Smiley LIVE! Presents: Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys
Wednesday, July 25, 6:30 PM
The Contemporary Club
Janet Klein is an entertainer, band leader, musical archeologist and treasure hunter on a 30+ year search for rare songs from the 1910s, 1920, 1930s , digging up compositions by the likes of Wilton Crawley and A.P. Randolf and Robert Cloud, songs of the Victrola, Vaudeville , Vitaphone films and early sound musical feature films. She and her LA based band the Parlor Boys perform this material with passion, skill and authenticity.
Janet & Her Parlor Boys have been entertaining audiences regularly at historic theaters in Hollywood and Los Angeles and other landmark venues throughout the United States. They held court for 13 years, sharing the bill with silent movies, early animated and musical film shorts, (collaborating with animation historian Jerry Beck ) at the Steve Allen Theater and Silent Movie Theaters in Hollywood before the closing of these cherished venues. Janet has made prologue appearances for Retroformat screenings and for programs at the Orpheum Theater, The Alex, The Wiltern Theater, The Warner Grand, The Old Town Music Hall, Niles Essanay Silent Movie Museum with upcoming projects with author, historian filmmaker Steven C. Smith and renowned pianist, scholar Frederick Hodges.
The band also tours internationally and has appeared in festivals in Adelaide Australia, Dublin, Ireland, Shanghai, China, Fuji Rock Japan etc. Since 1998 the group has recorded 10 CDs. Their CD release “Living In Sin” was voted in the Top Ten Jazz and Pop Critic’s Award Poll of the Village Voice.
Janet is also known for her voice over work in animation, as the character for Miss Langtree for Cartoon Network’s “Over The Garden Wall” and for her vintage style graphic work in print, drawing inspiration from her & husband Robert Loveless’ collection of late 19th and early 20th century print and photographic matter.
This free public event is part of the Smiley LIVE! concert series. It’s family-friendly, with a Q&A segment where young and old alike can ask the performers questions about their music, their performance, and anything else they may be curious about.