David Byrne celebrated five years of his Reasons To Be Cheerful online magazine with a special NYC event on Tuesday night (10/7) at Town Hall, “Amazing Humans Doing Amazing Things.” He hosted the variety show and debuted a new song, and also performing were Thao, Fred Armisen (who also joined Byrne on drums), NYC drumline Fogo Azul, comedian and ventrioloquist Nina Conti, Belgian-Egyptian musician strong>Tamino, performance artist Ellie Steingraeber, brass band Brass Queens, and Epidermis Circus, who provided “spicy puppet cabaret.” See pictures from the event by Emilio Herce below.
“Variety shows were a big deal when I was young,” Byrne said of the event. “It’s a format you don’t see as much of these days. So we thought, why not bring it back? We looked for acts that could capture that sense of zany, anything-could-happen artistry. Reasons to be Cheerful inspires people by unearthing unexpected gems, and this show will embody that same spirit of gleeful surprise.”
