Because Elvis has become an international institution that can communicate across national and cultural boundaries, it comes as no surprise that El Vez -- the self proclaimed "Mexican Elvis" -- has come along. El Vez, aka Robert Lopez, has been kicking around the L.A. underground music scene for nearly twenty years. He first appeared in the early L.A. punk band the Zeros and then played in Catholic Discipline (which also spawned lesbian folk singer Phranc). While his records are excellent documents of the El Vez phenomenon, the only way to get the full El Vez experience is to see his live shows, which feature his band the Spiders from Memphis and the lovely El Vettes, cleverly named Priscilita, Gladysita, Lisa Maria, and Que Linda Thompson. The best cultural reference points to help describe an El Vez show are the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, a Tom Jones Las Vegas gig, the LSD episode of Dragnet, and Elvis Presley’s ‘68 comeback special. Listening to El Vez is akin to hearing the live-band equivalent of sampling. An audience on any given night can be treated to half a dozen costume changes and might hear bits and pieces of at least 200 songs, not all of them Elvis recordings. For instance, one of his medleys featured "You Ain’t Nothing But a Chihuahua" and an instrumental version of the Beastie Boys’ "Gratitude," mixed in with the lead guitar riff from Santana’s "Black Magic Woman" laid underneath Rod Stewart’s "Maggie May," which melded into "En el Barrio" (aka "In the Ghetto") and finished up with the mandolin line that concludes R.E.M.’s "Losing My Religion."
Despite his use of humor, El Vez cannot be written off as a post-modern joke. His lyrics (many times rewrites of Elvis recordings or other popular songs) are very political and pro-Latino. Much like Rage Against the Machine, his songs are littered with references to the Zapatistas and other Mexican revolutionaries. Unlike the above-mentioned band, he does not beat the audience over the head with didactic polemics and testosterone-fueled monster chords. Instead, he relies on the obvious play on words ("Say It Loud, I’m Brown and I’m Proud" and "Misery Tren") and clever social satire (at the climax of "Immigration Time" -- sung to the tune of "Suspicious Minds" -- he shouts, "I’ve got my green card...I want my gold card!"). Based in East Los Angeles, he is involved in anti-gang programs and other community outreach programs -- a refreshing reminder that one doesn’t have to lose his or her sense of humor to remain an activist.
AGENT RHINESTONE received her BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts in 2001. After college she entered the world of sequins and glitz dancing for Vegas show producer Greg Thompson. She left her showgirl headdress behind in 2003 to pursue a career as an NFL cheerleader with the Seattle Seahawks. After many years of dancing on the sidelines for 70,000 fans and a trip to perform in Super Bowl 2006… Miss Rhinestone was more than ready to turn in her Pom Pons. She now produces and performs with her best friends in the cabaret dance group "The Heavenly Spies." The Spies won "best duo" at the Miss Exotic World Pageant in Las Vegas in 2007 and are known for their death defying high kicks and gravity defying hair. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but Agent Rhinestone is a man’s soul mate—at least that’s what she wants enemy spies to think.
Ultra has bewitched, bothered, and bewildered thousands of people with his fashionista burlesque/ lip-synch exploits! Beginning as a club kid in Washington DC in 1992, he produced seven large scale fashion shows as director of the Polyester Liberation Organization. After moving to Seattle in 2001, he developed his current style of performing and has graced the stages of Neighbors, University of Washington, On the Boards, Chop Suey, ReBar, The War Room, Velocity Dance Center, The Triple Door, Columbia City Cabaret, and dozens of times at both The Pink Door and The Can Can. His sexy weirdness is captured in the documentaries "Third Antenna"(2000) and "A Wink and a Smile"(2008), but it's so much juicier live, so come see the show!
Sally Pepper spent her formative years absorbing as much dance and gymnastics as possible. When she encountered circus arts in 2001, she quickly took to aerial work and character performances. She has been performing with Seattle’s Circus Contraption ever since, displaying skills ranging from vocal solos, to hula hoping, tap dancing, to tumbling, group acrobatics, and roller skating, to her signature static cloud swing solo! With Contraption, Kari has toured the nation from Las Vegas to Manhattan and internationally from Victoria, B.C. to Portugal. In that time she has also performed with the Aerialistas, UMO Ensemble, EnJoy Productions, and Seattle’s own Moisture Festival. Performance highlights include Seattle Opera’s production of "Pagliacci, " Pike Place Market centennial celebration, numerous events for Microsoft Corporation, the Seattle Center, and Seattle Art Museum.
Kaleb Hagan-Kerr has been performing in and around the Pacific Northwest for over ten years. Writing all his own work, he has gained notoriety for his outlandish humor and striking sincerity in all his characters. Current and ongoing stage characters/performances include Bing Wheeler, host of Big Wheel Bingo; Pastor Kaleb of Pastor Kaleb’s Sunday Service; lead singer of the bands The Witness, and KPOP and the Coalition of the Willing; and regular MC/Host of Burlesque Behind the Pink Door. Kaleb has performed in many venues including the Moore Theater, Seattle Art Museum, Bellevue Art Museum, Triple Door, Twilight Performance Center, The Showbox, Can Can Cabaret, and the Jewelbox Theater. Kaleb is always working and is tireless as a performer. He hopes to continue his search for new material, styles, and challenges.
Yoshi Wright started breakdancing in 2001 with some friends and continued on to become a part of "Art Of Movement", which is now one of Seattle's top B-boy crews. In 2005 he expanded to hip-hop choreography, eventually training under names like Ryan Chandler, Anika Miura, Ivan Koumaev, Daniel Cruz, Kolanie Marks and Cameron Lee with teams like Potion, Cruz Control, Team Boogiezone - Breed, Seattle Storm Hip-hop Squad and Kontagious. He has performed in many different events, including Hot Import Nights, Kube 93's SummerJam, Battle of Seattle 4-8, Unrated 1- 5, and various Storm and Seahawk's games. Recently, Yoshi made it to the Vegas callbacks for So You Think You Can Dance.
Yoshi now runs his own team called Kontagious Movement or KM centered in the Mountlake Terrace / Lynnwood area. He brings in all elements of his dancing to the team from bboying to hip-hop to popping and locking. KM participated in the World of Dance tour in Pamona, California on March 15th 2008 and hosted their first show on April 26th 2008 at Mountlake Terrace Highschool called "Kookie Monster." Since then they opened for the America's Best Dance Crew Tour at the Everett events center in October 2008 and took first place at the Seattle Show Stoppers dance competition in UW's Kane Hall in February 2009.
It is hard to categorize Nanda. They juggle, they dance, they fight, they are musicians, comedians and acrobats. They are scientists experimenting with the art of life. Living on the edge where paradigms break & new ideas are born the Nandinians have adopted a simple philosophy. Acrobaticalism. While living by this philosophy no matter what you do it’s an exciting & entertaining combination of spectacularness & excellence.
Award winning dance and cabaret troupe The Heavenly Spies known for their death defying high kicks and gravity defying hair joined forces in an underground assassin training camp outside Topeka, Kansas after finding a common love for both sleuthing and slinking. The girls were kicked out of assassin training after getting caught having a pillow fight in assassin secret headquarters. Members of The Heavenly Spies are Agent Rhinestone, Fancy Drew and Honey Sexpot. Their specialties include fishing for clues, fishnets, inept guards, garters, lip-reading, lip-locking, secret societies, Victoria’s Secret, venom tolerance and vodka tolerance!
Michael Lev Gershowitz, based out of Seattle WA, has acting credits which include; East of the Sun West of the Moon "Terrible Troll#3", Little Shop of Horror's "Mushnick.", Wizard of Oz "Professor Marvel", Murder's a Game "Stephan Leach", The Wizard of Oz readings, "Peter Boq, Cowardly Lion, Guardian of the gate, Soldier, Flying Monkey, Mayor of Munchkinland." The Wiz "Funky Monkey", Little Mermaid "Max", The Wizard of oz 2001 "Niko, Mayor of Munchkinland", and Viva OZ Vegas 2008 and 2009 "Monkey, Mayor". Gershowitz is also a writer and producer of his own theater company.
Armitage Shanks is an Internationally-known Compere, Director, Singer and Performer. He is also the Co-Founder of Circus Contraption, a one-ring traveling circus at the forefront of the "New Circus" movement.
His recent performing credits include the London Burlesque Festival, The Supper Club and Paleis Van De Weemoed (Amsterdam), Absolut Burlesque Ball (Dublin), The New York Burlesque Festival, Le Scandal and The Slipper Room (NY) as well as a tour of Portugal with Circus Contraption.
Recent directing and co-authoring projects include "Viva Oz Vegas" & "The Breaking" with Can Can Presents and The Handsome Little Devils "Squirm Burpee- A Vaudevillian Melodrama".
Armitage Shanks was featured in the January 2009 issue of Playboy France, Dans (Netherlands premier performance magazine), and Time Out London, which hailed him as " One of the darkest-hearted comperes on the burlesque circuit- not only a biting ringmaster, but a unique singer as well".
Find out more at- www.myspace.com/armitagephineasshanks email: info@thecarnypreacher.com
Herr Doppleganger Can Can’s Artistic Director~ The Ringmaster extraordinaire-the "Boss Man" behind the illustrious CAN CAN! Don’t let the sweet rosey cheeks and perfect pink bow tie lead you astray: this sharp crowd wrangler has a lot cookin’ up his velvety sleeve...A trained opera singer, a beacon of light for musicians, artists, dancers, and bump-n-grinders galore- he’ll dazzle you with his booming voice, transfix you with his top-notch shows, and make you swoon with his wit and charm. This is The Man behind the madness!
