The first time I went to a Pink Martini concert was at Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco. I only went because my long-time friend Nicola, had just seen them the night before at a local venue in Portland. She said she met Thomas Lauderdale and he had asked her to marry her on the spot. I think there was alcohol involved in this proposal, as there are several reasons this would not work out, the least of which involves Thomas’ sexuality.
Anyway, Nicola told me they’d be at Cafe Dun Nord, which was about 5 blocks from where I lived in San Francisco. She wanted me to check out Thomas and this amazing little group of musicians. I decided not only to go, but to approach Thomas and express to him that I was concerned about his proposal. That Nicola is difficult, moody, must eat at regular intervals, has a fear of small woodland creatures, and while yes, beautiful, caring and a lot of fun…he just didn’t know what he was getting into. And, of course, check out this new group that crosses the genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop. It has been (gulp) 13 years since that concert and my love for both Nicola and Pink Martini has only grown. I have purchased their albums for many friends, young and old. “Sympathique” is still my favorite, but their new album “Splendor in the Grass” is really growing on me.
What’s your favorite Pink Martini album?
Got a picture of you with Thomas or China?
First one to email us a photo gets a free People’s Republic of Portland tee!
