Fefe Dobson, Mighty Kate, Todd Alsup & Cassandra Kubinski perform to benefit LIFEbeat
Friday, June 25 at The Gramercy Theater
Buy tickets HERE.
On Friday, June 25th, 2010 three of Hearts & Voices most dedicated and talented performers will take the stage for a special evening to benefit LIFEbeat – The Music Industry Fights AIDS. Fefe Dobson, Mighty Kate, Todd Alsup and Cassandra Kubinski will perform at “A Night of Hearts & Voices” at The Gramercy Theatre (127 E 23rd Street at Lexington Avenue) in NYC. Tickets are $15 available at 212-352-3101 or www.SpinCycleNYC.com. Proceeds to benefit LIFEbeat.
For nearly 15 years LIFEbeat’s Hearts & Voices program has brought the gift of live music and entertainment to hospitals, residential facilities, and day treatment centers all over NYC and beyond, lifting the spirits of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The program relies on an ever-growing community of performers and volunteers to provide 250+ shows a year.
For her second Island Def Jam album, the aptly named Joy, the 24-year-old industry veteran Felicia “Fefe” Dobson is finally embracing her roots, with a no-holds-barred collection of full-throttle rock & roll that spotlights her skills as a singer, songwriter and performer. Dobson bust onto the music scene as a precocious 18-year-old, releasing her debut album in 2003, which spawned four singles, including “Bye Bye Boyfriend,” “Take Me Away,” “Everything” and “Don’t Go (Girls and Boys).” She appeared as Tina Turner in the NBC series, American Dreams, opened for Justin Timberlake’s European tour, and was featured in a Tommy Hilfiger commercial that included “Don’t Go (Girls and Boys).” The album also earned her two Juno Award nominations for Pop Album of the Year and New Artist of the Year. By 2006, Dobson returned to the studio to work on her never-released album, Sunday Love, which featured collaborations with such artists as Billy Steinberg, Matthew Wilder, Cyndi Lauper, Courtney Love, Joan Jett, Nina Gordon and Rancid’s Tim Armstrong. In the interim, several of her songs were covered, including “Start All Over,” a song which was recorded for Sunday Love, but never made the album, by Miley Cyrus, “Don’t Let It Go to Your Head,” the first single, by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, and “As a Blonde,” which was covered by Selena Gomez. Four years later, Fefe is back, with an album that is a clear indication that she will be doing things her way, or not at all. Working with producers David Lichens, Jon Levine, Howard Benson and Bob Ezrin on Joy, Dobson lives up to the portraits of her heroes she first hung during the recording of her first album—Kurt Cobain, Judy Garland, Coldplay, the Vines and Jeff Buckley. She co-wrote most of the songs on the album, usually composing on guitar, her choice of instrument.
Mighty Kate is known for dazzling audiences with her engaging and endearing performances where she switches back and forth between piano, guitar and violin. Her accessibility and appeal rest in her great ability to mix classic and contemporary styles. With a voice that can both comfort and command, she captivates her audience with extraordinarily well-crafted songs.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Katy Pfaffl, Mighty Kate grew up as a classical musician. She began studying Suzuki violin at age 6, piano at age 12 and by the age of 13 she was competing as a serious classical pianist throughout the Midwest. In high school, her creative interests grew, leading her to become a Downbeat Award winning jazz vocalist as well as the top young composer for contemporary orchestral music in Wisconsin. Shortly after attending college at the University of Cincinnati’s Conservatory of Music, Katy moved to New York, taught herself guitar and began performing in the NY music scene as a multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter.
Smart. Fresh. Colorful. Classic. These are just a few words that have been used to describe downtown-NYC pop/soul sensation Todd Alsup. With a potent, powerful voice, virtuosic keyboard skills and a songbook chock full of potential hits, Alsup is poised to make himself a household name. He is a singer/songwriter who weaves good old-fashioned pop songs and delivers them from the gut, rejecting gimmicks in favor of craft and authenticity. His new self-titled studio album is a bright, shiny collection of lovingly-crafted hook-driven songs that seamlessly blend pop, soul, Motown and rock.
"Cassandra Kubinski is a rarity. She's a talented singer/songwriter working in a tradition very similar to the legendary solo artists of the early to mid 1970's. Rather than surrounding her music with uber-production techniques and sonic gimmickry, she prefers to present her material unadorned and openly, allowing the listener to enjoy the 'bones' of the pieces with immediacy - as they were written. When a lesser musician tries to do this, they often only verify that genre as an anachronism. But when Cassandra showcases her songs as in these live performances [LIVE at Camp Nashville], she proves that the art form is not only alive and well, but that it is still capable of being transcendent." -Billy Joel
LIFEbeat- The Music Industry Fights AIDS, is a national non-profit organization dedicated to reaching America’s youth with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention. LIFEbeat mobilizes the talents and resources of the music industry to raise awareness and to provide support to the AIDS community.For more information visit: www.lifebeat.org and www.heartsandvoices.org