August 15 Vacaville/Vallejo Arts and Entertainment Source: Vacaville gets a ‘Ronstadt Revival’

When Shannon Rae got a call about portraying Linda Ronstadt on stage, the country-rock icon had already been offstage for a decade. Ronstadt’s departure from live performances in 2009 had left fans desperate for more. And her absence was only magnified when a documentary on her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career, “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice,” was released in 2019.

Following the film’s debut, it was clear Ronstadt was swirling in the minds of musicians and fans. That’s when Rae received a call from her friend who had heard a Ronstadt tribute band might be auditioning for a lead vocalist.

“Didn’t you always want to do a Linda Ronstadt tribute band?” Rae’s friend prompted.

Five years later, Rae is heading to Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre as the lead vocalist of the seven-piece band, Ronstadt Revival. The band, which formed right as the pandemic hit, has entered a revival of its own in recent years, averaging around 40 or 50 shows a year across California and hoping to expand to Utah.

Looking back on the band’s growth and the audience feedback, Rae marvels how it almost didn’t happen. After the audition, it took some persuading for Rae to step into the country rock icon’s shoes.

“I came with a rose in my hair and a white blouse, ready to go,” said Rae. She had been up against two other women and wanted to stand out. As a professional musician with three original albums to her name, Rae set up her phone to record the audition out of habit.

Later that night, Rae listened to the recording with her husband, also a musician, and both concluded it was “horrible.” She deleted the proof of her attempt and decided to move on.

“Linda is an icon, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself,” said Rae. “I wanted to do it justice and not just be like some band trying to play Linda’s music.” Despite singing all her life, Rae realized this role might be a bigger bite than she could chew.

Founding band members Dan Segal and Jeff Hale who auditioned Rae had a different impression. “They called me the next day and said, ‘Can you meet us at Starbucks?’” said Rae. “And they pretty much tied me to the chair and made me promise to give them five rehearsals and I did and then we were off to the races.”

The band’s debut performance was the opening act for an Eagles tribute band in January of 2020, which might have been a promising start until “three weeks later there was nothing.” For a brief period at the start of the year, Rae said the “phone was ringing off the hook and the next day we had booked a $5,000 gig up north.”

With all live shows ground to a halt, the band had a unique opportunity to focus on rehearsal. Using Hale’s shady backyard as the designated practice area, the band honed its craft over the summer.

The next gig they secured was outdoors in November, when the autumn weather promised a chilly 38 degrees.

Long before any idea of a tribute role was on the table, Rae had jumpstarted an original music career heavily influenced by teenage years spent listening to Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou” on the radio. “I went and bought her Greatest Hits album,” recalled Rae. “That was the first album I bought with my own money. I felt like she taught me how to sing because I just listened over and over.” The youngest of three girls, Rae remembers her older sister telling her there was a vocal resemblance.

Rae has become more secure singing Ronstadt since her audition, but she doesn’t fancy herself a substitute. “I’ll never sound exactly like — no one will,” said Rae. “She has such a unique voice. She has one of those voices where you know it’s her.”

Once Rae committed to the role, she worked with a vocal coach to capture the inflections, work on breath and give the music its due. “‘Blue Bayou’ is a big song and you have to do that with all of your heart and all the right breath. You have to sell that, you have to really be able to deliver that,” said Rae.

For Rae, it’s less about becoming Ronstadt and more about giving these songs life on stage again.

“People come to me crying about how our show took them back and made them feel so good,” said Rae, who counts these interactions as the most rewarding part. “One lady told me she closed her eyes and she had a 20-inch waist again,” laughed Rae.

Because the audience skews older, choosing venues like Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre where audiences can sit is a priority for the band. That, and a 3 p.m. Sunday matinee helps welcome those fans who might have seen Ronstadt at the Troubadour back in the day.

IF YOU GO:

• WHAT: A Tribute to The Legendary Linda Ronstadt with Ronstadt Revival
  feat. Shannon Rae
• WHEN: Aug. 25, 3 p.m.
• WHERE: Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive, Vacaville.
• TICKETS: $41-52, online at vpat.net

Originally Published: August 13, 2024 at 4:16 p.m.