The ever effervescent Leslie Vincent has a new album (About Last Night) releasing in August 25 but there’s a chance to hear a sneak peek on July 22 at Crooners. A great opportunity to be first on your block to hear it and Leslie always puts on a great show. (We had a chance to chat with Leslie in July 2022; it was fun to experience the depth of her knowledge of music in conversation, which is just as palpably in her performances.)
The album includes a wide range of emotion, from the loneliness of What Will I Do to the fun of Psychedelics with You, do you prefer to sing happy or sad songs, or does it depend on the day that’s in it?
I love all kinds of songs – happy, sad, angry, lonely. For me, though, I particularly love songs with words and stories I feel connected to. Wordplay or even the vocal fun of “What’ll” into the word “I” – that’s the stuff I tend to gravitate towards.
Has getting married changed your music or do you find yourself writing from a different perspective? (Did I hear there’s a connection between Icetown Blues and your wife?
It has and it hasn’t. I’m interested in exploring love that’s stable and capturing pieces of our marriage as it evolves. But I have plenty of heartache and breakups from my past that I might explore in future original torch tunes.
You are always a welcome sight at a tribute shows where a number of performers take turns on stage. What do you think about getting some of the rock and Americana crowd to do a jazz tribute with you? It would be fun!
I would LOVE to do a jazz tribute show with those crews. (Zach, Seth – I hope you’re reading this!) But I also love being a part of those tribute nights – it lets me live my greatest rock star fantasies and explore other genres. I love bringing out the nuances in my jazz work, but screaming the words of a Hanson song to a raging crowd is an equally awesome high.
How do you choose the songs you want to cover on an album. (I’m a big fan of you singing If I Were a Bell.)
Oh man, it’s a mixed bag. Sometimes I find a tune that I love and I know I have to record it (“How You Loved Me on Mars”). Some of these songs have lived in my soul for years (“Laura” and “This Time the Dream’s on Me”). “If I Were a Bell” came from the band and I messed around after rehearsal – we were talking about incorporating musical theater pieces into the set. We decided to play it down as fast as possible and it was so absurd and fun. I wanted to capture that joy, although we do not take it at that tempo on the recording.
For awhile, I had a bunch of Post-Its on my wall with potential song ideas. Sometimes I’d take one down (there was actually another piece that was originally on the album that I scrapped because it didn’t fit the overall vibe). But I follow the songs and arrangements that speak to something in me.
Please tell us about your upcoming release show.
The show is this Saturday, July 22nd 7:30, at Crooners (in Fridley) outdoors in their Belvedere tent. We’ll play through the album for the first time for an audience and then play a few fan favorites from my debut album and a couple of new arrangements that are in the works.
There’ll also be a small exhibit of art by local artists with pieces inspired by the album. Derek Meier, T. Young, Alicia Holder, Forrest Wakso, and Griffin Buhman will all have pieces on display. I haven’t seen them yet and I’m really excited about the connections I made with these folks and how art can inspire more art!
Mostly Minnesota 