Rexrode Productions and The Six String Society once again knocks it out of this world, with their production of The 27 Club.
The production of The 27 Club, is not just a play, it is not just a concert, it is not just a bunch of ridiculously talented local San Diego musicians having a jam session, it is not just a walk back in time, it is not just a music history lesson…it is ALL of these things and more!
Robin Henkel
On March 23, 2019, the stage of the historic Brooks Theater in Oceanside, California, morphed into an imaginary Greenwich Village apartment on the evening of August 14, 1969. Ironically on the very same eve as final preparations were being made for “Woodstock” the pop culture music event of the decade, on Max Yagar’s farm in Bethel, New York. Our evening’s hosts, Gregory Page and Athena Espinoza (and sub sequentially the apartment residents), take the audience on a magic carpet ride into the Great Beyond where all the members of The 27 Club now reside as each member, visits the couples’ apartment on the eve of Woodstock. The 27 Club is an exclusive club from which no member can ever terminate its membership. It’s a club that only the greatest of musical talents forever entered into at the tender age of 27. Cemented in a timeless purgatory where their music and life stories never grow any older. Fictional New York residents and music lovers, Gregory and Athena, invite us into their Greenwich Village apartment as they systematically visited by members of The 27 Club. Ghosts of their past, present, and future.
A knock at the door early in the evening finds Mr. Robert Johnson on the other side. Performed by San Diego’s quintessential jazz and blues artist, Robin Henkel. A historian in his own right, Robin, takes a seat and proceeds to walk the audience down the streets of America’s Delta during the 1930’s. Robert Leroy Johnson entered into The 27 Club on August 16, 1938. During his short time on earth, he paved the way for future blues musicians by way of his visionary soul. There is a lot of speculation out there regarding Robert Johnson’s life and death, anywhere from selling his soul to the devil, to murder, poisoning and even an account of the result of syphilis. Regardless of how he became a member of The 27 Club, Robin Henkel gives us an in-depth look at his life, his songwriting, and music that still influences young artists today. As Robin and Robert fade into the shadows of 1938, Greg and Athena race forward in time to the 1960’s where a young man by the name of James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix was taking the world of rock ‘n roll by storm.
Anthony Cullins
North San Diego’s rising superstar, Anthony Cullins, pays tribute to Jimi, starting with a knock on the door of our now infamous Greenwich apartment. While I believe this all-star cast of characters, goes above and beyond to compliment all the members of The 27 Club, the metamorphosis of Anthony Cullins to Jimi Hendrix appears seamless. While young gun, Mr. Cullins bares zero physical resemblance to Jimi Hendrix, nor does he attempt to, Anthony, bears the same passion, energy and reckless abandon, as he predecessor. It is only a matter of time before Anthony Cullins becomes a national and international recognized artist in the rock world. His performances of some of Jimi Hendrix’ popular music transported you back to the days of love beads, bell bottoms and when rock and roll reigned supreme. Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington, on November 27, 1942, and became a terminal member of The 27 Club on September 18, 1970, in Kensington, England. As with other members of the Club, there are many theories regarding his death. The forensic pathologist that performed the post-mortem examination listed the cause of death as asphyxia after ingesting 10x the recommended dosage of Barbiturates. Another legend has gone before his time, leaving such an imprint on rock and roll history, that even in 2019, up and coming artists aspire to all that encompassed Jimi Hendrix. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.” What a thrill it must have been to have Jimi Hendrix pop by your apartment on the evening of Woodstock, to entertain everyone with his unique sound and talents. Even just in fantasy and spirit. It is believed that Jimi Hendrix was the highest paid musician to perform at Woodstock, which makes sense since he was, indeed, the headliner!
Whitney Shay
After a powerful tribute to Jimi and his music, Anthony accompanied Jimi out the door, and they headed up to Max Yagar’s farm to make music history. On their way out they turned the clock forward to the 21st century, and we find Amy Winehouse waiting among the shadows of Greenwich Village to make her grand entrance. San Diego’s, multi-award winning, multi-genre, vocal, energizer-bunny, hell in heels, Whitney Shay, enters Mr. Page’s apartment and proceeds to blow his roof off with her vivacious tribute to Miss Amy Jade Winehouse. Britain’s neo-soul, R&B and jazz artist and most current member of The 27 Club. Amy Winehouse was born in London, England on September 14, 1983. She was known for her deep, contralto vocals and her ability to cross-over various music genres with ease and influence. Whitney portrays her beautifully. Dressed in full Amy regalia, complete with Amy’s infamous bouffant, brunette tresses, cats’ eye black liner, and many colorful tattoos, Whitney brought the stage to life with her flawless renditions of some of Amy’s most popular and infamous songs and artistry. Upon Amy’s entry into The 27 Club on July 23, 2011, she took with her multiple British and American music awards and accolades. Posthumously her Back to Black album, which was released in 2006, became the United Kingdom’s best-selling album of the 21st century. Amy’s young world all came crashing down on what became a dark summer day for Winehouse fanatics, as she was declared a member of The 27 Club by way of alcohol poisoning. Another bright light dimmed, leaving Amy’s music forever ingrained in the hearts of her fans as the carousel came to a stop in 2011. Whitney wowed our audience with the excitement, whimsey, and rawness, that was Amy in all her glory and pushed back the clock to the 1990’s, and the age of Seattle’s grunge rock as none other than Kurt Cobain drops by for a visit. Kurt’s membership into The 27 Club, is a harsh and horribly heart-wrenching story.
Portrayed by Six String Society’s new cast member, Austin David, he comes on the scene in traditional grunge rock garb, complete with Kurt’s infamous white sunglasses. Picking up an acoustic guitar and then taking a seat, Austin ushers us through the early 1990’s and the humanoid discord of behind the decades’ infamous grunge and alternative rock movement. Starting out rather quietly he strums his guitar and vocally entertains us with early Gen X’ers emotional outlets. Kurt Donald Cobain was born in Aberdeen, Washington, on February 20, 1967. As the front man for the groundbreaking grunge rock band, Nirvana, Kurt, and his band were labeled the flagship band of Generation X and peers hailed Kurt as one of the greatest guitar players of all time. Unfortunately, just as all the 27 members before him, Kurt, another additive personality, was plagued with depression, constantly fought with this dependence on drugs and alcohol and the stresses of fame and tumultuous marriage. On April 5, 1994, Kurt finally lost the battle with his demons and became a member of the 27 Club by way of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Kurt Cobain, the infamous icon of the grunge and alternative rock era, was, at last, at peace, as his fans mourned another significant influencer of the music and art industry. Back in the Greenwich Village apartment, Austin kicks it up and turns it up. Trading out his acoustic guitar for an electric, he stands and makes Kurt and grunge fans proud as he pays an emotional and sentimental tribute to the most tragic of life stories of the members of The 27 Club.
Casey Hensley
As Austin and Kurt make their way back to Seattle, once again, the moment in time returns to the psychedelic 1960’s, and America’s brilliant yet troubled, Janis Joplin, joins the party. Janis Lyn Joplin, one of the most significant and powerful female vocalist/songwriters of the rebellious 60’s rose to fame in 1967 after her performance at the International “Monterrey Pop Music Festival”, held over a period of three days in Monterrey, California, during what became known as pop cultures’ “Summer of Love”. Janis was outrageous, original, raunchy and a vocal dynamo. Enter San Diego’s equal; Miss Casey Hensley, whose commanding stage presence, has earned her standing ovations everywhere she performs. Fans of Casey’s stretch far and wide and we are proud to call her one of our own. Channeling her inner Janice, she brings the audience to their feet as she performs Janice’s best-known music with passion and fully-embodied emotion. The ’60’s was an era of outward thinking, abundant use of America’s Second Amendment, revolutionary acts of defiance, and the discovery of sexual freedom and psychedelic drugs. Janice imbued all of these. She considered herself an outcast and fodder for bullies and abuse. A beautiful, talented, yet damaged soul, that left her mark on the world, before becoming the first female artist of The 27 club on October 4th, 1970, when she was discovered, lifeless in a Landmark Motor Hotel room in Hollywood, California; another victim of a heroin overdose. Her death was ruled as accidental, but yet another artistic pioneer brought down in her prime. The legacy that is Janis Joplin will live on forever, partially due to the indelible mark she left behind and partly due to continually up and coming artists, like Casey Hensley, that refuse to let the music die with their creators. And for that, we are truly grateful. But the story of The 27 Club isn’t over yet. We had yet to meet our final (mystery) member, Mr. James Douglas Morrison.
James Morrison, also known as “Jim” Morrison, “The Lizard King and “Mr. Mojo Risin,” was an American, singer/songwriter born in Melbourne, Florida, and is best known as the front man for the 1960’s rock band, The Doors. Jim followed the footsteps of the era and lived a life based on chaos, reckless abandon, alcohol, and drugs. He was a poet, and his poetry reflected profoundly in his songwriting and performances. I challenge any music lover, young and old not to be able to name some of Jim Morrison’s and The Doors work and artistry. He was bigger than life. A handsome and charismatic presence and a force to reckon with. Tribute to Jim and The Doors was paid by San Diego’s, vocalist, keyboard/pianist, Mr. Jody Bagley. Jody took a different approach to his knowledge and acknowledgment of this iconic artist. He chose not to honor him as a portrayal, but more as a friend, co-conspirator and a story-teller and he did so with grace and style. On July 3rd, 1971, Jim Morrison joined the others in eternal membership of The 27 Club, when his lifeless body was found, in a bathtub in a Paris, France, apartment. Although his death was deemed a result of “heart failure,” there was no autopsy performed, and many believe that his death is still a mystery. It is now late in the evening in, 1969, Greenwich Village, and the ghosts of the past, present and future have told their stories and treated us to song and sorrow as we walked, with them, along their paths, hand in hand. We learned of their struggles, their accomplishments, their failures, their insecurities and battles with demons from which they could not overcome. But we also rejoiced in their sweet, determined, albeit afflicted souls as they showered us with their music and poetry that makes each and every member of The 27 Club unforgettable and timeless.
The Six String Society’s production of The 27 Club is a feast for all ages and is a hit again and again as reflected in their continuing sold-out performances. The cast is in unsurpassed in their field and artistry, and the production and direction are outstanding. Where else can you spend an evening, learning about musical history, seeing a concert, watching a multi-genre, multi-cultural and multi-era jam session all while being transported in a time capsule and experiencing the musical trailblazers of The 27 Club all on the evening preceding the infamous and most influential music festivals in current history?
Residents of Bethel, New York are presently preparing for the reprise of Woodstock for its 50th anniversary in August of 2019. Do you have your ticket yet? See you there!!!
You can find an abundance of information on the members of The 27 Club by merely searching their names through any internet search engine. You can also find more information on The 27 Club production and calendar of performances on the Six String Society website: www.thsixstringsociety.com and on social media. The current cast of characters can be found, not only on the Six String website, but you can search the name of each artist to find their music, personal and band/music websites and social media pages throughout the interwebs.
I want to personally thank the cast of The 27 Club for a fantastic evening and to Ken Rexrode of Rexrode Productions for allowing BackStage360 to cover the show under sold out conditions. We were honored to be a part of a truly unforgettable experience.
By: Siege / BackStage360
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