To simply refer to Nellie McKay as a singer would be to do you a disservice. She is wildly creative, has a distinct flair for the dramatic along with the whimsical and she transcends musical boundaries. McKay has a concert at Catalina Bar & Grill on Thursday. She will also be at Feinstein’s at the Hotel Nikko on June 1st.
She’s touring in support of her new CD, Sister Orchid. It’s an album filled with songs about the people who live and thrive at night. Amongst the classic songs she’s recorded are Angel Eyes, Where or When, Willow Weep for Me (in an arrangement that will surprise those familiar with the song) and Georgia on My Mind.
Part of what makes McKay so compelling is the drama she infuses into every performance. She was highly acclaimed for her performance as Polly Peachum in the most recent Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera. She has also written three musical biographies (Barbara Graham, environmentalist Rachel Carson and Billy Tipton) that have all garnered rave reviews.
In a 2015 review of her concert at 54 Below, Stephen Holden said in the New York Times, “At her sweetest, Ms. McKay can break your heart. The evening’s most touching moment was her rendition of the Gerry and the Pacemakers hit, “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.” Behind the rage of this vehemently anticorporate singer-songwriter who has the courage to speak her mind you could feel the hurt of a vulnerable child you want to shelter from the storm.”
Photo By: Shervin Lainez