Editor’s note: As of Dec. 6, the Pink Martini show has sold out. You can check with the Cal Poly box office concerning ticket availability by calling (805) 756-4849.
Portland’s Pink Martini is a one-of-a-kind ensemble—a dozen-member band playing classical, Latin, traditional pop, jazz, and more under the leadership of pianist and arranger Thomas Lauderdale, who said of his group, “Our mission is to represent a more beautiful, inclusive America, made up of a fabric of diverse people and cultures, and to unite our audiences, full of people of different ages, politics, and backgrounds, through the shared love of melody and music. I like to say, ‘If the United Nations had a house band in 1962, I’d like to think Pink Martini would be that band.’ I think the music’s really beautiful, but actually what is more moving to me is looking at the incredible cross-section of people who are in our audience.”
New Times spoke to longtime lead singer China Forbes about Pink Martini’s upcoming show at Cal Poly’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Dec. 18 (7:30 p.m.; $56 to $99 at pacslo.org). The band is celebrating its 30th anniversary, playing songs from its 11 studio albums as well as holiday favorites.
So, who influenced Forbes’ vocal stylings?
“Wow, there’s so many,” she said via phone. “My very first influence was Donna Summer. When I was 8 years old, I bought her live album—the first album I ever bought. I really tried to imitate her, looked at all the pictures on the album cover, and all the notes. It was so fun back then to have the album cover as part of the experience that we mostly don’t get anymore. I think that [album] helped launch my dream of becoming a singer. From there it’s like Stevie Nicks, Sinéad O’Connor, Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Merchant, … oh my God! So many people!”
Amazingly, Forbes’ repertoire contains songs in 30 different languages. She speaks English, French, and some Italian.
“With English, French, and Italian, and Spanish—even though I never really studied it—it’s very easy for me to really know what I’m saying and emote, but for the languages that are completely unknown to me, it’s sort of like a puzzle, you know? Learning the sounds and the words and how they go together and what they mean, the melody with the lyrics, and then I sort of pretend that I’m tipsy, so it’s not too overly pronounced, and I sort of blur the lines of the words a little bit to try to sound more natural, and that’s my secret,” she laughed.
What are some of the languages?
“Portuguese, Croatian, Japanese, Chinese, Mandarin, Thai, Russian, Korean, Arabic, Turkish, Greek.”
Sounds difficult.
“It is tough,” she admitted. “I think for most people it seems really bizarre that it’s something one can do, but it’s become very natural for me.”
What’s it like working with such a large ensemble? There are a lot of personalities to navigate.
“That is true. I think it was more of an issue when we were younger and just starting and building the band and our repertoire and arranging songs as a group, but we always, as a group, got along really well. I mean, there’s always certain clashes among some people. That’s to be expected when you’re a band for 30 years. But it’s a very kind and friendly group, and so everyone gets along really well. It’s kind of a miracle, actually. I don’t know how we lucked out like that but it’s working, and it seems like we get along better now than [when] we were younger.”
How are new songs added to their repertoire?
“It’s sort of inspired by tours,” Forbes explained. “If we’re going to a new place, we might add a new song in that language. We can’t do that everywhere we go, but that’s how we built the number of languages to 30 over the years. For instance, we traveled so much to Turkey that eventually we had to learn one and then another Turkish song. Now we’re going to Poland, and we haven’t been there in a long time, and they requested that we learn a Polish song, so that’s the latest challenge. We’re also learning a Ukrainian song.”
With all these world tours, do they get to enjoy the locations?
“We’re always on the move, and often we’re arriving right before soundcheck, playing a show, leaving the next morning, so sometimes we don’t see anything of the place, but every once in a while we luck out and have a day off somewhere and get to know a little more about the town and the restaurants and the shops and the people, but we haven’t really done that in San Luis Obispo.”
In addition to her work with Pink Martini, Forbes also has a solo career.
“I just released a new album under my name. It’s called The Road, and it’s a singer-songwriter album more along the lines of some of those singers I mentioned that influenced me. Joni Mitchell would be another big influence, and Carole King. So, I released this album, and it’s very personal. I usually get to play one of the songs from my album during the Pink Martini show, which is fun.”
They’re all originals?
“Yes, all original. My third solo album. So that’s exciting. That’s my newest thing,” she said. “Oh, and the holiday [Pink Martini] show is really fun because we get to do the holiday songs that we only get to do once a year. We’ll be singing in all 30 of the languages that we know during the course of the evening. Don’t worry. The show is not five hours long. We manage to squeeze it into 15 minutes—it’s a medley we do, so that’s a fun new challenge.”
Fremont Theater
Former ER technician turned comedian Steven Ho returns to the Fremont with his new show Steven Ho: Is It An Emergency? on Friday, Dec. 6 (8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.50 to $52.50 at prekindle.com). He launched his career via social media and “shares hilarious and insightful stories about working in the emergency room,” according to his bio. “Combining humor with real-life experiences, Ho has gained a massive following for his ability to make the medical world both relatable and entertaining.”
Matisyahu brings his reggae, rap, and beatboxing to downtown SLO on Thursday, Dec. 12 (8 p.m.; all ages; $33.33 to $132 at prekindle.com). The Grammy-nominated artist exploded onto the scene in 2005 with the release of his Top 40 hit “King Without a Crown.” He’s since recorded seven studio albums and five live albums, and his music “explores themes of faith, identity, and resilience, making him a trailblazer in both the reggae and spiritual music scenes,” according to press materials.
Here’s a taste of “King Without a Crown”: “You’re all that I have and you’re all that I need/ Each and every day I pray to get to know you please/ I want to be close to you, yes I’m so hungry/ You’re like water for my soul when it gets thirsty/ Without you there’s no me/ You’re the air that I breathe.”
Numbskull and Good Medicine
The return of the The Coffis Brothers is always welcome news, and this Saturday, Dec. 7 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $19.26 presale or $24.41 day of show at goodmedicinepresents.com), they’ll play in Club Car Bar with Hilary Watson opening. The brothers describe their music as “a sound caught halfway between amplified Americana, acoustic folk, roadhouse R&B, and electrifying roots music.”
Multiplatinum alternative rock band Sixpence None the Richer plays The Siren on Wednesday, Dec. 11 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $335.23 at goodmedicinepresents.com). They’re touring in support of their new album Rosemary Hill. They’re best known for their hit single “Kiss Me,” which climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. They’ve also been twice nominated for Grammy Awards. Get online and check out their deeply charming video for their new album’s title track, “Rosemary Hill.” B and the Hive opens.
Brooklyn funk band Pimps of Joytime plays The Siren on Thursday, Dec. 12 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $26.47 at goodmedicinepresents.com), and man, this band is a rolling party. They’re touring in support of their sixth studio album, Reachin’ Up, and they’re delivering sultry, smoky, New Orleans-filtered sounds. Bay Area soul, pop, and R&B powerhouse Con Brio opens.
Get a dose of some Red Hot Chili Peppers hits when Red Hot Tribute plays SLO’s Libertine on Thursday, Dec. 12 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.75 at goodmedicinepresents.com). This LA-based quartet performs the band’s hits from the ’80s through today. “Californication,” “By The Way,” “Under the Bridge,” “Give It Away,” and many more.
The Siren
Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, The Toasters played SLO Town whenever they toured the West Coast. The third wave, NYC-based ska band was always a great time, but at some point, they stopped coming. I don’t remember the last time they were in our area. Well, The Toasters play Morro Bay on Monday, Dec. 9 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $21.66 at tixr.com). They’ve released a total of nine studio albums; their most recent is 2007’s One More Bullet. Over the years, they’ve had dozens of different members, but the one constant has always been Englishman Robert “Bucket” Hingley (vocals and guitar), who moved to New York in 1980 and managed the city’s Forbidden Planet comic book store. He formed The Toasters after seeing The English Beat play Roseland Ballroom in 1982.
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock
SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) present Mapache (as a duo) on Tuesday, Dec. 10 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.36 at ticketweb.com). They’re touring in support of their fifth album, Swinging Stars, a “cosmic-folk” record according to Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch, who recorded it at Panoramic House.
“It’s a pretty impactful place,” Finch said in press materials. “It’s kind of dramatic. It’s a castle-y building on a hill, way up overlooking the Bay.”
My Morning Jacket, the War on Drugs, and Cate Le Bon have also recorded at Panoramic House.
“That environment yields itself to a higher level of focus because everybody’s together for a week,” Finch added, explaining that the band stayed there during the process, sharing every bit of their time and energy on a collective vision. “We were all captive. No one could escape.”
The Clark Center
John Denver had so many iconic hits, from “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” to “You Fill Up My Senses” to “Annie’s Song.” This Tuesday, Dec. 10, Emery Entertainment presents Rocky Mountain High Experience: A John Denver Christmas starring Rick Schuler (7 p.m.; all ages; $69.50 to $86.25 at clarkcenter.org). The show promises to take listeners back to the ’70s when Denver’s music was a constant presence on the radio. You’ll hear favorites like “Rocky Mountain High,” “Sunshine On My Shoulders,” “Leaving On A Jet Plane,” and “Thank God I’m A Country Boy,” as well as carols and holiday classics from his TV specials and Christmas albums including “Aspenglow,” “Away In A Manger,” “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” “Silver Bells,” and many more festive standards.
SLO Blues Society
Award-winning funk and blues harmonica player Jason Ricci and the Bad Kind play SLO’s Oddfellows Hall (520 Dana St.) this Saturday, Dec. 7 (doors at 6:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; tickets are $36.12 at my805tix.com or $40 at the door). Ricci has played, toured, and/or recorded with legends such as Johnny Winter, Terence Blanchard, Ana Popovi, Joe Louis Walker, Cedric Burnside, and many more. In fact, it’s pretty hard to find a list of “best harmonica players” without Ricci’s name on it. He’s had quite a life: “Performing at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, recording a Grammy-winning record with Johnny Winter, winning three Blues Music Awards and numerous nominations from The Blues Foundation only to fall all the way down to the lowest valleys of addiction, homelessness, jails, and back up again,” according to his bio.
Local favorites the Burning James Blues Band will open the show. Δ
Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Dec 5-15, 2024.