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Live Show with Chris Mills at Peoples Improv Theater – Thursday, June 30 9:30pm

The PIT 123 E 24th BTW Park & Lex (new location!)

Tickets $10.

MUSICAL GUEST: CHRIS MILLS!
http://chris-mills.com

He will play his music to inspire improvised scenes. The scenes might inspire him to play other music. Nothing is planned; it’s all improvised. You will never see this show again.

FEATURING an INTRODUCTION by cartoonist EMILY FLAKE on the subject of Beauty Love AND/OR Truth.

Emily Flake. Photo by Nick Gordon.

This show’s IMPROVISERS include:


Tony Carnevale (Channel 102, Tony Carnevale’s Greatest Hits)
Anna Chlumsky (In The Loop, “Veep,” My Girl)
Terry Jinn (UCB, The Project)
Bradford Jordan (Swords, Story Pirates)
Shannon Manning (UCB, Magnet, PIT, IO, “Conan”)
John Murray (“30 Rock,” UCB, Magnet)
Louie Pearlman (Story Pirates, The Spidey Project, Magnet)
Alexis Saarela (Taco Supreme, Magnet)
Ashley Ward (PIT, Magnet, UCB, “Jeopardy!”)

CHRIS MILLS:

With the release of the decade encompassing retrospective Heavy Years: 2000-2010 (Ernest Jenning Record Company) long time fans have a new opportunity to trace Mills’ evolution from Chicago alt-country refugee to an astute purveyor of orchestral pop and true American song-craft, while the uninitiated may quite possibly be on the verge of discovering their favorite new songwriting voice.

By combining recent material with tracks from his four most recent albums, this collection gives testament to Mills’ consistent ability to wrap savvy commentary and emotional realism into mini-studio masterpieces. At turns slyly romantic and heartbreakingly cleareyed, Mills’ songs are packed with enough winks and asides to let the listener know that even though things seem tragic, at least they’re not alone.

In late 90’s Chicago, Mills rose to local prominence through collaborations with Mekons Jon Langford and Sally Timms, and on bills with acts like Steve Earle, Wilco, Neko Case, My Morning Jacket et. al. But while many would find comfort solely mining the rich soil of Americana music en vogue at the time, Mills was never completely at home within the genres somewhat narrow confines – perhaps first evidenced on tracks like “Signal/Noise”, the closing number on 2000’s Kiss It Goodbye, a post-modern homage to Phil Spector’s wall of sound masterminded by producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Josh Ritter, Iron and Wine).

Over the next decade Mills would travel constantly throughout the United States and Europe, developing a loyal following and touring with artists including Ben Folds, Andrew Bird, Califone, Bishop Allen, The Handsome Family, and Lucero. Heavy Years: 2000-2010 draws from the four albums he created during this period, and documents how Mills’ evolving production and musical ideas kept pace with his constantly developing song writing acumen.

Currently living in Brooklyn, NY, Mills is working on songs for his next project, tentatively titled, The Soldier Is The Castle.

“Over the last few years (Mills) has quietly assembled an immensely impressive catalogue. His songs are literate, funny and endearingly hangdog …..”
The Independant, UK

“His hidden elegance lies in the twist of lovesick metaphor, the wistful chord, the revisionist take on the slamming door. ”
NME

“The Silver Line is a thoroughly confident declaration of independence from an artist finally, fully realizing his remarkable talents as a singer, songwriter and performer ”
No Depression
“‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet’ is a gem of pop grandeur that showcases Mills’ emotional vocal delivery.”
Chicago Sun Times

HERE’S THE FULL PRESS RELEASE.

Beauty Love Truth is produced and directed by Shannon Manning and Louie Pearlman of Sparkle Television. Contact SHANNON a*t SPARKLETELEVISION d*o*t c*o*m

 


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LIVE SHOW at BARROW STREET THEATRE, Sat May 14, 2011 10pm

Beauty Love Truth

Saturday, May 14, 2011 10PM Barrow Street Theatre
27 Barrow Street New York, NY (at 7th Avenue, South of Christopher Street)

Lobby bar opens at 9:45pm and drinks may be brought into the theatre. No minimum.

Buy Tickets!

(Use discount code: LVTR27  for $5 off.)

MUSICAL GUESTS: JOE MCGINTY, MICHAEL MCGINNIS & LEON DEWAN. They play music to inspire improvised scenes. The scenes might inspire them to play other music. Nothing is planned; it’s all improvised. You will never see this show again.

FEATURING an INTRODUCTION by a standup comic, raconteur, or expert on the subject of Beauty Love AND/OR Truth.
This show: DAVID REES (Get Your War On, Artisanal Pencil Sharpening)

This show’s IMPROVISERS include:

Kirk Damato (UCB, Cakey! The Cake From Outer Space, Picasso at the Lapin Agile-Tokyo)
Brigid Boyle (Taco Supreme, Magnet)
Brian Fountain (UCB, ImprovEverywhere, Freak Dance)
Shannon Manning (UCB, Magnet, PIT, IO, Conan)
Patrick McCartney (Elf, Second City, UCB)
Louie Pearlman (Story Pirates, The Spidey Project, Magnet)
Mary Regan (UCB, Magnet, PIT)

and more TBA or kept secret! Lineup subject to change.

“These evenings are a hoot! I play my songs, then talented improvisers create sketches inspired by the music. A must see!” Joe McGinty

Joe McGinty has recorded and/or performed with The Psychedelic Furs, The Ramones, Debbie Harry, Stew and The Negro Problem, Devendra Banhart, Nada Surf, Ronnie Spector, Daniel Johnston, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, Space Hog, and many others. Full discography here.

He has been the music director for AMFAR’s 25th Anniversary Gala (backing Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight), Comedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars”, The Tribeca Film Festival, The Director’s Guild Awards, ABC’s “My Kind Of Town” game show, MoveOn.org, and The David Lynch Foundation.

His original projects include McGinty and White, Baby Steps, Circuit Parade, Space Nutz.

He has contributed music to Bored To Death, Funny Or Die, Last Chance Harvey, The Big Gay Sketch Show, The Whitest Kids You Know, The Virginity Hit and The Daily Show.

He is the founder and music director of the Loser’s Lounge tribute series, playing consistently to sold-out rooms in New York City since 1993.

Every tuesday he hosts “Live Piano Karaoke” at the Manhattan Inn.

Michael McGinnis has an eclectic and unique voice on the saxophone, clarinet and flute and has worked with some of today’s most innovative and influential artists including Anthony Braxton’s Trillium E Orchestra, Steve Coleman’s Aquarius Ingress (Ravi Coltrane, Tony Malaby, Miguel Zenon and Chris Speed), the Lonnie Plaxico Group, Stew & Heidi (of Passing Strange/the Negro Problem), Fela! On Broadway (saxophone soloist), Art Lande, Yo La Tengo,the Ohad Talmor/Steve Swallow Sextet, Jackie Cain, Deidre Murray (Bard Summerscape), Ravi Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Erik Deutsch Band, Kyoko Kitamura, Lisle Ellis, Martin Kersels (Whitney Biennial 2009), Harris Eisenstadt, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Alan Ferber Nonet, the four bags, Clem Snide and the Losers Lounge among others.

He recorded his debut CD “Tangents” with his group Between Green (which included Shane Endsley and Jacob Sacks) for Ravi Coltrane’s RKM Music label in 2000.   As a co-leader he has recorded 3 albums with the four bags, one with DDYGG and one with OK|OK.

His performances and compositions have been featured on WNYC, VH1, ABC, MTV, The Daily Show and HBO.   You can see him playing the flute in the Ang Lee film “Taking Woodstock” (2009).

Leon Dewan apprenticed to his inventor father since early childhood, helping him to construct homemade test equipment and numerous electromechanical, solid state and vacuum tube based radio frequency prototypes. He recorded his first electronic music in 1980 with a calculator and an electronic quiz game which broadcast signals to a clock radio tuned between stations. In 1989 he received a degree in physics at Yale University. He has played guitar and sung in New York based band The Happiest Guys In The World as well as The Philistines Jr, Shaumgummi, and Dangerspoon, and has made guest guitar and production appearances on several Guster recordings. He collaborated with sculptress Kathleen Griffin and for the Sculpture Center’s inaugural In Practice series created an installation involving large hollow spherical bodies made of hard candy with circuitry inside that caused the candy spheres to self-resonate at various points along their resonant spectrums. Governed by slow chaos, they harmonized in unpredictable ways, “singing” to each other in the vaulted cellar of The Sculpture Center in Queens. Leon has performed at Rich Forum, the Knitting Factory, and Pierogi2000 Gallery, among other venues.

Beauty Love Truth is produced and directed by Shannon Manning and Louie Pearlman of Sparkle Television. Contact SHANNON a*t SPARKLETELEVISION d*o*t c*o*m
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First Episode Shot!

We shot the first episode in Brooklyn on April 3, 2009 with Greg Peterson as musical guest and party guests:

Bob Acevedo, Shawn Amaro (also camera), Siobhan Bohnacker, Emily Bryan, Kirk Damato, Taylor Davis, Phil Dray, Emily Flake, Angus Johnston, Jess Lane, Shannon Manning (also camera), Tiffany Morningstar, Griffin Newman, John Pastore, Louie Pearlman, Alexis Saarela, Maria Scheider, Lianne Smith.

Currently editing- it will be posted soon. Here are some screen captures (keeping the colors secret!)