Pink Martini coming to Rohnert Park

When Pink Martini’s velvet-voiced China Forbes left the 12-piece band to undergo vocal chord surgery in 2011, it was the first time that the lead singer had missed a show in 15 years.

“I could not take it any longer ... the pressure of being the only singer,” Forbes said. “There was a hemorrhage on my vocal chord, and I needed to stop. When (singer) Storm Large stepped in, it was a great relief.”

By the time she returned to the stage at the end 2011, both Forbes and the band had changed dramatically.

As the mother of a young son, Forbes was happy to be able to alternate shows on the road with Large, a talented rock singer and musical theater veteran whose voice lives up to her name.

“It was a good situation to share the duties,” Forbes said. “The band tours a lot, and I personally don’t want to be away from my son all the time.”

In her absence, the band known for its unique blend of globe-trotting pop music - part Latin dance club, part smoky French cafe, part 1950s film soundtrack - had started to collaborate with an array of singers, from Saori Yuki of Japan to the von Trapps, the great-grandchildren of Captain Georg and Maria von Trapp of “The Sound of Music” fame.

“When I took time off, I let go in a lot of ways ... and we’ve all been a lot happier,” Forbes said of the band. “There have been more guest artists and singers, and no one person is carrying the show. It’s like an amoeba. It keeps changing.”

Pink Martini and the now recovered Forbes will bring their vintage vibe and catchy dance rhythms to Sonoma County this weekend when they appear at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, at the Green Music Center’s Weill Hall. Joining the band will be guest singer Ari Shapiro, the new host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” who has recorded songs on three Pink Martini Albums: “Splendor in the Grass,” “Joy to the World” and “Get Happy.”

Forbes, who has recorded two solo albums in addition to seven Pink Martini albums, recently wrote and recorded an original song, “The Northern Line” for the closing credits of “Infinitely Polar Bear,” a new film directed by her sister. Maya Forbes.

We caught up with Forbes in a phone interview at her home in Portland, Ore., where she is currently writing songs for another solo album and a kids’ album, and warming up her vocal chords for an opera album.

Q: What did you study at Harvard?

A: I started out in studio art, and then I switched to English literature, but I really majored in drama. I was in so many productions. Between that and meeting (classical pianist) Thomas (Lauderdale), it set me up for this.

Q: Lauderdale founded Pink Martini in 1994 and asked you to join in 1995. Right out of the gate, you started writing songs together. Do you have any favorites?

A: My favorites are “Hey Eugene” and “Sympathique,” which is he quintessential Pink Martini song. It’s the first song we wrote together, and our biggest hit. People love it so much. It has the words, “Je ne veux pas travailler” (“I don’t want to work.”) In France, people passed a law shortening the work week and chanted our song in the street.

Q: What was the original inspiration for the band?

A: Thomas was really inspired by films like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and (Pedro) Almodovar movies. Those two were huge. On our first album, we had a Spanish singer, Pepe Raphael, and then I sing in French and Greek and Japanese, and a lot of the songs were from films.

Q: Lauderdale once described the band as “an American band singing in 12 different languages ... with the sweep of a 1940s Hollywood musical, but with a global influence.” How many languages do you know?

A: I studied Italian and French, and I spoke French with my French grandfather. The other languages were just thrown at me. To learn it, I team up with a native speaker and I memorize it. That seems pretty hard to believe because it’s pretty hard to learn Arabic and Greek and Japanese. It was nice that I started when I was young.

Q: What does your record collection look like?

A: I grew up wanting to be Stevie Nicks, Natalie Merchant, Suzanne Vega and Sheryl Crow. I love the female singer-songwriters. That’s what I thought I would do, and on a lark, I did this, but I didn’t think I would stick with it. Over the years, it became so much fun, and I couldn’t justify stopping. So many people are doing the singer-songwriter thing, but nobody is doing what we’re doing.

Q: Pink Martini’s music has a purity and an innocence to it. Does the music provide an antidote to post-modern malaise?

A: It’s not ironic or cool. I just read a quote: “In this world that’s becoming so virtual, people are craving handmade things.” We all want something homemade, and there’s so little that is. So when it is homemade, it’s incredibly powerful and alluring. Our music has always been like that. We don’t use a synthesizer. There is some production - Thomas adds more harp to everything - but it’s not contrived and automatic.”

Q: What does your ideal venue look like?

A: We just played at Red Rocks (Amphitheatre, in Colorado), which was my ultimate fantasy come true. You’re standing in the midst of this massive red rock all around you, under the stars and the moon, and it’s windy and dramatic, and everybody is nestled in the cliffs. It’s crazy and beautiful, and the music hits the rocks and comes back at you.

Q: What’s it like to play with a 12-piece band, and have all that sound swirling around you?

A: Especially in these economic times, it’s pretty impractical to have such a big band. But Thomas has always followed his impulses towards an orchestra, and he wants a bigger sound. I’ve gotten to learn so much, because I don’t have classical training. Only Thomas, the cellist, trombonist, violinist and English horn player are classically trained. The rest of us are in jazz, Cuban and Brazilian music.

Q: What did you learn after losing your voice?

A: That I love singing. When I couldn’t do it, it was so clarifying. I knew I definitely want to sing and I don’

And I’m a master tea drinker. My best friend in Portland has a tea company, T Project, and made a tea that’s become my favorite: White Light/White Heat. All the teas are named after songs.”

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.