The talented singer, composer and pianist from Fox TV's hit show “Ally McBeal,” will grace the Birchmere stage this month, marking her third visit to the Alexandria nightclub.
Vonda Shepard, the 40-year-old blonde singer, composer and actress whose appearances and singing voice heard in each episode of Ally's show, will bring new songs as well as old familiar tunes from the five-year run TV hit, when she appears March 18 and 19.
Her new CD, “Chinatown,” is making its way up the charts and with her current U.S. tour and another European tour following this swing around the country, should only enhance the popularity of her new 11-song album.
“I was actually happy the show [Ally McBeal] ended when it did,” said Shepard from her California home. “I've had the time and freedom to concentrate on what I do best, compose and perform my songs.”
The pianist/songwriter who has sold more than 12 million records, was picked by TV producer David E. Kelley as the musical producer of the “Ally McBeal” show after she recorded her debut CD in 1989, the first of her nine albums.
Many of her tunes circulated throughout the record industry on major record labels and others were released on Jacket Records, a label Shepard co-founded with her manager Gail Gelman. Her reputation became well-known throughout Southern California and eventually led to Kelley's offer for the television show.
“It was a privilege to work with so many gifted actors,” said Shepard. “I had total control of the musical productions and spent most of my time in the recording studio each week. My job was to read the scripts and bring the music to life. It was very intense, but I knew what David wanted.
“The shooting of the actual show was different from my schedule. I was on the periphery of the taping. I wouldn't get together with the actors [each week] until much later.”
SHEPARD SAID at times she felt intimidated having to work with mega-stars of the industry, such as Sting, Barry White and Gladys Knight. “They would guest star on the show and it was my job to arrange the songs for them. One time Gladys didn't like the arrangement of a song she was to perform. It was the wrong key, she said, so after working with her, she agreed to continue.”
“Sting - Wow,” she laughed. “Robert Downey Jr. has a great voice. The running theme of Barry White's hit song throughout some of the episodes on the show was fun to work on, too.”
Shepard said it was perfect timing for the show to end when it did. “Five years is a long time. I had a new album ready and I needed the time to finish it. I was ready to move on.”
As for the popularity of the television show and the importance it played in her career, Shepard said, “my career needed that show. Ally gave me exposure. Even when I tour Europe, everybody now knows me and knows the songs from that show. I love touring. It's phenomenal. The show gave my career a big boost.”
AFTER THE BIRCHMERE, Shepard and her entourage will head to Pennsylvania and New York. The current tour is only a month, so after it's over it's on to Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Shepard said she's promoting her new Chinatown CD with each venue she visits and hopes audiences will enjoy her songs.
“My songs on Chinatown are about real life, from high points to heartbreak,” she said in a news release about her new CD. “It's about lost opportunities and moments of sweet fulfillment. They're also about the mirror world that we all carry within ourselves, private places, were dreams nestle even as storm rage outside.
“One of my goals when I write is to create a world of my own in the music; to capture a space where I can feel completely lost. I love nature, and I love the city, and I try to fuse these two extremes.”
If You're Going
Vonda Shepard performs at 7:30 p.m. March 18 and 19 at the Birchmere, 3701 Mt. Vernon Avenue. More information is available online at Vonda Shepard’s Web site, www.vesperalley.com, or on the Birchmere’s site, www.birchmere.com. Tickets are not available at the Birchmere, but are available online at www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 703-573-SEAT (7328).