Daddy-O!

Most high school kids like to spend their weekend nights hanging with their friends, maybe texting the latest gossip, or trying to figure out what their next teenage exploit will be. Sturgis East Charter Public School senior Brenna Joyce loves doing stuff like that as well, but for the last four years many of her weekend nights have been spent performing with Daddy-O!, one of the area’s hottest rockabilly bands.
“I don’t get to see my friends as much as I would like, especially in the summer,” said Joyce. “Most of them have regular day jobs, so I can’t spend time with them during the day, and at night I’m doing my thing with Daddy-O!”

The talented Bourne 18-year-old was taking guitar lessons at Onset Village Music with Robert Chandler, better known as R.C., when he spotted the then-14-year-old’s outstanding talent and asked her to join his rockabilly band. Even though the music she sings was popular back in her grandparents’ days, it was quickly apparent that her five-octave vocal range and style was a perfect fit for the music that presaged rock and roll.

Rockabilly began in the early 1950’s as a fusion of country and newly emerging rock and roll, creating a new sound uniquely American. The genre took off with early innovators like Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Patsy Cline, Wanda Jackson and others who became the shaping influence of 1960s rock groups like the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin.

“It’s funny because I have a different perspective about the music I sing with the band,” said Joyce. “For a lot of people. the music considered the beginning stages of rock and roll is nostalgic. But for me I see it as new and fresh. I love the vitality and the vibrancy of it.”

Joyce explains that her generation doesn’t favor rockabilly, but she felt an immediate kinship.

“Most kids my age around here aren’t really into country music, but the first time I heard Patsy Cline I fell in love with her,” said the singer. “I then heard Wanda Jackson, who many call the ‘Queen of Rockabilly,’ and I knew I was hooked.”

Trying to pin Joyce down to one particular style is very difficult. The latest CD from Daddy-O!, The Way I Walk, features Joyce, RC and Bill “Special K” Kirby on stand-up slap bass in a mix of rockabilly, blues, doo wop, swing and traditional rock and roll. The trio delivers a rich, full sound with RC and Special K propelling them with a driving beat, but when Joyce steps up to the microphone with her powerful voice, the music comes alive.

“I almost don’t remember what life was like before Daddy-O!” she said. “It’s been so much fun. I enjoy every minute of it.”

Minutes must be precious in the busy teenager’s life which between school and performing is a huge juggling act felt even more so as her senior year at Sturgis comes to an end. Besides her music she also has a love of theater and has appeared in most of her school’s tproductions the last four years, including a starring role in The Laramie Project in her junior year.

“I love Sturgis, I can’t imagine myself going anyplace else, it’s been an incredible experience,” said Joyce, who still hasn’t decided which college she will be going to next year.

“I’ve applied to four colleges in New York City,” she said. “I have been accepted at one, but it’s not my first choice, so I’m still anxiously waiting to hear from the others.

You might think that wherever she goes it would be for a degree in the performing arts, but Joyce isn’t just a one- or two-trick pony. She also takes her academics seriously.

“I’m not going to college for music or theater,” said the talented young lady. “My plans are to major in anthropology and biology.”

It’s pretty apparent talking to Joyce that whatever she does in her life she will end up singing a happy tune.
The Daddy-O! website is www.daddy-o.us - The Barnstable Patriot

Most high school kids like to spend their weekend nights hanging with their friends, maybe texting the latest gossip, or trying to figure out what their next teenage exploit will be. Sturgis East Charter Public School senior Brenna Joyce loves doing stuff like that as well, but for the last four years many of her weekend nights have been spent performing with Daddy-O!, one of the area’s hottest rockabilly bands.
“I don’t get to see my friends as much as I would like, especially in the summer,” said Joyce. “Most of them have regular day jobs, so I can’t spend time with them during the day, and at night I’m doing my thing with Daddy-O!”

The talented Bourne 18-year-old was taking guitar lessons at Onset Village Music with Robert Chandler, better known as R.C., when he spotted the then-14-year-old’s outstanding talent and asked her to join his rockabilly band. Even though the music she sings was popular back in her grandparents’ days, it was quickly apparent that her five-octave vocal range and style was a perfect fit for the music that presaged rock and roll.

Rockabilly began in the early 1950’s as a fusion of country and newly emerging rock and roll, creating a new sound uniquely American. The genre took off with early innovators like Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Patsy Cline, Wanda Jackson and others who became the shaping influence of 1960s rock groups like the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin.

“It’s funny because I have a different perspective about the music I sing with the band,” said Joyce. “For a lot of people. the music considered the beginning stages of rock and roll is nostalgic. But for me I see it as new and fresh. I love the vitality and the vibrancy of it.”

Joyce explains that her generation doesn’t favor rockabilly, but she felt an immediate kinship.

“Most kids my age around here aren’t really into country music, but the first time I heard Patsy Cline I fell in love with her,” said the singer. “I then heard Wanda Jackson, who many call the ‘Queen of Rockabilly,’ and I knew I was hooked.”

Trying to pin Joyce down to one particular style is very difficult. The latest CD from Daddy-O!, The Way I Walk, features Joyce, RC and Bill “Special K” Kirby on stand-up slap bass in a mix of rockabilly, blues, doo wop, swing and traditional rock and roll. The trio delivers a rich, full sound with RC and Special K propelling them with a driving beat, but when Joyce steps up to the microphone with her powerful voice, the music comes alive.

“I almost don’t remember what life was like before Daddy-O!” she said. “It’s been so much fun. I enjoy every minute of it.”

Minutes must be precious in the busy teenager’s life which between school and performing is a huge juggling act felt even more so as her senior year at Sturgis comes to an end. Besides her music she also has a love of theater and has appeared in most of her school’s tproductions the last four years, including a starring role in The Laramie Project in her junior year.

“I love Sturgis, I can’t imagine myself going anyplace else, it’s been an incredible experience,” said Joyce, who still hasn’t decided which college she will be going to next year.

“I’ve applied to four colleges in New York City,” she said. “I have been accepted at one, but it’s not my first choice, so I’m still anxiously waiting to hear from the others.

You might think that wherever she goes it would be for a degree in the performing arts, but Joyce isn’t just a one- or two-trick pony. She also takes her academics seriously.

“I’m not going to college for music or theater,” said the talented young lady. “My plans are to major in anthropology and biology.”

It’s pretty apparent talking to Joyce that whatever she does in her life she will end up singing a happy tune.
The Daddy-O! website is www.daddy-o.us - The Barnstable Patriot

Rockabilly legend Carl Perkins once said, "That rockabilly sound wasn't as simple as I thought it was." But you wouldn't know that from watching Daddy-O!.

The members of the three-piece, who hail from Wareham, Bourne, and New Bedford, make rockabilly look easy. Wareham resident Robert "R.C." Chandler, a staunch rockabilly fan with 48 years of musical experience, founded the band in 1999. Bill "Special K" Kirby of New Bedford, a longtime friend of R.C., joined immediately. The band went through a few incarnations until about a decade later, when guitarist/vocalist R.C.recruited then-14-year-old Brenna Joyce of Bourne, whose throaty sound is about as mature -- and as rockabilly -- as it gets.

Now, R.C., Brenna, and Special K have honed the band's sound, have just released an album of both covers and original songs on R.C.'s Wewecan Records, and are optimistic about what's next. "Brenna changed the whole dynamic of the band," said R.C., who met the young Brenna when she began taking guitar lessons with him at Onset Village Music. He joked: "Now, we don't have to worry what we look like!" Special K, who plays slap bass for the band, adds: "Just having that female vocal changes you." It was serendipitous, really.

"I always feel like my prime responsibility is to inspire," R.C. said of teaching. And he certainly inspired Brenna. R.C. gave her a CD with several songs by female vocalists. Many of those were of the rock-and-roll and rockabilly sound. Guess which songs Brenna wanted to play? "I learned by songs," the now-18-year-old said, noting that she just naturally gravitated toward rockabilly. Of joining the band, Brenna says, "it just really allowed me to think outside the box. ... I feel when you have an appreciation for different styles of music, it makes you a better musician."

R.C. started his musical career with classical percussion. He has loved rockabilly since he was a boy, and can remember the times his dad bringing home new records. "He just loved music," R.C. said of his father. "There's a duet that Brenna and I do, called 'Love is Strange,' and I can remember when my dad brought that recording, and I fell in love with it."

When he started Daddy-O, R.C. was adamant that people who stopped by a performance get the full rockabilly experience. The trio dresses in clothing that would be typical of what one would see at a dance in the 1950s. "The audience has got to be made to feel like it's a part of what you're doing," says R.C. The reaction from the crowds -- both young and old -- has been a good one. "Everyone goes, 'Ahhhh.'" says Special K, who is a paint manufacturer by day. R.C. continues: "They react to it." And Special K agrees: "That, they do."

Brenna attends Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis Port, and admits that her job is a bit unusual for a teen. "Mostly, what it interferes with, is social life," Brenna says. "My friends work during the day, and I work during the night." She'll graduate this year, and says she'll most likely be going to college next year. She's interested in anthropology and biology. It's not clear what may happen to the band at that point. "If Brenna has to go away to school," R.C. says, "I'll deal with it then."

For now, the band has gigs anywhere from two to four times a week, from this area to down Cape Cod and beyond. Upcoming gigs are listed on the band's website, www.daddy-o.us. CDs can also be ordered online. "We've not had, ever, a bad gig," says R.C. "We always, always have fun. No matter what."

See a live show, and it's clear that's true. - Wareham Village Soup

Rockabilly legend Carl Perkins once said, "That rockabilly sound wasn't as simple as I thought it was." But you wouldn't know that from watching Daddy-O!.

The members of the three-piece, who hail from Wareham, Bourne, and New Bedford, make rockabilly look easy. Wareham resident Robert "R.C." Chandler, a staunch rockabilly fan with 48 years of musical experience, founded the band in 1999. Bill "Special K" Kirby of New Bedford, a longtime friend of R.C., joined immediately. The band went through a few incarnations until about a decade later, when guitarist/vocalist R.C.recruited then-14-year-old Brenna Joyce of Bourne, whose throaty sound is about as mature -- and as rockabilly -- as it gets.

Now, R.C., Brenna, and Special K have honed the band's sound, have just released an album of both covers and original songs on R.C.'s Wewecan Records, and are optimistic about what's next. "Brenna changed the whole dynamic of the band," said R.C., who met the young Brenna when she began taking guitar lessons with him at Onset Village Music. He joked: "Now, we don't have to worry what we look like!" Special K, who plays slap bass for the band, adds: "Just having that female vocal changes you." It was serendipitous, really.

"I always feel like my prime responsibility is to inspire," R.C. said of teaching. And he certainly inspired Brenna. R.C. gave her a CD with several songs by female vocalists. Many of those were of the rock-and-roll and rockabilly sound. Guess which songs Brenna wanted to play? "I learned by songs," the now-18-year-old said, noting that she just naturally gravitated toward rockabilly. Of joining the band, Brenna says, "it just really allowed me to think outside the box. ... I feel when you have an appreciation for different styles of music, it makes you a better musician."

R.C. started his musical career with classical percussion. He has loved rockabilly since he was a boy, and can remember the times his dad bringing home new records. "He just loved music," R.C. said of his father. "There's a duet that Brenna and I do, called 'Love is Strange,' and I can remember when my dad brought that recording, and I fell in love with it."

When he started Daddy-O, R.C. was adamant that people who stopped by a performance get the full rockabilly experience. The trio dresses in clothing that would be typical of what one would see at a dance in the 1950s. "The audience has got to be made to feel like it's a part of what you're doing," says R.C. The reaction from the crowds -- both young and old -- has been a good one. "Everyone goes, 'Ahhhh.'" says Special K, who is a paint manufacturer by day. R.C. continues: "They react to it." And Special K agrees: "That, they do."

Brenna attends Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis Port, and admits that her job is a bit unusual for a teen. "Mostly, what it interferes with, is social life," Brenna says. "My friends work during the day, and I work during the night." She'll graduate this year, and says she'll most likely be going to college next year. She's interested in anthropology and biology. It's not clear what may happen to the band at that point. "If Brenna has to go away to school," R.C. says, "I'll deal with it then."

For now, the band has gigs anywhere from two to four times a week, from this area to down Cape Cod and beyond. Upcoming gigs are listed on the band's website, www.daddy-o.us. CDs can also be ordered online. "We've not had, ever, a bad gig," says R.C. "We always, always have fun. No matter what."

See a live show, and it's clear that's true. - Wareham Village Soup