Cocoa Beach-based Karalyn & The Dawn Patrol is championing the scene as a female-forward band. With their bold sound and unapologetic presence, the group is breaking barriers, not only inspiring but reshaping the music industry — one performance at a time.
Karalyn joins us once again for part two of our interview from 2022, this time, opening up even more about her creative journey, her influences, and what lies ahead. Karalyn Woulas, backed by her Dawn Patrol band, falls into the alternative rock category with exceptional vocal and instrumental capacities.
Woulas, herself, has had quite an impressive career outside of music, working as a municipal Cocoa Beach city commissioner and an aerospace engineer for Space Force and Space Alliance. Now a rising force in the central Florida music scene, Karalyn is joined by Gary Potter (a Berkeley School of Music grad) and Mike Witherington (a retiree of the Space Shuttle Program) to collectively unleash talent akin to the likes of The Cranberries, 4 Non-Blondes, Blondie, Melissa Etheridge, and more.
Her surf rock-inspired originals and creative covers get any crowd going.
And, speaking of live performances, I absolutely love her track “October 25th”. I was able to watch the band perform this track and predict “October 25” will be their big breakout as soon as it’s recorded. Let’s hope it is soon! In the meantime, you can tune into Karalyn’s podcast — an entity we talked about in our chat below.
Tell us about your podcast, it sounds like a lot of fun!
- K: It’s a lot of fun! I am watching podcasts on musical instruments or music equipment. I was thinking how cool it would be to do this with local musicians in the area… People I go see or work with all the time. I [thought] I would try it out. I think everyone who participates, they kind of love doing it. Everybody likes to show how they contribute to [the music scene and] people get to know them on a personal level, so it really is great!
What has been your most interesting episode so far?
- I can’t really pinpoint one specifically. I think the cool thing about each of them is that I keep learning something new about [my guests] that I didn’t know. The most interesting thing is what I thought I knew about them [turns out to be] not the case at all.
If you can interview anyone for the podcast, who would it be?
- I would say Gwen Stefani and Shania Twain. I would love to meet those two women.
Not everybody can do what you do — playing music by night, engineer by day. How do you juggle that?
- Yeah, I mean there is a time and place for everything,
Do you ever have a day off?
- Playing music is my day off; I look forward to it, not being my main job. So, I don’t get burned out on it, nor do I depend on it for income… so maybe that helps.
Do you ever get stage fright?
- I haven’t in a long time. I used to, but once in awhile, if a certain person [is in the audience] and they don’t move their gaze [from me], that makes me nervous. Then, I lose focus!
What’s the most gutting about being a musician?
- You want to keep people interested in what you are doing. You want to keep it interesting.
Do you find it hard to date people because of your busy schedule?
- Definitely, but I have come to terms with that. All the weekends I am playing and some weeknights… my schedule is pretty crazy. We also practice every Wednesday. So, it’s hard for someone to understand that unless they are [playing music] also.
Speaking of ‘playing music’, do you have anything new in the works?
- I have tried, but I guess I need time to stop and work on it. I pulled out my music from 2012… I have been having the band learn some of the music. We are starting to work on [the songs] to play them onstage. Based on the reactions, I might tweak them and record them.
Do you have a fave?
- I think the most impactful one is “October 25th”. This and a lot of the songs I have written are based on past relationships. The most painful ones.
The most painful memories can create the best music! Do you have any advice for dream-chasers?
- Never give up and keep doing what you love. Like my dad says, “Don’t do it because you think you’re going to get somewhere; do it because you love it.”
Catch Karalyn & The Dawn Patrol on regional Florida runs, with more tours coming in the future and keep an eye out for this group’s recorded music! For more information, visit the links below.
Karalyn & The Dawn Patrol – “I Feel Like A Woman” cover
Watch the Everything Music Podcast: Episode 14
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