Last night a bunch of us had the pleasure of heading to legendary NYC venue Joe’s Pub to catch a set by Girls in Trouble, followed by the mind-boggling antics of Eli Valley vs. The Sway Machinery in the Temple of Self Hatred. Of course, no one among us had any idea exactly what that meant until the show began, but the clip above should give you some idea. Quite the renowned cartoonist, Valley let the audience look upon his tumultuous (and at times, hilarious) personal history, which is irrevocably tied to the plight of Jewish American cartoonists and illustrators. Several times during the set, The Sway Machinery lent their jarring and strange brand of funk and blues to Valley’s stories, injecting a rich and complex blend of sounds into his memories and illustrations. Thanks to the FJC and The Forward for putting on such a killer show! Want to see more? Photos and videos courtesy of Dan Sieradski.