Here's a list of Vicki performances:

- SOUTHERN COMFORT CONFERENCE 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006- Atlanta, Georgia
- June 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2007 PRIDE FESTIVAL- Cincinnati, Ohio
- TGEA Christmas Gala 2005- Arlington, VA
- National OUT & EQUAL Conference 2001 held in Covington, Ky.
- BE ALL 2000 Transgender Conference- Cincinnati, Oh.
- Aids Volunteers of Cincinnati (AVOC) Celebrity T-Shirt Auction- December 2000 
- June 2000 GLBT Riverboat Cruise- Covington, Ky.
- March 1999 IFGE TG Conference- Louisville, Ky.
- 1998, 1999 & 2000 Mardi Gras Celebration-city of Covington, Ky.

- monthly appearance @ Universal Grill- Cincinnati, OH & occasional appearances @ Chez Nora- Covington, Ky.

many thanks to JD Doyle for my inclusion @ www.queermusicheritage.com

 an interview by Pamela DeGroff for TG FORUM Magazine (10-17-05)

It's always refreshing to encounter a musical artist who stay true to traditional styles, no matter what the genre. Vicki D'Salle is an accomplished player whose forte is boogie style piano. She has recently released her first CD project as Vicki D'Salle, entitled "My Heart's In New Orleans". It includes a mix of standards such as "Stormy Weather", "Let The Good Times Roll", and "Sunny Side Of The Street", along with several of her original compositions.          

"I always played blues and rock and roll," she said. "In 1996, I met a bunch of pianists that were specialists in boogie woogie, and hearing them made me want to learn the style and its intricacies." One listen to her CD and it's apparent she learned those intricacies rather well. But then again, she's been playing music since the age of five. "My mother took me to see my father and a couple of my uncles rehearse one evening," she said. "They had a group that played parties and receptions, and while I listened to them play, I knew then and there that I would be a musician. My earlier years were spent mostly with groups, but I've been comfortable performing solo for a while now."

"My Heart's In New Orleans" is her first release as Vicki, but over the years she has logged a lot of time as a working musician as, (...as she describes it...), "my natural born male self." "I'm a full time performing and recording musician," she said. "I operate solo, in duet situation with two different female vocalists or my upright bassist, plus I have a trio (piano, bass, drums) that we expand to a quartet by adding either a tenor saxophonist or guitarist. Beyond these configurations, I have another quartet with electric bass, electric, and drums. I play piano, organ, and zydeco accordion in that group.

"When I'm doing the Vicki show, I prefer accompaniment because it takes the load off me and lets me relax. I've also had great shows that were a lot of fun all by myself."

If a listener didn't know anything about Vicki D'Salle and was just sitting back and hearing her CD for the first time, it would be almost impossible to convince that person "Vicki" wasn't the real thing. Vicki D'Salle's singing voice is incredible-amazingly feminine and well suited for her style of music.

"I tried to pay attention to diction and tones, and to not sound affected," she said. "I would record the vocals, take them home and make notes. Then come back and re-cut them. The vocals you hear are the third takes. The music was all recorded in one day."

Also appearing with Vicki on "My Heart's In New Orleans" are Nick Lloyd, upright bass; Brian Aylor, drums; Steve Cameron, guitar; and Eric Neuhausser, tenor sax. Vicki is more than just an accomplished player-she's a career musician who offers this advice: "Learn from the masters. Keep your ears open and learn as much as you possibly can in any way you can," she said. "Be easy to get along with; develop a good attitude towards performing, recording, and the business end of things, and above all, develop your own style, because style is everything." She's always looking for opportunities to play, and especially plans to return to Europe to perform. "I plan to keep doing what I'm doing, but better," she said. "...and, to fight gravity."

...and if you're wondering who I am, here's an interview with Vicki Rene from her "Interview With A Superstar"  
   page:

VR: Who is Vicki D'Salle? 
VD: Vicki is the realization of someone who has been in my mind & spirit for as long as I can remember 

VR: Where are you living these days? 
VD: In the Greater Cincinnati area 

VR: I know this is a hard question, but can you tell us what your life has been about? 
VD: Well...I've know ever since I was five years old that I had natural inclinations towards girlish 
things-  and at that very same age, I also knew I would be a musician...so music kind of won out, and 
occupied most of my brain space. Growing up Catholic, repression is something that I've been 
fighting for years, so my feminine spirit spent a lot of time under the surface... 

VR: When you were growing up and each morning you would look in the mirror, did you feel 
that was the wrong person looking back at you? 
VD: Not necessarily the wrong person, but I could definitely see the girl in there 

VR: Who was your inspiration growing up? 
VD: My girl inspiration came from my cousins...some of them were pretty hip & 60's fabulous! 

VR: Rumor has it you are a keyboard player, is that true and how long have you been playing? 
VD: I've been playing music ever since I was five years old, but have been concentrating 
on being a proper piano player for the last several years 

VR: Do you sing also? 
VD: Yes, ma'am- my voice is in the tenor range...I don't have the ability to emulate female vocalists 
the way some of the other drag entertainers do, such as Grae Phillips or Jimmy James, so I just 
do what I can do...I guess you could say I have an androgynous voice 

VR: Are you on your own or do you play with a band? 
VD: I play solo, in duets with an upright bassist, and also in trio & quartet settings 


VR: What type of music to you play? 
VD: I specialize in blues (some of the double-entendre variety), ballads, boogie woogie and
New Orleans music...I also play with a band that does 60's voodoo garage music-
I've played country, funk, gospel, rockabilly- it all has a common thread 


VR: Have you cut a CD yet or is that off in the future? 
VD: Yes, I have a CD available- it's entitled "My Heart's In New Orleans"- I'm very happy 
with how it turned out- it was recorded with upright bass & drums, with some guest 
slide guitar and tenor sax (plus a solo piano track)- we cut it live, so there was no fussin' around...
what you hear is what you get, and the energy was very fun & relaxed for the sessions 

VR: Can we get it locally at one of the local stores or do we have to buy it on line? 
VD: I am selling it (the CD!) at my shows, and also at an excellent online record store 
called CD Baby...you can go directly to my page and order @ www.cdbaby.com/vickidsalle 

VR: Do you have any regular gigs or do we have to just keep our eyes and ears open to see 
where and when you will be performing? 
VD: I do play locally at the Crazy Fox Saloon in Newport, KY and at Jacob's On The Avenue 
in the eclectic Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati- performances are posted at my website, 
which is: www.vickidsalle.com 

VR: Who do you admire these days? 
VD: Although I specialize in traditional music, I have a great fondness for punk rock & its 
varieties...my most recent infatuation is with Karen O, lead singer with the NYC group 
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs...in performance she ranges from meditative & serene to complete abandon- 
the group's energy is so celebratory, and Karen O is someone who totally "lets go", without the 
negative Courtney Love-type aspects (!)- Karen is someone I who admire greatly...if anyone else 
tried what she manages to do, they would fail miserably! 

VR: What do you think is your biggest accomplishment to date? 
VD: I have no idea! I have had more than a few what I would call big accomplishments in my life, 
but I couldn't call any of them my biggest 

VR: Do you think you are a nice person or do you think you can be a bitch at times? 
VD: I enjoy being a nice person...and if you think I'm a bitch I'll cut you up good! 

VR: You are extremely pretty, have you been dressing long? 
VD: I've been "outdoors" consistently since '96, when I got re-acquainted with CrossPort, 
Greater Cincinnati's transgender support group...I did dress in public briefly when I was eighteen- 
I moved to Boston, where I met someone who introduced me to the drag scene at "Jacque's" 
and "The Other Side"...I lived in a dorm at the time, so through my friend I met someone who 
let me get ready at her place...the scene wasn't very wholesome though 
(drugs & prostitution abound), and when I went home for the summer I gave my clothes away- 
it wasn't a "purge", I just knew my things would be found by nosy parents! 

It's a shame, because at that age I had all the "ammunition"- pretty hair, no pesky facial hair, 
some baby fat to make me soft, and I remember my attitude towards dressing became 
"why bother? I'll never be as beautiful as a real girl"...it's taken me time to realize there are 
different types of beauty, and it's all to be admired... in the past few years I've been trying to 
figure out who I am, so I feel pretty comfortable now...and thanks for the compliment! 

VR: What do you think makes you stand out above others? 
VD: I'm a person just like everybody else...everyone has their strengths & weaknesses 

VR: Do you get nervous when you are asked to speak to a group or perform on stage? 
VD: My early gigs as Vicki were nervous affairs...time has settled me in, though- my music is 
fun & infectious, so most times everybody gets loose pretty quick, including me! 

VR: Would you ever get SRS (reassignment surgery) or when did you have your surgery? 
VD: No, that's not in my nature- I have several sister friends who have done so, and they have 
my total respect and admiration...I've just never felt that way myself 

VR: What about other surgeries, such as breast augmentation or get facial feminization, 
to future your career, like some performers have done? 
VD: I'd LOVE to get rid of my facial hair!...but I hear so many opinions from the 
different camps (laser, electrolysis) I'm not really sure which way to go 

VR: Are you in love now? 
VD: Yes! 

VR: Where do you see yourself in the future? 
VD: Doing what I'm doing now, but better...and fighting gravity! 

VR: As a transgendered person do you think you have receive proper respect you deserve in life? 
VD: I haven't had any problems so far- of course not everyone understands, and I get a little 
unnerved when what I'm doing is perceived as titillation- it's mostly because people are nervous...
for example, if somebody sees someone who is dressed and "over the top", there's no mistaking that 
they're seeing a man in women's clothes, and it's theater- but if they see someone and their gender 
is not immediately identifiable, they feel challenged and get uneasy 

VR: What do you think you have to offer the transgender community, anything at all? 
VD: In performing, and especially with releasing this CD, I'm trying to "stick it out there" and be 
affirmative about my gender situation...it makes me sad when I see sisters that are tormented 
by crossdressing- the shame, the guilt, the purging...relating to a different gender is something that 
I see as a positive thing- a balance, if you will...I do have my issues, though- if more than a month passes 
and I don't get "out of the box", I can become negative about this aspect of myself, painting an 
unflattering picture of myself in my head which only gets fixed when I can get outdoors again 

VR: What words of wisdom would you give to someone who is reaching out for help? 
VD: Don't hate yourself for the way God made you- do what you can to exercise this part of 
yourself, and go with nature 

VR: Do you have a final statement, for our readers? 
VD: Getting your face & hair on right is one thing, but attitude is everything!


                                                                                          

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