Debbie Bernard
I knew I wanted to be a musician when I first saw the Beatles on TV. I’ve played piano since I was 7 – first for my own amusement, and then with an eclectic progression of bands:
•The Folkin’ Dudes: my first pro gig in Benicia, CA at the old Nantucket.
•The Crossover Band: my first real band. Off the hook musically, we played rock, r&b, soul, country and pretty much anything else, and were lucky enough to attract several great musicians – Ricky McCracken of Elvin Bishop, David Bartlett of Tower of Power, Gabe Munzo of Malo, Fly Brooks of Elvin Bishop/Ron Hacker & the Hacksaws, and many other wonderful players.
•Kattrax: a leather and lace all-woman band fronted by Karianne Engebretson of Bethel Island. She was a go-getter, and the band, although not the most technically proficient on the planet, was in constant demand. Through Kattrax, I got to meet Albert Collins, one of the biggest thrills of my life.
•Roy Orbison Tribute Band: very fun – the girls went absolutely nuts over this guy - out of Los Angeles. I both read music and improvised for this band, and it was a huge pleasure learning Roy’s tunes.
•Anaconda: what can you say about a band that is so misnamed (this should have been a metal band – hello!) instead, a rock and r&b project with a great chick singer, Michelle Witthoeft out of San Francisco, this band rehearsed for a year, played one gig, and disbanded.
•Mick & Mo: Michelle and I gave it a shot as a jazz duo, and later a quartet, however, jazz just isn’t my thing, and we went separate ways.
•Rocks.com: a Rolling Stones tribute band out of Daly City. The band kept busy playing every weekend in San Francisco at the Marina. We disbanded when the drummer passed away.
•Rock Steady Betty: a traditional bar band in existence for almost 20 years. The front man, Jack Rich, is an Alameda legend. Former members of “The Betty” include Pat and Jennifer Smyth of Gator Alley Band. Although no longer regular members, the Smyths and I still occasionally sit in. (www.RockSteadyBetty.com).
•The Magic Notes: a Latin style cover band fronted by a local Alameda musician, Ed Rivera, formerly of the band Route 66. I played with them at the SAG awards – very fun to schmooze with the stars!
•Yahoo BBQ: a wonderful band full of very talented musicians, including Ira Walker of Mr. Big/Eddie Money, David Kaffinetti of Spinal Tap, and Marke “Jellyroll” Burgstahler of the Alameda Allstars (www.AlamedaAllstars.com). I was invited to play with and record for this band after meeting them through a mutual friend. It was a wonderful learning experience.
•The Gator Alley Band: A heartfelt and technically accurate homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd whom I substitute for occasionally, they are a wonderful band who just lost their lead singer, Mel, who passed away right before a gig on October 6, 2008. These guys (and women!) have balls, and just like Skynyrd, have carried on! (www.gatoralleyband.com).
•The Bombay Crawlers: My heart and current band – I first heard about the Crawlers (an original “swamp rock” project with a retro vibe) while working with Rock Steady Betty. The soundman for the evening was Robert David, a Bammy award winning recording engineer who is also a talented songwriter and singer/slide player. He started the band many years ago in San Francisco with Larry Trott, Dan Bonnin and other great players. I’ve played and recorded with the Bombay Crawlers for 10 years now, and still get a rush hearing the music. (www.myspace.com/bombaycrawlers).
More: I’ve also had the pleasure of sitting in with many other wonderful bands throughout the years. It’s always been my philosophy to try play the best music I can with the best musicians I can, and I’ve been lucky enough to do that so far.
Teachers: Linda Wahl, Susan Brown, Guy Arrostuto, Aaron Blumenfeld, David Kaffinetti, Robert David.
Influences: ALL of the above, plus Nicky Hopkins, Billy Preston, Marcia Ball, Elton John, etc. etc.
Goal: To play the Fillmore. Then, I can die happy.
