Storm Large has what she refers to as a “16 year old boy butt”. Yet at 6 feet, the full framed, broad-shouldered, songstress laughs at herself and is completely comfortable in her own skin. In a recent phone interview she took from Portland, OR, Large was preparing to workout shortly after we spoke. “As we age, we all start to look like shit,” she observes. We both, however, bonded over the fact that coconut oil is the best defense against aging.
Large (and yes…that is her real name) is eagerly anticipating her second stint at Carnegie Hall on Friday, April 10th. Her last time here was in 2013, where she sang with the Detroit Symphony. This time, she’ll be joined by Tony DeSare, Frankie Moreno, and Ryan Silverman who will celebrate the centennial birthday of Frank Sinatra with conductor Steven Reineke and the NY Pops Orchestra. “I’m a little bit nervous. I just hope I don’t show up and have them wonder what I’m doing there,” Large says. “But this has been in the works for some time and I am so excited.” Large gained national attention in 2009 with “8 Miles Wide”, a hilarious, metaphorical song about the length of a certain part of the female anatomy. It can found here (and is NSFW) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5U-YT-mRmI .
With the NY Pops, she’ll be a bit more subdued and will lend her euphonious voice to “Something Stupid”, “Come Rain or Come Shine”, “The Best is Yet to Come” and others.
Her musical genre is tough to define. Since she excels in nearly every style, it has been difficult for record labels to commercially promote her. Even her musical influences which include The Kinks and Nina Hagen, have been hard to box into a particular style. Still, Large is a dynamo who continues to blaze the country, performing songs from her latest album, “Le Bonheur”. After Carnegie, she heads to Portland, Maine and returns to the tri-state area on May 3rd where she’ll play the St. George Theatre on Staten Island. Listen, folks! If Storm Large is cool enough to play Staten Island, then we should all be cool enough to buy a ticket. Here, she’ll be joined by Pink Martini, a group that Large began performing with in 2011. After that, she’ll play other venues in the metro area.
Originally born in Massachusetts, she has lived in New York City, Portland, Oregon and San Francisco. She is proud to call Portland, OR her home. “It’s where I can actually breathe”, Large says. Lucky for New Yorkers, she’ll spend some of her time with us in the coming months.
Storm Large with The New York Pops, April 10th at 8 PM. Single tickets are priced from $34 to $120. Purchases can be made at the Carnegie Hall Box Office (57th Street and Seventh Avenue) or by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800. Visit www.carnegiehall.org for more information.