Wendy

a.) she comments on people being angry with the Revolution

b.) she comments on the song America (Feels like a bit of a dig at Sheila, in fact, one of her comments feels like a dig on them as well.)

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Talking Prince, the Revolution and celebrating the music with Wendy Melvoin

Nancy Bundt

The reunited Revolution brings Prince’s beloved music to Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas on June 21.

By Brock Radke (contact)

Monday, June 19, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Wendy Melvoin has composed and performed Emmy and ASCAP award-winning music for television shows like Heroes, Nurse Jackie, Carnivale and more, and written for and collaborated with artists including Madonna and Glen Campbell. But she’ll always be best known as the guitar player in the Revolution, Prince’s backing band on iconic albums Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day and Parade. The Revolution was also immortalized in the Purple Rain film, which won two Academy Awards.

Since the band’s heyday in the 1980s, Melvoin has kept in touch with original Revolution members Bobby Z, Matt Fink, Lisa Coleman and Brown

Mark, and after Prince’s death in April 2016, the group decided to reunite to play three shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis. The response to those shows and demand for the performance of Prince’s music turned into a tour, one which visits Brooklyn Bown Las Vegas at the Linq Promenade Wednesday night, June 21 (find ticket info here).

We caught up with Melvoin for a conversation about the music and the memories behind Prince and the Revolution.

The tour has been getting a lot of attention, but how’s it going for you and the band? It’s been going remarkably well. At first, when we were rehearsing in Minneapolis in a warehouse working out the kinks, it was like, Wow, are we going to be able to keep this going? Can we do this? A couple of those rehearsals were pretty damn sketchy, I gotta tell you. But after the first [tour] show we did in Chicago, however cheese-ball it may sound, it was like wearing an old comfortable shoe. And now more than a month in, it’s even more comfortable. Everybody in the band is feeling more settled. We’re really trying to make a point to let the fans know that this is about giving these songs back to them, because no artist will ever be him, and no one in our band will

ever try to be him. And we know the only way for fans to reconcile his loss is to own these songs, so we want everybody to come and sing. We’ll be your band.

You’ve been bringing out different guests to sing different songs during the show. Yeah, we’ll have a couple guests come out. It’s just nice to have other artists that love him come out and share what it is they love about Prince. We had Bilal come out [for a concert], and he done a tribute at Carnegie Hall singing “Sister,” and it was a completely different arrangement of the song but it was so deeply touching. He turned it into his own pathos in a way I’ve never heard anyone do [Prince’s] work before. To go out and play these songs is to realize how monumental this music was to people, because the Revolution was part of an era where Prince became himself. We sort of feel like we can sort of offer some place for fans to land and navigate their grief … we’re trying to make sure we give the audience a place to creatively get their feelings out.

Robert Georgeff

Wendy Melvoin

You’ve also performed with Stokley Williams, the vocalist from the R&B group Mint Condition. Is he coming to Vegas? Yes, and what a big surprise he was. I had never heard of him or Mint Condition, but Bobby and Matt and Mark knew him and Prince loved him. What a massive talent, and a really

lovely man. He has done a remarkable job of coming out and being a part of this in a way that doesn’t take away from Prince, because he’s so respectful of the material and the audience’s relationship to it. He’s not [like Prince] at all but Prince really loved him because he’s so Stokley, and when he comes out and sings some of these songs, it’s Stokley holding the hands of the audience, and that’s the whole idea of what it is we’re doing.

Every musician I’ve spoken with in the last year is quick to bring up Prince and talk about him and his music and impact. Everyone has such an emotional connection to his work. Do the performances with the Revolution continue to be consistently emotional, or have you moved into a different space at this point? Most of the time it’s not a full-on boo-hoo through the whole thing, but there are moments when the five of us look at each other and go, Wow, where is he? A show hasn’t gone by without some heavy moments, that is for sure. We are wearing the pain of our loss a little more responsibly now; it doesn’t seem quite as messy. We’re not playing in a puddle of tears, but there are moments that are difficult, and you can tell when the audience responds in a certain way. There are moments during “Purple Rain,” because it’s such an epic piece of music, where people are crying and it affects everybody on stage. But it’s not a bummer, it’s more healing and relief.

You’ve done a lot since your original days with the Revolution. Was there a time in your career when you wanted to distance yourself from that notoriety? I never made a conscious choice to distance myself from the Revolution. It was a difficult time for all of us to be apart and it’s been many years, but we tried many times to get [together] and get off the ground, and it was close to happening before [Prince] died. But I needed the time away from them. I’ve become a consummate musician in the years I’ve been away and it’s only helped what we’re doing now. I’m a better player than I was on Purple Rain by a thousand percent. Carrying the weight of those [guitar] solos and certain vocals is not an issue for me.

The reason we are out here now is because he died and we needed to be together. We just wanted to be together. There are a lot of people out there who are very angry at us because we’re out here, and we

don’t have the whole Paisley Park family involved. But this is our form of grief, to be together and do this. I understand their anger but this is how we navigate through this loss.

Is there a song that you are enjoying a lot more now than you ever did before? “America.” We wrote that song together. There is such a different meaning now with what is happening in the world today, so when we play, it has a different energy. It would be fierce no matter what, but it is fiercer now, and it feels comfortably owned by us on stage.

purplerabbithole said:

Wendy

a.) she comments on people being angry with the Revolution

b.) she comments on the song America (Feels like a bit of a dig at Sheila, in fact, one of her comments feels like a dig on them as well.)

https://lasvegassun.com/n...klyn-bowl/

personal photographer....

http://www.dazeddigital.c...le-nodland

I don't see anything 'dig worthy' that she said. Why do you want to push so hard to add a 'possible dig'. Where do you think she took a dig at the Revolution? Do you really think she would take a dig at the Revolution?

.

How old are you and have you move out from your birth family? You know a lot of people in families do what she is talking about, to 'find themselves' as an individual so you know how to be without dependance on family or you can appreciate the family in such a bigger way that you couldn't while meshed up with them.

I haven't lived with my family for 20 years. Please don't insult me.

OldFriends4Sale said:

purplerabbithole said:

Wendy

a.) she comments on people being angry with the Revolution

b.) she comments on the song America (Feels like a bit of a dig at Sheila, in fact, one of her comments feels like a dig on them as well.)

https://lasvegassun.com/n...klyn-bowl/

personal photographer....

http://www.dazeddigital.c...le-nodland

I don't see anything 'dig worthy' that she said. Why do you want to push so hard to add a 'possible dig'. Where do you think she took a dig at the Revolution? Do you really think she would take a dig at the Revolution?

.

How old are you and have you move out from your birth family? You know a lot of people in families do what she is talking about, to 'find themselves' as an individual so you know how to be without dependance on family or you can appreciate the family in such a bigger way that you couldn't while meshed up with them.

please enought with people being offended.

That isn't an insult it was a question. How am I to know your age? We have members here in their teens. And you saying you are a 'newbie' means you jumped on the purple train not long ago?
So you should understand what I said then.
I doubt you want to be totally defined by your family, not knowing who you are or how you stand inside and out 'being a part of that family.'

Nothing she said was a did at the Revolution.

purplerabbithole said:

I haven't lived with my family for 20 years. Please don't insult me.

OldFriends4Sale said:

I don't see anything 'dig worthy' that she said. Why do you want to push so hard to add a 'possible dig'. Where do you think she took a dig at the Revolution? Do you really think she would take a dig at the Revolution?

.

How old are you and have you move out from your birth family? You know a lot of people in families do what she is talking about, to 'find themselves' as an individual so you know how to be without dependance on family or you can appreciate the family in such a bigger way that you couldn't while meshed up with them.

I never said that Wendy was throwing a dig at the Revolution. I just now figured out what the hell you were talking about (which is partly why I didn't understand the comment about living with my family) . I was saying that Wendy was throwing some shade at Sheila by claiming America as their favorite song to perform and stating that its comfortably in their hands and its their song. I wasn't talking about her break from the Revolution. I didn't see that as a dig either. Sheila threw some shade at them by feigning ignorance about the show being in celebration of Prince's music. (what is she implying there?--that they would only do music that PRince didn't write?)

OldFriends4Sale said:

please enought with people being offended.

That isn't an insult it was a question. How am I to know your age? We have members here in their teens. And you saying you are a 'newbie' means you jumped on the purple train not long ago?
So you should understand what I said then.
I doubt you want to be totally defined by your family, not knowing who you are or how you stand inside and out 'being a part of that family.'

Nothing she said was a did at the Revolution.

purplerabbithole said:

I haven't lived with my family for 20 years. Please don't insult me.

Oh ok got ya.

Yeah I love Sheila E

She just has to make sure she remembers others have just as much a special place in the purple kingdom. She only lead the 1984-1986 band, she performed (with) the Revolution, she never led them. And it all could have been much different if her grief did not mix in with her need to champion Prince or keep the music alive

A lot of her 1984-1985 music was actually worked out by Prince and his Revolution before it even came to Sheila.

purplerabbithole said:

I never said that Wendy was throwing a dig at the Revolution. I just now figured out what the hell you were talking about (which is partly why I didn't understand the comment about living with my family) . I was saying that Wendy was throwing some shade at Sheila by claiming America as their favorite song to perform and stating that its comfortably in their hands and its their song. I wasn't talking about her break from the Revolution. I didn't see that as a dig either. Sheila threw some shade at them by feigning ignorance about the show being in celebration of Prince's music. (what is she implying there?--that they would only do music that PRince didn't write?)

OldFriends4Sale said:

please enought with people being offended.

That isn't an insult it was a question. How am I to know your age? We have members here in their teens. And you saying you are a 'newbie' means you jumped on the purple train not long ago?
So you should understand what I said then.
I doubt you want to be totally defined by your family, not knowing who you are or how you stand inside and out 'being a part of that family.'

Nothing she said was a did at the Revolution.

Possible Wendy shade, about "America", and Sheila:

"It would be fierce no matter what, but it is fiercer now, and it feels comfortably owned by us on stage."

Clap back is real. Don't fuck w/ the lesbians.

Ihave been hearing from the Revolution FOREVER

I would love to hear from his recent bands and associates who knew Prince more recently yet they are mostly silent.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Oh ok got ya.

Yeah I love Sheila E

She just has to make sure she remembers others have just as much a special place in the purple kingdom. She only lead the 1984-1986 band, she performed (with) the Revolution, she never led them. And it all could have been much different if her grief did not mix in with her need to champion Prince or keep the music alive

A lot of her 1984-1985 music was actually worked out by Prince and his Revolution before it even came to Sheila.

purplerabbithole said:

I never said that Wendy was throwing a dig at the Revolution. I just now figured out what the hell you were talking about (which is partly why I didn't understand the comment about living with my family) . I was saying that Wendy was throwing some shade at Sheila by claiming America as their favorite song to perform and stating that its comfortably in their hands and its their song. I wasn't talking about her break from the Revolution. I didn't see that as a dig either. Sheila threw some shade at them by feigning ignorance about the show being in celebration of Prince's music. (what is she implying there?--that they would only do music that PRince didn't write?)

Finally !!

That is such truth and peeps need to understand that ; Sheila E. slid in a spot Prince had already worked out. He and his musicians sans Sheila.

How had she never heard of Mint Condition or Stokely?

simm0061 said:

How had she never heard of Mint Condition or Stokely?

It is easily possible. Especially if you were not accutely aware of who was out at a particular time, because life had you focused on other things.

There are period of time in music, that I missed the direct bands/names etc' I heard music but was not focused. I know of Mint Condition, but I wouldn't know Stokely, individually.

Especially the amount of entertainers/musicians/bands, I'm realizing how much direct people from say the 90-94 period I do not know, but I've heard the music.