UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, May 19, 2012 8:00PM

A Memorable Mother’s Day Gift!!!

The Whispers take the stage at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 8pm. Joining them on the bill, is a very special appearance by Valerie Simpson with a Tribute to Nick Ashford.

It’s a Mother’s Day gift mom is sure to remember (and you will too!)

Saturday, May 19, 2012 8:00PM

Classic R&B and Soul!

The Whispers take the stage at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 8pm. Joining them on the bill, is a very special appearance by Valerie Simpson with a Tribute to Nick Ashford.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012 8:00PM

Catch Larry Graham at The Beekman Beer Garden – Wednesday, June 6, 2012!

Doors open at 7pm | Showtime 8pm | Must be 21 & over

An iconic American musician, Larry Graham has been credited with the invention of Electric slap Bass, which influenced many musical genres such as Funk, R&B, and Disco.
The band’s origins date back to the 1970’s when Graham left Sly and the Family Stone and joined up with Neil Schon (Santana/Journey) and Pete Sears (Hot Tuna/Jefferson Starship) to form what would become Graham Central Station.

Venue info:
Accessible by the A,C,J,M,2,3,4,5 trains at Fulton Street, the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club is located at 89 South Street at the foot of Beekman Street and South Street behind the Fulton Fish Market on the north side of Pier 17.

A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE!!!

Only 40 VIP Tickets Available @ $95/each

Your exclusive VIP Ticket includes: Exclusive backstage party area with food & beer all night, premium VIP viewing area for show (next to stage).

You MUST be age 21+ to attend this show.

Saturday, June 9, 2012 8:00PM

Special Long Island performance!

The one and only Gladys Knight performs Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 8pm at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury. Also on the bill, is special guest Brian McKnight!

Recognized by audiences and performing artists as one of the most comfortable, friendly, and acoustically-inviting theatres in the greater New York metro area, the NYCB Theatre at Westbury presents a broad range of acclaimed performers geared to virtually every entertainment
taste and interest.

Don’t miss this classic artist LIVE on Long Island, performing in the round at NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury, NY 11590.

Produced by Live Nation in association with Marquee Concerts.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012 8:00PM

Catch Dan Bern and Friends at The Beekman Beer Garden – Wednesday, June 13, 2012!

Doors open at 7pm | Showtime 8pm | Must be 21 & over

Don’t miss this evening of amazing live music from Dan Bern with special guests Common Rotation. The show will be benefiting Big Apple Greeter. Big Apple Greeter is a small organization with a large, worldwide impact. Since 1992, Big Apple Greeter’s free public service has promoted New York City worldwide and helped 100,000 visitors discover the City’s ethnically and culturally diverse neighborhoods through the eyes of those who know it best – New Yorkers.

Venue info:
Accessible by the A,C,J,M,2,3,4,5 trains at Fulton Street, the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club is located at 89 South Street at the foot of Beekman Street and South Street behind the Fulton Fish Market on the north side of Pier 17.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 8:00PM

See Vertical Horizon at The Beekman Beer Garden – Wednesday, June 20, 2012!

Doors open at 7pm | Showtime 8pm | Must be 21 & over

Launched in 1991 as a folk-based acoustic duo, Vertical Horizon gradually molded itself into a slick pop/rock outfit, culminating in the band’s heyday at the turn of the 21st century. Matt Scannell and Keith Kane first performed together at Georgetown University, where the two undergraduates honed their harmonized vocals at parties and local coffeehouses. Bassist Sean Hurley and drummer Ed Toth were added to the lineup in 1996, permanently making Vertical Horizon a four-piece band.

Venue info:
Accessible by the A,C,J,M,2,3,4,5 trains at Fulton Street, the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club is located at 89 South Street at the foot of Beekman Street and South Street behind the Fulton Fish Market on the north side of Pier 17.

A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE!!!

Only 40 VIP Tickets Available @ $95/each

Your exclusive VIP Ticket includes: Exclusive backstage party area with food & beer all night, premium VIP viewing area for show (next to stage).

You MUST be age 21+ to attend this show.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 7:00PM

CEG presents an Evening with moe. at The Beekman Beer Garden – Tuesday June 26, 2012!

NOTE: The Wed., June 27th show is SOLD OUT.

Doors open at 6pm | Showtime 7pm | Must be 21 & over

From modest beginnings in a Buffalo basement over two decades ago to today’s multifaceted success, the members of moe. have never lost sight of the earnest, elemental goals that they aspired to from their very first show: to deliver honest, heartfelt music and to ensure the audience has a good time.

Venue info:
Accessible by the A,C,J,M,2,3,4,5 trains at Fulton Street, the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club is located at 89 South Street at the foot of Beekman Street and South Street behind the Fulton Fish Market on the north side of Pier 17.

A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE!!!

Only 40 VIP Tickets Available @ $170/each

Your exclusive VIP Ticket includes: Exclusive backstage party area with food & beer all night, premium VIP viewing area for show (next to stage), plus a signed show poster!

You MUST be age 21+ to attend this show.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 9:30PM

New York City’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns!

Warm weather means… Smooth Cruises!

We’re back with our 15th summer season of world class contemporary jazz, setting sail WEDNESDAY NIGHTS FROM JUNE 27 THRU AUGUST 29. *

Catch the hottest music and extraordinary views Wednesday evenings with your choice of TWO SHOWS at 6:30PM & 9:30PM aboard the beautiful Spirit of New York cruise ship, departing from Pier 61/Chelsea Piers at West 23rd Street & the West Side Highway.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson with this summer’s array of the world’s top jazz acts in an intimate setting. Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

*Note: No Smooth Cruise on 7/4.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 9:30PM

New York’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns…

Join us Wednesday, June 27th for the first Smooth Cruise of the summer season! For our kick-off show, we are delighted to present David Sanborn and Brian Culbertson, The Dream Tour, at 6:30pm or 9:30pm aboard the Spirit of New York.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson, aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 9:30PM

New York’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns…

Join us Wednesday, July 11th for a Smooth Cruise with Phil Perry and Kim Waters at 6:30pm or 9:30pm aboard the Spirit of New York.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson, aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 7:30PM

Nolafunk & CEG presents Rebirth Brass Band with Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra on Wednesday, July 11 at The Beekman Beer Garden.

Doors open at 6:30pm | Showtime 7:30pm | Must be 21 & over

Catch the Grammy Award-winning Rebirth Brass Band and their lively blend of traditional brass band and modern music for a summer night to remember.

Venue info:
Accessible by the A,C,J,M,2,3,4,5 trains at Fulton Street, the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club is located at 89 South Street at the foot of Beekman Street and South Street behind the Fulton Fish Market on the north side of Pier 17.

A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE!!!

Only 40 VIP Tickets Available @ $150/each

Your exclusive VIP Ticket includes: Exclusive backstage party area with food & beer all night, premium VIP viewing area for show (next to stage).

You MUST be age 21+ to attend this show.

Thursday, July 12, 2012 6:00PM

NYC’s ANNUAL FREE SUMMER MUSIC EVENT!

JOHN MAUS
John Maus lives in his birthplace of Austin, Minnesota. Whilst working towards his PhD in Political Science he also composes music that taps into melancholic fantasy and affirms that we are all truly alive. Questing synthesisers, tensely strung bass lines and chasing drum machines provide the perfect backdrop for John’s deeply resonant reverb-drenched vocal.

Born in the decade of synth pop and sharing his birthday with George Frideric Handel, John started making music when Nirvana posters went up on every teenager’s wall. It’s this curious conflux of influences that partially helps to describe John’s music. It’s a world where the Germs jam with Jerry Goldsmith, Cabaret Voltaire relocate to Eternia and Josquin des Prez writes a new score for RoboCop. The confrontation of punk, the fleeting poignancy of 80s movie soundtracks, the insistent pulse of Moroder and the spirituality of Medieval and Baroque music all find salvation in John Maus.

DAN DEACON
The art made by Baltimore artist Dan Deacon is about community and how to organize and inspire it. From founding a now well-known art collective (Wham City), to organizing and running an annually sold-out DIY music festival (Whartscape), to conceiving, planning and curating a massive 60 person/30 band tour (Baltimore Round Robin Tour), it’s clear to see that community and bringing people together is the major theme of his work. Bromst is the embodiment of that way of thinking.

For the last three years Dan Deacon has been working on Bromst. Fusing together the growing intensity of his live performances with his background in electro-acoustic composition, the outcome is a collection of pieces that are intense and epic and at the same time down to earth and welcoming. Bromst embodies the same energy and excitement as Spiderman of the Rings, however the craftsmanship and composition on Bromst have a wider scope and richer palette.

Unlike the completely electronic Spiderman of the Rings, the instrumentation on Bromst is a mixture of acoustic instruments, mechanical instruments, samples and electronics. The player piano, marimba, glockenspiel, vibraphone, live drums, winds and brass give Bromst a much richer tone than his previous work. The intricate and complex parts, skillfully executed by the performers, are woven together into a rich, dense, noisy dance pop that has become Dan Deacon’s signature sound.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012 7:00PM

CEG presents Crimson ProjeKct featuring Adrian Belew Power Trio, Stick Men (feat. Tony Levin & Pat Mastelotto), and a special “Crim-centric” extended encore plus special guests Consider The Source.

Doors open at 6pm | Showtime 7pm | Must be 21 & over

Venue info:
Accessible by the A,C,J,M,2,3,4,5 trains at Fulton Street, the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club is located at 89 South Street at the foot of Beekman Street and South Street behind the Fulton Fish Market on the north side of Pier 17.

A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE!!!

Only 40 VIP Tickets Available @ $175/each

Your exclusive VIP Ticket includes: Exclusive backstage party area with food & beer all night, premium VIP viewing area for show (next to stage).

You MUST be age 21+ to attend this show.
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Wednesday, July 18, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, July 18, 2012 9:30PM

New York’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns…

Join us Wednesday, July 18th for a Smooth Cruise with the “White Hot Summer Groove” featuring
Peter White and Euge Groove at 6:30pm or 9:30pm aboard the Spirit of New York.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson, aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 9:30PM

New York’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns…

Join us Wednesday, July 25th for a Smooth Cruise with Najee at 6:30pm or 9:30pm aboard the Spirit of New York.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson, aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Thursday, July 26, 2012 6:00PM

NYC’s ANNUAL FREE SUMMER MUSIC EVENT!

OBERHOFER
Oberhofer, the Brooklyn-based band of Brad Oberhofer, creates psychedelic catchy pop rock tunes. The acclaimed debut album Time Capsules II possesses the “ecstatic rush of young love and the emotional fragility attached to it.”

THE SOFT PACK
Hailing from San Diego, The Soft Pack plays a smart but simple rock that harkens back to ‘60s garage, ‘70s punk, and ‘80s college rock.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 9:30PM

New York’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns…

Join us Wednesday, August 1st for a Smooth Cruise with Jonathan Butler, Warren Hill, and Maysa at 6:30pm or 9:30pm aboard the Spirit of New York.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson, aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, August 8, 2012 9:30PM

New York’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns…

Join us Wednesday, August 8th for a Smooth Cruise with Rick Braun and Richard Elliot at 6:30pm or 9:30pm aboard the Spirit of New York.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson, aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012 8:00PM

Catch Rock N’ Blues at The Beekman Beer Garden – Wednesday, August 8, 2012!

Featuring… Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Leslie West, Rick Derringer, and Kim Simmonds

Doors open at 7pm | Showtime 8pm | Must be 21 & over

A once-in-a-generation show featuring 5 legendary guitar players…

Grammy Winner and Blues Foundation hall of famer, Johnny Winter is considered to be among the greatest guitar players of all time. His brother Edgar recorded Free Ride and Frankenstein, each sharing space in almost every classic rock stations top 100 songs of all time. Leslie West’s group Mountain is responsible for Mississippi Queen. As a teenager, Rick Derringer recorded “Hang on Sloopy” with the McCoys, and then had his hit “Rock n Roll Hoochie Coo,” another staple of FM radio. And “Kim Simmonds” from Savoy Brown and is considered one of the architects of British Blues.

Venue info:
Accessible by the A,C,J,M,2,3,4,5 trains at Fulton Street, the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club is located at 89 South Street at the foot of Beekman Street and South Street behind the Fulton Fish Market on the north side of Pier 17.

A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE!!!

Only 40 VIP Tickets Available @ $175/each

Your exclusive VIP Ticket includes: Exclusive backstage party area with food & beer all night, premium VIP viewing area for show (next to stage).

You MUST be age 21+ to attend this show.

Thursday, August 9, 2012 6:00PM

NYC’s ANNUAL FREE SUMMER MUSIC EVENT!

WILD NOTHING
Wild Nothing is the solo-project of Jack Tatum whose music is inspired by a longtime love affair with nostalgia. His debut full length album, Gemini, set to come out on Captured Tracks this spring, is full of dreamy, carefree synth-pop songs that linger with an inexplicable sense of regret.

Prior to embarking on this recent solo-project Tatum sang and played guitar with the Abe Vigoda-ish tropical punk band Facepaint and the singer/songwriter project Jack and The Whale. In the summer of 2009 The Virginia tech-college student decided to embark on his first creative-solo project playing bass, guitar, synthesizer and drums while recording in his home-studio. He soon emerged with a unique brand of dreamy pop-songs influenced by bands like, My Bloody Valentine, Shop Assistants, Go-Betweens and Cocteau Twins. In 2009 he delivered a memorable cover of the Kate Bush song Cloudbusting, making it clear that Wild Nothing transcended the lo-fi pop-mold.

On his debut album, Gemini, Tatumʼs frail vocals come warped in an oozing neon haze. Carefully orchestrated synth-pop arrangements, trebly guitar riffs and tattered drum machines blend together to create an intriguing, texturally rich glo-pop album that could come only from the young at heart.

GRIMES
There is a powerful harmony in Grimes. It is a project that is both musical and visual, embodying the arts of 2D, performance, dance, video and sound. Claire Boucher weaves these together to a strong rhythmic effect, “the marriage between the voice of a human and the heartbeat of a machine” [Bullett Magazine].

Boucher, born in Vancouver, Canada, came to Montreal in 2006. Her experience as a performer is deeply embedded in the illegal DIY loft culture of Montreal, where Grimes was one of the prominent figures in the scene surrounding Lab Synthèse – a 4600sq ft re-appropriated textile factory. She developed in a scene where punk ethos and pop music collide, resulting in a distinct sense of community, religiosity and psychedelic revelry.

Visions, Grimes’ forthcoming record, arises as Boucher’s fourth release in less than two years. Geidi Primes (2010), initially released as a limited 30 cassette run and free download, then followed by Halfaxa (2010) – arguably one of the first witch-house or lo-fi R&B releases. On Darkbloom (2011), Grimes begins taking her first steps as a producer, bringing together the experimentation behind her early work and a cutting edge pop aesthetic.
Each album tackles a different set of influences and styles. Her newest album, Visions, incorporates influences as wide as Enya, TLC and Aphex Twin, drawing from genres like New Jack Swing, IDM, New Age, K-pop, Industrial and glitch. This approach has marked Grimes as a curator of culture, and allowed the project to remain flexible and evolving.

A phantasmic state for the deep listener, sourcing the long forgotten spells running alongside humans for centuries and forcing them through a hyper-futuristic filter. Compositional and vocal delivery are coloured with an emotional trauma. Despite a generally upbeat demeanour, an urgency permeates the music. Calling us between our history and the future it uses the pleasure of minimal rhythms and dance to entice, but beyond its rich, software-sculpted cohesiveness, and vocal energy, runs a very real and odd world.

She describes her work as “the only means through which I can be fully expressive. It is both an ethereal escape from, and a violent embrace of my experience. The creative process is a quest for the ultimate sensual, mystical and cathartic experience and the vehicle for my psychic purging.”

Also on the bill…

DIVE
DIVE, the brainchild of Z. Cole Smith (Beach Fossils), crafts a sound indebted to classic kraut, dreamy Creation-records psychedelia, and the primitive-crunch of late-80’s Seattle – a perfectly fused patch of classic-underground influence.

Saturday, August 11, 2012 1:59PM

Head down the The Beekman Beer Garden for the 3rd Annual Nolafunk Summer Jazzfest featuring Little Feat on Wednesday, August 22, 2012!

Don’t miss this legendary rock n’ roll band, now four decades strong!

Doors open at 5:30pm | Showtime 7pm | Must be 21 & over

Venue info:
Accessible by the A,C,J,M,2,3,4,5 trains at Fulton Street, the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club is located at 89 South Street at the foot of Beekman Street and South Street behind the Fulton Fish Market on the north side of Pier 17.

A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE!!!

Only 40 VIP Tickets Available @ $170/each

Your exclusive VIP Ticket includes: Exclusive backstage party area with food & beer all night, premium VIP viewing area for show (next to stage).

You MUST be age 21+ to attend this show.
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Wednesday, August 15, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, August 15, 2012 9:30PM

New York’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns…

Join us Wednesday, August 15th for a Smooth Cruise with the always-captivating Rachelle Ferrell at 6:30pm or 9:30pm aboard the Spirit of New York.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson, aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, August 22, 2012 9:30PM

New York’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns…

Join us Wednesday, August 22nd for a Smooth Cruise with Norman Brown and Gerald Albright at 6:30pm or 9:30pm aboard the Spirit of New York.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson, aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 6:30PM

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 9:30PM

New York’s Premier Summer Jazz Series Returns…

Join us Wednesday, August 29th for the final Smooth Cruise of the summer season with Regina Belle at 6:30pm or 9:30pm aboard the Spirit of New York.

Celebrate the Smooth Cruises’ 15th year on the Hudson, aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy). Experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the river enjoying stellar views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Smooth Cruises sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Friday, November 2, 2012 7:00PM

Catch the latest laughs from Mike Epps!

Comedian Mike Epps appears at NJPAC on Friday, November 2, 2012 at 7PM.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday April 27 at 10am.

NJPAC
One Center Street
Newark, NJ 07102
Directions

Saturday, May 7, 2011

On May 13th the beautiful, charismatic and talented Candy Dulfer will performing in a special Spring edition of our summer Smooth Cruise series.

Ever since her GRAMMY nominated 1990 debut Saxuality, Dulfer has been gracing audiences with her unique blend of R&B, pop, jazz and funk.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

This Sunday, May 8th will be the Mother’s Day Celebration at the Beacon Theatre. The Concert will feature performances by R&B masters The Whispers and the ultra soulful Stephanie Mills. Also singing will be the beautiful voice of Lillo Thomas who in 1984 scored a Top 20 R&B single with “Your Love’s Got a Hold on Me.”

Monday, February 7, 2011

1/31/11 – The Washington Post

Angela Bofill waits in a plain, beige dressing room at the Birchmere, preparing to go onstage without something she has lost.

It’s not a small thing. Most people, says one fan of the ’80s R&B balladeer, would shut down, would be content to live out their lives offstage, out of the spotlight, wherever it is that old singers go to fade away. The music business demands perfection. A certain look.

At the least, it demands a voice.

“I love perform,” says Bofill, 56, her syntax fractured, her rhythm stop-and-start. She’s illuminated by bright lights but not an ounce of glitter or sequins. Instead, she wears a black-print blazer. A cane leans against the dressing table.

“I used to study opera. Used to teach voice. Used to have perfect pitch. Now, no pitch. Bad pitch. Frustrated – little bit. Half my life, singing. First time. No sing.”

She says she sounds like an old movie. “Me, Tarzan. You, Jane,” she jokes.

Outside in the dark, cold parking lot, a sold-out crowd lines up for Sunday night’s show: “The Angela Bofill Experience.” After two strokes and a five-year absence from the stage, Bofill’s name is again on the marquee. Fans have come from as far away as New Jersey, some cradling Bofill’s original albums, which show an absolutely gorgeous woman.

Bofill closes her eyes as a makeup artist paints on thick black liner. Not many entertainers would have the courage to do what Bofill is about to do. Not many would be so bold.

“I feel happy performing again,” Bofill says. “I need crowd. In the blood, entertain. Any time a crowd comes to see me, I’m surprised. No sing no more and still people come. Wow. Impressed.” She laughs.

But before she will get to the stage, she has to get out of the chair. She leans forward. No. She leans forward again. “I conquer my chair – damn it! Nose over the toes. Nose over toes.” Up. She grabs her cane, covered in butterflies. “I love the cane. Mother told me J. Lo uses cane dancing. Sweet!”

Behind the wall, she can hear the singer Maysa onstage performing Bofill’s signature hit, “Angel of the Night.” Maysa’s voice is big and powerful, blowing through the thin walls of the dressing room.

There is a flash of envy from Bofill. “Used to play timbale to that song before the stroke,” Bofill says. “Now, cowbell.” Her big brown eyes look down. “Oh, well. One day, this arm awake. I don’t know. Strange disease, stroke. Before no idea why person walk funny. Now, I get it – stroke.”

She is often asked: Will her singing voice come back? “God only knows,” she says. “Rather not sing than sound bad.”

‘A rare voice’

At the height of her career in the ‘70s and ’80s, she stood tall – creamy skin, glittery dresses, white orchid in her hair. She had the look that teenage girls wanted: big cheekbones, sultry eyes she highlighted with blue eyeshadow. She looked like one of those girls in Prince’s band. On “Soul Train,” she stood onstage, her head tilted slightly to the side, dress falling off her shoulders, singing: "Tonight, I give into the feelings . . . "

Bofill was the Latina songstress who crossed over from jazz to R&B. “She had a rare voice,” says her manager, Rich Engel. “She could hit low notes and could hit high C. Her pitch was perfect.” She had a coveted 3 1/2-octave range.

Bofill, who was born to a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother, was raised in the Bronx, where she grew up listening to Latin music, soul and jazz. She became a professional singer as a teenager.

In 1978, she was signed by GRP records, and that year released her debut album, “Angie,” which included the hits “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter” and “Under the Moon and Over the Sky.” The next year, Bofill released “Angel of the Night,” featuring the hit, “I Try.” Both albums topped pop, jazz and R&B charts. Her contract was bought out by Clive Davis and Arista Records.

In 1983, she released the funk album, “Too Tough,” which was nominated for an American Music Award. She appeared on the award show poured into a glittery gown. As a presenter, she introduced Michael Jackson, who won for “Thriller.”

Bofill made more albums, gave concerts and and appeared in stage plays during the next 20 years. Although she had a huge fan base, her career peaked in the ’80s. She continued working in Europe, Africa and Asia, where she sold out stadiums. In the Philippines, Bofill was a guest of politician Imelda Marcos. “Imelda loves singers,” Bofill says. “Imelda sings also. An amazing woman. A star, really.”

Album sales slowed, but Bofill did not. "I asked God: ‘Give me break,’ " Bofill says. “Tell the truth, I need a break. I’m going, going. No break long time. Over 26 years, no break. I prayed one day, ‘God, I need a break.’ Bam! That’s when stroke hit.”

She pauses: “Next time, God, maybe another kind break!” She laughs.

‘Explosion inside the head’

In 2006, she was in California driving home from a restaurant with her brother-in-law. “All of a sudden, I feel an explosion inside the head,” Bofill recalls. "A pop. Pop! Pop! Next thing, I know babbling. My brother-in-law asked me, ‘Something wrong?’ "

She answered, “Bbbaaa.” “Obviously something wrong,” she says. “I arrive at my house. Out of the truck. Not stand. Turned out complete left side affected. Called the ambulance. Informed me had major stroke. Over three years, no walk, no talk. Over three years, live in rehab. Physical therapy. Eventually, I walk again I need a cane. Left arm no come back yet. Challenging.”

She laughs.

“It really slows my roll up, you know. But grace, still alive. Some people no make it. No eat a long time. Need a feeding tube. Awful. Only good thing I lose weight. A stroke diet. It works!”

Eventually, she began talking again. “But my voice no sing. I rather not sing. Awful. Crack me up! Funny! I laugh about it. But very grateful – still living. Never take things for granted. I think a stroke – no joke. Yes. But, I think a better a person.”

She is laughing now, but a few years back, she was severely depressed. She had no voice and no health insurance. Her hospital bills piled up. Celebrities held benefit concerts across the country to raise money for her. Some singers she thought were friends called with empty promises of help. She had to sell her house in California. She moved in with her sister. Despondent, she spent most days in front of the television, flipping channels.

“First time very depressed,” Bofill says. “Crying all the time. Turns out a side effect of the stroke. Made me depressed.” Still, she seemed to be recuperating. Doctors said she might sing again. But a year later, she had another stroke that left her without the one thing a singer needs.

“It was devastating to lose her singing voice,” Engel said. “When you take a voice away from a singer, nothing is worse. A lot of it was like, ‘What do I do now, now that I can’t sing?’ That was her life. Her livelihood was being onstage.”

Engel used to call her daily. “She was just down,” he said. "That is all she did was hang around and watch TV. She didn’t try writing any music. She didn’t try writing any stories. I’d say, ‘How you doing, Angie?’ She would say, ’I’m bored.’ " Engel would make suggestions.

“Finally, I said, ‘You got to get off your ass, Angie! You are a good-looking woman. It’s not like you are dead!’ "

That’s when the idea came to him. He would create a show starring Bofill. Just like old times. She wouldn’t be able to sing, but she could tell her stories. He called members of her old band. They were game. He called Dave Valentin, the legendary flutist who helped Bofill get her first record deal.

“He said, ‘Angie wants you. Without Dave Valentin, I’m not doing the show,’ " Valentin recalls. "I told him, ‘Of course, I’m doing it.’ "

Engel sought soul and jazz singer Maysa, who grew up in Baltimore listening to Bofill. Maysa, who was a member of the British band Incognito, agreed to join the show.

“I have been listening to her since I was 12 or 13 years old,” Maysa says of Bofill. "That is how I cut my teeth. Mother had to buy new albums, because I would wear them out. When you listen to someone so long, it is amazing to be onstage. She is looking at me singing her music. It’s like a student getting approval from the teacher.

“At first, I was nervous. I wanted her to be proud. I don’t know if I could have the strength to sit there and watch someone singing my songs. But she is happy.”

*
Telling a new story
*
The first five “Angela Bofill Experience” shows sold out in San Francisco. Fans came, knowing Bofill couldn’t sing. They just wanted to see her again. The show – even without her voice – drew rave reviews. Engel says he wants to get a movie made of Bofill’s life. “Ultimately, I’d like to take the show to Broadway.”

At the Birchmere, Bofill is wheeled up a ramp. She doesn’t like the wheelchair. When she gets to the edge of the stage, she rises and the crowd applauds – an ovation that grows louder as she walks haltingly across the stage. The house lights go up. She sits in a chair and tells stories. Maysa sings.

Bofill moves her mouth. “Lip-syncing,” she tells the crowd.

The audience laughs. Videos flash of Bofill in her heyday. The crowd is quiet. The show is like a memorial concert, except Bofill is still very much alive. Laughing but unable to sing.

“Sometimes,” Bofill says, “I crack me up. Better to laugh than cry. Turned out, me a comedian.” She laughs. “Instead of a stand-up comic – a sitting-down comic.”

Link to the full article here.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Ben Bromberg, The Huffington Post

This Thursday, Deerhunter headlined a free show at Pier 54 in Hudson River Park, part of the River Rocks concert series that take place every summer. Brooklyn locals Real Estate opened the show, hypnotically drawing in concert-goers towards the stage with their polished brand of soft surf guitar. Real Estate is the kind of band whose songs best fit as transitional numbers on your mixtapes, a mellowed out break to provide breathing room between hits and bangers.

Four or five songs into their set, and the gentle, sleepwalking melodies of Real Estate started to threaten the audience’s abilities to keep their eyes open. Songs rarely pick up in tempo or develop in format — this is something that a listener of Real Estate’s recently released self-titled LP might also notice while trying to make his or her way to the end of the album. But as the band debuted new songs it became clear they weren’t interested in developing beyond what they had already built. There were actually several times that I believed I recognized a song from their record as the lazy, languid chords strummed in, but thirty seconds later I would realize it was actually something else, and must have been a new song, albeit with startlingly similar chords.

Of course, the band that the crowd of hundreds had truly come to see was Deerhunter, the Georgia-based psychedelic rock outfit that has never had any trouble playing dynamic, engaging sets. And loud. Did I mention loud? Deerhunter has the habit of building momentum within tracks before ripping them open with screeching guitar solos and walls of feedback, and the first time they ripped one open in their set at Pier 54, it was as if they had stabbed an adrenaline needle right into the heart of every audience member who was still reeling in Real Estate heroin overdose.

The last time I had seen Deerhunter was in the summer following the release of their very first album, 2007’s Cryptograms, and I was blown away on Thursday by how they had since come to perfect their sound, accomplishing absolutely everything they were working towards but not quite finding in 2007. It’s not that the band was any less inspired in 2007, releasing music as original and groundbreaking as anything they’ve released since — they were just unfocused. The ambient instrumental washes that Deerhunter likes to segue into between rock numbers made up the majority of Cryptograms and their 2007 live set, and back then the band seemed less interested in marrying the two extremes as they were in perfecting the wash. On Thursday’s show, however, the band had clearly come to master all aspects of their live performance, each and every sonic element landing just where it was supposed to in the mix. Every echo, every bark of feedback came together to form the most perfect kind of controlled chaos, something frontman Bradford Cox and his bandmates kept under their thumb with as much casual candor as Real Estate exhibited keeping their narcoleptic guitar strolls at bay.

Deerhunter’s progress as a band was perhaps most clearly displayed in how brilliantly they performed their older material. Cox’s crew has been preparing to release their follow-up record to 2008’s Microcastle, titled Halcyon Digest and due out this September, so naturally a great deal of the band’s set on Thursday was debuting new material. And while these songs did indeed promise another solid record from the psych-rockers, the night’s most surprising success was when the band tore through “Wash Off”, a track off of their 2007 Fluorescent Grey EP. Although I had seen the band perform this same number in 2007 — and it was no sleeper, back then, either — on Thursday’s performance the band was able to breathe new life into the track, proving how far Deerhunter had evolved from their early stages of experimentation as a young band on the rise. Fair-weather fans of Deerhunter would do well to give the band a chance to convince them in live performance; this is a band that has the power to completely win you over, while playing the same songs you thought you already kind of liked.

Link to original article here.