Visit the beautiful decay of Coney Island with me and songwriter Carol Lipnik. In this chat, we walk through pulling song rabbits out of hats, the metaphors of roses, throwing out the instruction manual, and finding our inner clowns.
Carol Lipnik's music does more than evoke a shadow-world of mysterious, often misunderstood creatures, from sideshow freaks and b-movie monsters to love's obsessive victims. It creates that world, bringing it into audible being through her stunningly versatile four-octave voice and expressive, impeccably crafted songs. Her live shows draw audiences in with an intimacy and intensity that is both theatrical and deeply musical. Whether performing as a duo with pianist Matt Kanelos or with a full-band version of "SPOOKARAMA" (named for Coney Island's iconic dark ride) with music director, Dred Scott, and featuring some of New York's most inventive players, her repertoire - ranging from mad, carnival-ride tangos and waltzes to dramatic Bowie-esque rock and intricate, semi-acoustic art songs is unified by the singer's visionary commitment to the beauty of strangeness and the strangeness of beauty. Carol Lipnik's songs and performances are, in the truest sense, enchantments.
Carol Lipnik, grew up in Coney Island in the midst of its long decline. Her earliest memories are of shyly pedaling a blue banana-seat bicycle around the abandoned amusement park (especially off season) and staring up at the totem-like, decaying rides. After studying fine arts at Pratt Institute and The Art Students League, Carol opted for the immediate, emotional gratification of singing, and found that she had a knack for it -- as well as a seemingly limitless vocal range. She drew from her visual arts training to create a singular cinematic style rooted in Blues, Pre-War Berlin Cabaret, Folk, etc., as filtered through her very own carnival and psychedelic sensibilities.
Carol’s popular weekly performance residency with Matt Kanelos on piano at the East Village Boîte Pangea has repeatedly been a featured top cabaret critic’s pick in Time Out. Carol has built a dedicated following through performances at Joe’s Pub, The Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, The David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, The Abrons Arts Center, the Hudson Opera House, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, The Ancram Opera House, and The Spiegelltent at Bard. She has released six CDs on her Mermaid Alley Music label; the latest, “Almost Back To Normal”, was funded by a grant from the Peter S. Reed Foundation. She has collaborated with and composed music for performance artist John Kelly's latest work “The Escape Artist” and these songs are included debut CD recording “Beauty Kills Me”, She was a recipient of the Kimmel Center Theater SEI Residency Program with Mexican composer Tareke Ortiz (in collaboration with The Joe's Pub and the Public Theater). She is a three time artist-in-residence at the Yaddo Art Colony in Saratoga Springs, NY.