Hey Playah

                                                                    

                                                            

                                                         

I am a retired police professional and have played keyboards most of my life. I have played in a band or two, but none that compares to the comradery, professionalism, and collection of talent that is Deja Blue. The relationships shared by (the players) are unique and serve as the  inspiration for my naming of the web-site. You are invited to tour the site, and say hello in my Guestbook. I cannot be responsible for the content of the entries or their duration since they are deleted pending space availability. You are also invited to download and listen to some of the music of  Deja Blue which is on the Deja Blue Web-site.  I hope you find my site both informative and entertaining as it is my intention to periodically provide glimpses into the activities of the band, and into the lives of what are now affectionately called "The Playah's!"  Thanks for Visiting!

                                                                  

   

                                  

            Photo courtesy of Robert D. Stewart                                                                       Photo Courtesy of Robert D. Stewart

       

  Photo courtesy of Robert D. Stewart                                                                     Photo Courtesy of Robert D. Stewart

                                                                                                                               

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During the past few months Deja Blue has undergone several changes due to the retirement of two well respected members of the band. The first, Mr. Mike Kropotkin, (second guitar) a recent addition, and secondly, Mr. Don Burke (Drummer) an original "Playah" with the band. Each brought their own unique style and talent to the group and will be missed.  Since that time, auditions were held and we were fortunate enough to to acquire Mr. Chris Wing (drummer) who brings extensive experience after having played with other musical groups in and around the Northern Virginia Area!  Chris is a talented and an affable young man who fits the mold and character of Deja Blue and we are happy to have him as one of the "Playah's". There is no plan at the time to replace the second guitar position.

Throughout this period the band continued to play at both new and previously scheduled locations thanks to the graciousness of  Don Burke who filled in at drums despite his ailing back. As soon as Chris was up to speed we played the Washington Golf and Country Club in Arlington Virginia in August, the usual watering holes, and most recently a benefit concert for our good friend and professional musician Mr. Jimmy Nalls. Jimmy is a local musician who went on to become a well known and renowned guitarist and co-founder of the band "Sea Level" in the late 1970's.  Today, he is a highly talented and well respected professional within the music industry. Unfortunately, Jimmy now suffers from Parkinson's Disease and is overwhelmed financially by the cost of his treatment. I am proud to say that on October 22, 2005 a benefit program sponsored by "Deja Blue and Friends" raised a total of $2001 dollars which has gone to Jimmy to assist in the treatment of his disease. Our thanks to all the performers that participated in the program, and our sincere gratitude goes out to Joanna, the owner of the Firehouse Grill in Fairfax City, Virginia who most graciously offered her establishment as the concert venue.  As of this writing Deja Blue will again be appearing at the Firehouse Grill on November 18, 2005, and also at the Bangkok Blues Restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia on December 10, 2005. More to come..........

-Playah-

Updated: 11/14/05

Following Deja Blue performances at the Firehouse Grill in November and December, a fortunate change in scheduling provided the band with an opportunity to provide musical entertainment during the New Years Eve Festivities held at the Bangkok Blues Restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia. Sharing the spotlight later that night was the lovely and talented Mrs. Carol Gaylor and Friends (Harp Playah's Wife) and Mr. Robert Lighthouse (local guitarist/musician) who sat in with us for the night. The program consisted of two shows, the first which started at 6:30 pm, and the second at 10 pm until closing. A buffet was served during each performance and Champagne was served at midnight as everyone rang in a loud and joyous New Year. A great time was had by all and we look forward to doing it again next year.  The week that followed, January 6, 2006, had us once again appearing at the Bangkok Blues Restaurant. We would like to thank the owner Jonathan for allowing us the opportunity to play his establishment as the entire band thoroughly enjoys performing for his clientele.

Presently, we are preparing to update the Band's Press Kit which involves new photo's and a second Demo CD.  The kit is a package that is presented to booking agents and club managers when auditioning for new venues. As part of this effort, we have been practicing for an upcoming trip into the recording studio where we will "lay down some new trax"  for the CD.

Finally,  I would like to announce the apparent return of Don Burke to the band, who through the miracle of rest and modern medicine (Glucosamine and Chondroitin), has made a remarkable lower back recovery and is playing stronger and louder then ever before! Welcome back "Playah!"

-Playah-

Updated: 1/28/06

Deja Blue is coming off of one of it's best and strongest performances,after having appeared at the Bangkok Blues Restaurant Saturday March 18th, in Falls Church Virginia. The night was stellar because of the efforts of band photographer and good friend Robert Stewart, who was there to record it for us! Bob took a myriad of still photo's as well as digitally recording almost the entire performance!  In addition, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the owner Jonathan had employed a sound crew to professionally set up and arrange the sound for the nite!  They were awesome in the mixing of the instruments and controlling volume levels. Band members immediately noticed the distinct blending of the sounds and the audience continuously heaped praise upon the band and the sound crew throughout the night!  We were also honored to have several local musicians sit in with us for a song or two, and I would like to thank Mr. Roger Hart, Mrs. Carol Gaylor, Mr. Bruce Katsu and others for their musical contributions! Our next scheduled performance at the Bangkok Blues Restaurant is on May 13, 2006.

We are currently sorting through the photo results of Saturday nite and when  ready, will post many of the pictures on the Deja Blue as well as this web-site!  We are eagerly looking forward to our next appearance which will be at the Down Home Grill in Sterling, Virginia on March 31, 2006. This will be a first time appearance at this establishment so we eagerly look forward to it! That's about all there is to report at this time other then to say a heartfelt Thank You to all of the band's followers and supporters! It is you guys that keep us going and we truly love and appreciate ya!  See ya next time!

-Playah-

Updated: 3/23/06

Here we are mid-way through the summer season, and once again, we are right in the middle of  the yearly ritual of  adjusting practice and gig dates to coincide with personal and vacation schedules!  Paul suffered a painful knee condition over the past year which eventually caused him to receive minor surgery at the start of June. He was down for a week, but is back now with the results of his surgery apparently positive, although his doctor states that eventual knee replacement is inevitable. Good luck Paul!  At the beginning of May, the band experienced repeat performances at each of our regularly played venues, with a longtime coming, repeat performance at Smokie Joe's Blues Cafe in Warrenton on May 20th. This was our first time back in over a year, and we were quite amazed and pleased with the renovations that Smokie Joe has made to his club and restaurtant!  We wish him the best in his efforts to re-establish himself in the music/entertainment community and look forward to seeing him again soon!

 We are also pleased to announce that we have added another venue to our list of regular gigs which now includes JV's Restaurant in Falls Church! We are honored to have had the opportunity to perform there twice in the past month and are overjoyed that they have asked us back on a regular basis. JV's is steeped in tradition (50 years) and is the in-place to play for local talent!  A heartfelt thank you goes out to Lorraine the owner/proprietor from all of us. Additionally, within just the last week, we have arranged a date of October 7th with Molly's Irish Pub in Warrenton.  This will be a first time appearance for us at Molly's and we hope that it will be the start of many more!  All of the bands following are encouraged to join us that nite, as we intend to have Molly's "experience the blues" as only Deja Blue can do!

Have a happy summer!

-Playah-

Updated: 7/22/06

As we are about to enter the Fall season, we are saddened to announce the departure of our good friend, and fellow band member, Mr. Don Burke. Don had been with the Deja Blue Band since its beginning which spans the past five years. Don has decided to pursue other interests which have take him out of the Northern Virginia area. We shall  miss you Don, but never forget that you are, and will always be, one of the original "Playah's!"  Best of luck to you in all that you do!

With Don's departure, I would like to introduce our newest band member Mr. Larry Frederick! Larry has played drums for the better part of his life and is a highly skilled and accomplished musician. He has toured the country with various professional groups and resides here in Northern Virginia where he grew up. Larry began his career performing with several local area bands dating back to the nineteen sixties. He is a good friend of  Deja Blue band member Mr. Denny Begle and with professional muscician, Mr. Jimmy Nalls of the 1970's band "Sea Level."  The three met upon playing together separately in several bands years ago. The friendships they established then have withstood the passages of time, and were recently rekindled when they received a call from one another. It is a direct result of their friendships that Larry is with us today! Welcome Larry, you are now officially one of the "Playah's." We are pleased to have a musician of your talent and ability now with us and we look forward to the contributions your addition will bring.

On September 2nd, Deja Blue returned to the Bangkok Blues Restaurant. This was Larry's first public appearance with the band and it was awesome!  Our heartfelt thanks go out to all of that were there! The atmosphere was electric and the raves and comments from those in attendance were greatly appreciated!  The party hearty atmosphere impacted favorably on the play of the band, and we look forward to seeing all of you, including the "dance crowd," once again on Friday November 3rd, when we return!  Also upcoming, is back to back appearances at the Firehouse Grill in Fairfax Va.on Friday October 6, 2006, and Mollys Irish Pub in Warrenton Va.on Saturday October 7th.  Again, we would love to see all of you "Deja Blueser's" there to "party on" with us! Until then, remember to visit the new Deja Blue Website for band information  www.dejabluebluesband.com. Hope to see you soon.......

-Playah-

Updated: 9/11/06 

Hope all of you have survived what is soon to be the last of the remaining days of the winter months for this area. Deja Blue again has dodged the weather bullet by having to cancel only one scheduled practice due to snow and ice! Just a few more weeks and it will be Spring! Then it's back to longer days and warmth!  Bring it on !   Much has happened since my last update!  Some good and some not so good! If you have been following the bands schedule, then you know that we have been quite busy since the first of the year!  After a much enjoyed holiday respite November and December, we hit the ground running and have been appearing every two weeks or less at various venues thruout the Virginia suburbs which now includes Maryland.  We were also pleased to acquire regular scheduling (every third Saturday of each month) at the Bangkok Blues Restaurant in Falls Church Va., Thanks to Daryl, the new owner,  for providing us with this opportunity. We wish him great success! We also acquired some new venues during the period as well! Our thanks go out to all of our new friends at the Club House Sports Bar in Manassas, Virginia, The Gotta Swing dancers for whom we will be performing officially at the end of March at the Dulles Hilton, Sweethearts Club Fairfax, Virginia May 4th, and our newest friends at Chick Hall's Surf Club in Bladensburg, Maryland. We shared the bill last night with two other acts at the Surf Club. The Acme Blues Company, and the very talented Mr. Daryl Davis!  It was indeed an honor and privilege to spend an evening with such gracious and talented individuals. We would also like to thank our very good friends and followers, Joe and Juanita Pierson and the "Gotta Swing" dancers who were there last night as well!  It means a lot to us knowing that you guys support us!

Finally, and sadly, I would like to close by offering my condolences to the members of the band that lost near and dear family members during the period! You handled yourselves well Playah's under very, very trying conditions!  My prayers are with you and your families as my heart is also heavy with your loss and sorrow! God bless you all!

-Playah-

Updated 3/11/07

                                                                                

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                                                                                        Email: Hey_Playah@hotmail.com