Deja Blooze

Deja Blooze to Play the Front Street Grill

2011-10-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Deja Blooze is pleased to announce we have been booked into the Front Street Grill in Coupeville on January 4th as part of their weekly Wednesday night music offerings. The FSG is a warm and inviting restaurant overlooking the world famous Penn Cove. The Deja Blooze quartet will be providing the evening's entertainment with a nice mix of soulful and lively blues.

Upcoming Solo Deja Blooze Gigs

2011-09-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

David Gregor, lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, of Deja Blooze will be performing solo at several local establishments in the coming months. As of today, he is booked at the 19o4 Public House in Greenbank Friday October 21st from 7-9 pm and Saturday November 12th the Ott & Murphy Wine Tasting Room on First Street in Langley from 7 -9 pm.

The regular Deja Blooze band lineup will provide the music for the Kitsch & Bitch program at WICA Wednesday October 5th from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. This month our three local chefs were engage in the great American Hamburger Cook-off, featuring Neil Colburn (Neil's Clover Patch) , Seib Jurrians (Prima Bistro), and Shirley Wilson (Shirley's Kitchen). Our guest bartender this month is Chris Adams (Mo's Pub) who will prepare Mo's signature Bloody Mary.

Then Saturday November 5th the Deja Blooze Trio returns to the Prima Bistro for another evening of easy-listening blues from 9-11 pm. So pick a date or two and plan on sitting in with Deja Blooze in any of its configurations

Our Second Gig at the Useless Bay Coffee Shed Sept. 10th

2011-09-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

On September 10th, the Deja Quartet returned to the Useless Bay Coffee Shed for another rousing three hour evening of lively blooze action. Before the evening ended, Eleanor Fye joined the band for her soulful rendition of Angel from Montgomery. Eleanor is an amazing talent. It is great to have her on Whidbey and a pleasure having her join the band for a guest appearance. Our next scheduled appearance will be as the houseband Wednesday evening October 5th for the second installment of Kitsch 'n Bitch at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in beautiful Langley. Show starts at 7:30 pm and will feature three of our local chefs in the Great American Hamburger Smackdown. You can purchase tickets at www.wicaonline.com.

The Deja Boys at Useless Bay Coffee Shed

2011-09-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

The newly formed Deja Blooze Quartet played its first public gig over the Labor Day Weekend at the Useless Bay Coffee Shed and were greeted by a steady crowd of music lovers. With the addition of drummer Scott Small, the Deja sound has been enhanced (to say the least) and we're happy to have Scott with us whenever his busy schedule permits.

Some of the more visible Deja fans at our Shed gig. We heard later that the Cantina was jammed full of folks who stayed for the music but chose to go indoors when the wind picked up and with the open spaces in the Cantina those indoors heard everything perfectly.. The nice thing about the Shed's accoustics is that sound travels from one end of town to the other; the result is that we were like the Pied Pipers drawing music lovers onto 2nd Street trying to track down where the music was coming from.

Another shot of the boys at work, with a couple who moved up for a closer listen to the Blooze.

All photos courtesy of Sharon Heath.

Deja Blooze and WICA's Kitsch 'n Bitch

2011-09-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well, the innagural performance of the Kitsch 'n Bitch series featuring our own Sue Frause and the kitchen band Deja Blooze in now in the can as they say in the film business. Last Wednesday evening we officially launched KnB to a near full house of local inquiring minds who by all accounts enjoyed the program which featured three local film and stage directors and their passion for food and cooking.

Here are directors Andy Grenier (L) and Vito Zingarelli (R) talking pasta which Vito prepared fresh during the show for his special jabanero pesto dish which was very tasty with just enough zing to let you know you still had taste buds.

Here is a snap of the guest roundtable when guest get to sample Vito's fresh pasta dish. The band's own Dave "Langley Slim" Gignac was the creator of this month's signature drink...the Jabanero Martini. I know it sounds a bit strange but having had a taste I can attest that the drink has legs as well as a kick.

Everybody had a great time and we're all looking forward to next month's installment Wednesday October 5th when two local chefs faceoff for the great American Burger Challenge.

All photos courtesy of Sue Frause

2011-09-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

The Deja Blooze quartet at Useless Bay Coffee Shed September 3rd. Great sunny evening, good crowd, and fine food & drink. We had a great time serving up three hours of our signature lively blues with our newest member, drummer Scott Small. What a pleasure Scott is to have on board with us. He really fattens up (musically) our sound. Loads of locals and Langley visitors joined us for great night under clear skies. Looking forward to maybe getting one more gig at the Shed before the weather moves music at UBC indoors. (Photo courtesy of Priscilla Lowry-Gregor)

Deja Blooze Quartet Plays Useless Bay Coffee

2011-09-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday September 3rd the Deja Blooze quartet with drummer Scott Small will play Dez Rock's Useless Bay Coffee Shed from 5-8 pm. We've spent the last two weeks working with Scott on the Deja set list in preparation for this gig as well as our house band duties with Sue Frause and her Kitsch 'n Bitch foodie series at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts this coming Wednesday September 7th at 7:30 pm. We're excited to have Scott as part of the Deja Blooze experiment; he adds a whole new dimension to the Deja sound and he's also a great guy to work with.

New member of Deja Blooze for Kitsch 'n Bitch

2011-08-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

Deja Blooze has engaged drummer Scott Small for our upcoming house-band duties with the Kitsch 'n Bitch series at WICA beginning on September 7th. Scott is a Whidbey Island resident and brings with him years of professional drumming and drum instruction. Scott will join David Gregor and David Gignac for the first two installments of Kitsch and when our bass player Russell Sparkman is relieved of day-job obligations the house band will continue on as a quartet. We're happy to have Scott as a member of the Deja Blooze project and look forward to showcasing his talents in future gigs.

Deja Blooze House Band for Kitsch 'n Bitch Series

2011-08-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Deja Blooze Band will be the house band for the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts' new monthly live program "Kitsch 'n Bitch" featuring the Island's own Sue Frause as the Mistress of Ceremonies. This live program will feature celebrity foodies (both local and regional), good food, great company, signature drinks, lively music and a lot of laughs! The show debuts Wednesday September 7th at 7:30 pm on the WICA stage with the theme being “Directors Who Cook” featuring Whidbey Island film directors Richard Evans, Andrew Grenier, Vito Zingarelli. The series will continue every month through June 0f 2012. The dates for the series are:
WEDNESDAYS@ 7.30pm
“Directors Who Cook” Sep 07, 2011

“Carnage Cooking”
Oct 05, 2011

“Turkey Talk”
Nov 16, 2011
“Big, Sweet Holidays”
Dec 14, 2011
“Seattle Bites”Jan 11, 2012

“Girls Who Dish”Feb 01, 2012

“Slocals”Mar 07, 2012

“The Yolks on You”Apr 11, 2012

“Let’s Do Brunch”May 16, 2012

“The Full Monty BBQ”Jun 13, 2012

For more information and to buy tickets please visit WICA online at:
http://www.wicaonline.com/2011-2012/WEDNESDAYSATWICA/KITSCHNBITCH.html
WEDNESDAYS@ 7.30pm
Make plans to join us

2011-07-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the July 2011 Langley Festival of the Arts--Choochokham--with the addition this year of drummer Dave Malony. Malony has and continues to play with some of the best musicians on Whidbey Island and around the Northwest. He also owns and operates Blue Ewe Recording Studio here on the island where we have recorded three times. We went on at 3 pm and delivered a solid 45 minute set of original blues material written by David Gregor and arranged by the band. It was great to play with Malony, something I've wanted to do since I first heard him play with Tommy and the Sharks. He is the consumate professional and easily stepped in to provide the backbeat for our Choochokam gig which has totally spoiled us. As someone pointed out...once you have a drummer you never go back. All I can say is the band looks forward to future opportunities to have Malony on the stage with us.

All in all the gig was great fun and we surprised a lot of people who thought they knew what we do. It's always good to shake things up and show folks another side of who and what you are.

Photo credit: Sharon Heath.

2011-06-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

On Thursday May 26th, Langley sound engineer and cutting edge photographer Robbie Cribbs stopped by our weekly rehearsal with some of his gear and captured a bit of us working on a relatively new original tune. The song is Down by the River written by David Gregor. The sound quality is not high quality or well balanced, since we were not planning on recording anything, but it does give you a sense of the song and the process. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1906627939996&comments

Deja caught live in rehearsal

2011-05-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Last night, Langley recording engineer and cutting edge photographer Robbie Cribbs stopped by our weekly rehearsal with his cameras and caught the night's activities. The following link is a test run though a David Gregor original called Down by the River where we are warming up and getting bassman Russell Sparkman's recently injured wrist a test run. The sound quality is rudimentary at best but then we weren't planning on recording anything at practice. Robbie just hit record on his hand-held video camera and the camera mic is all that caught the sound. But Robbie has a keen eye for making the ordinary...visually interesting.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1906627939996&comments

The History of the name "Deja Blooze"

2010-12-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 2007, I was looking to put a blues duo together with a guitar player and singer I had met at a local jam night at the Smilin' Dog Restaurant. We got together a couple of times and played some old blues numbers to get a feel for how we fit together. This fellow was renting a little cabin on the water at Possession Beach on the south end of Whidbey Island, and one night we were just talking about the effect blues music had on us and I commented that the old Delta blues gave me the deja-vu's...kind of like the deja-blues. I immediately liked the sound of the two words together and the play on Deja Vu. There was also the connotation of revisiting something that one may have previously experienced.

Unfortunately, the fellow couldn't find work on the island and he and his wife packed up a week after our last get together and moved back to New England. I had just found a like-minded aficionado of the blues, a guy who could both play and sing the blues and just like that he was gone. I was back where I had started, but the name Deja Blues came out of brief friendship.
It seemed to summarize how I felt about blues music...my deep connection with the basic forms of the music style and the heartfelt experiences captured in the song lyrics of the old blues pioneers from the Mississippi Delta region. The more I sat with the name the more connected I felt to it and then I decided to play further with the name and changed 'blues' to 'blooze'. It made the name unusual yet musically recognizable so that the name identified the style of music I wanted to play. The name stuck with me and I kept it on the back burner until a short while later I found another guitar player to team up with. As soon as that pairing jelled, I brought out the name Deja Blooze and in November of 2007 my original blues duo made its first public appearance at a now defunct coffee shop in Clinton, Washington. The duo became a trio a year later when we added a bass player.

In the Fall of 2009, that original trio dissolved and once again I endeavored to reform the Deja Blooze experience. After playing several gigs as a solo act, I enlisted an occassional sit-in artist--Dave Gignac on harp--to join me. We subsequently added Russell on bass and most recently Scott on drums. Deja Blooze continues today as a "blues experiment" whether I'm working as a solo act or with other configuarations of the band, always exploring the possibilities that this original American genre has to offer.

Hollywood 1976 Re-Visited

2010-12-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

That winter 1976 junket to Los Angeles where I spent two days in the company of Tom Waits was a jam-packed week of non-stop celebrity events. My host was a talent agent with whom I had been in contact with in Seattle regarding my reporting work at the UW Daily, and his list of clients was impressive. In addition to Mr. Waits, his talent list included Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa, and singer/comedian Gary Mule Deer. I had never heard of Gary but agreed to get together with him and find out more. I don't believe I ever wrote anything on Gary but I do remember that we spent probably an hour together and he was extremely cordial and funny. I have not followed his career over the years but according to other sources he's opened shows for a lot of major acts, performed at corporate gatherings, played Las Vegas and made a ton of TV appearances including Jay Leno and David Letterman. But in 1976, I couldn't connect him with UW students or a Seattle audience so nothing came of our interview though I remember his off-beat humor.

I was staying at a Ramada Inn (long gone) on Sunset Boulevard just up the street from the famous Tower Records store (also long gone) when I got an impromptu call from my local guide. It was his job to fill my week with as much "client contact" as possible. I was asked if I wanted to go to a Frank Zappa press gathering. I was game though I wasn't really a "fan" of Frank's musical endeavors and was taken to a snazzy hotel in Beverly Hills. We took an elevator up to a beautiful suite that was full of people milling around and to this day I have no recollection what the event was for other than it had something to do with a Zappa film project. I didn't receive a press packet or any information but I was immediately upon arrival greeted by the maestro himself; the wild mane of hair and signature soul patch under his lip were unmistakable. We shook hands and he gave us directions to the bar. My guide and I spent about an hour in the suite. We helped ourselves to the liquor and I was introduced to numerous people I was told were industry heavies. I met a couple of writers from Rolling Stone Magazine whose names I knew from various articles I had read but no one was interested in talking to anyone they didn't know. For someone interested in the entertainment world (especially music) this was where the action was...all in one room but it was impossible to penetrate the walls of separation. We soon left as unceremoniously as we had entered. I wanted to go find Tom Waits and get real. Instead I just had my guide take me back to the Ramada. I was reminded of the surprise birthday party for Stevie Wonder on Friday night and that my guide would pick me up and together we would go to the restaurant. What had already been a busy day and evening was still not over; I was about to meet one of the developers of the hologram and discover world traveler Burton Holmes.

My 1976 Tom Waits Interview

2010-12-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

For my last two years in the journalism program at the University of Washington, I wrote for the Entertainment Section of UW Daily Newspaper. I had a piece in most every issue from a photo essay, jazz review, rock concert, an interview with a visiting musician to any event with some entertainment value. During my winter break in 1976, I accepted an invitation from an artist's manager in L.A. to visit the southland and spend a week meeting and interviewing some of his clients. His roster of talent included Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa and a rising talent named Tom Waits. Tom's third album Nighthawks at the Diner had recently been released on the heels of The Heart of Saturday Night. I loved both efforts and jumped at the opportunity to spend some time with the singer with the gravelly voice. The result was a long piece in the February issue of The Daily, which I have linked below. I spent time with Mr. Waits on two occasions: he invited me to join him for a taping of his appearance on the Dinah Shore Show and then I met him in a bar on Hollywood Blvd where we just talked one-on-one. No attitude, no entourage, no handlers, no bullshit. Just a breath of fresh air. Enjoy.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/44992205/Tom-Waits-Daily-Article-Pt-1

http://www.scribd.com/doc/44992197/Tom-Waits-Daily-Article-Pt-2

The New Deja Line-up

2010-12-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

This is the current and future line-up of Deja Blooze. Russell Sparkman [L] on bass, David Gregor [C] lead guitar and vocals and Dave 'Langley Slim' Gignac on guitar, harp and vocals.

Photo courtesy of Russell Sparkman.

First Saturday at Prima

2010-12-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

Well, the first Saturday Langley Art Walk with the lively blues of Deja Blooze is upon us once again. The Deja Trio will play at Prima Bistro this coming Saturday evening from 9 to 11 pm. Put on your high-heeled sneakers and bring your mojo into town and join us for another rousing evening of top-tapping blues--Deja style.

2010-11-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

The Deja Blooze "Live At WICA" CD is now available. This live recording features fourteen songs, nine of which were written by guitarist and vocalist David Gregor. The song list includes: John the Revelator, Gone Up Country, Someone's Calling My Name, Sky is Crying, Going Down Slow, Lonesome Woman Blues,Long-Legged Blues, We All Gotta Change, Look What Love Has Done, Photograph Blues, Good-bye Blues, Guitar King/Crossroads, Jacksboro Highway, and Who Do You Love.

Cost is $17.00 domestic postage included and can be ordered directly from the band off our secure website at http://www.gregorbooks.com/cgi-bin/gregor/20122.html International postage at cost.

New Deja Blooze Line-up and gigs

2010-11-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

The Deja Blooze concert in January as part of the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts' Local Artist Series was the highlight of the Deja experiment that began in the fall of 2007 with a handful of listeners at a coffee house in Clinton Washington. To play WICA's beautiful theater to a sold-out house of 250 fans, some of whom took the ferry over from Seattle to join us, was an exhilarating experience. Playing with four of Langley's best musicians made the whole evening sizzle and is something I would like to reprise in the not too distant future.

The January show had been scheduled since June of 2009 and was to feature the original Deja Blooze trio. In September of 2009, the Deja lead guitarist and bassist left the band leaving the WICA Concert in jeopardy. Not wanting to cancel a great musical opportunity and firmly believing in the old coda that the show must go on, I quickly solicited the help of the best players I knew and all four of them immediately signed on to the project. As they old saying goes, you never know who your friends are until you need them, and I quickly found out who my friends were. The show did go on and it was even better than I had initially envisioned it when I applied to the Local Artist Series. The end result of several months of focused rehearsal was an electrifying evening of inspired playing on everyone's part. And the enthusiastic reception of the audience contributed greatly to the success of the evening. Luckily, we recorded the show and is now available on a CD called "The Deja Blooze Electric Band--Live at WICA." The CD can be ordered off my secure website at the following link: http://www.gregorbooks.com/cgi-bin/gregor/20122.html

Since January Deja Blooze has been rebuilding itself into a new trio with the addition of Langley resident Russell Sparkman on electric bass. There is a great new energy with the group bringing a freshness in arrangements as well as new material to the group especially with more original songs. All three of us are enthusiastic about our musical direction and our future public performances.

Starting in November of 2010, the new reformed Deja Blooze Trio has been booked for the first Saturday of each month to play at the Prima Bistro, coinciding with Langley's Gallery Walk openings. The Gallery Walk starts at 5:30 pm and goes until 7:30 pm and then we play at Prima from 9 to 11 pm. Makes for a great evening of art and entertainment on the first Saturday of each month.

Deja Blooze Live at WICA on Youtube

2010-01-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

Deja Fans,

My wife took a rough video of our encore at the WICA show and I offer here the links to that video. It is in three parts because of the size of the files so watch them in the order presented at your leisure.

WICA Concert & New Deja Product

2010-01-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hello Deja Fans,

Well, the Deja Blooze concert at WICA as part of their Local Artist Series is now history and what an evening it was. The show was sold out and the crowd was enthusiastic beyond belief. The guys in the band were spirited and ready to play the blues and what a performance they gave, especially on relative short notice.

In conjunction with the event, a new Deja CD was released--Alone with the Blooze, $12.50--featuring 9 original songs written by David Gregor, a commemorative Deja Blooze t-shirt, $20.00, and an original poem broadside in tribute to Robert Johnson, $10.00. All items are available through me at gregorbooks@gregorbooks.com.

The sold out event was a huge success. The four musicians accompanying me were in rare form and delivered the goods in spades. While many in the audience had at some point had a previous Deja experience the WICA show was a totally different performance--specifically designed for the concert venue. The 19 song set began with a single voice with minimal guitar accompaniment delivering my own version of the traditional blues spiritual John the Revelator, then adding my harp player for an original song I wrote paying homage to M.L. King followed by our version of The Sky is Crying with me playing electric slide and Levi Burkle on bass. We then brought out guitarist David Licastro to play slide on another traditional spiritual that I arranged and wrote lyrics for called Someone's Calling My Name. We brought out our piano player Larry Neubauer for our up-tempo version of James Oden's Going Down Slow. We finished the first set with a Robert Johnson tune and two written by me--Lonesome Woman Blues and Long-Legged Blues. After a short break the full band launched the second set with four of my songs: We all Gotta Change, Look What Love Has Done, Photograph Blues and Goodbye Blues then slid into an extended version of Willie Dixon's Spoonful. We paid tribute to Robert Johnson with a medley of "I'm a Guitar King/Crossroad Blues" followed by a soulful version of "Jacksboro Highway" and a lively version of "Good Rockin' at Midnight". We ended the program with Johnson's "Travelin' Riverside Blues" and Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" as an encore. The crowd was enthusiastic and very generous with their vociferous applause. It was a great evening of music interspersed with tidbits of blues history and lore that made for a full evening of the blues.

The show was recorded (audio only) and if all went well, I will be making that recording available. So stay tuned. Our collective thanks to all who attended and made the show a rousing success.

2009-12-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-10-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

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

Deja Blooze at Freeland Eagles Membership Drive Poker Run

2009-07-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

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.

Deja Blooze at Choochokham

2009-07-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

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.

Deja Recording Update

2009-07-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

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.

Upcoming Deja Blooze Dates

2009-07-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

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.

Deja Blooze will Play Choochokam

2009-05-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

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.

Deja Blooze Selected for WICA's Local Artist Series

2009-05-07T18:05:00.001-07:00

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.

Deja Blooze Back at the Freeland Cafe

2008-11-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well, Deja fans, those of you who joined us for our October gig at the Freeland Cafe know that the place was packed and the dance floor was full all night. A good time was had by all including our ace bartender Traynor (excuse the spelling). We also had lots of back-up vocal assistance from the "Dejettes" (that would be anyone who wants to join in for a vocal response on selected tunes). The night went so well Petite has asked us back for November and December gigs. So mark your calendar:

Saturday November 22nd 8 to 10 pm
Saturday December 27th 8 to 10 pm

The place'll be hopping so make plans to join us.

Deja photo by Doris Newkirk

November 2008 Marks First Anniversary for Deja Blooze

2008-11-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

In November of 2007 Ed Newkirk and I (David Gregor) officially formed Deja Blooze, an off-shoot of our months of playing the Thursday night music jams that began at the old Smiling Dog Cafe. With the closing of the Dog, the Jammers were like a group of gypsies bouncing from place to place looking for a permanent home finally ending up for a long stint at the Island Coffee House in Langley. It was there that Ed and I forged not only a friendship but also a musical kinship rooted in our mutual interest in the blues. We began practicing together, working on a lot of the tunes that we played at the Thursday night jams and in November were asked to do a two hour gig at the Rockhopper Cafe in Clinton by the Sea. That evening at The Rock solidified our desire to continue forward, with an eye towards playing at the 2008 Choochokam Festival. But to do that, we needed to record a demo CD to submit for consideration. On a Sunday in December of 07 we went into the Blue Ewe Studios on the island and laid down seven tracks. In January of 08 we secured a six month, first Saturday gig at the Prima Bistro in Langley. We were accepted for the July Choochokam Festival and from there we played Concerts on the Lane, The Useless Coffee Shed (twice), a fund raiser for the Friendship Peace Library organization and now on our first anniversary we'll be playing the Freeland Cafe. It's hard to believe it has been a year already, but we're ready to rip into year two with the same vigor and drive that got us to this place. We're looking at another visit to the studio to lay down more lively numbers some of which will be original blooze renderings.

It has been our pleasure to play with Dave Gignac on harmonica and most recently Paul Goethel on bass and look forward to more gigs with both.

Deja Blooze to Play Useless Bay Coffee Shed

2008-08-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

The four-piece Deja Blooze line-up will play The Useless Bay Coffee Shed Saturday August 9th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. In addition to the original Deja duo of Ed Newkirk and David Gregor, the Blooze will be joined by our guest harpist Dave Gignac

and our newest addition Paul Goethel on electric bass. We are happy to be the first group to play the summer season at UBC and ease Langley visitors and residents into their Saturday activities with our own special brand of lively blues.

Deja Blooze at Recent Concerts on the Lane

2008-07-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

The latest Deja Blooze lineup delivered a feisty 90 minute set of their signature "lively blues" on July 26th under the tent behind Angel 1 Chocolates in Langley. We were visited by two Dejettes (Doris & Kit) who provided enthusiastic vocal and rhythmic contributions to our version of Mind Your Own Business. We just recently added bass player Paul Goethel to our Deja family of players and after just one two-hour practice, Paul joined us On the Lane providing a nice heavy bassline to our original two guitar sound. Paul easily slipped into the Deja groove and, according to everyone present (including Ed and myself) the results were just great. You'll get a chance to hear Paul at our afternoon gig at the outdoor Useless Bay Coffee Performance Shed on Saturday August 9th from 11-2 pm. Thanks to Mona at The Angel for having us. Deja photo by Doris Newkirk

Deja Blooze at Choochokam

2008-07-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

The Deja Boys did themselves proud today at the Choochokam Arts Festival in Langley. We played a tight 45 minute set from our lively catalog of blues to a great crowd of attendees and we had fun too. As I mentioned in a previous post, playing the main stage at Choochokam was my goal a year ago and when Ed Newkirk and I started getting together late in the fall the whole idea seemed like a possibility. And with the addition of Dave Gignac on harp whenever he's available, the show only gets better. Well, the possibility became a reality this afternoon and for me and the boys it was a thrill to be a part of this great community event.

Mail from a Deja fan:
Hi David, caught Deja Blooze yesterday and was impressed - I love acoustic guitars. You guys seemed like you were having lots of fun and you passed that on to the audience. Loved Who do you love as a final number. Greg G. Vancouver, BC.

All photos by Doris Newkirk

Deja Blooze at Choochokam

2008-07-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

Deja Blooze will play the main stage of Choochokam on Saturday July 12th at 12 noon. We're looking forward to being a part of this year's festival lineup and hope to see all of you for the festivities. We have a snappy 45 minute that should get everyone engaged in the weekend of music, art and tom-foolery.

Deja Blooze to Play Choochokam Arts Festival

2008-06-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Deja Boys have been booked to play the Choochokam Arts Festival www.choochokamarts.com/
on Saturday July 12th from 12 noon to 12:45 on the Main Stage at First St & Anthes. We are looking forward to being a part of this great Langley art and music celebration by providing a non-stop set of lively blues. We will be joined by our good friend David Gignac on harmonica and promise to keep your toes tapping and your head a-bobbing with our signature brand of blooze.

I have to say that, personally, playing Choochokam has been my goal since I experienced my first one in 2004. My goal six months ago in founding Deja Blooze was to be a part of the great lineup of local talent that I have seen over the years on the main stage and for DB to be booked this year is the realization of many hours of hard work with my main man and music partner, Ed Newkirk.

So...mark your calendar and dust off your high-heeled sneakers and join Deja Blooze for a fun and spirited set of Bloozy funk...Deja style.

David Gregor

Fan Mail Report

2008-06-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

Received this email from a recent Langley visitor and GRB customer.

Hi David, I was in your shop on the weekend and we had a talk about learning to play the guitar and blues. You also gave me your CD. My friends and I played it on our way back to Ft. Ebey and the truck was rocking. What a great selection of songs - done excellently. We laughed and danced (limited by being in a truck) and sang along thru the whole set - and that was without the benefit of libations. Needless to say we are trying to figure out when we can come back and attend a live Deja Blooze.

Anyway you've inspired me to get more serious about the guitar and the blooze. Thanks for that.

Greg G. (Vancouver, BC)

Thanks, Greg. We look forward to seeing you and the crew at a live Deja event.

Robert Johnson

2008-04-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

Robert Johnson is considered by many music historians to be the "most influential bluesman of all time and the person most responsible for the shape popular music has taken in the last five decades." While Johnson only recorded 29 songs between 1936 and 1937--including such blues standards as Terraplane Blues and Cross Road Blues--he nonetheless altered the course of American music. Eric Clapton has called Johnson "the most important blues musician who ever lived....I have never found anything more deeply soulful than Robert Johnson. His music remains the most powerful cry that I think you can find in the human voice.” As a young man, Johnson roamed widely around the south playing juke joints and levee camps picking up songs and guitar skills from a variety of black players creating his own distinctive style and voice phrasing. Legend has it that Johnson brokered a deal with the Devil in order to learn to play the guitar. Supposedly the deal took place at midnight at an undisclosed delta crossroads; when Johnson emerged he was recognized as the king of the delta players. In 1986, Robert Johnson was recognized by the music industry for his influence on popular music and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Blooze for Two" the new Deja Blooze CD

2008-03-03T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Deja Boys are proud to release their new CD, "Blooze for Two". The CD features 15 cuts from the Deja songbag of lively tunes. The song list is:

1. Blow Wind, Blow Wind

2. Spoonful

3. Nadine

4. I’ve Had My Fun

5. Baby what you Want Me To Do

6. Walkin’ Blues

7. I Let My Baby Do That

8. Built for Comfort

9. Blues for Two

10. You’re The One*

11. Terraplane Blues*

12. Travelin’ Riverside Blues

13. Mind Your Own Business

14. First and Last Love

15. You Better Watch Yourself

The CD features David Gregor on rhythm guitar and vocals, Ed Newkirk on lead guitar and David Gignac on harmonica on cuts 10 & 11. Cost is only $10 and can be purchased by calling 360.221.8331 or emailing gregorbooks@gregorbooks.com.

2008-02-23T13:17:00.001-08:00

The Deja Blooze boys at the February 2nd Prima Bistro gig. The place was packed though you wouldn't know it from this photo.

Deja Boys Back from the Studio

2008-02-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we wrapped up our second studio session at the Blue Ewe Recording Studio here on Whidbey. We laid down 9 tracks in a five hour period and were joined by mouth harpist David Gignac who sat in with us at our first Prima gig. Mr. Gignac blew some nasty licks on two tracks that will appear on our upcoming Deja CD. The majority of the material has just recently been added to the Deja repertoire, and we're looking forward to performing it live. David Malony (of Blue Ewe Studios) is working on the final mix, and we hope to have the CD available for our March 1st appearance at Prima.

Deja Blooze returns to Prima Bistro

2008-02-10T15:42:00.001-08:00

Greetings Deja fans.

BACK TO PRIMA
Ed Newkirk and I (aka Deja Blooze) have been asked to reprise our inaugural appearance at the Prima Bistro earlier this month on a regular monthly basis. So on March 1st and the first Saturday of each month following (except May...that date to be announced), the Deja boys will be at the Bistro in Langley from 8 pm to 10 pm. Those of you who joined us for our first appearance heard mouth harp player David Gignac sit in with the Dejas for a rousing rendition of Spoonful. If David's travel schedule permits, he will join us again for the March gig.

THE DEJA BOYS PREMIER AT PRIMA BISTRO
Saturday February 2, 2008 marked the official launch of the blues duo known as Deja Blooze. By showtime, the restaurant was full of anxious music lovers, and Ed and I were ready to shake up the crowd with some fun blues renditions. Within a half hour of starting, it was standing room only with folks doubled up around the bar. It was reported that people were eating their dinner on the stairway because there were no tables available once the music started. We're sorry for the inconvenience to those diners; next time it might be good to book a table early and stay late. Restaurant staff estimates are that approximately 120 people packed Prima (which officially seats about 90) and finally extra chairs were brought in to accommodate late arrivals. The great turnout did the Deja boys proud. We heard that a Seattle couple who were just in the restaurant for dinner but stayed for the music called later to ask when the group would be playing again; when they were told of the March date the caller said she would call the Inn at Langley and book a room for that weekend. That's a fan. To say we were pleased to hear that would be an understatement. We were knocked out! Thank you to all of you who came out to welcome Deja Blooze to Langley's live music offerings. We are looking forward to an even livelier evening on March 1st. We hope to see you then.

DEJA BLOOZE CD SAMPLER
Last December, Ed and I went into David Malony's Blue Ewe recording studio in beautiful Greenbank and laid down 7 live tracks on a Sunday afternoon. Ed is a longtime veteran of studio sessions around here and previously on the East Coast, but it was my first time in a recording studio. Both Ed and David Malony made the pressure of recording as minimal as possible for this rookie. The tracks include: "Blow Wind Blow Wind", "Spoonful", "I've Had MyFun", "Walkin Blues", "Blues for Two", "Mind Your Own Business", and "First and Last Love". We have copies of the CD available for $10.

BACK INTO THE STUDIO
The Deja boys are heading back into the studio to add 7 more classic and lively blues offerings to our first efforts. We'll keep you updated.