Pink Martini – News
Ooh La La! It’s Throwback Thursday!

Remember July, 2007? We sure do. That was the month Thomas’ Paint-by-Numbers collection was featured in the Willamette Week. Luckily for us all, Thomas kept many of the pictures from that photo shoot (as a good collector is apt to do), so we thought we’d drag a few out of storage for today’s Throwback Thursday. Enjoy!

Thomas Lauderdale - Paint by Numbers - 2007

Thomas Lauderdale - Paint by Numbers - 2007

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Could This Be A New Pink Martini Album Cover?

We found this pulp novel cover on Tumblr and think it would make for an amazing cover for an upcoming album. What do you think – could Storm and China pull off this amount of sass? (The answer, of course, is a resounding YES.)

Dames Don't Care - China Forbes - Storm Large Read More...

“Dream a Little Dream” Out March 4, 2014!

Dream a Little Dream is an understatement. A world where adults ride scooters, the great-grandchildren of Captain and Maria von Trapp make schnitzel, and sing-a-longs pop up at every party seems like a dream, but this fantastical world is alive and sparkling on the new full length album collaboration between Pink Martini and The von Trapps, available everywhere March 4, 2014!

Dream a Little Dream - Pink Martini - The von Trapps

Two years ago, Sofia, Melanie, Amanda, and August von Trapp came to Portland to perform with the Oregon Symphony, and soon thereafter were drawn into the orbit of Thomas Lauderdale. Thomas, who believes The Sound of Music was the last great American film, found these real-life descendents of that legendary family to be as magical as the movie itself, and it didn’t take long until The von Trapps had moved to Portland and cultivated a lasting bond with Thomas and Pink Martini.

Dream a Little Dream - Pink Martini and The Von Trapps - Cover Art

This spring we are pleased to present Dream a Little Dream, the culmination of this collaboration. The album features the crystalline four-part harmonies of the singing siblings, guest appearances by such eminent and diverse talents as The Chieftains and Wayne Newton(!), Read More...

Get Happy New Year!

May your year be filled with friends, family, love, and laughter! From our family to yours, Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Pink Martini!

 

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“Get Happy”: The Stories Behind the Songs, Part 7

Welcome to the seventh and final installment of our song-by-song commentary on Get Happy, penned by band leader and 2078 Portland mayoral candidate Thomas M. Lauderdale. This week Thomas talks about the history behind “Get happy/Happy days are here again”, and how the amazing Phyllis Diller ended up on the album. Enjoy!

Track 14: “Get happy/Happy days are here again”

“Get happy/Happy days are here again” is the iconic duet performed by Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland on national television on The Judy Garland Show in 1963.  We recorded several different combinations of singers, but in the end it made sense to have Rufus be Judy Garland and China be Barbra Streisand.  It’s a hard thing to pull off … to be able to hear both songs individually, but to also hear the blend of the two. It’s pretty exuberant as you can tell by the laughter at the end. China is positively giddy, and Rufus says “Heeerreah”. It’s a great moment. It’s pretty happy.

Track 16: “Smile”

About a year and a half ago, Pink Martini played two shows on New Years’ Eve at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.  Read More...

“Get Happy”: The Stories Behind the Songs, Part 6

It’s the second to last installment of our song-by-song commentary on Get Happy, written by the ever exuberant Thomas M. Lauderdale! This week Thomas talks about Storm Large’s sultry version of “Sway”, his own confusion about the meaning behind “Kitty come home”, and working with the incomparable Norman Leyden on “What’ll I do?”. Now, let’s get to it!

Storm Large - Get Happy

Track 11: “Sway”

Sway is another one of those songs that has been recorded numerous times.  Our version — sung by Storm Large — has the strut of the Rosemary Clooney version crossed with the swagger of Dean Martin’s rendition and the purring sexiness of Julie London’s.

Track 12: “Kitty come home”

In 1996, Gus Van Sant, the filmmaker who lives in Portland and made My Own Private Idaho, Drugstore Cowboy, Goodwill Hunting, and Milk called up and said, “There’s a guy named Rufus Wainwright who’s coming to town for his first concert in Portland, do you want to come?” I went and I met Rufus Wainwright.  He played at Berbati’s Pan just down the street. We became friends and whenever he came to town I would throw parties for him and introduce him to cute boys. Read More...