by Madison Webb

A leading lady of the local music scene discusses the importance of the seldom-recognized cover band, how her own group persists amid challenge and change, and what it’s like to “give 100%” of herself, every single day.

Elizabeth D.C. is a prominent member of the Maryland music scene. Hailing originally from New York, where her penchant for performing emerged at an early age, she now lives in Reisterstown and sings with established local cover band the Uncommitted. Playing popular spots from Parkton to Essex, Timonium to Odenton, and everywhere in between, Elizabeth and the rest of the band have long been familiar faces of the live-music circuit. The Uncommitted promises a good time with three solid sets of dance tunes and no restriction to any genre (hence their name), and with their versatile five-person lineup, they never fail to deliver.

Madison: I thought we could start with a general background of how you got into performing. What were your earliest experiences with that?

Elizabeth D.C.: I would say that my earliest experience with performing [was] the school chorus in the seventh grade; it was a requirement. And I knew I couldn’t play an instrument, so chorus it was. And then, in ninth grade, I was nominated to compete at what we call NYSSMA, which was the New York State Music Association. That was probably my first experience in a competitive situation, but also showcasing my voice and being like, “wow, I might actually have talent.” And then, you know, of course I graduated, I moved on. [Eventually] I didn’t have a very supportive significant other, so I fell out of music for about fifteen years before coming back into it in my early thirties. And then I joined my first band, which was Great Escape.

M: And how long were you with them before the Uncommitted?

E: I was with them for about a year. The band actually dissolved because our bandleader had kidney failure…so the band had to dissolve so that he could focus on treatment. And it was probably about a year or two between Great
Escape and then now the Uncommitted. Which, may I say, I’m nearing my six-year anniversary with them in November. Not that I’m keeping track.

M: And how did you get your start with the Uncommitted, then?

E: I think a couple different things occurred there. One is I was in the karaoke circuit, so I became known by some of the karaoke crew…they asked me to come out a couple of times to see the band the Uncommitted when Barb was the lead singer. They told them that I could sing so they asked me, when I would come out, to sing “I’m the Only One”—by Melissa Etheridge, of course. So when Barb decided to retire, they were like, “Well, E, you wanna audition?”

M: Was it hard to be the new person in this band? Did you ever feel like you had to work harder than the guys did?

E: Yes, but not because I’m a girl. It was challenging not because I was in a band full of guys, [but] because Barb was a phenomenal entertainer. So in my mind, I had really big shoes to fill to keep the band’s following intact, but then to also make it my own; to be true to myself and what I wanted to do. So I had to grow into realizing that it was more than my voice, that I needed to be an entertainer. So, stage presence…I would say [that was] my biggest challenge.

M: Were there any times where you thought, “maybe this band is not for me?”

E: I’ve always said that I would only do this so long as I was having fun. The minute it becomes work or stressful or not fun, it’s not worth it. We had some situations where things were taken too seriously and we lost sight of what
we’re supposed to be doing, and that’s entertaining and having fun and throwing parties. It’s not about perfection, it’s about the experience.

M: Do you think you could describe your relationship with each of the guys?

E: John [the keyboardist] and I are very much like brother and sister. We jab at each other, so we poke fun quite a bit. But I think we have very similar visions for the band, overall. Ron [the bassist] and I…we don’t poke fun at each other, there’s just a mutual respect and a friendship there. I don’t know about Ernie [the lead guitarist], ‘cause Ernie and I have bumped heads, too. Ernie is more like a father figure to me, so our dynamic is a little different. I value his experience and his tenure, and I wanna learn from him. And a lot of mutual respect, again. And then we don’t have to talk about my drummer. [laughs]

M: What was it like when your former drummer exited the band?

E: It felt a little insincere. And lacking any type of professionalism or respect, common courtesy. Which was hard to swallow. Harder on the other members of the band than me…because I know what people are capable of. So when people do [things like that] I’m not necessarily surprised. But that’s not unique to our band. That’s the filter I always put it through: no band stays together 100% decade after decade.

M: And now that you can play again, with your new drummer, do you feel like you have a solid lineup? Or are there some things that are still changing?

E: I think we’re going through a transformation. Hoping for the best. We’re looking to elevate our performance, to work on…just a whole ’nother level of a show.

M: What does the future look like for the Uncommitted, then?

E: I’d like to get back to show volume pre-Covid. Fifty-plus shows a year. I’d like our exposure to be much more vast…getting our band further than just beyond York Road, or Middle River, or Essex. I see a lot of good stuff in our
future, it’s just, we need to execute.

M: What is it like to have to balance this band with everything else in your life?

E: Well, that’s challenging. My life is very much a logistical, organized-chaos lifestyle. But I’m able to balance it. I’m able to dedicate and give 100% of myself…whatever the environment is. If I’m working, I’m 100% working; if I’m at a show, and doing music, I’m 100% doing the show and doing the music. I think doing it that way allows me to give 100% of myself—be in the moment, be present, be authentic. And you’re gonna get all of me. I don’t want people competing. Like, when I’m home, I don’t want [my family] feeling like they’re competing.

M: And since you’re so close, is the band sort of like its own family?

E: Yeah, for the most part. Which has been the biggest blessing. I’ve been able to forge so many friendships and bonds with people that, had it not been for music and the band, I would have not met. I would’ve never met all of these people that are [now] part of my circle. That relationship spans way far beyond the music.

M: And would you say that that’s the main reason you do what you do with this band?

E: That, and I know I have a purpose in this life. And I do think my purpose is to bring happiness and joy, and positive energy to people. In a very dark world.Through music, and through interaction and engagement and forming those bonds. Being that I give 100% of myself, that’s who I am. I am positive energy. And people need that. There’s a positive exchange there, and I think it leaves people with happiness and joy. I know people have gotten that feeling through the music and through me going into the crowd and engaging and interacting and partying, but even in my corporate life…people get that same experience with me. So that’s how I know, [that] that’s just who I am. I guess that’s what I meant to share.