ben Rimalower (Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches) with musical direction by Tony-nominated Kenny Mellman (The Julie Ruin, Kiki and Herb, Our Hit Parade). Erin Markey creates comedic performances and original music for stage and video. Major works include Puppy Love: A Stripper's Tail (P.S. 122), The Dardy Family Home Movies by Stephen Sondheim by Erin Markey (San Francisco Film Society), Looking for Limbo (Lincoln Center Director's Lab) and currently, the recurring "Erin Markey at Joe's Pub" with Kenny Mellman (Public Theater). She was a featured artist in the critically acclaimed Our Hit Parade(Joe's Pub). She has shown other work at New Museum, Brooklyn Academy Of Music (BAM), Under The Radar, 54 Below, Ars Nova and received NYFA's 2012 Cutting Edge Artist Fund Grant. As an actress, Markey is a company member of Obie Award winning Half Straddle, has performed with Young Jean Lee's Theater Company, and starred in Tennessee Williams' Green Eyes, receiving Boston's Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Performance. She was a series regular on TV's Jeffery and Cole Casserole (LOGO Network).

THE REAL AMERICANS
October 24 at 7:00 PM
$20
The Real Americans tells the story of Dan Hoyle's 100 day van trip through small-town and rural America, as audiences meet Reaganite union coal miners in Appalachian Kentucky, family-oriented rural drug dealers in the Mississippi Delta, anti-war gun salesmen in Michigan, a closeted creation theory expert in Texas, and a group of hipster brunchistas in San Francisco. With nuanced humor and insight, The Real Americans brings together two worlds that rarely collide--the prosperous, achingly hip moral-relativism of gentrified city life, and the conservative populism of small-town America--to take us to ground zero of our polarized politics. The Real Americans was created by Dan Hoyle, writer and performer of Tings Dey Happen.

RAVEN O-ICON
October 24 at 9:30 PM
$20
Raven O is known as a brilliant live performer and the entertainer the stars come to see. Hidden in the exclusive nightclub world for years Raven O plans to breakout with a new show at Joe's Pub on Oct 24th. He'll team up with world renowned bassist and Musical Director, Ben Allison to pay homage to musical "Icons". Features: Ben Allison (Bass), Michael Blake (Saxophone), and Allison Miller (Drums).

THE MATERIAL WORLD
October 25 at 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM
$18
Sarah Stiles ("Into The Woods," "Avenue Q") joins acclaimed performance artist Erin Markey, cabaret sensation Molly Pope and Tony-nominated Yiddish theater legend Eleanor Reissa in a concert reading of downtown playwright Dan Fishback's new musical, "The Material World," directed by Stephen Brackett ("Buyer & Cellar"). Set in a boarding house in 1921, "The Material World" features an anachronistic cast of neurotic Jews, all trying to save the planet. Gittel Fenster (Stiles), a 12-year-old radical socialist, studies Marxism to prepare for global anti-capitalist revolt, while gay nerd Ian Fleishman tests the revolutionary power of Facebook, and the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna (Markey) meditates on secret Kabbalistic codes to fix a broken universe. The characters grapple with their lofty ambitions and their capacity for failure, to an eclectic score of bouncy electro dance pop, ramshackle twee-folk and classic Tin Pan Alley. The second installment of "The Ian Fleishman Trilogy," and a sequel to Fishback's erotic Chanukah comedy "You Will Experience Silence," "The Material World" was the surprise hit of the 2012 HOT Festival at Dixon Place, extending its sold-out, critically acclaimed run three times.

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT
October 25 at 11:30 PM
$15 in Advance; $20 at the Door
Bright Light Bright Light is the moniker of Welsh-born Rod Thomas, a singer, writer, producer and DJ that NME have called "the boy Robyn in all but name". September 2010?s debut single 'Love Part II' (Popjustice Hifi / Virgin) was a taster of what Rod has been working on for his debut album 'Make Me Believe In Hope' with the likes of Andy Chatterley (Kylie / Nerina Pallot), Boom Bip (Neon Neon) and The Invisible Men (Jessie J). Drawing influence from the late 80s and early 90s, Rod has crafted a brand of shimmering electro-pop that nods to Depeche Mode, Bjork, Yazoo and Ace of Base. Mixing a love of classic songwriting with a love of the dancefloor, Attitude Magazine describes him as "Creator of emotional disco moments that only Kylie or Robyn can normally provide." He opened for Ellie Goulding on her 2010 'Lights' tour, and has played alongside Sound Of Arrows and Monarchy, as well as at South By Southwest, and later this year will appear at Bestival. He's remixed the likes of Ellie Goulding, Nerina Pallot and James Yuill, written songs with some of his favourite producers and also runs 'Another Night' clubnight in London where he and a fellow Neath export spin the best 1990s dance cuts. Magazines, blogspots and hype machine charts agree that Bright Light Bright Light's future looks very promising indeed.

Robin Spielberg
October 26 at 7:30 PM
$20
Robin Spielberg returns to Joe's Pub with a fun-filled evening of enchanting piano melodies from her vast repertoire of popular American melodies and original favorites. Known for her expressive style and enchanting rapport with audiences, Spielberg will charm you with her music and tales from the bench. During this performance, Robin will share select excerpts from her brand new memoir, Naked on My Bench: My Adventures in Pianoland, a tell-all book about her piano escapades. There will be a book signing following the performance at Joe's Pub.

SVEN RATZKE
October 26 at 9:30 PM
$20
Dutch cabaret star Sven Ratzke returns to Joe's Pub with his latest show, Diva Diva's, celebrating great divas of the 1960's like Shirley Bassey. Ratzke is joined on stage by his long-time collaborator and music director, jazz pianist Charly Zastrau. Ratzke spends 48 weeks of the year touring all the biggest theaters, cabaret venues and festivals in Germany, Holland, Austria and Switzerland. Recently he took the title role in the first-ever Berlin production of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," a role for which he received critical praise. Ratzke has also appeared at the Edinburgh Festival; The Mexico City International Cabaret Festival; and at venues in Italy, Denmark and Spain. He has played 3 seasons at Cafe Sabarsky at Neue Gallerie in New York. This is his third time performing at the Pub, once with his own solo show and as a guest star with Joey Arias. "Ratzke is a force of nature... touching, sensual and funny." -Berliner Morgenpost

Martha Graham CRACKER
October 26 at 11:30 PM
$20
After a sold out New York City debut at Joe's in January -- a show that the Village Voice deemed one of its 10 Best -- The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret returns with a new show. 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 Crowded House to Motley Crue and Nina Simone, and a bit of everything in between. Martha Graham Cracker is played by Dito van Reigersberg, co-founding co-artistic director of Philadelphia's Obie-winning Pig Iron Theatre Company. The character was born in van Reigersberg's East Village kitchen when he was attending the Martha Graham School of Dance. "Witty, silly, bitchy and soulful... when she sings, you are completely rocked." -Philadelphia Inquirer

BAD REPUTATION VOLUME 2 CD RELEASE
October 27 at 7:30 PM
$15
Born in Paris and now living in Brooklyn, Pierre de Gaillande is a Franco-American musician, composer, and performer. For the past four years, he has translated and sings the songs of legendary French poet-singer Georges Brassens in English. Faithful to the original texts, de Gaillande overcomes the difficult task of adapting the untouchable French bard with respect and aplomb. Behind skillful arrangements, he brings to light all the harmonic and rhythmic subtleties of the composer from Sete. De Gaillande's sensibilities accomplish the daunting task of waking up the sleeping poetry of one of France's hidden cultural icons, Georges Brassens. De Gaillande's first volume of songs, entitled Bad Reputation, was released in 2011 to great acclaim in the States and abroad. Volume 2 will be released October 22 on Vermillion Music. Come celebrate at Joe's Pub October 27.

RYAN MONTBLEAU
October 27 at 9:30 PM
$18 Advance / $20 Door
Songs for Ryan Montbleau typically need to simmer. In his 10-year career this gifted singer and his limber band have built their catalog the old-fashioned way, by introducing new songs to their live set, then bending and shaping them over dozens of performances before committing a definitive version to the hard drive. For that and many other reasons, Montbleau's next album, For Higher, is quite literally a departure. Well-established out of his home base in the Northeast, the singer threw himself into New Orleans, where everything is slow-cooked, for a few fast-moving days - and whipped up an instant delicacy. A few of the cuts on the new album - the playful stomp of "Deadset" or "Head Above Water," freshly peppered with horns - were already part of the Ryan Montbleau Band's ever-growing repertoire. But the majority, including four handpicked cover tunes - stone soul nuggets from Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield, the late Muscle Shoals guitarist Eddie Hinton and more - came together spontaneously, with little prepwork. At 34, he's a late-bloomer who's right on time. Montbleau didn't start singing and playing guitar in earnest until he was in college, at Villanova. Later, working at the House of Blues in Boston, he began playing solo sets there as a warmup act. His band - there's now six of them - came together naturally, over time, planting strong roots in coffeeshops, folk venues and rock clubs before converting audiences on an outdoor festival circuit that now stretches across the country. Through word of mouth and repeat visits, the band has built a devoted following from the Northeast to Chicago, Seattle and Austin. "It's like watching the grass grow," says the easygoing Montbleau.