By Michael Barbieri***Got the post-pandemic blues?! Well, Billy Lykken’s newest cabaret act Hot Mess! Billy’s Blues is the perfect cure!
Seattle native Lykken has impressed critics and audiences alike with his shows “Sacred Monster,” “A Faggy Resistance” and his outdoor, post-lockdown performance, “Street Songs Serenade,” done entirely on the stoop and sidewalk outside of Don’t Tell Mama on 46th Street. A self-proclaimed old-
school theater queen with a deep love of classic divas like Liza, Barbra, Bette and Diana, Hot Mess! Billy’s Blues showed us yet another facet of Lykken’s talent!
Sweeping through the room at Pangea in a rainbow striped kaftan, Lykken worked the crowd with “Evil Gal Blues” (Lionel Hampton, Leonard Feather). He was clearly having fun from the outset of the evening, and his kick-ass band—Musical Director Yaz Fukuoka on piano, Marco Panascia on bass, Karel Ruzicka on sax and Steve Lykken on drums—set the tone of the show with the perfect dirty, bluesy energy!
While listening to the first few numbers, which included a wonderfully filthy medley of “Four Walls (and One Dirty Window Blues)” and “Rollercoaster Blues” (Willard Robinson/Marshall Barer, Dean Fuller) along with “Million Dollar Secret” (Jules Taub, Helen Humes), during which he channeled the in-your-face attitude of classic blues women, I became a tad concerned that the evening would be a little one-note; that each song would feel exactly like the others. But Lykken’s vocal and presentational versatility along with Gerry Geddes’ terrific,
unobtrusive direction, soon put that fear to rest. There was a definite flow to the evening that kept the material fresh, fun and interesting throughout.
With the next couple of songs, “Dr. Feelgood (Love is a Serious Business)” and “Good to Me as I Am to You,” both by Aretha Franklin and Ted White, Lykken veered into the subject of sex. Removing his kaftan and performing the numbers bare chested, he not only showed off his physique, but also his dynamic vocal range. The latter song, in particular, ran the gamut from an appropriately soulful wail, to a burst of falsetto, and ended in his surprisingly deep lower register. Then, to give the segment some balance, he shifted to a joyful “New Orleans Hop Scop Blues” (George W. Thomas), which featured a funky bass line from Marco Panascia. Here, Lykken showed off his playful side, interacting with the entire band and really enjoying himself!
With a medley of “When Your Lover Has Gone” (Einar Aaron Swan) and “The Man That Got Away” (Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin) Lykken proved that he knows his way around torch songs. He slowed the pace down to a smoky feel and exhibited excellent vocal control, even expressing a touch of heartbreak in his voice. Additionally, there was a cleverness to Yaz Fukuoka’s arrangement, as he added musicalphrases from the Arlen/Gershwin song throughout the entire medley. I should also say that one of my favorite moments was Lykken’s rendition of “Good Morning Heartache” (Irene Higginbotham, Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher), which he kept beautifully simple, singing it through just once and then ending it. Lovely!
As Lykken told us early in the evening, the “Hot Mess” in the show’s title referred to the way he had felt during the “C word” pandemic (as he called it). He had been forcibly removed from performing and from the art of cabaret that he loves so much, so he indeed felt like a hot mess. But as he wrapped up the show with a sultry, yet ultimately energetic “St Louis Blues” (W. C. Handy), which featured a fantastic sax solo and an almost anthemic “Never Let Me Go” (Joseph Scott), one thing was quite clear: hardship and unfortunate circumstances often lead to some of the best art! And Billy Lykken definitely bounced back from the city-wide lockdown in the best way—with a fabulous, funky, down and dirty blues show that was anything but a mess!
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