Victoria Theodore October Performances

"Listen! the wind is rising,
and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings,
now for October eves!"
– Humbert Wolfe

Hello Friends,

My favorite month has come and gone, along with my birthday (though the celebration continues!). October brings a few more performances with Stevie Wonder, a few local performances of my own and with my very talented friends. I'll be back at E-22 Café in Emeryville this Friday, and at Marcello's in Danville on Saturday.

Here are a few upcoming shows, but check my website for the latest information:

OCTOBER
Fri, Oct 2
6:30pm - 8:30pm
E-22 Café
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2506 | 510.428.9334 | map

Sat, Oct 3
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sat, Oct 10
2pm - 5pm
Pappa Gianni and the North Beach Band at Caffe Trieste Piedmont
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
4045 Piedmont Avenue | Oakland, CA 94611 | 510.658.2744

Sat, Oct 10
9pm-12:30
Kymberly Jackson
Jazz / R&B
Oyster Reef Seafood Restaurant
1000 Embarcadero Oakland, CA 94606 | 510.836.2519

Fri, Oct 16
8pm
Music, She Wrote: music by women composers
Including performances and works by Victoria Theodore, Angela Wellman, India Cooke, Sandy Poindexter, Yehudit, Karen Horner and Branice McKenzie
The Jazz School
2087 Addison Street Berkeley, CA 94704 | 510.845.5373 | map

Sat, Oct 17
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Thu, Oct 22
8pm
Stevie Wonder
A Wonder Autumn Night
MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
350 Trolley Line Boulevard Mashantucket, CT 06338-3777 | 1.800.FOXWOODS | map

Sat, Oct 23
8pm
Stevie Wonder
A Wonder Autumn Night
Turning Stone Event Center
5218 Patrick Road Verona, NY 13478 | 800.771.7711 | map

Mon, Oct 25
7:30pm
Stevie Wonder
A Wonder Autumn Night
Ted Constant Convocation Center (Hampton Roads)
4320 Hampton Blvd Norfolk, VA 23529 | 757.683.4444 | map

Fri, Oct 30
8pm
Stevie Wonder
A Wonder Autumn Night
Borgata Event Center
One Borgata Way Atlantic City, NJ 08401 | 609.317.1000 | map

Sat, Oct 31
8pm
Stevie Wonder
A Wonder Autumn Night
Borgata Event Center
One Borgata Way Atlantic City, NJ 08401 | 609.317.1000 | map

Happy birthday to me!

Another beautiful birthday has come and gone. I am so grateful for all of the love, kindness and blessings that my amazing family and friends sent my way. I am left with the fully ineffective, yet fitting word: WOW! I had the chance to celebrate my birthday (9/24), my mom’s birthday (9/27), and my nephew’s birthday (9/30) over the weekend. We all went to dinner with family members, watched Stevie Wonder’s DVD "Live at Last"(which I happen to be a part of), and had a great time enjoying each other’s company.

I’ve enjoyed a few excellent dinners, including dinner at Pican Restaurant and Burma Superstar. Both were excellent and I look forward to revisiting each! As usual, my birthday was on a warm, sunny day (thanks to Indian Summer!), and I actually took the day off! I went to see the movie “Julie and Julia”, which was the perfect set up for dinner at Chez Panisse. The food was superlative! I had Salmon Carpaccio with mustard and capers, Pasta e fagioli and a main course of Grilled duck breast with huckleberries and fried polenta. I don’t even like duck, but this was so well prepared that I ate every morsel. Desert was a cardamom pavlova with raspberry ice cream. Yummy! I so adore great food. I think I should get out and enjoy a fabulous meal at least every other week. Yes! As soon as I stop being a ridiculous workaholic and allow myself more free time. That’s coming soon, people! Just you watch! : >

Thank you for the birthday wishes, gifts and love! If you don’t already know, I love you all!!!

Gigs and friends

What a fun week of music! On Thursday and Friday nights, I performed with Kymberly Jackson, and her band, Urban Legends (Mark Daniels, guitar, Charleston Quinn, bass, Brian Braziel, drums). I had a great time playing with them! Kymberly chooses an energetic mix of jazz and R&B that keeps the crowd moving. On Saturday night, I performed my regular piano/singing gig at Marcello’s and tried out a couple of new songs that went over well with the patrons.

Today, I performed with Papa Gianni in Berkeley. Papa Gianni is a near nonagenarian who still sings and puts on a show! I get the chance to play everything from popular Italian love songs to classical arias to polkas to jazz standards. It’s definitely a fun gig, but not for the faint of heart: good luck with anyone providing a score or chord chart, and even if they do, it’s rarely in the right key! But, of course, I’m never one for backing down from a challenge.

After my gig, I went to a house music party thrown by Napata. She had apparently performed earlier, but missed her. The theme of her event was “Cadillac Records”. I caught the performances of Darlene Coleman and Alvon Johnson, in the roles of Etta James and Muddy Waters. Both were amazing! And I got to see my friends Jimmy McKinney, keys, Eddie, drums, and Rusty Allen, bass, backing everyone up.

Next, I went to Yoshi’s San Francisco (They’ve been seeing a lot of me this week!) to see Tony Lindsay perform with Myron Dove, John Burr, Darian Gray and Ken Harrill. They were great! Guitarist Chris Cain made a cameo appearance and playing a WICKED guitar solo on Tony’s song “Shoulda been there” from his self-titled CD “Tony Lindsay”. After the concert, I saw how many of my friends were in attendance. It’s always beautiful to see my super talented friends, especially since, as a performer, I so rarely get to attend concerts.


Photos of me with Janice Maxie-Reid, Myron Dove and Lisa Bautista.



Thanks to all of my friends for coming to my shows this week: Amy, Ken, Bruce, Rodney, Caroline, Lynette, Robert, Jeff and Sophie. I appreciate you all!

Yoshi's & Yoshi's

It’s a music week! Tuesday night I performed with Bay Area based artist, Hyim, and his Fat Foakland Band at Yoshi’s in San Francisco. It was Hyim’s CD release concert, and the house was packed! Hyim performed alone for the first half of the first set, and ended the set with his trio, Josh Lippi and Derek Taylor, and a bassoon cameo by Ajayi Jacksonon Hyim’s beautiful tune “You Are Forgiven”. After a short break, Hyim returned to the stage, and one by one, the rest of the extended band, Pablo Soto Campoamor, Nate Mercereau and I, walked to our respective instruments during the song “Interpretation of Kind”. Hyim is a pianist, so learning the piano parts involved a higher attention to detail than is the norm for popular music (where the keyboardist can take more liberties and play freely within the genre). For example, on “Interpretation of Kind”, the piano part is a repeating ostinato arpeggiating 4 chords in 1/16th notes. It doesn’t stop. Ever. (For those of you who are not trained musicians, it’s a song that I jokingly referred to as the “carpal tunnel song”, because by the end, without proper technique, you’d strain a muscle!) To make it through the song, I just had to breathe deeply and stay relaxed. Phew!

We played a series of songs from Hyim’s new CD, “Sex In The Morning”, including his first single “Elation”. We didn’t play “Sunny Day”, which is one of my favorite songs (of course, given my happy personality!). We did perform my favorite of his songs “Let Out A Little Peace”, and the crowd joined us in the refrain. It was a good show, and I had a great time!

Wednesday night, for my upcoming birthday, I was treated to dinner and a concert featuring Chick Corea, Stanley Clarkeand Lenny White. I’d seen Chick perform many years ago, when my dad took me to the old Yoshi’s on Claremont in Oakland, but hadn’t seen him since. So, I was excited. Chick is one of my piano heroes. I am utterly enamored of his exquisite technique, lush musicality and precise rhythmic sensibilities. He didn’t disappoint last night. Throughout the performance, I just sat shaking my head in awe. All of the musicians were stunning, and seemed to being having so much fun! At one point, Chick referred to Lenny as “our ebullient percussionist”. Actually, they were all ebullient, and generous in their musical feast. I, for one, was filled with the spirit!

Me & Chick Corea!



Me & Stanley Clarke!

The next few days involve more performances of my own. Please check my calendar for details and come to the show! : >

E-22 Café

I performed at E-22 Café again last night, and packed the house! I was so thrilled to see the faces of so many family members (Mom, Nina, Jeremiah, Naomi, Debra, Torri, Dwayne & Yvonne), friends (Raz, Brad, Linda, Kevin, Evan, Bill, Ai, Victoria and Kelvin, Ronald & wife) and super talented musicians (Bruce, Fuzzy, Amy, Jonathan and Sundra)! I performed for just over 2 hours, interspersed with performances from my cousin Torri (who I’ve been encouraging to sing in public for years! She’s got a great voice, but doesn’t do anything with it…), Bruce Dorsey, Fuzzy, Amy Levine & Jonathan Smothers (who’ll be performing at E-22 Café next Friday, September 18) and Sundra Manning. They’re all amazingly talented and inspire me to push to higher levels of musicality. I tried a couple of new songs last night, including one that I dedicated in remembrance of 9/11, entitled “Gratitude” by Nichole Nordeman. Thanks to Eric & Staff for their wonderful hospitality and GREAT food!

After my gig, a group of us headed over to Jack London Square to watch Sara and Lynette Williams at their gig. Sara was the lead singer, with Lynette on keys and background vocals, Mike Blankenship on keys, Donte McClinton on drums and Marcus Phillips on bass. WOOOOOH!!!! They were awesome! I’d never heard Lynette sing before, but something told me that she’d be good…and she is! I figure that if you have a sister who sings as well as Sara does, some of that must have rubbed off on Lynette. I loved their arrangements of contemporary Neo-Soul songs, and enjoyed a cameo performance by Michala Cheadle. I ended up going to bed FAR too late, but it was a good night!


Amy & Jonathan






Sundra & Bruce






Me & Bruce









Me & Fuzzy

9/11

I will never forget being awakened by a phone call from my sister 8 years ago. "Turn on the television", she said. It was just after 6am, and I couldn't imagine what had taken place to compel her to call so early. What appeared before my eyes was incomprehensible. I saw a replay of the collapse of the first World Trade Tower building and, not realizing that the collapse didn't happen immediately, my heart dropped and I doubled over in shock. Having lived in Manhattan for nearly 8 years, working as a computer consultant, I'd been to the World Trade Towers on many occasions, and was fully aware of the number of people housed therein. 30,000? 50,000 people? Gone? Is that possible? As I continued to watch, spellbound by the horror, I learned that I was watching a replay of the events, and that many of the people in the buildings were able (miraculously) to escape. But for those 3,000+ people who lost their lives, I say a prayer of remembrance. For those around the world, casualties of war, avarice, misunderstanding, hatred, I say a prayer of remembrance. For those who this very day suffer discrimination, captivity, poverty, lack of opportunity, I say a prayer of hope and love. On this day, September 11, 2009, in memory of and on behalf of those less fortunate, let us all choose love.

"Don't delay...send yours in right away" – Stevie Wonder.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." -Anne Frank

Piano and Apples

It's been a few days since I've updated my blog. Last Saturday, I was able to attend my nephew's football game. Jeremiah is a Nose Tackle and looks so much bigger than the other kids on the team, it's almost unfair.


He's turning 9 at the end of this month, but he's weighed more than I do for nearly 2 years. His arms are already bigger than mine! Now, at my size, that doesn't mean much (lol), but he's my "baby"!! It's continually amazing to me how fast he's growing up.



On Sunday, we had a more subdued piano party. There were only 4 of us present, but it was fun to at long last gather with the intention of musical feasting. Amy hosted again, and Maya, Ruslan and I showed up, played but mostly talked. I love piano parties (summits, when they’re more intense), sharing ideas with people as passionate (or moreso) as myself about the art, gaining insight from their experiences and discoveries. Hopefully, we can get them going on a more regular basis.

After the piano party, a few of us went to hear Ruslan play with Eric Benet. What a great show! I’d never seen Eric sing live, and was completely blown away by his voice, energy, rapport and charm with the audience (and…er…he ain’t hard to look at!). He and the band sounded incredible. Unfortunately, the sound engineer had Ruslan’s keys far too low, and the track (background vocals, sound effects, etc) far too loud, but what little we could hear of Ruslan was hot!







On Monday, my Mother showed her country-girl side! My apple tree has been bearing delicious fruit, but I failed to trim it last season, so the apples had been appearing far up in the tree, inaccessible by bare hand even with a step-stool. Mom devised a bucket on a stick contraption, and started climbing and grabbing fruit! She retrieved about 20 good, and 10 passable apples from the upper regions of the tree. She was born and raised in rural Mississippi, and despite having lived in California since she was 16 years old, I suppose the country never leaves! Mom was also kind enough to turn the passable fruit into a yummy (meaning not too sweet) apple pie for me! She’s just the best : >

Last night my cousins Tony and Dawn invited me at the last minute to go see Patrice Rushen playing with Brian Bromberg at Yoshi's. Patrice is so awesome. She has such a wonderful sense of groove and bridges the gap between funk, R&B and jazz perfectly! Dawn and Tony were both thrilled to meet her.

Performing at Marcello's

What a great night at Marcello’s! I had friends and family attend my gig tonight! My mom, aunt Debra and “aunt” Pam (she’s known me my whole life, so she’s earned the title!), my friend Nancy (we studied with the same piano and voice teacher, Mrs. Scott – God bless her!, and now her daughter studies with me) and her friends, my student Michelle and Jeff, my friend Amy (who sat in on piano and sang), Jonathan (who sang with both me and Amy), Elizabeth and George and their friends, Michael and Evie, were all present for nearly the entire night! I was in good voice, and had a great time playing and singing a variety of songs. I surprised Michael and Evie with a rendition of “Ribbon in the sky” in honor of their 30th wedding anniversary, and “Isn’t she lovely” to my mom (and aunt). They both looked as though they were holding back tears while I sang. I actually felt myself getting a little choked up, thinking about how grateful I am for their love, and the love I’m consistently given from family, friends and strangers. It’s awe inspiring and breathtaking. Wow… Thanks for coming to the show everyone!!! xoxo

Victoria Theodore September Performances

"Ba dee yow, say do you remember,
Ba dee yow, dancing in September,
Ba dee yow, never was a cloudy day..."
– White, McKay & Willis

Hello Friends,

It's my favorite month, and my birthday is only weeks away! ; > We have only another month and a half of summer (at least in the Bay Area where we enjoy "Indian Summer"), and I've been enjoying myself, despite working nearly non-stop. I've received some amazing opportunities as a composer recently, and am focusing on how to reshape my schedule so that I have time to devote to being creative. And after months of working to rebuild my teaching business (thanks to the slow economy), I've reached capacity! I guess my promotion worked : >

I'm performing in a new venue in the East Bay, E-22 Café, and with Bay Area artist Hyim at Yoshi's SF this month. E-22 Café is a lovely spot in Emeryville, and easily accessible for all of you Oakland/Berkeley people! Hyim is an incredible artist who's been compared to Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon and Sting, is a California Music Award Nominee, multi-instrumentalist, singer and fantastic songwriter. His musical style combines a strong popular ethos, with latin beats and a jazz vibe. Don't miss this one!

And of course, I'll be performing at Marcello's in Danville, and The Broadway Grill in Burlingame, and with the always entertaining and talented Kymberly Jackson in Oakland (Q's Lounge and Oyster Reef).

Here are a few upcoming shows, but check my website for the latest information:

SEPTEMBER 2009
Fri, Sep 4
10:30am (PST)
Re-broadcast of my Radio Interview: Women (and Legends) Who Really Rock! with Carmen Milagro
"Women (and Legends) Who Really Rock! with Carmen Milagro" is a one-hour weekly LIVE Internet radio show, hosted by Carmen Milagro


Sat, Sep 5
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Fri, Sep 11
6:30pm - 8:30pm
E-22 Café
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2506 | 510.428.9334 | map

Sat, Sep 12
4:30pm - 7:30pm
The Broadway Grill
1400 Broadway Burlingame, CA 94010 | 650.343.9333 | map

Tue, Sep 15
8pm
Hyim at Yoshi’s San Francisco

music fusionisto
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600 | map
$11 advance (with CD) / $15 at the door

Thu, Sep 17
9pm-12:30
Kymberly Jackson
Jazz / R&B
Oyster Reef Seafood Restaurant
1000 Embarcadero Oakland, CA 94606 | 510.836.2519

Fri, Sep 18
8-11:30pm
Kymberly Jackson
Q's Lounge
Jazz / R&B
Everett & Jones Barbeque • 126 Broadway Oakland, CA 94607 | 510.663.2350

Sat, Sep 19
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sun, Sep 20
2pm - 5pm
Pappa Gianni and the North Beach Band at Caffe Trieste
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
2500 San Pablo Avenue Berkeley , CA 94702 | 510.548.5198 | map

Acting, Driving, Visiting and Playing

It’s been a loooong day! This morning I drove to Sacramento to do an audition for a commercial. I decided years ago to join a casting agency, because, well, you just never know if you have the exact look a client is seeking. I’m not a trained actor, and don’t have any visions of myself performing Shaekspeare any time soon, but I’ve done a little bit of acting (commercials, extra work on movies, etc.), and leave that option available to myself to pursue, should an exciting opportunity fall into my lap – as so many things in my life do! I was paired with another actor, who played my “husband”, and we practiced our lines for about 30 minutes. I think I did a good job, and the cameraman seemed pleased with my performance. I hope I get the job!

After the audition, I went to visit my Grandmother and uncle. My Grandmother has survived a series of strokes and is determined to regain her health. I’m so proud of her for her valiant fight to maintain her independence and of my uncle for being there to support her. I don’t visit her nearly enough…

I returned to the Bay Area, stopped by my aunt’s house since my sister was in town visiting her with my niece and nephew. My nephew is getting to be such a big boy! He’s only 8, but outweighs me by nearly 30 pounds, and will surely be taller than me by next year. He’s such a natural for football, and is just now starting to enjoy the sport. My niece is (of course, the girly girl like her auntie) a cheerleader for his team. They’re both so cute!

Finally, I got home, and felt sufficient fatigue beginning to settle upon me (and a significant case of indigestion), that I took a miniscule 10 minute nap before getting dressed and heading to my gig. And what a fun gig! Despite not feeling well (and being overwhelmed with the heat from a nearly 100° day), I performed with my friend Kevin (on bass), who’d invited me to participate on the gig. I was thrilled to find a HUGE group of friends and family attended the show: William, Carla, Amy (who played and sang a tune – she’s awesome!), Tony, Ken, Bruce (who sang a couple of tunes with me and rocked the house!), Ron, Linda, Polly, Teri (who took some lovely photos of me at the gig!) and most surprisingly, my Grandfather! My Grandfather had not attended one of my performances in many years, and I was very happy to see him there. Thank you to everyone for coming, and I look forward to performing at E-22 Café!

LA and Good night!

I had a fantastic time in LA! I got to hear my friends perform, and sat in on 2 jam sessions, and performed the gig with Kaylah. Everything went really well, and I drove home inspired! I'm ramping down my *busy work* factor and will be making some big changes in my life so I can devote more time to mastering the piano, singing and writing, specifically with the goal of completing MY project!

Me and Randy (genius)

Here's a little good night video:

LA in August

Yesterday was fun! I arrived in LA late Saturday night, and went straight to bed. I got up late on Sunday morning (9:30am), went for a walk and then met my fabulous friend Lexie at church, and then enjoyed a delicious brunch that her mom made. Later, I visited my brilliant friend John and was inspired by his musical knowledge, accomplishment, and lovely company. We watched videos of amazing performers such as Errol Garner, Les McCann and Ralph Moore, and the music of a genius young musician named Rick James. This guy plays bass, piano, sax, drums, and who knows what else, with incredible mastery, and the recordings were made when he was still a teen. I was astonished at the musical beauty and maturity of his playing. Apparently, he's not sharing his music with the world in this moment, and I railed for a while about how the world needs beautiful talent like his, and how could he keep it to himself, blah, blah, blah. After a while, I realized that I (admitted with head bowed in shame) have a terrible habit of procrastinating in my own musical growth, and creativity. Why, I ask you, why have I not completed my project yet? Why do I let days go by without practicing in the way that I KNOW will lead to my goal of complete musical freedom? Why do I let the minutiae of daily life distract my from my goal? I may be no musical savant with multi-instrumental prowess, but I have my own gifts to offer...and I DON'T DO IT. 'nuf said. I'm gonna shut up complaining about someone else's lack of motivation and get my own act together... I ended the night hanging out with some of my favorite people after watching some of them play a killer set on their gig. Paris is a young pianist/composer/singer (yes, I'm claiming it for you!) who is simply phenomenal. Kyle is my guitar heart, and Brandon was holding it all together, making everything connect with some lovely bass. I'm so proud of, and impressed by all of them! They were joined by Amber and Anita, both tremendous singers. It was a good start to my LA trip.

Walking at the Marina

I went for a walk with my sister, her kids and the dogs. We started late, but it was a beautiful night!

Victoria Theodore August Performances

"Can't it be August again?
When the trees swayed
With the last breath of summer upon them..."
– Frani Bell

Hello Friends,

August is upon us! We've been enjoying a lovely July "winter" here in the San Francisco Bay Area, with temperatures ranging from the low 50s to mid 70s, but with August comes the start of our summer, and for that, I'm thrilled!

July was a busy month, lots of performances and media interviews. I was even interviewed for an upcoming documentary. More details on that later : >

I still haven't figured out how to include dance classes in my schedule. I adore the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance", and every summer that it's on, I get the itch to dance. I'll find a way...

Here are a few upcoming shows, but check my website for the latest information:

AUGUST 2009
Sat, Aug 1
6:30pm - 9:30pm
The Broadway Grill
1400 Broadway Burlingame, CA 94010 | 650.343.9333 | map

Sat, Aug 8
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sat, Aug 15
12:30pm
Art & Soul Festival
I'll be performing with students from the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
Yoshi's Jazz Stage
Jefferson Street at 12th Oakland, CA | map
$10 adults, $5 seniors & youth (13-17), 12 and under free

Wed, Aug 19
8pm
Kaylah Marin & Basic BlaQ at
The Mint
610 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 | 323.954.9400 | map
$10

Sat, Aug 22
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!

Just click on one of the links and then click the button that says "SHOWS".

Have a wonderful month! I hope to see you soon!

Growing Garden

For the past few weeks I’ve been enjoying the bounty of my newly established garden! Salad is my favorite dish, so having an abundance of various lettuce types growing freely in my planter boxes has been an unencumbered delight! Today my first 3 tomatoes were harvested! They still need another couple of weeks to ripen (they had to be harvested because I’m having a bit of an aphid issue, which I’m dealing with), but otherwise look great! Farmer Victoria? Well, I can clip leaves and eat the bounty! : >

Tracks, gig, tracks...

This evening I had another gig with flautist Kymberly Jackson at Qs Lounge in Jack London Square. This afternoon, I spent some time working on tracks for clients, and the time got away from me. Before I could finish, it was time to leave for my gig. My dear cousin, Jonathan, worked as my roadie for the night (thank GOD!! I didn't have to lug equipment!), and kindly set up all of my gear for me. The gig went well, and I had fun playing with Kymberly, Brian, Mark and Charleston once again. Thanks to my friends who came to the show. I so appreciate your presence, support and seeing your smiling faces: Revonda, Darian, Phil, Dewey, Andre, Sara and Lynette (my fellow keyboardist who's rocking on the new hit MTV reality show "Making His Band". Check her out!!). Rapper Too Short happened to stop by for a while as well. It was a full house!

So, I'm back home from the gig, and DOH! I just remembered that I didn't finish one of my client's tracks. Sigh. Can I please have a 30 hour day, so I can get everything done? I just want to go to sleep, but I can't let my client down...

Back to tracking, then to bed, hopefully before 2am!

Comedy and Music

Tonight I went to La Peña in Berkeley to see The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour, produced by Lisa Marie Rollins. I was expecting a stand up comic, but it was more of a one-man show, theatrical presentation, that also happened to be hilarious! W. Kamau tackled the sensitive topic of race in America, but with humor and insight that was fresh, thought provoking and, in the end, encouraging in his suggestion that we can – as a nation – move beyond the nominal precepts of race. W. Kamau touches on everything from President Barack Obama to black hair protocols to a discussion of what’s considered sexy in the USA. If you attend the show with a person of another race from your own, you get a 50% discount. Discount or not, this was a great performance and I highly recommend that you go see the show while it’s in town through August 3rd.

Once I returned home, I got to work on writing music. I declared early today that I will no longer allow days, weeks, years, to pass by without having taking any action towards completing my music project. I've decided that daily writing will at least get me on the path of being continually creative, so that's what I'm doing. Even if only for 5 minutes. I MUST WRITE or COMPOSE SOMETHING!!! Tonight, it's an instrumental piece. I spent about 15 minutes on it. But I did SOMETHING! I'm proud of myself, because, believe me, I'm hungry (for those who don't know, I typically eat dinner quite late), and tired from a full day of administrative tasks, household shopping, errand running, piano and vocal students and then the show I mentioned above. : >

It was a good day!

Garlic, anyone?

Last night, my sister, niece and nephew came to my gig at Marcello’s. The kids behaved wonderfully. Jeremiah was charming and energetic the whole night. I’m always amazed by his energy. He seemed to enjoy my performance, made 2 requests and even sang a song with me! Naomi slept the whole time, until finally at the end of the night, I dedicated a song to her. She drowsily responded to her brother’s prodding and listened, bleary eyed to the song. After which, she fell right back to sleep.

Today I went to the Gilroy Garlic Festival with my niece and nephew and my friend Amy . There was supposed to be a large group of us, however, things happen and it just ended up being us four. I had my mind focused on finally getting a chance to try the world famous garlic ice cream! Alas, between our late start (thanks to the waiting around for everyone to meet at my house, only to have 4 people cancel at the last minute), and the slooooow traffic on 101, we arrived too late to see Top Chef star Fabio Viviani , and missed the very item I went to the festival for: the garlic ice cream! Apparently, they planned poorly (my opinion, of course) and ran out of ice cream by 3pm on the last day. ARGH!! Despite the heat, high prices at the booths ($15 for face painting? Really? REALLY?), rather greasy food, and lack of garlic ice cream, we all managed to have a good time walking the grounds, people watching, observing a food demonstration (which smelled delicious…we didn’t get to taste though), and sipping on frozen, sugary drinks. The kids were energized the whole day, and somehow managed only 2 relatively major spats, neither of which required the earth-shattering, terrifyingly intense, “don’t make me stop this car”, Auntie stare-down from the rear view mirror, but rather a solid snap of the fingers and a terse “quiet” in a confident, if voice. It was a good day!

Radio Interview

Check out my interview!!

Radio Interview featuring Victoria Theodore on Friday 7/24/09 at 10:30am PST

Download the interview here if you missed it:
Women (and Legends) Who Really Rock!

My interview starts at approximately 20 minutes.

SYTYCD took my breath away tonight

I should have been in bed 2 hours ago. But, as usual, I didn't stop working until late, and so, starving, I sat down with my near midnight meal to watch my favorite show, So You Think You Can Dance. The first part of the show wasn't captivating, and I'd finished my dinner in time to turn off the television at the mid point, to return at another time and watch the remainder. But feeling less than motivated to stand quickly, I sat for a few more minutes, which spiraled into the entire show. Tonight, a new choreographer made her debut on the show. Laurie Ann Gibson created a piece featuring Brandon and Jeanine. It was powerful, hard-hitting, passionate and exciting. Brandon and Jeanine danced the piece brilliantly. I was compelled to rewind and watch it again immediately (something I only do when the dance and choreography are exceptional).

After the performance, I was inspired by Mia Michael's (my absolute favorite choreographer) comments to Laurie Ann, saying that "she doesn't dance a step unless it is from her soul". Those words are all I need to hear to remember that I must demand nothing less from myself in my musical expression. Every note I play, every phrase I sing, every word I write, MUST come from my soul. It's so easy for me to allow myself to be "adequate" or "good". That part of me which resonates with Mia's statement won't stand for it. My soul yearns for full expression of excellence and I must heed it's call.

I thought Laurie Ann's piece was to be my favorite dance of the night. I was wrong.

The next piece was choregraphed by Tyce Diorio, consistently one of my favorite choreographers on the show. His work was performed by Ade and Melissa, a piece that conveyed the journey of a woman with breast cancer and the support she receives from her friend. The piece was mesmerizing and one of the best ever on the show. I was overwhelmed with emotion watching Ade and Melissa dance. Tyce's choreography perfectly evoked the pain, deblilitation, and heartbreak that co-exists with determination, strength and courage in the lives of cancer patients. The movement, beautifully set to Maxwell's stunning version of Kate Bush's song "This Woman's Work", was breathtaking.

Tyce's choreography transported me back to those moments in my niece's journey with cancer that had terrified and devastated me. Ade's power and conviction reminded me of the determination that those of us who love Naomi summoned within ourselves to offer her all of the love and support we could muster. Melissa's courage and vulnerable tenacity reminded me of the strength in Naomi's tiny 3 year old body as she fought for her life and SURVIVED. Thank you Tyce. Thank you Ade. Thank you Melissa. Thank you for so perfectly telling the story of those of us who have dealt with cancer either directly or through a loved one. Blessings to you all.

"I know you have a little life in you yet
I know you have a lot of strength left..."