Thanks to everyone who participated in the November 15 performance of the Young@Heart ChorusTM in "Alive and Well." We're grateful to all of the wonderful sponsors who partnered with us to make the show a reality. Thanks, too, to the volunteers who generously contributed their time, patience, and smiling faces. We hope each and every one of you who was in the audience enjoyed the performance as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you.
And, finally, heartfelt thanks to the Young@Heart Chorus for sharing their boundless joy, enthusiasm for life, and musical talents with us.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Curtain at 4:00 pm; doors at 2:00 pm
Wells Fargo Theatre in the Colorado Convention Center
Featuring very special guest, Denver's own Lannie Garrett
The Young@Heart is a rowdy bunch of 70 and 80 year olds singing music 'your mother wouldn't like.' In fact, they are positively attracted to the bad boys and naughty girls of the last 50 years, covering Jimi Hendrix to OutKast with a good measure of The Flaming Lips and Radiohead. Young@Heart has become infamous for its defiant and moving performances. As its name suggests, age is integral to this company. Slaughtering any good-natured sympathy by using age as an ironic weapon, the Young@Heart has crafted surprising and hilarious work that is not about old people performing, but rather a performance that happens to feature older people.
Rock and Roll Will Never Die
In 2007, Fox Searchlight Pictures released the documentary film about the Chorus titled, Young@Heart, Rock and Roll Will Never Die.
The video was released on DVD in 2008, and is available for your viewing pleasure now! Watch this film and you definitely won't want to miss the opportunity to see the Young@Heart Chorus up close and personal in Denver!
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Rave Reviews
What, exactly, is the Young@Heart? Here's what folks have to say about this one-of-a-kind chorus:
Fred Knittle wears his belt up high. His nose is tethered to an oxygen tank, and on stage he's confined to a folding chair. From this unlikely perch, he's turning rock 'n' roll on its head.
Singing Coldplay's "Fix You," Knittle transforms the song into a powerful ballad about a grandfather's healing wisdom. It means something different coming from an 80-year-old retiree suffering from congestive heart failure.
Knittle is a singer for the Young@Heart Chorus, whose members range from 73 to 92 years old. Singing songs they shouldn't even know, at an age when they're expected to be sitting quietly somewhere, they subvert all accepted notions of old and young.
Songs by bands like the Radiohead, OutKast and Nirvana take on a new dimension when performed by these 23 foot-stomping senior citizens. "Fix You" or the Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" become about life and death.
Though little known in America, the Northampton-based Young@Heart has performed from Australia to London, serenaded the king and queen of Norway, been discussed on "The Daily Show," and been documented in an acclaimed film for British television. They're now recording an album tentatively titled "Rockin' At Heaven's Door."
It may sound like a gimmick, but Young@Heart is no karaoke act. They're a cover band for the ages.
Denver's very own songstress, Lannie Garrett, will open for the Young@Heart Chorus with a sampling from her diverse and delightful show, Screen Gems--Songs from the Movies.
Ms. Garrett has that rare combination of popular and critical appeal. In addition to being named Favorite Female Vocalist several years in a row by The Denver Post readers, she garnered top spot as favorite singer with the readers of Denver Magazine, 5280 Magazine and the gay community's, OutFront. She has been reviewed glowingly in national press from Gentleman's Quarterly to Genre Magazine.
This redhead changes her feathers easily, from the glamorous, sequined chanteuse fronting her 10 piece big band, "Any Swing Goes," to her hilarious, country spoof, The Patsy DeCline Show, her stage presence, humor and ability to connect with her audience always shines through.
Lannie has headlined at prestigious Boettcher Concert Hall and Red Rocks Amphitheater with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. She's worked with a diverse group of national entertainers from Bill Cosby, B.B. King and Jay Leno. Lannie and her swinging big band even earned a standing ovation opening a show for her idol, the legend, Mr. Ray Charles.
Her natural stage presence and acting ability landed her a principal movie role as the girlfriend of Anthony Perkins in the movie, "The Destroyer." In the summer of 2002 she guest starred in Eve Ensler's, The Vagina Monologues with veteran New York actresses, Rhonda Ross and Glynis Bells at the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
In 1998 she expanded her repertoire with a loving tribute to George Gershwin called, 'S Wonderful." In 2005 she added "Screen Gems," paying tribute to great movie songs. Both shows feature her top-notch quintet, The Errand Boys of Rhythm.
Her other personas include a bell-bottomed belter in the "The Platforms and Polyester Disco Revue," her funky, 8 piece PARTY band, singing classic disco hits, funk and Motown and as a torchy singer ala 1940's, in her jazz and jump show, "A Slick Chick on the Mellow Side."
"Under Paris Skies," is the name of her gypsy jazz influenced show and newest CD. The amazing band, The Gypsy Swing Revue backs her up on songs that pay tribute to Django Reihardt's, Hot Club of France. This show sold out every show of a 3 month run when it premiered for a concert series the summer of 2005.
Her fans know that Lannie is more than just a versatile singer. As emcee for a Colorado AIDS Project fundraiser, her comedic skills prompted a Denver Post columnist to write, "She wowed the crowd with a style reminiscent of Bette Midler...she ad-libbed and the crowd roared its approval .. if her voice ever gives out she could start a career as a stand-up comic."
In 2006, Lannie and writer/producer, Jefferson Arca, opened a nightclub bearing her name, a gorgeous, intimate showroom, Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret. The club showcases her many shows and features national acts and the best in Colorado entertainment. (Visit www.Lannies.com or phone 303-293-0075 for info.)
Proceeds Benefit
Enriching the lives of low-income seniors.
Brought to You By
This performance is joyfully brought to the Denver Metro community by the following partner sponsors.
Ms. Garrett has that rare combination of popular and critical appeal. In addition to being named Favorite Female Vocalist several years in a row by The Denver Post readers, she garnered top spot as favorite singer with the readers of Denver Magazine, 5280 Magazine and the gay community's, OutFront. She has been reviewed glowingly in national press from Gentleman's Quarterly to Genre Magazine.
