Band Element of Surprise, Ventura County CA

Do you <3 classic rock? Strange pairings of music, such as Richie Valens & the Ramones meet Deep Purple? You may appreciate us. We're the band Element of Surprise! We may get thru the song-or it may go horribly AWRY. You pays yer money & you takes yer chance! We play a very eclectic mix of classic & alt rock...if you live in the SoCal area & listen to either KLOS or KRTH-101, you've heard most of our songs. We're a 6-piece consisting of Pat on vocals & percussion, James on lead guitar, Hector on bass, Rob on drums, newest member Danny on acoustic and electric guitars, and your humble scribe Rita on rhythm guitar/keyboard/harmonica and vocals. We've been together for 5 years (longer than some marriages!) and have had some memorable gigs. I started this blog to keep a list of them--and to chronicle our RISE-TO POWER! Well, not really--all of us have a day job, and we're all over 45 (except for Danny, who is young and impressionable!) so this is more of a hobby. But we all have an abiding love for music, and we have healthy self-images, and some of us are major hams, so here we are. Walking down the street. We get the funniest looks. From everyone we meet. Hey hey--no, stop, that's plagiarism. Anyways, I don't expect anyone (other than MY FRIENDS & FAMILY) to ever read this, but if you do and you have an interest in an elderly garage band on the first level of getting started gigging, welcome and well-met. If YOU have an interest in starting a band and are curious about equipment, etc-let us know. Maybe we can help you avoid a TON of trouble.
Well, cheers, and see you "on the cover of the 'Rolling Stone,'"
Rita aka MrsMMars :-)



Sunday, January 9, 2011

Thank you for 5 years of rocking

Hi all:  It is with sadness that I must announce the end of Element of Surprise. The band members have decided that, although we are friends and will continue to support each other's musical ventures, it is time to go our separate ways.

We have been together 5 years and have learned a tremendous amount during this time.

Love & hugs to Rob, Hector, Pat and Danny-you guys are our musical family and we loved being part of EOS, warts and all.
Most of all, we want to thank you, our fans, who supported and encouraged us, and came out to visit us when we played out, with varying degrees of success. You guys are the best and we will miss playing for you.

Here's what's going on with the individuals in the band:

Rob is going into a different musical genres, more R&B style, and will be pursuing personal development.
James & Rita, of course, are continuing with De La Crank, and will be joined by Danny and Pat.
Hector didn't say what he's going to do, but he is very much a family man and I'm sure he'll be happy to have more free time for his grandkids.
This blog wasn't exactly the most widely-read blog on the 'Net, but I will miss having the outlet after a gig to post what went right and what didn't. ;-)

That said, if you are interested in the continuing adventures of the Colonel & MrsMMars, I invite you to check out our blogs-"Jim's Blog" and "Rita's Blog"-at http://www.delacrank.com/.

I leave you with this wish, for a Rocking 2011 and a year filled with love, peace and music!

God Bless,
Rita