Trav S. D. | bare!

Thursday, February 7, 8pm, $10

200 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10023 (212) 601-1000

My Favorite Thing brings together storytellers, comics, musicians, curators and others to tell the stories behind their most treasured possessions. Each show is organized around a central museological theme, such as souvenirs, heirlooms, relics and finds, that puts the stories—which may range from the poignant to the humorous—into context.

The debut show features an eclectic mix of personal stories about objects that are either unique, historic, ephemeral or, to other eyes, essentially junk.

Hosted by Jefferson (Bare! Spill!)

Kambri Crews (Burn Down the Ground)

Nisse Greenberg (Drawn Out Storytelling)

John Heneghan (Eden and John’s East River String Band)

Carla Rhodes (Continuing Story of Carla Rhodes)

Trav S. D. (American Vaudeville Theatre)

Jefferson

Jefferson is the curator and host of My Favorite Thing. A sex educator and writer, Jefferson keeps a pseudonymous blog, One Life, Take Two, that details his life as a parent and pervert. He is a storyteller frequently seen on stages around the city and elsewhere, including The Moth, where he is a StorySlam winner. He is also host of the monthly series Bare! True Stories of Sex, Desire and Romance and Spill! True Stories of Queer Sex, Desire and Romance.

Kambri Crews

Kambri Crews once lived with her deaf parents in a tin shed in Montgomery, Texas. She now runs her own PR and production company in New York City, books comedy for The 92YTriBeCa, and is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Burn Down the Ground (Random House). A renowned storyteller and public speaker, Kambri has performed on The Moth’s Mainstage, The 92Y, SXSW Comedy, Risk!, UCB Theatre, Gotham Comedy Club and given speeches at SXSW, DeafHope, and many other schools, colleges, venues and events.

Nisse Greenberg

Nisse Greenberg is the founder/producer/host of Drawn Out Storytelling and the more attractive half of Rachel and the Elf. His apartment is a mess right now, but it’s getting there.

Eden and John’s East River String Band

Drawing from the vast spectrum of traditional American country blues music, Eden and John’s East River String Band creates some of the most authentic renditions of country blues and popular songs from the 1920s and early 30s. Founded in 2006, the New York City based duo has released four albums and toured the US, Canada and Europe. The group’s two leaders, Eden Brower (vocals, ukulele, guitar and kazoo) and John Heneghan (vocals, guitar, mandolin and kazoo) are often joined by musicians such as underground comic/old-time music legend Robert Crumb (Cheap Suit Serenaders), stride pianist Terry Waldo (Leon Redbone/Woody Allen) and multi-intrumentalist Dom Flemons (The Carolina Chocolate Drops). Their 2011 release, “Be Kind To A Man When He’s Down,” features Robert Crumb on mandolin, Pat Conte on fiddle and banjo and Dom Flemons on guitar. David Fricke of Rolling Stone says, “Eden and John cover country blues from the 78-rpm era with crisp fervor and a natural flair that suggests loving study and a respect for the original records.”

Carla Rhodes

Carla Rhodes is a rock n’ roll ventriloquist and comedienne. Mentored by the legendary Shari Lewis, Carla has performed since her teens and appears regularly in New York City when not touring nationally. Most recently, Carla launched a live comedic rock n’ roll show entitled “The Continuing Story of Carla Rhodes.” Dubbed by New York Magazine as one of the “Ten New Comedians That Funny People Find Funny,” according to Backstage “Carla Rhodes isn’t your typical ventriloquist . . . She’s intent on shaking up the norm . . .” and described in The Villager as “the Savion Glover of vents, almost single-handedly injecting a notoriously uncool and backward-looking performance branch with a badly-needed kick in the ass.”

Trav S. D.

Trav S.D. is best known for his book No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous. His plays and performance pieces have been presented regionally and internationally, and include Willy Nilly, a hit of the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival, and House of Trash, published in Plays and Playwrights 2001. His newest play, The Fickle Mistress, was workshopped by Theatre Askew in 2012. Since 1996, he has also presented hundreds of New York’s top variety acts through his American Vaudeville Theatre. He has contributed to The New York Times, American Theater, The Village Voice, Time Out New York and many other publications. A contributing reviewer to nytheatre.com, he also writes the popular arts and culture blog Travalanche and the “Downtown Theatre” column in The Villager, Downtown Express, and three other papers. His next book, Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, will be out in 2013.