M57 Straight From Delancey
THE CAST & CREW
Brian Wade – Producer of SubUrban Underground
Kenny Young & the Eggplants – Semi-Acoustic Trio
Rebecca Weiss – Producer of Spicy Witch Productions
Cleve Douglass – Improvisational Jazz Vocalist
Richard Stein – Comedian
Helene Gresser – Comedian/Actor
Katya Lapaeva – Vocalist
Elle Brigida – Brave Women Segment
ELLEN KAYE with ETHAN FEIN & THE M57 BAND –
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BROWN – BASS, KORY GROSSMAN – Drums
* * *
SETH GOLDMAN & ELLEN KAYE – HOSTS
ETHAN FEIN – MUSICAL DIRECTOR/ARRANGER/ GUITAR/ BANJO
BILL MOSS – ENGINEER
EDDIE GONZALEZ – PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
ELLE BRIGIDA – PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
MICHAEL SUSKO – SHOW DIRECTOR
Brian Wade
Brian Wade
Kenny Young & The Eggplants
Kenny Young & the Eggplants
Claiming to be from Brooklyn (but possibly from some other galaxy altogether), Kenny Young and the Eggplants are a not-easily-described semi-acoustic trio who perform songs about giant squirrels, scary bits of cheese, inebriated crime-solving birds, and malevolent washing machines, among other important rock and roll topics. Various attempts to define their music have been made, but perhaps the most entertaining quote comes from the New York Times, which said that the band gives “eloquent voice to the multifaceted neuroses of prolonged adolescence.” Perhaps because no one can figure out exactly what the heck they are, the Eggplants get invited to play an intriguing variety of venues. In New York City, where they have performed at countless clubs (including the much-missed CBGB and its acoustic annex, The Record Canteen), they have become regulars at The Living Room on the Lower East Side. They played at BB King’s club on 42nd Street on an evening hosted by Dr. Demento, they performed during the New York City Marathon, and they were Tom Robinson’s back-up band at The Mercury Lounge. They have played at prestigious British venues like the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican, Ronnie Scott’s, The 100 Club and the Burton Taylor Theatre. They have performed for college audiences, for children, and at science-fiction conventions. They have also played at a number of festivals, included CMJ, Clearwater, and Planet Pop, in addition to the Edinburgh Fringe.
Rebecca Weiss
Cleve Douglass
Cleve Douglass
Improvisational jazz vocalist Cleve Douglass began his vocal training in classical (operatic) vocal technique, then studied and worked in musical theatre, which eventually led him to his passion: jazz and scat improvisations. His multi-cultural recordings embrace the styles of Bossa Nova, swing, Afro-Cuban, electronic, and standards from The Great American Songbook. After extensively touring and performing in Japan, Cleve brings an air of sophistication and retro-nouveau sensibility to a number of bands in New York City, appearing on dates at the Blue Note and NBC’s “The Today Show.”
Richard Stein
Richard Stein
Richard Stein has built his remarkable career on a single tenet: that hair should be free to go its own way. Free to swing straight or curl close, free from curlers and clips, sprays and gels. Free to be as nature intended. It is a credo learned at the hand of his mentor, Sixties icon Vidal Sassoon, and it has garnered for Richard Stein a clientele of the world’s most powerful people.
Helene Gresser
Helene Gresser
Helene is a comedian, actress, and writer. Sometimes she writes funny songs. She may also serve you a drink tonight, and possibly some food. She co-created the webisode series “Hey Rude” and has been featured on the Tyra Banks show discussing rude behavior, even though she was so heavily made-up she could barely open her falsie-laden eyelids. Currently she is working on her one-woman, autobiographical comedy show, tentatively titled “SHEEZUS! (Comin’ To Get Ya!)” in which she reads from her very DRAMATIC childhood journals and occasionally breaks out into songs from Jesus Christ Superstar. Helene is also opening her delightfully cozy thrift store, Artistic Thrift, in her Ridgewood, Queens neighborhood, and hopes you come by to listen to ole-timey vinyl records and peruse her vast collection of tchotchkes, thingamajigs, and doo-dads. Originally from Shorewood, Wisconsin, she credits below-zero temperatures and consumption of vast quantities of sausage, cheese, and beer for her family’s bizarre sense of humor. Her brother John is far funnier, but he lives in Milwaukee, so he cannot steal her limelight now, thank Sheezus.
Katya Lapaeva
Katya Lapaeva
Katya Lapaeva was born in Russia and is a vocalist who’s completely self-taught. She moved to the United States about 3½ years ago and now resides in the beautiful borough of Brooklyn. Katya only started singing recently while working at M57. One night she joined Ellen on stage to sing the Russian version of a familiar tune. Since that moment, Ellen has had faith in Katya’s abilities as a vocalist and hopes she’ll begin her musical career by performing at Moscow 57.
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