Joseph Keckler, a singer, writer, and multifaceted artist who wowed local audiences with his Vashon debut in 2022, will return to Vashon Center for the Arts for another memorable evening of vivid stories and stirring songs, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28.

This time, he’ll be joined by special guest, the legendary musician and writer Lydia Lunch, on the heels of their joint Australian tour.

Lunch was an iconic part of the No Wave movement of the 1970s in New York City; the muse of The Cinema of Transgression in the mid-80s; and continues to be a prolific writer, musician, poet, spoken word artist, and photographer. Her decades-long career is the subject of “The War is Never Over,” a feature-length documentary film.

Keckler has made a name for himself as a revolutionary opera singer, a stunning performance artist, and a witty raconteur. His expressive voice, operatic arias, monologues, and songs dance between comedy, commentary, and communion, critics have said.

He has performed his hybrid of opera and theatrical monologue at New York’s Lincoln Center, Hammerstein Ballroom, and Public Theatre and major venues across the country and in Europe. But he’s also at home in small clubs, fringe theaters, and rock venues.

The New York Times has called Keckler a “major vocal talent with a range that shatters the boundaries… and a trickster’s dark humor,” calling his performances “phenomenal.”

Keckler was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. As a child, he listened to Bessie Smith, Cab Calloway, and Aretha Franklin, and when he heard Screamin’ Jay Hawkins sing his signature song, “I Put a Spell on You,” he found a new hero.

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ blend of theatrical camp and vocal depth became a sort of gateway to opera and performance art for Keckler. Years later, as a student at the University of Michigan, Keckler would go on to study under renowned performance artist Holly Hughes and the ground-breaking operatic tenor George Shirley.

Now an accomplished performer in his own right, when asked how he would define himself today, Keckler said he’s an “interdisciplinary artist… I’m a bewildered person who does things. I like traversing different forms.”

Tickets are now on sale for the show at vashoncenterforthearts.org.