James here.
Irony.
Working on a Russian play for the last few years we’ve all become used to a certain level of it in our art. So when the gallery space within the Theatre Project that also serves as the lobby for I am the Machine Gunner opened up an exhibit called Made of Happy we all took it in with a certain wry smile. The floral paintings and whimsical watercolors were about as far from the heated devastation we cook up every night as you could get.
Or so we thought. . .
Enter a four letter word that starts with "F" and ends with "K".
Not that. I'm talking irony here.
Folk.
By a strange and happy coincidence (yes, another one) one of Dutch’s old high school friends was just beginning a Jet Blue tour with his folk band and needed a place to play on the same night that Generous Company was holding its “Coming Out Party”. Good music is good music, and we snapped at the chance to have a live band during our post show party. Add on the 4 gallons of gumbo that Dutch (a Louisiana Native) made for the party, and you had one hell of a blast.
Just not the kind of blast we were used to. We couldn’t help laughing to ourselves as we coined the phrase “First its machine gun, machine gun, machine gun - then its hippies and gumbo”.
Photo above: Emma Hill and Brian Daste play in front of "Made of Happy"
But people, if you get a chance, you’ve got to check these guys out. Emma Hill and Brian Daste are two members of Emma Hill and her Gentlemen Callers and they are terrific. It was unfortunately a little too noisy in the lobby/gallery to hear them well (theater people are loud), but we were treated to a special session at the house’s afterparty and we were all blown away. Not only talented musicians, but good people too. I am going to do my damndest to see them when I return to NYC.
If you are in NYC and can make it, they are playing at Googie's Lounge at 154 Ludlow street this coming Tuesday the 14th at 9:30. They are extremely talented and are trying to promote Emma’s new album. If you like folk music, you won't be let down by these two ultra-talented performers.
It was a great way to wind down from another intense night onstage. With 90 people in the house, it was by far our largest audience yet. Guests from all around the country and lots of old friends attended the show and party afterwords. Hopefully, they embraced the irony as well as we did.
Machine Guns, criminal tattoos, burning alive, hippies, gumbo, and Made of Happy.
Strange bedfellows maybe,
Good times definitely.
Out.
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