Feb. 28, 2004, began wonderfully as Allison Becker read flawlessly from the Torah during her bat mitzvah ceremony at Congregation Shaare Emeth. But by night’s end, Becker’s eyes were filled with tears.
“We forgot to dance the Hora,” remembered Becker. “I was heartbroken that night because I’d been dreaming of that moment since I was little, and you only become bat mitzvah once.”
How can the Hora, the hallmark of any Jewish celebration, be forgotten?
“I was a bit of a brat while we were planning my bat mitzvah. Enough time has passed for me to admit that,” said Becker. “One of the biggest arguments I had with my parents was if we should book a live band or a DJ. After much fighting, I convinced them to get both a band and a DJ.”
As a result, neither was responsible for instigating the hora. Perhaps the band thought the DJ would do it, or vice versa. Either way, no one realized it until the car ride home from the celebration at the Coronado Ballroom and it was too late.
Or was it?
What if Becker could grow up to become an aspiring musician and move to Brooklyn, N.Y.? What if she could get stuck at her parent’s house in St. Louis for four months during the summer of COVID, and while sitting on her childhood bedroom floor, learn the guitar and decide to start a band? What if all that could come true, could she get a bat mitzvah party hora do-over?
You only get bat mitzvah once
The simple answer is, yes.
As a teen growing up in St. Louis and spending summers at Camp Sabra, Becker was drawn to the guitar, but all her attempts to master the instrument failed.
“Then, in 2020 COVID hit, and I was stuck all summer at my parent’s house in St. Louis, feeling like a 30-year-old teenager,” Becker recalled. “So I started taking guitar lessons over Zoom.”
Armed with some old poetry she had written, Becker soon discovered a talent for songwriting.
“When I got back to Brooklyn, I got together with my partner Anders Nils, who plays guitar, Paul DeSilva who plays bass and Stephen Cadieux who plays drums. We started writing songs and soon our band Wetsuit was born,” said Becker.
The quartet began playing local shows, finding their sound and their place within the Brooklyn music scene. Soon the band was working on their debut album “Sugar, I’m Tired” and last month, Wetsuit released a video of their first single, “Local Celebrity.”
The video pays homage to that 30-year-old teenager sitting on the floor of her childhood bedroom, and the origins of Wetsuit.
“My mother recently had my bat mitzvah video digitized, so it gave me the idea of recreating scenes from it,” said Becker. “I got some friends together and I got another chance to finally do the Hora.”
In the music video, 13-year-old Becker joins her now 32-year-old self, dancing and partying with friends spread out over two decades. And of course, Becker got her Hora do-over.
Becker, Wetsuit coming home
On the heels of the video release of “Local Celebrity” and the new album which will be released August 17, the St. Louis Jewish community is welcoming Becker home as our own local celebrity. Wetsuit is scheduled to play Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Platypus in The Grove.
“We are playing with my cousins’ band Dubb Nubb at our Platypus show. I’m excited to play with them as this will be our first-time playing St. Louis,” said Becker. “I started Wetsuit in St. Louis so it will be a full circle moment for me. A lot of my family and friends haven’t seen us perform yet so I want to put on a good show for them.”
Becker says she’s been busy getting ready for the show by writing new songs about St. Louis and her Jewish identity.
“We’re going to play a new one called ‘107.7’ and another song called ‘Hashem’ that features lyrics from a Jewish summer camp song,” said Becker.
Welcome to St. Louis, Wetsuit! Welcome home, Allison!
Wetsuit In Concert
When: Saturday, August 19th at 7 p.m.
Where: Platypus, 4501 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
How Much: $10 / All ages welcome
More Info: Visit wetsuitnyc.com or Instagram: @wetsuitnyc
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