Posts
This is the poster for the upcoming Deja Blooze concert at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley on Saturday January 16th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $12.50 adults and $7.50 youth.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
September 2009 marked the end of the original Deja Blooze line-up. Personnel changes in the music world are not uncommon and since our first public appearance in November 2007 we pursued a goal of mine to play a lively repertoire of blues music. And that we did. Deja Blooze was (and still is) a musical project that I pursued drawing on some of the best musical talent on South Whidbey. It has been my pleasure to make music with my talented partners for the last two years, but all things evolve and I look forward to the next chapter in the Deja Blooze evolution.
The upcoming Deja Blooze performance as part of WICA's Local Artist Series on January 16th will be a part of that evolution. Joining me for that event will be David Licastro on lead guitar, Levi Burkle on bass, Larry Neubaurer on keyboards, and Dave Gignac on harmonica. It will be a great evening of music with a little blues history mixed in. We look forward to seeing you at WICA on Saturday January 16th as we help celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday.
That is all for now.
David (Deja Blooze) Gregor
Friday, July 10, 2009
Deja Blooze at Freeland Eagles Membership Drive Poker Run
Hello All,
The 2nd annual Whidbey Island Freeland Eagles Poker Run takes place on Saturday July 25th. Sign in at the Freeland club at 9:00 am with a $20.00 entrance fee then head off to the Everett, Stanwood, Burlington, Anacortes Clubs before returning to the Freeland Eagles by 5 pm. The Freeland Eagles will be offering up a BBQ dinner and of course adult beverages will be available. And to help digest your food and get your toes tapping, DEJA BLOOZE will provide live and lively Blooze from 6 pm to 8pm. There will also be a silent auction and a raffle, all proceeds going to local charities. This event is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC so even if you're not an Eagles member, you can join in on the Poker Run, the BBQ and DEJA BLOOZE. For more information, contact Cheryl at 360.969-1678. We'd love to see all of you there...all for a great cause and a fun event.
The 2nd annual Whidbey Island Freeland Eagles Poker Run takes place on Saturday July 25th. Sign in at the Freeland club at 9:00 am with a $20.00 entrance fee then head off to the Everett, Stanwood, Burlington, Anacortes Clubs before returning to the Freeland Eagles by 5 pm. The Freeland Eagles will be offering up a BBQ dinner and of course adult beverages will be available. And to help digest your food and get your toes tapping, DEJA BLOOZE will provide live and lively Blooze from 6 pm to 8pm. There will also be a silent auction and a raffle, all proceeds going to local charities. This event is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC so even if you're not an Eagles member, you can join in on the Poker Run, the BBQ and DEJA BLOOZE. For more information, contact Cheryl at 360.969-1678. We'd love to see all of you there...all for a great cause and a fun event.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Deja Blooze at Choochokham
Hello All,
This weekend is the Choochokham Arts Festival here in Langley, and Deja Blooze is on the musical line-up. We'll be playing Saturday July 11th from 11:00 am to 11:45 on the Main Stage at First Street & Anthes. We'll play a lively set of our signatures blooze including several new original material that we'll be releasing on our new CD in the next few weeks. So stop by the Main Stage at 11 on Saturday and let us spread some mojo your way. We'll be looking for you.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Deja Recording Update
Hello All,
Well, on July 5th it was about 75 degrees when I arrived at the Blue Ewe Studios at noon. Once all the gear loaded into the studio in the woods, it was up to David Malony--owner, engineer and ace drummer--to figure out "what am I doing here?". Once he finished his breakfast (which we so rudely interrupted) and downed a cup of joe, he remembered what his task was and began grabbing cords, setting up the mics, moving the amps, setting volumes, balances and all the important stuff that goes into making a recording session work.
While David Malony is getting his bearings, which took about an hour and a half, the band got tuned up.
Here's the voice of Deja Blooze tuning up the telecaster for some slide work later in the day. When the gear was tuned up, we still had a few minor things to hammer out....like what is the intro for this song, where do we want the solos in this one, and did we come up with an outro for song three? No matter how much we practice, sometimes little important things like a beginning and an ending are left unattended to until you're going to put them on a disc permanently.
Once David Malony got all of the wires in and checked volumes and made sure we were all connected to one another, then our work began for the next three hours.
I had written six tunes that I wanted to get recorded for an upcoming EP-CD as well as a Celebrate Whidbey CD project. While you never know how things are going to unfold in the studio, I went in with every confidence in the talent of my two band-mates; based on Ed and my previous trip into the studio, we knew that if you are dutifully rehearsed, the odds are better of a smooth studio experience. Such was the case once again. We got all six songs laid down in three hours, with several making it in one take. Which is not to say that recording is an easy task. On the contrary. It's very exhausting. You get very focused because the more takes you have to do, the less spontaneity you get. The quality of the live performance, especially on my part as the lead vocalist, can quickly degrade. And if you lose the "fire" in the delivery, you've lost the song. Actually for one song we tried it twice without hitting the sweet spot, so to speak. Malony suggested we put it aside and go on to another and come back at it "fresh." We did just that. Two tunes later we revisited the song and the suggestion worked. One refreshed take and it was in the can. We also tried another song--"Six Feet Under"--at a slow bluesy tempo with some slide guitar This version did not rock the engineer's world, so we tried it again more up-tempo without the slide, and we got a thumbs-up from maestro Malony. We also trust the engineer, with his musician's, fresh ear, to give us the straight poop on a take.
So at 4:30 pm, we called it a session, happy with what we had accomplished. We'll go back for a brief session to put in a couple of backup vocals and some additional lead guitar work. Then our work goes into the engineer's hands to mix the material and gives us the final product. And as soon as that happens, we'll have our efforts available to you. We'll keep you apprised of availability.
Deja 1 signing off.
Well, on July 5th it was about 75 degrees when I arrived at the Blue Ewe Studios at noon. Once all the gear loaded into the studio in the woods, it was up to David Malony--owner, engineer and ace drummer--to figure out "what am I doing here?". Once he finished his breakfast (which we so rudely interrupted) and downed a cup of joe, he remembered what his task was and began grabbing cords, setting up the mics, moving the amps, setting volumes, balances and all the important stuff that goes into making a recording session work. While David Malony is getting his bearings, which took about an hour and a half, the band got tuned up.
Here's the voice of Deja Blooze tuning up the telecaster for some slide work later in the day. When the gear was tuned up, we still had a few minor things to hammer out....like what is the intro for this song, where do we want the solos in this one, and did we come up with an outro for song three? No matter how much we practice, sometimes little important things like a beginning and an ending are left unattended to until you're going to put them on a disc permanently.
Once David Malony got all of the wires in and checked volumes and made sure we were all connected to one another, then our work began for the next three hours.
I had written six tunes that I wanted to get recorded for an upcoming EP-CD as well as a Celebrate Whidbey CD project. While you never know how things are going to unfold in the studio, I went in with every confidence in the talent of my two band-mates; based on Ed and my previous trip into the studio, we knew that if you are dutifully rehearsed, the odds are better of a smooth studio experience. Such was the case once again. We got all six songs laid down in three hours, with several making it in one take. Which is not to say that recording is an easy task. On the contrary. It's very exhausting. You get very focused because the more takes you have to do, the less spontaneity you get. The quality of the live performance, especially on my part as the lead vocalist, can quickly degrade. And if you lose the "fire" in the delivery, you've lost the song. Actually for one song we tried it twice without hitting the sweet spot, so to speak. Malony suggested we put it aside and go on to another and come back at it "fresh." We did just that. Two tunes later we revisited the song and the suggestion worked. One refreshed take and it was in the can. We also tried another song--"Six Feet Under"--at a slow bluesy tempo with some slide guitar This version did not rock the engineer's world, so we tried it again more up-tempo without the slide, and we got a thumbs-up from maestro Malony. We also trust the engineer, with his musician's, fresh ear, to give us the straight poop on a take.
So at 4:30 pm, we called it a session, happy with what we had accomplished. We'll go back for a brief session to put in a couple of backup vocals and some additional lead guitar work. Then our work goes into the engineer's hands to mix the material and gives us the final product. And as soon as that happens, we'll have our efforts available to you. We'll keep you apprised of availability.
Deja 1 signing off.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Upcoming Deja Blooze Dates
Hello Friends,
Here is the latest update on the Deja Nooze front. This summer is filling up nicely for lively Blooze around South Whidbey.
July 5th back in the studio for an upcoming CD.
Saturday July 11th Choochokham Arts Festival: 11:00 am to 11:45 am on the Main Stage in Langley. Free.
Saturday July 18th Concerts on the Lane, Island Angel Chocolates, Langley 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Free.
Saturday July 25th Freeland Eagles, Fundraiser & BBQ, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Sunday July 26th, One Song For Langley, Langley Park, 2nd & Anthes 12-5 pm Deja 1 will do a couple of tunes.
Saturday August 8 Fundraiser for Affordable Housing via Saratoga Community Housing organization. A "Blue-Luau" event held at the beautiful home of Laura and Steve Strehlau, overlooking Holmes Harbor. The Strelaus are the best party hosts on South Whidbey and last year's fundraiser was our best event ever. Tickets are $25 and should not be missed. Affordable housing is a great cause and there will be lots of tasty food, beverages and of course music by the Deja Blooze trio. Contact Sandra Stipe at 360.331.4248 to join us. You will not be disappointed.
That's it for now, but stay tuned...there's always more.
Here is the latest update on the Deja Nooze front. This summer is filling up nicely for lively Blooze around South Whidbey.
July 5th back in the studio for an upcoming CD.
Saturday July 11th Choochokham Arts Festival: 11:00 am to 11:45 am on the Main Stage in Langley. Free.
Saturday July 18th Concerts on the Lane, Island Angel Chocolates, Langley 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Free.
Saturday July 25th Freeland Eagles, Fundraiser & BBQ, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Sunday July 26th, One Song For Langley, Langley Park, 2nd & Anthes 12-5 pm Deja 1 will do a couple of tunes.
Saturday August 8 Fundraiser for Affordable Housing via Saratoga Community Housing organization. A "Blue-Luau" event held at the beautiful home of Laura and Steve Strehlau, overlooking Holmes Harbor. The Strelaus are the best party hosts on South Whidbey and last year's fundraiser was our best event ever. Tickets are $25 and should not be missed. Affordable housing is a great cause and there will be lots of tasty food, beverages and of course music by the Deja Blooze trio. Contact Sandra Stipe at 360.331.4248 to join us. You will not be disappointed.
That's it for now, but stay tuned...there's always more.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Deja Blooze will Play Choochokam
The Deja Blooze Trio will once again play the Main Stage at Choochokam this year on Saturday July 11th. The exact is yet to be set but I've been told it will be later in the afternoon this year. The exact time will be posted here once we get the confirmation. But in the meantime, mark your calendar for the Langley Arts Festival called Choochokam and for those of you who live a ways away now would be a good time to book a room in one of our wonderful local accomodations. You can find lodging links at the Langley Chamber website www.visitlangley.com. You can see what else is happening during Choochokam at their website www.choochokamarts.org.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Deja Blooze Selected for WICA's Local Artist Series
Deja Blooze is pleased to announce that the blues trio has been selected for the 2009/10 Local Artist Series at WICA in Langley, Washington. It is a great honor for us to have been selected as one of the four applicants chosen for this prestigious series that is designed to foster and promote the talents of Whidbey Island artists and musicians. On Saturday, January 16th, we will produce an evening of music and history tentatively titled Chronicling the Blues, to coincide with the celebration of Martin Luther King day. We will incorporate a mixture of music, images, and narrative tracing the evolution of this unique and truly original American music form--a genre that influenced country, jazz, rhythm & blues, and rock 'n roll. We will have several invited guests to help us flesh out the breadth of this music form. This will be a one-time event totally different from our normal music performances, so we hope you will mark your long-distance calendar and plan on joining us for this special evening. I will provide updates as we get closer to the event or as program specifics materialize.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)