JoeKelley said:

Interesting....I never can imagined Sheila could play the guitar. Perhaps she should play the guitar a bit more when she performs but of course still playing with her sticks. Hearing some funk is always welcome. And hearing her playing some James Brown chords would be fablious. Still Sheila E. is already a funktress.
I think Sheila E. can also plays the keyboard a bit if I am not mistaken.

dewalliz said:

Yes, she does play some keyboard. At the Family Jamm, during the Family's set, toward the end during the High Fashion/Mutiny jam, she was hanging by one of the keyboardists setup and jamming away on one of the keyboards.

I didn't know she played either. Later I saw an interview where she said "she plays a little piano to write songs".

When I met her later that year, I asked her what she was doing on the keyboard during the Family.... and she said the song was getting too funky and she just had to join in. She was surprised how many poeple noticed her doing that!

I asked what she was playing (cuz I play kekyvoards and I LOVE MUTINY/HIGH FASHION and I know what she meant about how it's just too funky you'd HAVE to start jamming along)..... and she was like "Oh I odn't know...organ or something".

She is so cool and talented.

She said she basically plays by ear. Her bio talks about how her dad made her take violin as a kid for yeras, and she got scholarship offer based on that.

She told me that in class she would basically play by ear rather than really read what they were going over. That is amazing to me.

In term sof guitar, as I mentioned above she pulled it out in the 80's during Love Bizarre on SNL but I don't know if she actually played.

Duirng one of those Musicology aftershows last year there was a pic on her site of her playing guitar for a second with Prince ( I think she and Prince swapped instruments for a second).

Also, when she was bandleader on The Magic Johnson show, I kinda remember her having a guitar strapped on one night, but we never got to hear too much of the band unfortunately cuz they would alwyas break to commercial

GaryMF said:

Wow! I am learning a lot about Sheila's other roles as a musician. I kinda knew she plays a keyboard by seen her played a bit on Krush Groove but I wasn't certain since after all I only seen her played it in a movie.

A lot of musicians that I know, personally, plays by ear and doesn't know a damn thing how to read music. Hell they gave me a funny look when I even mention it. That amazes me too. And also that makes them very talented and genius at their own right. I don't know where to begin of playing an instrument without reading the music.

Also, one of my favorite part of watching a Prince show is when he swapped instruments with his band members. I never seen Sheila swapped instrument with anyone because most times I see her playing the drums. It would be nice when she performs in the future to see her playing other instruments more.

Sheila E torn it up on The Magic Johnson show and yes I used to watch the show. Yes it went on commericals but I guess it was normal for any show that was on UPN. Also I seen her on an old episode of the Cosby Show not so long ago and she's brillant and also she looked cute with her curls.

My favorite moments of seeing Sheila E was when she performed in the SOTT/Lovesexy band. That girl kicked ass on the drums. And also she and Cat danced too was another highlight. To me Prince, Sheila E, and even Cat WERE the SOTT/Lovesexy band. That band is my second favorite next to the Revolution and Dirty Mind bands.

I love Sheila E and I been a fan of hers for fifteen years. I think that she is a great artist too. My fav songs by her are Sex Cymbal, Hold Me, and Love Bizarre. Also I love seeing her performed with her family like Pop Escovedo and Peter Michael.

Sheila on Cosby, can you refresh my memory, dont recall that one.

charrisse1971 said:

well then you just have to watch nick at nite sometimes. Besides Sheila E appeared briefly on the show during the seventh or eighth season as herself. It been a few months ago since I seen it. Her role was so small that I don't think she was credit for it. Also she appeared on Cosby when it was on CBS. It seems like Bill digged Sheila E's work.

a lovely read.
i would add that sheila doesor did read music at one point. when you study violin that's one of the first things they teach you to do. she may or may not have forgotten it by now.

: twocents :

wavesofbliss said:

That's what I thought. But when I discussed it with her, she basically said (I'm paraphrasing, plus I was kinda nervous!) that she would do by ear what the teacher was trying to show them using "charts" (she used the word "chart" which is more what a jazz/pop musician would say or use, as opposed to "notation" which is more classical terminology and refers to the actual notes on staff; a chart can just be names of chords).

Also, there are some methods that dont' begin with reading like the Suzuki method.

I recently saw an old interivew with her where they asked her if she reads music and she said "Yeah a little".

I also saw someone selling a makeshift "chart" on eBay or somewhere that was like a little scribble Sheila was using I think playing drums and it had like musical notation to write out the main beat of the song. SO I guess she must read music to a degree. She was probably being modest and saying "yeah a little".

YEPYEP. AGREED.

my stars! in those new pics lisa in wearing make-up and colored her hair! it's been so long since i've seen her "dressed up".

*applause*

wavesofbliss said:

her new hair is great!!!!

Well, I’ve been meeting to write a proper review, and haven’t been able to get to it. The show is covered very well in the posts above, and I’m not someone to remember setlists, so I’ll just elaborate on a couple of highpoints from the night.

After the 2nd song, I believe, Sheila asked for a towel to dab her face after a raucous song. A woman delivered a stack of paper towels to her. Following the next song, which was equally raucous, as Sheila wiped her face, I said that we all needed a towel after that one! Sheila heard me, and gave a towel to Rhonda to pass to me, along with the quip, “I better not see it on ebay tomorrow!” That was quickly followed by a few shout outs from other audience members about how much they’d pay for the Sheila touched towel!

Sheila’s solo was transcendent – she just kept going and going and going. It was pure bliss to watch and to hear. She was so moved by Spirit. Delightful. I feel my most direct connection to God through music, and that was a religious experience for me. I’ve recently embraced the Catholicism I was raised with, informed by the knowledge and love I find in studying Kabbalah. For the first time in my life, I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. And while my expression of that relationship is very different from Sheila’s and some of her bandmates, last week was the first time I didn’t feel offended by their expression and I didn’t judge their choice to express themselves as they did. That was a great feeling.

Following the stunning solo and a “C.O.E.D. Anthem”, Wendy and Lisa returned to the stage. Aww…. I get ferklempt just thinking about it. I already gushed about their ATWIAD, as did others above me, so I’ll get right to my highlight… Mountains! I caught part of the song during the first set, while I was waiting outside, so I knew to expect it. And it was killer. Last time I saw this performed was at the Family Jamm. If I remember correctly, they were situated so that Wendy was on the foreground of the stage, and Lisa on an elevated portion behind her. Well, watching Wendy and Lisa play together, and in sight of one another, is a treat. Side by side, you see an obvious shorthand and telepathy between them that is obvious and delightful. And as she did at Family Jamm, and for Raspberry Beret at the Pacifico shows, Wendy effortlessly puts on the bandleader and lead vocalist hats.

There is an empty mikestand between the Girls, which Lynn Mabry would soon occupy. But during Mountains, it remained empty. And that was when my surreal time warp happened. When they hit the second verse, Wendy on the left strumming away, Lisa on the right swaying her head as she plays, it felt like I was right there in the video, and Prince was gonna pop up in that space in between them. I had chills up and down my spine – it was a very trippy moment.

The tease of Love Bizarre and Glamorous Life that got thrown into the funk jam was a load of fun as well.

Anyway, the whole night is up there with Family Jamm for me as truly memorable. That estrogen groove was damn addictive – I want MORE!!!!! And I’d love to see Sheila do some drumming at a Wendy & Lisa show FO SHO.

THANKU BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!!!!!

Well said Chris!