Baby Dee (the "Angel in Manhattan")

Post messages about other artists here.

Moderator: Moderator

User avatar
KarenZ
Site Admin
Posts: 4446
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:12 pm
Location: Pennsylvania
Contact:

Baby Dee (the "Angel in Manhattan")

Postby KarenZ » Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:20 pm

Folks,

Well, God willing and if the creeks don't rise (and snow doesn't accumulate too deep), I'll be going to see Baby Dee tomorrow night at the Frick Fine Arts auditorium on the Pitt campus. You know her "beautiful weirdness" as the inspiration for EP's "Angel in Manhattan".

This should be really interesting.... :)

Drag City multi-instrumentalist Baby Dee performs at Pitt by Andy Mulkerin

KarenZ
"Some people are born to make great art and others are born to appreciate it. It is a kind of talent in itself, to be an audience, whether you are the spectator in the gallery or you are listening to the voice of the world's greatest soprano. Not everyone can be the artist. There have to be those who witness the art, who love and appreciate what they have been privileged to see." -- Ann Patchett in Bel Canto.

paddyinthepub
Posts: 3768
Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:44 pm
Location: Philadelphia

Postby paddyinthepub » Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:21 pm

Karen,

Let us know about this one if the creeks didn't rise... :wink:

I'm especially anxious to hear if you were able to speak to Baby Dee before or after the show..... :D Wondering if Baby Dee is aware of his connection to Ellis Paul's "Angel In Manhattan" :?:
"once we're inside, it's a carnival ride" ~ ellis paul
paddy

User avatar
KarenZ
Site Admin
Posts: 4446
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:12 pm
Location: Pennsylvania
Contact:

Postby KarenZ » Sun Mar 02, 2008 1:17 pm

I was there. Will post my report and a few pictures later today - probably not until this evening. :-)

KarenZ
"Some people are born to make great art and others are born to appreciate it. It is a kind of talent in itself, to be an audience, whether you are the spectator in the gallery or you are listening to the voice of the world's greatest soprano. Not everyone can be the artist. There have to be those who witness the art, who love and appreciate what they have been privileged to see." -- Ann Patchett in Bel Canto.

User avatar
KarenZ
Site Admin
Posts: 4446
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:12 pm
Location: Pennsylvania
Contact:

Postby KarenZ » Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:29 pm

Image

Hi everyone,

I read something this morning that said “there are more great and rich mysteries to discover and explore all the time. We have to open our eyes to see more of the “colors” of life and other people.” My immediate thought was that Baby Dee had helped me see some of those colors last night.

The concert was held in the auditorium of the Frick Fine Arts building on the Pitt campus. It was a beautiful room, easily 200 seats. I was there at 7:30pm for the 8pm show, only to discover that things were “running late” and the soundcheck was just getting underway. That’s when I managed to get some photos. The sparse audience seemed to be made up of mostly college students.

Local Pittsburgh personality Phat Man Dee did the introductions and also graced us with a song before the show began and again after the opening act concluded. Phat told the story about how she first heard/saw Baby Dee when Baby Dee – replete with wings - was touring with some traveling “circus” that was playing at the now-defunct Beehive Coffeehouse on the Pitt campus back in 1995. That must have been during same era that she was Ellis’ “Angel in Manhattan.” (Coincidentally, the Beehive was the very first place Ellis played outside of the Boston area when he hit the road. I wish I knew what year that was for sure, but it probably would have been late 80’s, early 90’s.) Anyway, Phat said that she thought Baby Dee was the most amazing performer she had ever seen (and continues to be one of her favorites) and that she was so enamored by Dee that she quit school to tour with the circus as well. She stayed with the circus only a few months and, surprisingly, hadn’t seen Baby Dee since…..so she was really excited.

By the time Baby Dee and band got all their instruments squared away, and then the opening act Patricia Wake things didn’t get underway until 8:40pm. Patricia played acoustic guitar and was accompanied by Megan Irvine on violin. They had the most unusual costumes I’ve ever experienced at a show. Patricia was beautiful with her long red hair in a black with red floor-length Elizabethan dress. Megan was wearing a short black skirt with a big red bustle, purple & black tights, black platform boots, and black top hat. I especially liked “Living in the Dark” which you can listen to on Patricia’s MySpace.

Baby Dee and her band filled the hall with some unusually beautiful sounds. There was a cello, drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, and Dee played piano and harp. (A *big* harp!) The band was made up of 4 youngish looking guys. The cello player was really cute.  She started by doing several songs on piano. Dee has a very BIG theatrical voice…and I kept trying to think what the sounds and songs reminded me of. It came to me at one point…Bohemian Rhapsody! :) If you listen to “safe inside this day” on her MYSpace, I think you’ll see what I mean. Later she did several songs on harp. She didn’t talk much – asked if there were any albinos in the audience before doing a pretty raunchy song about an albino. It was way late and I was suffering from a headache so I didn’t stick around to try to talk to her. She’s heading overseas for a tour.

It was quite an experience! :) Paddy, to answer your question, when Ellis tells the “angel in manhattan” story, he often gives an update that Baby Dee heard about his song and contacted him asking for career advice. :)

Heres a few pictures:

Baby Dee in Pittsburgh - March 1, 2008

KarenZ
"Some people are born to make great art and others are born to appreciate it. It is a kind of talent in itself, to be an audience, whether you are the spectator in the gallery or you are listening to the voice of the world's greatest soprano. Not everyone can be the artist. There have to be those who witness the art, who love and appreciate what they have been privileged to see." -- Ann Patchett in Bel Canto.

paddyinthepub
Posts: 3768
Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:44 pm
Location: Philadelphia

Postby paddyinthepub » Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:14 pm

Karen, hope your headache has subsided by now. Just wanted to say thanks for the report from "the Angel in Manhattan's" Baby Dee show last night. What was I thinking.....Ellis did tell the story of Baby Dee contacting him about career advice...when he performed at Puck Live recently. :oops:

When your post on Baby Dee's show popped up just now I had already been surfing around the net and visiting various websites. One was Liz Longley's myspace. I had turned the volume down to be considerate. I was onto other things and had completely forgot about Liz Longley's myspace which was hiding under a few other screens.

After reading your recap of Baby Dee, I decided to hear the sound for myself. I went looking for and found the song you recommended we check out. I got to Baby Dee's myspace and clicked on the song.....then put the volume back up.


Imagine my surprise....the sweet vocals I heard had me thinking that Baby Dee was sounding way more like a girl than I would have ever thought possible. I was thinking, hey, Baby Dee sounds great!!!

:shock:

Duh....I still had Liz Longley's myspace up........ :oops:

So I closed Liz' myspace page to listen to Baby Dee sing.

Okay...I thought...that's more in line with my expectations. :D

As Glen Hansard advised from the podium at The Academy Awards:

"make art, make art"

8)
"once we're inside, it's a carnival ride" ~ ellis paul
paddy


Return to “Looking for My Friends”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 60 guests