Sheila E. is still trying to make sense of life without Prince.
The brilliant pop musician the world lost in April was the same man who introduced Sheila Escovedo to the world over 30 years ago, and the man who had even once famously, unexpectedly proposed marriage right on stage during a concert.
“We had been together for so long, making music, hanging out,” says Sheila E., who worked off and on with Prince as a writer, percussionist and vocalist, starting with 1984’s Purple Rain. “You lose your musical soulmate and your best friend, and you try to move on — there are good days and bad days.”
In her current show, Sheila E. performs some of the hits she recorded with Prince as well as new songs dedicated to him, including the simple, stark and powerful ballad “Girl Meets Boy.” “It is challenging to get through some of those songs,” she says. “After you cry a little bit or talk about it, it makes you feel better. And knowing that people feel the same way that you do absolutely helps.”
In recent years, Sheila E. has toured in support of Icon, a diverse, underappreciated album featuring a song co-written by and featuring Prince (“Leader of the Band”) and several Prince-esque songs that should have been hits. “I said the same thing,” she says. “I thought it was a great group of songs that radio would play, but it’s a pay-to-play kind of thing. I wish more people would hear it so that they could know about it, but it takes millions of dollars to do that. It’s just ridiculous..”
She wins over people to her music, new as well as old, whenever she takes the stage. A dynamic, consummate performer, Sheila E. sings, plays guitar and all manner of percussion, engaging the crowd in conversation and giving her all, each and every time. “I’m never not into it,” she says. “Sometimes you can tell when you see me play, how emotional I get. It takes every piece of me to try to help you feel what I feel.
“I just want to continue to spread love [and counter] the bullying, the hating,” she says. “No matter who you are — gay, straight, black or white — if I can touch your heart and be a blessing through my music, that’s the most amazing thing.”
Sheila E performs Wednesday, Nov. 9, and Thursday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m., at the Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $55 to $70. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.
The fall looks primed to be a strong season of concerts by -- and appealing to -- the LGBTQ community. Among the highlights in the category of the well-known, consider Andy Bell (Lincoln), Jane Lynch (Strathmore), Renee Rapp (Merriweather), DOECHII (Anthem), and of course All Things Go (Merriweather). In the category of merely appealing, not gay per se, consider The Queens (Capital One Arena), Deborah Cox (Bethesda Theater), and Judith Hill (The Hamilton).
That barely scratches the surface. There's a lot of new -- or perhaps new to you -- queer artists out there, just waiting for you get into them including Katie Pruitt (Union Station, Rams Head), Rio Romeo (Songbyrd), Aaron Lee Tasjan (Jammin Java), Dixon Dallas (Union Stage).
If you need relief from these stressful and angst-ridden times, you're sure to find something to salve your soul in this section. If you crave a good laugh attack, for starters, look to the "Because They're Funny Comedy Festival," or seek out specific comedians and eccentrics known to get the job done, be it John Waters or Paula Poundstone (both coming to the Birchmere), or Jessica Kirson or Margaret Cho (coming to the Warner), or Leslie Jones, who will be at The Clarice later this winter. To name only five.
Of course, if you'd prefer to get serious and really contemplate and converse about our woeful state of affairs, you'll find plenty of ways to do that, as well. Start by consulting the lineup of noted authors coming to local bookstores and even a certain historic synagogue.
Little by little, year after year, from one season to the next, there have been some subtle yet certain shifts in programming among local classical music organizations -- in both good and not-so-good ways, depending on whether you like, say, holiday sing-alongs come Christmastime. If you do, well, good for you, but boo hoo for the rest of us, because that's definitely on the uptick this season, as in previous years. Similarly, if Halloween is more your jam, you're also in luck, because there's also been a slight increase in the number of eerily inspired, scary-themed shows.
There's also more diversity all around, and in multiple senses of the term -- from slightly more female composers with works being performed around town, to more genre- and boundary-pushing works and programs overall, to seemingly more out, LGBTQ-identified people in this particular genre.
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