6/5 @ Highline Ballroom.

Wanna attend with a guest?

If so, then e-mail us ASAP!

A winner will be randomly chosen on 5/30 @ NOON.

Amanda recently shared postcards from the road with Out.

Visit Amanda Palmer on MySpace.

MP3: Amanda Palmer – On The Radio

5/9 @ Joe’s Pub.

(The opening night of Futurity!)

Wanna attend with a guest?

If so, then e-mail us ASAP!

A winner will be randomly chosen on 5/5 @ NOON.

The performance is presented by Deli Mag & After The Jump.

View all upcoming Futurity dates here.

In January, I reviewed the first run of the show.

A few months back, we played 8 Questions With: The Lisps.

Visit The Lisps on MySpace.

MP3: The Lisps – Documents

We strongly urge you to experience Futurity at:

May 9th – Joe’s Pub
May 16th – Joe’s Pub
May 22nd – Joe’s Pub
May 24th – Joe’s Pub

Visit The Lisps on MySpace.

Read my mini review of Futurity here.

Last month, I interviewed the quirky quartet.

MP3: The Lisps – Documents

Earlier this month, The Lisps unveiled Futurity: their fabulous Civil War era, sci-fi influenced musical. As with everything that The Lisps put their hands, eyes, voice & heart into, it was instantly addicting. In fact, for the last few weeks, I’ve had multiple selections from the show firmly glued to my mind’s playlist. It’s for this reason that I was particularly excited to hear a few of these gems intertwined within Thursday evening’s set (which also included tracks from Country Doctor Museum & myriad unreleased new tunes). Rumor has it that Futurity will return to an unnamed New York stage by summertime. I’m keeping my fingers double crossed for that assertion to become a reality! Read my recent interview with The Lisps here. Visit The Lisps at their official MySpace page. Photos & an MP3 of ‘Documents’ below.

MP3: The Lisps – Documents

Without giving too much away, last night’s NYC debut of The Lisps’ new musical was simultaneously melodramatic, witty, inventive & downright intoxicating. Having interviewed the band just last week, I was still not fully prepared for the sheer genius that is FUTURITY. For more info (and to purchase tickets for tonight’s final performance!), head here. Setlist below.

(Setlist) Arkansas. How Much. No More War. Steam Brain. Made Out Of Wood 1. Sinner’s Land. Blacklick Creek. Thinking. Oh The Spoils. Ada. Socrates. Make It Up. Made Out Of Wood 2. Socrates (Reprise). Gravestones. Blacklick Creek (Reprise).

MP3: The Lisps – Brackish Water

1/9 (FRIDAY) @ The Zipper Factory.

Wanna catch the debut of FUTURITY with a +1?

If so, then e-mail us ASAP!

A winner will be randomly chosen on 1/8 @ NOON.

On Saturday, I interviewed The Lisps & discussed the musical at great lengths.

Visit The Lisps on MySpace.

MP3: The Lisps – Documents

The Lisps have written a quirky, Civil War based, sci-fi influenced musical entitled FUTURITY. The show will receive 2 NYC premieres next Friday & Saturday (the 9th & 10th, respectively). Itching to know more about the project? So were we. We asked Jeremy [Qs 1 - 2], Cesar [Qs 3 - 4], Sammy [Qs 5 - 6] and Eric [Qs 7 - 8] for teasers. Here’s how the quartet responded:

1. FUTURITY. Ten words. What would they be?

I would say that, given the (at this point strictly human) capacity for metaphorical extension and extrapolation, FUTURITY basically contains (directly or indirectly) everything. So the first ten words of any dictionary would be very relevant. If that dictionary happened to come from the mid or late 1800s that would be especially fitting.

2. If the musical becomes a major success and finds itself on Broadway by Christmas 2009, which three guest stars would be included within your dream accompaniment?

Malcolm Gladwell should guest star as the inventor or perhaps an assistant to the inventor, a part that would need to be written for him. Ken Burns should appear as a narrator to lend the show a stronger sense of pop historical legitimacy. Probably Philip Glass should be there to noodle around on a keyboard at some point.

3. What is the unofficial definition of FUTURITY?

I named the musical FUTURITY because it is an old fashioned word for future. This piece is about looking back at someone who was looking forward. I love the old fashioned & geeky glamor implied by the whole concept of: “The Future”. Utopias are so retro.

4. What is your favorite musical of all time & why?

In general, I really dislike musicals, It makes me feel uncomfortable when people just burst into song randomly. But I thought it would be fun to try and write a musical that was for people like me. The piece that was a big inspiration for FUTURITY was Three Penny Opera. I am in love with the way song functions in that play. The songs seem to tell the qualities of the characters’ experiences in a way that is really unique and non-literal. The music in FUTURITY doesn’t aim to tell the story as much as create the world. I also like Grease, I have to admit.

5. How many of FUTURITY’s ditties will be included on the follow-up to Country Doctor Museum?

Well, there are 14 songs in FUTURITY, only one of which is really is a song that we play live regularly. So, we definitely have a few options as far as a follow up record. One is that we just make The Lisps: FUTURITY album and record all the songs from the musical as a kind of concept album. We also have a lot of new songs that aren’t from FUTURITY that we could potentially make an album out of. Then there’s the option of making an album of our new songs, plus some FUTURITY songs that we feel would work taken out of the context of the musical.

6. What can you share about FUTURITY’s costumes? Was there any particular theme in mind?

Even though I’m the girl of the group and usually the most elaborately dressed, I have very little to do with the costumes for this piece. I have enough to do! We have a wonderful costume designer named Jennifer Paar who is working all of that out. I’ll know for sure about the costumes in a few days when I get fitted, but for the time being all I can say is that there are soldiers and scientists, I’m a mathematician, and the show takes place in 1864 and the imagined future of the protagonist living in 1864, so I think it will be a combination of Civil War attire, and some kind of Steampunk-like attire.

7. What has been the biggest hurdle in organizing, writing & producing FUTURITY?

Since I didn’t do any of the organizing, writing, or producing for FUTURITY, I’ll have to speak to what I have done: I had to go sifting through salvage yards in Yonkers to search for resonant scrap metal and rusted car parts. And it was completely unsuccessful. But I had a lot of sour conversations with some pretty off folks. I stayed at home on NYE and contracted alcohol poisoning while trying to build the damn thing. It’s finally done!

8. Can you kindly offer some slutty new year advice?

Get it on! What do you think of the band name Lettuce Edifice? I think that’s gonna be my side project with Jeremy. That or Ointment Appointment.

Learn more about FUTURITY & purchase tix for the musical here.

MP3: The Lisps – Brackish Water

Can’t wait! Here’s info on Futurity: *A theatrically staged song cycle, FUTURITY tells the story of a Union soldier in the Civil War who is an aspiring science fiction writer. The work fuses traditional Americana, found text, experimental music, and The Lisps’ own brand of quirky co-ed pop.*

Visit The Lisps on MySpace.

Purchase tix to the gigs (1/9 & 1/10 @ NYC’s Zipper Factory) here.

The Lisps’ debut LP was one of my fave albums of 2008.

MP3: The Lisps – I’m Sorry

All dates on the journey are as follows:

11/6 The Fire – Philly PA
11/7 Metro Gallery – Baltimore MD
11/8 Dahlak – Washington DC
11/12 Nightlight – Chapel Hill NC
11/13 Tasty World – Athens GA
11/14 Vinyl – Atlanta GA
11/15 Tin Roof – Charleston SC
11/16 Outback Lodge – Charlottesville VA

Visit The Lisps on MySpace.

MP3: The Lisps – Brackish Water