Categories
News

Women Who Rock: Women Who Rock

To interview Karalyn Woulas is not an easy task. After a few minutes it becomes obvious: she is more of a listener than a talker. She’s interested in everything around her. However, she just might be the most interesting person in the room.

To interview Karalyn Woulas is not an easy task. After a few minutes it becomes obvious: she is more of a listener than a talker. She’s interested in everything around her. However, she just might be the most interesting person in the room. Karalyn is a rocket scientist, an avid surfer, front-lady of two bands – her cover-band The Lady & The Tramps and her original project called Karalyn and The Dawn Patrol, a politician and she enjoys riding her Harley Davidson Sportster. The sequence of importance is not quite obvious. As a matter of fact, everything she does seems to be close to her heart.

Brevard Live met with Karalyn for an interview about “Women Who Rock.” We met her for the frst time at our Original Music Series when she performed on November 30th, 2014, on Lou’s Blues’ stage with her band The Dawn Patrol. She had just released her frst self-titled CD with original music that she wrote and recorded at Studio 101. Her music features slow blues, with a Delta feel, a little bit of Rockabilly, and some edgy blues rock. Karalyn sings and plays guitar. All four band members have interesting day jobs and a story to be told.

Karalyn Woulas lives in Cocoa Beach and graduated from Florida Tech with an Aerospace Engineering degree and Applied Mathematics degree. She worked as an electrical engineer for US Navy on the Trident Missile Program for three years. Before that, she was employed by United Space Alliance of the Shuttle program as electrical engineer for 7 years. Currently she works for the 45th Space Wing of the Air Force at Patrick Air Force base as Range Safety Engineer overseeing all space crafts launched at Cape Canaveral. “We monitor every step of the launches and are responsible that no tragedies happen here at our Space Coast,” she explains her job.

Drummer Ricky Carroll lives in Satellite Beach, and is a worldrenowned surfboard shaper. He is the frst East Coast surfboard shaper to win not only one but three West Coast shaping contests.

Matt Sams of Satellite Beach is a familiar name in the music scene and fronts his own band as well. He is not only a skillful and lively blues guitarists with dynamic solos and heart stopping slide guitar skills, he also is a fnancial advisor for Ameriprise, with a Financial degree from UCF.

Bass player Mike Witherington lives in Mims and retired as a TPS inspector for the Space Shuttle program. He spent 32 years working for the program, fervently inspecting all the TPS foam tiles of the space shuttles.

With all these unique backgrounds outside of music, The Dawn Patrol forms a unique and audience captivating sound that presents the Space Coast. “Unfortunately most venues don’t feature original music,” says Karalyn, and that’s why she has a cover band called The Lady and The Tramps featuring a skater, surf, punk sound, playing alternative rock, some grunge, cover songs from The Cure and Joan Jett. “We also like to take some popular tunes and give them a punk edge,” Karalyn explains. “We get a lot more gigs for the cover band.” This group is a power trio with Karalyn on vocals and guitar, Dawn Patrol-drummer Ricky Carroll and bassist Aaron Burnley.

Karalyn is a Florida native, born in Fort Lauderdale, the daughter of a Greek immigrant who came to the US as a young boy with his family crossing the ocean on a boat to pursue a better life. “My father is my hero and I admire his determination,” she says. He put himself through school and college while running the family-owned pizzeria because he was the only one speaking fuently English. He ultimately became a pilot for Southwest Airlines. He taught Karalyn to fy a plane when she was 13 years old, and she acquired her commercial license long before she attended Florida Tech. Just like her father, she doesn’t fear challenges but rather seeks and conquers them.

Karalyn starting singing in 2002 while studying at FIT: “My father always sings at home, he loves Elvis.” She went on to take guitar lessons at Marion Music and attended Bruce Marion’s Swampfox jams. Her teachers are well-known names in our music community – Mark Essick, Rick Fincke, Buck Barefoot. In 2006 she was ready to front her frst group – The Lady and The Tramps 1.0. “I had to go through about three rounds of band members before I came up with the right combination of players. I found them all through relationships and networking.

I am very lucky to have found these musicians,” she says.Three years ago Karalyn decided to get involved with her community and to run for election as Cocoa Beach City Commissioner. “I used my gigs to campaign, and I think it got me elected,” she laughs. What matters to her are environmental issues like problems with our Indian River Lagoon, pollution, algae growth. Surprised that she cares about it so much that she uses her spare time to sit through City Commissioner meetings? Not if you know that she’s been an avid surfer for the past 15 years. She even took a trip to El Salvador, a mecca for surf enthusiasts. This month she will participate again in the Salty Sweet Women’s Pro/AM Surf Contest at the Cocoa Beach Pier.

Any other goals she’d like to pursue? “I just fnished my master degree in Project Management,” she says, and after a thoughtful moment she adds: “I really like to record a second CD, a more mature album. The frst one was more of a rookie effort.”
For Karalyn everything around her matters. What’s on top of her list? “My family,” she says, “they come frst.” She had just returned from Greece where she spends her vacation quite regularly. “My family owns a house there.” Karalyn is not just smart and driven in her personal career, she genuinely cares. Yes, this lady rocks the world on many levels. She doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk. That’s why there is hope for all of us!
Heike Clarke

You can connect with Karalyn Woulas via her Facebook page or at www.Karalynandthedawnpatrol.com. She performs regularly at SC Harley – Oct. 20th, Nov. 24th, Dec 22nd, Jan. 19th with either band. For gigs and dates at other venues visit her Facebook pages.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *