It has now become a tradition: the Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts presenting the “Fireside Sessions with Nancy Atlas.” The series features Nancy Atlas and her band, along with special guests. The series kicks off on Saturday, January 6, at 8 p.m. Hamptons.com spoke with Nancy about this year’s show and the subsequent performances that will be held every Saturday in January at 8 p.m.
Regarding what will be new this year and what will remain the same, Nancy said, “New this year, the great Pamela Betti sits in with Eugene Chrysler on the first show. For those in the know, Pamela is a total Blues powerhouse, and Eugene is a Rockabilly legend. I have always loved throwing musicians together and seeing what happens, so I think that show will be a blast. Additionally, I have been friends with Woody from The Realm for over 30 years, and we have had his band play with my band, so that should be a lot of fun. Pamela and The Realm are first-time guests.”
Nancy proudly revealed that Randi Fishenfeld will also return on Jan 13th, saying, “…with her tornadic Violin, and I have only seen her once since Covid, so it will be very emotional for me to play again with my soul sister. She has played more Fireside Sessions than any guest to date, so in that sense, it is the same.”
Nancy’s iconic band consists of Johnny Blood, Brett King, Denny McDermott, Joe Delia, and Greg McMullen, who will be backing all the guests. This band is as tight-knit as the original NRBQ lineup.
Last year posed a specific challenge for Nancy, as she explained, “Many may not know that last year I was having some serious health issues with late-stage Lyme Disease and had to book full bands as I didn’t have the energy to front these shows properly or at all. I had to have myself covered if things went south.” She mentioned, “The love that Gene Casey, Hopefully Forgiven, Inda Eaton, and the guests showed me was palpable. They all had my back, and we got through it. This year, I am happy to report, that I have fully recovered, and we are ready to return to the original format of the ‘Special Guests’ being backed by my band.”
Part of the magic of the Nancy Atlas Band is her loyal following. Some have been to most of her performances over the last few decades on the east end. About this loyalty, Nancy said, “It humbles me. I know what it feels like to play to 10 people and have to pay a full band at the end of the night. It is no joke that we have had a band for this long. So, I often thank our followers because THEY allow us to keep going and do what we do. I appreciate them taking the time, driving through traffic, and dealing with all of it to see our shows! It does not pass on me the effort that they put in to come out, so I feel that when they get there – It’s our turn to take them away for a few hours… I will say, the turnout has been off the chart this year (2023), and we have been slightly awed by it.
When asked about the Bay Street Venue, Nancy said, “Who doesn’t love a historic theatre on a wharf in the middle of winter? I remember seeing Jimmy Cliff at Bay Street many years ago. I snuck in at 15 with my big, bangle earrings and ‘Breakfast Club’ outfit. I can still remember that feeling tingling through my body of being part of something special. Bay Street makes that happen. It’s this little jewel that brings us all together every week, and the rest of the year world-class theater is performed. It really is a wonderful, little miracle that ‘The Fireside Sessions’ has happened at all.”
Nancy said she is always evolving, stating, “The biggest personal evolution for me has been becoming a Producer and going with my gut. It’s all done on shoestrings and with the help of dear friends and sponsors like Jay Decker. She said she does not have a manager or a costume designer, and there is no one scheduling flights or finding rooms. Instead, she said, “It is all done very grassroots.” She has effectively over the years shown how to, “… lean into the wild thoughts and then actualize them in real-time.”
She mentions examples such as putting together a 12-piece choir behind Danny Kean or the entire East Hampton High School Jazz band (22 in all) who opened for her band last year,” that included, “Shuffling the kids in and out, not having seats because the show is sold out or playing through blizzards.”
Summing it up, she said, “It’s a wild moving puzzle. The audience knows they will get something cackling and alive on a cold January night.”
