.Barbara Manning and Debora Iyall at Albany’s Ivy Room


Barbara Manning picked up a guitar at fourteen and, by the time she was in college at Chico State, she was playing with 28th Day, a neo-psychedelic pop band, and later performing as a solo artist known for her confessional lyrics and quirky melodies. Manning also played in experimental groups like World of Pooh and The SF Seals and toured internationally, opening for Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth. After working and living in Germany where her solo albums made her a star, she returned to the States in 2001 and got a biology degree, drifting away from music to concentrate on her day job as a high school teacher in Los Angeles. Debora Iyall followed a similarly diverse career path as one of rock’s few successful Native American artists. Iyall became a star during her time with Romeo Void, the first new wave band from San Francisco to make an international splash. When she sang, “I might like you better, if we slept together,” on the band’s first hit, “Never Say Never,” it caused a sensation. When the band dissolved, Iyall made a solo album; earned a Master’s in teaching; taught printmaking; collaborated on theater pieces; taught high school art on the Navajo Nation in Arizona and lectured for UC Davis’ Native American Studies Department. Although she’s dedicated to her current teaching job, Iyall is still making music, including an EP with the Debora Iyall Group and an album with composer/guitarist Peter Dunne titled Stay Strong. This rare local gig by the two longtime musicians and teachers will surely be a powerful and memorable one.

Saturday, July 8, 9pm, $12 – 14, 860 San Pablo Ave, Albany, IvyRoom.com

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