Elderado feeds on ‘Classic Snack’

Elderado band Cameron park for Mike Bush

MEMBERS OF ELDERADO, back row left to right, Mike Porter, Jim Riordan, Stew Wilson, Doug Pleatman, front row, left to right, Pete Oliver, Will Basch and Dave Becker, have plans to re-release their debut CD "Classic Snack." Photo by Jason Bross

By Mike Bush
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By day, Dave Becker is an attorney. At night, he sings and plays rhythm guitar in a rock ‘n’ roll band.

Becker, a partner in the law firm of Becker, Runkle, Laurie, Newman and Day in Placerville, is one of the co-founders of Elderado, a five-piece band that covers classic rock ‘n’ roll songs from the 1950s to the 90s.

Jim Riordan, an attorney and business consultant and drummer, is the other co-founder.

Becker and Riordan formed Elderado in 2005. The duo have known each other since 1989 when they handled federal bankruptcy cases.

Other members of Elderado are Stew Wilson, bass; Pete Oliver, lead guitar and Mike Porter, keyboards. Pulling double duty for the band is Will Basch; he plays guitar and sings background vocals and is the band’s roadie. Doug Pleatman is the sound engineer.

The band name Elderado is a combination of El Dorado County and the members’ ages, joked Wilson, who is 68. Riordan is 66, Becker 55, Oliver 50 and Porter, 60. The one exception is Basch, who is 16.

Each band member has a day job. Porter is an evaluation nurse, Pleatman is a doctor at Folsom Urgent Care Center, Oliver is the owner of Fortis Telecom, Wilson works as a business consultant, and Basch is a junior at Ponderosa High School and is a member of the Bruins’ wrestling team.

Riordan, Wilson and Pleatman are pilots and have their own airplanes. The trio is part of the El Dorado County Sheriffs Department’s Air Squadron. Wilson is the commander of the squadron.

“We all come from different backgrounds,” Riordan said.

Last year the diverse group of musicians took another step in their entertainment careers.

Becker booked time at River City Recording Studio in Roseville for Elderado to record its debut CD titled, “Classic Snack.”

For two days, the band recorded three classic 1980s songs; the Rolling Stones’ 1981 hit, “Start Me Up;” John Mellencamp’s 1982 chart topper “Hurt So Good;” and Tom Petty’s 1989 smash, “Won’t Back Down.”

“The Rolling Stones are more of an early British invasion rock, where Mellencamp was post Eagles. Tom Petty is a very unique artist. We thought we’d cover three different styles and show that we can play different styles,” said Becker, who owns Main Street Music in Placerville.

The band was prepared for the recording session and entered the studio making sure the songs sounded just right — from the instruments to vocals, Becker noted.

“The recording process takes a lot of time,” said Riordan.

Wilson, who joined Elderado shortly after Becker and Riordan formed the band, came up with the name of the CD. He felt the songs are similar to someone having a snack in between meals or before bedtime.

“It only has three songs so it had to have something that denoted it was less than four,” Wilson said.

The band is fueled by the initial release of “Classic Snack” and now hopes to re-release the CD this year but with more cover tunes for a complete disc, Becker said.

At a rehearsal studio, the members of Elderado have a list of rock ‘n’ roll songs they are looking to play on their next CD. Songs by Chuck Berry to the Eagles to Bryan Adams to Nirvana are written on a board.

Besides the CD, Elderado has played at various venues including the annual picnic for the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department each summer and downtown events. The band is available to play at events — from wedding receptions to high school proms.

Riordan points out the group plays strictly classic rock ‘n’ roll songs.

“While we occasionally do gigs for money, it is not to make a living,” Riordan said. “Almost all of our gigs are done at no cost to support worthwhile community charities and functions for vets and other organizations since none of us needs the money and we want to help our community.”

The CD is free and available through the band’s Website at elderadoband.com. Riordan said the CD can be obtained from one of the band members. Booking information is on the Website.

Contact Mike Bush at 530-344-5079 or mbush@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @MBushMtDemo on Twitter.