Josh Wood Productions Presents JOEY ARIAS: LIVE AT TOWN HALL! 4/21

Billie Holiday made her debut in 1948. Nina Simone first graced its stage in 1955. In 1963 Bob Dylan played the notorious venue. And this spring will mark the Town Hall debut of the legendary downtown diva and extraordinary mistress of music, Joey Arias in Joey Arias: Live at Town Hall!, for one-night-only on Thursday, April 21 at 8:00pm. Presented by Josh Wood Productions and under the artistic direction of Manfred Thierry Mugler, Joey Arias: Live at Town Hall! is conceived and created by Arias and musical director Ben Allison.

Tickets, ranging from $29 - $109*, can be purchased online at www.TicketMaster.com, by calling (800) 745-3000, or by visiting The Town Hall box office at 123 West 43rd Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues. (*$109 ticket includes premium seat location and a champagne toast with Joey Arias following the performance.)

A portion of the proceeds from this performance will benefit Lifebeat, a nonprofit that uses the power of music and the music industry to help educate young people about HIV/AIDS prevention.

Inspired by leagues of renowned singers who've appeared on The Town Hall stage over its vast history, New York's reining seductive songstress Joey Arias will make a debut at the famed venue with an unforgettable evening of music, humor and a little bit of scandal - just what audiences have come to expect from the unique experience of an Arias' performance. Under the artistic direction of Manfred Thierry Mugler, conceived and created by Arias and musical director Ben Allison, and performed with Allison's 4-piece band, the program will include Arias' inimitable interpretations of jazz standards, along with new renditions of tunes made famous by Bob Dylan, Diana Ross and Cream, among others. The perfect follow-up to the sold-out run of Arias' recent critically lauded collaboration with puppeteer Basil Twist in Arias with a Twist, this one-night-only event, Joey Arias: Live at Town Hall!, is sure to be a must-see this spring.

Joey Arias
A fixture of New York City's vibrant downtown performance scene for 30-plus years, Joey Arias is a bona fide NYC icon. From his early days at Fiorrucci and performing with his close friend Klaus Nomi, Arias has been an enigmatic figure. From outrageous performances at Club 57, Jackie 60 and Squeezebox to the now-legendary nights at Bar d'O where he held court with Raven-O and Sherry Vine, Arias distinguished himself with scandalous wit, sleek style and an extraordinary voice evocative of Lady Day yet uniquely his own. It was no surprise when Arias was tapped by Cirque du Soleil to originate the role of the emcee in their Las Vegas spectacular Zumanity, for which he co-wrote 3 songs. After 6 years in that role, Arias returned to New York where he became star and co-creator of Arias With a Twist with master puppeteer Basil Twist. The show was a critical and commercial hit and extended repeatedly for a total of 6 months at HERE Arts Center. Arias With a Twist has been subsequently presented in Los Angeles and Paris and spawned a "docu-fantasy" film of the same name, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and had it?s US premiere at the TriBeca Film Festival earlier this year. Arias has performed worldwide at venues including Carnegie Hall, The Freedom Theatre in London and on a transatlantic world tour into the cabaret clubs of Paris, Tokyo, Germany, Finland, Estonia, Canada and England. On film, he has appeared in Mondo New York, Big Top Pee Wee, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Wigstock - The Movie, Flawless and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Television credits include the infamous Saturday Night Live episode with David Bowie and Klaus Nomi, Ann Magnuson?s Vandemonium (Cinemax), Elvira?s MTV Halloween Special, HBO?s Dragtime, HBO?s Real Sex and Gayer Than Gay on VH1, along with numerous appearances on a wide variety of talk shows and programs. Additionally, Arias has produced several of his own recordings including Arias on Holiday, Strange Fruit, Jazzo Lozo, God Shave the Queen and live recordings of StarLust in Berlin, Arias with a Twist and Bar D?O in New York. Arias is currently working with longtime collaborator and director Manfred Thierry Mugler (Artistic Director of Joey Arias: Live at Town Hall!) on a unique project for early 2012.

BEN ALLISON (Musical Director)
With his groups The Ben Allison Band, Man Size Safe, Peace Pipe, and medicine Wheel, Ben has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Brazil, winning fans and building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected. Called "one of today?s best young jazz musicians" by The Boston Globe, Ben has released nine CDs of original music - Think Free (2009), Little Things Run the World (2008), Cowboy Justice (2006), Buzz (2004), Peace Pipe (2002), Riding the Nuclear Tiger (2001), Third Eye (1999) and Medicine Wheel (1998) on Palmetto Records, and his 1996 debut Seven Arrows on the Koch Jazz label - all of which showcase Ben's forward-thinking vision as a producer, composer, arranger, and bassist, and his hands-on approach to his craft. Ben?s most recent album Think Free, reached #1 on the CMJ National Jazz radio charts and has remained in the top 20 for over three months. His previous five albums, achieved similar radio success, being among the most played albums of the years in which they were released, garnering him 6 SESAC National Performance Awards, and have been named as among the best of the year by publications such as Billboard, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Village Voice, Jazz Times, Jazz Journalists Association, Downbeat Critics Poll, All About Jazz, Coda (Canada), and Jazz Review (UK), among many others.

Josh Wood (Producer)
International producer and promoter Josh Wood has created hundreds of concerts, theatrical events, gala dinners, political happenings, and the most exciting nightlife in New York City and around the world. Josh Wood Productions' latest project, The Inspiration Gala, is an international fundraiser benefiting amfAR. Created in 2010 for New York, Paris and Los Angeles - and branching out to São Paulo, Brazil in 2011 - participants include Kylie Minogue, Ricky Martin, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Sharon Stone, Courtney Love, Tom Ford, Mark Jacobs, Calvin Klein Collection, Dolce & Gabbana, Rick Owens, Cyndi Lauper and Kelly Rowland. Wood served as the 2010 music curator for America: Now & Here, an unprecedented cross country exhibition of America's greatest living artists, including Eric Fischl, Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Julian Schnabel, Philip Glass, Lou Reed, Paul Simon, Sting and Edward Albee. In 2009, he partnered with Lady Gaga to create the Get on the Bus campaign, raising funds for LGBT youth to attend the March on Washington. On the forth and fifth anniversary of the Iraq War, Josh produced Speak Up!, a series of peace concerts featuring Michael Stipe, Scissor Sisters, Rufus Wainright, Moby, Laurie Anderson, Antony and The Johnsons, Norah Jones and Damien Rice. He teamed up with David Bowie in 2007 to create the Highline Festival, a citywide arts and musical showcase created by the pop icon himself. The ten day "cultural mash up" featured concerts, films, art instillations, and comedy to help build New York City's newest public park. In 2004, Josh created the Wedrock Concert for the Freedom to Marry, featuring performances by Lou Reed, Pink, Erasure, Sandra Bernhard, John Cameron Mitchell, Alan Cumming, and more. He's produced and promoted concerts including Margaret Cho's sold-out "State of Emergency" show during the Republican Convention; Kylie Minogue's New York debut at Hammerstein Ballroom; Ricky Gervais' New York debut at Madison Square Garden; Arcade Fire's first performance at Radio City Music Hall, and shows by Peaches, Pet Shop Boys, and many more.

Josh Wood Productions presents Joey Arias: Live at Town Hall!, a one-night-only musical event, on Thursday, April 21 at 8pm at The Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues). Tickets are $29 - $109* and can be purchased online at www.TicketMaster.com, by calling (800) 745-3000, or by visiting The Town Hall box office. (*$109 ticket includes premium seat location and a champagne toast with Joey Arias following the performance.) A portion of the proceeds from Joey Arias: Live at Town Hall! will benefit Lifebeat, a nonprofit that uses the power of music and the music industry to help educate young people about HIV/AIDS prevention. For more information, please visit www.JoshWoodProductions.com.

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