When jack-of-all-musical-trades Gabriel Kahane (composer, singer-songwriter, pianist) went on a less-than-successful date in Chinatown last year, the lady in question told him “I’m really good at nesting, but I’m terrified of commitment.” So Kahane decided to write her a song about modern dating in New York. But it’s not quite the usual navel-gazing love letter: “Let’s Not Settle Down — Together” is a hilarious send-up of Cole Porter’s finger-snapping, cleverly rhyming, dramatically fey tunes; and while it didn’t quite get the girl, it does show up from time to time in Kahane’s concerts (and never fails to get the theater queens giggling, with lines like “Sunday brunch is one thing / But Saturday’s another / So don’t get grand ideas about when I’ll meet your mother”). Kahane, who’s currently writing a show for the Public Theater, begins a monthlong residency at Rockwood Music Hall on June 1, and will likely pull this non-album favorite out with typical self-deprecating commentary.
