Mary Lorson and the Soubrettes to Perform at Pelham's Picture House

Pelham, NY — Composer, writer and Pelham native Mary Lorson, along with The Soubrettes, will be performing songs inspired by the vaudeville star Eva Tanguay at The Picture House on Sunday, May 6 at 1:30 p.m.

The performance will be accompanied by vintage film clips of Ms. Tanguay, who has been called the first female rock star. The event is part of The Picture House's ongoing Music & Film Program, which launched with January's Sweet and Lowdown event.

The concert will be a homecoming for Lorson, who honed her performance chops portraying Snow White at the Pelham Children’s Theater. Professionally, Lorson has been writing, composing, performing and recording since the 1980s.

In the 90s, Lorson fronted the alternative rock band Madder Rose, later becoming the lead singer of Saint Low in the aughts. She released numerous albums with these outfits, in addition to two albums released under the name the Piano Creeps, a collaborative project with Billy Cote and Kathy Ziegler. Her music has also been featured in numerous compilations and in film and television shows, including the HBO productions “What Remains” and “The Sopranos.”

Lorson then teamed up with The Soubrettes (Leah Houghtaling, on banjo, and Amelia Souther, on standup bass) to release her 10th studio album, “BurnBabyBurn,” which was inspired by the life of Ms. Tanguay. The album in noteworthy for the way it weaves Lorson’s indie rock roots and classic songwriting influences with vintage Americana. The New Yorker wrote that it “seems to look both backward and forward at the same time, with an ethereal, backwoods feel.”

The band is currently creating the sonic template for “Freak Baby and the Kill Thought,” Lorson’s original play about Tanguay. The Picture House performance will feature songs from “BurnBabyBurn” and “Freak Baby and the Kill Thought,” as well as selections from her old songbook. Advanced tickets and more information available at www.thepicturehouse.org.