Press Release

FWM Releases Exclusive Vinyl Record and Booklet Celebrating the Music of John Jarboe’s The Rose Garden

September 27, 2024

A cover of a square book laying on top of a record cover with a pink see-through vinyl coming out of the cover. The image on the book is a close-up photo of a mouth open wide. There is text overlaying the open mouth that reads "John Jarboe's The Rose Garden, IGNORE ALL THE SIGNS, AND COME INSIDE..."
“Rose: You Are Who You Eat,” 2024. Music by John Jarboe. Design by Rachel Rosenfeld. Photo credit: Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.

Philadelphia, PA, October 4, 2024—The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) is pleased to announce the vinyl and digital music release of Rose: You Are Who You Eat, now available in-store and online at the FWM Store. Produced in collaboration with FWM Artist-in-Residence John Jarboe (she/her), this release includes a single LP vinyl record presented in a gate-fold jacket, as well as a 28-page full-color booklet that features song lyrics and photography from Jarboe’s solo exhibition, The Rose Garden.

Rose features eight original songs composed by John Jarboe and members of the Rose band, including contributing musicians and songwriters Emily Bate, Pax Ressler, Daniel de Jesús, Mel Regn, and composer Be Steadwell. Jarboe describes the album as “stylistically promiscuous” as each song takes the form of a different genre—folk, pop, art rock, and even sing-along—each offering the artist different ways of understanding and expressing her gender journey.

This multi-genre concept album tells the story of Rose, Jarboe’s unborn twin, and serves as a musical companion to the exhibition John Jarboe: The Rose Garden (May 11–September 29, 2024). Additionally, the album connects with the live theater show Rose: You Are Who You Eat, which co-premiered at the 2023 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, La MaMa ETC in New York and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

The story of Rose began in 2018 when Jarboe came out as trans to her family in Michigan at age 33. After revealing that she uses she/her pronouns, Jarboe learned from her aunt that she had a twin sister in the womb: “You ate her. That’s why you are the way you are.” This revelation set Jarboe on a new gender journey, leading to the creation of Rose: You Are Who You Eat, a shrine-like musical tribute to her consumed twin, Rose. Through the exhibition, stage play, and now with this vinyl record, the cabaret artist invites audiences into a “feast of gender” through song, storytelling, and witty wordplay.

Retailing at $33 (or $50 for an artist-signed copy), the exclusive vinyl release of Rose: You Are Who You Eat includes:

  • Single LP (12 inches, 33 rpm)
  • Gate-fold jacket (12 x 24 inches)
  • 28-page companion booklet (12 x 24 inches), featuring a letter from John/Rose, song lyrics and photography from The Rose Garden exhibition.

For those without a turntable, The Rose Garden booklet is also available separately for $15 (or $30 for an artist-signed copy). The digital MP3 album can be downloaded via the artist’s Bandcamp directly for $15 or as an add-on to a vinyl or booklet order at a discounted rate.

Tracklist

Side A:

1. Rose: A True Story (music by Emily Bate)
2. Just Just (music by John Jarboe with Emily Bate)
3. Fuck Me Be Me (music by Be Steadwell)
4. I will not disobey mom (music by Daniel de Jesús)

Side B:

5. Nobody Knows This Little Rose/River (music by Emily Bate, Pax Ressler, and John Jarboe)
6. She Summers in Vienna (music by Emily Bate)
7. And Then Rose Said (music by Pax Ressler)
8. Dear Mom (music by Pax Ressler and John Jarboe featuring the Philadelphia Girls Choir)

All lyrics by John Jarboe

The Rose Band

John Jarboe, lead vocals
Pax Ressler: keys, vocals
Daniel De Jesús: cello and vocals
Emily Bate: guitar, bass, vocals
Mel Regn: drums, vocals

The album was recorded at Gradwell House, mixed by Matt Weber, and mastered by Dave Downham. Music direction is by Emily Bate, with additional musical coaching by Pax Ressler and arrangements by The Rose Band alongside Heath Allen. The booklet, designed by Rachel Rosenfeld, features photography by Christopher Ash and Carlos Avendaño, and is edited by Sarah Kramer. Production of the vinyl and booklet was made possible with support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

About John Jarboe

John Jarboe (she/her) is a director, producer, writer, performer, and art activist, and the founding artistic director of The Bearded Ladies Cabaret.  After receiving a BA and a BFA in English and Theater from the University of Michigan, Jarboe moved to Philadelphia, where in the past 14 years she has created and performed work for organizations including The Wilma Theater, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia Horticultural Society, FringeArts, and Opera Philadelphia. She and her company The Bearded Ladies gained notoriety for their annual Bastille Day show at Eastern State Penitentiary, which grew under her writing and directing from a street festival to an hour-long performance attended by over 10,000 people by 2018. Jarboe has received a 2013 Independence Fellowship, was named best drag performer in Philadelphia (2018) by Philadelphia Magazine and is a 2022 Transformation Grant awardee (The Leeway Foundation). Outside of Philadelphia she has toured original work to Miami, Seattle (Seattle Symphony), France, Poland, New Zealand (Performance Arcade), and Australia (Malthouse Theater). She has also written, performed, and directed original work for La Mama ETC, Joe’s Pub, Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Series, and The Guggenheim’s Works & Process series. She has written for and directed original cabarets for famed opera star Anthony Roth Costanzo and is the drag doula of Stephanie Blythe’s Blythely Oratonio (Lincoln Center American Songbook Series). Jarboe’s original performance piece Rose: You Are Who You Eat, commissioned by Works and Process, premiered at FringeArts, La MaMa ETC, and Woolly Mammoth in 2023 and 2024.

See her upcoming work a beardedladiescabaret.com, Johnjarboe.org, and @johnjarbeaux on Instagram.

Downloadable Media

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Partners & Funding

Major support for John Jarboe: The Rose Garden has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from The National Endowment for the Arts.

Major support of FWM is provided by the Marion Boulton “Kippy” Stroud Foundation. FWM receives state art funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Additional support is provided by Agnes Gund and the Board of Directors and Members of The Fabric Workshop and Museum.

About the Fabric Workshop and Museum

The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) is an internationally acclaimed contemporary art museum devoted to the creation, presentation, and preservation of innovative works of art. Its mission—Collaborating with artists, revealing new possibilities—embodies a 45-year commitment to helping artists experiment with the expressive possibilities of a broad spectrum of new materials and techniques. Through its renowned Artist-in-Residence Program, FWM provides artists at all stages of their careers with the opportunity to collaborate with its studio staff and take their work in fresh and often unexpected directions. FWM presents large-scale exhibitions, installations, and performative work, utilizing innovative fiber and other media including sculpture, installation, video, painting, photography, ceramics, and architecture. Founded in 1977, FWM brings this spirit of creative investigation and discovery to an eager audience, broadening access to art and advancing its role as a catalyst for innovation and social connection.

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