photos by Tim Griffin

" Graham Parker (musician, Bloodshot Records)
" Josh Ritter (singer-songwriter) (moved from March)
" Eugene Mirman (comedian, Flight of the Conchords)
" Daniel Wallace (magician/author, Big Fish)
" Dan John Miller (actor/musician, ex-Blanche, played Luther Perkins in I Walk The Line)
" Sam Lipsyte (author, one of New York Magazine's "Ten Funniest New Yorkers You've Never Heard Of")
" Daniel Felsenfeld (classical composer/author)

That's how John Wesley Harding's April 15th (last night's) show at Le Poisson Rouge was billed. The show marked the end of a tour and the end of a three month NYC residency at Le Poisson rouge. February pics HERE. March pics HERE. April pics below...

Continue reading "John Wesley Harding, Graham Parker, Eugene Mirman, Josh Ritter & more @ Le Poisson Rouge, NYC - pics "

As previously reported, Amanda Palmer is hard at work preparing her own high-school musical...

I am going to be performing in an original play with music titled "WITH THE NEEDLE THAT SINGS IN HER HEART" at lexington high school. the show is inspired by the album "in the aeroplane over the sea" by neutral milk hotel and is being written (and we're almost done!) by me, the cast and my former drama director and mentor, steven bogart.

performances are May 7, 8 and 9 at the LHS theater. doors at 7:30. show at 8. $5 for students. $10 for the general public. come. come come come.

Tickets for With the Needle That Sings in her Heart are on sale now. Palmer has been posting frequent updates on her blog and Twitter account about the production of the show and other tidbits, such as this description:

using "in the aeroplane over the sea" by neutral milk hotel as an inspiration, the kids (a cast of 20) have been putting together a play through improvisation. the process started about a month ago and i've been in the last two weeks of rehearsals helping shape the plot and characters and create the musical accompaniment, mostly songs from the record played live. often with me playing the instruments, but the whole cast and some extra musicians will be presenting the music....

Palmer's next live show is at Coachella on April 18th. She also has a show scheduled at NYC's Highline Ballroom on Friday, June 5th (tickets on sale April 17th).

As Pitchfork recently reported. Amanda is also making a public effort to get dropped from her Roadrunner Records contract. She even sings a song about it to the tune of "Moon River". Check out the video below. In a letter to Bob Lefsetz she wrote:

my label-dropping game has become very fun. please pray for me.

it's a lesson in how the future of music is working - fans are literally (and i mean that....literally) lining up at the signing table after shows and HANDING me cash, saying "thank you".

i had to EXPLAIN to the so-called "head of digital media" of roadrunner australia WHAT TWITTER WAS. and his brush-off that "it hasn't caught on here yet" was ABSURD because the next day i twittered that i was doing an impromptu gathering in a public park and 12 hours later, 150 underage fans - who couldn't attend the show - showed up to get their records signed.

no manager knew! i didn't even warn or tell her! no agents! no security! no venue! we were in a fucking public park!
life is becoming awesome.

Cellist Zoe Keating, who toured Australia with Palmer in early March, will be performing with Palmer at Coachella. The pair recently covered Muse's "Time Is Running Out" live (video below).

Palmer is also releasing a Who Killed Amanda Palmer book -- "a fine art hardback book of "photographic evidence" with contributions from celebrated blogger and photographer Kyle Cassidy, Beth Hommel, Tegan Rain (of Tegan and Sara) and many others. Fictional stories to accompany the photographs have been penned by best-selling author Neil Gaiman." That book will be available for pre-order on Palmer's website starting Monday, April 20th at noon (cover art above).

Full With the Needle That Sings in her Heart press release, plus Palmer singing an impromptu song with John Wesley Harding at SXSW and other videos, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Amanda Palmer - wants out of Roadrunner, playing NYC, writing a play, releasing a book, likes Twitter & other news"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: John Wesley Harding and Eugene Mirman's Cabinet of Wonders w/ special guests - Oh! Pandora (MP3)

John Wesley Harding @ (Le) Poisson Rouge (more by Tim Griffin)

John Wesley Harding's last Wes & Eugene's Cabinet of Wonders show is happening Wednesday, April 15th at (Le) Poisson Rouge. (Though the Cabinet of Wonders show will be visiting the World Cafe Live on May 21st, so more dates may be on the way.) Tickets for that LPR gig are still on sale.

JWH will also be appearing at Barnes & Noble's free "Upstairs at the Square" series on Monday, April 27th (7pm) with crime writer Laura Lippman. "John Wesley Harding, whose new album is Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead, and Laura Lippman, whose new book is Life Sentences, discuss and perform their work in conversation with host Katherine Lanpher. Admission is free, and no tickets are required. Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis." Past Upstairs in the Square events have ended with a musical performance in addition to a talk. Those past events include Antonio Monda & Nellie McKay and C. N. Adichie & Craig Finn, both in 2007 (videos linked). The singer (who has two novels to his name) also has a reading scheduled the day prior. All dates below.

And to update our Coraline/musical story, Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields is composing the music to the musical version of Coraline. The show opens May 7th, but before that - on Tuesday, April 21st - Merritt and other production members will disuss the process of making the musical. The event, titled "What's there to be afraid of? A conversation with the artists behind Coraline," will take place at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St) and will include David Greenspan (book writer), Leigh Silverman (director), and Jayne Houdyshell (Coraline). Also: "The evening will conclude with a first-ever public performance of one of Coraline's songs, performed on the ukulele and sung by composer/lyricist Stephin Merritt." Tickets for that event are on sale now.

All John Wesley Harding tour dates and "Cabinet of Wonders" videos below...

Continue reading "John Wesley Harding & Stephin Merritt to sing & speak @ NYC events (separately)"

photos by Tim Griffin

DOWNLOAD: John Wesley Harding and Eugene Mirman's Cabinet of Wonders w/ special guests - Oh! Pandora (MP3)

At Le Poisson Rouge[on March 11th], the Cabinet of Wonders show unfolded with an appealing airiness and a confident sort of self-deprecation. Mr. Whitehead read an essay in which the narrator encouraged T.S. Eliot's character J. Alfred Prufrock to lighten up. While reading from a novel in which he fictionalized the life of Rudolf Nureyev, Mr. McCann plugged in Mr. Harding's name for one of his characters. Ms. Wallen's performance of her suite for children, text by Mr. Harding, was a delight, and Ms. Cash's reading from her memoir contained a touching passage about her late father, Johnny Cash. She sang a few songs with her characteristic perceptive grace.

A spoof by the new duo of Harding and Mirman of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" gave the evening its touch of vaudeville. The song concluded with the comedian unleashing wild feedback-like squeals via a handheld oscillator that let him play the rock star for a few seconds. Mr. Mirman glowed with glee, as did Mr. Harding, who stepped back to enjoy the inspired silliness. The audience roared in delight.-[Wall Street Journal]

John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders has been working through its three-show Le Poisson Rouge engagement plus tour. The first show took place on February 11th, and on March 11th, JWH and friends (Rosanne Cash, Colson Whitehead, Colum McCann, Errollyn Wallen, and tour-regular Eugene Mirman) returned to the venue (more pics below).

Tonight (3/20), the traveling revue hits SXSW, with a show at Maggie Mae's.

Then "Wes & Eugene's Cabinet of Wonders" tour heads across the US, before a final show at LPR on April 15th (feat. guests Graham Parker, Josh Ritter, Eugene Mirman, Daniel Wallace, Dan John Miller, Sam Lipsyte, Daniel Felsenfeld). Tickets are still on sale.

More pictures from the March 11th show, below...

Continue reading "John Wesley Harding, Eugene Mirman, Roseanne Cash & more @ Le Poisson Rouge, NYC - pics "

photos by Lori Baily

DOWNLOAD: John Wesley Harding and Eugene Mirman's Cabinet of Wonders w/ special guests - Oh! Pandora (MP3)

GOTHAMIST: How did you go about picking who would accompany your (le) Poisson Rouge shows?

John Wesley Harding: People whose work I really like and people with whom I really like to work. You can go through the list like that. Mostly the reaction was very positive, as you can see from who's playing, For example, the one on Wednesday: Rosanne Cash - we weren't friends, but we are now. I'm a huge fan and have been for years. Errollyn Wallen - fantastic classical composer from the UK. She's setting some texts of mine to music and she's going to play one. She's coming over especially for the concert. Colson Whitehead - one of my favourite writers and a neighbour. I asked him to read a piece I saw him reading in Brooklyn recently. Colum McCann - a wonderful writer. We became friends at a literary conference in Paris, stayed up all one night singing folk songs, first in a restaurant with many people, and then in his hotel rooms. It was one of those nights that seemed never to end. I'm hoping Wednesday seems like that too, but in a good way. And of course Eugene Mirman will be there too - and we will then take the show, as "Wes and Eugene's Cabinet of Wonders" all around America - which means it will be him, me, all my friends, but all his friends too.

As previously posted, John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders scheduled three shows at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. The first was February 11th, the next is March 11th (TONIGHT), and the last is April 15th. Between now and the final show, John and Eugene will also do the above-mentioned tour together. That even includes a show at SXSW on March 20th. All dates, and lots of pictures from the Feb 11th show (with Jonathan Ames, Rick Moody, Eugene Mirman, Shivaree, Carla Rhodes, and P.T. Walkley), below...

Continue reading "John Wesley Harding (music) touring (dates) w/ Eugene Mirman (comedy), LPR TONIGHT + pics from last time"

John Wesley Harding will be releasing his latest album, Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead, on March 10 via Popover Corps/Rebel Group. Recorded with backing band The Minus Five (featuring Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck of REM), Who Was Changed is Harding's first rock album since 2004's Adam's Apple. Included with the new record is a live bonus CD, recorded at Brooklyn's Union Hall on October 27, 2008 with guest duetist Josh Ritter among others.

John Wesley Harding will be hosting a series of unique variety shows, featuring a hand-picked crew from the worlds of music, literature and comedy. The three-show residency will be held at NYC's Le Poisson Rouge on February 11, March 11 and April 15.

The Feburary 11th lineup is:

- Jonathan Ames (author, HBO pilot, Bored to Death, with Jason Schwartzman)
- Rick Moody (author, The Ice Storm, Demonology, The Black Veil)
- Eugene Mirman (comedian, Flight of the Conchords)
- Shivaree (musician, Zoë Records)
- Carla Rhodes (rock and roll ventriloquist)
- P.T. Walkley (songwriter/film composer, Ed Burns collaborator)

Tickets for that JWH show are still on sale.

One day earlier (February 10th) you can catch Eugene Mirman celebrating the release of his new book at The Bell House in Brooklyn. John Oliver, John Hodgman, Kristen Schaal and Paul F. Tompkins are also performing at that show, which is sold out.

One day earlier than that (February 9th) (TODAY!) Eugene Mirman will be performing, for free, again with Kristen Schall, at UCB. It's all part of Leo Allen's 11pm Whiplash show that Zach Galifianakis will also be attending. Info and free tickets HERE.

As stated above, John Wesley Harding will be back at LPR in March and April. So will Eugene Mirman. A video trailer for this week's show, and the full lineup of all three (including Roseanne Cash, Josh Ritter, and Graham Parker), below...

Continue reading "JOHN WESLEY HARDING's Cabinet of Wonders... and other EUGENE MIRMAN shows, Josh Ritter, albums & stuff"

Eugene Mirman's new book The Will to Whatevs will be releaed on February 10, 2009. Coincedentally that is the same day he is having a party celebrating the release of the book at The Bell House in Brooklyn. Sarah Vowell is DJing, and John Oliver, John Hodgman, Kristen Schaal, Paul F. Tompkins, and "more special guests" are also performing at the $15.00 show.

Also on Eugene's calendar: four headlining shows at Comix in January. Actually:

@ COMIX in NYC
Jan 02 (early) - Todd Barry
Jan 02 (late) - Todd Barry
Jan 03 (early) - Todd Barry
Jan 09 (early) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 09 (late) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 10 (early) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 10 (late) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 03 (late) - Todd Barry
Jan 16 (early) - Eugene Mirman
Jan 16 (late) - Eugene Mirman
Jan 17 (early) - Eugene Mirman
Jan 17 (late) - Eugene Mirman

Tickets are on sale for all of those shows.

BUT/AND/ALSO, unlike Todd Barry and Paul F. Tompkins, Eugene Mirman will NOT be opening any of the Yo La Tengo shows this year. All of Eugene's dates below...

Continue reading "Eugene Mirman's new book, parties, special guests, Comix shows & other tour dates (but no Yo La Tengo)"