What was the most memorable moment of this concert? Was it Rachel recounting how she once had to scream “Go to Hell!” at a lamprey eel on a television show? Was it the free jazz rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings”? Or when Carol and Mark told us after “Fifty Years Long” that they lovedRead More »

There are always surprises at these concerts, but sometimes the person who is the most surprised is me. In this case, I was caught delightedly off-guard by the juxtaposition of three masterful performers: a resplendently gifted jazz singer/saxophonist – a fearlessly theatrical and relentlessly inquisitive chanteuse – and an endlessly versatile R&B singer and BroadwayRead More »

Is there anyone in the entire entertainment industry who contains as much pure joy and such innate glorious musicality as Gavin Creel? Let me answer that for you: no. No, there is not. And he brought that contagious joy and stupendous mastery to the stage at SubCulture (on his night off from his Tony Award-winningRead More »

The last couple shows were a little emotional, maybe, so this time I made everyone wear Electric Mayhem t-shirts (except Amber, who went with a NWA/Cookie Monster mashup deal my kids found at Target), and Nick played a new tune, and Amber did a reggae version of “Invisible” that we made up during rehearsal, andRead More »

Friday Night Is Music Night has been broadcast on BBC Radio 2 continuously since 1953, devised to feature the extraordinary musicians of the BBC Concert Orchestra. It is now the longest-running orchestral radio programme in the world. I can’t imagine the founders ever planned for a quirky middle-aged American songwriter to hijack the entire thingRead More »