ChiIL Mama got to see current theatre triple threat playwright, Brett Neveu, play Beat Kitchen with his L.A. band, The Noses, at the end of January. The show was so much fun! We have an exclusive interview with band members, three out of four of whom are parents to small children that will post this week.
"We're all punk parents." These were surprising words from award winning playwright, Brett Neveu, who wrote The House Theatre's premier of Odradek, now playing at The Chopin Theatre. I review a lot of local theatre, and sometimes when I say that I write a punk-parenting blog, people look a bit confused or condescending. At the after party on opening night, I walked up mid sentence as Brett was talking about his band from LA. When he heard about the premise of ChiIL Mama instead of looking quizzical, he said, "Cool. We're all punk parents."
We proceeded to hook up with Beat Kitchen to give our readers a pair of tickets to The Noses show, and to catch up with the band for a great chat about how creatives parent and how parents create.
The Noses Facebook page says: Culled from such bands as Rustbucket, Love Kit, Dad Factory and M.O.T.O, this damn rocking quartet will rock your body rock!
Members:
Tim Ford - Drums, Ellen Phillips - Bass/Vocals, Eddie Jemison - Guitar/Vocals, Brett Neveu - Vocals
We talked to a mix of 4 parents who incestuously overlapped in many of the 5 bands above. Our interview includes a few dads and 1 kick ass punk mama, Ellen, who sings, plays a wicked bass, and can still spout a plume of Pabst Blue Ribbon on stage, with the best of 'em.
Hear them expound on how parenting littles has changed their writing tempo and their lives, what the kids think of The Sex Pistols, and Ellen's brilliantly snarky, kittencentric rant about parenting philosophy, full of chunks of wisdom like "we're all assholes and little Buddhas at the same time."
They also appeared on the bill with headliners, The Webstirs, who were excellent, and are currently, actively playing out in Chicago (as is This Magazine is Haunted). They were joined by newbies, Wally Dogger, who have some members who work day jobs for Webstirs members. The lead singer said "As a band, it's not often you get to open for your bosses!" We love to see mentoring the next gen. goin' on. Check out their sites for upcoming shows and catch these guys. They're good!
Rumor is The Noses will be recording new material soon in L.A. and can be seen playing out "when Brett's in town".
The Earl
One of the dads we interviewed from The Noses, award winning playwright, Brett Neveu, has two world premiers and an award winning remount in Chicago right now. If you haven't seen The Earl, it's been extended and there are still a few days left to high tail it on over to Red Orchid Theatre where The Inconvenience is remounting Brett's highly acclaimed 2006 show. The show now ends March 2nd with shows February 22, 23, 27,28, March 1, 2. Click HERE for tickets.
Odradek is playing at The House Theatre in Wicker Park and ends March 5th, and Do The Hustle is playing at Writers' Theatre in Glencoe through March 20th. Click HERE for video scenes from the show and ticket information.
Check out ChiIL Mama's Odradek review HERE and catch it while you can. Odradek is a highly recommended, macabre parents night out. The show is set to close March 5th.
You can explore the complexities of two very different sets of father-son relationships in Brett's writing, presently playing out on the stage in a dark, twisted incarnation at The House Theatre's Odradek, and Brett's other world-premiere, Do The Hustle at Writers' Theatre ( in Glencoe: 325 Tudor Court).
It's a Brett fest! Don't miss your chance for the theatre triple crown, threepeat, trifecta. Get your tickets today.
* Brett Neveu is a internationally reputable playwright, and is a ensemble member at A Red Orchid Theatre. *
