Nellie McKay with Joe Barbella

Nellie McKay has produced an array of wildly varying albums, from Get Away From Me (“a tour de force” -The New York Times), Normal as Blueberry Pie: a Tribute to Doris Day (“among the killer overhauls of American standards” – The New York Times), to My Weekly Reader, music of the 60’s (“..kicks serious butt. The results are beautiful.” – PopMatters)..

On Obligatory Villagers (“a brisk nine-song set that plays like the breathless first act of a musical decrying American fascism” – SPIN), local Poconos hometown jazz greats Bob Dorough, Phil Woods, and David Liebman contribute their exceptional talents.

Sister Orchid speaks of the night, the outsider, the plaintive wail of those lost at sea. (“the most lonely romantic album imaginable..” – Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Nellie earned an Ovation nomination for her work as composer/performer in Ethan Coen’s A Play is a Poem at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles. She has won a Theatre World Award for her portrayal of Polly Peachum on Broadway in The Threepenny Opera, performed onscreen in the films PS I Love You and Downtown Express, and her music was used in Rumor Has It, Monster-in-Law, PS I Love You, Gasland, Last Holiday, and Private Life.

McKay co-created and starred in the award-winning off-Broadway hit Old Hats and has written three acclaimed musical biographies – I Want to Live!, the story of Barbara Graham, third woman executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin, Silent Spring: It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature, an exploration of environmental pioneer Rachel Carson, and A GIRL NAMED BILL – The Life and Times of Billy Tipton- named one of the Best Concerts of 2014 by The New York Times. Her latest lady bio is The Big Molinsky – Considering Joan Rivers (“unpredictable, thrilling…sardonic wit..” – The New York Times)

McKay’s music has been heard on Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Weeds, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Nurse Jackie, and SMILF, and she has appeared on TV shows including The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan, Ferguson, and The View. Nellie has made numerous radio appearances on NPR’s Mountain Stage, A Prairie Home Companion, eTown, and Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz. In 2017 her pastel ‘now I can dream of you in peace - i don’t eat you anymore’ was included in the Behind Closed Doors art exhibition at The Strand Gallery in Soho, London.

Nellie has enjoyed touring with The Turtle Island Quartet, while The Chase Brock Experience produced a ballet around her third album, Obligatory Villagers, and she contributed the forward to the 20th anniversary edition of The Sexual Politics of Meat. Her writing has also appeared in The Onion, Interview, and The New York Times Book Review.

A recipient of PETA’s Humanitarian Award and the Humane Society’s Doris Day Music Award in recognition of her dedication to animal rights, Nellie is an annoyingly vocal critic of capitalism, endless wars, and the two-party system that sustains them.

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Joe Barbella is a singer/songwriter currently living in Lewes, DE. He graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a BFA in Illustration. In addition to his career in Jewelry design and Painting he has spent many years as a folk singer. He has produced four self-published albums and is currently working on his fifth. He has performed in many venues including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, World Cafe Live, Penns Landing and Pridefests. His music also appears in the WHYY music library. He received “Chart-Topping Phila. Artists” and “Trending Alternative Music” playlists on Reverbnation.com. His music can be heard on Spotify, Apple music, Amazon and other streaming services as well as on soundcloud.com and reverbnation.com. For more information visit his website at joebarbella.com