About THOSE GIRLS

2023, 2020, 2018 and 2017 BEST VOCAL DUO/GROUP - MANHATTAN ASSOC. OF CABARETS (MAC) and 2020 BROADWAY WORLD CABARET AWARD FOR BEST GROUP SHOW!

THOSE GIRLS are a New York City-based vocal group with a mix of harmony and humor that promises a great time filled with great music! Eve, Rachel, Karen and Wendy joined forces in 2016 to form this contemporary women’s quartet that performs an eclectic mix of music from a wide range of styles - from pop to jazz, the Beatles to U2, country to rock, standards to showtunes, and everything in between. They made their Carnegie Hall debut in 2019 and their Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) debut in 2022, both through the Mabel Mercer Foundation. Their fresh takes on all things vocal have quickly made them a favorite coast to coast with audiences and critics alike. Above all, they strive to create unique arrangements while bringing their sense of joy and fun to performances of all sizes, creating welcoming, inclusive, innovative shows that are fun, high-energy, insightful, and memorable.

"A unique blend of unusual repertoire, killer arrangements, individual performances and exciting harmonies!"
- Times Square Chronicles (T2C)

"THOSE GIRLS. That's the name of the group and these girls deserve to be in all caps. Apart, these remarkable women are four of the best vocalists in the business - together, these Sisters From Other Misters are the purveyors of some of the most exquisite vocal harmonies to be found on earth. Since joining forces in 2016, THOSE GIRLS have been packing every room they have played, as well as accepting invitations from everyone in town planning a group show. They are leaders in the business and the community, demonstrating for every other woman the extent to which they can control their destinies and their artistry, and always leading with love. Inspirational and sensational, these girls are more like THOSE AMAZING WOMEN." -- S. Mosher, BroadwayWorld.com 

EVE EATON

Eve is grateful to have walked into a Singnasium class with Lennie Watts in 2014 because it was there that she reconnected with her love of music, cabaret and eventually where she met the other girls and helped form Those Girls! She was nominated for a Broadway World Award in the Best Show, Female category for her first solo show (after a nine year hiatus): Back to Billy:  A Love Affair 30 Years in the Making (directed by Lennie Watts, musical direction by Steven Ray Watkins).  Since then, and with the creation of Those Girls, she’s had the pleasure of singing on stages all over New York City, as well as in Washington State, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Texas! She hails from the beautiful Pacific Northwest (Olympia, Washington) where she spent her formative years in theatre.  She has a Master of Fine Arts in Drama from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is an avid traveler, is not a dancer but pretends to be one, and has a soft spot for spicy cheese flavored microwave popcorn.

RACHEL HANSER

Rachel has performed in cabaret rooms, bars and clubs all over NYC, as a featured performer and as a back-up singer. Rachel’s first featured cabaret show was called 5’3” and Under, in which she played “Under”. Other features include A Sign of the Times (the music of Petula Clark) and The Words and Music of Joni Mitchell. Her vocal harmony chops were well showcased as a longstanding performer in D. Jay Bradley’s Annual Christmas Show, a much loved holiday tradition in NYC for more than a decade. As a member of the Poppy Seed Players, through the Kaufman Cultural Center, Rachel has had lead roles in Hannah the Joyful, A Tree Grows Up and Number the Stars. Rachel is also a featured singer in the Jonathan Lewis Band, and was a founding member of the a cappella group Downtown Vocals. She can be heard on several recordings, including Jim Speake’s MAC Award winning Sweet Life CD, Miranda Music’s A New York Holiday, D. Jay Bradley’s Don’t Let Christmas Pass You By, and the Downtown Vocals CD, Tracks. While singing, Rachel can often be found with a shaker, tambourine or some other random noisemaker in her hands. Rachel’s passion for singing started at summer camp, where she played the part of Ado Annie in Hebrew.

KAREN MACK

Karen is an eleven-time MAC Award winner for vocal performance and songwriting, as well as for her vocal harmony work for 12+ years with talented singer/songwriter Michael Holland. LGNY says “in addition to her sense of humor, she has the kind of voice one longs to hear…her flawless placement, appealing style and dead-on performance are electrifying!” Karen was part of the 25th Anniversary Gala for the NY Pops at Carnegie Hall, and was featured in the UK premier of “Brenda Bly, Teen Detective”, and “Build Me A Bridge - The Music of Miller and Hammonds” at the Bridewell Theater in London’s West End. Club appearances include Town Hall, Symphony Space, B.B. Kings, The Bottom Line, Caroline’s, The Fez, The Bitter End,  and numerous college keggers. Always drawn to rich and complex vocal harmony, she spent eight years with pro a cappella quintet Doo•Wa•Zoo, and for those NYC cabaret history buffs out there, she was part of piano bar fave D. Jay Bradley’s annual Christmas spectacular alongside fellow “Girl” Rachel Hanser. She can be seen monthly with NY Times hailed piano/vocalist Elliot Roth in their jazz/swing residency at Pangea NYC, and her new solo album with producer/arranger Peter Eldridge (Grammy-winner, member of international jazz vocal group New York Voices) is slated to drop early 2024. In Those Girls, Karen is in charge of cookie baking, rehearsal space rental and run-on sentences.  www.karenmack.com

WENDY RUSSELL

A native New Yorker, Wendy has performed as a jazz & cabaret vocalist at clubs in and around NYC including the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Hudson Theater, Don’t Tell Mama, The Duplex, and The Metropolitan Room.  Working with Lennie Watts (director) and Steven Ray Watkins (piano),  she was nominated for a 2016 MAC Award for Best Female Vocalist, for her highly acclaimed solo cabaret show, “Where Have I Been All My Life”,  She’s been a featured soloist in the First Acoustics Concert series with vibraphonist Stefan Bauer.  Wendy started her singing career as a soloist in the Riverside Church's Children's Antiphonal Choir and as a soloist for Holt Rinehart & Winston/Triton Records Exploring Music K-12 series of Albums.  Wendy is a singer, songwriter, arranger and a sought after back-up vocalist. In addition, Wendy teaches vocal technique and performance classes, and works with all ages.  She has a valid driver’s license and tries repeatedly to make Those Girls learn solfege with no success thus far.

TEAM:

Lennie Watts - Director/Creative Consultant

Lennie Watts is a 13 time MAC, 5 time Backstage Bistro, 3 time Nightlife, and a 2014 Broadway World Award Winner. Active in the New York cabaret scene for over 25 years, he's the only person to receive awards as an outstanding vocalist, director, producer, and booking manager. In addition to directing in clubs & cabaret venues, he's directed events at Symphony Space, Town Hall, and BB King Blues Club. Watts is the creator of "cablab", "Summer In The City", and The Arrangement Experience and Boot Camp, all critically acclaimed professional performance workshops.  He is on the faculty of Marymount Manhattan College, as well as a Master Teacher at The Eugene O'Neill Cabaret Conference. Lennie was recently named One of the 50 Most Influential People in Cabaret, and is currently the President of MAC.

Steven Ray Watkins - Musical Director

Steven Ray Watkins has been playing the piano and has been a working musician for over 40 years, and is one of the most sought after musical directors and pianists in NYC.  As a musical consultant & vocal coach, he has worked with a myriad of different performers, including Patti LuPone, Hugh Jackman, Beyonce, Anne Hathaway, Cynthia Nixon, Bonnie Franklin, Amanda McBroom, Louise Pitre, and Karen Mason.  He consulted on the 2009 Oscars, has musical directed the MAC Awards three times, and has been involved in  benefits & concerts across the country, including NYC performances at Town Hall and Carnegie Hall. As a composer, he has written specialty material for the MAC Awards, many cabaret acts, and his song “Give Me A Voice” appears on Lennie Watts’ critically acclaimed CD “I Want….You Want.”   

Photographers - Libby Fox, Ambe J. Photography, Helane Blumfield, Conor Weiss

Logo Design -  Kenny Holcomb

Website Design - SLC