Born and raised Lower East Sider Jeffrey Lewis leads a double-life, as both a comic book writer/artist and a musician (or is that a triple-life?). His band Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard also has a schizophrenic existence, ranging between contemplative folk narratives and distortion-fueled garage rock. Live shows incorporate "low budget videos," Jeff's large illustrations displayed to accompany certain songs, such as Jeff's educational multi-part "History of Communism" or flights of fancy like "The Creeping Brain." In 2001 Jeffrey Lewis signed to Rough Trade Records (The Smiths, The Strokes, Belle & Sebastian, etc) and has since released five albums, in addition to touring the world and performing with Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Devendra Banhart, Black Dice, Thurston Moore, The Fall, The Vaselines, Beth Orton, Frank Black, The Fiery Furnaces, Daniel Johnston, Scout Niblett, The Mountain Goats, The Moldy Peaches, Cornershop, The Cribs, Dr. Dog, Kimya Dawson, Adam Green, Akron/Family, Roky Erickson, Au Revoir Simone, Peter Stampfel, and other luminaries.

The album Jeffrey Lewis: 12 Crass Songs, released by Rough Trade in late 2007, is a collection of songs by the legendary anarchist punk band Crass, reworked by Jeffrey into glorious folk, rock, psychedelic, orchestral and electronica productions which dazzle the ear while losing none of the political power of the originals - an album which garnered praise from Crass themselves as well as four stars in Rolling Stone magazine and many other enviable plaudits. The most recent release by Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard is 2009's 'Em Are I, which was also widely praised; a full-page feature in Mojo Magazine declared it "brilliant... full of wit and musical variations," while a 9-star review in All Music Guide called 'Em Are I "not just Lewis' most consistent album, but also his most truly affecting and easily his most successful outing to date." Jeffrey has written multiple articles for the New York Times' "Measure For Measure" songwriting feature, and most recently has been creating a series of historical illustrated songs for the History Channel website. His critical writings on the comic book Watchmen have lead to Jeffrey lecturing on Watchmen around America, Australia, Europe and the UK; Jeffrey's own comics have been published in collections like "Wobblies!" (a history of the Industrial Workers of the World), "The Beats," "Jews & American Comics" and others. Jeffrey's most recent self-published comic book Fuff is an anthology series combining biographical pieces, fiction, and travelogues, and is currently up to issue eight. show less

Described as "Amazing, Fantastic, Phenomenal!" by Feast of Fun blog gurus Marc and Fausto, Jeremiah Clark's passion for music started at a very young age. This self-taught pianist and guitarist released his first album at the age of only sixteen and has since spent years crafting a unique sound that blends his soulful voice and acoustic instrumentation with a deeply-rooted southern heritage. His latest release, an acoustic effort entitled Born & Raised, has been wholeheartedly embraced by fans all over the country and, according to CUE Magazine, he's "A Pittsburgh sensation" right here in town.

With lyrics often referred to as "deeply poignant," Jeremiah Clark masterfully balances poetry with practicality and has been likened to prodigies like Rufus Wainwright and Tracy Chapman. While his songs usually take on a more serious tone, his performances are refreshingly lighthearted. He enjoys telling comedic stories about family, friends and traveling between tunes joking that, "If you don‘t laugh AND cry at some point during the show, I simply have not done my job." Touring over the past two years has taken him to 60+ U.S. cities playing for countless, eager fans at over 200 shows.

Jeremiah will include several local guests in this homecoming show to Pittsburgh, where the artist was previously based for almost a decade. Erin Dawes, Clark's long-time tour-mate and drummer, will take the stage for fan favorites "Practicing Lines" and "Understood?" as well as some new material. Dawes is a well-known talent in the Pittsburgh music scene not just for her expert drumming skills featured in The Love Letters, a local band with a loyal following, but also for her voice as heard on WYEP's Block Party on Wednesday evenings where she has acted as a volunteer DJ for almost two years.

Making his first appearance at Club Cafe is Randy Hollenbeck, a guitarist and vocalist whose passion for music has stayed with him for many years--even during his service in the U.S. Air Force. His influences include some of the greatest grunge and alternative bands of the nineties evident even in his most stripped-down, acoustic arrangements. Also being featured is vocalist and pianist Molly Rae, a graduate of Duquesne University's music program. Her latest release, Living the Dream, features an almost uncanny songwriting ability wise beyond her years--not to mention an angelic voice that carries over even the saddest of songs with effortless grace. Rae's vocals can also be heard on Jeremiah Clark's studio release, Just Another Sad Song.
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