April 5, 2012
Doveman's Burgundy Stain Session returns to NYC
What the hell is going on in that picture? We were wondering too. But St. Vincent's Twitter feed cleared everything up. Apparently it's St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) literally walking all over Doveman.
What the hell indeed!?! Is this Annie's way of lording it over her equally pseudonymous but slightly less unit-shifting friend Doveman (aka Thomas Bartlett). Well...no. We actually think she was giving him an EXTREME massage. That said, when Doveman's friends walk all over him, shouldn't he get a shot at turning the tables? Hells YES!
Starting next week, Doveman (aka Thomas Bartlett) will once again turn (Le) Poisson Rouge into an intimate salon with the return of his celebrated Burgundy Stain Sessions. The first session will welcome Chocolate Genius (Marc Anthony Thompson), Trixie Whitley, Julia Stone and a handpicked crew of other talented special guests, who will all saunter onstage to perform alongside Doveman--and his ever-present glass of red wine--in a variety of configurations to share classic songs old and new. As in, the set list will get decided right there on the spot with little or no rehearsal. We've tried to have a little "talking to" Thomas about this sloppy ass state of affairs but he won't budge. Fortunately for those in audience, the folks he rounds up tend to be gifted enough to pull this kind of thing off.
So it doesn't suck. Even a little bit.
Don't believe us? Well check out this clip from from last year's April 23 session featuring Norah Jones, Rob Moose, Martha Wainwright, Justin Bond, Sara Quin (of Tegan & Sara), Glen Hansard (The Swell Season, The Frames), Nico Muhly (aka Nico Muhly) and Hannah Cohen.
So what if some of them are dancing more than they're singing? We miss Soul Train and American Bandstand and Dance Party USA, don't you?
Anyway, started as a monthly "in-the-round" residency at LPR in January 2011, The Burgundy Stain Sessions quickly caught attention for it's famous featured guests -- both the luminaries mentioned above, as well as Beth Orton, Laurie Anderson, the Dessner Brothers and too many other notables to attempt to mention in a single paragraph. So much for this paragraph.
And guess what: This happened. Every. Single. Month. (Pretty much.)
Well, in 2012 Doveman's work as a producer, arranger, and keyboardist will be taking up more of his time but he'll still be flexing his curatorial talents for four burgundy Stain performances. If you want to see them all, (Le) Poisson Rouge is offering a special "(le) Billet Rouge" which gets you tix to all 4 Burgundy Stain Sessions for $50.
You like press hype? Well we got you some press hype. The New York Times said last year that "This coterie of musicians shares a sense of restraint, intuitive dynamics and widespread references," while the Wall Street Journal noted that they created an environment so relaxed it will seem like anyone could join in onstage. (PS - You're not actually allowed to join in on stage, unless Thomas calls you up. Bring an instrument, raise your hand and wait, people, it might just happen.)
Anyway, we digress.
Here's the Burgundy Stain Sessions 2012 schedule:
- April 13th, 2012
- July 13th, 2012
- October 5th, 2012
- December 7th, 2012
If you're lucky St. Vincent might even show up.
She did a few times last year, though she never stood on Doveman's back. Too bad. That'd be cool.