Rebecca Wright-------------------------------------------------------------------- Rebecca’s passion for song began as a baby. Born to Pentacostal missionaries, she was singing as soon as she was talking, at first it was naturally gospel music. She was always in school musicals, choral groups, church presentations--any opportunity to sing. Although her goals were clear, the road has been difficult, progress being slow, but sweet. Her first band opportunity was as a singer in a country western band, followed by more bands, trios and duos. She has also been a solo act various times that were “oddly empowering.”
Her most interesting gig, up to this point, was working for three months on a cruise ship, singing every night and having a new group of audience members every week. The opportunity to combine her passion for singing with travel made for a fantastic combination experience!
She is pleased to have had the chance to join the Decade Blues Band recently and enjoys the easy-going style and musicianship of her bandmates and looks forward to great things with the guys.
“They say you have to suffer if you want to sing the blues and the struggles have all been worth it--finding myself where I am right now. As far as I can see, everything is coming up roses and I expect to see one hell of a big-ass garden!”---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Calvin----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Guitar" Dave was born in Pocatello. He first picked up a guitar at the age of 12, a few years after starting in the school system band program where he played trombone and baritone thru high school. After a few lessons early on he taught himself to play guitar by ear. While in the Navy he was introduced to blues guitar. Influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton, he spent many hours learning his craft while the ship was at sea for months at a time.
After his military career he continued to listen and learn and practice. In his 30's he started performing in several different bands including The Thunder Mt. Boys, Roundhouse, and Ranch Land. These experiences took him through many different styles and genres of music and different instruments including keyboard, bass, banjo and mandolin. But he always gravitated back to the blues guitar.
"It's in my blood. I was born to play this music!" he was recently overheard telling a friend. As the decades pass he hopes to continue playing and sharing this music well into old age. "Like a fine bottle of wine, I get better with time."---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bob Blunn------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob began playing blues harp at the age of 12 after a chance encounter with a hitcher picked up by his parents while travelling across Kansas in 1973. He doesn't remember his name - But man, that cat could really wail some mean blues harp! The hitcher took note of Bob's keen interest and gave him his first harmonica along with some quick lessons and also a bit of great advice - "Keep practicing and someday you'll be as good, or better than me."
Bob was hooked! He played a lot of harp after that, even spending some time playing in the bars of New Orleans in 1979 & 1980, playing with various bands on harp. Bob soon left NOLA after realizing that he was partying more than playing music. After a couple of years he also picked up guitar and joined a band in Colorado that was a great growing experience.
While the band was struggling Bob pursued a college degree in electronics in the mid '80s. He took classical guitar lessons while in school, but after school he put his music on the back burner to pursue a career in semiconductor electronics. Although he didn't play much for about 15 years, the desire to play blues never really died. When Bob's Grandpa passed away he left him some musical equipment and books, reminding him of how much he, and others, enjoyed his blues.
So, he started practicing and playing again at local blues jams to hone his skills. After a long hiatus and more than 35 years since beginning his musical journey, Bob is ready to rock on guitar and extend the classic Chicago-style amplified blues harp tradition into the present with varied stylistic influences ranging from Little Walter to Jason Ricci.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Songer--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony started playing drums professionally at 13 when his southern rock cover band got their first Holiday Inn lounge gig. That launch to stardom was short lived when Holiday management found out he was only 13. So it was weddings, proms, and dances in a variety of rock bands until he made it big at 19 and hit the midwest club circuit with a band named Skye. Stardom search was once again short lived when the rock band was booked into a country bar and going to college looked like a better option.
Tony played sporadically in the early 80’s until he returned to graduate school at UC Berkeley in the late 80’s and started playing in a church praise band and then the Berkeley jazz ensembles. This launch into jazz continued and ramped up in 2000 when he found himself in Virginia playing with a big band (the Old Pro’s), several jazz quartets and a rock cover band (Luke Skyrocker). Tony and family have recently moved to Idaho where he works for BSU. He feels fortunate to be playing with the Decade Blues Band.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Witmer--------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Mojo” Mike started playing in a garage band near Seattle while in high school in 1964. It wasn’t until years later that he realized that early influence of “The Northwest Sound” was mainly blues based. In college a dorm-mate introduced him to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and that sound has been his standard for the blues ever since.
Several years ago, after a hiatus for family, work and other facets of life, he returned to form a band in Washington that played venues from smoky bars to the highly regarded Mount Baker Blues Festival, where the band opened the show for the likes of Jason Ricci, Sonny Landreth and the legendary Johnny Winter.
In Washington, Mike also hosted an award nominated blues radio show for five years, and emceed live blues performances before moving to the Boise area. Mike loves “holding down the bottom” and getting people to move their feet with his bass. He is very excited about the mix of talents and personalities in the Decade Blues Band. He plays an American Fender precision bass and a Mesa Boogie “walkabout scout” bass amp.
Influences
Muddy Waters, Memphis Minnie, Susan Tedeschi, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Sonny Boy Wiliamson II, Big Mama Thornton, B. B. King, Robert Johnson, Elmore James, Albert King.
The Decade Blues Band features Rebecca Wright on vocals, Dave Calvin on guitar and vocals , Bob Blunn on "harp," Tony Songer on Drums and "Mojo" Mike Witmer on bass.
This newly formed band is not shy on experience with a range of ages that adds up to nearly a century of gigging. We are able and eager to perform--contact us for a demo disc.
