Nellie McKay

For Nellie McKay, the pop culture of the ’60s looms large over her latest recording project, My Weekly Reader (a reference to the classroom newspaper for school children). She covers songs by some of the most provocative artists of the era: Ray Davies, Country Joe McDonald, Frank Zappa, and other creative songwriters noted for their social commentary and satirical wit. A former stand-up comedian, McKay travels a multi-directional path: musician, singer-songwriter, Broadway and film actress, essayist, and activist. The New Yorker magazine calls her, “… ceaselessly clever and scarily talented.”