Danielle DeCosmo

Let’s talk about the muse. Some people believe creativity is a magical, mystical presence that may, or may not, grace you with her attention. Half of me believes that as well, because most of my songs have basically fallen out of my mouth, without any thought whatsoever. However, the other half of me thinks that if you do anything for 20+ years of your life, then you are bound to be halfway decent at it.

I have been a singer for as long as I have been a speaker; every musical genre graced our Florida kitchen, daily. My brothers and I grew up thinking that singing in 3 part harmony, swing dancing in the kitchen, and drumming on every surface of the house was normal. It is for the DeCosmo family. You might want to consider adding one of the above mentioned “methods” for stress reduction to your life.

Since we are on the topic of bettering one’s health, music is medicine. I’m not one of these “everything is sunbeams and rainbows” people. In my humble opinion, music can help cure what ails you. Since I have been trained from a young age to sing for any random stranger at will, I started singing for patients at Shands Hospital (Gainesville, FL) to test this theory that music is the save-all cure. I haven’t cured any diseases yet, but I have had countless people “bless” me! I’m feeling pretty blessed these days.

Hopefully, all of these blessings will work to help me get my voice to wider audiences. So far, I have had the honor of performing at the following events (bars, pubs and night clubs excluded):

Democratic Convention for President Bill Clinton, Orlando, FL, 1999
NCAA Final Four half-time shows, Orlando
University of Florida “Gator Growl” with Bill Cosby, Gainesville, FL, 2002
Magnolia Music Fest, Live Oak, FL, 2009
International Blues Challenge, Memphis, TN, 2010 & 2011
Daytona Blues Festival, Daytona, FL, 2010
Ronnie in “Hair” at the University of Florida, 2010
My resume also includes 7 years of vocal coaching in Gainesville, FL (Santa Fe College, Studio Percussion and private lessons).

If you are interested in what other people have thought after hearing me sing, here are some quotes:

“DeCosmo, vocalist for Boss Lady and the Company, came to 6th Street when the band had an opening for a lead singer. At Friday’s show, with her hair pulled back and dressed in a modest black sleeveless frock, she didn’t resemble the bikini-top-wearing, belly-baring chick from Boss Lady and the Company. That iteration of DeCosmo is something of a local legend. The singer lost nothing in shedding the sexy for the demure. The modest attire meant that the voice had to stand on its own and it did, alternately gliding, swooping, sailing, and rocketing through a set list comprising R & B classics and original material. ”
―Susanna Mars, Fresh Squeezed Florida 2010

“Two of the best singers you’ll find in town, or anywhere for that matter, will be at The Atlantic, Saturday night, Ricky Kendall and Danielle DeCosmo.”
-Dante Lima, Gainesville Sun

“She is small in stature, but has a big, big voice….think Susan Tedeschi. She was born way too late to be a torch singer at the Copa, but her voice will remind you of those silky 1940′s vocalists.”
―Steve Hart, Amelia Island Blues Fest 2010

After singing with a psychedelic rock band (The Day), a funk/rock/reggae band (Boss Lady and the Company) and an R&B/soul band (6th St. Rhythm and Blues Review), I have decided to focus on writing my own music. I usually write on my grandfather’s mandolin, but sometimes, that mysterious muse graces me with a bass line, a chord progression or a hook first and I use whatever the good graces of music bestow upon me.