The Legend of Everyday Housewives, the Real Housewives of Palos Verdes

Those of us who love the Palos Verdes Peninsula know that it’s a wondrous place with many stories and traditions. There’s the story of the Tongva and the Chumash tribes. Russian and Aleutian fur traders, Portuguese and Spanish explorers, the Vanderlip family, California surfing history… all are part of PV tradition.

PV also has a great history of rock & roll, with the many famous rock stars who have called The Hill home over the years… not to mention the fact that the Byrds AND the Go-Go’s BOTH performed at Palos Verdes High School (not on the same night, mind you, but 16 years apart; in 1965, and 1981, respectively)… and it is this rock & roll tradition that brings me to the Legend of Everyday Housewives. Let me explain.

No, I’m not talking about your grandmother’s bridge club. Everyday Housewives is a classic rock & roll band, that was formed in Miraleste, in the Summer of 1980, by vocalist Dean Backlund and guitarist Dana Chandler. I was able to catch up with the band’s co-founder Dean the other day.

“You know what’s funny is, Dana & I knew each other from elementary school on, but we didn’t like each other much… he was a jock, on the football team and all that, and I was a surfer who was into theater. Anyone who’s ever been in high school knows that those two cliques don’t intermingle often. It wasn’t until after high school that we clicked as musicians and as friends.”

Back in 1980, Dean and Dana had a mutual friend; a talented guitarist, and fellow Miraleste HS alumni, named Dan McKee. One day, Dan asked Dean if he could bring his friend Dana to one of their jam sessions. “I remember asking Dan, ‘why would you want to bring THAT guy??’ I didn’t even know he played guitar! Anyway, by the end of that first jam, Dana & I were the best of friends, of course.”

Back in those early years, the band wrote and performed original compositions, producing their own recordings, and for a while they were serious about trying to “make it” in the music business. The original lineup consisted of Dean on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Dana on bass and vocals, Dan on lead guitar and vocals, and fellow MHS alumnus Terry Pike on drums. The band played several parties, clubs, and USC fraternity functions throughout the 1980s.

Unfortunately, it was at this time that tragedy struck the band, when in December 1987 founding member and gifted musician Dan McKee died of an apparent suicide. Dean and Dana were both devastated, and since the band had always been more about friendship than anything else, this marked the beginning of a long hiatus from playing gigs. At the time, no consideration was given to finding a replacement for Dan. He was irreplaceable, both as a friend and as a guitarist. That, it seemed, was that.

Over the ensuing years Dean and Dana continued to write, record, and jam together, but soon they were both married with children. The idea of playing gigs with a full band seemed to be a thing of the past.

The band’s story then fast-forwards to early 1997, when Dean & Dana were introduced to another gifted guitar player, named Ricardo Cestero. Several impromptu jam sessions turned out to be very successful and fun for all those in attendance, and the seeds for a rebirth of the band were sown. The band was then rounded out with a great drummer and bassist, and Everyday Housewives (tongue-in-cheek-ly named after the Glen Campbell song “Dreams of the Everyday Housewife”) was reborn as a classic rock cover band. Several PV backyard parties featuring the new lineup ensued, and the band ultimately has gone on to play dozens of shows at Terranea Resort, the Lighthouse Cafe, Patrick Molloy’s and other legendary South Bay venues.

As is the case with most rock bands that survive more than 40 years, there have been many lineup changes. EDHW Version 2021 consists of Dean on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Dana on lead guitar and vocals; Ricardo on lead guitar and vocals; Tommy Bele on bass guitar, keyboards, and vocals; and Ryan Webb on drums and vocals. The ‘Wives celebrated their 40th Anniversary with a huge party at the Redondo Beach VFW this past Summer; complete with a taco truck and a huge anniversary cake.

“Word-of-mouth has always been a great tool for our band, in terms of our popularity”; Dean reflects. “So many of our schoolmates still live on, or around, the Hill… our gigs usually end up becoming big, spontaneous high school reunions!”

Everyday Housewives have always been adamant about putting on a genuine rock ‘n’ roll show, rather than “just standing there” and playing tunes. The Wives employ several seminal rock traditions – a rabble-rousing frontman, a classic two-guitar attack, a tight earth-shaking rhythm section, and atmospheric keyboards. Their set list runs from 60s Beatles, Stones, Who, and Doors; to 70s Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Neil Young; to 80s Tom Petty and The Cure; to 90s Radiohead and Lenny Kravitz; and 2000s Foo Fighters and White Stripes. They can play everything from blistering hard rock, to energetic dance music, to mellow acoustic sets. They are available for any function - - birthday parties, weddings, reunions, clubs, and corporate events.

Follow the band on Instagram: @everydayhousewives

For booking information and contact: www.everydayhousewives.com