Strange Freaks: It’s your time!

Lucinda Black Bear (Christian Gibbs, left) play a spirited show at the late, lamented Zipper Theater in Midtown Manhattan in September 2008. (Photo by SPM, all rights reserved)

With Spike Lee‘s film version of Passing Strange landing at the Tribeca Film Festival next week, this is prime time for loyal Strange Freaks, as fans of the rock musical are known.

For me, the excitement starts at The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn, on Saturday night, April 18. That’s when Lucinda Black Bear — one of the many musical personas of Passing Strange on Broadway’s guitar phenomenon Christian Gibbs — takes the stage of that awesome venue. A surprise guest is expected to join the band onstage for at least one song. I can’t say who it will be, but I’ll be there at the front! And I’m hoping for a few additional surprises in the audience as well as onstage. We shall see! I’m not expecting any Passing Strange music will be played, but I’m counting on at least two members of the PS musical team to be onstage at some point in the evening.

Christian played in plenty of bands before PS, and he’s continued to play since. He’s one of those guys who just seems to have music in his blood. Every one of his musical personas is special — whether he’s playing as C. Gibbs, the C. Gibbs Collective, or Lucinda Black Bear.

In this case, LBB is headlining at 10 pm sharp (or that’s the official word, though it could start a bit later), taking the stage after KaiserCartel at 9 and The Winterpills at 8. For more info, go here or for tickets in advance, go here.

The fun continues at 6:30 Wednesday night, April 22, at the Apple Store in SoHo, when Spike Lee screens excerpts of the film and does a Q&A. That one’s free. Get there early, as it’ll be a big crowd!

Then for the main event: The only screening of Passing Strange at the Tribeca Film Festival, on Saturday evening, May 2. It looks like advance tickets may be gone, but there will be a waiting line for rush tickets. The DGA theater in Midtown is fairly large, so it might be worth the wait.

KaiserCartel, with Christian Gibbs, left, helping out, play the Zipper Theater in Midtown Manhattan in September 2008. (Photo by SPM, all rights reserved)