Photo: José Guzmán Colón
Tori McClain Finds Her Voice in Provincetown
by Steve Desroches
Provincetown is a daring kind of town. True, the town itself is full of adventure and home to a bold, audacious culture. But it also dares anyone within its boundaries to take risks, push the envelope, and to be the kind of person you always dreamed to be. And it was a dare that got Tori McClain on the path to a whole new life, full of music, celebration, healing, and imagination. Born and raised in the small town of Martin, Tennessee, McClain grew up singing in the church choir with her sister, Holli. She loved it. But as time passed, she developed other interests and McClain devoted herself to sports. You name it, she played it. Eventually, she moved to New England and established a new life. Sadly, her sister would succumb to kidney disease 11 years ago. Speaking to a therapist to help navigate her grief, McClain was asked, “What would make you feel closer to her?” She quickly replied “Singing.” Those days singing with her sister in the church choir were golden, and the memories soothed the ache of missing Holli. So, she began singing at karaoke nights just to get back in practice. Visiting Provincetown frequently with her wife and spending summers here starting in 2021, McClain’s good friend Christopher Kenney, perhaps better known as drag performer Edie, one day began to encourage her to pursue music more seriously. And then came the dare. Kenney dared McClain to go do Showgirls, Ryan Landry’s legendary weekly summer variety competition. So she did. And she won per the audience’s enthusiastic applause.
“And then I had a crisis,” laughs McClain. “What have I done to my life?!”
Music helped grief turn to celebration. But now what was she going to do with the fire that was lit inside her? That appearance at Showgirls was the first time she’d be on any kind of a stage, except for those karaoke nights at a bar. It’s been a blur, but over the past two years, the trajectory of McClain’s life has completely changed as she rapidly became a top act in Provincetown’s very crowded performance scene, wowing audiences with her powerhouse voice, compelling arrangements, and her joyous energy. Her nights at the Love Lounge in the Gifford House, where she performs with accompanist Chris Grasso, have become the stuff of Provincetown magic creating an atmosphere that is as magnetic as it is a bit of musical communion. She grew up singing in a choir after all, so when she takes to the microphone the audience assembled is encouraged to sing along and be part of the fun. And if someone wants to borrow the mic for a bit and sing, have at it, says McClain. Music is joy and joy is meant to be shared, she says.
“It’s all an energy exchange,” says McClain. “I love the intimacy of people who are just passing through and something grabs them and they sit down to listen. I love that. It feels more like I’m singing in a living room, where we’re all friends having a good time.”
With a smile that lights up a room and a demeanor that is caring and welcoming, McClain has expeditiously, and studiously, crafted a specific artistic point of view. She is grateful, in particular, to Steve Azar, owner of the Gifford House, who she says “champions me, music, and women.” Indeed, Provincetown’s music scene has been male-dominated for many years, but McClain points out the growing number of women making music in town, such as Zoe Lewis, Marissa Miller, Brittany Rolfs, Lily Mae Harrington, and Hilarie Tamar taking more musical space in town and being welcomed and recognized for their talents. Cooperation reigns over competition increasingly in Provincetown. And as such, McClain is partnering with Miller to present Vexed: A Sapphic Story from Oz, which premieres at Pilgrim House this Saturday, their own take on a lesbian Wicked.
McClain and Grasso continue to pack the Love Lounge, a gig that will continue to the New Year. She loves the spontaneity of the evenings. Provincetown audiences are as appreciative as they are unpredictable. And their generous, too. Taking requests, no matter how out of her comfort zone they may be, is a favorite of McClain. And she jokes that if you write that request on the back of a twenty-dollar bill they’ll get to it faster. One night, a young man dropped a twenty and asked for “Tik Tok” by Kesha. McClain obliged, but confessed she struggled a bit, but did her best. The next week the same young man appeared again.
“I made the joke about writing the request on a twenty-dollar bill, but then pointed at him and said. ‘Except for you. If you want to hear ‘Tik Tok’ by Kesha it’s going to cost $300’,” says McClain. “And then somebody gave me $300! So we sang ‘Tik Tok’ by Kesha, but a bit better this time.”
Vexed: A Sapphic Story from Oz with Tori McClain and Marissa Miller is at Pilgrim House, 336 Commercial St., Saturday, October 11 at 9:30 p.m. and Monday, October 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets ($40/$50/$75) are available at the box office and online at pilgrimhouseptown.com.Vexed will be performed on select dates from late October through December. McClain performs with Chris Grasso in the Love Lounge at the Gifford House, 9 Carver St., starting at 9 p.m. every Friday through December.
