Kimya Dawson, Ingrid Michaelson, Darius Rucker and Throwing Muses with Kristin Hersh are just a few of the artists lined up to pay tribute to R.E.M. in New York City later this year.
The all-star celebration of all things R.E.M. is scheduled to take place March 11 at the city’s Carnegie Hall, with Calexico sitting in as house band.
Other acts confirmed to perform songs from the Athens, Ga., trio (OK, quartet for you true purists) so far include Glen Hansard, The Apples In Stereo, Marshall Crenshaw, Jolie Holland, Patti Smith, The Feelies, Keren Ann, Guster, Fink, The DB’s, Bob Mould, Rhett Miller, Vic Chesnutt (and Elf Power), Rachael Yamagata, and maybe the coolest of all: Tommy James & The Shondells.
Will any of them attempt the earlier tunes and decipher the lyrics? We’d pay good money to see Marshall Crenshaw sing “Weenie skinned and river red” or “yellow like a Geisha doll.”
Tickets are available at REMTribute.com. VIP tickets, which include entrance to a private artist reception after the show at City Winery featuring cuisine designed by Food Network chef Mario Batali, are also available.
Proceeds benefit The American Symphony Orchestra, Church Street School for Music & Art and The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, all of which provide musical education programs for underprivileged youth.