Storm Large isn’t your typical singer, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
The former frontwoman of Pink Martini, Large has had an eclectic performance history, from reality TV darling to rock and roll musician to musical theatre heroine. “I’ve always been a cabaret artist, though,” she says. “When I was in a rock band, the audience would be plugging their ears going ‘Oh my god, stop talking,’ because I would just tell stories naturally on stage.”
While some might know her from her time on CBS’s Rock Star: Supernova, Large never felt like she fit in as a rock singer. “My voice was too pretty,” she says. “And I never had a typical lead in. I’ll just start talking and go off on a rant about etymology, or food, or Santa Clauses next to Halloween Candy.” But people across the country are coming out in droves to hear Large’s stories and her songs. “People actually want to see it!” she exclaims. “It’s not your typical music show. It’s a very interactive, fun party atmosphere. I am really enjoying it.”
It’s Large’s free spirit — and lack of filter — that really keeps the audience locked on the brassy performer. “I have no mouth cap,” she says. “When I talk, sometimes it’s dirty, but I’m not that kind of girl who’ll just put on a pretty dress and sing.” Describing herself as “a glamorous outsider,” Large has a unique position to advocate for important social issues. In perhaps one of her most famous songs, “8 Miles Wide,” Large lauds labias, explaining how vaginas (and women) should be treated as equally as penises (and men.) “Sexual inequality is still prevalent today. Opinions of women are still lesser than a man’s,” she says. “I’ve always tried to gently point things out to men the things that are patriarchal.”
And Large isn’t afraid to tackle even the most taboo of topics. “I’ve never really had a problem discussing my sexuality, or what I like,” she says. “When I was a child, I was really turned on by nature specials. When a lion would take down a small antelope, I would find myself very aroused. And you know, I always thought girls were beautiful and smelt good and tasted good. I never had a problem with the idea. Being with women felt natural to me and boys feel good, too. Sexuality, it’s crazy.” — Connor J. Hogan
Storm Large performs this Friday, November 13th at 8 p.m. at AMP by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Avenue, North Bethesda, Maryland. Tickets start at $30. For more information, call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.
Taste the wine, hear the band, and start celebrating. Cabaret is back on Broadway with unbridled decadence and immersive glory. Certain musicals are constructed so well that, even if they are cast with mediocre performances or if the production value is low, they still hold.
Cabaret stands as one of the indestructible.
This might explain why the original sixties production has been revived and reinvented so many times on both sides of the Atlantic. Those lucky enough to see it will likely recall Sam Mendes' stunning revival, first premiering at London's Donmar Warehouse in 1993 and later transferring in 1998 to the New York City landmark which was once the home of Studio 54. Both starred Alan Cumming.
The D.C. area is on track to be graced by two visits from the Indigo Girls this year, including a stint with the Fairfax Symphony at Capital One Hall and a remarkable double-bill pairing with fellow lesbian vanguard Melissa Etheridge at Wolf Trap. Wolf Trap is also the place to go for a second edition of the venue's Out & About Festival, this year offering a new cohort of LGBTQ musical acts.
Queer artists are really, truly just about everywhere, coming to nearly every music venue in the region this season. A quick scan of the listings bears this out: There's Donna Missal at The Atlantis, BOOMscat at Blues Alley, CMAT at DC9, XOMG Pop! at the Fillmore, Billy Gilman at Jammin Java, Mary Gauthier at Rams Head on Stage, and Mx Mundy at Songbyrd. And that's just a quick and easy seven, with several times that number waiting in the wings for your discovery.
Cher is among a group of musicians named as inductees to he Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Grammy Award-winning artist was one of four artists -- along with Foreigner, Peter Frampton, and Kool & the Gang -- who were on the ballot for the first time.
Cher -- the only artist to have a No. 1 song in each of the past six decades -- and fellow inductee Mary J. Blige, a nine-time Grammy Award winner with eight multi-platinum albums -- will boost the Hall of Fame's number of females, which previously stood at 65, constituting about 8% of the total number of inductees.
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