photo Joe Parker / stylist Cyndie Boehm		:: news :: FILM MUSIC IN FRANCE Original music by Rebecca is featured in Laura Newman's film “Sexy Clown B*tch”, which is an Official Selection of the Avignon Fim Festival in Avignon, France & ArtsFest in Harrisburg, PA. AVIGNON is celebrating it’s 25th year. June 25th-29th. This is a great festival that shows in both NYC and France. [ Avignon Film Fest ] ARTSFEST May 23-25th, Harrisburg, PA – John Waters is opening up the festival. [ ArtsFest ] Congrats to everyone! [see film: Sexy Clown B*tch] YOU BY CROCS POSTCARD COLLECTION Spring/Summer 2008 - Crocs Inc. has introduced its new spring and summer 2008 lines of footwear. The You by Crocs Postcard Collection includes 14 new styles inspired by by some of the most luxurious getaway destinations from around the world. YOU by Crocs produced a CD compilation "The Postcard Collection", which includes Rebecca's songs "Japanese Bathhouse" and "Dolores". [ YOU by crocs website ] MUSICAL GUEST ON MICHAEL FELDMAN'S WHAD'YA KNOW? February 2, 2008 - A live broadcast from the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida. Guests include Mark Woods, columnist for the Florida Times-Union, Joan Peoples from Clarks Fish Camp and musical guest Rebecca Zapen. [ Whad'Ya Know website ] You can visit www.notmuch.com to hear archived audio of the show. Rebecca and her band performed original songs: ...Smile (from album Japanese Bathhouse) and ...Andrea (from album Hummingbird) EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN TELL THEIR SECRETS January 13, 2008 - Rebecca will be one of 13 women sharing their formulas for success in their personal, professional and Jewish ives. Click here for more information on this event. 2nd PLACE IN BUSHMAN WORLD UKULELE VIDEO CONTEST! January 4, 2008 - Many thanks to Bushman Music Works and owner John Hall for the prizes: ukulele & case, endorsement with Bushman Ukuleles, and an invitation to perform at the springtime Ukulele Luau festival held in late May, in Nashville, Indiana. Thanks to friends and family for your enthusiastic response to the video! Kudos to all the contestants! [ Watch Rebecca Zapen's video "Smile" ], from her album Japanese Bathhouse. A "MODEL" VIOLINIST November 2, 2007 - Rebecca modeled for a recent ad in the November 2-8, 2007 issue of the Jacksonville Business Journal, in their "Giving Guide". The ad encourages support of the Riverside Fine Arts, Beaches Fine Arts Series, and the Ritz Chamber Players. It was a pleasure to work with photographer and designer Jeff Harrington of Harrington Design. JACKSONVILLE MAGAZINE Jacksonville Magazine met with Rebecca Zapen for an interview and photoshoot for their November issue, in a piece titled "The Next Big Thing". Interview by Alison Trinidad, photography by Bradley A. Stookey. HER LIFELONG LOVE HAS LED TO NASHVILLE Interview by Mark Woods, from the August 29, 2007, issue of the Florida Times-Union. "The contest began with more than 1,300 bands. After the field was narrowed to 100, editors at Billboard magazine gathered in New York and chose six finalists to play in Nashville on Sept. 20." [ read article ]. MUSIC BUSINESS RADIO Music Business Radio interviewed Rebecca Zapen at the Disc Makers' Independent Music World Series. Listen to the podcast, episode #49, [ here ]. INDEPENDENT MUSIC WORLD SERIES Rebecca Zapen has been selected by the editors of Billboard Magazine as one of the top 6 finalists to perform at Disc Makers' Independent Music World Series showcase at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville on September 20, 2007. Over 1300 bands submitted their entry, but only 6 were selected! 12 judges from record labels, music companies and media will be on hand to select a final winner. The grand prize winner will walk away that night with their share of over $50,000 in prizes and each band performing will receive $1,000 and other prizes from our sponsors! [ read more ] DIRTY DISHES ON TOUR July 7, 2007 - Rebecca Zapen and her Dirty Dishes are on tour, featuring Rebecca on vocals, guitar, ukulele, and violin; Chelsea Chason on double bass and vocals; and Dorinda Pena on flute, melodica, glockenspiel, and vocals. We are performing in Oregon, California, and Texas, so please tell your west coast (and western!) friends to come see us. We are keeping a blog of our adventures: [ read our tour blog ] HOLY CANNONS, BATMAN! July 1, 2007 - Rebecca, who has twice been a guest vocal soloist with the Hollywood Philharmonic Orchestra, played chimes on the 1812 Overture with the orchestra. Her father, Ronald Zapen, is the orchestra's artistic director. 2007 FLORIDA FOLK FEST CANCELED DUE TO WILDFIRES May 18, 2007 - One of the largest and longest running folk festivals in the United States will not be held on Memorial Day weekend due to concerns over the massive wildfire burning nearby and poor air quality. Rebecca Zapen Folk Trio will perform in the May 2008 Florida Folk Fest. [read article] MUSICAL GUEST ON THE BABBLE SHOW Rebecca appears as a musical guest on The Babble Show, airing on Saturdays through mid-April, in the North Florida region, channel 29. ON THE LOT: REBECCA'S MUSIC IN "SEXY CLOWN B*TCH" Sexy Clown B*tch, by NYC filmmaker Laura Newman, features several songs from Rebecca's acclaimed CD Japanese Bathhouse, including "Pizzicato #1", "Miss You", and "Shower #2". Newman and Zapen met at a performance at the Bitter End, in NYC, during ZAPENation Tour 2006. Please support the talented Newman's work by viewing and rating her film for the ON THE LOT contest. JAPANESE BATHHOUSE ON WNCW Japanese Bathhouse is on the air on radio station WNCW in North Carolina. If you're in the area, call up the station and request a tune! GIFT IDEAS: CDs & T-SHIRTS Looking for a holiday (or anytime) gift? Consider one or more of Rebecca's three critically acclaimed albums which you can order on CD Baby. We also have T-shirts for sale, in a variety of colors, 2 designs, and in men and women's cuts (so you can follow your every super-fine curve!). Email to place an order or to request more information. JAPANESE BATHHOUSE REVIEW IN PERFORMING SONGWRITER Japanese Bathhouse was featured in the December 2006 issue of Performing Songwriter magazine, selected for their Top 12 DIY CD REVIEW. [ read the review ] TOMMY WOMACK LOVES ME It was our second day of the tour and by the end of the day I was sure we had jumped the shark and just needed to head home because it couldn't get any better than this! Eddie's Attic had booked us to play at the Decatur Book Festival and after our set, while enjoying a fine beverage at Eddie's, who is sitting next to us but amazing songwriter Tommy Womack, just back from his appearance on the David Letterman Show. After gathering more than a little bit of courage I approached Tommy himself and poured out my musical guts in the hopes to perform with him that evening. It all turned out so fantastically -- I ended up staying onstage to play with the other two performers, legendary lady of rock Marshall Chapman, and the wonderful sensitive Ellis Paul. Anyhow, we've been back for weeks now, but I was perusing Tommy's site, and saw he mentioned me! Tommy writes: I did ..Nice Day.. next with a young fiddle player who..d just accosted me before the gig and wanted to sit in, Rebbeca Zapin. Eddie (Eddie Owen, of Eddie..s Attic) vouched for her chops, she..d jammed with Vassar, so what the hell. I got together with her beforehand, went over her cue line before her lead break, told her to lay low during the lyrics, hummed her the melody line that doesn..t change, and by the second verse, she got in the zone and it was so great that Ellis and Marshall kept her up for their next two songs as well. Weeee! Excitedness! x, Rebecca TOUR BLOG We are such wild and crazy guys and gals that we are keeping a tour blog. This is not for the faint of heart. If old fashioned oatmeal really gets you going, so will this journal. FALL TOUR In support of Japanese Bathhouse Rebecca Zapen, Chelsea Chason, Scott Murray, and Pete Stitz are hitting the road, from Sept 1 to Oct 14, to spread the good word about pirate love ("We Didn't Bother"), phone operators named "Dolores", how important it is to "Smile", and to also jazz things up when the gig permits. ZAPENation Tour 2006 Sept 1__ @ Sentient Bean - Savannah, GA Sept 2__ @ Eddie's Attic - Decatur, GA Sept 5__ @ Town Pump - Black Mountain, NC Sept 6__ w/ Jaimee Tomas @ Hookah Joe's - Asheville, NC Sept 8__ w/ Amy Pickard @ The Greenline Cafe - Philadelphia, PA Sept 9__ @ Love Brigade - Brooklyn, NY Sept 9__ @ Mo Pitkins - NYC Sept 10__ @ The Bitter End - NYC Sept 16__ @ Katerina's - Chicago Sept 20__ w/ Nicole Torres @ tHERe - Denver, CO Sept 23__ @ McKenzie Theatre - La Grande, OR Sept 26__ @ Valentine's - Portland, OR Sept 28__ @ Delta of Venus - Davis, CA Sept 29__ w/ Scott McChane @ Fox & Goose - Sacramento, CA Sept 30__ @ House of Shields - San Francisco, CA Oct 3__ @ Sugar Magnolia's Cafe - Lompoc, CA Oct 4__ @ Genghis Cohen - Los Angeles Oct 5__ w/ Kirstin Ashe @ Valley Music - El Cajon, CA Oct 6__ @ Fiddler's Dream - Phoenix, AZ Oct 11__ @ Urban Cup Cafe - New Orleans NEW ZAPSTAR ALBUM The Rebecca Zapen / Gary Starling Group releases their new album ZAPSTAR. A heartfelt musical offering from four sensitive and dynamic performers, ZAPSTAR features Rebecca Zapen on violin and vocals, Gary Starling on guitar, Chelsea Chason on upright bass, and Peter Miles on drums. Order your copy today! Available in the US and internationally via CDBaby.com ZAPSTAR . $15 . Bashert Records 2006 1. On The Street Where You Live 2. Like Someone In Love 3. It Might As Well Be Spring 4. How Deep Is The Ocean 5. It Ain't Necessarily So 6. Things We Said Today 7. Nuages 8. Bernie's Tune 9. I Only Have Eyes For You 10. When You Wish Upon A Star 11. I thought About You 12. Here Comes The Sun MYSPACE The popularity of myspace has exploded in the past few months. It's a great way to connect with other musicians and fans of music. Come visit myspace and sign me up as a friend at www.myspace.com/zapen RELIX REVIEW "Nothing adequately prepares for the way in which her deeply personal album instantaneously envelops and never loses its grip.... The title song and others bring to mind no less than early solo McCartney and Brian Wilson's SMiLE.... One of those near-perfect hidden gems..." -- Jeff Tamarkin [full review] REBECCA'S WHEELS! The Relix review was amazing, but now it's time to take action. "It's one of those near-perfect hidden gems that all too few will hear, but so many would love if they did." So, all you awesome brainstormers, multi-millionaires :), help me put my music on the road. Any leads, tips, contribution$ so that your li'l Rebecca can get on the road this summer in a minivan or van or station wagon (something Japanese? hey, fits with the album 'Japanese Bathhouse'!) will help make this dream come true. In the event that you, amazing-benefactor-out-there-I've-yet-to-meet, are particularly generous, it would be my happy pleasure to plan a special performance for you in your town, perhaps a house concert if you prefer, and give you special gifts of merchandise and an autographed cd and tour poster, not to mention my eternal gratitude! Ideas? Write me. ~ Rebecca INTERVIEW WITH U.K. MAGAZINE SUBBA-CULTCHA "Subba-Cultcha.com caught up with the violinist/guitarist/ukulele/singer-songwriter Rebecca Zapen on the verge of releasing her stupendous album ‘Japanese Bathhouse’." [full interview] SOLOIST WITH HOLLYWOOD PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA February 12, 2006 Rebecca Zapen makes a solo appearance on violin and vocals with The Hollywood Philharmonic Orchestra. Anniversary Park. 7pm. Free to the public. DESERT FILM SOCIETY: A RIVERSIDE EVENING The First Coast Chapter of the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association screened Riverside Evening and other film shorts. Riverside Evening will be presented by the Desert Film Society in Palm Springs, CA on December 3rd. Music by Rebecca Zapen, screenplay by Richie Levine. ITALIAN INTERVIEW Interview with Italian WebZine JUMPER [here] ELECTRO LOUNGE For those near Jacksonville, FL, tune into 89.9FM WJCT for Electro Lounge, Thursday Oct 13th, 9:00-11:00pm. Guest host John Citrone will be playing a track from JAPANESE BATHHOUSE. THE NEW REBECCA ZAPEN ALBUM JAPANESE BATHHOUSE available Tuesday, Sept 27. Buy your copy of her acclaimed new album available in the US and internationally via CD Baby and at Borders Books & Music in Jacksonville, FL. Featuring a kaleidoscopic selection of 13 new songs written by Zapen for the album, Japanese Bathhouse premieres the nostalgic duet "Smile", the auto-biographical "Some Things Take Time", as well as an assortment of compelling new compositions including "I Am Fine", "Dolores" ("...about a telephone operator's love advice..."), and "We Didn't Bother" ("...about love gone wrong, but inspired by a Lego pirate..."). And for those of you who heard the tune live at the CD release of Hummingbird, of course included is the title track, "Japanese Bathhouse", a sassy little cabaret number. Working with a group of "wonderful musicians," Rebecca sings and plays guitar--as well as violin, ukulele, glockenspiel, melodica, and kazoo--on Japanese Bathhouse, an album of cinematic, emotional folk-pop, which is at once whimsical and moving. NPR'S OPEN MIC Rebecca's song Andrea is featured on NPR's All Songs Considered: Open Mic Listen and rate it (6/15/05) EUROPE: BUSK A MOVE! We're taking off, instruments in hand to travel 7 countries! To read our latest adventures, visit my journal. MIAMI/ORLANDO TRAVEL JOURNAL We have returned from our Miami/Orlando shows. Photos of everything from a mumu, to a gorgeous Epiphone guitar, to a creepy ventriloquist dummy, oh, and the shows. New travel blog! JACKSONVILLE JAZZ FEST It was our thrill to play at the 2005 Jacksonville Jazz Festival. We played at the Friendship Fountain stage under breezy blue skies, along with UNF Jazz Ensemble I, St. Johns River City Brass Band with Kurt Elling, and Chris Botti. Here are some photos. [ click ] MYSPACE.COM My music can also be heard on MySpace.com, along with photos and a wee blog. ON THE RADIO I just got word that Hummingbird made the Top 3 Jazz Albums for CFBX 92.5 FM in Canada, College of the Cariboo (love that name!). LA TRAVEL JOURNAL A little travel journal of my recent trip to Los Angeles CD SINGLE: SONGS OF BOTHER AND WOE Songs of Bother and Woe ... $5 We Didn't Bother I Am Fine Woe Is We YOU'RE SUPER, JACKSONVILLE! A big week for Jacksonville, The Superbowl came to town, and it kept the Rebecca Zapen / Gary Starling Group busy! We had some swanky clients such as the Weavers, Flagler Development, the Redskins, NFL corporate, and Philip Morris. I had gotten so used to all these private gigs that I totally forgot to mention the sweet public gig we did tonight at Copeland's for Mardi Gras. I will definitely be back for more of their bananas foster. :) FEBRUARY FLIGHT For those of you in my lovely hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, my CD Hummingbird is available at Borders Books & Music; it is also available online at CD Baby, and of course at shows. (Valentine's Day gifts anyone?) February is going to be awesome! I'll be flying to L.A. to hang out with my good friend and fellow musician Michelle Payne to do some performances solo and as our duo Selma in southern California. DOUBLE CD RELEASE PARTY From Out of the Sky and Michelle Payne released new albums Dec 3rd, 2004, at The Art Bar, with Shawn Lightfoot opening. I had the honor of playing on both their albums. Check them out! MIAMI TRAVEL LOG "Rivers and Lakes" made its Miami debut  [ click ] REVIEW: HUMMINGBIRD The latest review of "Hummingbird", written by English music critic Paul Donnelly, on eJazzNews.com. "This is a debut that is already assured without swaggering, full of thoughtful and subtly emotive music which is the product of a discriminating set of players led by a singer who is clearly one to watch for."  [ full article ] GALLERY New photo gallery! [ click ] CHICAGO TRAVEL JOURNAL Newly updated travel journal covering my trip to Chicago. Photos and inspiration for a new song. [ click ] TELEVISION APPEARANCE Rebecca Zapen and The Gary Starling Group are featured guests on "Good Morning Jacksonville", Saturday July 10th. Channel NBC-12. FRIENDS & FANS click to see smiling faces (yours perhaps?) from the audience: [ click ] SYMPHONY DEBUT Rebecca made her debut orchestral appearance with the Hollywood Philharmonic Orchestra on May 14, 2004, in Hollywood, Florida. Musical Director Ronald Zapen. Selections included "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Nature Boy". Orchestral arrangements written by Bill Pape. MOZART & MANDOLIN Yeah, he was crazy like that! The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra presents Mozart's Opera Don Giovanni with full opera cast and chorus. Your friendly neighborhood violinist (me!) played mandolin in the second act. Here's a photo with Franco Pomponi, who played the lead role of Don Giovanni. SOUNDTRACK SAMPLES I just finished writing a soundtrack for "A Riverside Evening". Immense thanks to Chris Estes for his help in recording the tracks and lending a hand with some guitar and percussion. Here are a couple samples of the music. + Shower #2 + The Letter MODEL 'A' DRIVING LESSON An adventure in driving 72 years back ... DARRYL'S DESK Poetry and ponderings from a one-time violin student and great supporter of mine.