Biography
![[Garry's headshot]](images/headshot.jpg)
GARRY NOVIKOFF is a multi-faceted artist in dire need of a new bio. The version currently up on his website is terribly out of date and makes no mention of his latest accomplishments: winning the ASCAP FOUNDATION'S JOE RAPOSO AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S MUSIC (for "The Melody Song"), his MAC Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs nomination (for his song "We Are The Meek"), and TAKE A NUMBER: THE SONGS OF GARRY NOVIKFF, the revue of his original songs performed by a top-notch cast that wowed both critics and audiences at New York's Duplex Theater. His bio doesn't say how TIME OUT NEW YORK loves his CD A NORMAL LIFE, calling it a "catchy and more importantly funny, collection of pop songs." A more current bio would probably say something along the lines of: "Garry excels at every genre of music that he applies himself to," and would talk about THE COMMITTEE, his rock band, ROCK SOUP, his new children's musical, and MUSIC TO MY EARS, the song-based curriculum he is developing as a grade school music educator. It wouldn't leave out the work he does bringing music to those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's in nursing homes and hospitals. Instead we get an incomplete picture. Garry complains that he is overworked, that HTML is a real pain in the ass, and that what he really needs is to give his website a complete overhaul. It's really a shame, because those read his bio to find stuff out about him are left in the dark about all these things. At least his old bio is still up there and it's an entertaining read.
****
A customer service rep suffers pangs of jealousy and regret when he encounters a dog more successful in life than he is. A grown man continues to be haunted by an embarrassing incident from kindergarten. Two downtrodden New Yorkers search for a little happiness on the Internet and get more than they bargained for. And in a world of scary adults, a young boy finds safety with his beloved pet rabbit. These are some of the stories that singer/songwriter GARRY NOVIKOFF fleshes out with his unique brand of humor and pathos on his new CD, A NORMAL LIFE. The buzz surrounding GARRY’S much anticipated full-length debut began with one of the CDs standout songs Dog on the Moon. Originally released on the compilation TO TOUCH THE STARS, “Dog” is a fictional tale about America’s first canine space tourist and the average Joe who envies him. The song found an immediate champion in singer/songwriter CHRISTINE LAVIN, and was soon was being played by DJs across the country, including the legendary JONATHAN SCHWARTZ on WNYC and BOB SHERMAN on WFUV. Dog was featured on DAILY PLANET, a TV news program on Canada’s Discovery Channel, and received rave reviews in the press. POPULAR SCIENCE praised the song’s poignancy, SMITHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE called it “surreal,” and Jeff Berkwits of SCIENCE FICTION WEEKLY called the song “joyous” and “hilarious.” Dog’s notoriety soon had him sharing a stage with PETE SEEGER at a concert in New York’s City’s MERKIN HALL. On her website, attendee CHRISTINE LAVIN described GARRY’S performance as his A Star Is Born moment. Prestigious producer and former BONGOS frontman RICHARD BARONE came in to produce Garry’s follow-up song, I Like Men. A deceptively innocent anthem, the song was heard all over the country on satellite radio’s SIRIUS OUTQ station. BARONE also contributed his producing talents on Remember, one of the CDs other stellar tracks. His mother a professional nightclub singer and his father a blue-collar amateur bongo player; GARRY was destined for a life in music. He began composing at the age of six on the piano in the foyer of his family’s Bronx apartment. He later taught himself the guitar as well, and began putting words to melodies. After graduating from college with a degree in languages, GARRY moved to France for a few years, first teaching English at a French university and later working as a singer/pianist in the piano bars of Alsace-Lorraine. “While living in France, I was exposed to certain kinds of songs that I might not have known about,” says GARRY, who cites EDITH PIAF as one of his many influences. “Piaf was the master-interpreter of the “chanson realiste,” story songs about everyday people, told in an everyday language. These songs made a big impression on me. They were like these amazing three-minute plays. I wanted to write songs like that.” Like PIAF, GARRY brings a rare intensity to his live performances with a style that is theatrical yet deeply connected. Unlike the French chanteuse, however, GARRY’S songs often blur the line between comedy and tragedy. Grammy-nominated filmmaker VICTOR MIGNATTI remarks, “I am so taken with Garry’s unique brand of humor and story-telling. The songs are very sneaky. They reach up and grab you in the heart when you least expect it.” Take for example the title track on A NORMAL LIFE, a song about a man on mood-stabilizing medication. It begins humorously enough: I’m not so bad now, I used to be worse
I was obnoxious and I was perverse
I’d sleep with your lover
I’d drink and I’d curse
I’d eat all your ice cream
And steal from your purse But by the end of the song, the character mourns his former insanity: Now I live in a place
That’s not heaven or hell
Without highs and lows
And less stories to tell
And these days it seems
I just go through the motions
But how I miss riding those wild emotions. The songs on A NORMAL LIFE delve deep, brimming over with honesty and humanity. WFUV DJ BOB SHERMAN describes Lenny and Good Night Rabbit, as “two aching memories swirled into heartbreaking songs of love and loss.” GARRY’S musical style has been described as “HARRY NILSSON meets BARENAKED LADIES over at the FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE on AVENUE Q. ” “My songs run an eclectic gamut,” says GARRY, whose influences include everything from punk rock to musical theater. GARRY uses this diverse musical palette to paint his colorful, haunting character studies and off-kilter tales which come together on the seventeen tracks of A NORMAL LIFE to form a truly unique work. A resident of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, GARRY has performed in such diverse New York venues as THE CUTTING ROOM, LINCOLN CENTER’S ALICE TULLY HALL, MERKIN HALL, THE TRIAD THEATER, DON’T TELL MAMA, ROSE’S TURN, MAMA ROSE’S, THE PYRAMID CLUB, CB’S GALLERY and the dearly missed BOTTOM LINE. He has also performed at the BLUEBIRD CAFÉ in Nashville and the LIZARD LOUNGE in Paris. GARRY has shared stages with PETE SEEGER, JANE SIBERRY, CHRISTINE LAVIN, TOM CHAPIN and many others. GARRY has been the recipient of artistic grants from GREAT PERFORMANCES and the ANNA SOSENKO ASSIST TRUST. He has performed at the MAC/ASCAP showcase on the same bill as AVENUE Q creators JEFF MARX and BOBBY LOPEZ, and has been a featured writer/performer in the SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME New Writer’s Showcase. Many of Garry’s songs have been heard on WFUV in New York.
****
A customer service rep suffers pangs of jealousy and regret when he encounters a dog more successful in life than he is. A grown man continues to be haunted by an embarrassing incident from kindergarten. Two downtrodden New Yorkers search for a little happiness on the Internet and get more than they bargained for. And in a world of scary adults, a young boy finds safety with his beloved pet rabbit. These are some of the stories that singer/songwriter GARRY NOVIKOFF fleshes out with his unique brand of humor and pathos on his new CD, A NORMAL LIFE. The buzz surrounding GARRY’S much anticipated full-length debut began with one of the CDs standout songs Dog on the Moon. Originally released on the compilation TO TOUCH THE STARS, “Dog” is a fictional tale about America’s first canine space tourist and the average Joe who envies him. The song found an immediate champion in singer/songwriter CHRISTINE LAVIN, and was soon was being played by DJs across the country, including the legendary JONATHAN SCHWARTZ on WNYC and BOB SHERMAN on WFUV. Dog was featured on DAILY PLANET, a TV news program on Canada’s Discovery Channel, and received rave reviews in the press. POPULAR SCIENCE praised the song’s poignancy, SMITHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE called it “surreal,” and Jeff Berkwits of SCIENCE FICTION WEEKLY called the song “joyous” and “hilarious.” Dog’s notoriety soon had him sharing a stage with PETE SEEGER at a concert in New York’s City’s MERKIN HALL. On her website, attendee CHRISTINE LAVIN described GARRY’S performance as his A Star Is Born moment. Prestigious producer and former BONGOS frontman RICHARD BARONE came in to produce Garry’s follow-up song, I Like Men. A deceptively innocent anthem, the song was heard all over the country on satellite radio’s SIRIUS OUTQ station. BARONE also contributed his producing talents on Remember, one of the CDs other stellar tracks. His mother a professional nightclub singer and his father a blue-collar amateur bongo player; GARRY was destined for a life in music. He began composing at the age of six on the piano in the foyer of his family’s Bronx apartment. He later taught himself the guitar as well, and began putting words to melodies. After graduating from college with a degree in languages, GARRY moved to France for a few years, first teaching English at a French university and later working as a singer/pianist in the piano bars of Alsace-Lorraine. “While living in France, I was exposed to certain kinds of songs that I might not have known about,” says GARRY, who cites EDITH PIAF as one of his many influences. “Piaf was the master-interpreter of the “chanson realiste,” story songs about everyday people, told in an everyday language. These songs made a big impression on me. They were like these amazing three-minute plays. I wanted to write songs like that.” Like PIAF, GARRY brings a rare intensity to his live performances with a style that is theatrical yet deeply connected. Unlike the French chanteuse, however, GARRY’S songs often blur the line between comedy and tragedy. Grammy-nominated filmmaker VICTOR MIGNATTI remarks, “I am so taken with Garry’s unique brand of humor and story-telling. The songs are very sneaky. They reach up and grab you in the heart when you least expect it.” Take for example the title track on A NORMAL LIFE, a song about a man on mood-stabilizing medication. It begins humorously enough: I’m not so bad now, I used to be worse
I was obnoxious and I was perverse
I’d sleep with your lover
I’d drink and I’d curse
I’d eat all your ice cream
And steal from your purse But by the end of the song, the character mourns his former insanity: Now I live in a place
That’s not heaven or hell
Without highs and lows
And less stories to tell
And these days it seems
I just go through the motions
But how I miss riding those wild emotions. The songs on A NORMAL LIFE delve deep, brimming over with honesty and humanity. WFUV DJ BOB SHERMAN describes Lenny and Good Night Rabbit, as “two aching memories swirled into heartbreaking songs of love and loss.” GARRY’S musical style has been described as “HARRY NILSSON meets BARENAKED LADIES over at the FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE on AVENUE Q. ” “My songs run an eclectic gamut,” says GARRY, whose influences include everything from punk rock to musical theater. GARRY uses this diverse musical palette to paint his colorful, haunting character studies and off-kilter tales which come together on the seventeen tracks of A NORMAL LIFE to form a truly unique work. A resident of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, GARRY has performed in such diverse New York venues as THE CUTTING ROOM, LINCOLN CENTER’S ALICE TULLY HALL, MERKIN HALL, THE TRIAD THEATER, DON’T TELL MAMA, ROSE’S TURN, MAMA ROSE’S, THE PYRAMID CLUB, CB’S GALLERY and the dearly missed BOTTOM LINE. He has also performed at the BLUEBIRD CAFÉ in Nashville and the LIZARD LOUNGE in Paris. GARRY has shared stages with PETE SEEGER, JANE SIBERRY, CHRISTINE LAVIN, TOM CHAPIN and many others. GARRY has been the recipient of artistic grants from GREAT PERFORMANCES and the ANNA SOSENKO ASSIST TRUST. He has performed at the MAC/ASCAP showcase on the same bill as AVENUE Q creators JEFF MARX and BOBBY LOPEZ, and has been a featured writer/performer in the SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME New Writer’s Showcase. Many of Garry’s songs have been heard on WFUV in New York.