Zoey's Trip: Press

Zoey's Trip
The Joint Los Angeles
Contact: Artist Hot Line, 562-897-2069
The Players: Deblyn, vocals, lead guitar, harmonica; Connie, rhythm guitar, vocals; Dana, drums
Material: This all-female trio is one hot little group, with songs that are tight, upbeat and heavy. Musically
they're high-energy attacks on alterna-rock, folk-rock and the blues. The passion and intensity of the songs
often disguise their true nature, which at times is profound. Much like Melissa Etheridge, Zoey's Trip explores
personal issues in a rock'em, sock'em format that gets their points across loud and clear. This is an accomplished
group of songwriters who are not only entertaining, they're compelling.
Musicianship: These players are excellent, intense, passionate and technically proficient, they generate a giant sound. The vocals, alternating between Deblyn and Connie, were diverse, yet compatible, varying from the blues
to angst ridden pleas. Behind the words, Connie burned a hard rhythm guitar, fast and furious, while Dana
pounded out heavy rock patterns. On top of it all, Deblyn added incendiary leads that exploded into a frenzy. Together, this group exhibited all the marks of professionals.
Performance: This group never stood still, even on the tiny stage at this venue. Moving so much you thought
they would fall off the edge, Zoey's Trip got the hot and totally uninhibited crowd excited.
Summary: Zoey's Trip may be a female group, but they are definitely not Lilith Fair darlings by any stretch of
the imagination. These are hard rockin' ladies who have the passion and skill to match most of the rockers out
on the scene today.

-Bernard Baur of Music Connection Magazine

"Crowning"
Mint Booty Records
While critics and discerning fans routinely bemoan the lack of creative heights and artistry in modern music, such is definitely not the case on the local scene. Orange County rock, folk and punk artists have all issued formidable new efforts that could easily be highlights on any number of modern commercial and non-commercial radio formats in Southern California. But since music programmers continue to be more interested in programming than musical excellence, it's up to fans to seek out the exciting and eclectic terrain covered by many worthwhile musicians who have released CDs in 2001. Armed with catchy rhythms, memorable vocals and top-notch performances, Zoey's Trip has found the perfect title in "Crowning," a 15-song album that never fails to thrill. From the funky "Appetite"to the beautiful "Saviour," the trio's erstwhile efforts are enhanced by the guest work of producerJoe Ongie (bass, piano, guitar)."

Our final act, Zoey's Trip, were 3 ladies who weren't going to leave the Lava Lounge without meeting everyone, musically or otherwise. They're fun and full of energy. Dressed in very swank 60's swag, these chicks Kicked! At one point, the smell of smoke filled the air as Zoey's Trip rocked the house. One would think it was a part ofthe act, but it was actually one of the monitors giving up the ghost. I too felt a little heated and smelt smoke when I got within hugg'n range of these ladies. You can bet, we will see Zoey's Trip again! A special thanks to KaRi of www.thePrimeSpot.com, for persuading the sound guy to hang around an additional hour ... we all got another hour of Zoey.

Members of Zoey's Trip, from left, are Deblyn,
Dana, Connie and Dan.


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Tripping along

Zoey's Trip makes
its Hawaii debut

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By Gary C. W. Chun
Star-Bulletin
Congratulations are due to the women of Zoey's Trip. They collectively gave birth to their latest CD, "Crowning," and figured what better way to celebrate its healthy arrival than right here in the islands.

The band hopes to make Hawaii a jumping-off point for a tour that they hope will continue in Japan -- but, if not, these self-managed women will fill out their itinerary with dates in the States over the next three months.

Connie Misen, Deblyn Pallela and Dana Martin (along with new guy bassist Danny Levelle) make their debut tomorrow night at the Hard Rock Cafe, with the help of local opening band Missing Dave, which is loaning them their sound equipment.




ZOEY'S TRIP WITH MISSING DAVE
Where: Hard Rock Cafe, 1837 Kapiolani Blvd.
When: 9 p.m. tomorrow
Admission: $5 cover
Call: 955-7383




Seasoned pros of the Southern California coffeehouse and club circuit, Zoey's Trip tries to win over audiences with the close harmonies of Pallela and Misen and their ability to stretch out instrumentally when the occasion calls for it.

"We're all like a jammy kind of band," Martin said in a conference call with the group Tuesday from Long Beach, Calif. "We all like the groove."

"From our standpoint," Misen said, "to be compared to a '60s band like the Grateful Dead is appreciated. We also take our inspiration from Janis Joplin, Santana, the Doors ..."

"And Aerosmith!" chimed in Martin.

Yes, there have been comments made in print reviews about the band along the cliched lines of "These chicks rock!" That they do, but with a chemistry of their own.

The CD, especially starting with the emotional "Not Impressed," shows off the strength of Zoey's Trip: a smart approach to personal lyric writing in "Addicted" and "Naked & Strong," reflective and mature on "Escape," successfully joining an Ani DiFranco vibe to a "Sweet Jane"-ish chorus on "Doesn't Mean a Thing" and, with "Cherry Pie" (an original, not the Warrant metal hair band version), a sweetly lascivious make-out number.

It'll be available at the band's tour stops, as well as on the Internet at CDbaby.com. "Everything's starting to unfold for us," Pallela said. "It looks promising."

Martin said: "We have so much original music still that we could do a fresh CD. We're ready to go back into the studio."

With the recent addition of Levelle on bass, the three hope to further bulk up their sound, one that began in the coffeehouse scene back in the early '90s, where Pallela first picked up the harmonica.

"When I came along," Martin said, "I said I can play the drums with brushes, so we could keep playing at a low volume. Then I started sneaking in my nylon drumsticks, and soon I was evicted from my apartment because our rehearsals got louder!"

Pallela added, "There's a lot of inner passion in our music that we're now expressing in a more aggressive way."

And they've been connecting with their audiences, even attracting a core of fans affectionately called the "Trippers." "We're fortunate that we have a good group of people that help out," Martin said. "They help us get bookings, the promotion and even moving our gear."

But in the meantime, Zoey's Trip arrived yesterday to both surf and play music. "We're taking a vacation," Misen said. "We've worked hard over the past two years, and to go to Hawaii -- what a blast!"