Everybody Loves Pink Martini

Last week Portland, OR's Pink Martini came to NYC to kick off their summer tour in support of their latest release 'Hey Eugene!' Being the ever fabulous "little orchestra" that they are, the week was filled with lavish parties, a stellar performance on Letterman and a mind-blowing headlining gig at Carnegie Hall. Never in my life would I believe that I'd see a band inspire a conga line up and down the aisles of the legendary concert hall. Needless to say, I had a blast and enjoyed every second of it.

Our week kicked off on Tuesday, June 12th with an appearance on WNYC's Soundcheck. Here's vocalist China Forbes gearing up for her interview (with pianist/band leader/founder Thomas M. Lauderdale in the background):


I met the band downtown later that evening for an in-store performance at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square. I was pretty amazed to see the 12 piece band fit on the stage in the cafe. Here's a shot of China Forbes, singer/percussionist Timothy Nishimoto, and guitarist Dan Faehnle:


On Tuesday evening Paper Magazine sponsored a Pink Martini party to celebrate 'Hey Eugene' and their performance at Carnegie Hall the next night. Several Shore Fire staffers attended the event including Nick Baily, Diana D'Angelo, Alexis Tedford, and Nora Lyons. Here's Diana and I enjoying (what else?) Pink Martinis!



Wednesday night Pink Martini took the stage at Carnegie Hall and blew the crowd away. They brought out legendary jazz singer Jimmy Scott to sing 'Someone to Watch Over Me' and duet with China on 'Tea For Two'. Alba Clemente and Johnny Dynell joined the band on stage and infused the set with an unparalleled energy and joy. For the encore, the band invited many of their special guests on stage and performed 'Brazil' -- which inspired the aforementioned conga line up and down the aisles of Carnegie Hall.

The New York Times loved the show too. Check out the review here -- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/15/arts/music/15pink.html

Wednesday morning brought us to Sirius Satellite radio for an interview with Meg Griffin. Meg is a huge fan of the band and was thrilled to have Thomas in the studio. Here's a picture of the two of them following the interview:


Thomas went straight from Sirius to the Ed Sullivan Theater to prepare for that afternoon's taping of the Late Show with David Letterman. I took this photo of the dressing room mirror covered with stickers of bands who have performed on the show. Pink Martini was delighted to join their ranks. Look for the cover of 'Hey Eugene!' in this shot:




Peter Murray traveled from the Pink Martini/Heinz Records offices in Portland to join the band here in NYC for the week. Here's a shot of him backstage at Letterman:



Following their performance of 'Hey Eugene!' China paused outside her dressing room for a quick shot with myself and Nick Baily:



Friday morning we headed uptown to the Bloomberg News building to tape an interview on 'Night Talk with Mike Schneider'. Here's a shot of Thomas and a friend on the set:



All in all, my week with Pink Martini was a great success and a fantastic time was had by everyone involved. Check out 'Hey Eugene!' here" http://www.pinkmartini.com and make sure to catch them on tour this summer!