Pink Martini: A reminder of the male-to-female ratio of my days attending UW-Platteville, but with less engineering emphasis, no flannel shirts to be found and infinitely more musical talent.
For 29 glorious days in 1999, I was fortunate enough to go to Europe with my oldest friend (of 24 years) and her family. We traveled throughout Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Paris and London.
I was on a limited souvenir budget so when I saw something I wanted (basically anytime my eyes were open), I only bought it if I absolutely loved and couldn't leave without it. That was a great system to use, as each of those purchases are still- almost 10 years later- absolute prized possessions. I was determined while traveling overseas to come home with some music to remind me of the trip. I hadn't found it until we were in Paris, when in I saw a huge blow-up of this in a record store window near the inverted pyramid inside The Lourve:
Imagine my surprise when I opened this CD and realized Pink Martini wasn't a band out of Paris, but Portland!
I knew immediately, without even hearing the music, that I was going to buy that CD. I was totally sucked in by the Doisneau-esque cover photo. Luckily, Pink Martini is a group of incredible musicians and since 1999 I've enjoyed Sympathique - as well as their 2004 sophomore effort, Hang On Little Tomato - countless times. 
Who could resist an album with a title like this?
Pink Martini's third CD, Hey Eugene! came out today.
Oddly similar to every vintage party picture from my mom's side of the family
They were also on NPR's Morning Edition:
The Broken Romances of Pink Martini's 'Eugene'
Morning Edition, May 15, 2007
Pink Martini, featuring lead singer China Forbes and music director Thomas Lauderdale, infuses its music with an international flavor.
Hey Eugene, you probably think the new Pink Martini album is about you. And you're right.
Take the title track:
Hey Eugene.
Do you remember me?
I'm that chick you danced with two times
Through the Rufus album
Friday night at that party
On Avenue A ...
The song is about a guy who promised to call lead singer China Forbes after meeting her at a party. But he never did.
The story of a romance that doesn't work out makes its way through much of the Hey Eugene! CD. Pink Martini translates this simple theme into different kinds of music — even different languages. The band, led by Thomas Lauderdale, consists of a dozen highly trained musicians, many of them symphony players, who play songs inspired by 1950s pop tunes, or foreign movie soundtracks and even TV theme songs. The chorus at the end of "Hey Eugene," for example echoes of 1970s sitcom staples, Good Times and The Jeffersons.
There are songs in Arabic — "Bukra Wba'do," ("Tomorrow and the Day After"). And Portuguese — "Tempo Perdido" ("Lost Time"). Performing in NPR's Studio 4A, the band played two versions of "Tempo Perdido." The first was the original fast tempo — too fast, Forbes says. "When you make an album, you realize that really fast songs are tedious upon repeated listen," she tells Steve Inskeep. "Once you get through it you never want to play it again. That's just not what we go for with our albums." But the band does want its listeners to keep reliving the heartbreak of Hey Eugene!
But if the real Eugene is paying attention and changes his mind, Forbes says she hopes he doesn't try to call her. "It is way too late," she says. Will he even know that the album is about him?
"Oh, he'll know," she says. "He'll know."
You can listen to their appearance on Morning Edition here.
Live performance of Una Notte Napoli, from 'Hang on Little Tomato'
If you like world music/musical variety, you will like Pink Martini. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend going to one of their live shows, and I offer you the impossible challenge of resisting the urge of shaking your ass to their multicultural beat!
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