Dina Regine at the Bowery Electric

Depending on the circles you travel, native New Yorker Dina Regine may be known as either a longtime photographer, a disc jockey or a musician. Her photographs have been published in publications, in books, and on record covers, and have been exhibited in museums and galleries. Her DJ credentials include launching the Guggenheim Museum's First Fridays series, Richard Gere’s benefit concert for the Dalai Lama, Keith Richards' surprise 50th birthday bash and the Saturday Night Live 25th anniversary party. Her music career also has had its shining moments, like when she auditioned as a backup singer for Bruce Springsteen and he suggested that she should front her own band. She took his advice. After leading three bands (the Dina Regine Band, Naked Grape and Swamp Honey), Regine went solo. She released two homespun CD's in 1999 and 2005 and will soon release Right On, Alright.

Gene Cornish of the Rascals introduced Dina Regine at the Bowery Electric. Steve Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and Jesse Malin were in the audience. Regine proudly wore her classic rock roots. She is a singer-songwriter, but her arrangements showed that she knows more than a little about blues chord progressions, country harmonies and rock and roll rhythms. Regine's chilling vocal and delivery punctuated her original songs, many of which were about troubled relationships. For most of the set, she played a four-string tenor guitar, rarely seen in contemporary music. The highlight of the evening was when she brought out two of the Uptown Horns for the last two songs of her set, resituating her into what sounded like a mid-1970s Rolling Stones concert. Rock and roll will never die.

Visit Dina Regine at www.dinaregine.com.