Friday, May 25, 2012

Tomorrow Phat Man Dee at Savoy & next week at BRGR!

Friends!
I hope you are well and enjoying this beautiful weather currently blessing Pittsburgh. I am chugging along, making progress here and there, making new fans wherever I can and expanding the community of phabulous and phreaky jazz lovers, be it in a room filled with sideshow dancers and burlesque glass walkers, in fancy high end jazz supper clubs or gourmet burger joints with delicious parmesan dusted french fries.

Last week's show at the Rex with Atrocity was amazing, if you couldn't make it, then you missed me playing my cello in public for the first time in the better part of a decade. I found my cello teacher, Paul Critser, from when I studied in high school at Centers for the Musically Talented, on the net and lucky for me, he is still teaching and lives within 5 miles of my home. He is still running his youth orchestra, he still plays for the Ballet and Opera orchestras, the only thing that seems to have changed about him is that now he rides for hundreds of miles at a stretch in bicycle rides. So for Atrocity I wore a new dress made by Zoe Collins of Threadneedle St and played Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight" on my cello and accompanied myself as I sang it. I was terrified. However, nothing exploded, I didn't gack any notes too much and I think that if you missed it last week, then you have a chance to see it tomorrow at the Savoy in Pittsburgh!

I am singing 2 songs as part of a benefit tomorrow, one of which will be "'Round Midnight" on cello. The event is called "AfternoonTimeJazz" Saturday May 26, 2012 from 5:00pm until 10:00pmIt is the first Annual Benefit Fundraiser for ProMusica Pittsburgh's Summer Young Artists Residency Program, and Summer Choral Intensive Institute.
The show will feature Lilly Abreu, Maureen Budway, Phat Man Dee, Gene Stovall, Michael Jackson with the Howie Alexander Quartet.
Tickets are available online at www.showclix.com/event/afternoontimejazz
Tickets are $10.00 in Advance & $15.00 at the door
For more information visit us online at http://www.promusicapittsburgh.webs.com
Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/events/367345129967987/
SAVOY Restaurant & Lounge is located at:
2623 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
http://savoypgh.com/

Also tomorrow night, my sweet husband, Tommy Amoeba, will be playing at Gooski's with Young Brokaw & his group "Amoeba Knievel"
Live and in person appearing at Gooski's for one night only! I will get there after the Savoy hit.
More info:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Young-Brokaw/175600662497816
https://www.facebook.com/pages/amoeba-knievel/177101770534

And next week I will appearing next Friday, June 1, 2012 with my good friends Carlos Peña (guitar) and Miguel Sague III (conga, vocals and bandleader of Guaracha Latin Dance Band) at BRGR in East Liberty- a fine, meatly establishment, which offers a variety of specialty burgers with a sexy blend of angus chuck, sirloin, NY Strip and ribeye, American Kobe Beef & salmon also available. 10 pm - midnight! No cover! Come support live music, they are hosting live bands on their patio every Fri all summer long!
Facebook event page:
http://www.facebook.com/events/339789166075263/
BRGR is located at 5997 Penn Circle South Pittsburgh, PA 15206
http://brgrpgh.com/

I am gearing down from my local appearances, with summer comes festivals and on the horizon I am appearing at X Day at Wisteria, Starwood at Wisteria and Summerfest at Brushwood. There are some local things that may come up and as always I will keep you appraised.

For more info about the festival shows here are some web links:

X Day for members of the Church of the  Subgenius ONLY:
July 2 - 8 "2012"
http://www.subgenius.com/newdevivals.html

Starwood, a celebration of diversity and alternatives in belief systems, lifestyles, and spirituality.
July 10-16, 2012
http://www.rosencomet.com/starwood/2012/entertainment.php

Summerfest at Brushwood, a Sanctuary for the Open Mind:
July 23 – 29, 2012
http://brushwood.com/summerfest.html

2nd Annual Ohio Burlesque Festival 2012
August 4th 2012 in Cleveland, OH at The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern
http://www.ohioburlesque.com/

One last thing..... I will send out a reminder, but I'm a gonna be on the tv! End of June, look for the new tv show "The Culinary Adventures of Baron Ambrosia" on the Cooking Channel (a Food Network Channel) I am in the season finale. I don't want to give away who the special guest is..... but it's pretty exciting stuff.
Here's the info with air times and everything:
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/the-culinary-adventures-of-baron-ambrosia/the-stomach-rumble-of-baltimore-md/index.html
More info about the Baron:
http://baronambrosia.com/

I will see you when I see you and not a moment before, but try not to keep me waiting.... I miss you!
Mandee
http://www.reverbnation.com/phatmandee
http://www.facebook.com/phatmandee
http://www.twitter.com/phatmandee

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Don't Say "Break a Leg" - Say "Pop a Pastie!"

Or that is what I am told anyways..... Come see for yourself, tonight!
Burlesque-A-Pades, After Dark at Jergel's Rhythm Grille, 103 Slade Lane, Warrendale, PA 15086

Friday Mar 4, 2012 , doors at 8 pm, only $10
Burlesque-A-Pades, After Dark plays the Pittsburgh area with this special performance featuring the World Famous Pontani Sisters and the Brian Newman Quintet with Gal Friday and special guest Phat Man Dee!
Only $10 at the door or GET TICKETS HERE!! http://bit.ly/IAMeKO

I am very excited about this show, I simply adore the Pontani Sisters, I first met them some years ago when I appeared at the festival they founded, the NYC Burlesque Fest, I appeared with a dancer from Pittsburgh who did the cutest strip tease you ever did see, out of a classic NYC coffee cup, while I sang "Black Coffee" for her. They are as beautiful now as ever and they have teamed up with a jazz band and I can't wait to hear/see it. I hope you can be there with us! Warrendale isn't that far away, just past Wexford up 79. You can do it. The North Hills are sexy. And they are about to get even more so as soon as the Pontani's pull into town.
For more info:
http://www.BURLESQUEAPADES.com
Facebook event page:
http://www.facebook.com/events/364940900203470/

Upcoming event! Please save the date!!!!

Atrocity Exhibition Morose & Macabre present “Phantasmagoria.”
Saturday May 19, 2012, Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15203 Tickets are $10 in advance, $13 at the door.
(I have advance tix if you want to buy one off of me I'd so appreciate it.)

Atrocity Exhibition Morose & Macabre present “Phantasmagoria.” The story goes like this: The House of Oddities has come into the possession of a haunted theater, and with the help of a spiritual medium, Madame Lilith DeVille, they will attempt to contact the theaters most prominent spirit, the late Cherri Baum. Through her guidance, they will call upon the specters of the stage and re-enact the theaters dark and dismal history, one death at a time.
Featured performers are:
*Event co-founder and Pittsburgh native Macabre Noir
*BethAnn Phetamine (Charlotte, NC) Drag Guignol
*Reverend Decay of The Hook is Family (Baltimore, MD) Flesh Suspension
*Elizabeth Couteau (Pittsburgh, PA) Theatrical Dom/Burlesque
*Countess Von Tella of Prometheus Burning (Pittsburgh, PA) Dance/Burlesque
*Jaded Jade (Tennesee) Aerial Pole Artist
*Alaska Thvnderfvck (Pittsburgh, PA) Drag Guignol
*AtmoStrataElectro music/spoken word ensemble featuring Christiane D and Paul Cunningham (Pittsburgh, PA),
*Penny De La Poison (Pittsburgh, PA) sideshow/burlesque
*Local sideshow legend, jazz vocalist Phat Man Dee.

Facebook event page:
http://www.facebook.com/events/328036090578189/

To recap from last week's post:
In last week's Pittsburgh Freak of the Year competition I came in second, just after one of my favorite freaks, Ms Macabre Noir and in front of my sweet husband, Tommy Amoeba. So now, I may truthfully say that I am still solidly, number two! I am actually simultaneously holding the titles #2 Best Local Jazz Singer (Pittsburgh City Paper Readers' Polls of 2010 and 2011) and now #2 Pittsburgh Freak of the Year 2012. I think it's a perfect combination.....To promote the competition and also Pyrotopia, which I am thrilled to say was attended by 2100 fire hungry souls, (go Pittsburgh!) Andrew the Impaled and I appeared on Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Crew's show. To see the infernal video of that woefully disturbing morning radio appearance visit:
http://www.dve.com/pages/morningshow.html?article=10077795

Also last week Tony Buba posted a wonderful video featuring Anne Feeney and friends as we sang "This Land is Your Land" for Earth Day in solidarity with Pete Seeger and a nationwide movement of people who love the Earth to all sing at the same time this hallowed Woody Guthrie tune.... And of course the Amoeba and I were late, I mean to my defense, who ever heard of a bunch of hippies doing anything on time? And when was the last time ANY video shoot actually happened when you were told it would?? And what were the chances of them happening on time together? Well, apparently, when Anne Feeney is in charge of the revolution, those chances are very, very good.... So we were late, missed the shoot, but Tony Buba was kind enough to shoot some footage of me and Tommy anyways and cut us in for a cameo appearance. I think the goal is that Pete Seeger's team will take ALL of the video from all over the country and cut together one compilation video of all of us singing together. So we don't have that yet, but to see Pittsburgh singing some love to the Earth, check this link:
http://youtu.be/Pc8wqftVnqs

Have a beautiful spring, I hope to see you somewhere beautiful and bizarre, full of dark jazz toned rainbows.
Mandee
http://www.twitter.com/phatmandee