Yes folks – the Becca darling band is back at Hull Bay Hideaway this Sat. the 22nd starting at 7pm.  It will be Becca,Matt,Morgan, and Robert –which is a 4 piece and has been dubbed “Whip It Out”, by Becca. Follow that?

So keep your ears wide open-  you might hear things you’ve never heard before from the band.

We’ve lined up a couple of dates at Tickles Pub. One is coming up on Thurs.Feb.10th at 7pm.

Working on getting some “stuff” for our fans and friends – cd,s – tee shirts, posters,etc. Will let you know !! Cheers !!

On a Serious Note !

Matt appearing very focused in this shot.

Each of the band members has been very busy during this traditionally slow season. We each have a few things in the fire, and they all coincidentally,  came together for everyone during this “slow season”.  Counter intuitively, we should have more time to rehearse during the “busy season” – got that?

Some band members wouldn’t mind twice weekly rehearsals. It’s at the rehearsals that we get to try things out, take some chances – and just see how different approaches sound in the band context.   The band members can give input and feedback to each other without offending each other – that’s always a sensitive issue – and huge in this kind of artistic collaboration !!

Becca singing her heart out despite her ace bandages and sore elbow

The band was hobbled last night at latitude 18, yet still manged to deliver a really fine show. Danny’s hand is still partially numb, (although getting better every day), Becca’s elbow was sore from “tennis elbow”, and Robert showed up with a bandage on his hand.

The spirit of the music carried the show, and the crowd was very appreciative. The vibe of the room always affects the band and the crowd was definitely on our side, so to speak ! The first set was a bit tentative, but by the second set the band had found it’s groove !!

The song ” House of the Rising Sun” got a big applause, and has become one of our showstopper pieces !! The 2 Stevie Wonder songs, as well as the jazz tunes also got nice rounds of  applause !

We’ll be trying out some new tunes tonight, and will have guest artist Ras Abijah on guitar. The Hermit has been working on some artwork for the band and will be bringing some prints for the band to look at. We may be close to having some tee shirts for our loyal fans, as well as material for album cover art, band logo, and photos.

Becca and Matt bathed in purple

Gigs are beginning to slow down – however the up side is that we have more time to rehearse, and also work on our recording  and promotion projects -( is there a  tee shirt in the works ?) – we’ll let you know !

As for the Monday nights, we’ll be back at Latitude 18 next season (around Thanksgiving). The band is sounding tighter and more in the groove lately. Now we just need some gigs – got any ?

It was nice to see the crowd response on “Trippin Thursday” at Jack’s. By one count at midway there were 122 people, and that probably went up since more folks were arriving even during the last set. With the new stage lighting  ( we’ve included  a shot of  Matt and Becca bathed in purple )- it feels more like a show !  This great shot, among many others was captured by Steve Danesi, the owner of Jack’s,who has a real knack for this – hey, ever thought about quitting your day job ??

Our Hermit was there and also captured some great shots, as well as recording and video-graphing the entire show !! We’ll keep you posted on that project ! Cheers !!

The band had a very productive day during our first recording session. We did 5 “scratch tracks’, for the 5 songs that will be on our upcoming Demo CD. Everybody feels fine with the drum tracks – so we’re on our way !!

Everybody did just fine in a “studio setting”, which is always a big question mark for a live band, such as we are ! We tried to recreate the live “feel” as much as possible by having 4 of us in one room, but of course the drummer had to be in his own soundproof “cocoon” !

In case you’re wondering which songs were chosen – they are :  Hey Boy, Margery, Suzie, One Way Out, and Jack Sprat. Our recording engineer Zan Llaneeza  felt good about the recording session – and that’s  a good sign !!  So it’s onward – we’ll keep you posted !!

Robert Falzarano in his soundproof cocoon during our first recording session

Becca Darling, Danny Silber, and Matt Cring during a relaxed moment in the studio

Becca Darling and Matt Cring during our first recording session

Yesterday was an exciting step forward for the band. We are beginning work  on our first studio recording ! We decided that it will be all original songs, and that Morgan Rael will act as the producer. He will work, with Zan llaneza, who will be the engineer, and of course will be coordinating with the band members and most importantly with Becca !

Our first session was less than thrilling ! We just went over 6 songs that we’ll be recording – there was some mix-up so the recording engineer was not there. At least we got the feel of playing in a small room with limited air ?? – not that we’re whining – it was still worthwhile.

Next we have to find the time to rehearse, and add some new cover tunes, so our fans don’t get tired of our repertoire – after all, it’s a small island.  We had a full house at Latitude 18 last Monday – and the band always gets hyped up from the energy flowing back and forth !

The Becca Darling Band Live at Latitude 18

The band played before a small, but supportive crowd last Saturday night. It rained heavy for a solid 2 hours just before we were to begin, and that practically insured a small turnout. Nonetheless, the band had one of it’s better nights musically !!

Becca’s dear friend, Grace Notary was there on a visit to St Thomas, and both of them were beaming – one could see the genuine affection there. Becca sang the great Latin love song “Besame Mucho”, for the first time (in public), and did a superb job of  “delivering” the passion of this song.

Becca gave a playful rendition of the dance tune “Fergalicious”, and the band had fun, plus played well for pretty much the whole night !

This coming week  the band added a Friday night at latitude 18 as a fill in for the regular act – who is off-island. We will have guest artist Paul Dirks on bass! It’s always a pleasure to work with him !!

The Becca Darling Band is back at Hull Bay Hideaway tonight -come join us !

I want to talk about the open mike night at the Sun Dog Cafe.  There were several fine performers and an appreciative crowd. When an open mike night is good – it’s got that certain combination of spontaneity and form that only  be found at such a venue. I was at two such events this week- and each one was excellent in it’s own way.