Some singers prefer to sing while playing piano, while others prefer guitar. Shana Tucker’s instrument of choice, however, is the cello, and her performance this past Friday night gave her an opportunity to show students why.
Tucker and her ensemble gave two on-campus concerts this past Friday at the Kennedy-Mcllwee Studio Theatre in Thompson Hall. Tucker’s ensemble consisted of a pianist (Mark Wells), a drummer (Nick Baglio ), a bass-guitarist ( Darion Alexander) and, of course, Tucker herself on cello.
Though she much prefers the cello, Tucker actually started off playing the violin as a child. However, Tucker expressed her loathing of the instrument.
In seventh grade, as soon as she realized her disdain for playing the violin, she made the switch to the cello. According to Tucker, playing the cello was a great way to get out of “other” things.
“Oh sorry, I can’t,” Tucker said, recalling her excuses as a child. “I have to practice. Cheerleading? Can’t, I’m auditioning.”
Tucker played professionally in orchestral ensemble during the years following college, but she began to realize that the traditional orchestral scene wasn’t quite cutting it.
“I [didn’t] know what I wanted to do, but I knew I didn’t want to do that,” Tucker said.
Tucker moved on from the orchestra, and was even prepared to sell her cello until a curious idea hit her. Between 2008 and 2009, Tucker decided to record some of her songs.
“Well, I have the instrument, I have the songs,” Tucker said. “Let me at least just put the songs somewhere.”
Shana’s website lists her as a “chamber soul” artist, but some of her fans feel the label doesn’t quite fit.
“It’d be easier to pin a blob of mercury than to nail [Shana’s style],” Christopher Bicker, a freelance writer and long-time fan of Tucker’s music, said.
Tucker performed many of the songs from her album, as well as a few new songs, and covers of some tried and true classics.
Men and women of all ages came to see Shana’s performance. Surprisingly, it was some of her elder fans who were the first to start dancing and gyrating in their seats.
Tucker doesn’t see herself as a traditional perform. Tucker said she learned quickly that it wasn’t just enough to play a few songs for a concert and leave.
“You might be able to play the song well,” Tucker said, “but there’s no showmanship.”
For Tucker, the showmanship she described came from the conversations she had with audience members between sets. Tucker talked about the history of the songs she was going to perform, and even included humorous anecdotes from her own life.
“It’s okay to talk to the audience the way I’m talking to you now,” Tucker said. “It’s really okay.”
Sharon Moore, the director of Center Stage at N.C . State, was one of the people responsible for booking Tucker’s concert. When asked why she decided to bring Tucker to N.C . State, Moore said without hesitation, “because she’s pretty much awesome.”
Moore worked with Tucker when she was the concert coordinator at N.C . State.
“She’s always such an amazing spirit,” Moore said.
When asked about how it feels to come back to campus, Tucker had mixed feelings. Though she has a deep love of N.C . State, she still finds it a bid odd when coming back to perform.
“It’s still kind of weird, coming back here,” Tucker said, “but in a good way. I mean, students come back, but when does a freaking employee come back as a performer?”
The audience didn’t just enjoy Tucker’s concert, they were captivated. This is a sentiment they shared with the musician when Tucker said, with a hint of regret, that she’d held the audience prisoner long enough. Tucker replied by saying her shoes were getting to be a pain and her feet would probably only last a few more songs.
Next up for the successful artist is none other than the circus. More specifically, the renowned Cirque du Soleil. Tucker will be working on a show called KÁ , which will be performed by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.
