Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Joe’s Pub’s thoughtfully curated fall programming includes memorable performances by Kiki & Herb, Toshi Reagon, and Samora Pinderhughes

• By drediman
• November 15, 2020
• No Comments

I miss Joe’s Pub. With its long and impressive track record of presenting the cutting edge in cabaret, the atmospheric supper club has established itself as one of the indisputable crown jewels of New York’s vibrant (pre-pandemic) nightlife scene. This fall, the Public Theater has made available for streaming a thoughtfully curated trio of performances from the legendary venue.

KIKI & HERB: SEEKING ASYLUM!

The days and weeks leading up to the election were tense for many of us, as they were four years ago. In 2016, Joe’s Pub hosted the unprecedented return of Kiki & Herb, whose comeback served as an anxiety-reducing but flavorful pre-election balm. To have Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman reach back into the closet to bring back their iconic act was an event worth every bit of the considerable hype, and it did not disappoint. In fact, their instantly sold-out reunion concert – entitled Seeking Asylum! (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) – turned out to be one of the most cathartic experiences I’ve had at the club. Luckily, the show was filmed and has been brought back to once again serve its pre-election purpose. And yet again, I marveled at the duo’s genius banter and their punchy, revelatory way with songs. Indeed, the concert’s boldly contradictory arrangements, combined with the team’s gutsy song stylings, make a strong case for Kiki & Herb’s status as cabaret gods.

TOSHI REAGON’S POST-ELECTION CONCERT

One of Joe’s Pub’s most popular songstresses in recent years has been Toshi Reagon. The day after Election Day, Ms. Reagon and her sensational band once again took to the stage of the Lafayette Street venue not only to celebrate (likely) election results, but also to level-set as a nation – to take stock of where we’ve been (a particularly wild ride as of late), where we are, and where we go from here. Although Ms. Reagon played to an understandably empty Joe’s Pub, the performance (RECOMMENDED), which was live-streamed via the Public Theater, was electric. Armed with a sublime voice and and an appealingly matter-of-fact wisdom, Ms. Reagon ripped into a sturdy lineup of tried-and-true favorites, as well as the occasional new song. True to fashion, the invariably political set was rollicking, soulful, and occasionally tinged with a bittersweetness. But underlying it all as a sort of glue holding the concert together was Ms. Reagon’s untarnished, infectious sense of hope.

VENUS SMILES NOT IN THE HOUSE OF TEARS

Then we have Samora Pinderhughes and Jack DeBoe’s Venus Smiles Not in the House of Tears (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), a deeply compelling new song cycle with a gently melancholic thematic through-line. There’s a strong element of sadness and beaten-down resignation in the work that strikes a potently empathetic chord at this particular juncture. The artfully filmed concert (film direction and editing is by Christian Padron) utilizes the club’s unique interior as a stage not only for music-making, but also as the backdrop for some emotive choreography (courtesy of Amanda Krische). Despite the presentation’s multidisciplinary approach, it’s Mr. Pinderhughes’ wistful musical compositions and his plaintive renditions of them that captured my imagination and undivided attention. In short, Mr. Pinderhughes is the real deal – a musician of distinct vision and artistry. I can’t wait to see what what this singular talent conjures up next.