Eclectic Music and More

Swami Beyondananda and Teresa Tudury
An Evening of Comedy

Saturday, October 15, 2011 • 8pm
Tickets: $20/advance, $22/door, $10/teens 12-17,
children under 12 are free with paying adult.
Unitarian Fellowship, 4th and C Streets, Ashland

Did you miss the Swami last season? Well, he's back and he's bringing a new side-kick, Teresa Tudury.

Why should you attend this show? Swami Beyondananda says it best:

"Lose Weightiness Now! Yes, in these stressful times ... well, weightiness just seems to pile on, doesn't it? Just a few days without laughing, and before long you're suffering from irregularhilarity, on track for a full-blown case of humorrhoids! This doesn't have to happen. Swami Beyondananda, the Cosmic Comic whose favorite yoga pose is tongue-in-cheek, will help you lose weightiness through heart-opening laughter. It's a scientific fact: Levity is the best way to overcome gravity. You'll leave lighter and brighter - or the Swami will double your karma back!"

Who is this infamous Swami Beyondananda?

Swami Beyondananda is the cosmic comic alter ego of writer, humorist, performer and uncommontator Steve Bhaerman. The Swami, whose favorite yoga pose is tongue-in-cheek, is the spokesperson for a new non-religion, FUNdamentalism (accent on "fun"). Says the Swami, "We are strictly non-dominational."

Steve was pursuing a career as a teacher and writer, when a funny thing happened. The name "Swami Beyondananda" flew into his head on day in 1979. As Steve tells it, "I got struck by enlightening during a brainstorm."

The following year, when he and a cohort were casting about for a comic mascot for their ground-breaking holistic publication, Pathways in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Swami's name popped back up. The first issue of Pathways in January, 1980 featured an ad spoofing the old Famous Artists ads. This ad was for Famous Guru's Schools, and the headline proclaimed, "We're looking for people who want to draw ... on higher consciousness." The piece included some mock testimonials, including: "Dear Swami ... loved your leadership training ... please send followers."

After Pathways ceased publication, the Swami's articles began to appear in national publications such as the old East West Journal, and local publications in Philadelphia, Austin, Salt Lake City, among others. When Steve decided to pursue comedy as a full-time career in 1985, the Swami was the obvious vehicle.

In the course of nearly twenty-five years of purveying cosmic comedy and healing laughter, Swami has had a successful, long-running monthly column, Ask The Swami, has written four books (Driving Your Own Karma ... When You See A Sacred Cow, Milk It for All It's Worth ... Duck Soup for the Soul ... Swami for Precedent: A Seven-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction), and produced a half a dozen comedy cassettes (sorry, not available on 8-track) and CDs.

The Swami has been on stage with the great sages of the past quarter century, and even performed for Swami Satchidananda's 80th birthday party in 1994, along with Hollywood celebs and international recording artists. He has gained a reputation for being both pointed and compassionate (his comedy has been called "irreverently uplifting"), and over the past decade, his comedy has become more political.

In recent years, the Swami has performed at numerous political events, including the Transpartisan Alliance Citizens Summit, the Network of Spiritual Progressives Conference, the Department of Peace Conference, the Praxis Peace Institute Economics of Peace Conference, to name a few.

The laugh track is double this time around as we introduce Teresa Tudury to Ashland.

"Teresa Tudury is an undiscovered gem, boasting scads of talent and a command of both language and music, which she demonstrates in ample portions. Like a cross between Tracey Ullman and the early Bette Midler, an evening with Tudury is part comedy show, part sensitive singer-songwriter concert and part cabaret act—and all immensely enjoyable...In her zany between-song patter Tudury is so uninhibited she makes Robin Williams seem restrained.... Plus, Tudury can certainly sing. Possessed of a deep, sultry voice which she dresses in heavy blues phrasing and adorns with generous swatches of vibrato, Tudury evoked every nuance out of her quirky novelty tunes and belted out her off-beat torch songs."
Steven Libowitz - Santa Barbara News Press

Teresa Tudury started writing songs at age 12 and was performing in San Francisco nightclubs by the time she was 15. She has played on and off in the Bay Area for years, and for almost two decades was based in Los Angeles where in addition to music gigs, she wrote comedy and worked as a character actress on stage and screen. With a deep, sultry voice that magnetizes audiences, and a scathing comedic wit to match, Teresa is a consummate performer who pours out her original songs with power, verve, passion, and disarming humor. Teresa's voice has been described as a cross between Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt (LA Weekly). Her vocal stylings are perfectly complemented by her bluesy guitar playing.

Throughout her career, Teresa has recorded or performed with such greats as Leonard Cohen, Rickie Lee Jones, Lyle Lovett, Taj Mahal, Leo Kottke, Charlie Musselwhite, Stevie Coyle and Bonnie Bramlett. Now residing in Sonoma County, Teresa continues to perform and write new material. She has just released Such Fine Things, her latest CD. Her earlier recordings (1992 Teresa Tudury, and the 2002 River Of Life) were recently rereleased. With these recordings and a steady stream of concert appearances, Teresa is a gifted artist in her prime.

Place: Unitarian Fellowship, 4th and C Streets, Ashland • Cost: $40

In these times of great upheaval – not to mention "downheaval" – we are nourished by love and laughter. This heart-opening and mind-expanding playshop led by Steve Bhaerman and talented singer-songwriter Teresa Tudury will help you wake up laughing and wise up loving – and give voice to your greatest concerns and greatest hopes.

Wake Up Laughing, Wise Up Loving, Rise Up Singing will offer both the perspective and the tools to navigate these evolutionary times. Not only will you get an encouraging take on what would appear to be discouraging news worldwide, you will help develop some key inner resources to help you be a beacon for yourself and others during challenging times. You'll laugh while you learn, and learn while you laugh … and you will do both singing!

You may know of Steve's work in the guise of Swami Beyondananda. For nearly 25 years, the Swami has been a fount of comedy disguised as wisdom – or is it wisdom disguised as comedy? Noted author Marianne Williamson has called him "the Mark Twain of our generation" because the comedy isn't just hilariously funny, but also offers sharp social commentary and spiritual perspective.

However, there's another side to Swami. His alter ego Steve Bhaerman recently completed a book with cellular biologist Bruce Lipton (The Biology of Belief) that offers a truly heartening view of our evolutionary future based both on modern science and ancient wisdom. The book, Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here, has been called "world-changing" both by spiritual luminary Deepak Chopra and political commentator Thom Hartmann.

Teresa Tudury started writing songs at age 12 and was performing in San Francisco nightclubs by the time she was 15. She has played on and off in the Bay Area for years, and for almost two decades was based in Los Angeles where in addition to music gigs, she wrote comedy and worked as a character actress on stage and screen.

Throughout her career, Teresa has recorded or performed with such greats as Leonard Cohen, Rickie Lee Jones, Lyle Lovett, Taj Mahal, Leo Kottke, Charlie Musselwhite and Bonnie Bramlett. She brings a world of experience and psychological depth, wit and wisdom to her writing and her teaching.