Nancy Atlas Ready to Rock Bay Street Theatre Again

Are you ready to do it again? East End musician and perennial Dan’s Papers Best of the Best honoree Nancy Atlas has turned Sag Harbor into the winter’s hottest live-music destination with her Fireside Sessions at Bay Street Theatre, a series of Friday-night concerts by The Nancy Atlas Project featuring a new, special guest musician every week.

After a sold-out smash show with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith opened the Fireside Sessions last Friday, Nancy is ready to raise the roof again this Friday night, January 10, with the second installment, featuring guitarist Andy Aledort.

SEE THE PHOTOS OF NANCY AND CHAD SMITH AT BAY STREET

Now that you have the first Fireside Sessions show under your belt, can you reflect back a bit on the first night?
Well…let me see. How does one reflect on one of their best shows ever without sounding like a pompous git? I will say this—as an artist, there is a very deep satisfaction when you have a vision and that vision becomes reality. Then, in very rare circumstances, the reality surpasses your vision. That is what happened last Friday night. After a blizzard. Chad Smith took the entire audience on a wild, ecstatic, hair-raising rock and roll voyage for almost two hours. We were just along for the ride. He is, beyond a doubt, a total gift to have as a friend, and I adore him sharing his monster abilities with our band.

How did you come to ask Andy Aledort to be your second Fireside Sessions guest performer?
Andy is another good friend. He is very well known in his own right. He is asked to sit in all the time and flies all over the world. Aside from his own band, The Groove Kings, he is sideman to Dickey Betts. In short: NO JOKE.

I am very conscious of each week’s being different. So we are going from Epic Drums to Epic Guitar. This session will be different but equally delicious. Plus, if I have my way with the costume closet at Bay Street, I will have him wearing a kilt. Or something fun.

That is the joy with our shows. You (hopefully) never know what is going to happen, sonically or visually. Knock on wood. It’s a little bit Carol Burnett, a little bit rock and roll. Did I just say that? Yes, I did. However, if I tug my ear it’s a sign for the soundman to turn up my monitor…not a signal to my grandmother. Sorry, obscure Carol Burnett reference there.

What’s going to be special about the January 10 show?
You will just have to come to find out, won’t you? Fifteen dollars and a dream, baby. I will tell you this little sneaky bit—Andy and I both love Lucinda Williams, so there will definitely be one in the set. See, I’ve already told you too much!

For tickets to Fireside Sessions with Nancy Atlas, visit baystreet.org.