New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Cidny Bullens' Somewhere Between: Not an Ordinary Life, directed by
Tanya Taylor Rubinstein, is a powerful story of perseverance, tragedy, triumph — and ultimately unconditional love. In an intimate setting, Cidny tells his autobiographical story with a guitar, images and a healthy sense of humor.
Cidny Bullens is a two-time Grammy nominee who, as Cindy Bullens, began a 40-year career in the music business auspiciously, working with Sir Elton John, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, and Four Seasons songwriter/producer Bob Crewe. She sang three lead vocals on the soundtrack of 1978's Grease; that year she also recorded her own critically acclaimed album Desire Wire, which earned a Grammy nomination and catapulted Cindy into the international spotlight. She later had success in Nashville writing with some of country's hottest songwriters, including the 1994 hit "Hammer and Nails," written with and recorded by Radney Foster.
Somewhere Between begins with Cindy's arrival in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, taking us through her fateful meetings with Crewe and
Elton John — brushing ever so close to stardom — and covers her unlikely journey as a wife and mother, then as a bereaved parent, and finally as a grandparent. We learn throughout the story about Cindy's private struggle with gender identity and how, finally, she decides to jump headlong into the fire of gender transition — to become Cidny, the person he always felt he was.
In March of 1996, Cindy lost her 11 year-old daughter
Jessie to cancer. That tragedy inspired Cindy to write and record her widely acclaimed 1999 CD Somewhere Between
Heaven and Earth, featuring appearances by Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Bryan Adams, Beth Neilson Chapman, Rodney Crowell, and a haunting duet with her elder daughter, Reid Crewe.
With that release, Cindy received worldwide attention from press, radio, and television, including NBC's Today show, CBS This Morning, Late Night With Conan O'Brien, The New York Times, People magazine, Rolling Stone and many more. The CD also received the Best Rock Album award in 2000 by AFIM (Association for Independent Music).
Cindy's 2001 album, Neverland, features Emmylou Harris,
Steve Earle and John Hiatt. Her 2005 release, dream #29, includes the rollicking piano playing of pal Sir
Elton John on the title track, a duet with Delbert McClinton, and a vocal appearance by
Boston Red Sox great Tim Wakefield. Howling Trains and Barking Dogs, from 2010, is a tribute to her Nashville co-writing days in the 1990s, compiling her best songs from that period.
In 2007 Cindy formed the upstart and uprising super-trio the Refugees with Wendy Waldman and Deborah Holland. Their first CD, Unbound, was released in 2009 and their second CD, THREE, in 2012. Their third album will be released in 2017.
In 2011, Cindy became Cidny, making the difficult and daunting decision to transition from female to male. He stepped back from the public eye to go through the process until February 2016, re-emerging as Cidny Bullens with the premiere of Somewhere Between: Not an Ordinary Life in
Santa Fe, N.M. The Nashville Scene named it 2016's Best One-Person Show. Cid continues to perform Somewhere Between all over the U.S.
"Once known to Nashville's music community as Cindy Bullens — singer-songwriter, wife and mother — Bullens' transformation into Cidny is a fascinating story that he told with grace and emotional power through a heartfelt original script and songs drawn from the well-respected Bullens catalog. This show was a startlingly original piece of theater." —Martin Brady, Nashville Scene
"Art plus passion plus adversity equals magic!" —Santa Fe Reporter
"Cidny Bullens Somewhere Between is beautifully crafted, full of courage, and offers a heart-felt and remarkably human story that you won't want to miss." —The Tennessean
"Somewhere Between is literally transformative". —Skip Anderson, Nashville Scene
"It is without a doubt one of the best shows I have seen!" —Deirdre Nice, St. Lawrence Arts Director, Portland, Maine
Upcoming shows:
May 5, 6, 7 PORTLAND, ME St. Lawrence Arts
June 9, 10 SANTA MONICA, CA Highways Performance Space
Sept. 10 MELBOURNE, FL (Venue TBA)
Oct. 6, 7 ANCHORAGE, AK (Venue TBA)
Nov. 9, 10, 11 AUSTIN TX The Vortex
Shows pending: San Francisco CA, New York NY, Seattle WA, Providence RI,
Boston MA, Minneapolis MN,
Chicago IL
https://www.cidnybullenssomewherebetween.com
