Coney Island Circus Sideshow + American Pinup

The last traditional 10-in 1 continuous sideshow performing in a circus or amusement context includes a cast of live professional performers, many at the top of their field. Located in the home of sideshow culture, in an official New York City Landmark with its own sideshow pedigree, and offering traditional shows and Sideshow School, our facility is to sideshow culture what the Actor’s Studio is to American acting: we are the International Center of Sideshow Arts.


This work takes place in our facility, Sideshows by the Seashore. It represents the origins of American Theater, starting with PT Barnum in 1842, and continuing through the mid-20th c. changes to entertainment culture with Houdini, Ringling Bros and Ripley’s Believe-It-or-Not and is also the home of the American Sideshow Hall of Fame. The Sideshow/Freakshow is one of our oldest and most important programs and of of the 15-20 different artistic programs we produce, it is the most visible, most egalitarian, and most memorable for visitors to Coney Island.


The continuous 10 in 1 format was once shared by other popular entertainments like burlesque and vaudeville but is quite rare today. All 10 acts are scripted with traditional dialogue going back half a century and the show represents a highly evolved and intricate structure in a field full of street-buskers. In addition, the Sideshow fulfills our goal of creating innovative artistic programming that seamlessly integrates with the fabric of the amusement area, bringing in foot-traffic from all over Coney Island and creating engaging and surprising artistic work for an audience who are not traditional theater-goers.


Although we are a family friendly show, we also have a reputation for encouraging new directions and trends in our field: this year’s cast will consist of 9 performers, several of which are new to our stage and several visiting artists. In the past, the world's foremost sword swallowers and fire eaters have worked in our cast, and we’re excited to welcome group of assertive young "born different" performers this summer who think the talented and handicapped have as much right to be rock stars on stage as doctors and lawyers. As such, we will be hosting a number of guest performers. In addition to guests, our core cast will include Ray Valenz (MC and human blockhead) and Betty Bloomerz (Sword Swallower).


The 2015 sideshow will remain at an affordable price, in keeping with our mission, although, because of the extraordinary costs of rebuilding after Sandy, we are hoping to find alternative ways of subsidizing this ticket price – through additional memberships, a donation drive at the ticket box, and new ways of communicating who we are to visitors who think we’re just “a part of the amusement park”.


- See more at: http://www.coneyisland.com/programs/coney-island-circus-sideshow#sthash.teBpSnV1.dpuf


American Pinup emerged from the suburban sprawl and unsung underground music scene of Westchester County, New York and brought along an original brand of fierce, exuberant performance that is just as wild as it is charming. The indie/punk four-piece was pegged by AMP magazine as the "voice of the new decade" and combines elements of rockabilly, surf rock, punk, pop, folk, and ska to create a fresh alternative sound. Blending the DIY ethos of the punk scene with a reverence for the melody and simplicity intrinsic to pop music, American Pinup has carved out their own niche in the world of independent music.

Frontwoman Lauren West combines soulful, melodic crooning with raspy, punk rock vocals, adding dimension to their hooky compositions and high-energy live performances. In 2010, the band took to their drummer's basement recording studio where they self-produced their debut album, Strange Creatures. It quickly caught the attention of Altercation Records, who signed the band and released the record in February 2011. The debut album was followed by a split with New Jersey punk band Lost In Society, which both bands promoted on a co-headlining national tour.

American Pinup has appeared at festivals such as Vans Warped Tour, The Fest, SXSW, Move Music Festival, Red Gorilla, Valley of the Vapors, Tinderbox Music Festival, Philly FM Fest, Upstart Fest, and many more since coming on to the scene. They have also been featured on compilation records such as Blood, Sweat, and Punk, Vol. 1 & 2 released by Altercation Records and the Punk for Progress compilation to raise money for V-Day.org, a global movement to end violence again women and girls, which features artists such as The Bouncing Souls. Most recently, they were featured on the international compilation Punkabilly Shakes the World, Vol. 2 released by Japanese label Rude Runner Records.

In September 2013, the band released their sophomore full-length, Change Machine, which has received outstanding reviews from critics, enthusiasts, and fans on a global scale, hailing it as a more mature and polished evolution of the band's signature sound. One reviewer for UK blog Popculturez writes about the LP, "Accomplished in their delivery, American Pinup bring a fantastic blend of pop-savvy melody with punk-rock attitude to create an album that offers a real musical edge without compromising on the alternative edge." American Pinup is currently touring in support of this release while continuing to write new material.