Artist of the day: Rebecca Zapen

Monday, March 02, 2009

Another new musician for you!

I'm beginning to think it's entirely possible I just have a thing for women who play the guitar (exhibits A and B).
That, or it's just a coincidence that I've recently discovered so many
talented musicians who just happen to be female guitarists. Either way,
it's always exciting and rewarding to find a new artist and explore
their music. My latest find (and I'm not saying that like I'm Clive Davis, although that would be awesome) is Rebecca Zapen, who performed at Tre Amici
on my birthday (and I'm not saying that like she was booked to perform
for my birthday, although that would be awesome as well).

Rebecca is originally from the Jacksonville area but now calls the Tampa Bay
area home, where she is working on her fourth album. Here are Rebecca's
answers to some questions I asked her regarding her music and her
thoughts on the Tampa Bay arts "scene"...
ME
(my blog, I get to be in bold and italics): I know you're originally
from Jacksonville. What brought you to the Tampa Bay area?
HER:
I am engaged to jazz pianist Jeremy Douglass, of St Petersburg. When we
were courting long-distance and realized it was serious, we recognized
that one of us would need to move. Both of us were well-established
musicians in our respective cities so it could have gone either way. I
have visited many cities, but none of them ever beckoned to me the way
St Pete did. I'd always said that I would only move for one of three
reasons: love, education or a job. A big love will make you do big
things.
ME: What, if anything, had you heard about the local arts "scene", especially in regards to music, before you got here?
HER:
I hadn't really heard anything prior to playing here. I'd played a
dance hall gig for Swing Time at Centro Asturiano years ago, and it was
a phenomenal experience, but I knew nothing about the "scene". It
wasn't until Stephanie Carpenter, who was hosting Girls With Guitars at
the Whistle Stop Grill, invited me to come down last summer that I was
again exposed to the Bay's scene. I was amazed at the response and
receptiveness of the audiences in terms of being great listeners and
their interest in my albums. In my first two visits to the Bay area in
2008, I had performed at Whistle Stop Grill, WMNF, The Globe, and Skippers Smokehouse. I was hooked, and in love, so make that doubly hooked.
ME: And now that you're here, is it better, worse or about what you expected?
HER:
It's at least as good as I expected, and in ways, better. Considering
the economic concerns we all live with, I feel very grateful that
Jeremy and I are able to make our living as musicians. I have been able
to play at a number of venues in the area, but still have so much more
to learn about the area, and its venues and performers.
ME: What do you hope to accomplish for yourself as an artist here?
HER:
Back in Jacksonville, I found myself wearing three main musical "hats":
classical violinist, jazz vocalist/violinist, and songwriter (in
addition to other freelance work such as regional orchestral work,
playing in hospitals and care facilities, recording sessions, and
private violin instruction). I want to utilize my versatility as a
multi-instrumentalist who plays in the classical, jazz, and folk
genres. As a songwriter, I want to find my audience that is touched by
the mellow, quirky songs I write (one listener called it Existential
Folk), and be a supporter of my fellow musicians.
ME (apparently "scene" obsessed, for some reason): How important is it for an artist to be part of a "scene" or "movement"?
HER:
Some people can work in a solitary fashion, but I am more of a social
creature. I gain great strength in my friendships with fellow musicians
and fans. We can encourage each other when we have doubts or lack
motivation, can recommend venues and opportunities to one another, and
of course inspire each other through our music either as listeners or
collaborators.
ME: (standard music interview question) Who would you say has influenced you as an artist?
HER: Classical music was my only influence until I was 11, when some Billy Joel
slipped through the cracks as I carpooled to ballet class. So I would
say my classical musician parents are a big influence. In high school I
listened a lot to The Roches, The Beatles, and Simon & Garfunkel,
and that cemented my love of harmony. In college, while majoring in
music and biology, I had my first exposure to jazz, and specifically
bossa nova. Even when I'm writing a 'folk' song, it could easily be a
bossa nova with altered chords. Other artists that have influenced me
are Antonio Carlos Jobim, Suzanne Vega, Stephane Grappelli, and Jonathan Richman.
ME:
You write your own songs, handle the musical arrangements, produce your
own albums and you play several instruments, while I have to consult
the instructions before opening a jar of mustard, yet I don't hate you.
Why is that?
HER:
I'm with you on the jar of mustard. You'd think I'd have a better grip.
As for why you like me? First, thank you for that. I think that my
music comes from an honest place. I'm not afraid to share my feelings
and experiences. I'm also open to being silly with my music as well. In
"Japanese Bathhouse" I sing about feeling ogled by the other ladies in
a Japanese bathhouse. You can see my silliness in some of my music
videos too, such as "Smile", "I Have A Little Dreidel", and "We Didn't
Bother".
ME: Anything else you'd like to get out there?
HER: If this is published in time, I'd like to encourage Tampa Bay area music lovers to come out March 8th to the Whistle Stop (Safety Harbor) where I'll open for Maine songstress Emilia Dahlin.
I also want to mention I'll be recording my 4th album in the coming
months, which should be completed by the end of the year. Also, I just
want to say thanks for interviewing me. I'm glad our paths crossed at
Tre Amici.
Learn more about Rebecca, and listen to her music at her official web site!

Jacksonville's Musician of the Year: Rebecca Zapen
by Ron Johnson
[ from www.jacksonville.com, full article here ]

We're here to announce the Jacksonville musician of the year.

Jacksonville has many great musicians, some well known, some less so and even though we may not have the pool of talent say Los Angeles or New York has, still it's a pretty impressive lot. In my travels I run across many great musicians who make their living in the pubs and bars, private parties etc etc. and let me tell you, it's not an easy road to go.

So hats off to all Jacksonville's musicians who keep the music alive. We appreciate all of you! 

But now, at year's end, it's time to single out one who's made the difference.

And that musician, hands down, is Rebecca Zapen.

The pride of Riverside, Rebecca has toured the U.S. as well as Europe but takes time to occasionally play for some of the local hospitals and other benefits and causes around the area. I saw her earlier this year at Shands Jacksonville as part of the Arts in Medicine Program, giving back to the community. We also saw her at the Florida Folk Festival this year and of course, she is a regular at the Casbah Cafe or the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine. 

Either playing solo or with her jazz group ZapStar, or the Sweet Librarians, Rebecca covers the musical spectrum. Jazz, Pop, Bossa Nova, her music is sometimes subtle, sometimes sensual but always a joy. Her collection of CDs, of both originals and jazz standards, "Hummingbird," "Japanese Bathhouse" and "ZapStar" are all a real pleasure and all available on CD Baby via her website, as well as on iTunes. 

She is a real talent and, you heard it here first folks, probably Jacksonville's next international star. You might want to go out and see her live in a small club location before she hits the big time. Her next two gigs are at the Casbah Jan. 28th (3628 St. Johns Ave) and Jan. 30th with Zap Star in St. Augustine at the Casa Monica Hotel. 

Check out her website at: www.zapen.com or her My Space site at: www.myspace.com/zapen

Also check out her latest music video with Jeremy Douglass, entitled "I Have A Little Dreidel" by clicking here.

Congratulations Rebecca and job well done!

This was one of the most jam-packed Mays of my life -- hence the nickname Mayhem. Counted 28 performances on the books. Phew! Some of these dates were my more bread-and-butter types of performances for weddings, private events, also strolling with my violin at nursing homes and hospitals, and believe me I am grateful for my bread and butter! :)

Bread and butter is good but I like my "sweets" too, like festivals and concerts! Starting things off we played at First Fridays for Folk Music in Savannah GA. What a pleasure to play for a crowd of 180-200 that is listening to the songs, stories, jokes. I also got to see my cousin Joel and his wife Jackie. We like to cut a rug and swing dance wherever we are, be it a gas station, a folk concert, or most recently at a celebration for Israel @ 60. We also played at Gamble Rogers Folk Festival (RZ with Scott Murray on dobro and Kristi Stice on backup vocals, melodica, glockenspiel). Several years back I had sat in with Robbin Bach at GambleFest, so it was an honor to fast-forward and find myself there performing my own music. Many thanks to Lis Williamson for having us.

We played a most unique venue mid-month at the acupuncture clinic of  Melissa Smith. She opened her new meditation garden to the public and we enjoyed delicious, healthy food; she also gave tours of her wonderful facility. So groovy to play on her front porch with Shawn Lightfoot and Arvid Smith. It looked like every surface was covered with sitars, guitars, pedals, dobros, and all things with strings. 

Following local gigs at Casa Monica Hotel and The Casbah, we embarked on 10 days on the road, first spending 3 amazing days at the Florida Folk Festival, then flying to the midwest for a mini-tour. FFF was like coming home to a family I'd always had but had never met. It was huge, with various stages (including the huge amphitheatre -- looking out at the crowd was cool!) and lots of vendors and artists. Our first performance was at the River Gazebo where there was no p.a. whatsoever. I was worried my soft voice wouldn't carry over the instruments but it turned out to be a wonderful intimate way to do a set. We played at the big Amphitheatre / main stage the next morning and had a blast! The stage crew and emcee did a great job.

Later that afternoon I taught a jazz/swing violin workshop. I was a little nervous at first, and was hoping we would go the whole hour, and in the end, no worries! Jerry Carris did a great job accompanying on guitar, and Ron Spencer came and sat in on double bass. We had several players and a good number of listeners. We played tunes from the Django Reinhardt repertoire. Jerry and I opened things up with Nuages, then we workshopped tunes like Minor Swing, Limehouse Blues, Avalon, Sweet Georgia Brown.

Right after the workshop I ran into Lee and Arvid from the group Tammerlin and we rehearsed a bit so I could sit in with them on Sunday morning at the Song and Story Stage. Violin is my first instrument, but I tend to play more ukulele and guitar as a songwiter, so it was great to sit in with Tammerlin strictly playing my violin and getting rewarded with kind applause :)

Sunday we did our final set at the Azalea Stage and it was a great conclusion to our weekend at FFF. I will tell you: I am very content with my life and I don't have any super-star aspirations necessarily, but it was definitely a high to be meeting the audience and signing CDs for half an hour.

I saw some unexpected faces, like a gal from my tap dance class -- she got to check out my tap dance solo on "Smile"; plus this lovely chap walks up asking if I've got T-shirts for sale -- it's The Local Artist, the guy who *makes* my T-shirts! Near our campsite (many thanks to Raven for finding us and Elise for your hospitality) I ran into Frank whom I haven't seen in years, since my days at Florida State, where I was the equipment manager for our orchestra and he was doing lights at the auditorium. He hadn't changed a bit, and I was blown away to learn what an amazing banjo player and singer he is. There were so many wonderful people there, old and new faces alike, I can't begin to list them all.

Next morning, bleary-eyed and sleepless, we flew to Indianapolis with 5 instruments and 2 suitcases (I put the small uke in one of the suitcases). Talk about a handful. I figure like works this way: you can either fly first class, or you can be a musician and spend just as much due to charges for extra bags or overweight bags. Ach! From all the walking around at the festival, our legs and feet were tired and we really dug the iSqueeze leg massager we found at the Charlotte Airport! Anyhoo, we arrived in Indianapolis and drove up to Chicago, staying with our friends Aadam and Liz who had put 4 of us up in their basement during ZAPENation Tour 2006. The kitties were still adorable and the music/video collection still beyond compare.

We played at Schuba's, in Chicago, with sound run by brilliant Frenchman Fabrice. Schuba's also has a terrific restaurant -- take my word, try their chili and mac'n'cheese! We met a delightful couple named Dave and Beth who had driven 2 hours from Wisconsin to hear us. They had heard us on public radio when we performed on Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?. I was blown away by their support. The lineup was a great mix, with Denise Hradecky opening up (soft vocals with guitars and some tasteful ambient tracks) and Gordon Wright closing (shining pop reminiscent of the Beatles). Let it be known that there was a sweet sweet jam of Hava Nagila after the audience cleared out, I on my melodica with the accordionist from Gordon's band.

Next we made our way to Noblesville Indiana, where we packed the house for the concert sponsored by Blue Stone Folk Series. The teenage duo Pholly opened for us, with their energetic sound of harmonized female vocals and ukulele accompaniment – it was great to meet Phoebe and Molly. Many thanks to Geoff Davis (and his lovely wife – I want you to be my merch girl!) for bringing us out, and to our hosts Wilbur and Jan (you are making us fall in love with Indiana).

Next morning, we performed at the Learning Community in Indianapolis to an audience of about 75 students. They all play violin! Blows me away, and a lot of them are ukulele strummers too. They are students of Geoff Davis and apparently they had seen the "Smile" video quite a few times. They even sang along a bit and did some of the motions from the video. I gave them all birdie stickers, and I am hoping we can make this an annual visit. Such great kids! Finally, we made our way to Nashville Indiana, for the Ukulele Luau. Funny thing is that the Luau was our original reason for coming to the Midwest, and the rest of the mini-tour just filled out so nicely following that first booking. Not long after we arrived, we talked to Bushman MusicWorks owner John Hall, and found out a commercial was being filmed to promote the city of Nashville, and musicians were needed. We, along with the Barnkickers (also from Florida), drove over and jammed with John on a most unusual instrumental arrangement of When The Saints Come Marching In, with dobro, violin, ukulele, guitar, and harmonica. So, for this commercial promoting Nashville IN, we had 2 bands from Florida and models from Kentucky. Go figure.

I'm going to add a little more to this (Ukulele Luau) and include some photos too. Gotta grab a bite to eat now.

~ Rebecca

The Zapen Chronicles continue: "A Great '08! January & February" in 2 parts.

http://zapen.livejournal.com/

Thus far, I have tales (and photos!) from the Bushman Ukulele Contest, the Bahamas gig, Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know? radio show, and more to come regarding the recent Italy and South Beach gig.

Hmm, just realized I can post the blog in here, but the pictures won't show up. So if you want to get the full scoop, follow the link (http://zapen.livejournal.com/). However, if text alone makes you smile, read on!
-----------------------------------------------------
BLUE, VELVETY MEMORIES
As I sit here looking at the lovely blue velvet plaque that was presented to the performers at Paganini Auditorium, in Parma, Italy, just a few weeks ago, I think back on what has been an amazing beginning to 2008.

a little collage of just 3 of the happy things of 08:
- Bushman Ukulele Contest
- Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?
- YOU by Crocs "Postcard" CD compilation

"SMILE" VIDEO January 3, 2008
I received a call from Bushman Music Works owner John Hall, telling me that I had won 2nd place in the Bushman World Ukulele Video Contest. Click here if you've yet to see my video, which was my Chanukah miracle of sorts, filming, photographing, and editing it in a few short days during one of my busiest gigging seasons back in December. Many thanks to my friend Dorinda for being the Girl Friday for this home-made filming endeavor. Enjoy our impromptu special effects (can you say dental floss and a cross-dressing Rebecca?) and stop-motion photography.

They awarded me a beautiful Bushman "Jenny" ukulele, an endorsement with Bushman, and an invitation to perform at their first annual Ukulele Luau this May '08 in Nashville, Indiana. Many thanks to all the folks at Bushman Music Works, and kudos to all the contestants.

HARD WORK, HATS, & HERITAGE January 13, 2008
Just a few days later it was my honor to speak at a Jewish Federation Women's Division event "Extraordinary Women Share Their Secrets", in which 13 uniquely different women shared their secrets for success in their personal, business and religious lives. I was the youngest, definitely the most 'struggling-artist-esque', and spoke last (is this a 'Z' thing?). It went really well, though, and was such a special experience to be a part of, learning about all these other women's struggles, triumphs and motivations, shared with vulnerability and humor. I summed up my philosophy for living with 3 'H's: consistent dedication and HARD WORK; wearing many HATS as I juggle my numerous responsibilities and projects, planting seeds and seeing what grows; and in my HERITAGE, drawing inspiration from and remembering special individuals, family members and the collective whole of my people.

BAHAMA-BOUND January 13, 2008
Only a few hours after giving the speech, I was on a flight to the Bahamas, to perform for a private event at the Atlantis Resort, with electric harpist Meko. It was beautiful, luxurious, but all too quickly over. There was that pesky moment when we were outside with all our wooden instruments, gear, and electronics, and the rain began to sprinkle down. But it cleared up! We had a chance to enjoy Atlantis' on-site water park. One of the water slides has you ending up in a clear tube going through the shark tank -- weee!

Le$$on learned: Keep your U.S. passport up to date, because expediting a renewal within 3 days is no picnic.

from KITCHEN KVETCH to PUBLIC RADIO PRINCESS
I was sitting in the kitchen alternately expressing gratitude for all that's happened in my life and music career, and then kvetching as I worried about how I'm going to continue to move forward, move up, progress, make my way...you get the picture. "How am I ever going to play on national public radio if I don't start winning first place? My life is full of seconds: 2nd runner up, Finalist, 2nd place in this, 2nd fiddle!" (Don't get me wrong, I *am* grateful for even being among the cream of these various and sundry crops...truly! And frankly, I love playing the second violin part, with the alto register and all the harmonies. There is, however, a lot of rejection in the music business and can't a girl have the occasional pity party?) "They don't want people that are always coming in 2nd!" ....and lo and behold, the phone rings, mid-rant. The caller is 'Unknown' so this is either someone I really don't want to talk to, or someone I REALLY DO!

"Hi this is Todd Witter from Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?" YESSS!!! And he mentions he really likes my "Smile" video he saw on my website.
He offers me a spot as musical guest on Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?. It was broadcast live from the Florida Theatre on Febrary 2, to a studio audience of about 1,800, and aired to 290 radio stations and over one million listeners! A career highlight to say the least.

Because of the short notice on playing the show and because we were going to combine projects by performing one folky tune ("Smile" from Japanese Bathhouse) and one bossa nova / jazz tune ("Andrea" from Hummingbird), it wasn't until the day before we did soundcheck that I had figured out the right instrumentation for the band, while keeping us a relatively compact group. I mean, allow me unlimited instrumentation and I will assemble at least a 16-piece group!
Our group was: Gary Starling (guitar), Scott Murray (dobro), Farris Nix (double bass), Peter Miles (drums), Chris Estes (vocals), and Rebecca Zapen (tap dancing, ukulele, violin, and voice). I was so happy with the way we all came together to give a beautiful performance, and I will never forget looking out at that fantastic full house in the Florida Theatre.

Lessons learned:
1) Remember my 3 H's because hard work *does* pay off, and as you plant seeds, you see in time that flowers bloom.
2)Even second fiddles get noticed -- just keep playing!

(continued in a Great 08! January & February: Part 2)

(http://zapen.livejournal.com/)