Comedy/Music Variety Show: Erica Rhodes ft. Katie Toupin & Eva Mikhailovna

It’s Erica Rhodes Week at The Bend! 

Erica is coming back to West Bend, WI. This time, she’s collaborating with internationally known musical friends Katie Toupin & Eva Mikhailovna (from Eva & The Vagabond Tales) to help West Bend kick off the holiday season.

This week will surely be filled with laughs, music, and the highest quality entertainment you could ask for! Washington County welcomes her back with open arms. The Bend has waited all year for this, so join us in celebrating all the great things West Bend has to offer. This is an experience that only The Bend Theater could provide!

Erica Rhodes

At the age of ten, Erica Rhodes started her entertainment career by voicing the conscience of legendary humorist and writer Garrison Keillor on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion and has worked on that show ever since.  She has performed on stage with Meryl Streep for PBS’ A Prairie Home Companion Celebrates the 4th of July special and co-starred with Martin Sheen when the famous radio show played L.A.’s Greek Theatre and Hollywood Bowl shows.

Erica starred in the cult horror film Plague Town and recently wrapped a supporting role in Play Nice, directed by Rodman Flender and starring Mary Lynn Rajskub.  She also starred in Big Sky, an indie road trip movie that followed a young couple’s journey from L.A. to Montana.   Erica co-created and starred in the award-winning web series Apt. 45, but is probably best known for the character of Sandy in Iron Sink Media’s web series Upstairs Girls and her own hit spin-off Sandy’s Channel.

Erica is also a fast-rising standup comic with appearances on Comedy Central’s @ Midnight, AXS’ Live at Gotham, and the syndicated Comics Unleashed.  In 2015, she performed standup at San Francisco Sketchfest, the Moontower Comedy Festival (Austin, TX), the Blue Whale Comedy Festival (Tulsa, OK), and the Boston Comedy Festival.

Katie Toupin 

Katie has found a home in her role as a solo artist after leaving the critically acclaimed alt-country band, Houndmouth in 2016. Toupin had enormous success with Houndmouth after releasing their sophomore album, “Little Neon Limelight.” The single, “Sedona,” reached #1 on Billboard’s Triple A Chart. Toupin made multiple appearances on David Letterman and Conan, as well as toured internationally during her time with the band.

Toupin has since released a live EP, “Moroccan Ballroom,” a self-produced album “Magnetic Moves, and her newest creation, a mini-album, “Little Heart,” releases July 9th, 2021. She has spent time touring nationally, gaining her praise from outlets like Paste, Pop Matters, American Songwriter, and more. Her solo collaborators have also been noteworthy, including Grammy-winning engineer for Cage The Elephant, Jeremy Ferguson, who co-produced her newest release, “Little Heart.”

Eva Mikhailovna

Eva & the Vagabond Tales is a music group led by singer-songwriter Eva Mikhailovna. The songs combine Eastern European folk, vintage pop, and ragtime into a musical melting pot, creating an alluring sound that “transcends time and continents.” Building its sound from the foundations of old time music and melancholy storytelling, it bends the laws of traditional songwriting to become a sound all its own. The group has toured across the Pacific Northwest, sharing the stage with M. Ward, Erica Rhodes, Pompeya, as well as other notable acts. Mikhailovna has worked with Brooklyn based producer Charles Newman on her 2019 full length album, Uncharted Ocean (released on Mother West label).

The group’s music has been featured in NPR Variety shows and commercials around the world. Recently their song, “Rose Colored Dreams” was featured in the title credits for comedian Erica Rhodes’ comedy special “La Vie En Rhodes,” filmed at the Rose Bowl. Mikhailovna is currently working on her third full-length album, to be released in 2023. One can count on finding Eva and the “Vagabonds” serenading crowds at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA where they can be caught playing their original songs as well as special takes on Disney classics. “Some of the songs feel like a personal experience, and some are like adventures from another time or another place.”- David Fleming, NPR 2019.