THE LATE-NIGHT CABARET!! + me & neil w/ ben folds, kevin smith, and some masochistic waxing

kevin smith (yes, @THATkevinsmith) – the new-jersey-film-auteur/podcaster-extraordinaire kevin smith – has challenged me to a duel of sorts.

from a series of tweets just now:

as many of y’all know, boston is my home-stomping ground and i know a ton of people around here…i’ve also been meeting up with some insane talent on the road.

being in “cabaret” in a nightclub/theater means that i get to do whatever i want AFTER-HOURS since the awesome folks at the ART have given me the keys. so i’m DOIN’ it.

i booked 8 nights of shows, chock full of old and new friends, and plan on playing SOMETHNG at every gig (could be piano, could be ukulele, could be theremin…who knows).

in all seriousness, i’ll be trying out some new material, jamming with the guest bands, and bascially just hanging out and making merry in our wonderful little theater.

there will be LOTS OF special guests showing up unannounced, so i suggest you buy tickets for WHATEVER night you can – a good night is guaranteed across the board.

meine damen und herren, mesdames et messiers, ladies und gentelmen…i give you:

can’t wait to see you there. please come dressed for the occasion:

i found him through john cameron mitchell, who played me the youtube clip of juan’s song “mermaid sashimi” one day, then brough juan to the evelyn shows. juan is sweet as honey and as nuts as a payday, and sings from the depths of soul…and often dons animal costumes. he’s left mexico city, is living in new york, and currently recording a record…i swear, when he gets HUGE, you heard it here first.

THE LONESOME ORGANIST is a one-man force of entertainment from chicago…and needs an explanation/story than i can tell here, but i promise i’ll tell it at the gig.

let’s just say i owe the guy a huge favor…and i’ve wanted to see him play again since the last time he blew my mind (back in 1998 when i saw him play at wesleyan).

MISS TESS is a vocal powerhouse who plays “vintage modern” with a SMOKING band. expect classy classics with a twist…bessie smith, tom waits, originals, and then some.

i first saw miss tess playing in a teeny little bar in boston called TOAD, and wrangled her to open for the new years boston pops night of mayhem – some of you saw me

sneak down into the basement there and perform a secret little “house of the rising sun” with her. she’s killer.

BITTER RUIN are from brighton, england & saved my ass by coming on tour with me on a moment’s notice (they found me through twitter) when the ashcloud stranded my twin sister in america this spring.

they sing hard-edged beautiful duets that will shatter your heart and make you cry and dance.

the ANNIE DARCY BAND you may remember from “sleep no more”, the punch drunk production the A.R.T. put on in the abandoned schoolhouse last year…

boston’s own WALTER SICKERT & THE ARMY OF BROKEN TOYS is a mad group of performers who are equal parts spectacle, shanty, and dance party.

some of you may have caught them at the Evelyn Evelyn after-party at the House of Blues recently, where they played a rousing sing-a-long of the “Ghostbusters” theme.

i say no more. these guys BRING the party.

MEOW MEOW is an old old friend and collaborator of mine from australia. she and i have shared many stages, and her style is better known as KAMIKAZE CABARET.

she’s a post-modern mash-up of old cabaret, new cabaret, and usually winds up getting the audience to undress and crowd-surf her aloft while singing the classics. she’ll be accompanied by Lance Horne, another good friend who’s also the music director and pianist for “cabaret”. one big happy musical family, we are. she is FUCKING unmissable and seeing her in a venue this size is a dream – book FAST.

JAGGERY is another boston gem, led by my house-mate and art-comrade-in-arms Mali Sastri. mali is an intense stage presence, part kate bush, part portishead, part banshee.

her vocal skills are out of this world (seriously, sometimes i don’t know WHERE she gets her range) and her songs are haunting, heavy and bizarre. i’m a huge fan. please request she play “seven stone”.

RICK BERLIN is a LEGENDARY boston cabaret singer-songwriter. it was rick who gave the dresden dolls our very first “real” gig, at jacque’s cabaret…a beautifully seedy drag bar that rick still plays at.

his songs are off-kilter broadway, and he’s a VETERAN showman who loves a crazed audience (that’s you). i’m really excited to be able to bring him on stage with me, it’s been too long.

i do warn you: if you’re gonna do that, you need to get tickets for everything NOW.