the Kennedy Center – Downtown Magazine

Singer, songwriter and author Storm Large first found notoriety as a finalist on the singing competition show Rock Star: Supernova. In the 10 years since her reality TV tenure, things have been non-stop for the Portland resident. Beyond touring with Pink Martini, Storm has become an in-demand vocalist with many of the world’s top orchestras, performing recent engagements with the New York Pops, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, RTÉ Dublin, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She has also released three full-length albums and a plethora of singles since appearing on CBS.

The theatrical world also embraced her, as she starred in Portland Center Stage’s production of Cabaret with Wade McCollum. Such led to a touring version of the show playing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Adelaide Festival in Australia, and Joe’s Pub in New York. Around that same time, Storm’s 2012 memoir Crazy Enough — a Simon & Schuster release — was an Oprah’s Book of the Week and was awarded the 2013 Oregon Book Award for Creative Nonfiction. Thus, success in music, theater and literature.

In support of her Dec. 19 show at Feinstein’s/54 Below, Downtown had the opportunity to do some Q&A with Storm. Not only is Storm talented and driven, but she is also very personable. Her Manhattan show is set to include holiday favorites — including “2000 Miles,” “Hallelujah” and “Sock It To Me Santa” — and, as she hinted at, some special guests. Storm can be followed on Twitter via @StormOf69 and visited online at www.stormlarge.com.

A lot of people first learned about you from Rock Star: Supernova. The aftermath of that show was said to be a disaster as far as the supergroup went, but was it a pleasant experience for you?

Storm Large: It was an insane experience, but I learned a lot in those three months. I still have a few fans — here and there — from that show, but thankfully, the fever pitch of intense TV fame I had has passed. That is some scary energy, television fame.

Since a lot people discovered you from the CBS show, but you now do a lot of work in theater and with orchestras. How did you bridge the gap from rock to a more upscale world?

SL: I had been a rock/cabaret performer for 15 years before the show –hashtag: old — so the theater wasn’t much of a leap. Symphonies were a surprise turn because of the amount of music education I lack. I cannot read music, only have an anecdotal understanding of theory, would rather listen to The Clash than Cole Porter, etc. If I had to guess, it would be my experiences on club stages, telling stories and being a natural ham type of showman gave me the gall to step in front of my first orchestras. Then it took people smarter and more talented than I — Thomas Lauderdale, James Beaton, Leonard Slatkin, Steven Reineke, Michael Feinstein — telling me I was actually great in the genre, and need to keep exploring it.

Pink Martini is said to be one of the harder gigs for a vocalist, given all the genres and languages involved. What sort of audition or test was needed to get in with them?

SL: (laughs) Audition? Thomas MADE me do it! I told him at least 17 times, “NO, I can’t, too hard, China [Forbes] is brilliant, I can NOT do what she does,” and so on. However, China had injured her vocal cords, and the band was in a serious situation. I only did it, at first, because I love China and Thomas. I did it as a favor, thinking I would be a miserable failure, China would get better, come back and we just could chalk it up to a learning experience.

So I learned…crammed, actually…10 songs in five languages in four days, for my first ever concert with them. Four sold-out shows at The Kennedy Center. Never was I more terrified as a performer. I don’t remember much, but afterwards, Thomas asked me to be a lead vocalist, swapping tours with China.

You sing, you act, you write…How do you usually go about describing what you do for a living?

SL: I usually say, “I sing, and talk a lot of shit.”

What do you remember about the first show you ever performed in New York? Where was it?

SL: Limelight, 1989, sang “Happy Birthday” onstage to my friend Tommy — who was playing that night — and the place went nuts. Afterwards the owner nicknamed me “Janis” and I never paid a cover there again.

For your upcoming show at 54 Below, what should be expected? A mix of songs from your career?

SL: Yup, plus some new holiday favorites, and some snazzy guests if I can talk them into singing on their night off…

Do you have a favorite song to perform live?

SL: It changes all the time. Right now I’m loving a French song Sean Lennon wrote for the film, A Monster In Paris. The song is “La Seine.”

Beyond the show at 54 Below, what’s coming up for you in your career?

SL: Flights, snacks, naps, SING! Flights, snacks, naps, SING! I’m taking some time off next year to write and rest a bit, reset my creative head/heart. I’m due to write another book. I am also writing lyrics and some music for a musical about a storied brothel in Chicago at the turn of the 20th Century. True story about a gentlemen’s club run by women called, The Everleigh Club.

Is there a field you haven’t yet worked in but still hope to?

SL: Politics.

When not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?

SL: Get some sleep, do some yoga, get laid…Not easy seeings as my only free time happens on airplanes.

What’s been your favorite album of 2016?

SL: LEMONADE — OMG — LE.MO.NA.DE. Ungh!

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

SL: Currently, I’m a huge fan of Blue Ribbon Bistro, but also love Epistrophe and Ippudo.

Finally, Storm, any last words for the kids?

SL: If you can’t be a good influence…at least be a good cautionary tale. Follow the yes, you little bastards.

Whether or not you know Nathan East by name, you have heard plenty of his music. That was him playing bass on “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk. That was him playing bass on “Easy Lover” by Phil Collins, a song that he also co-wrote. That was also him on Eric Clapton’s Grammy-winning MTV Unplugged album. And that is without discussing his collaborations with Michael Jackson, Elton John, Barry White, Toto, Lionel Richie, Randy Newman and hundreds of other notable artists.

While world tours and session work would be enough for many artists, Nathan East has also stepped out as a solo artist in recent years. A follow-up to 2015’s The New Cool, the forthcoming Reverence features an all-star line-up of collaborators. A cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Serpentire Fire,” for example, features Eric Clapton on guitar, Phil Collins on drums and members of EW&F on bass, vocals and percussion. First single “Feels Like Home” includes Yolanda Adams on vocals. Philip Bailey from Earth, Wind & Fire also appears on a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground.” Nathan’s son Noah can be heard on “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” Reverence will hit stores via the Yamaha Entertainment Group on Jan. 20.

Nathan spoke to Downtown about his past, present and future, all of which very interesting. He can be visited online at www.nathaneast.com and also followed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Who was the first prominent artist you had toured with? Was it Barry White?

Nathan East: Yes, Barry White was my first employer on a major U.S. tour. He heard a band that I was in called Power and hired our entire group on the spot to tour with him and the Love Unlimited Orchestra. I was 16 years old performing at Madison Square Garden, The Apollo Theater and The Kennedy Center. Needless to say, it was a thrill!

You have notably played on over 2,000 releases. Is there one that you view most proudly? Or one that you look back at as being your first big break?

NE: From the beginning of 1980, I found myself practically living in the studios of Los Angeles recording as many as 25 to 30 sessions per week, everything from commercials and jingles to albums and motion picture soundtracks. I played bass on many of the Barry White albums and hits, but he didn’t credit the musicians on his recordings for fear that someone might try to steal his sound. The Hubert Laws Family album was one of my early recordings that I was very proud of. The Philip Bailey Chinese Wall album gave birth to the song “Easy Lover” that I was very proud to have co-written with Philip and Phil Collins. There are so many that I view proudly including all the Anita Baker recordings and Fourplay albums, but one of the most significant recordings may have been the Eric Clapton Unplugged album, which sold almost 30 million copies worldwide. It contained the classic song “Tears in Heaven,” written for his son Conor.

Are there any sessions that you did a ghost musician? Andy Timmons, for example, told me in an interview that he played on a song by the purple dinosaur Barney…

NE: I was called in to play on a Judas Priest album but was not credited. Their bass player was in recovery at the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJrkhSmXXi8

Most people know you primarily as a bassist, but you’ve written hit songs for artists. When did you start writing music versus playing bass?

NE: In the mid-70s I wrote my first recorded song called “With All My Love,” which became the title track of trumpeter Bruce Cameron’s album. That song was my entry into ASCAP and I pretty much started writing music at about the same time I started playing bass.

I know you played cello before bass. Did you ever take piano lessons? Or try to expand to learn other instruments?

NE: I did take piano lessons as a child, and I have limited skills on the rhythm instruments such as guitar and drums.

Yamaha makes your basses and releases your albums. How did you first encounter Yamaha?

NE: In the early 80s I remember visiting Abraham Laboriel at A&M Studios, and of course he can make any bass sound amazing, but that day he was playing his Yamaha bass and I was very impressed with the sound! He put me in touch with Yamaha and that was the beginning of our long relationship.

Do you have a favorite song on your new album?

NE: That’s sort of like asking if you have a favorite child. They are all favorites, but I must say I am partial to the version of “Over The Rainbow” that I recorded featuring my son Noah on piano. Also, a new version of the Earth Wind & Fire classic “Serpentine Fire” is one that I’m very happy with the way it turned out.

How does the new album compare to your solo debut?

NE: I don’t like to compare albums as they are musical expressions and reflections of different times in your life, but I must say I love this album equally as much as I love the first!

Why did you wait until 2014 to put out your first solo album?

NE: To be honest, it was my desire for the past couple decades to release my own solo album. However, I found myself too busy working and touring all over the world and making music with such an enjoyable variety of artists.

Is there anything you haven’t yet accomplished but still hope to?

NE: I’ve recently been doing some voiceover work, which is a lot of fun. I would also like to start a foundation for education to give underprivileged kids opportunities to attend college.

Will you be playing any U.S. shows in support of the new album?

NE: Absolutely!

Where was the first gig you ever played in New York City?

NE: Madison Square Garden with Barry White. We also played the Apollo Theater.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

NE: Oh, there are so many, like Nobu, which I really enjoy. But one of my recent favorites is Pepolino’s in SoHo.

When you’re not busy with music, how do you like to spend your free time?

NE: I love spending time with my family more than anything else! I also enjoy photography, I’m a private pilot and I enjoy performing magic.

Finally, Nathan, any last words for the kids?

NE: Be passionate about whatever it is you want to do, and try to live life to the fullest — it goes by quickly!