{"id":11906,"date":"2022-01-14T16:08:49","date_gmt":"2022-01-15T00:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11906"},"modified":"2022-01-14T16:10:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-15T00:10:06","slug":"the-short-list-the-beat-goes-on-uc-santa-barbara-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11906","title":{"rendered":"The Short List: The Beat Goes On (UC Santa Barbara Magazine)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DJ Darla Bea, photo by Paul Wellman.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cLike any of your senses \u2014 the act of listening to a song can conjure up feelings and, in this case, a love of your college days,\u201d says Darla Bea \u201803 <\/b><\/a>. As Stevie Wonder<\/a> once said, \u201cMusic, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sporting slews of rave reviews from national wedding websites and voted Santa Barbara\u2019s favorite DJ for six years in a row, Bea has made a career out of homing in on the visceral, emotional connection that tunes play in our lives. \u201cRock it Properly<\/a>,\u201d her weekly radio show that\u2019s been running on KCSB<\/a> since 2007, is a meticulously researched round-up of fun facts and musical magic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When last year\u2019s All Gaucho Reunion<\/a> had to go virtual, Bea helped to make it memorable by creating seven different GauchoBeats playlists, curated by decade, from 1939 to the present. From Bill Haley & His Comets\u2019 \u201c(We\u2019re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock\u201d and The Beach Boys\u2019 \u201cGood Vibrations,\u201d to Chumbawamba\u2019s \u201cTubthumping\u201d and Walk the Moon\u2019s \u201cShut Up and Dance,\u201d these Spotify playlists of feel-good tunes (alumni.ucsb.edu\/events\/all-gaucho-reunion#gauchobeats<\/a>) brought some much-needed positivity during some rather grim days.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of her time at UC Santa Barbara, Bea says, \u201cThe magic and music were always a thing that drew me out to hear bands play in Isla Vista and at UCSB, and of course I knew I was going to get an excellent education. I just wanted to be part of that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Santa Barbara native who lived at home during college, she says, \u201cI did not have a car, had a bus pass. I spent a lot of time on campus in the library and the bookstore. I loved looking at all the media out there; it was a really good bookstore. And every once in a while I\u2019d have to call my dad to get me because I missed the last bus.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Known for her colorful wigs, kicky costumes and eclectic mixes, Bea still comes to campus every Sunday to host her radio show, and says one of her goals is to, \u201cexpand your narrow way of thinking about music. The world is a lot smaller when you can grasp a culture, or an era, through their music.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"UC<\/a>

UC Santa Barbara Magazine, Winter 2021<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally published in the Fall\/Winter 2021 issue of UC Santa Barbara Magazine<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Cover illustration by Yumiko Glover<\/a>. To see the story as it originally appeared click \u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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