Or, The Trials & Tribulations of DeDe's Search for a GREAT band-And how has it all panned out? Let's just say it's A Happily-Ever-After Ending:)!
DeDe & the DayDreams perform at a company Christmas Party on Dec. 17th, 2015.
Left to right: Damien Clark, Alan Steinmetz, DeDe & Jim Embry (not pictured: Larry Wedekind)
Over the past 8 months, Texas Singer/Songwriter DeDe and her awesome DayDreams Band have had a whirlwind debut in Houston, and all over the USA! They literally burst onto the Houston music scene with 3 Festivals right out of the gate since their start in mid summer of 2015. In August 2015, they were honored to attend the Cutting Edge Music Conference in New Orleans where DeDe was a Spotlight Artist at the famed New Orleans House of Blues. Then DeDe was chosen to be a Featured Performer in September at the Light at the Lighthouse Inspirational Festival in Los Angeles. Then within less than a month, DeDe & the DayDreams again appeared on the Budweiser Mainstage at the The Houston StreetFest near Navigation in October! About "birthing" a new band DeDe says:
"It's amazing that we have any band at all at this point, we had so much changeover in the beginning. At the first of the year, I'd joined a band and it was mostly jazz. They had another male vocalist who really didn't want a female (vocalist) added, and they weren't really getting any bookings, so I took off, but I took along their amazing drummer, my (now) close friend, and very talented Alan Steinmetz! We must have gone through like 6 guitarists, and 3-4 bass players, but it's always been Alan and me from the first of the year.
Friends tell me that to find good band members who all like each other, like the same music and all get along is really hard and you have to go through a lot of players to find the right combo. But the hardest thing for me to find in my bandmates has been the commitment to practice weekly, learn my original music, and the willingness & flexibility to do the gigs and commit to them -no matter what. That's what was really hard to find until we added Damien Clark on guitar. He not only looks great onstage, but he's toured with some music legends and shared the stage with pros, and he's a real pro himself (and a great guy), all the way. He plays just about anything by ear or with music. And now we have a band, and it's a real winner!"
The band also had many corporate parties and events in November & December, and then DeDe took a solo tour to Panama after Christmas, and over the New Year where she performed 3 sold-out concerts! Talk about not getting a breather- and the band just keeps on playing! A corporate ribbon cutting in the Heights at the end of January, and another invite to be featured on Live From Center Stage TV in Massachusettes, a feature in the Feb. IMC Magazine an Indie music magazine, and the list goes on and on....
Flyer for one of DeDe's shows in Panama
On top of all that, DeDe's furiously working to finalize her new album that's currently been getting a lot of Nashville and radio attention: "Dream of You", finally out in February '16 (overdue because of illness (DeDe's), and a much-needed management/production venue change back to Houston from Nashville).
So what's next? Now DeDe's ready to take a break and then tackle her next Big Project: her upcoming Valentine's concert with Soprano Meagan Stapleton at the New Bender Performing Arts Center in Humble (350 seats and brand new on the site of the old Humble High). This concert will feature jazzy standards (many from DeDe's first album Clear Skies Ahead), as well as some more classic styling: songs from Meagan's Soprano and DeDe's Mezzo-Soprano classical repertoire! Talk about a change of pace!
On April 9th, DeDe and her band are performing at the Barefoot in the Park showcase for the New Grand Central Park Housing Community Development in Conroe, location TBA. In May you'll have the chance to catch DeDe & the DayDreams as they perform songs from DeDe's original new album, Dream of You- again, at the Bender Performing Arts Center. Says DeDe: "I'm very happy to be honored to be selected to perform at this beautiful new Center for the Arts right here in Humble near Kingwood where I live. Me and the band are really excited, this will be one of our largest audiences because the center is brand new and it holds 350 people! We are hoping to fill it completely with markeing and promotion help from Richard Mintz and all the great staff at the Humble PAC and City of Humble. I also promote all of my local public shows on social media to my over 100K internet fans, so hopefully we will really get the word out about this great center and all the new shows they are scheduling this spring, summer and fall in their 1st & 2nd seasons!" Read more about this new historic arts venue & the upcoming show schedule at: www.Humblepac.com
As for DeDe, well, she's not taking a break any time soon, with demand for her music and original shows in Panama and other parts of the US and Texas on the rise. Recently they were invited to perform at the New Orleans Mardi Gras Festival, but sadly, due to the loss of a bass player, they had to turn down that particular booking. DeDe's been contacted by a number of great Venues and booking agents all around Houston, and so far has managed to keep herself, and her band, very busy indeed. For bookings, and to hear all DeDe's music and get information about Dede and her Daydreams Band visit: Reverbnation.com & to order her new album, Dream of You, visit www.DeDe-Music.com.
DeDe & husband Larry ring in the new year in Panama at the Rock Restaurant!
