Storm Large (born Susan Storm Large, June 25, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and author. She attracted national attention as a contestant on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

reality television show '' Rock Star: Supernova''. For many years solely a rock artist, in recent years she has branched out into theater and cabaret. A resident of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, Large currently performs nationally with her own band, and tours internationally with the Portland-based band

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band that was founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as classical, latin, traditional pop, and jazz. The co-lead v ...

Personal life

Storm Large was born and raised in suburban

Southborough, Massachusetts Southborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps, though ...

. From the age of five, she started singing and writing songs. She graduated in 1987 from St. Mark's School, a private school. Her father Henry Large was a history teacher there, as well as the football team coach before he retired. After high school, she attended the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

in New York. Large moved to Portland, Oregon in 2002, originally planning to quit music and attend the

Western Culinary Institute The Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, formerly the Western Culinary Institute (WCI), was a culinary school located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The school was owned by the Career Education Corporation and it w ...

, but at the urging of friends and in particular Frank Faillace, owner of the Portland rock club

Dante's Dante's is a nightclub and live music venue in Portland, Oregon. The venue, located along West Burnside Street and owned by Frank Faillace, hosts a variety of acts ranging from burlesque to rock music. Dante's is housed in an unreinforced masonr ...

, she began singing again with a band she called "The Balls". Large is bisexual, though she dislikes the term and instead calls herself "sexually omnivorous."

Career

While in San Francisco Storm formed the bands Flower SF, Storm and Her Dirty Mouth, and Storm, Inc. Storm also performed with Michael Cavaseno as the duo Storm and Michael or Storm and Friends. Storm, Inc. featured Shaunna Hall of 4 Non Blondes and

P-Funk Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive ...

fame as a rhythm guitarist. Hall was featured on ''The Calm Years'' LP and toured with the band for a few months after the album's release. On January 12, 2012, Storm published a memoir titled ''Crazy Enough''. It is an expansion on her cabaret show produced by Portland Center Stage. The book, published by Free Press, is an account of her growing up with a mother with psychological issues, her stint as a competitive

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

, and her eventual successes.

The Balls

The Balls, also known as Storm and the Balls, were formed in May/June 2002 after Large moved to Portland from San Francisco. Storm and the Balls consisted of Davey Loprinzi (aka "Hotrod" Davey Nipples, formerly of

Sweaty Nipples Sweaty Nipples were an American rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band released two albums before splitting up. Their music has been characterized as "funk metal". History The band formed in Portland in 1987.Harwin, Lise (1995)Sweaty Nipples a ...

) on bass guitar, James Beaton on keyboards, and Brian Parnel on drums. The Balls drew what local media called a "cult-like" following in clubs, primarily during Wednesday night shows at

. They perform "lounge-core, mash-up" renditions of artists such as

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

as well as their own compositions. Large worked part-time as a bartender at Dante's when not touring with The Balls. The Balls opened for Everclear,

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the Punk subculture, punk and New wave music, new wave movements in the late 1970s a ...

, Hank 3, Pleasure Club, and

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatra ...

Drumattica

During live shows, Storm has filled in for Jen Folker on vocals alongside Rob Wynia (of

Floater Floaters or eye floaters are sometimes visible deposits (e.g., the shadows of tiny structures of protein or other cell debris projected onto the retina) within the eye's vitreous humour ("the vitreous"), which is normally transparent, or betwee ...

) with Drumattica out of Portland.

San Francisco

Before moving to Portland, she performed in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

with her former bands Storm Inc., Storm and Her Dirty Mouth, and FlowerSF.

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band that was founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as classical, latin, traditional pop, and jazz. The co-lead v ...

After

vocalist

China Forbes China Forbes (born April 29, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter who has been the lead singer of the band Pink Martini since 1995. Life and career The daughter of Peggy (née Woodford) and Donald Cameron Forbes, China Forbes was born and ...

underwent vocal cord surgery, Large toured with the band from July 4 through December 16, 2011 as a temporary replacement. She then joined the band on 2013 album '' Get Happy'' and as co-lead singer on the follow-up world tour. She continues to perform worldwide with the group.

Theatre

Large played

Sally Bowles Sally Bowles () is a fictional character created by English-American novelist Christopher Isherwood and based upon 19-year-old cabaret singer Jean Ross. The character debuted in Isherwood's 1937 novella ''Sally Bowles'' published by Hogarth Press ...

in a

Portland Center Stage Portland Center Stage at The Armory is a theater company based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Theater productions are presented at The Armory in Portland's Pearl District. Portland Center Stage at The Armory was founded in 1988 as the nort ...

(PCS) production of the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

''. PCS is also the site of the premiere of her autobiographical musical ''Crazy Enough''. She has finished filming ''Rid of Me'' (by James Westby), starring Katie O'Grady, John Keyser, Theresa Russell, and

Art Alexakis Arthur Paul "Art" Alexakis (born April 12, 1962) is an American musician best known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter f ...

. In 2008 Storm Large premiered her autobiographical, one woman show, ''Crazy Enough'' at Portland Center Stage. She got rave reviews. The show appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010 and Off-Broadway in the spring of 2011. She appeared in

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...

's ''Harps and Angels'' at the

Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a 739-seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center designed by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of Downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the Forum, the neighboring ...

from November 10 - December 22, 2010. She has a cameo appearance as a German milkmaid in the feature film, ''Bucksville'' (dir.

Chel White Chel White (born May 30, 1959) is an Americans, American film director, composer, screenwriter and visual effects artist. In his independent films and music videos, White is known for his stylized, often experimental use of images, animation and ...

), starring Thomas Stroppel.

Television

''Rock Star''

Large is also known for her appearances as a contestant on '' Rock Star: Supernova''. She was eliminated on September 6, 2006 (in the last show before the season finale). Several contestants on the show, especially Dilana, gave her the nickname “Tara,” which even the judges picked up on and began using. After elimination, host

Dave Navarro David Michael Navarro (born June 7, 1967) is an American guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Between 1993 and 1998, Navarro was the guitarist of the Red Hot Ch ...

recorded a guitar track for her single "Ladylike" and she was slated to open for the band

Rock Star Supernova Rock Star Supernova was a reality television-formed supergroup consisting of drummer Tommy Lee, bassist Jason Newsted, guitarist Gilby Clarke, and singer Lukas Rossi. The band was formed during the second season of the '' Rock Star'' reality te ...

on tour in January 2007, though she and fellow contestant

Magni Ásgeirsson Guðmundur Magni Ásgeirsson (born 1 December 1978 in Egilsstaðir, Iceland), known professionally as Magni Ásgeirsson, is a singer, songwriter, and musician. He is also currently the frontman for the Icelandic pop band Á Móti Sól. Outside ...

were dropped from the billing for financial reasons.

Other appearances

In addition to being a contestant on ''Rock Star: Supernova'', Large appeared as a guest on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...

'' on September 11, 2006. On September 26, 2006, Large sang "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

" on the second-season finale of

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

reality television show '' The Contender''. She performed the national anthem again on November 4, 2006, at the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

' opening home game of their 2006-2007 NBA season. The broadcast appeared on

Fox Sports Northwest ROOT SPORTS Northwest (stylized as ROOT SPORTS Northwest) is an American regional sports network owned as a 60/40 joint venture between the Seattle Mariners and Warner Bros. Discovery respectively, the latter of which operates it through its spo ...

, the Seattle and Portland affiliate of Fox Sports Net. Large appeared on ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

'' on June 14, 2021, performing a cover of "

I've Got You Under My Skin "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by American composer Cole Porter in 1936. It was introduced that year in the Eleanor Powell musical film ''Born to Dance'' in which it was performed by Virginia Bruce. It was nominated for the Acad ...

," which received an enthusiastic response, allowing her to move on to the Judge's Cut round. None of the judges seemed to know who she was, prompting a reporter at ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' to quip, "In show business, you're nobody until you impress

Howie Mandel Howard Michael Mandel (born November 29, 1955) is a Canadian-American comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel voiced the character Gizmo in the 1984 film ''Gremlins'' and the 1990 sequel '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch''. I ...

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Other album appearances

*"Little Drummer Boy" (as FlowerSF) on ''Christmas Time in San Francisco'' by Various Artists 1995 *"Ego" (as FlowerSF) on ''She's a Rebel'' by Various Artists 1997 *"About You," "Let Go" on ''Infinite Syndrome'' by Bugs 1997 *"I'm not alright", "Lust", "Superman", "Ima Yora", "Geraldine", "Crazy Love" on ''Storm & her dirty mouth'' by Storm & her dirty mouth 1998 *"You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore (Ruff Mix)" on ''You Are Here'' by Insecto 1999 *"Rape Me" (as Storm Inc.) on ''Nearvana: San Francisco'' by Various Artists 2002 *"Down," "Lovetractors 4 Sale" on ''Planet of the Fish'' by Alien Lovestock 2004 *"Valentine's Day," "Closer Closer," "Ruin Everything" on ''Sessions at East'' by Auditory Sculpture 2006 *"Asylum Road" on ''Dearly Departed'' by Various Artists 2008 *"Voices" on ''Shakers' Sessions'' by Various Artist 2011

Ladylike, Side One (EP)

Ladylike, Side One is an EP by American singer-songwriter Storm Large. The track LadyLike was recorded with

on guitar after her elimination from Rock Star Supernova. Because it did not chart, it does not have a separate article.

Track listing

Personnel

* Storm Large - vocals * Dave Navarro - guitar (track 2)

References

External links

* *
Storm Large
at

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

With Pink Martini
{{DEFAULTSORT:Large, Storm 1969 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers America's Got Talent contestants American actresses American women heavy metal singers American heavy metal musicians Bisexual actresses Bisexual musicians LGBT people from Massachusetts LGBT people from Oregon American LGBT singers Pink Martini members People from Southborough, Massachusetts Rockstar: Supernova contestants Singer-songwriters from Oregon St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people

Personal life

Career

The Balls

Drumattica

San Francisco

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band that was founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as classical, latin, traditional pop, and jazz. The co-lead v ...

Theatre

Television

''Rock Star''

Other appearances

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Other album appearances

Ladylike, Side One (EP)

Track listing

Personnel

See also

References

External links