Nellie McKay, with Alexi David On upright bass Photo

From: Photo Coverage: Nellie McKay Previews A GIRL NAMED BILL at 54 Below

Hailed by the New Yorker as "funny and touching, ceaselessly clever and scarily talented," Nellie McKay has recently finished an extended run in the off-Broadway hit Old Hats (winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue) and has written two acclaimed musical biographies, Silent Spring: It's Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature, an exploration of environmental pioneer Rachel Carson, and I Want to Live!, the story of Barbara Graham, the third woman executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin. David Byrne tells the Wall Street Journal, "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.'" Nellie will be performing at 54 Below (August 5-9) with her band members, Alexi David on bass, Cary Park on guitar, and Kenneth Salters on drums. Check out a sneak peek of her in action below!