this week in music

CHRISTMAS WITHOUT TEARS (DOES THIS TREE MAKE ME LOOK FAT?)

CHRISTMAS WITHOUT TEARS (DOES THIS TREE MAKE ME LOOK FAT?)
The Cutting Room
44 East 32nd St. between Madison & Park Aves.
Friday, December 5, and Monday, December 8, GA $40, VIP $75 (plus $20 food/drink minimum), 8:00
212-691-1900
www.thecuttingroomnyc.com
www.judithowen.net

Spinal Tap star and multiple Simpsons voice Harry Shearer and his wife, musician and songwriter Judith Owen, will be celebrating the season as only they can December 5 and 8 at the Cutting Room with their unique touring variety show, “Christmas without Tears (Does This Make Me Look Fat?).” A fifteen-year tradition previously known as “Judith Owen and Harry Shearer’s Holiday Sing-a-Long,” the evening is broken into two segments, the first consisting of holiday classics (“Winter Wonderland,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) and originals (“F&*k Christmas,” “Jesus Was a Dreidel Spinner”) performed by Shearer, Owen, and surprise guests, which in the past have included such celebrities as Weird Al Yankovic, Richard Thompson, Catherine O’Hara, Christopher Guest, and Donald Fagen. (The 2014 guest list features Evan Christopher, Davell Crawford, Tom McDermott, Teddy Thompson, David Torkanowsky, Mario Cantone, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Amy Engelhardt, the Gregory Brothers, Artie Lange, Amy Miles, and Alice Ripley appearing at stops either in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Evanston.) For the second act, the audience receives specially designed songbooks and is invited to sing along to a collection of carols until mayhem ensues. Every year, Owen and Shearer release a seasonal song; this year’s treat is their jazzy version of Spinal Tap’s “Christmas with the Devil.” Proceeds from the first show, which will have a decidedly more Creole feel, will benefit the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation, while the December 8 show benefits the Actors Fund.

FIRST SATURDAYS: BROOKLYN FASHION

Christian Louboutin, “Printz,” Spring/Summer 2013 (courtesy of Christian Louboutin; photograph by Jay Zukerkorn)

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway at Washington St.
Saturday, December 6, free, 5:00 – 11:00
212-864-5400
www.brooklynmuseum.org

The Brooklyn Museum has fun with its new exhibit, “Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe,” in the December edition of its free First Saturdays program. “Brooklyn Fashion” will feature live performances by the Hot Sardines and TK Wonder; a shoe-making art workshop; a talk with Manufacture New York CEO Bob Bland; screenings of Julie Benasra’s 2011 documentary, God Save My Shoes, and Tom Kalin’s Alternate Endings, short films made in collaboration with artists Rhys Ernst, Glen Fogel, Lyle Ashton Harris, Derek Jackson, My Barbarian, and Julie Tolentino in honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Visual AIDS’ Day With(out) Art; a talk with “Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe” curator Lisa Small; an interactive story hour with Aunt Helen’s Closet; a “Killer Heels” photo booth; and a social club with dapperQ.com that includes pop-up shops, a Dapper Academy, and a fashion show. In addition, you can check out such exhibitions as “Revolution! Works from the Black Arts Movement,” “Judith Scott — Bound and Unbound,” and “Crossing Brooklyn: Art from Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, and Beyond.”

VIDEO OF THE DAY: THE BOTH

After taking a break the past two holiday seasons, Aimee Mann is back with her annual noël celebration. “The Return of the Aimee Mann Christmas Show” comes to New York City on December 13 at the Town Hall, with Aimee joined by Ted Leo, her partner in the new band the Both. Special guests for the evening, which will feature a mix of original music, holiday classics, video, sketches, and more, include Bangles leader Susanna Hoffs, singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton, and comedian Fred Armisen. In preparation for the tour, which will make stops in Tarrytown on December 10 and Westbury on December 12, the Both has released “Nothing Left to Do (Let’s Make This Christmas Blue).”

THE HILLS NYC PRESENTS CELEBRATING DON HILL — A NIGHT OF LIVE MUSIC IN SUPPORT OF ROADRECOVERY.ORG

Current Broadway Hedwig Michael C. Hall will be part of tribute show at the Hills NYC honoring Don Hill and benefiting Road Recovery

The Hills NYC
314 Spring St.
Sunday, December 7, general admission $75, VIP $250, 8:00
www.thehillsnyc.com
www.roadrecovery.org

In March 2011, popular nightlife impresario Don Hill passed away at the age of sixty-six, and his eponymous club, Don Hill’s, closed the next month, after a failed makeover attempt by Nur Khan and Paul Sevigny. This past June, it was announced that the SoHo club, located on Spring St., would reopen as the Hills NYC, with the new owners proclaiming, “Reset, rebuilt, and refocused, the Hills NYC is here to bring back Don’s original vision of a legendary venue which showcases Rock and Roll icons and NY talent.” On December 7, a diverse group of musicians will gather to pay tribute to Don Hill and the opening of the new club in a special show also honoring Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which was conceived in the original Don Hill’s by Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell. The lineup includes Hedwig composer, lyricist, and cocreator Trask; Dexter’s Michael C. Hall, who is currently playing Hedwig on Broadway; New York Dolls leader and Buster Poindexter alter-ego David Johansen; New Jersey band OURS, headed by Jimmy Gnecco; and Hedwig band Tits of Clay (Tim Mislock, Justin Craig, Matt Duncan, and Peter Yanowitz), who are putting together an EP via a PledgeMusic campaign. “The band and I couldn’t be more excited to play this show,” Trask said in a statement. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that without Don Hill’s, Hedwig probably wouldn’t exist.” The event will benefit the nonprofit organization Road Recovery, which was founded in 1998 by tour manager Gene Bowen in order to “help young people battle addiction and other adversities by harnessing the influence of entertainment industry professionals who have confronted similar crises and now wish to share their experience, knowledge, and resources.” General admission is $75, while $250 VIP tickets ($100 tax-deductible) earn you access to a special standing area near the front of the stage, a preshow meet-and-greet with the performers, and a swag bag. “Coming back to Don Hill’s with Tits of Clay to play a bunch of punk rock songs would in itself inspire nostalgic swooning for me,” Trask added. “But the fact that this show is a benefit for Road Recovery, which uses music to help at-risk youth battle off the threat of addiction, really hits home.”

THE 34th ANNUAL JOHN LENNON TRIBUTE

Photographer Bob Gruen will be honored at 34th annual John Lennon Tribute concert at Symphony Space (photo © 1974 by Bob Gruen)

Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Friday, December 5, $65-$105, 8:00
212-864-5400
www.symphonyspace.org
www.lennontribute.org

The life of John Lennon is currently being celebrated eight times a week at the Union Square Theatre with Lennon: Through a Glass Onion, in which John R. Waters portrays the Smart Beatle. The legacy of the longtime New Yorker will also be honored on December 5 at Symphony Space with the 34th annual John Lennon Tribute. Presented by Theatre Within and Music Without Borders, the evening will consist of Lennon songs performed by a fab lineup of special guests: Debbie Harry, Kate Pierson, David Johansen, Joan Osborne, Joe Raiola, Amy Helm, Marshall Crenshaw, Ben E. King, Rich Pagano, the Kennedys, and Chrissi Poland. In addition, legendary photographer Bob Gruen, who took the iconic photos of Lennon in his New York City T-shirt, will receive a special honor. The evening benefits Theatre Within’s John Lennon Real Love Project, which “offers children and young adults in medical care centers, schools, and communities in need the unique opportunity to compose their own songs.”

HOLIDAY LIGHTINGS 2014

The Sigafoos’ Christmas tree pulls into Rock Center earlier this month (photo courtesy TODAY show)

The Sigafoos’ Norwegian spruce pulls into Rock Center earlier this month from Pennsylvania (photo courtesy TODAY show)

Over the next few weeks, Christmas trees and menorahs will be lit all over the city, accompanied by live performances, seasonal treats, special guests, and family-friendly activities, all free. Below are only some of the many highlights as the Big Apple prepares for the holidays.

Park Slope Holiday Tree Lighting
Fifth Ave. at Third St.
Saturday, November 29, 6:30
www.parkslopefifthavenuebid.com
Live music by Amy Miles, carols by Opera on Tap, crafts, puppet shows, cookies, marshmallows, hot chocolate, popcorn, children’s activities, Santa and Frosty the Snowman

Fifteenth Annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square
Dante Park, Broadway between 63rd & 64th Sts., Time Warner Center, David Rubenstein Atrium
Monday, December 1, 5:30 – 9:00
www.winterseve.nyc
Emcee Billy Porter, ice sculpting, live performances by Arlo Guthrie and family, Alice Farley Dance Theater, Golem, Spuyten Duyvil, Batala NYC, the Lucky Chops Brass Band, M.A.K.U. SoundSystem, the N’Harmonics, Uptown Vocal, the Cafe Wha? House Band, the Jazzmeia Horn Quartet, Bach Vespers, Annika, Hungry March Band, Raya Brass Band, Shinbone Alley Stilt Band, Dylan Meek, Elena Ayodele Pinderhughes, the Hot Sardines, Yaz Band, Mariachi Real De Mexico, the Suzi Shelton Band, the Big Apple Circus, Chinese Lion Dancers, Kinky Boots, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, dance groups, WNET characters, a screening of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, food tastings ($1-$4), Sesame Street’s Digital Playground & Walkaround Abby Cadabby

The South Street Seaport’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony
Fulton St. at Front St.
Tuesday, December 2, 5:45
Live music, family-friendly activities, more
www.southstreetseaport.com

Winter Village Tree Lighting
Bryant Park
40th – 42nd Sts. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Tuesday, December 2, 6:00
www.wintervillage.org
Details to be announced

Eighty-Second Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
Rockefeller Plaza, between West 48th and West 51st Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues
Wednesday, December 3, 7:00 – 9:00
www.rockefellercenter.com
Musical guests to be announced; tree will remain lit through January 7

Central Park Conservancy’s Eighteenth Annual Dana Holiday Lighting
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center inside the park at 110th St. & Malcolm X Blvd.
Thursday, December 4, 5:30 – 6:30
www.centralparknyc.org
Flotilla of more than twenty illuminated trees on Harlem Meer, live ice carving, photos with Santa and his elves, Christmas carols, and hot cocoa and cookies

Christmas in Richmond Town: Traditional Tree Lighting
Historic Richmond Town, Staten Island
441 Clarke Ave.
Sunday, December 7, 5:00
www.historicrichmondtown.org
Festivities begin at 11:00 am ($2 per person, six and under free) with shopping village, carolers, storytelling, Santa Claus, tours, Bell Choir, horse & carriage rides ($2, two and under free), free Christmas tree lighting at 5:00

Carl Schurz Park Holiday Tree Lighting
East 86th St. at East End Ave.
Sunday, December 7, 5:00
www.carlschurzparknyc.etapwss.com
Christmas carols, Cantori choir, Orbital Brass, candlelight, candy canes, and hot chocolate

The Park Avenue Tree Lighting
Outside Brick Presbyterian Church, Park Ave. at 91st St.
Sunday, December 7, 6:30
www.fundforparkavenue.org
Annual lighting of trees along Park Ave. Malls between 54th & 97th Sts., starting with tree outside Brick Presbyterian Church

Mad. Sq. Holiday 2014
Madison Square Park
23rd – 26th Sts. between Madison & Fifth Aves.
Tuesday, December 9, 3:30
www.madisonsquarepark.org
Live performances by Audra Rox and cast members of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, horticultural workshop with a red twig dogwood planting led by Gardener Steph, Reading Rangers storytelling, Gingerbread Boulevard, seasonal treats from Hill Country Chicken, SD26, and Frittering Away, tree lighting at 5:00

Washington Square Park tree will be lit on December 10 (photo courtesy Washington Square Park Blog)

The Washington Square Park Tree Lighting
Washington Square Park Arch at Fifth Ave.
Wednesday, December 10, 6:00
www.washingtonsquarenyc.org
Live music by the Rob Susman Brass Quartet, songbooks for caroling, Santa Claus

Holiday on the Hudson
West Harlem Piers Park, West 125th & Marginal Sts.
Saturday, December 13, 5:00
www.riversideparknyc.org
Live music by the All-City High School Chorus, holiday decorations workshop, more

Zuccotti Park Holiday Lighting
Broadway & Liberty St.
Saturday, December 13, 5:30
www.artsbrookfield.com
Live music by the Manhattan Dolls and Metropolitan Klezmer, sweet treats, more

World’s Largest Menorah will be lit nightly in Grand Army Plaza (photo courtesy Chabad Park Slope)

World’s Largest Menorah will be lit nightly during Hanukkah in Grand Army Plaza (photo courtesy Chabad Park Slope)

World’s Largest Menorah
Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
December 16-23, 6:00
Live music, hot latkes, gifts for kids
www.chabadparkslope.com

World’s Largest Hanukkah Menorah
Grand Army Plaza, Manhattan
Fifth Ave. between 58th & 59th Sts.
December 16-23, 6:00

VIDEO OF THE DAY: “MANNISH BOY” BY JANE LEE HOOKER

New York City’s Jane Lee Hooker, consisting of five women (from such bands as Nashville Pussy, Bad Wizard, Helldorado, and the Wives) who blast out traditional blues in a flurry of intoxicating aggression, will be celebrating the release of its debut album, No B!, on November 30 at Mercury Lounge with the Steepwater Band. The fast and furious No B! includes such hot tracks as the old spiritual “Wade in the Water,” Johnny Winter’s “Mean Town Blues,” Ray Charles’s “I Believe to My Soul,” the rollicking “In the Valley,” and Muddy Waters’s “Champaign and Reefer” and, appropriately enough, “Mannish Boy.” Lead singer Dana Danger Athens really lets it rip, with Tracy High Top and Tina T-Bone Gorin on guitars, Hail Mary Z on bass, and Melissa Cool Whip Houston on drums. Jane Lee Hooker is no mere novelty act with an ultra-cool name; this band knows the blues down to their souls, so get ready to have your ass kicked.