I was invited last month to take in the curiosity that is Evelyn Evelyn at the Lucille Lortel Theater in Manhattan, so of course, I leapt at the chance to catch the Neville Twins on a rare public outing which didn’t involve stowing away someplace dangerous.
After a performance involving several man-made instruments and a fine introduction by local virtuoso, Sxip Shirey, the terrified girls literally had to be prodded onto the stage by a crew member. After what felt like hours as the girls dusted everything off with their hanky, settled their purse, arranged themselves in front of the keyboard and exchange pensive looks with one another and the audience, they were finally able to tell their tragic story via song.
If you’re unfamiliar with the terrible things which have befallen the twins, consider yourself no more informed right now than you were five minutes ago. It would be impossible for me to list all of the events which led to their circus career and ultimately, their solo one.
In retelling their autobiography, the girls at times became so emotional that they had to be soothed with chocolate. Sxip Shirey, sadly, was gunned down due to a poorly timed instruction, but was able to be revived for the grand finale. We were also rewarded with the news that our presence had made the girls far less nervous than the opening night crowd in Boston did. I am forced to conclude that anyone who can master three instruments single-handedly while convincing me to shout “Elephants!” at random moments is an artist worth preserving (no, not literally! Hands off, Madame Tussaud, they’ve been through enough!)
As the girls were ushered away again (presumably to consume mass amounts of valium) we were treated to a delightful performance by Jason Webley and the surprise of the night, a solo gig by the one and only Amanda Fucking Palmer.
I want to talk a bit about her: Amanda was a bit of a marvel to me already (how could she not be, what with having worn a see-through dress to the Golden Globes while standing beside renowned author husband Neil Gaiman of “Sandman” fame, who was in full tuxedo regalia) however, I was completely unfamiliar with her work outside of The Dresden Dolls.
She did treat us to a Dolls tune or two, but it was her work off Who Killed Amanda Palmer which intrigued me. However, this line from the as yet unreleased track, “Do You Swear” is what truly sold me: “So if I wanna sit here and write and drink wine, you can bet your…ass that I’m going to.” I can’t count the number of days that I did just that alone in some unnamed bar.
Amanda and Jason were nice enough to pose for pictures with everyone and sign their ticket stubs immediately after performing, and it takes a special kind of class to do that.
I don’t know what’s going to be for the Neville Sisters now that this tour has wrapped up, but for God’s sakes, please keep the Snickers nearby and the shotguns out of reach!
