Evento

Our Lady J - Beauty As God(dess)

with special guests
Armen Ra (thereminist)
Justin Tranter (Semi Precious Weapons)
The Train-To-Kill Gospel Choir

Our Lady J presents Beauty As God(dess), a concert celebrating the aesthetic of the Divine. Continuing on her previously explored themes of non-traditional, post-religious forms of worship, Our Lady J and special guests perform songs honoring the ever-present, yet mostly unacknowledged modern deity: BEAUTY itself. Is there anything more valued in our 21st Century society? Is there anything more sacred and desired?

Our Lady J's latest musical offering blends the organic quality of her commanding piano playing with haunting electronic vocoders and live gospel choir, resulting in sublime musical tension-- heightened by the show's thematic oscillation between sacred and irreverent, classical and avant-garde, natural and designed, elegant and gritty.The evening will also present selections from Our Lady J's first studio album - to be released at the end of 2012 as a companion soundtrack to the foreboding apocalypse.

In May of 2009, Our Lady J set out for her international solo debut at London's prestigious South Bank Centre, complete with orchestra and gospel choir. She quickly became the buzz of London's underground music scene and was asked to return for a successful 2 week run with the London "Train-To-Kill Gospel Choir" at the Soho Theatre in the summer of 2010. Other stops on her 2010-11 international tour included Mexico City (El Vicio), Berlin (Bar Jeder Vernunft), Dublin (The George), Manchester (Queer Up North Festival), The Ruhrfestspiele Festival (Recklinghausen, Germany), Australia's record-breaking Harvest Festival (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane), and Ireland's Electric Picnic Festival, where she opened for pop superstar Robyn. Since her transplant to Los Angeles last year, she has been a regular at the ROXY, Hotel Cafe, The Mint, and Ivan Kane's Café Was.

A native Pennsylvanian, Our Lady J moved to New York City after a prodigious upbringing as a classical pianist, where she developed her unique sound of post-religious gospel music by combining her church background with New York's glitzy rock-n-roll downtown scene. Having worked as a pianist and musical director for Broadway's top performers, she recruited her friends and colleagues to form the "Train-To-Kill Gospel Choir." Our Lady J quickly became a New York icon known for her technical prowess and soul shaking live shows, regularly selling out top venues with her choir by her side, including Joe's Pub, The Zipper Factory, Highline Ballroom, LaMaMa & Ars Nova Theatre.

Before embarking on her solo career, Our Lady J developed her "stage legs" through accompanying and musical directing artists including Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Lady Gaga, Antony Hegarty (of Antony and The Johnsons), Jake Shears & Ana Matronic (Scissor Sisters), Taylor Dayne, Dar Williams, Armen Ra, Deborah Voight, and Broadway stars Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth, Elaine Stritch, Gavin Creel, Christine Ebersole, Linda Eder, Rebecca Luker, Anthony Rapp, Billy Porter, Steven Pasquale and Karen Mason. While collaborating with the aforementioned talents, she performed in venues including Carnegie Hall, The Town Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Alice Tulley Hall at Lincoln Center, CBGB's, The Box, Birdland, Feinstein's at the Regency, Highline Ballroom, Joe's Pub and The Kitchen. She also toured extensively as music director for downtown artist Justin Bond throughout cities including Boston, San Francisco, Portland, Washington DC, Seattle, London, Montreal, Warsaw & Dublin. As a classical pianist, she has worked with The Julliard School, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and the Mark Morris Dance Group, where she was a featured performer in the MMDG Music Ensemble.

"I just LOVE listening to Our Lady J sing!" - Dolly Parton

"Seeing New York icon Our Lady J is like being wrapped in an electric blanket, providing warmth and security, but with the danger of becoming too hot to touch." - Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters)

"Stunning!" - New York Magazine

"Virtuosic!" - Time Out New York