David Mills's Act Is a 'Riot'

Damian and I met up with our friend Tim on Saturday to catch David Mills perform at Red Eye, a newish bar/performance space on 41st Street, just south of the bustling Hell's Kitchen gayborhood. My friends Tim (another Tim) and Matt had both raved about "Riot Act" -- "stand-up comedy cabaret for the end of times" -- so I made a point of putting David's next date in my calendar and boy am I glad I did. 

As when I recommend movies, books or TV shows, I think it's a(nother) case of "the less you know going into it the better." But suffice to say that if you think you would enjoy hearing from the love child of Sandra Bernhard and Buddy Cole -- with a set that is a nod to Mr. MacFarland's "Just Jack!" -- he's the guy for you; he made me laugh, he made me think and he made me forget this mess we're in, a welcome relief even if it was just for an hour. 

In lieu of an official website, I'd suggest following him on Instagram to keep an eye out for upcoming performances, where you can also get a sample of the dapper humorist. And you can find out even more HERE.

Shoutout to Penny Arcade, who opened the evening with panache. At 75, the downtown denizen sang and joked and told stories about her half-century-plus as a friend-of-a-friend-of-Dorothy, performance artist, cult figure and beyond. And if you don't like what the woman who brought us "Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!" has to say about the state of queer affairs -- she's seen all on offer and she's not impressed at all -- she couldn't care (any) less (than I do). Find her on Facebook HERE and on Patreon HERE.

UPDATE: David Mills is performing at the New York Queer Comedy Festival's Laugh Out on Wednesday, Aug. 13. Info HERE.

‘Pissed’ Neko Case Threatens to Bail on Sold-Out Crowd in Tarrytown, N.Y.

UPDATE: The man who was ejected from the show has posted a statement. See what he had to say about the incident at the bottom.

Editor's note: It kind of makes me queasy to even write this because Neko Case is such a wonderful and talented artist, whom I want to believe meant well. (She came into my life at a musically significant time as I was coming to terms with the tragic loss of Kirsty MacColl.) But just as she had a visceral reaction to events at last night's show in Tarrytown, so did I. And I too need to get it off my chest.

What started as a romantic trip out of the city for my husband's birthday -- a walk along the reservoir, dinner at a fancy restaurant, and a concert in quaint Tarrytown -- ended up being a needlessly melodramatic bummer.* 

While enjoying a wonderful meal at Tarry Tavern -- Damian had pumpkin soup and pan-roasted Rohan duck breast while I opted for the honeycrisp apple, endive and blue cheese salad followed by bucatini all' Amatriciana -- we double-checked to see if there was an opening act for Neko Case, whom neither of us had seen in concert before after two decades of fandom of her most famous side project, the New Pornographers. 

Once determining there was, we leisurely had dessert (white chocolate bread pudding) and coffee before heading a few doors down to the Tarrytown Music Hall, a charming venue built in the late 19th century where we had seen Graham Nash years ago, also for Damian's birthday. 

We were very excited!

When we arrived at about 7:20, the opener -- a singer/guitarist and songwriter named Imaad Wasif -- was finishing a cover of Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine," at which point he announced that he was going to "break the fuckin' fourth wall" and jumped down into the audience as he began his next song. 

Damian and I immediately tensed up. Neither of us can even attend drag shows because that type of audience interaction makes us both incredibly uncomfortable, so it was unexpected -- and unnerving -- to have it happening in a seated theater filled with people who were largely over 50. (I've been very open about my battles with social anxiety, for which I take prescription drugs.)

After making his way through the crowd, Wasif eventually stopped for a second near a man and woman in the row directly in front of us, which caused us to further recoil. (At the exact same time a server happened to be bringing drinks to people near us -- which isn't even something typically done at this venue -- further complicating our ability to make sense of what happened next.) 

Wasif then casually walked back to the stage, at which point he blurted out something about just being a “messenger of God” -- and then he started berating “New York” for “doing this to him” as he stormed off, saying he could no longer perform after someone in the crowd was “taking swings” at him. (Others heard him say he'd been "punched" while another person told me Wasif told him after the show that he had been put in a "headlock.") 

Huh?

A few minutes later, the man in the row in front of us was removed -- apparently based on this. Curiously, the security guards hadn't come anywhere near him until after Wasif's meltdown. In fact, Damian recalls that they didn’t come until after Wasif had exited the stage completely, as if it took a while for even them to figure out who was being accused of something. 

Everyone started looking around, completely confused. I asked the people sitting directly next to "the bad guy" what had happened, and they too had no idea. 

Nearly two hours passed with no announcements and no explanation as to what was going on. Easily 90% of the crowd or more had not even a slight clue about the alleged “incident" -- many weren't even there when the opener was on -- as rumors began to swirl that Neko was canceling her performance. 

Groups of people began leaving.

Finally she came out at about 9:10, immediately snapping that she was “fuckin’ pissed” -- and then threatened the crowd that if we "said anything" she would “leave.” (Damian recalls her saying something to the effect of she'd leave "if we did anything shitty.")

Huh? 

Again, most people had little to no idea what was happening -- so another sizable group walked out, understandably offended by this hostile greeting after having waited hours. 

The mood was tense as the band began to play but after a few songs someone tried to lighten things up, by screaming: “We’re sorry about one asshole!” 

Rather than seize the opportunity to make it clear that we were all on the same "side," she seemed even more disgruntled -- reprimanding him, saying that she had asked that no one say anything. (I had been looking forward to this event for months and now felt like I had done something wrong.) 

From there, she finally tried to offer some sort of conciliatory words, explaining that she wasn’t “pissed” at us, she was pissed about being asked to “mask being pissed.” 

I don't think anyone quite understood what that meant. (To me it sounded uncomfortably similar to when Joan Crawford maniacally told daughter Tina in "Mommie Dearest" that she wasn't mad at her, she was "mad at the dirt," as they scrubbed the bathroom tile, Comet flying through the air.) But then Neko added: "That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy this fucked-up evening.” 

Before long, it became apparent that her decision to not start at the typical time was going to cause the show to be cut short. She then, at last, relayed her first hint of gratitude to a formerly packed house that had been made to feel guilty for giving her money, saying she appreciated that we had "stuck around" for this “fucked-up night” and then signed off, no time for the rest of the set much less an encore due to the curfew. (Grumpiness aside, she sounded great.) 

At this point I don't even think what actually transpired between the opener and the man who was ejected really matters. Eyewitness accounts are notoriously inconsistent. But suffice to say that everyone agrees that no one was "punched" -- which is how it was described on social media last night -- and no one was assaulted. (As I said, security had zero reaction until they were sicced on the guy, and neither we nor the people to the left noticed anything untoward.)

The version I think is most likely came from the two women sitting directly behind the man and the woman he was with who said this: The opener -- who was touching people as he made his way through the crowd and had actually sat on another audience member's lap as he came toward our section -- is said to have reached out to run his hand through the man's hair (or possibly tried to touch his companion) at which point the guy attempted to brush his hand away, with the force an 8-year-old might use on his annoying little brother who won't stop pestering him. 

While I think on paper it’s commendable that Neko stood behind Wasif -- and her being big-sister protective and empathetic (even to a fault) struck me as on brand from what little I know about her -- it seemed cruelly myopic to punish all of her fans present for the behavior of one person. What’s more, she chose to fully accept just one side of the story. (Clearly Wasif sold her a bill of victimhood goods because, frankly, I don't think the guy did anything worthy of ejection.) 

Someone close to the situation told me the band came very near not performing at all, which might have been for the better. I considered following others out but opted to stay -- it was a birthday celebration, after all -- and it ended up feeling like a rushed and joyless affair that only went on because she couldn't afford (monetarily) not to go through with it -- for reasons that still are not clear. (The guy had been evicted!) 

I was also told that it's "worth knowing" that "you don't always know what someone's going through and what it takes to go on. One thing can trigger another thing can trigger another thing."

I couldn't agree more, which is why I don’t fault the crowd -- not there to see Wasif -- that sat politely during his performance and clapped after each song. We lived up to our end of the bargain. (No one jumped on the stage and got in his face.) Plus it cuts both ways. Wasif had no idea what the audience members were going through or what it took for him and his companion to travel to the show, so trying to touch him (or them) without consent hardly seemed well-advised. One would think someone as seemingly sensitive as Neko Case would be appreciative of that fact -- surely she understands the importance of respecting people’s boundaries and the meaning of consent -- rather than taking it out on a crowd of people who adore her.

The onus isn’t on the audience to be an interactive part of a show. But if a performer chooses to go down that road, it's very easy to tell who is game. If someone isn’t -- even if they’re not “nice” about it -- a professional simply moves on. What a professional doesn't do is throw a tantrum on stage and poison the entire event for the person kind enough to ask them to provide support. 

Worth noting that we heard that the police were called but Wasif declined to speak with them. Make of that what you will.

*Free album title.

In happier times ...

UPDATE: Although it's helpful that the man at the center of the incident has spoken out, you really didn't even need the details for it to be abundantly clear that the situation was horrifically mishandled. 

Here's what he posted on Reddit: 

Hey, I’m the guy who got ejected last night and I just want to set the record straight about exactly what happened between me and Imaad. My wife has trauma related anxiety about being touched by strange men, she was sitting on the aisle next to me during Imaad’s performance. As he approached us I saw my wife getting uncomfortable because she didn’t want to be touched by him. I reached my arm across her and was trying to make a barrier between him and her while also shaking my head no and trying to convey that we didn’t want him to approach. He grabbed my arm and leaned across my wife to sing directly into my face, I extended my arm to create distance between us and told him to go away. He got visibly upset when I did this, got even closer to me and said “what the fuck bro I’m your friend”. At this point I extended my hand again to create space between us and raised my voice and told him to get the fuck away from us, which he did. After this was when he got back on stage, said I tried to punch him (I never did) and that he could no longer continue. Security ushered me out and police arrived immediately. I relayed my side of the story but nobody from Imaad’s side was willing to come out and speak to the cops and so I was just told to leave. I don’t hold anything against the venue or the police, they were just responding to what Imaad accused me of. I do think that he’s unfit to be on tour right now and to me it looks like he needs help which I hope he finds. 

To be my most charitable, I can understand Imaad's being momentarily taken aback, although I stand by the notion that the fourth wall should be kept intact. (You know how this could have been avoided? Stay on the stage.) But once someone signals they’re not wanting to play along, why are you forging ahead? Why are you trying to cajole him? Move on. (And why are you being so aggressive to begin with?) Then to paint yourself as the victim and storm off the stage? That's a bit much for even the most seasoned drama queen. As I wrote the other day, it was a needlessly melodramatic bummer. 

UPDATE 2: A reader just wrote to say:

In the same thread a bit later, he stated that he was in contact with the venue. They reviewed SECURITY CAMERA FOOTAGE, which corroborated his account of the incident. They refunded his and his wife’s tickets to the show AND offered him free tickets to any show of his choice in the future. He also said the venue apologized and told him that they were wrong for ejecting him. 

I haven't been able to independently verify that the posts were written by the guy, although I have no reason to think otherwise.

Out of curiosity, I wrote to Tarrytown Music Hall to see what they would say. They confirmed that no one was "assaulted" and said they would get in touch with me regarding other questions I have. Later I got a message that was as thoughtful as it was revealing. The gentleman offered to give us a refund, but pointed out it wouldn't come out of Neko's pocket, so of course I wasn't interested. He reiterated that the security footage backed up the guy's story, going so far as to say: "In my opinion, the only one close to assaulting anyone was Imaad himself." Suffice to say the venue handled the incident far better than any of the talent did. 

Interesting to see that Imaad Wasif isn't the opening act for the Neko Case show at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Md., as planned. He's been replaced by Lucy Wainwright Roche. 

UPDATE 3: And now it seems he's been removed from the rest of the tour. I would like to think Neko finally got the full story and made this decision, but I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure. (He posted this then removed it, which seems on brand.) My friend saw it and said: “Circumstances out of his control” = “I got fired”!

Song of the Day: 'Magic Man' (live) by Heart ... and More!

As part of my later-in-life promise to continue seeing as many music legends as I can before it's too late, Damian and I caught Heart with special guests Joan Jett and the Blackhearts on Friday at the Prudential Center. To say it was a dream come true might sound hyperbolic. But the collective joy these two acts have brought into my life can hardly be overstated, so suffice to say tears were shed, face muscles hurt (from smiling) and I went home a very happy man. (Also ran into my old friend Tim Anderson and my ex-boyfriend Michael!) 

Kudos to Joan for being fun, accessible and giving the crowd exactly what it wanted. (When she opened with "Do You Wanna Touch Me" we knew she wasn't messing around!) Including her punk cover of the theme from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" only added to the stellar set list, which included "Victim of Circumstance," "Cherry Bomb"(!), "Light of Day," "Fake Friends," "Everyday People," "Crimson and Clover" (complete with Tommy James vocal-warble effects!), the Replacements' (more timely than ever) "Androgynous" and, of course, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and the codependent anthem "I Hate Myself for Loving You." 

And then the Wilson sisters took the stage. I had hoped the tour meant they had kissed and made up from their falling out a few years ago -- of course a horrible man is to blame -- but from the looks of things they just had taxes to pay. (They barely acknowledged one another.) Their fraternal frostiness did nothing to chill the mood, though. After opening with an album track -- "Rockin' Down Heaven" from 1980s's "Bebe le Strange" -- they immediately had the crowd eating out their unconnected hands with a one-two punch of "Magic Man" and "Love Alive."

 I wasn't sure how they were going to navigate their 1970s catalog (classic Heart) versus their 1980s comeback catalog (sellout Heart), but they found a nice middle ground. In addition to the aforementioned '70s gems, "Straight On" (cleverly melded into "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"), "Dog and Butterfly" (THE song of my family's 1979 move from Detroit to Phoenix, as it played constantly on the radio when we arrived in the desert), "Little Queen," "Even It Up," "Crazy on You" and "Barracuda" were all included. For fans of their more successful pop era, Ann hit all the right notes on the band's comeback smash "What About Love?" (Did you know it was written by and originally recorded by Canadian Heart wannabes Toronto, but half the band hated it so it was never released until years after Heart made it smash?!) Then Nancy took to the mic to sing lead on "These Dreams," which ironically wound up being their first No. 1 hit. During the encore they did their classic take on "Stairway to Heaven" -- it's so Led Zeppelinesque that Shazam thinks it's the original -- and then their other No. 1, "Alone."

While I'm on Team Classic Heart all the way, even I was willing to concede that they might have thrown the crowd another '80s bone or two -- a couple covers could have been replaced with maybe "Never" and "Nothin' at All." Or if they were insistent on rocking, "If Looks Could Kill" or "Who Will You Run to" would work in a pinch. (I wasn't complaining, though. I loved their versions Yes's "Your Move" and Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer.) But I think there was a collective sigh of relief that their last big hit, "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" was left in the rearview mirror. (We can all acknowledge what an embarrassment that was, right? Blame it on Mutt Lange!) The women may still be holding a grudge. But from the reaction of the crowd, the sisters' work has left an indelible mark on music history, something that will be remembered long after they -- and their squabble -- has been buried.

Songs of the Day: 'The Bad Photographer'/'Wood Cabin' by Saint Etienne

Had a hoot seeing Saint Etienne last night on their 20th anniversary "Good Humor" tour. The trio was in fine form along with a full band and Dolly Mixture legend Debsey Wykes on backing vocals, cow bell and plasticwin instruments. The concert was extra special because I had seen the band at the same venue with my friend Ken when they first toured to promote the album in 1998, shortly after we had moved to the city from D.C. and now I was seeing them 20 years later with my guy, who first got into Saint Etienne with that very album. 

For those seeing them on the rest of the tour, fear not: They do "Good Humor" in its entirety then disappear for a lengthy period of time ... so lengthy, in fact, that a lot of the audience left. (The lights even came on briefly, which is the cue to exit.) But they do eventually come back out for another set of hits and assorted album tracks. (They even debuted a new song!)

As superfans may know, the two bonus CDs they announced would be sold at the show were delayed at the manufacturer, so they are selling them for $30 (cash only) at the merchandise table in the form of an I.O.U.Music. Hard to pick a favorite moment from the evening -- the music, the company, the beer on a hot summer night -- but Damian has always loved "Wood Cabin" and "The Bad Photographer," which he included on a mix CD he made me when we were courting, so they're my co-songs of the day!

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#SaintEtienne was MAGNIFICENT last nite! Happy 20th #GoodHumor 💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤 #WoodCabin @saintetienneofficial @boweryballroom @smonden_ @usul17

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Book of Love Brings Their Sweet 'Lullaby' to Gramercy Theatre

Damian and I saw Book of Love on their 30th anniversary tour at Highline Ballroom in 2016, so probably wouldn't have gone to last night's 30th anniversary gig for "Lullaby" if my friends' son's band (that I love) hadn't been opening. But they were, so we took the plunge. 

The really great #StrangeNames openers for @bookoflovemusic

A post shared by @ l8dyice85 on Jun 21, 2018 at 5:33pm PDT

With just seconds to spare before (said band) Strange Names went on -- the opener always starts right on time -- Damian and I caught up with our friend Christopher and (Strange Names lead singer) Liam's parents, and quickly got situated. Gramercy Theatre is a great venue for old-timers -- you can stand or sit or a little of both -- and we opted for the former when we found four chairs together. Although the seating area is in the back of the joint, the view is still quite good, thought not nearly as good as taking a load off on a school night. Strange Names -- so named because they are Liam Benzvi (lead vocals/keyboards), Francis Ximenez (guitar/vocals) and Fletcher Aleckson (drums) -- surprised us by doing a mixture of as older favorites as well as songs from their latest album. The single "Into Me" -- which I hear is being used on Netflix's "13 Reasons Why" -- is a modern-day gem. And album track "Rosa" is still my personal favorite. (I love kids who know their musical history enough to channel "Pet Sounds"!)  

Following their well-received set, Book of Love came out and put on a fun show that took the Gen X-heavy crowd back in time -- not unlike the one two years ago but with more focus on their sophomore album, as advertised. Although I didn't know it at the time, singer Susan Ottaviano explained that "Lullaby" was their attempt at a "Sgt. Pepper's" moment, and was influenced by the normal stuff of pop songs (love, less, regret) as well as the harrowing AIDS crisis, which was particularly catastrophic in the New York City art circles in which they ran. Liam's dad (Leslie) and stepmom (Laura) didn't know anything about them, but before leaving after a couple songs, Laura turned to me and said of Susan: "She sounds like Nico and looks like Ann Wilson." (Translation: My kind of heaven!)

Damian and I then went down to get a drink and got flagged over to the VIP seating area by our pal Nora Burns, who is close friends with Susan. Ended up watching the rest of the show with her there, reminiscing about buying the 12-inch single of "Boy" in high school, and falling in love with the band all over again. As a casual fan, I probably didn't need to see Book of Love twice in less than two years. But you never know when these opportunities are going to dry up -- and Strange Names were delightful -- so I'm happy I went.

Witchcraft ...

I always forget how this theater makes me feel so good ...

Bananarama Brings a Bunch of Joy to NYC

Hard to put into words how much fun I had seeing Bananarama at the PlayStation Theatre on Saturday night. As longtime fans know, Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward and Siobhan Fahey -- the three original members of the post-punk girl group -- had never toured together. But last year, Dallin and Woodward decided to reach out to Fahey -- who had departed the group in 1988, quickly finding success as Shakespears Sister -- to see if she would be interested in reuniting for a U.K. tour. After selling out throughout their homeland, the woman brought their enduringly youthful brand of pop songs and self-deprecating humor to North America this month, with so few dates that my best childhood friend from Arizona, Greg, flew in from his current home in Des Moines to catch the final stop, which happened to be in New York City.

Judging a concert is highly subjective. But putting together the nostalgia factor -- my late brother Bill brought Fun Boy Three's debut album and the "Shy Boy" 12-inch single home from college in 1982, turning me into the gals' biggest U.S. fan -- that my dear friend was with me -- each new import single was like a new romance for these New Wave closet cases, and finding a seven-inch Japanese import of "He's Got Tact" was like our prom! -- and that the women looked and sounded beyond my wildest expectations, the concert was undeniably one of my favorites of all time. 

A well-considered set list also helped, which included U.K. singles like "Robert De Niro's Waiting" (my personal favorite), "Rough Justice" (if "King of the Jungle" had followed I might have died!), "Trick of the Night" (with delightfully seedy footage of motels projected behind them) and "Cheers Then" (which took on a special meaning during this reunion). The night hit legendary status when when they segued from "Shy Boy" into "Boy Trouble," first known as "Don't Call Us," which Bill declared better than the A-side when he brought home the single. (The women got wistful when they recounted the olden days of "b-sides," something that don't really exist anymore.) From there, the Stock-Aitken-Waterman years -- despite all of their drama -- held up beautifully, with "More Than Physical," "I Can't Help It" (a surprise crowd pleaser), "I Want You Back" (another one of my faves) and, of course, "Venus" leaving the crowd begging for more. ("Some Girls," for instance!) \

That they chose to acknowledge each others' post-trio work -- with Sara and Keren filling in for Marcella Detroit on "Stay" (before Shuv swooped in for her goth-girl close-up), and Siobhan playing the part of Jacquie O'Sullivan on "Preacher Man," which the former Mrs. Dave Stewart declared her post-Rama favorite -- only highlighted the enduring friendship and mutual respect they feel for one another. And the one-two punch of "It Ain't What You Do" (the splendid Fun Boy Three single that brought the gals to prominence in 1982) and "Love in the First Degree" (their classic single that didn't even make the U.S. Top 40) for an encore reminded me (and the rest of the crowd) that Bananarama is one of pop music's most underrated artists. 

There's nothing better than an old friend 

Greg, me and Damian

With the palpable joy these women bring to the world, here's hoping this triumph leads to more dates later in the year.

Greg, Dave and Greg

Fans shouldn't have to travel to Manhattan to see them, although I'm awfully glad one in particular did.



Filming the video for "Cruel Summer" was their first time in New York ...

Girls about town ...

We want you back!

It ain't what they did, it's the way that they did it ...

I Know a Place — Namely the Petula Clark Show

Hard to put into words how much I adore Petula Clark. I remember hearing “Downtown” with my mom in the car after Christmas shopping at Fiesta Mall in 1979 and thinking how I too wanted to live where the “lights were much brighter.” (I did it!) This legendary octogenarian put on quite a show at B.B. King's tonight, captivating her fans with most of the hits ("Don't Sleep in the Subway," "My Love," "Colour My World," "This Is My Song," "I Know a Place," "Sign of the Times," "Downtown," but no "Happy Heart" or "Call Me") and some excellent newer material ("From Now On," recent covers of "Blackbird," "While You See a Chance" and "Fever"). Her joyous stage presence and wonderful stories from her eight decades in show business (more on that tomorrow) were perhaps rivaled only by the eccentric group of fans who came to adore her. This included Michael Musto, Randy Jones and NY1's Frank DiLella -- not to mention the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" family with whom we shared a table, whose grandson(?) initially tried to rudely tell me I "wasn't allowed" to sit there because they were "expecting two more" even though the hostess had placed Damian and me there and the joint has a no "seat saving" policy. (I couldn't believe how much of a New Yorker I turned into with these gumbas: "If you have a problem, take it up with management." The older couple ended up being sweethearts and toasting with us later in the night!)

"Downtown" meets Downtown

My first Petula purchase

Tori! Tori! Tori!

Saw Damian’s all-time favorite artist last night at the Beacon -- his Blondie, if you will. Tori Amos was never really on my radar — slightly after my time(!) — but after spending the night with her she kind of reminds me of Kate Bush’s half sister. (Oddly they are from different eras but were born the same year.) Although I didn't know one song from the other -- just Tori and a huge piano and an electronic keyboard up onstage, by the way -- it was highly entertaining watching a crowd full of people hanging on her every word, movement and hair flip, and seeing how much her music means to them. (Especially sweet to see Damian so happy -- he's going back again tonight.) P.S. It smelled like everyone bought “Like a Prayer” on the way there. (Brooklyn Vegan's review HERE.)

And in an exclusive new interview, Amos talked with Hornet Stories’ Alexander Kacala about getting her start in a gay bar/restaurant in Washington:

Well, when I was 13 years old, the first place that gave me a chance professionally was a gay club. There were all men there. My father had his clerical collar on as a minister [and we were] turned down at all these other piano bars. We walked into Mr. Henry’s on Wisconsin Avenue and there was a man there with a studded something. It should have been a key but my dad didn’t get it. And he asked, “Will you give my daughter a chance?” And the person said, “Can she play?” And my dad said, “Yes, she can.” And the person said, “Well, she can play for tips and then let's see how it goes.”

The audience embraced me and started asking me to play songs that I hadn’t heard of. I knew hundreds of songs but I didn’t know necessarily all the ones that were being requested of me. I had The Beatles’ catalogue, but they weren’t really asking for that. They wanted musical theater, show tunes, and ’40s, some of those wonderful torch songs. So they made a deal with me. They said, “If you learn as many as you can and come back next week, we will be here.” I went and learned things and then I came back and back and back. And that was the beginning.

Had no idea she was from the D.C. area. Mr. Henry's -- which is actually on Pennsylvania Avenue -- was a regular haunt of mine when I was crashing with my brother Bill on Capitol Hill and is where Damian first met my family! (Robert Flack also got her start there.)

Full interview HERE.

Saint Etienne Are Sweet but Short at the Bowery Ballroom

Can't overstate what a blast Damian and I had at the Saint Etienne show Monday night at Bowery Ballroom, the same place where I first saw the synth trio live 19 years ago with my friend Ken shortly after moving to New York City. ("Good Humor" and "Celebrity Skin" were my NYC move albums!) Unlike their last tour back in 2012 (when they played Webster Hall), they brought a full band and backing vocalist -- none other than Debsey Wykes of Dolly Mixture fame, who sang co-lead on "Who Do You Think You Are?" back in 1993 -- so had a fuller sound, complete with violins and wind instruments. 

Now with most bands I have a strong wish list of songs I want to hear, But with Saint Etienne, I'm pretty much ecstatic with their performing any of the 400-plus tracks they've recorded since 1990. (If they came out and did "The Misadventures of Saint Etienne" from start to finish I'd swoon!) 

Sarah Cracknell was in usual fine form, with her trademark blond locks and minimal movement and intermittent boa. 

 Bob Stanley, left, and Pete Wiggs too were very "Bob and Pete" -- steering as far away from the spotlight as possible (literally standing in the back) as they methodically played their synthesizers still seemingly in awe of how much people still adore everything they come up with. 

Although they could do no wrong in my book, they cooked up an impressive set list that included their first three singles -- including the two Sarah hadn't been the vocalist on (always great to hear her take on "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Kiss and Make Up") -- five songs from their brilliant new LP, "Home Counties," plus favorite singles and a low-key "Threw It All Away" during the encore. I was beaming the whole night, especially thrilled to hear "Like a Motorway" and "Whyteleafe," which was Damian's and my U.K. theme song.) Sarah introduced "Dive" as kind of being their new single, noting that it was No. 1 on the vinyl singles chart. ("I think that means it's sold three copies," she joked.) Not counting the obnoxious trio who Fraggle-Rocked their way directly in front of us midway through the show -- this was a rare occasion that I made a point of being up front, so Damian discreetly used "sharp elbows" to scare the shortest of them off, and her giant friends got the hint and moved behind me -- the only disappointment was that they came on 54 minutes late. Now a middle-aged band starting at 9:54 instead of 9 p.m. might sound like standard operating procedure, until you remember that New York City has this ridiculous "music curfew" that requires concerts to stop at 11 p.m. As a result, the band had to scrap a handful of songs that they had played the previous night in Boston, all of which would have been greatly appreciated by the sellout crowd that waited five years to see them live again. Until we meet again, Sarah, Bob and Pete, I will continue to look for YouTube clips of the missing pieces of our night in heaven, including a mashup of "Pale Movie" and "I've Got Your Music," "Split Screen," "Stop and Think It Over" (my FAVORITE song on "Finisterre," goddamnit!) and "You're in a Bad Way," which I kind of was when the lights came up so quickly!

UPDATE:

Forgot to mention that the opening act -- a duo called Pavo Pavo that appears to have been a five-piece at one time -- was delightful. They may look like a "Portlandia" sketch (by way of Brooklyn). But Eliza Bagg's angelic voice and utter lack of stage presence is adorable, and Oliver Hill seems like a consummate pro. Their ethereal pop ditties were the perfect way to ease us into the night. Learn more HERE.