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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2016)
Page 10 ‘Let it out’ News Street Roots • March 11-17„ 2016 For LaRhonda Steele, gospel music is about freedom to express. The Portland singer talks about interfaith choir, the city's pollution crisis and musicians' gift to the world. BY SUZANNE ZALOKAR STAFF WRITER aRhonda Steele has been a part of Portland’s musical landscape for a little over 20 years. Her partner in life and one of her musical collaborators is her husband and keyboardist, Mark Steele. She is the choir director for the Portland Interfaith Gospel Choir, which is made up of both seasoned vocalists and novice performers representing many faiths and cultures. The group’s mission is to use black gospel music to bring together people of different backgrounds, ethnicities and beliefs to celebrate diversity, social justice, equality and peace. There are only a handful of other interfaith gospel choirs - one in Oakland, Calif., and another in Arcata, Calif. “It’s not about color,” Steele said. “It’s about people wanting to experience the freedom that gospel music brings.... The freedom to be spiritual and be connected and be healed.” Additionally, Steele is music director for Unity West Linn and performs with several local blues, R&B and gospel artists. One of those groups is the Adrian Martin Sextet, which are taking their Nina Simone tribute show, “I Put a Spell on You,” to Portland’s Alberta Rose Theatre on March 19. Asked about the changes she has seen in PHOTO BY DIANE RUSSELL Portland, Steele cited the population growth LaRhonda Steele performs with Louis Pain. The Portland musicians recently released a CD together, “Rock Me Baby. ” and the legalization of marijuana, something that she said would never happen in her thought she was going to do. Then she had I love gospel music in the way that you now,” my kids didn’t like that. I get it, but home state of Oklahoma. to drop out of school to support her family. I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere. She also talked about the gentrification of are able to express. I grew up Baptist - not quite Methodist or Catholic, but we were a She worked in clubs, playing piano. the city. She had this classical training along with bit more subdued than what your holiest of S.Z.: Have you been following the story “A lot of the black businesses are gone. this gospel and blues, and that’s the style Pentecostal expressions are. But it is all so about air pollution in Portland? It’s become so very - what is the word? Not good. You are so free to just express, let it that you hear, that isn’t like anyone else. yuppie. Hipster!” she.said. L.S.: A bit Just a couple of things in the “We live right in Northeast and have been out. news, but (something caught my eye): S.Z.: I saw you play Jesus Christ a couple of I tell the choir, because the group is over here 14 to 15 years. My husband is Precision Castparts? years ago in an instrumental production of largely older white people, I am usually white, so maybe we were a part of that “Jesus Christ Superstar.”I have to say, I having to pull the expression out of them. gentrification? 1 don’t know. S.Z.: They are one of the polluters. In 2013, always suspected God was a black woman. I’m like come on. We each know where this a team at the University of Massachusetts music comes from. A song might come from Suzanne Zalokar: Black gospel music. ranked them the No. 1 toxic air polluter in the L.S.: (Laughter) Playing Jesus was really African slavery. If they can sing it in a joyous This sounds like a great opportunity to country. tough. I have been invited as a musical experience it and learn about it. How can I get way, you need to come on with it So we guest at New Thought Center for Spiritual teach the history of the song and what was involved? L.S.: When I first worked here (in Living for the last decade or so. going on in the country at the time, and we Portland), I worked for a company called David York, who leads the music ministry try to relate that so that people can open up LaRhonda Steele: We have been in Unit Parts. It was a coating company. We at the New Thought Center is an Oklahoma to its expression. It’s really wonderful. existence for about four years: Each year it coated nails or washers or other (small boy too. He pushes me beyond what I has grown in size, and so we’ve had to learn pieces of metal). I worked there for about a believe that I can do, and that’s a good S.Z.: You are taking a Nina Simone show how to manage that. year or so, and then I got pregnant. My thing. to the Alberta Rose Theatre. Tell me about We have auditions two seasons each year. husband, Mark, said, “You have to quit this Several years before I played the role of that. We have had wonderful involvement job.” All of the fumes that were being Jesus, I played Mary Magdalene. I had never We’ve been a part of the Martin Luther released there with how they treated the done anything like that before. So it was all L.S.: We’re doing a number of tunes that King Jr. celebration that World Arts metals and stuff? span her career. She is so deliciously - what new. Foundation puts on each year - the largest Precision Castparts was one of the larger Three years later, I had had the is it - I don’t like to use the word “tragic.” one in the country with Ken Berry. We’ve clients of Unit Parts. To have that come full mastectomy and my hair was just coming (Her performance) is the full expression been at that for the past three years. We’ve circle and to know (personally) what that air back from the chemotherapy (Steele had of the highs and lows of an artist. That’s done the Grotto. This year we are doing A is like? You know, it’s kind of scary. been diagnosed with breast cancer). I don ’ t what that is. It’s a full expression, not tragic. Life for Lynn, a benefit for Dave Kahl and And that was 20 years ago. The company know why I said yes to that man. I could his family. We have been up to Western was cited for not dealing properly with their have easily said I ’ ve been through too much S.Z.: There’s nothing that can quite describe Washington University. hazardous waste. There were just open and I can’t (take on the role of Jesus). But I the feeling that comes over me when I put on We also have two large concerts a year, containers of whatever was left from the agreed to it. Nina Simone. which are our fund raisers. We teach treatment of these metals. And not When my kids saw me play that role, I traditional black gospel music, and we teach everybody wore masks. It’s really shocking. L.S.: She has a very different voice. She affected them in a way that I didn’t really from a span of history. In a season, we cover started as an African-American girl being think about because one of the last songs several tunes and genres across historical taught classical piano. That’s what she when Jesus is saying, “Kill me, take me, eras. B See STEELE, page 12
