Show Description
It's the holiday season again; seems like it happens every year about this time. Big whoop and a bah humbug to you and yours. But , no, wait - this year, the town of Balthrop, Alabama is returning to Joe's Pub to shake a little dust off the plastic Christmas tree and put a pucker back below the mistletoe. Nearly everyone in the village has written a brand new song and we've asked a few of our neighbors to try their hand at creating a holiday humdinger too - luckily Balthrop, Alabama is a right talented small town, located in a corner of Christmas Carroll Gardens. The night promises to be an evening of seasonal surprises with special guests and new classics, all of it accompanied live on the big screen by town drawer, Toxey Goodwater (nee Michael Arthur). It's a holiday Chalk Talk for the 21st Century, great tunes and a live drawing display that, when combined, will dazzle and amaze!
THE THIRD ANNUAL VERY BALTHROP CHRISTMAS is featuring special guests Dawn Landes, The Bandana Splits, Steve Salett (Poison Tree), Seth Berkowitz, Chris Rozzi, Ben Arthur & more
"Michael Arthur is one of the most talented young artists I've ever met. . . .He makes wonderful drawings."
-Al Hirschfeld
Michael Arthur is the archival artist of Joe's Pub, drawing the performers during their sets and sound-checks. Michael uses no pencils and no rough drafts in his work; each drawing is a live reaction to the moment.
For the last couple of years, Michael has been resurrecting and reconceiving the Vaudeville Talk and Chalk, his drawing pad, hand and pen projected live behind musicians and dancers, creating a visual accompaniment and backdrop to the music. He has performed with the Indianapolis Symphony in Indiana and Buglisi Dance Theater at the Joyce Theater.
In 2006, Alabama-born songwriter-siblings Pascal and Lauren Balthrop moved to New York City to start a band and ended up founding a town. Balthrop, Alabama, population 11 or so, is their bustling folk rock township.
Musically, the band straddles the fine line between antebellum and antifolk, reconstructing indie pop with songs of love, dead people, and dead people in love. One fan described the town’s genre as “barnyard epic indie rock.” In 2007, they released their double-album debut, Your Big Plans and Our Little Town, on the nascent End Up label, followed by a series of EPs: the rebellious God Loves My Country and the companion records Subway Songs and Cowboy Songs. The town is doing its third national tour this summer. A full list of tour dates can be found on the band’s website.
