East Bay singer Laurie Roldan isn’t too fazed about proverbially stepping into the shoes of Karen Carpenter.
“I have a connection with her because she really just was my idol. I sang every song of hers when I was little, and I know every single word,” says the vocalist, who brings “Laurie Roldan Sings A Song for You: A Cabaret Concert Inspired by the Music of Karen Carpenter” to San Francisco’s Gateway Theatre on Aug. 17 and Aug. 25 to benefit the musical theater troupe 42nd Street Moon.
Roldan says through the years, listeners have told her that she has a similar sound to the late vocalist, who, with her brother Richard in The Carpenters, topped the 1970s pop charts with numerous soft, melodic, distinctive hits.
Though the duo’s music was antithetical to much of the rock and roll popular in the era, the songs have stood the test of time, says Roldan, noting that some younger members of her cabaret audience aren’t even familiar with The Carpenters.
But she adds, “It’s just that music, it’s lasted through the ages. It’s powerful. And you know, people really love it. They have an emotional connection. … especially ‘We’ve Only Just Begun.’”
Roldan points out that she and her collaborators—pianist and music director Brett Strader (her longtime friend and resident musical director for Lamplighters Music Theatre, the popular Gilbert & Sullivan troupe), drummer Michael Henning, bassist Aaron Germain and vocalists Deborah Del Maestro, Monica Slater and Jordan Smith—aren’t a tribute band.
Their presentation, which she wrote, she says, is a “an uplifting, inspiring, story kind of show,” adding, “It’s my life story told through cabaret banter and the music of the Carpenters.”
The upcoming performances, marking the fifth time she’s done the show and the first in San Francisco, have a bit of new music and different singers with whom she duets. But it still offers her original message, which is to “inspire people to never give up, to always pursue your passions.”
The former musical theater actress (who through the decades appeared in Pleasanton Playhouse, Playhouse West, Contra Costa Musical Theatre and other productions) says this show exemplifies her own effort to follow her dreams and aspirations.
She wants to share her gift of being able to convey the deep feelings of a song, and to leave a legacy for her three daughters: 25-year-old musical twins who also perform, and a 19-year-old studying nursing.
Roldan says one of her favorite parts of her show “A Song for You” (The Carpenters 1972 album “A Song for You” with the red jacket and a heart on it was what she listened to constantly as a child in Moraga, she shares) is a fun surprise that involves children.
While Roldan is thrilled to be doing the show to benefit 42nd Street Moon, her first professional association with the group, she also would enjoy bringing it to wider and farther audiences.
She does envision a time onstage, including in New York, singing Karen Carpenter songs. She says, “Any opportunity I could have to do that, I would love it, because I just love to sing her music. And that’s it’s like my butter. It just feels like butter when I’m singing it.” She adds, “It’s so true, when singing is the rest state of my soul. Literally when I’m singing, especially this music, it’s just the rest state of my soul. I’m so happy. Yeah, so I would love to do more.”
“Laurie Roldan Sings A Song for You” is at 7 p.m. Aug. 17 and 3 p.m. Aug. 25 at the Gateway Theatre, 215 Jackson St., San Francisco. Tickets are $39-$49 at (415) 255-8207 or 42ndstmoon.org.
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