Lady Rizo, Megan Mullally and More Set for 'Spring of Songwriters' at Joe's Pub

By: Mar. 23, 2017
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This spring, Joe's Pub at The Public welcomes a lineup of singer-songwriters that redefine the traditional conventions of the title. A Joe's Pub favorite, Lady Rizo is a cabaret star with songwriter chops, who will debut a new show, Red, White & Indigo, all about her love-hate relationship with America, and tease her forthcoming album Indigo from March 23-25.

March also brings two young and promising British artists: Frances (March 27), known for her soul-bearing vocals and complex songwriting, and Jo Harman (March 28), making her U.S. debut, who is preparing to release her new blues-driven album People We Become.

In April, we will hear from a range of artists, from rock icon Bebe Buell (April 4 & 5) to country music's favorite songwriter ringleader Bob DiPiero with Luke Laird and Shane McAnally (April 19) to Nancy & Beth (April 10 & May 9), the new project from Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt.

Further on, Joe's Pub welcomes back Howard Fishman (May 16) for one night only, as well as multi-instrumentalist Celisse Henderson, who will offer her soulful, blues-soaked rock music on May 31.


Lady Rizo: RED, WHITE & INDIGO

Thursday-Saturday, March 23-25 at 9:30PM

$30

In her new show Red, White & Indigo, Lady Rizo asks the question, "America is a very bad boyfriend but why do I still love him?" The chanteuse superstar delivers a deeply personal musical eulogy unpacking the feelings for the country she was born in, cut with her trademark humor, original music and soaring voice. Backed by a trio featuring acclaimed cellist, guitarist and composer Yair Evnine, Rizo leads us to our own utopian island nation with no walls, only velvet curtains.

Lady Rizo won her first Grammy in 2010 for a duet with acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma and also sings and records with multi-platinum recording artist Moby. Her trademark titillating humor and soulful, soaring voice has created a cult fan base around the world. The New York Times has called her "SENSATIONAL ...A fierce but kindhearted fusion of comedy, burlesque, performance art and rock 'n' roll."

FRANCES

Monday, March 27 at 7:30PM

$15

When Frances finished her first single Grow in her shoebox-sized London bedroom, she had no idea it would go on to become one of the most cherished slow burners of 2015, a stripped piano meditation on tender love, spun over 1.5million times across Soundcloud, YouTube and Spotify. Now, with two EP's on Communion, a debut album in the making, and a memorable live lounge rendition of Justin Bieber's "What Do You Mean", the Berkshire songstress is shaping up to become one of the most gifted young singer-songwriters in the UK. Her sound striking a chord somewhere between the exuberance of Carole King and the ethereal tones of Imogen Heap, but enough youthful whimsicality to happily fleet from keyboard confessions to jilted funk-stained electronica.

JO HARMAN

US DEBUT!

Tuesday, March 28 at 9:30PM

$15 Advance / $20 Door

Soul, blues, gospel and Beatles-worthy pop are the core ingredients of Jo Harman's People We Become, a new album that is modern but rooted in classic, timeless music. Raised in Southwest England, Harman found success on her own terms with her debut, Dirt On My Tongue. The album was released independently in 2013 and supported by a touring schedule that found Harman sharing the stage with icons like PatTy Smith, Joan Baez and Sinead O'Connor. Wildly successful for an independent record, Dirt On My Tongue was embraced with particular devotion by the blues community in the U.K., with Harman racking up more than a half-dozen nominations from the British Blues Awards. Of Harman, Huey Morgan (Fun Loving Criminals) said, "Sometimes you hear a voice that leaves you speechless."

BEBE BUELL: BARING IT ALL

Tuesday & Wednesday, April 4 & 5 at 9:30PM

$30

Singer, songwriter and pop culture icon Bebe Buell debuts her all-new live show Baring It All, a unique blend of her songs, some spanning decades, sprinkled with storytelling from her fabled rock-n-roll life. Buell will be backed by her new duo, The Rebel Souls, featuring her husband, guitarist Jimmy Walls, and drummer Mindy Wright.

ALEX CUBA

Tuesday, April 11 at 9:30PM

$20

Following the release of Healer, Alex Cuba's fourth studio album, it has been an eventful year. He opened for Sheryl Crow two nights in Hollywood Bowl, won the singer songwriter category at the Latin Grammys 2015 and was nominated for the Latin Pop category at the 2016 Grammys. All this from the small town in northern Canada where Alex Cuba has lived and independently produced music for 12 years. After completing tours in Canada and making best of lists for NPR and CBC for Healer for 2015 Alex celebrated Canada Day in Ottawa playing for Prime Minister Trudeau and made 1M streams on Spotify for the single "Sarah." Cuba is now preparing a new soulful, melody rich production that has him in Montreal, Spain, Los Angeles and Victoria for an April 2017 release.

BOB DIPIERO SONGWRITERS SERIES, FEATURING LUKE LAIRD & Shane McAnally

Wednesday, April 19 at 7:00PM & 9:30PM

SOLD OUT

Nashville Songwriters Series welcomes back Hall-of-Fame songwriter Bob DiPiero with fellow multiple award-winning songwriters Luke Laird and Shane McAnally. Every show is an unscripted, unpredictable and unique opportunity to hear these master songwriters perform their songs that have been recorded by the likes of George Strait, Tim McGRaw, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Sam Hunt, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Thomas Rhett, Kacey Musgraves, BRandy Clark and more!

NANCY & BETH, FEATURING Megan Mullally & Stephanie Hunt

Monday, April 10 and Tuesday, May 9 at 7:30PM

$30 Advance / $35 Door

Emmy Award-winning actress Megan Mullally (Children's Hospital, Party Down and Will & Grace) met fellow actress Stephanie Hunt (Friday Night Lights, Californication and How To Live With Your Parents For the Rest of Your Life) while in Austin filming the independent movie Somebody Up There Likes Me. The minute the two started singing together they realized they had something special...and those that have come out to see their new band, Nancy & Beth, agree! Within just three months of their inception, Nancy & Beth had already played such fabulous venues as Royce Hall in Los Angeles and been featured as a musical guest on CONAN. Who's Nancy? Which one's Beth? We'll never tell...Come to the show and decide for yourself!

TAMAR EISENMAN

Friday, May 5 at 9:30PM

$20

Tamar Eisenman rejoins her trio to celebrate the official release of her new album this Spring 2017. On My Way is Eisenman's sixth album, which includes new songs, tracks from her previous albums, exclusive collaborations and new remixes! The virtuosic guitarist icon singer-songwriter and artist began her musical career with the release of her self-titled and produced EP in 2003 composed and recorded at her home studio. Mixing meticulous yet live-feel production styles with a sensitive singer-songwriter ethos, Eisenman is a singer-songwriter and guitarist that regularly shatters stereotypes. She brings an exact combination of vulnerability and ruggedness, shyness and extroversion of rock & folk. She has opened for Jeff Beck and performed with Kaki King.

THE ACOUSTIC LIVING ROOM: SONGS AND STORIES W/ Kathy Mattea, FEATURING BILL COOLEY

Sunday, May 7 at 7:30PM

$30

Grammy Award-winning singer Kathy Mattea and her longtime collaborator, guitarist Bill Cooley, have shared one of Nashville's most musically rich partnerships for over two decades. The duo meets as old friends, welcoming you into The Acoustic Living Room to share songs and stories near and dear to their hearts - including Mattea's beloved classics such as "18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses," "Where've You Been?," and more. Her 18 albums are woven through with bluegrass, gospel, and Celtic influences, and have garnered multiple CMA, ACM and Grammy Awards. A genuine storyteller, Mattea draws inspiration from her Appalachian roots and is a torchbearer for often overlooked musical legacies like those of Hazel Dickens and Jean Ritchie. Her most recent album, Calling Me Home, is a collection of songs that celebrates the Appalachian culture of her native West Virginia and expands the vocabulary of acoustic roots music that has always served as her artistic center.

Howard Fishman

Tuesday, May 16 at 7:00PM

$15 Advance / $20 Door

Howard Fishman has been a perennial Joe's Pub favorite from day one. Whether he's launching a new album, debuting a new project, or bringing in a batch of songs with the ink still wet, our audiences know that whatever he does here will be fresh and unexpected, and that he'll be joined by some of the fiercest, most soulful musical talent in the city. Come see the latest from the iconic Brooklyn songster who The New York Times says "transcends time and idiom" and who The Village Voice describes as "motley and fearless and something of a shock."

Charlie Mars

Tuesday, May 16 at 9:30PM

$20

Mississippi-born singer/songwriter Charlie Mars is a country- and folk-inflected pop artist blessed with a warm vocal croon and a knack for crafting poignant, earthy songs. In college, Mars formed the Charlie Mars Band and released several albums, including 1995's Broken Arrow, 1997's Born & Razed, and 1999's End of Romance. In 2001, looking to start fresh, Mars moved to Sweden where he began writing new material. Re-energized, he returned to the United States where he spent time in Austin and eventually released his 2004 self-titled album on V2 Records. After settling in New York City in 2008, he began what would eventually become his "Texas Trilogy." Recorded with producer Billy Harvey and a band in Austin, the trilogy includes 2009's Like a Bird, Like a Plane and 2012's Blackberry Light. In 2014, Mars rounded out the trilogy with the release of his seventh studio album, Money. His eyes were opened to culture and possibility while spending much of the last half-decade in New York and Austin, hastening his artistic and personal maturation, reflected in his original music.

Jill Hennessey

Sunday, May 21 at 9:30PM

$20

Jill Hennessy is best known for her starring roles on "Law & Order" and "Crossing Jordan," for which she was nominated for a People's Choice Award. She's also appeared in many other shows, including HBO's Luck, Jo, CBS's The Good Wife, FOX's Shots Fired and more. As a singer/songwriter, Hennessey wrote all of the music and lyrics on her debut album, Ghost In My Head. She performed on the Lilith Tour with Sarah McLachlan, The Indigo Girls and the Dixie Chicks and was featured on The Indigo Girls' live album Staring Down The Brilliant Dream. Her second album, I Do (October 2nd, 2015) is primarily a collection of stories about love and relationships - the beauty and the pain and the sacrifice between any two people in love...be it husband/wife, mother/child or child/parent. At the heart of I Do is the ability to find hope and love despite struggle and loss.

Celisse Henderson

Wednesday, May 31 at 9:30PM

$16

Celisse Henderson is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer and spoken word artist. Her deep and varied career has seen her on stage, from the recent revival of Godspell at Circle in the Square Theater to Bridget Everett's Rock Bottom at Joe's Pub at The Public; on television, in PBS's The Electric Company, 30 Rock, Rescue Me and more; and in concert, at venues ranging from the Beacon Theater, supporting Mariah Carey, to MGM Grand Garden Arena, with PHISH to singing with Melissa Etheridge at the Apollo Theater. But it's her prodigious talents as a singer-songwriter and musician that have defined Celisse the most as an artist. Her original music, powered by her soulful voice, is hard-rocking and blues-tinged with infectious hooks that stay with you.


For tickets, go online at joespub.com, call 10AM-7:00PM daily at 212-967-7555, or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street, NYC (Opens daily at 2PM). There is a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person per show, unless otherwise noted.

Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. The organization also offers unique opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians the resources and tools needed to develop original theater works. Commissioned artists have included Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Bridget Everett, Allen Toussaint and more. In 2011, the Pub received a top-to-bottom renovation, leading to improved sightlines, expanded seating capacity and a new menu from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.

The Public Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare, the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. Celebrating his 10th anniversary season at The Public, Eustis has created new community-based initiatives designed to engage audiences like Public Lab, Public Studio, Public Forum, Public Works, and a remount of the Mobile Unit. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all; Public Works, an expanding initiative that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year; and audience and artist development initiatives that range from Emerging Writers Group to the Public Forum series. The Public is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; and in October 2012, the landmark building downtown at Astor Place was revitalized to physically manifest the Company's core mission of sparking new dialogues and increasing accessibility for artists and audiences, by dramatically opening up the building to the street and community, and transforming the lobby into a public piazza for artists, students, and audiences. The Public's work is also seen on tour throughout the U.S. and internationally and in collaborations and co-productions with regional and international theaters. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning acclaimed American musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and in spring 2017, Lynn Nottage's acclaimed new play Sweat. The Public has received 59 Tony Awards, 168 Obie Awards, 53 Drama Desk Awards, 54 Lortel Awards, 32 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics Awards, and five Pulitzer Prizes.



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