Viva Patshiva Releases Debut CD “Reasons To Live”
Gypsy Stand Up Rock Opera Narrated by Joey Gay
(“Last Comic Standing”) At Bowery Poetry Club
May 24 at 10 PM
New York City, May 1, 2007 - What if a New York comedian/musician married a Hungarian Gypsy dancer and what if he invited his friends and she invited her friends and what if they made a funny, heartfelt, danceable Gypsy rock opera? Then you would be talking about Viva Patshiva and their musico-comic dance extravaganza “Reasons To Live.”
Developed over five years in clubs and theaters in downtown Manhattan, “Reasons To Live” combines the melodies of Transylvanian Gypsies with the energy of a New York rock band, fronted by five extraordinary vocalists. The band Viva Patshiva (“Long live the party”) features singer Chemda from Conjure One (Nettwerk Records), Rhys Fulber’s Progressive World project, and Ray West, lead singer of the beloved New York metal band “Spread Eagle” (MCA/Universal). Joined by vocal chameleon Lloyd Floyd (“Grand Theft Auto”), Coney Island sideshow barker Raven Solano, and spooky Mikey McCue (“Haunted Pussy”), they sing the five leading characters of “Reasons To Live” in a story of unrequited love, betrayal and drinking.
The back line is a tight Gypsy band of New York and Hungarian players, featuring violinist Jesse Kotansky, that deftly mixes Gypsy tunes with rock, ska, Latin, Zydeco and Gospel. Among the band, Aron Szekely and Andrea Kalan are two of the leading Hungarian Gypsy choreographers and dancers in New York today, assuring an important part of any Gypsy band – spectacular dancing can break out at any time.
The Story
Narrated by comedian Joey Gay (“Last Comic Standing”), the story follows Zazu, an exotic Gypsy dancer who lives at the speed of emotion. Living with a Gypsy band under the BQE in Brooklyn, she is lonely and unable to love, yet she can’t agree on the best method of suicide. Her brother, Shadow, and his wife, Paprika, distract her with a scheme to marry a sleazy motivational speaker who is obsessed with her dancing. Another man, The Albanian, the streetwise owner of the corner deli, wants her too. Each tries to sweep her off her feet, culminating in a face off. Zazu follows her head over her heart, until at the drunken wedding party, she realizes too late her mistake. In the end, no one gets what they want and yet, somewhere along the way, Zazu discovers Reasons To Live.
CD Release – May 24, 2007
Viva Patshiva’s debut CD features 15 songs from the rock opera, recorded at GaluminumFoil Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The CD is being released on May 24 by Sacred Clowns Records, a new indie label that focuses on the work of musical and comic performance artists. The release will be celebrated with a live concert-version of the show at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Third Avenue), Thursday, May 24, starting at 10 PM. General admission: $10.
Press Contact:
Wynn Dwyer
917 439 9554
vivapatshiva@gmail.com
