Manning the troops!

So after our Double Siren B-day Bash performance, we were flooded with show invitations and we are soooo very grateful for such high tides. There is no better feeling than receiving a phone call or email from an unknown source, who you know put effort in trying to contact us for a show. It's just great to know they heard about us through a friend or some other word of mouth.

Click on the above link for more pictures from RevMiami.com

Unfortunately, we've had to turn down about 6 gig offers in the past two weeks and we currently have 3 other events pending. So why can't we make a lot of the gigs we are offered most of the time? No, it's not because we are divas, even though I struggle to get Nick and Chanti to stop asking for those Frappaccinos during rehearsal, or have to consistently ask Matt to stop holding out his guitar while looking away whenever one of his strings break (he still seems to be under the impression that a go-to fellow will tend to the instrument's needs upon command.) These are not the reasons, HAHAHA. All jokes aside, I thought this entry could give the listeners some insight about how crazy our schedules are and how hard it is to "MAN THE TROOPS."

Lets start with our youngest member Daniel Higuera. The boy is so diligent in his work; its astounding to see at just 17 years of age. That boy is definitely an old soul stuck in a young body. Danny helps put order and structure to our schedule, especially when rehearsal takes place at his house. Us sea creatures have difficulties being punctual most of the times, but Danny's everyday regiment at New World School of The Arts is evidently applied to his everyday life. Danny is currently a senior there and is focusing on auditions, SAT testing, and getting into a great music school come next fall. Due to academic and artistic demands, he won't be playing with us until December when I plan to put together a Holiday show, God-willing that everyone is in town. In the mean time, you may catch a bit of our acoustic set in the months of October and November starting this Saturday at Moon Thai & Japanese restaurant and hopefully later October at the Apple store on Lincoln Road. We'll be waiting for you Danny!

Next, we have our second youngest member, Nick Deluca. Nick is a full time student at MDCC and carries a part time job at Publix. Now I know what your saying, "That seems like alot of kids' schedules nowadays", but not everyone is a music major. Nick's schedule not only consist of day time courses, but requires private guitar lessons and a number of assignments that take more than just reading and typing. He's a champ for putting forth the time for rehearsal, blog videos, and any other random happenings that I propose to him and the rest of my sea friends.

Next we have superwoman, Chantal Meza. I get weary just hearing about her days, so you could only imagine how hectic her schedule is. Chanti is a full time employee at one of Miami's largest coffee companies and despite the office setting, she does so much more than type and file. The job is definitely a 9-5 and right after work you better believe Chanti hits up one of the many FIU campuses, because yes... she too is a full time student. She wakes and doesn't get home till the wee hours of the night with perhaps enough time to read for school, pat her two dogs on the head, and knock out. You figure her weekends may be a bit more relaxing, and sometimes they are, but aside from singing for our band she also lends her talents to her church. The services consist of their own rehearsal times and early morning sound checks as well. PHEW! We are so grateful for the time she gets to put in for rehearsals and just learning songs for the band. Superwoman!

Gerry Felipe is another one of our members with a 9-5. The boy lives closest to our other guitar player Matt, but is a good 30 minutes away from the rest of us. Gigs and practice have to be carefully planned out with our members that are further away from the rehearsal space because it's all about time and gas money nowadays; it's tough. Gerry is also a student at MDC and lends his services to church on the weekends alongside his best girl. He loves his gal pal Liz; shes so supportive of his work with the band and at church and we are lucky enough to have her at some of our practices or recording sessions.

Matt Gajewski. The name says it all... THE POWER OF ZEUS WITH THE INTELLECT OF ATHENA, HAHAHA. Matt is also one of our all-stars in the band. Currently, Matt is engaged in a 9-5 internship, where he lends his knowledge of audio engineering to a dubbing company. Aside from work, you may know Matt from his local radio show Pure Imagination, which he transferred over to a book form this past year. SO GOOD! In addition, Matt writes and plays guitar for another other local band Van Gloria and is working on his next batch of stories and live readings throughout Miami. Bless that kid!

Daniel Fernandez was our latest and surprising additon to the band. His enthusiasm for the sound and for NICK (HAHAHA just for you Nick!), compelled him to create bell parts and sing out harmonies to our songs. He is also a student at MDCC. Danny plays piano and is a great help when it comes to composing and recording rough tracks with his Mac gear. Last but definitely not least, he is the man behind the camera and editing for the video blogs! SUPER STAR!

WOW WOW WOW, there are quite a few of us aren't there?! I'm Johanna Viscaino and I play the role of MAMA BEAR. I somehow manage to keep in touch with these amazingly productive individuals and try my hardest to set rehearsal at convenient times. I choose our gigs carefully and make sure they are worth the while since it takes so much effort to gather all of us in one place. It's been pretty good so far; I'm sticking to just one gig per month with an exception for video shoots, photo shoots, or fun shows we get fed for, HAHA. Aside from the band however, I am a part time student at FIU and a full time tutor. You'll see me driving around Miami in my silver Mirage (with a super cool AFROBETA sticker on the bumper,) spreading math and English skills to private school students K-12, from 3pm-9pm after class. On the weekends I become Hannah Montana at church. I say Hannah because my role is slightly different then Chanti and Gerry's, whereas they sing to our peers and the adults at church, I get to be the "MC/PRAISE AND WORSHIP" for the children's ministry. If I'm not like Hannah, I'm NOBODY and you better believe I have to be updated on which Jonas brother dated who or else I'm exiled from the young and the hip.

There you have it guys -- a summary of our day to day. I'm wiped after typing this. Hope to see ya at our next show!