The return of Princess Laura

Aug. 8, 2007

If you hear the royal trumpets playing and the town crier shouting, “Princess Laura is coming, Princess Laura is coming,” it’s because our local princess is returning home. Every geographical province has their royalty, and Northern Michigan is no exception.
For nearly a dozen years Princess Laura reigned over the region’s entertainment scene, from her work with Dill’s Olde Town Saloon — famed Golden Garter Revue in TC to her trivia and karaoke nights and handling the lead vocals of ’74 Marauder — the popular bar band that rocked ‘70s tunes during the ‘90s in the area. Laura is returning from her current home of San Diego for a reunion weekend with her Marauder bandmates: two shows, Aug. 10 and 11, at Union Street Station in Traverse City.
Since leaving on Sept. 5, 2001 to pursue a west coast music and entertainment career, Princess Laura abandoned her crown. “I go by Laura Jane out here,” she says in a telephone interview from San Diego.
So, why couldn’t you go by Princess Laura in San Diego?
“Oh yeah. Well, there is this drag queen hierarchy out here that I was unaware of,” said Princess Laura. “Each year they select their royalty through this imperial court and these titles just can’t be assumed. You don’t want to piss off the drag queen community out here. So I abandoned the princess title.”
But once she crosses the Mississippi River, San Diego drag queen protocol is no longer in play, and she resumes her princess title.
Princess Laura made her way to Northern Michigan in 1990 after a six-year career at the popular East Lansing nightclub B’Zar, where she did everything — she cooked, entertained and served as the GM. When she hit the stage at Dill’s in Traverse City as part of the popular summer dinner performance group Golden Garter Revue, she quickly became a crowd favorite.
“Those were special days,” reflects Princess Laura. “I came up to Traverse City to Dill’s as a result of my former boss Jeff Jones becoming a partner in Dill’s. I had a great run in Traverse City, but I knew I had to leave or I would end up an old lady driving around to bars all over Northern Michigan running karaoke machines in the corner for 30 people.”
(Or even having people night after night get up and sing who have no business singing. I know — I am one of those people who have a terrible singing voice. While I write about music, I have no musical talent whatsoever. I have only sung in public once, and that was in a moment of slight intoxication, circa 1992, when I was coaxed into joining Princess Laura onstage at Dill’s for “I Got You Babe.” Princess Laura sounded like Cher while I sounded at best like a drunken version of Sonny. Matters were made worse as my wife had Laura film and record the fiasco; fortunately my wife is not familiar with You Tube.) 
HEADING WEST
Princess Laura chose San Diego because a friend from her B’Zar days lived there. She fell in love with San Diego while vacationing there.
“I thought about Chicago as well,” said Princess Laura. “A lot of Golden Garter alums live and work in the entertainment business in Chicago. The fact that San Diego doesn’t have snow was the clincher for me. Plus, it has a big beautiful bay and that is something I do miss about Traverse City.”
It was a challenge at first, since the 9/11 catastrophe happened a week after she moved and the “entertainment business was challenged because people stopped traveling,” she said.
“I started volunteering for everything,” said Princess Laura. “I finally landed a role acting in a play based on the hit show ‘The Soprano’s’. The pay was crap and eventually I started my own business, Fish On A Stick Talent. And I DJ, did karaoke and play in a couple of bands. Every night I am doing something different. It is great. One minute I am at club doing jazz standards, the next I am on a boat doing Top 40 tunes.”
She has fond memories of her Traverse City days, where she reigned over the karaoke scene and her open mic trivia nights broke up the work week. She scoffs at the current controversy over the politics of the local music scene.
“You don’t get into the business of original music for money. You get into for the music, period,” said Princess Laura. “If they think it is tough there, come out here where bands have to pay the club owners to play or you work a club and make only what you sell in CD and t-shirts. There is money to be made out here playing music, but it is all corporate work where they tell you what songs to perform. If you are good you can get studio work; again they tell you what to play. So my advice to the squabblers is just shut up and play the music for the love of it. It is costing me 500 bucks to fly back for a weekend gig that is going to pay me 150 bucks. But it is going to be worth every penny that I spend to get up and perform those songs again with and for my friends.”

DIGS THE MUSIC
One thing that she really enjoys about San Diego is the music scene.
“It is great out here. I really like the rock scene. There are a lot of cool bands. When I moved here I was a single mom with a 12-year-old son so I didn’t go out unless I was working. He has now graduated from high school and I have been out on the town a lot checking out the scene. It is great —there is a real spirit of cooperation among musicians here.”
Besides her ongoing gigs, she MCs a lot of events and corporate gatherings. Princess Laura has written and performs her Laura Jane’s one-woman-show at clubs and theaters.
“Like Traverse City, only on a larger scale, San Diego is a huge tourist town with a need for a lot of entertainment,” said Princess Laura. “I keep busy every day. I hope someday to own a summer place in Traverse City and return and work there in the summers.”
Princess Laura will join ’74 Marauder founding members Tim Callaghan (vocals, guitar) and drummer Matt Becker (now with Detroit rockers Easy Action) and Kevin Gills (he replaced original bass player Rick Wamsley, who passed away). The band will take the stage sometime after 9:30 p.m. To catch up with Princess Laura before she arrives, check out myspace.com/laurajanerocks.