Carrie Zavala: Livin’ the Dream

Carrie Zavala. Photo by Kristin Albright.

“She is a natural force to be dealt with, a super smile, strong vocals, and a great bandleader with a wild sense of humor. If you have met Carrie or heard her sing, I’m sure you would agree…I strongly recommend that no one stands in her way.”

Those are the words of Chet Cannon, who has hosted blues jams across the county, in his praise of 52-years-young vocalist/songwriter and bandleader, Carrie Zavala, who currently fronts her band, Zavala Sol.

Zavala’s presence on local music stages has been a circuitous life’s journey, so let’s start at her beginnings.

THE EARLY YEARS
A Colorado native, Zavala moved to California when she was six, along with her mom and five other siblings, settling in Vista. Her mom got a job as a dispatcher for the Carlsbad Police Department. “Growing up in Vista, my mom had an open door policy; she was like the neighborhood mom,” Zavala stated.

After graduating Rancho Buena Vista High School, Zavala attended Palomar College for a semester. She left school after that one semester and got a job with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department as a booking clerk. Two years later, at age 21, she joined the police academy. “There weren’t a lot of females back then, I was usually the only female, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I wound up working ten years with the sheriff’s department and ten years with the Carlsbad Police Department, including work with the gang task force. After a work-related injury she decided on retirement in 2015, which gave her more time in raising her only child, her son Jayden.

“My mom is my superhero,” Jayden exclaimed. “Growing up with just her, she always taught me that nothing is a given, and I had to work hard for what I really wanted in my life. She has done many incredible things that I look up to her for, such as her support when I was playing sports at my alumni Rancho Buena Vista High. Everything she has done in life she has worked 100% for it, particularly when she became a sheriff in San Diego County and then went on to work in a Gang Task Force in North County. I really admired her hard work to break gender barriers competing in a male-dominated field and becoming one of the best to do it.

“Not only that, but my mom has incredible talent as well,” Jayden continued, “as she has been singing as long as I can remember. I recall her singing the National Anthem at law enforcement events and even singing the anthem at Petco Park before a Padres game. She does what she loves for a living whether it be serving to protect the community or singing, as she always strives to be the best at what she does and she does a damn good job of it.”

PATTY CAKES
Zavala’s mom played a prominent role in her life—she affectionately called her “Patty cakes”—as she eloquently and transparently reflected back on her relationship with her mom, who passed away in 2011.

“It’s very difficult to explain to someone how close we were. I lived with her, I worked with her, and she was more than my mom. Even though times were tough financially, she always made sure we had a roof over our heads and food on the table. She even extended her home to some of our friends that didn’t have a good home life; some friends actually lived with us. She was a big sister, aunt, daughter, friend, boss, and mom. She always managed to do the impossible and pushed me further than I thought I could. She knew I was capable even when I said I wasn’t. She knew each of her children well and parented us accordingly. She was very determined to raise her daughters to be super independent and her sons to be the kind of men their fathers weren’t. Her family was her life…she was amazing.”

HER MUSICAL JOURNEY
“I played piano by ear when I was ten, so my mom would buy me keyboards. I could figure out chords to songs and she would be amazed that I had such a good ear for music.” In eighth grade Zavala was in choir and had a vocal solo in the school’s first concert performance. “My mom had no idea I would be soloing. I was a nervous wreck. I remember my knees knocking; it was horrible but fun at the same time… I like that adrenaline. After that concert my mom said, ‘How did I not know that you could sing?’ However, despite all that encouragement I stopped singing.”

Carrie with Jason Mraz at Gator by the Bay.

Fast forward to 2019 and the retired police officer and mother decided that it’s never too late to resurrect a natural born talent. “I posted a video of me singing ‘You Are My Sunshine’ and got great responses from friends on Facebook who had no idea I could sing,” she said. “Then I posted an ad on a San Diego Musicians site to see if I could find musicians to jam with, and I got a response from a few guys I was able to sing with. After hearing me sing, they said I was good enough to front a band.”

That collaboration led to hitting the stage at various blues jams as Carrie and Z Boyz. “I really wanted to sing blues so I sang everywhere I could, although it was terrifying to me. I had really bad stage fright. Eventually, I started sitting in with established bands to get more visibility and gain stage confidence. Chet Cannon and Ace Torres, in particular, helped get the word out about me,” she concluded. The group changed its name to Hot Shots as they continued to get more work and stage visibility.

ZAVALA SOUL

Carrie with her band, Zavala Soul. Photo by Nick Reardon.

In July, 2022, local drummer Jon Price recognized Zavala’s vocal talent and helped her put together a solid lineup of local blues musicians to form the now well established five-piece group, “Zavala Sol.” Zavala took to the task of booking their gigs as well. “I would just reach out to places and send them a video along with my contact number. It was slow going at first but it gradually took off. Rosalea Schiavone, who promotes, produces, and books many of the local gigs weighed in on Zavala’s business acumen. “She is a crazy savvy business woman and band leader.”

Guitarist Mike VanDuyn and Zavala became an instant songwriting team for their original tunes as well as for cover tune arrangements. “When I met Carrie, she was new to the music scene,” said VanDuyn. “I played with her at a blues jam, and she blew us all away with her voice. She is easy to write songs with. I’ll just play with an idea for her, and she’ll come up with lyrics right there on the spot! What makes a band stand out is always the singer. If you have a great singer, you’re off to a good start. Her stage presence and powerful voice captures the crowd’s attention right away. Also, with Carrie being an ex-cop, we also have a bouncer in the band! She is a joy to be around, and I look forward to playing gigs for many more years to come.”

Photo by Nick Abadilla.

Zavala Sol has played some impressive gigs over the past three years of their existence including Gator by the Bay. “Absolutely fun,” she exuded. “We’ve done it the past three years—great crowds and great exposure.” Another notch in the group’s belt has been their three consecutive year nomination in the blues category at the annual San Diego Music Awards. “For a group that’s come out of nowhere to be nominated each of the last three years has been pretty cool,” Zavala stated.

A huge feather in the group’s cap was winning the local International Blues Challenge, rewarding them with a trip to Memphis to compete against other national blues acts. “We practiced and rehearsed and drove ourselves crazy getting ready for the local competition and when we won, we were absolutely ecstatic. Arriving in Memphis we had a bunch of friends and family that came out to support us. Although we didn’t win there, it was a great experience.”

Additionally, their appearance at this year’s East Village Blues Festival etched an indelible memory for Zavala. “It’s my favorite gig for sure,” she exclaimed. “What a high it was to do a show like that, I didn’t come down for two days afterwards. Looking out at a huge crowd and having such a great rapport with the audience, there’s nothing like it. It was amazing, especially our song finale where we were joined by pianist Sue Palmer and sax man Jonny Viau.” Palmer recalled that moment. “I really enjoyed sitting in with them for that finale at that concert and also very proud of them for going to Memphis and representing San Diego in the IBC challenge.”

Veteran drummer Ric Lee, who has been in the drum chair upon occasion, chimed in with plaudits for Zavala. “When I first heard of a new band called Zavala Sol a few years ago, they were playing a lowrider car show in National City,” Lee recalled. “Upon hearing them I thought wow, what a good band. During a break I engaged in a conversation with Carrie. She told me how it was her first serious band after her past career in law enforcement. Carrie is a great performer. She is sexy, humorous, and humble, and I am always impressed with the way she connects with her audience.”

EPILOGUE
Zavala Sol has released two CDs featuring all original music. The first is self-titled, the second is titled Bad Habits. “I’m really proud of that one. I wrote all the lyrics on it and composed the music for one of the tracks.”

The future is bright for Zavala Sol as Zavala looks ahead. “Music is definitely in my future, I don’t see myself stopping,” she stated. “I’m so grateful to the guys in my band who have all been doing this a lot longer than I have; they deserve to be on big stages. I’ve also been super lucky and fortunate over the past four years doing music and to have met so many new friends that I never would have met otherwise…I’m livin’ the dream!”