Athens Boys Choir at ETSU!

This is coming up Wednesday, January 20th at the Culp Center at ETSU. Here is the scoop:

On Wednesday, January 20, ETSU will host transsexual artist Harvey Katz, a.k.a. Athens Boys Choir, whose spoken word performances are "raw, unapologetic, witty, and soulful," dealing with issues of Gender, Politics, Love, Sex, and everything in-between. The free concert is at 7 pm in the Ballroom of the D.P. Culp Center. Earlier the same day, at 2:45, Katz will conduct a workshop on gender identity in Meeting Room 6 of the Culp Center. RSVP for the workshop is requested: call Pat Buck, 474-3438 or email buck at etsu dot edu. The performance and workshop are sponsored by student groups FMLA, LGBTieS, and SGA, as well as the Counseling Center and Women's Resource Center.

And here is the Facebook page for the event:

A gender-deviant, multi-media, spokenword/homo-hop extravaganza. FREE for all ages, open to the public.

Ok, so the name Athens Boys Choir can be a bit deceiving but you can't blame a Transsexual man living in the Deep South for having a sense of humor about the whole ordeal. So Katz, the Choir's now solo member, travels the country speaking "the good word" throwing down hard hitting spoken-word that deals with issues of Gender, Politics, Love, Sex, and everything in-between.

Katz's spoken-word is raw, unapologetic, witty, and soulful. As Out Magazine wrote in 2006, "Katz avoids falling into the common spoken-word trap... and instead uses engaging wordplay, razor-sharp wit, and hip-hop rhythms." He has had the honor of sharing the stage with such artists as Ani Difranco, Indigo Girls, Bitch, The Butchies, Danielle Howle, and Michelle Malone. He has also opened for poets of HBO's Def Poetry Jam on more than one occasion.

Being a out Transsexual, Katz's spoken-word often becomes a platform for education and activism, but all work and no play makes for one intense performance so he lets loose with sarcasm, pop culture references, and video's featuring Barbara Streisand as Yentl and sassy footwork by the stars of the 1979 hit "Roller Boogie."

Athens Boys Choir has been touring nationally since 2003, performing for audiences that are becoming more diverse everyday. You don't have to be a spoken-word enthusiast to enjoy the lyrical stylings of the Athens Boys Choir. Katz has the unusual skill of opening even the most skeptical minds to the world of performance poetry. With three CD's already out and a fourth due for release on March 27, 2007, Katz/The Athens Boys Choir has established himself as a force in the spoken-word/queer/pop culture/homo-hop movement; you choose how it moves you.

Check out his webpage! Open to the public. RSVP to above phone for the workshop.