Puma Perl & Friends at Lady Stardust

A poet leading an improvisational rock band is not a new concept, but it is rarely found. Born in Brooklyn, Puma Perl moved to the Lower East Side and was inspired by the work of the Nuyorican Poets Café and later by the Bowery Poetry Club. She also attended many performances by local bands, and before long, her rock and roll buddies asked her to read her poems between sets. This ultimately led to a loose collective improvising music behind her as she read. Puma Perl & Friends became a constant on the Lower East Side club circuit. Since 2012, Perl has been the curator of Puma Perl's Pandemonium, a monthly event at the Map Room at the Bowery Electric, where poets, spoken word and performance artists share the stage with local rock bands. Perl authored two chapbooks and three full-length poetry collections; her fifth book, Birthdays Before and After, was released today.

Puma Perl & Friends celebrated the publication of Perl's new collection of poems with a performance at Rick Eckerle's Tues Nite Live Undead series at Lady Stardust. Backed by guitarist Joff Wilson, violinist Walter Steding, saxophonist Danny Ray, bassist Joe Sztabnik, and drummer Dave Donen, Perl and the musicians flew like trapeze artists without a net. Perl's poems read like prose, sometimes sardonic, sometimes melancholic, often peppered with panoramic reflections of neighborhood scenes and its residents' choices. Perl's emotions often were restrained, letting her words paint the passions. Meanwhile, the band locked into cutting grooves that gave Perl's words a living pulse. Spontaneous events are risky by definition, but the performance by Puma Perl & Friends was sparkling and riveting.