PUBLISHED JANUARY 2007 IN THE NORTHSIDE
VANDANA BALI, A NEW VOICE ON THE SAN FRANCISCO CABARET SCENE
By Bruce Bellingham
Ever since she was a little girl growing up in India, Vandana (pronounced Vahn-dah-NAH) Bali has been singing one thing or another. The Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar was Vandana's idol ("she sang classical, pop and everything Indian'). "Lata has an angelic voice," says Vandana, "and she adheres to what I love; that's the storytelling tradition of song. These tunes are called ghazals."
As a child growing up in India, Vandana would visit her grandfather's home, and the family would get into a circle after dinner, and the traditional Indian instruments would come out - the sitar, the tabla, the tamboura. Vandana would sing, and sing, and sing. Years later, in the United States, Vandana studied classical music at Skidmore College, and she got a job on Capitol Hill working for Congressman Mike McNulty, a "Blue Dog Democrat."
Vandana's experience in governmental affairs took her to Santa Monica, where she worked for the city (VANDANA'S NOTE: I did not work for the city of Santa Monica), and soaked up the L.A. music scene for a couple of years. She still works in the public sector, as an employee of San Francisco’s Department of the Environment where her field is air quality and public health.
"To me," she explains, "working to keep the air clean and singing are inextricably linked. In L.A., it got to the point where I could no longer sing because I couldn't breathe down there, the air is so bad. In San Francisco, I can sing."
And she does. But, she's also fallen in love with the Broadway songbook - perhaps because she reveres Patti Lupone. She's cultivating what she calls "the power ballad." She like the notion of the voice and its power. Her show at The Plush Room last October was called "The Power of Love," punctuated with show tunes and American standards. She relentlessly pursues open mike nights in S.F. clubs, and loves to perform at Broadway's open mike mecca, Don't Tell Mama's at W. 46th street in New York.
Her material includes songs by Stephen Sondheim, the Gershwins, Stephen Schwartz, and Dennis Livingston. She loves to perform. Her work often takes Vandana to public speaking gigs. "It's all about bringing the audience together," she says.
Vandana Bali is becoming a local favorite - she performed at Martuni's last month. She has released two CD's already, and plans to take her "Power of Love" show to L.A. and London next June.
Her website is www.vandana.net
Bruce Bellingham - The Northside (Jan 11, 2007)
Clips from my NYC "The Power of Love" DVD were aired on the show "Regards to Broadway" on Cable Channel 26 in Pacifica, CA, to promote my October 1, 2006 Plush Room debut show. Thanks to Joe (the shows producer) for airing this 7 minute spot on me and my music.
Pacifica Community Television - Cable Channel 26 (Sep 26, 2006)