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jackiebarnard11 · 2 years ago

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 6, 2023

Contact: Chris Boneau/ Amy Kass / Michelle Farabaugh / Kenya Williams

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Manhattan Theatre Club

Announces Full Casting for the

New York Premiere of

Poor Yella Rednecks

By Qui Nguyen

Directed by May Adrales

Previews begin Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Opening on Wednesday, November 1, 2023

At MTC at New York City Center – Stage I

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Chris Jennings (Executive Director) are pleased to announce the full cast for the New York Premiere of Poor Yella Rednecks, written by Qui Nguyen (Vietgone) and directed by May Adrales (Vietgone, Golden Shield). Poor Yella Rednecks will begin previews on Tuesday, October 10 and open on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at New York City Center – Stage I (131 West 55th Street).

The cast of Poor Yella Rednecks will feature Jon Hoche (Vietgone, Life of Pi), Ben Levin (Vietgone, “Kung Fu”), Samantha Quan (Vietgone), Jon Norman Schneider (The Coast Starlight), Maureen Sebastian (The Best We Could: A Family Tragedy), and Paco Tolson (Vietgone).

The creative team for Poor Yella Rednecks includes Tim Mackabee (Scenic Design), Valérie Thérèse Bart (Costume Design), Lap Chi Chu (Lighting Design), Shane Rettig (Original Music & Sound Design), Jared Mezzocchi (Projection Design), David Valentine (Puppet Design), Kenny Seymour (Arrangements), and Alyssa K. Howard (Production Stage Manager).

Qui Nguyen, the wildly inventive playwright (and screenwriter for Marvel and Disney) known for his use of pop culture, pop music and puppetry, reunites with his frequent director, May Adrales, for this funny, sexy and brash new play. A young Vietnamese family attempts to put down roots in Arkansas, a place as different from home as it gets. A mom and dad balance big hopes and low-wage jobs, as old flings threaten to pull them apart. It all makes for a bumpy road to the American dream. From the world of Nguyen’s Vietgone, with its comic book and action movie influences, comes a play that melds a deeply personal story with the playwright’s trademark, killer humor. The New York Times hails the writer’s work as “culturally savvy comedy,” and this production shows you why.

Poor Yella Rednecks is co-commissioned by South Coast Repertory and Manhattan Theatre Club. Support for MTC’s production of Poor Yella Rednecks is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation and Laurents/Hatcher Foundation. Developed in part in Center Theatre Group’s Writers’ Workshop.

The 2022-23 season marked Lynne Meadow’s 50th Anniversary as Artistic Director of MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB. Meadow was recently joined at the helm of MTC by Executive Director Chris Jennings, who succeeded Executive Producer Barry Grove. MTC’s mission, which Meadow created in 1972 and has implemented since, is to develop and present new work in a dynamic, supportive environment; to identify and collaborate with the most exciting new as well as accomplished artists; and to produce a diverse repertoire of innovative, entertaining, and thought-provoking plays and musicals by American and international playwrights. Since 1989, MTC Education, which uses the power of live theatre and playwriting to awaken minds, ignite imaginations, open hearts, and change lives, has also been an important part of our work.

Over five decades, MTC has grown from a small off-off-Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most prestigious and award-winning theatre companies, creating approximately 600 world, American, New York and Broadway premieres. Our productions have earned 7 Pulitzer Prizes, 28 Tony Awards, 50 Drama Desk Awards and 49 Obie Awards amongst many other honors. Our Broadway home is the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and Off-Broadway at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). MTC is an anti-racist organization that respects and honors all voices, and upholds the values of community and equity, For more information, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

TICKETING INFORMATION

Joining MTC’s season of plays is easy! Just call the MTC Clubline at 212-399-3050 or go to www.manhattantheatreclub.com. Group Sales available now, contact Joanna Lee at [email protected]. Single Tickets on Sale September 5.

BIOGRAPHIES

JON HOCHE returns to MTC after performing in the Off-Broadway Premiere of Vietgone and has collaborated with playwright Qui Nguyen for over a decade. Other credits include - Broadway: Life of Pi (Richard Parker Puppeteer, Associate Puppetry and Movement Director), King Kong: Alive on Broadway (Voice of King Kong/Puppeteer). Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey 2 puppeteer); Soft Power (The Public Theater - Grammy Nominated); Vietgone (Manhattan Theatre Club); Soul Samurai, The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G (Ma-Yi Theater/Vampire Cowboys Theater); Hello, From the Children of Planet Earth (Playwright’s Realm). National Tour: Warhorse (Puppeteer/Puppet Captain). Regional: Revenge Song (Geffen Playhouse). TV: “Hello Tomorrow!” (Apple TV+) - @JonHoche

BEN LEVIN’s MTC debut. Ben just wrapped a season-long arc on the CW series “Kung Fu”. Prior to that, he starred in the series Legacies for four seasons. Selected TV credits include “Arrested Development”, “Love”, and a recurring role on ABC’s “Time After Time”. He appeared in a supporting role in the critically acclaimed Independent Spirit Award nominated feature Test Pattern. Ben can also be seen in the Freeform/Hulu feature Turkey Drop. Other features include Allegiant, Admission, and Mike Birbiglia’s indie comedy Sleepwalk with Me. He's thrilled to be reprising the role of Quang in Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone, after starring in the 2018 production at the San Diego Repertory. Ben is New York City born and raised and is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Shout out to TADA Youth Theatre. In addition to acting, Ben makes music under the moniker Grasshapa, available wherever music is found.

SAMANTHA QUAN’s theatre credits include Poor Yella Rednecks (South Coast Rep); Vietgone (South Coast Rep, MTC); B.F.E. (Just Add Water Festival); Masha No Home (Ensemble Studio Theatre); An Infinite Ache (The Globe Theaters), workshops of To Red Tendons, Peerless, Hannah and the Dread Gazebo, Red Flamboyant, American Hwangap (Ojai Playwrights Conference); Monument: Or Four Sisters (A Sloth Play) (Boston Court New Works Festival). Television credits include “Home Before Dark”, “Elementary”, “NCIS”, “The Mentalist”, “Blue”, “Suburgatory”, “Castle”. Film credits include 4 Wedding Planners, Sake Bomb, Good Grief and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

JON NORMAN SCHNEIDER most recently appeared onstage in Keith Bunin's The Coast Starlight at Lincoln Center Theater. Select New York credits include Catch As Catch Can (Playwrights Horizons), The Chinese Lady (The Public), Henry VI Parts 1-3 (NAATCO), Awake and Sing! (NAATCO/The Public), The Oldest Boy (Lincoln Center Theater), Lunch Bunch (Clubbed Thumb), A Map of Virtue (13P), among others. Regionally, he has worked at Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Alley, Alliance, Barrington Stage, Dorset Theatre Festival, The Goodman, Huntington, The Kennedy Center, Long Wharf, Magic, McCarter, Milwaukee Rep, Mosaic, Northern Stage, The Old Globe, and South Coast Rep. His film and TV credits include Bitter Melon, Manila Is Full of Men Named Boy, The Normals, HBO's Angel Rodriguez, “The Endgame”, "Jessica Jones", "Veep", "30 Rock" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent".

MAUREEN SEBASTIAN’s theatrical credits include, most recently, MTC’s The Best We Could: A Family Tragedy for which she received a Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Featured Performer in a Play; Vietgone (South Coast Repertory) ; Arabian Nights (Berkeley Repertory/Arena Stage); Thunder Above, Deeps Below (Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center/Second Generation); Now Circa Then (Ars Nova); Lonely, I’m Not and Year Zero (Second Stage); and Soul Samurai (Vampire Cowboys/Ma-Yi). Television credits include “Love Life” (HBO), “American Gothic” (CBS), and “Revolution” (NBC). She produced and starred in the web series “Pretty Precious Unicorns” and the short film “Second Province”. She co-created the podcasts “Gulp” and “A Guide to Freedom” with The North Star Fund. She is a member of May-Yi’s Writer’s Lab and The Gotham Film & Media Institute.

PACO TOLSON is thrilled to return to Manhattan Theatre Club where he received a Lortel nomination for his work in Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone. Paco and Qui have enjoyed an artistic collaboration of over 18 years, and Poor Yella Rednecks will mark their ninth full production together. Select Off-Broadway Credits: Fiasco Theater’s productions of Knight of the Burning Pestle (Red Bull), Twelfth Night and Pericles (Classic Stage Company); The Unwritten Song (EST); Slavey (Clubbed Thumb); The Children of Vonderly (MaYi Theater); Soul Samurai (Ma-Yi/Vampire Cowboys). Regional: to the yellow house (La Jolla Playhouse); Fiasco’s Measure for Measure (Actors Theatre of Louisville); The Winter’s Tale and Vietgone (OSF); Peter and the Starcatcher, Vietgone, and Poor Yella Rednecks (South Coast Rep). Audio: (There’s) No Time for Comedy (Playwrights Horizons), The Memory Motel (Two River Theater), Witness (Paramount/Gideon Media), Play On Shakespeare’s Henry V, The Tempest, and Measure for Measure (Next Chapter Podcasts). Film and TV credits include “Billions”, “Law & Order: Organized Crime”, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”, “Prodigal Son”, “Search Party”, “The Good Fight”, “Madam Secretary”, “Happy!”, “The Code”, and 7 DAY GIG.

QUI NGUYEN (Playwright) is a playwright, screenwriter, and co-founder of the pioneering geek theatre company, Vampire Cowboys. His plays include Vietgone, Poor Yella Rednecks, Bike Wreck, and the critically acclaimed Vampire Cowboys shows Revenge Song, She Kills Monsters, Soul Samurai, The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, Alice in Slasherland, Fight Girl Battle World, Men of Steel, and Living Dead in Denmark. For TV/film, he’s written for Marvel Studios, Netflix, AMC, SYFY, and PBS. He most recently wrote Disney’s Raya and The Last Dragon (nominated for a 2022 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature), and he co-directed and wrote Disney's Strange World in 2022.

MAY ADRALES (Director) is a director, artistic leader, teacher and mother; she has directed over 25 world premieres nationally. Her work has been seen most recently at Second Stage (Rajiv Joseph’s Letters of Suresh), Manhattan Theatre Club (Anchuli Felicia King’s Golden Shield, Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone). Awards include: Ammerman Award at Arena Stage; TCG’s Alan Schneider award for freelance directors; Denham fellowship; New Generations Grantee. She is a Drama League Directing Fellow, Van Lier Fellow, WP Lab Director, SoHo Rep Writers/Directors Lab and New York Theater Workshop directing fellow. She served as an Associate Artistic Director at Milwaukee Rep; Artistic Associate at The Playwrights Center; Artistic Associate at The Public Theater; and Director of Artistic Programs and Artistic Director at The Lark. She serves on the board of Theater Communications Group. She is currently the Director of the Theatre Program and Assistant Professor at Fordham University. MFA, Yale School of Drama. (www.mayadrales.net)

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Exciting update! Ben will be making his Off-Broadway debut this Fall! Here is Manhattan Theatre Club's announcement on Instagram and the theatre's press agent BBB's press release that was sent to our magazine.

Poor Yella Rednecks website link:

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empathicahq · 4 months ago

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Nome completo: Samantha Schneider Faceclaim: Sina Deinert, Now United Data de nascimento e idade: 24/08/1892, 132 anos (Aparentando 26 anos) Pronomes: ela/dela Etnia: Alemã Origem: Berlim, Reino da Prússia Criatura: Vampira

Labor: Florista na Scarborough Fair Moradia: Inferos Rede social: eptsam

Temperamento: Apesar de Samantha ter se esquecido de boa parte de sua vida humana, muitos aspectos de sua personalidade original foram preservados. Sendo assim, em geral, é tranquila, educada e até mesmo doce na maior parte do tempo. É nos momentos de sede que sua personalidade sofre mudanças drásticas, podendo agir com frieza e crueldade, embora se arrependa depois.

Biografia:

[TW: Morte de criança.]

O pesadelo de Samantha Schneider começaria desde o nascimento; tendo desejado nada mais do que uma vida comum e anônima, tinha nascido em uma família aristocrática, imersa em tradições e responsabilidades da nobreza, culminando em um casamento arranjado com Albrecht, um conde importante da época. Seu marido era tudo, menos carinhoso e embora tivesse apenas dezenove anos quando se casaram, isso não o impedia de vê-la como "velha demais" e culpar sua beleza desgastada por todos os casos de infidelidade que sequer tentava esconder.

A união só piorou com a chegada de Ella; além de ser uma menina e não o menino que o pai tanto esperava, as complicações do parto tornaram Samantha estéril, zerando por completo qualquer possibilidade de entregar um herdeiro decente e com isso, Albrecht passou a beber cada vez mais e a traí-la cada vez mais — algo que, honestamente, não a incomodava nenhum pouco; agora tinha Ella para ocupar todo o espaço em seu coração que antes era dominado pela tristeza.

Foi por um pequeno descuido que em 1918, sua vida foi destruída, quando encontrou a criança afogada em um lago próximo da propriedade da família. Consumida pela dor e pela culpa, sentiu-se perdida e em meio ao luto, um desconhecido apareceu com a oferta de libertá-la de seu sofrimento. Pensou que morreria também, no entanto, abriu os olhos como se o encontro tivesse sido apenas um sonho e voltou para casa, deparando-se com um Albrecht desolado mesmo depois de ter sido negligente por tanto tempo. Sem surpresa, ele a culpava pelo ocorrido e o sentimento de ódio cresceu cada vez mais na garota, até atacá-lo e entender finalmente o que tinha se tornado.

A morte do conde a trouxe liberdade, mas a imortalidade seria seu inferno eterno. Tendo que mudar constantemente de identidade, viajou por diversos países, criando novas histórias, adaptando-se a outras culturas e lentamente, esquecendo-se de seu passado. Em Paris, se envolveu na boemia e em Londres, se infiltrou na alta sociedade. Cada nova vida era uma forma de escapar de sua tragédia.

Em suas andanças, ouviu falar sobre Empathica e a senha que precisava fornecer para entrar na cidade. A ideia de um lugar seguro para pessoas como ela pareceu trazer de volta sua humanidade e ali, tentaria viver sem todo o peso que carregava.

Características especiais:

Empoderamento vampírico: Ao se alimentar de vidas sejam essas animais ou sangue humano, a vampira torna-se gradativamente mais poderosa, recebendo aumento de atributos como força, resistência e vigor. Suas demais habilidades também tornam-se superiores quanto mais vidas consumir, além de seus sentidos ficarem mais aguçados, entretanto, períodos sem se alimentar tem o efeito oposto, deixando a vampira fraca e de aspecto abatido.

Sussurro das sombras: Consegue fazer com que sua voz viaje através das sombras, transmitindo mensagens em forma de sussurro. A habilidade só pode ser usada durante a noite, além disso, não consegue criar sombras e depende das já existentes no local.

Manipulação da névoa: É capaz de gerar, controlar, intensificar e moldar névoa a seu bel prazer, podendo criar campos inteiros que dificultam a visão daqueles que estiverem dentro da névoa. Assim como o nevoeiro comum, o efeito se dissipa inevitavelmente de uma a três horas após a criação.

Ritual da memória: Ao ingerir o sangue de alguém, consegue acessar mesmo memórias desconhecidas pela própria vítima, tendo visões claras sobre a vida da mesma. Quanto mais sangue for ingerido, mais memórias serão absorvidas, no entanto, o uso exacerbado pode danificar a mente da vampira, fazendo com que as memórias se misturem e não saiba ao certo quais são suas e quais não são.

Intangível: Torna-se capaz de converter o próprio corpo em névoa, podendo passar por espaços estreiros e escapar de ataques. Entretanto, enquanto estiver em forma de névoa, não consegue utilizar nenhuma outra habilidade.

Sussurros do vento: Ao concentrar-se, a vampira consegue ouvir com clareza conversas que estejam acontecendo a metros de distância, como se as pessoas estivessem ao seu lado. Em contrapartida, o uso prolongado da habilidade pode dificultar a distinção sonora, fazendo com que a usuária fique confusa com as vozes.

#ela/dela #vampiro #inferos

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ulkaralakbarova · 7 months ago

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Verona and Burt have moved to Colorado to be close to Burt’s parents but, with Veronica expecting their first child, Burt’s parents decide to move to Belgium, now leaving them in a place they hate and without a support structure in place. They set off on a whirlwind tour of of disparate locations where they have friends or relatives, sampling not only different cities and climates but also different families. Along the way they realize that the journey is less about discovering where they want to live and more about figuring out what type of parents they want to be. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Burt Farlander: John Krasinski Verona De Tessant: Maya Rudolph Grace De Tessant: Carmen Ejogo Gloria Farlander: Catherine O’Hara Jerry Farlander: Jeff Daniels Lily: Allison Janney Lowell: Jim Gaffigan Ashley: Samantha Pryor Taylor: Conor Carroll LN: Maggie Gyllenhaal Roderick: Josh Hamilton Wolfie: Bailey Harkins Baby Neptune: Brendan Spitz Baby Neptune: Jaden Spitz Tom Garnett: Chris Messina Courtney: Paul Schneider Munch Garnett: Melanie Lynskey Film Crew: Director: Sam Mendes Writer: Dave Eggers Writer: Vendela Vida Producer: Peter Saraf Producer: Edward Saxon Producer: Marc Turtletaub Executive Producer: Pippa Harris Original Music Composer: Alexi Murdoch Casting: Ellen Lewis Production Design: Jess Gonchor Executive Producer: Mari-Jo Winkler Director of Photography: Ellen Kuras Editor: Sarah Flack Casting: Debra Zane Casting Associate: Geoffrey Miclat Seamstress: Carolyn Finlayson Casting Associate: Tannis Vallely Set Costumer: Joseph Cigliano Digital Intermediate: Jacob Robinson Costume Design: John Dunn Visual Effects Supervisor: Eric J. Robertson Set Costumer: Trenee Clayton Visual Effects Producer: Glenn Allen Music Editor: Annette Kudrak Visual Effects Producer: Sarah McMurdo Visual Effects Supervisor: Dennis Berardi Assistant Costume Designer: Sharon Globerson Art Department Coordinator: Kelly Solomon Script Supervisor: Jayne-Ann Tenggren First Assistant Editor: Janet Gaynor Set Costumer: Heather Holmes Visual Effects Producer: Richard Friedlander Special Effects Coordinator: Robert J. Scupp Art Direction: Henry Dunn Set Decoration: Lydia Marks Casting Associate: Meghan Rafferty Costume Supervisor: Tim McKelvey Visual Effects Coordinator: Matt Glover Music Supervisor: Randall Poster Digital Intermediate: Darrell R. Smith Art Department Coordinator: Elizabeth Boller Special Effects Coordinator: Bruce E. Merlin Dialogue Editor: Branka Mrkic Production Accountant: Richard Mancuso Thanks: Charlie Crist Movie Reviews:

#bedtime story #biracial #disguised voice #interracial relationship #medical illustrator #sonogram #student protest #Top Rated Movies #unmarried couple

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wildcmbcrsupdates · 2 years ago

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arubinow: Last night at the YELLOWJACKETS Emmy FYC Event. Panel - Part 1: Sophie Nélisse, Teen Shauna Jasmin Savoy Brown, Teen Taissa Samantha Hanratty, Teen Misty Courtney Eaton, Teen Lottie Liv Hewson, Teen Van Steven Krueger, Ben Scott Kevin Alves, Teen Travis Moderator: Michael Schneider, Variety

Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Kevin Alves, Liv Hewson, Sammi Hanratty, Steven Krueger and Sophie Nelisse via arubinow on Instagram, 05/21/2023.

#courtney eaton #jasmin savoy brown #kevin alves #liv hewson #sammi hanratty #steven krueger #sophie nelisse #the way jasmins image is the only one facing the other way hurts my ocd

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wikiuntamed · 11 months ago

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Top 5 @Wikipedia pages from yesterday: Tuesday, 19th March 2024

Welcome, benvenuto, hoş geldiniz, mirë se vjen 🤗 What were the top pages visited on @Wikipedia (19th March 2024) 🏆🌟🔥?

1️⃣: Nowruz "Nowruz (Persian: نوروز [noːˈɾuːz]) is the Iranian or Persian New Year celebrated by various ethnic groups worldwide. It is a festival based on the spring equinox— which marks the first day of the new year in the Iranian Solar Hijri calendar, on or around 21 March on the Gregorian calendar. The day..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Salar Arkan - سالار ارکان

2️⃣: Aaron Taylor-Johnson "Aaron Perry Taylor-Johnson (né Johnson; born 13 June 1990) is an English actor. He is known for his portrayal of the title character in Kick-Ass (2010) and its 2013 sequel as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe character Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Johnson began performing..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by Gage Skidmore

3️⃣: Dan Schneider "Daniel James Schneider (born January 14, 1966) is an American television producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is known for creating and producing a string of successful children's shows on Nickelodeon from 1994 to 2019. In recent years since 2018 he has faced significant media coverage and..."

Image by Unknown author

4️⃣: The Acolyte (TV series) "The Acolyte is an upcoming American television series in the Star Wars franchise, set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the main Star Wars films. The series is created by Leslye Headland. Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae star in the leading roles. Headland expressed interest..."

5️⃣: Sam Taylor-Johnson "Samantha Louise Taylor-Johnson (née Taylor-Wood; born 4 March 1967) is a British film director and artist. Her directorial feature film debut was 2009's Nowhere Boy, a film based on the childhood experiences of the Beatles' singer and songwriter John Lennon. She is one of a group of artists known..."

Image licensed under CC BY 2.0? by Nick Step

#TopWikiPages #WikiUntamed #GemsOfWikipedia #WhatDoesWikiSay

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chirpingfromthebox · 7 months ago

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The status of PWHL Ottawa's roster as of 7/9/2024

Those Who Were Never in Doubt:

Emily Clark - F

Gabbie Hughes - F

Brianne Jenner - F

Hayley Scamurra - F

Natalie Snodgrass - F

Tereza Vanisova - F

Ashton Bell - D

Zoe Boyd - D

Savannah Harmon - D

Jincy Roese - D

Aneta Tejralová - D

Emerance Maschmeyer - G

The Signed and Re-Signed:

Shiann Darkangelo - F

Rebecca Leslie - F [previously from TOR]

Anna Meixner - F [Ottawa's 6th draft pick]

Kateřina Mrázová - F

Natalie Snodgrass - F

Alexa Vasko - F [previously from TOR]

Logan Angers - G [an undrafted free agent]

The Remaining Draftees:

Mannon McMahon - F

Danielle Serdachny - F

Stephanie Markowski - D

Ronja Savolainen - D

Madeline Wethington - D

Gwyneth Philips - G

S.1 OTT Players That Are Still Currently Free Agents:

Sammy Davis - F

Kristin Della Rovere - F

Rosalie Demers - F

Fanni Garát-Gasparics - F

Samantha Isbell - F

Malia Schneider - F

Akane Shiga - F

Emma Buckles - D

Sandra Abstreiter - G

Rachel McQuigge - G

Becca Gilmore [retired]

Daryl Watts [now signed to Toronto]

Total players you can have on your roster (not counting reserves): 23

Those currently under contract + the draftees = 19

Available spots left: 4

#pwhl ottawa #their signings have been all every corner #and they've only signed 1 of their 7 draft picks so far #I don't know what it all means #but it fascinates me #P.S. someone better sign Akane Shiga and Emma Buckles already

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daggerzine · 1 year ago

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Window Shopping with The Garment District: An Interview with Jennifer Baron (interview by Eric Eggleson)

If you’re a Ladybug Transistor fan like I am, then the name Jennifer Baron should sound familiar. She has been a part of it since the beginning. But what I didn’t know was that she has another musical outlet with her amazing band The Garment District. Thankfully, Gary Olson(see previous Dagger interview) told me about her new album. I had a chance to catch up with her and find out more.

Here’s the opening track from The Garment District’s new album:

youtube

What do you think of the current music scene? Any new bands we should know about? Some newer and newish contemporary music that is frequently on my turntable and in my ears: Surface to Air Missive, Carl Didur, Zacht Automaat, The Frowning Clouds, Traffik Island, ORB, Locate S,1, Gloria, Etran de L’Air, Paint, Large Plants, Euros Childs, Emma Anderson, Heather Trost, flypaper, Colored Lights, Cindy Lee, Brigid Dawson & The Mothers Network, The Murlocs, Cindy, Jacco Gardner, Tim Presley, The Cromagnon Band, Licorice Root Orchestra, Bong Wish, The Orange Alabaster Mushroom, Cut Worms, Hot Apple Band, Liam Hayes, Belbury Poly, Samantha Glass, Jackie McDowell, Chris Cohen, Golden Apples, Cory Hanson, The David Tattersall Group, Mike Donovan …

What is your musical background? Do you have any musical training? I create music as The Garment District and am also a founding member of Brooklyn’s The Ladybug Transistor (Merge Records). As The Garment District, I write and arrange the music, play multiple instruments, and write the lyrics. When I was in elementary school, I took piano lessons from a woman who lived on our street, and I still have some of my Leila Fletcher Piano Course Books. I dabbled in guitar lessons in Amherst, Massachusetts, while attending Mount Holyoke College and was also a DJ at WHMC 91.5 FM South Hadley, one of the oldest broadcasting facilities in the U.S. run by women. Really, I learned to play music in a self-taught experiential way, like the musicians I admire most, by starting a band. For me that was in Brooklyn, playing guitar in Saturnine. Soon after, I helped form The Ladybug Transistor, quickly learning to play bass for our tour with Sportsguitar in Switzerland, which flipped a musical switch to permanently be on in my psyche and life. As The Garment District, I have previously released albums on Night-People Records and Kendra Steiner Editions, as well as a single for La Station Radar (France) that features a remix of my song “Nature-Nurture” by Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, Spectrum, E.A.R.). I have also contributed songs to compilations on Moon Glyph, Crash Symbols, Crafted Sounds and Kill Collector Culture. I’m ecstatic to have my brand-new full-length album, Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World, released on Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records after knowing Mike Turner through Athens, Georgia, and Elephant 6 bands, for many years. It has been such a meaningful way to reconnect, and a deep honor to be label mates with The Primitives, The Wedding Present, Great Lakes, Fred Schneider, Outer World, Swansea Sound, Katie Lass, and many others. It was a dream come true to have the expertise of Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive) oversee the vinyl production and cut the lacquers for the new LP at Third Man Pressing in Detroit. I also love having opportunities to merge music with other art forms I am passionate about, especially film and video, which I have been invited to do through the Pittsburgh-based SYNC'D series. For both in-person and online events, I composed original soundtracks (ranging from 1-5 minutes) for the series, which pairs filmmakers and video artists with musicians for live shows and online broadcasts. My music has also been featured on the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Pitt Med Podcast, and I contributed music and photography to Brooklyn-based ESOPUS magazine. In the art realm, I have also contributed an audio installation, a cassette tape and photography for group exhibitions curated by designer Brett Yasko at SPACE Gallery in Pittsburgh. In Spring 2023, I was invited to create a special DJ set for the opening celebration of “The Velvet Underground & Nico: Scepter Studio Sessions” exhibition at The Andy Warhol Museum and play my grandparents’ collection of tamburitza 78s at the Maxo Vanka Murals Community Block Party in Millvale, PA.

Lucy and Jennifer (photo by Nicole Czapinski)

List all of the instruments you play. With The Garment District, I play keyboards live (Wurlitzer electric piano, synthesizer, melodica). On the new album, Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World, I play a variety of organs and synthesizers, electric piano, guitar on several songs, bass on some songs, melodica, glockenspiel and percussion, and sing backing vocals throughout. With The Ladybug Transistor, I play bass, guitar, keyboards, and melodica live.

What instrument do you begin writing songs with? (guitar, piano, etc.). I write music and make demos at home typically using my Roland JX-3P synthesizer, Hohner organ, Rickenbacker 360, and Hammond M3 organ. I love the raw somewhat warbled vibe of demos and the sensation that the construct of a song is amorphous or precariously trying to hold itself together as it emerges, and the way demos can reflect the creative process. Whether I make demos using my Boss digital 8-track recorder or iPhone, I try my best to save them (I’ve even been revisiting and digitizing old Ladybug Transistor and Frock 4-track sessions!). Most of the songs on the new Garment District album emerged as demos I recorded at home, playing the core keyboard parts, and mapping out song structures, vocal melodies, lyrics and ideas for instrumentation and arrangements. I love having analog instruments around the house to encourage a spontaneous writing process, inspired by where an instrument takes you as much as by lighting, ambient sounds, time of day, seasons, and shifting vantage points. Many are incorporated into the new album: Vox Super Continental organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond M3, vintage Casios, Fender Vibrolux Reverb amp, Rickenbacker 360, and melodica. Adding to these, I was fortunate to be able to incorporate a range of analog synthesizers on loan that I consider to be the holy grail in terms of the golden age of the analog synthesizer universe, like a 1970s Roland 505 Paraphonic, Roland System 100, Farfisa Syntorchestra, and a Sequential Pro One, plus 1960s and 1970s guitar pedals I borrowed from Gregg Kostelich of the garage rock band, The Cynics.

I love both experiences of creating intimate, experimental and spontaneous demos at home, and then seeing how they evolve into a permanent piece of recorded sound within the studio setting. I am especially motivated by layered melodies that come to me when experimenting with instruments, making demos, and working in the recording studio. To me, there is a kind of alchemy inherent in the art form of music, that can emerge when a song takes an unexpected direction, but remains true to its core, such as being anchored by a melody, an instrument, a rhythm or an arrangement. I am drawn to the duality of producing and arranging music, but also being open to letting the creative process itself, and the limitations or potential of instruments, guide your vision -- not always being totally in control of the final result because it’s being created in a very particular context, time, and place. A central, guiding inspiration for me comes from nature, swimming, and observing the world around me through photography.

Lucy and Jennifer (photo by Nicole Czapinski)

Here’s another video from the new album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXCRv4XxgSA

Were you in any other bands? In the 1990s, I cofounded the Brooklyn band Saturnine (Dirt Records).

Saturnine at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern (RIP) in Pittsburgh, 1990's

Here’s a Saturnine video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW03_LtH5fo

In Pittsburgh, I also played organ and percussion with The New Alcindors, with whom I recorded an album at the legendary Castle Recording Studios in Nashville. My current bands are The Garment District and The Ladybug Transistor.

Do you have a day job? Yes. I work as a writer and an editor, and I also am a writing tutor for teens. My professional experience includes working in art museums and co-running arts and community events.

The Garment District live in Pittsburgh at the Andy Warhol Museum

(photo by Sean Carroll)

When did you realize how important music was in your life? Music surrounded us from our earliest days. My mom would sing Peter, Paul and Mary's "Stewball" (she went on to name her first dog after the song and he was the most loving majestic creature) to us as one of our lullabies. Growing up, our house was filled with LPs, CDs and radios, and our car had a tape deck for our many road trips to see our relatives in Philadelphia and at the beach in New Jersey (where my brother Jeff and I were born). Our parents’ record collection supplied some of our very first and favorite toys, so we were fortunate to have a private listening library to explore. So many memories of gazing at fantastical album covers: The Beach Boys, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Jefferson Airplane, Donovan, Leonard Cohen, The Byrds. My mom taught a high school English course called “Poetry & Rock Lyrics” and I loved writing song lyrics out on index cards used to decorate her classroom.

Our home contained mind-blowing concert posters by legendary Fillmore West artist Bonnie MacLean, including a hypnotic Pink Floyd poster. Our mom grew up in Philadelphia with Bonnie’s sister Valerie and told us stories about Fillmore posters and postcards arriving at their Penn State dorm room. We also had the lyrics to Dylan’s “Sad-eyed Lady of the Lowlands” written out in calligraphy and framed hanging in our house, so that gives you an idea of the backdrop that led to having music of the 1960s and 1970s in our DNA. Watching shows like “H.R. Pufnstuf” (RIP Marty Krofft) and “The Electric Company” and singing along to “Free To Be … You And Me” and “Puff, the Magic Dragon” cemented the power and value of music in our lives and definitely planted the seeds for the kind of music I make along with a particular creative aesthetic and cultural mindset. As kids, my brother and I would make up our own radio shows, playing the parts of DJs and performing commercial spots, recording them onto Maxell tapes. Our first records bought for us by my mom were songs like “The Muffin Man,” which fueled my interest in offbeat folk music and melodies. As a family, we have attended many concerts together over the years: Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson, Bert Jansch, Bruce Springsteen, The Replacements -- and it is a special bond to share with your parents. I think that empowered and inspired us to see many seminal concerts as teenagers at storied Pittsburgh venues like the Syria Mosque, Electric Banana (all-ages nights), Graffiti, Sonic Temple, Civic Arena, the Beehive and more.

Riding the T Downtown to shop at the iconic record store Eide’s for albums by New Order, The Smiths, the Go-Betweens and on and on, was a rite of passage and a teenage pilgrimage in a pre-digital era where gathering in public spaces to share the thrill of discovering new music was transformative. My deep love of music in a vast array of style and genres is something I do not separate from any aspect of my life or my identity. I have always been fascinated and moved by music because it is an art form that you cannot see or touch, yet it can transport you so powerfully through places and times and thoughts and feelings. It is both time-based but also beyond time, both fleeting and permanent, if that makes sense.

The Ladybug Transistor live at the Andy Warhol Museum in 2023.

What artists have influenced you? On any day, I am listening to a vast range of music: 1950s-1970s psychedelia, pop, garage, freakbeat, and folk-rock; 1950s-1960s rocksteady and ska; early electronic; free jazz; 1980s hip hop; 1970s-80s pop and new wave from the U.K., Scotland, New Zealand, and Australia; soundtracks … I am deeply inspired by creative mediums beyond music: film, design, photography, material culture, especially from the 1960s-1970s. Film is extremely inspiring to me, especially 1970s filmmaking, British folk and Italian giallo. I am also very drawn to instrumental and interstitial music because it allows listeners to access visceral worlds through non-verbal communication. From Library Music to free jazz to Jamaican Rocksteady to early electronic music to albums by Yellow Magic Orchestra, Les Rallizes Dénudés, Manuel Göttsching, Delia Derbyshire, Jack Nitzsche, Hailu Mergia, Alice Coltrane, Harmonia, Broadcast and the Focus Group, and so much more.

If you could work with any other artist (dead or alive), who would it be? Lee Hazlewood, Yoko Ono, Peter Weir, Alice Coltrane, Remy Charlip.

What was the first CD/record you ever bought? Among the first albums we bought (literally the very first were the brightly colored plastic records for our Fisher Price Record Player my mom bought for us) were compilations of hits and novelty songs from the 1950s-1970s. I have such vivid memories of singing along to songs like The Coasters’ “Yakety Yak” (1958), Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs “Li’l Red Riding Hood” (1966) and Napoleon XIV’s “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” The combination of catchy melodies, interesting arrangements and evocative narrative imagery certainly sparked our childhood curiosity and imagination.

What was the first concert you ever went to? Peter, Paul and Mary with my mom at The Stanley Theatre in downtown Pittsburgh.

Who plays on your latest album? Where did you find them? Family and friends (new and old) and members of The Garment District live band are featured on the new album. One extremely rewarding aspect of recording the new album was working with my cousin Lucy Blehar, who is a vocalist. I have always been drawn to the concept of family bands (I play in The Ladybug Transistor with my brother Jeff) and what can arise between relatives who collaborate on creative endeavors. For the two of us, we are able to sing backups and harmonies and double certain melody lines together. We share a very close bond personally, so the recording process was a very organic and fulfilling way of enjoying the studio environment together. This continues my family’s music-making heritage, as our grandfather, great-aunt and great-uncles on my dad’s side performed in Croatian tamburitza orchestra family bands in the Monongahela Valley towns Braddock and Rankin, and in Benwood, West Virginia, often for boarders who worked in area steel mills. To have Shivika Asthana (Papas Fritas) play drums on several songs on the new album is deeply special to me and to the identity of the drum sound. Our bands played shows together in the past, including at The Knitting Factory in NYC. It has been a tremendous joy to reconnect through music and the indie craft scene now that we both live in Pittsburgh. Another meaningful thread on the new album that also connects several dots, is one of the drum kits we used – a beautiful sounding 1966 Slingerland belonging to Laura Rogers (our bands, Saturnine and Ruby Falls, also played shows together in NYC and I am close with Laura’s sister and former bandmate Jennifer, who also lives right near me in Pittsburgh!). Though its provenance has not been confirmed, Laura was told that the kit, which she bought from a collector in Detroit, was used on the Nirvana “Unplugged” recordings. I love that our lives have intersected in these ways. It is also incredibly special to me that the new album features horns by my Ladybug bandmate and close friend Gary Olson on trumpet as well as Ladybugger Kyle Forester (whose solo band we just played with in Brooklyn in November) on saxophone. So, Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World brings together people I adore deeply, whose gifts and energy helped the music come to life, including Dan Koshute (guitar, vocals), Corry Drake (bass), Sean Finn (drums), Shivika Asthana (drums), Alex Korshin (vocals), Nathan Musser (violin, cello) and David Klug (drums). And my constant close listener: my husband Greg Langel.

Who is in your backup band when you tour? The current Garment District live band features Corry Drake (bass), Mike Kelly (guitar), Sean Finn (drums), Alex Korshin (vocals), and Erik Cirelli (guitar). We just performed in December for the new SYNC’D Presents series at one of my favorite Pittsburgh venues, Spirit. The event included an incredible liquid light show accompanying the music in real-time created by Billy Gruber, who runs SOS Lightshow in Dayton, Ohio. On January 28, we are thrilled to be opening for William Tyler & The Impossible Truth at Bottlerocket Social Hall. Past live show highlights for The Garment District include performing at the VIA Music & New Media Festival, The Andy Warhol Museum Sound Series and Silver Studio Sessions; Ladyfest, Deutschtown Music Festival; and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Music SPACE series; opening for Parquet Courts, Julia Holter, Soft Moon, A. Savage, Jack Cooper, The Essex Green, Jenny Hval and Mr. Airplane Man; performing at the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark for the THRIVAL Festival; playing in an abandoned 1900s-era Czech Church on the Allegheny River for the SYNC’D series; and filming a live video segment at the Mattress Factory museum (where I used to work) for Doug Aitken’s Station to Station project.

Where can people find your music? The vinyl and digital LP is available from Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records. The LP is also available in shops, with U.S. distribution through Midheaven Mailorder / Revolver. https://www.hhbtm.com/product/flowers-telegraphed-to-all-parts-of-the-world/

Distribution for the new LP overseas is through: UK: Plastichead Germany, Austria, Switzerland: Cargo Border Music: Scandinavia Goodfellas: Italy Australia/New Zealand: Planet MGM/Groove Merchants Benelux: Suburban All of my current and past releases are available digitally through Bandcamp. My music is also available for listening on all streaming platforms (please support independent musicians when you can!)

Video still of Jennifer by Sandy Loaf.

Are CD releases a thing of the past? Not in my particular world. Based on the number of people who purchased (or requested) CDs on our Ladybug Transistor tour in November, I would say no. I still have most of my CDs from the 1990s and we often listen to them on car trips. A few years ago, I actually released a CD of all-instrumental solo music, “Luminous Toxin,” via Kendra Steiner Editions, the Texas-based experimental label run by acclaimed writer Bill Shute.

How was the concert in Norway? (Egersund Visefestival) Absolutely dreamy! After having the magical experience of performing at the Egersund Visefestival in 2019 (where we joined Elf Power, Robyn Hitchcock, Emma Swift, The Essex Green, I Was a King and others), we were invited to return to the sublime southwestern coast of Norway for this past summer’s festival. It was especially fulfilling after the frightening pandemic years. In July, we performed at the festival along with Teenage Fanclub, Elf Power, The Minus 5, The No Ones, Colored Lights, The High Water Marks, Euros Childs, Honey Radar, The Rishis, and more. It was also the international premiere of the new Elephant 6 documentary, so there was a screening and panel discussion (that my brother Jeff participated in with Hilarie Sidney and Andrew Rieger). A blissful experience and also a total whirlwind of activity, including marathon rehearsals in a historic Norwegian house, sneaking in crisp lake swims, and not sleeping much during the midnight sun! One of many highlights was getting to play melodica (me) and flute (Sasha) with Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey during The No Ones' closing set. Since we had our November 9 show at The Andy Warhol Museum scheduled well in advance, we decided to book a Fall mini-tour for November 2023. It was truly a dream to be back on stage and in the van (aka a massive sprinter!) with Gary, Sasha, Julia, my brother Jeff, plus Derek Almstead on drums and Ake Strömer (of the incredible Strömer Mutroniks) helping us with driving and merchandise sales. The shows at Public Records in Brooklyn and The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh were particularly moving and thrilling, with sooo many old and new friends (we missed you, Tim!) and family members in attendance. It was fantastic to be back at Schuba’s again in Chicago and see Eric and his daughter. One unexpected highlight was discovering how incredible the Bell’s Brewery venue and facility are in Kalamazoo! We hope to be back on tour again in 2024.

Sasha Bell and Jennifer on stage with No Ones at Egersund.

Tell us about your involvement with the Elephant 6 film? I contributed some archival footage that is used in the documentary, from our extensive late 1990s U.S. tours with Of Montreal. The digitizing continues! I also participated in post-screening Q&As with Derek Almstead when the film premiered in Pittsburgh at The Harris Theater in September 2023.

Will you be touring your new album? I absolutely hope to soon, and would love to see Dagger readers out there along the way. The Garment District has only played locally so I look forward to more shows and some touring. Stay tuned please and stay in touch!

What are your future plans? It has been a true joy to rebuild the live band after overwhelming pandemic interruptions. I look forward to performing more regularly and celebrating the new LP. I plan to continue my cross-country collaborations with artist Nicole Czapinksi, who created the music video for “Left on Coast” (filmed at an abandoned Nike Missile Site in Western Pennsylvania). Nicole would love to project live visuals, responding to our music in real-time using techniques we experimented with in the video. Likewise, I expect to continue collaborating with Asheville, North Carolina-based artist Peter Speer, who I have known since our shared NYC days, who created the music video for “Following Me,” our cover of the 1967 song by The Human Expression. I have started conversations with Pittsburgh artists Johnny Arlett, Michi Tapes and Sandy Loaf about working on new music videos for The Garment District. This winter, I will be contributing a track to a compilation planned for 6612 Tapes, the label run by Elephant 6 co-founder Hilarie Sidney (The High Water Marks, The Apples in Stereo), with all proceeds going to a blue candidate in a vulnerable state during the 2024 U.S. election. I have some new Garment District demos emerging and hope to be back in the studio soon!

I hope you enjoyed learning more about Jennifer as much as I did. We can only hope she will bring her band out on the road in the future. It was such a fun time seeing The Ladybug Transistor in Chicago. Here’s hoping a new year will bring a new tour.

www.thegarmentdistrict.bandcamp.com

www.hhbtm.bandcamp.com

www.mergerecords.bandcamp.com

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