ACT OUT OPENING: MISHAP! at Akvavit Theatre

Akvavit Theatre Completes Their “Nordic Cycle,”
 With U.S. Premiere Of Icelandic Comedy
MISHAP! By Bjarni Jónsson, Opening February 20, 2013.

Having produced plays from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in its short history, the company now presents its first Icelandic piece.

ChiIL Live Shows will be there Saturday to check it out, so check back early and often for our full review shortly.  We dig multicultural pieces and make a point to see theatre from around the world.   

Still, as an American half Swede, who has been back to Sweden twice, I'm particularly interested in Akvavit's mission, "to investigate and encourage discussion about what “Nordic” means and how it is perceived through translated theatre performance." The plays Akvavit produces give Nordic countries a strong voice in North America while contributing to the vibrant intercultural theatre scene already thriving in Chicago.

Akvavit Theatre presents their second production of the 2013 – 2014 season, Icelandic playwright Bjarni Jónsson’s MISHAP!, translated by Hilmar Ramos and playing at The Side Project, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. The show opens February 20 and will run through March 23. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 3PM. There will be a special industry night performance on Monday, March 10 at 8PM.

MISHAP! is directed by Akvavit Producing Artistic Director Chad Eric Bergman, and the cast features Bergen Anderson*, Kirstin Franklin*, Joe Giovannetti, Joshua Harris*, Matthew Isler*, Mark Litwicki*, Sarah Nelson*, and Breahan Eve Pautsch*.

 *Denotes Akvavit Theatre company member.

The design and production team for MISHAP! includes Chad Eric Bergman* (director, set designer), Wm. Bullion* (assistant director), Maggie Fullilove-Nugent (lighting designer), Christina Marcantonio (costume designer), and Catherine Connelly (stage manager). Additional crew will be named at a later date.

About the play

MISHAP! is a psychological thriller, as if produced by The Today Show. Through the blurred lines of morning TV programming, reality TV, and live theater, we see a couple's private life under a microscope. Humor and tragedy collide as we discover what really happened to their relationship. What was the mishap that made their lives worthy of prime time? Where do our private lives end and our public lives begin? Is there still a line?

MISHAP! opened at the Icelandic National Theatre in September 2007, and earned playwright Bjarni Jónsson a nomination for the Icelandic Theatre Prize and the 2008 Nordic Drama Award.

Tickets

$20 general admission

$15 students/industry

Available at www.brownpapertickets.com via www.akvavittheatre.org.  

Due to limited seating at The Side Project, advance purchase is strongly recommended.

WHAT: Akvavit Theatre presents MISHAP! by Bjarni Jónsson, translated by Hilmar Ramos, and directed by Chad Eric Bergman.

WHERE: The Side Project, 1439 W. Jarvis Avenue in Chicago

WHEN: Opening Thursday, February 20, and running through Sunday, March 23.

Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8PM

Sundays at 3PM

Industry Night: Monday, March 10 at 8PM

About the playwright

Bjarni Jónsson was born in 1966 in Akranes, on the west coast of Iceland. After working as a  seaman, a construction worker and a journalist he moved to Munich where he finished a master degree in theatre studies in 1992. He has frequently worked as a dramaturge and a director of radio drama, and has translated numerous plays and novels by authors such as Harold Pinter, Mark Ravenhill, Neil LaBute, David Gieselmann, Marius von Mayenburg, Thomas Bernhard, Roddy Doyle, Henrik Ibsen, George Tabori, Tennessee Williams, Günter Grass and Hertha Mueller. Bjarni Jónsson is co-founder and associate artistic director of the LÓKAL Theatre Festival Reykjavík, an annual event that brings new theatre to the Icelandic audience and connects Icelandic theatremakers with the international scene.

About the company

Akvavit Theatre is a 3-year-old company with a mission to investigate and encourage discussion about what “Nordic” means and how it is perceived through translated theatre performance. The plays Akvavit produces give Nordic countries a strong voice in North America while contributing to the vibrant intercultural theatre scene already thriving in Chicago.

PHOTO RECAP: The Black Angels at Park West, Chicago #OriginalPhotos #LiveShowShots

The Black Angels

with Roky Erickson and Golden Animals

Park West, Chicago IL

2/5/14

Christian Bland – guitar, drone machine/organ

Alex Maas – vocals, bass, organ/drone machine

Stephanie Bailey – drums, percussion
Kyle Hunt – keyboards, percussion, bass, guitar

The Black Angels' live show is where they truly shine, with a trippy, visual light show and kickin' girl drummer!  Despite some audience grumblings about this particular show tending toward their slower material, The Park West show was still a lot of fun.

Click here for more of our past coverage on Austin-based psychedelic rock band, The Black Angels.

Blue Horizon recording group The Black Angels' latest release, Indigo Meadow came out last April.

Indigo Meadow is heralded by the high-powered “Don’t Play With Guns.” Penned just days before last year’s mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, the song is streaming now exclusively via The Black Angels’ newly relented www.theblackangels.com. In addition, the “Don’t Play With Guns” companion video clip can be viewed at the band’s’ visionary YouTube channel, The Black Angels TV, located at: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBlackAngelsTV.

“Our music has always tried to shed light on issues that may be hard to deal with or confront,” says singer/multi-instrumentalist Alex Maas. “If people think they can ignore the issues they are wrong. Don’t play with guns, don’t touch a hot stove, don’t give your child a poisonous snake, don’t turn the cheek when artists are willing to discuss these issues.

“In ‘Don’t Play With Guns’ the antagonist is a female who has the power of persuasion over a man,” he continues. “Substitute the female antagonist with a Nation, substitute the manipulated man with yourself. Heed the warning: Don’t Play With Guns.”

The Black Angels’ most revelatory collection thus far, Indigo Meadow marks the Austin, Texas-based band’s fourth full-length release, following 2010’s acclaimed Phosphene Dream. Once again The Black Angels prove themselves the undisputed avatars of contemporary psychedelic rock, simultaneously exalting the genre’s kaleidoscopic past as they thrust it further into the future. Now a four-piece – ably supported behind the board by producer/mixer John Congleton (David Byrne & St. Vincent, Explosions In The Sky, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) – the band have brought new focus to their wide-ranging songcraft, the righteous riffs and dogmatic drones gaining increased power as they fuel a more expansive emotional terrain. The ominous organ grooves and carpet-bombing beats surely resonate with blood and fire, but songs like “Love Me Forever” and the deep blue title track also see a little light entering the Black Angels’ notorious heart of darkness. A 21st century trip as transcendent as any in the canon, Indigo Meadow masterfully affirms the Black Angels’ full-throttle commitment to the psychedelic ethos of creativity, community and boundless experimentation.

Check out the Black Angels' site here for remaining tour dates, merch and more.

Here are some of our favorite shots from the Park West show:

Park West Cafe Table Still Life...

Sting: The Last Ship will air on Great Performances, Friday, February 21, 2014 at 8 p.m., CT on PBS

Sting: The Last Ship

Sting: The Last Ship will air on Great Performances, Friday, February 21, 2014 at 9 p.m., ET on PBS (check local listings) and features the 16-time Grammy Award-winning musician performing songs from his new album, The Last Ship, and forthcoming play of the same name in an intimate evening of music and storytelling live at The Public Theater in New York City.

The Last Ship will open on Broadway in the fall of 2014, following a pre-Broadway world premiere from Tuesday, June 10 – Sunday, July 13, 2014 at Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre.  Here at ChiIL Live Shows we can NOT wait to see this one!  Got your tickets yet?

Watch Sting Sing “The Last Ship”

He is joined by a 14-piece band, many of whom also hail from the North East region (Kathryn Tickell on violin and Northumbrian pipes, Peter Tickell on violin and mandolin, Julian Sutton on the melodeon, and vocalists The Wilson Family), including actor and singer Jimmy Nail, who will appear in the upcoming stage production. Also featured is Musical Director Rob Mathes on acoustic guitar, piano and keyboards, and background vocals.

The evening was filmed on Sting’s birthday (October 2) at a special fan club performance during a 10-night run of benefit concerts that immediately became one of New York’s hottest tickets. The Public Theater’s Artistic Director Oskar Eustis observed at the time, “The Last Ship is shaping up to be a masterpiece, both an elegy for and a celebration of the working class life of the Newcastle shipyards.”

Sting has crafted a richly diverse musical landscape for a close-knit community of original characters. With a backdrop of evocative visual projections, he shares his experience emerging from a songwriting hiatus to pen his first album of original material in nearly a decade and his very first musical theater score, incorporating a mix of genres and styles ranging from pub-like folk tunes to ballads to a wall of sound from the full band.

“The memories at the heart of The Last Ship have occupied my mind for most of my life,” said Sting. “I was compelled to tell this story.” Sting’s collaborators on the Broadway-bound production include the Tony-winning team of book writers John Logan (Red, I’ll Eat You Last) and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal) along with director Joe Mantello (Wicked).

Musical Program

The Last Ship
Shipyard
Coming Home’s Not Easy
And Yet
August Winds
What Have We Got?
Practical Arrangement
What Say You Meg?
Dead Man’s Boots
Big Steamers
Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint
Jock the Singing Welder
So To Speak
Show Some Respect
Underground River
The Last Ship (Reprise)

Sting: The Last Ship live at The Public Theater is is directed by Paul Bozymowski, produced by Jon Kamen and Justin Wilkes; Kathryn Schenker and Joe Killian are executive producers.

About Sting

Composer, singer, author, actor, activist, Sting was born in Newcastle, England before moving to London in 1977 to form The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. The band released five albums, earned six Grammy awards, and was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Since 1985, Sting has released 11 studio albums as a solo musician and has earned an additional 10 Grammy awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and three Oscar nominations. Of his latest album, Jim Farber of the New York Daily News opined, “The Last Ship has an intelligence, beauty and pitch-black wit that makes it both a worthy solo project and a solid blueprint for something to be fleshed out later on stage.”

Sting has appeared in more than 15 films, executive produced the critically acclaimed A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and in 1989 starred in The Threepenny Opera on Broadway.

An accomplished author, he published a memoir entitled Broken Music in 2003, which spent 13 weeks on The New York Times best-sellers list. In 2007, he released Lyrics, a comprehensive collection of lyrics accompanied by personal commentary and photos.

The Last Ship will open on Broadway in the fall of 2014, following a pre-Broadway world premiere from Tuesday, June 10 – Sunday, July 13, 2014 at Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre. Directed by Joe Mantello and produced by Jeffrey Seller and Kathryn Schenker, The Last Ship is set against the demise of the local Wallsend shipbuilding industry and tells the story of a group of unemployed shipyard workers who are inspired to take back their shipyard and build one last ship – not for their former employer, not for the government, but for their own pride and humanity.

PHOTO RECAP: Monster Magnet at Bottom Lounge Chicago 11-16-13 #OriginalPhotos #metal

MONSTER MAGNET hit the road for their first North American tour in over 10 years in November and ChiIL Live Shows was there!  Were YOU?!  The tour ran through December 14th in New York, NY.  Support came from Royal Thunder and Anti-Mortem.  (Zodiac who were originally part of the tour were denied visas and were not on the bill).   MONSTER MAGNET North American Tour  With Royal Thunder and Anti-Mortem Bottom Lounge, Chi, IL Photo Recap via ChiIL Live Shows.

Decibel Magazine's "Deciblog" is hosting an exclusive premiere of one of the bonus tracks from Last Patrol.  The song "One Dead Moon" is only available on the Limited Edition Digipak, LP and deluxe digital versions of Last Patrol. Check out the exclusive premiere of "One Dead Moon" HERE.

MONSTER MAGNET's video for the song "Mindless Ones" was directed by Tom Scharpling and can be seen HERE.

"Wyndorf's songs are like sci-fi adventures in the brain of an LSD-gobbling hippie" -Decibel Magazine- "Dave Wyndorf and company dial back into what made the band counterculture legends in the first place." -Blabbermouth- MONSTER MAGNET released their critically acclaimed new album Last Patrol this past October via Napalm Records.  Last Patrol is available as a Limited Edition Digipak, which contains two bonus tracks, standard CD, 2LP and digital format.  The album is available to order on Amazon and iTunes.

For More Info Visit:

http://www.zodiaclung.com

https://www.facebook.com/monstermagnet

http://www.napalmrecords.com

ACT OUT OPENING: Buzzer at The Goodman

RACIAL AND SEXUAL TENSIONS SIMMER IN THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF BUZZER BY TRACEY SCOTT WILSON

JESSICA THEBUS DIRECTS A PIERCING, DARK COMEDY ABOUT FRIENDS AND LOVERS LIVING TOGETHER IN A DAUNTING TRANSITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD, FEBRUARY 8 – MARCH 9 IN THE OWEN THEATRE

ChiIL Live Shows will be there for the press opening tonight.  Check back with us shortly for a full review.

L to R) Shane Kenyon (Don), Lee Stark (Suzy) and Eric Lynch (Jackson) in Buzzer by Tracey Scott Wilson, directed by Jessica Thebus at Goodman Theatre (February 8 - March 9, 2014).

Love, race and class take center stage in Buzzer, Tracey Scott Wilson’s intimate, darkly comic 21st-century exploration of the effects of a changing neighborhood on three cohabitating twenty-somethings—“a study of sex and the city in post-racial times” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). The trio is forced to confront the racial and sexual tensions that exist both inside their home and outside their apartment in a changing Brooklyn neighborhood. 

As previously announced, the cast of director Jessica Thebus’ Chicago-premiere production includes Eric Lynch (Broken Fences at 16th Street Theatre, Blacktop Sky at Theatre Seven, part of Steppenwolf’s Garage Rep); Lee Stark (The Iceman Cometh, Disgraced at American Theater Company); and Shane Kenyon (Big Love at Strawdog Theatre Company, Trainspotting USA with Book and Lyrics Theatricals). Buzzer runs February 8 – March 9 in the Owen Theatre; opening night is Tuesday, February 18. Tickets ($10 - $40; subject to increase) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Buzzer, by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 North Dearborn). Bank of America is the Owen Season Sponsor, the Goodman Scenemakers Board is a Sponsor Partner and Heidrick & Struggles is a Contributing Sponsor. A performance calendar follows.

“Tracey has made a name for herself through her incisive, explosive dramas that deal with issues surrounding the contemporary African American experience. Her terrific new play, Buzzer, opens the door for thoughtful discourse about the conversations we have—or don’t have—about race, class and how best to treat each other,” said Artistic Director Robert Falls.

Hailed a "singular new voice" by the New Yorker, Wilson's work has been seen at venues across the country; the Goodman has produced The Story (2005) and The Good Negro (2010), both directed by Chuck Smith, and Buzzer was included in the 2012 New Stages festival, directed by Thebus. A co-commission of Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater and Pillsbury House Theater, Buzzer made its world premiere at the Pillsbury House in 2012; critics unanimously endorsed the play as timely, important and simultaneously hilarious and tragic. It was remounted in a sold-out run at the Guthrie in 2013, directed by Marion McClinton.

“I have lived in neighborhoods that have been gentrified, and I have gentrified neighborhoods; the issue is always there,” said Tracey Scott Wilson. “The characters in Buzzer are of a generation that has been raised on the Disney Channel, in a very multicultural world where Beyoncé and Jay-Z are considered the biggest stars. It’s very different from someone who grew up when there were not many black characters on TV. Especially in the ‘post-racial Obama age’ we’re entering, there are the things we are supposed to say, the things we actually say and the things we really believe.”

The neighborhood and its newest residents’ emotional entanglement take a toll, and the apartment becomes a kind of crucible in which the ever-present urban landscape has devastating results.

Buzzer follows three young people as they move into a newly-rehabilitated building—one with broken buzzers—in a lower-class, urban neighborhood that is grappling with the effects of gentrification and can be dangerous. Jackson (Eric Lynch), a successful African American attorney who grew up in this neighborhood, has returned home, determined to enjoy its renaissance and build a life there. Having attended Exeter, then Harvard and Harvard Law School, Jackson managed to avoid much of the neighborhood’s strife in his younger years. Suzy (Lee Stark), his girlfriend and a teacher at a tough inner-city school, and his troubled boyhood best friend Don (Shane Kenyon)—both white, and who have a history of their own—move in with him. Don hails from a privileged background, but has extensively battled drug addiction; as a result, he is more street-smart than Jackson.

Director Jessica Thebus, who previously directed Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House and Stage Kiss for the Goodman, works with Wilson for the first time. “Tracey challenges our assumptions; we’re surprised and invigorated by her argument, and we’re illuminated by the intimacy of this story. The economy of just these three very real people invites you to ask yourself, who am I judging and why? Who’s doing what? Whose side am I on? And you’re not sure quite where to position yourself as the story unwinds.”

The design team for Buzzer—Walt Spangler (set), John Culbert (lights), Mikhail Fiksel (sound) and Birgit Rattenborg Wise (costumes)—incorporates elements of Wilson’s former Brooklyn neighborhood to create a realistic setting. Added Thebus, “Don, Jackson, and Suzy are always dealing with the outside, which feels a little unstable. From the cars driving by—questioning, ‘was that a car backfire or was that a gunshot?’—to the guys on the corner to the radio, we have extraordinary designers who will make us feel like the presence of that neighborhood is there.”

(L to R) Shane Kenyon (Don) and Eric Lynch (Jackson) in Buzzer by Tracey Scott Wilson, directed by Jessica Thebus at Goodman Theatre (February 8 - March 9, 2014).

EVENTS AROUND BUZZER

POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS
Following each Wednesday performance of Buzzer, stay for a discussion about the play with members of the artistic team. Goodman Theatre | FREE

BUZZER AND BREWS

Mingle with cast members and Goodman artists in the theater’s rehearsal space before and after a performance of Buzzer. Thursday, March 6, 6pm Reception / 7:30pm Performance | Goodman Theatre | $60

Tickets to Buzzer ($10 – $40; subject to change) are on sale at GoodmanTheatre.org/Buzzer. Tickets and subscriptions, including the Goodman WILD CARD and “Great Women at Play” package, can also be purchased at the box office (170 North Dearborn) or by phone at 312.443.3800. 

Mezztix are half-price mezzanine tickets available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX) day of performance; Mezztix are not available by telephone. 10Tix are $10 rear mezzanine tickets for students available any time for the Owen Theatre; 10Tix are not available by telephone; a valid student I.D. must be presented when picking up the tickets; limit four per student with I.D. All tickets are subject to availability and handling fees apply. Discounted Group Tickets for 15 persons or more are available at 312.443.3820. Purchase Goodman Gift Certificates in any amount at GoodmanTheatre.org. The flexibility of Goodman Gift Certificates allows recipients to choose the production, date and time of their performance. Artists, dates and ticket prices are subject to change.

About Goodman Theatre

The Goodman’s 2013/2014 Season features 9 productions on its two stages—six in the 856-seat Albert Theatre and three in the 400-seat flexible Owen Theatre, plus the annual New Stages series that includes two additional workshop productions. Productions still to come include the world premiere of Luna Gale by Rebecca Gilman, directed by Robert Falls (January 18 – February 23, 2014 in the Albert); Buzzer by Tracey Scott Wilson, directed by Jessica Thebus (February 8 – March 9, 2014 in the Owen); the Chicago premiere of Venus in Fur by David Ives, directed by Joanie Schultz (March 8 – April 13, 2014 in the Albert); the Chicago premiere of The White Snake written and directed by Mary Zimmerman (May 3 – June 8, 2014 in the Albert); the world-premiere Goodman commission of Ask Aunt Susan by Seth Bockley, directed by Henry Wishcamper (May 24 – June 22, 2014 in the Owen); and a major revival of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Brigadoon, directed by Rachel Rockwell (June 27 – August 3, 2014 in the Albert).

Goodman Theatre is world renowned for the quality and scope of its artistic programming and its commitment to improving life in the community. Artistic Director Robert Falls’ and Executive Director Roche Schulfer’s leadership has earned unparalleled artistic distinction and experienced unprecedented success, staging more than 80 world premieres, earning numerous awards for its productions—including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre (1992) and the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined (2009)—and producing more than 25 new-work commissions. Founded in 1925 and housed in a state-of- the-art two-theater complex in the downtown Chicago Theatre District, the Goodman is Chicago’s oldest and largest not-for- profit producing theater, named “Best Regional Theatre” by Time magazine and “top dog of the Chicago theater scene” by Frommer’s. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre. Ruth Ann M. Gillis is Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sherry John is President of the Women’s Board and Lauren Blair is President of the Scenemakers Board, the Goodman’s young professionals auxiliary group.

Visit the Goodman virtually: watch artist interviews, view production photos, catch the latest news and more at GoodmanTheatre.org and our blog. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, peek behind the scenes on YouTube.

THE FRAY’S FOURTH ALBUM HELIOS SET FOR FEBRUARY 25 RELEASE ON EPIC RECORDS; PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE NOW “LETTERMAN” PERFORMANCE FEBRAURY 24

Click here to check out The Fray's recent live performance as part of Esquire's Live Sessions, where their rendition of "How to Save a Life" segued into a rock version of Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball":

Helios, the fourth album from critically acclaimed foursome The Fray, will be released February 25 on Epic Records. The album was produced by Stuart Price (The Killers, Madonna, Keane) and Isaac Slade (piano, vocals). The new music has received early critical acclaim—Billboard named it “one of the most highly anticipated releases of the season”, describing the band as “more aggressive and more optimistic than ever before.” 

Pre-order for the album is available now. The band will continue to tour in the new year, dates forthcoming.

The band premiered the lead single “Love Don’t Die,” produced by Ryan Tedder (Adele, One Republic), on the “Today Show.” A flurry of TV performances followed the release as the band performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” rang in the New Year as part the global TV celebration  “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2014,” and recently performed on the outdoor stage at “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Additionally, a performance will air on “The Late Show with David Letterman” February 24.

Most recently, the band performed alongside Pussy Riot as part of Amnesty International’s Bring Human Rights Home show at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY. Guitarist Joe King explained the importance of the evening, “To me, [Pussy Riot] made me realize how apathetic I can get as an American,” King said. “You can get real critical or not do anything about what you think should change and just let things happen. They’re doing the opposite. They’re going public... It’s inspiring to see that. I think that, if anything, it motivates. It should motivate people to do something.”

The Fray is Slade, Joe King (guitar, vocals), Dave Welsh (guitar), and Ben Wysocki (drums). The Denver-based group formed in 2002 after high school friends Slade and King bumped into each other at a local guitar shop. The Fray achieved national success with their 2005 debut, featuring the hit singles “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How to Save a Life,” which went double-platinum. The band also earned a 2010 Grammy nomination for their self-titled release.

NEW RELEASES: The first solo album Toujours from critically lauded artist and performer Sabina is available now! #FreeStreaming

SABINA’S SOLO DEBUT TOUJOURS RECEIVES CRITICAL ACCLAIM; OUT NOW ON

BAR/NON RECORDS

ALBUM STREAMING AT THE NEW YORK TIMES

EAST COAST TOUR DATES CONFIRMED

“Hard to imagine a better poster girl for polyglot New York pop than Sabina.”—The New York Times

“…a hip gyrating cocktail shaker of wiggy bossa nova and squally Farfisa.”—Mojo

“Glamorous”—Rolling Stone

The new music has received early critical acclaim and is streaming in its entirety at The New York Times HERE. 

To celebrate the release, Sabina will embark on select tour dates on the east coast.

The first solo album Toujours from critically lauded artist and performer Sabina is available now on Bar/None Records. The new music has received early critical acclaim from The New York Times hailing, “She’s still the nonchalant, elusive, sophisticated and resolutely hedonistic figure she plays in Brazilian Girls songs… She’s charming when she shows her wry bravado…” while Boston Globe exclaims, “Sabina Sciubba is a goddess” and Consequence of Sound notes, “There’s a kind of global interplay with her vocals.” 

Best known as a co-founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Brazilian Girls, the debut record rediscovers Sabina’s unique voice, anthemic songwriting, and her signature multi-lingual story-telling, albeit this time within a quite different musical setting.

Toujours was recorded, produced and arranged by Sabina as well as Brazilian Girls producer Frederik Rubens. Of the recording process, Sabina notes, “I started this project on the acoustic guitar, as an escape, in a way, from the party music I’ve been doing for some time. But after a while I felt like I had gone off too far, I was out in the woods, so I came back to the city—And the city was Paris. Frederik and I started working on a few of the songs with an electric guitar. It took a more rock, more lavish direction, still intimate, but not sleepy. It felt right.” 

The new music is inspired by the rock and pop classics of the ‘60s and ‘70s but within more contemporary recording techniques. On the song “The Sun,” Sabina duets with ADANOWSKY (alias Adan Jodorowsky)—singer and filmmaker in his own right and son of Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky.

Born in Rome to a German mother and an Italian father, Sabina lived in Italy, Germany, then France before coming to the U.S. She was in New York City for a decade before returning to Paris, where she now resides. Her own story is really what set the background for her sound.

Toujours Tracklist

1. Cinema

2. Viva L’Amour

3. Long Distance Love

4. Mystery River

5. The Sun (feat. Adanoswky)

6. Non Mi Aspettare

7. Toujours

8. Tabarly

9. Sailor’s Daughter

10. Fields of Snow

11. Won’t Let You Break Me

12. Going Home

Sabina Tour Dates

March 18                                                 Washington, DC                                 U Street Music Hall

March 20                                                   New York, NY                                     Highline Ballroom

March 22                                                  Philadelphia, PA                               Prince Music Theater

March 23                                                     Boston, MA                                    Brighton Music Hall