The eclectic, acoustic-oriented sounds of Pink Martini have never been easy to categorize, but that hasn’t prevented the Portland, Oregon-based band from acquiring a loyal, enthusiastic following. In 2004, Pink Martini founder/pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale articulated the band’s global outlook perfectly when he said: “I think it’s important to be a citizen of the world as opposed to being a citizen of this particular country. Part of that means studying other people’s languages.” Lauderdale formed Pink Martini in 1994, hiring Forbes as the band’s lead singer the following year. Forbes recorded a solo album, Love Handle, in 1995, but Pink Martini quickly became her main focus. Pink Martini’s debut album, Sympathique, was released on their own independent label, Heinz Records, in 1997; they went on to release their second album, Hang on Little Tomato, on Heinz in 2004, and their third album, Hey Eugene!, on Heinz in 2007. The following year, Heinz released Forbes’ second solo album, ’78, which was a major departure from her work with Pink Martini and favored an introspective adult alternative approach. The year 2009 was a busy one for the band, with the concert DVD Discover the World: Live in Concert, which showed how Pink Martini spent most of their 2008, arriving that summer, and the album Splendor in the Grass, which featured collaborations with Chavela Vargas and the Dandy Warhols’ Courtney Taylor-Taylor, appearing that fall. In 2010, they released holiday album Joy to the World. In 2014, they followed with Dream a Little Dream. Pink Martini continues to tour the world.
