Undoubtedly, Key West is
one of the most unique and fascinating live music venues in the
world. I don't say that lightly, either. This is not a statement made
off the cuff. This is the reality. Here, on a mile and a half wide by
four mile long tropical island, there are over sixty live music
venues, and the vast majority of them are in a six block by four square block area.
The Hippie Band at Schooner Wharf Bar 10/23/2019
Dani Hoy and I, A.K.A.
“The Shanty Hounds” yesterday played our 299th gig of
the year and that was only October 23, the 296th day of
the year. If we lived somewhere else, it would take us years to
reach 299 gigs. We actually have a couple of days off and #300 is
Saturday night at The Tipsy Rooster... at the end of line of the
Fantasy Fest Parade!
One
of the fabulous things here is that everyplace pays you to perform.
They treat you like professionals. In contrast, Nashville, “Music
City”, no one pays you to play. They play pretty much for tips. On
the one hand, personally I think that's a disgrace. It's a complete
disregard and disrespect for the performers, because as they don't
pay them, it says they have zero value. The same can be said for
audience members who don't offer gratuity.
Another
fascinating thing is that in Key West, no place charges
a cover! Several years back. My friend Vintz came to visit. We grew
up together in New Jersey about 25 miles from NYC. Vintz was amazed!
He said to me “I can't believe there's all this incredible music
and you just walk in! There's no cover charge”. He's right, it is
incredible!
I
realize how very fortunate we are to live and make a living, playing
music in Key West! Housing costs are through the roof, but we've been
able to get by.
(We
also do charitable work for worthy causes and we're currently giving
a percentage of out tip jar to keywestcares.com for Hurricane Dorian relief of
Green Turtle Cay (pronounce: Green Turtle Key), which on paper is our
sister city, but the reality is that it's our mother city.
It's
always vital to give back. Good Karma!)
I've
stated many, many times in the blog and social media, that the level
of the vast majority of Key West musicians is the very top shelf.
Trust me, when we have a great performance, it can be very humbling
to hear the next player kick in! On the other hand, the bar is set
higher and it's a mark to strive for.
Lets
take a hypothetical: Lets say you go on vacation to Jamaica, or
Trinidad. Would you seek out the local music scene, or would you
prefer to hang at the hotel and listen to the piped in American
music?
For
those who would want to seek out local music, you're an adventurer and an explorer!
We're kindred spirits. We like to get out of the safe cocoon and
venture out! We live to explore to discover new things and see what's
out there!
Welcome
to The Conch Republic! “As
the world’s first ‘fifth world’ country, we exist as a ‘state
of mind’ and aspire only to bring more warmth, humor and respect to
a planet we find in sore need of all three,”
Sir Peter Anderson, Secretary General of the Conch Republic+
Yes,
you're in a foreign country. The Conch Republic, A.K.A. The Florida
Keys, of which Key West is the capitol, is a very unique country at
that, in so many ways. This mile and a half by four mile tropical
island sits over one hundred and ten miles out to sea. Some say more. Key West has a total land
mass is 4.2 miles (11km). It's about 90 miles to Cuba, 155 miles to Miami, and the
trip from Key West to outer space is about half the distance to the
closest Wallmart. 😲 Tourists often ask if we accept American money. We,
in fact, do! 👍 😀
So,
you've traveled to this little island and we urge you to get out and
discover local music! As I mentioned, the musicians here are
fabulous!
"Who
and Where in KW" is an excellent way to find local talent here and can be found on Facebook.
Understand,
the local performers live, breath, and the blood that runs through
their veins carries the true pulse of these islands. They ARE the
island. If you want the real deal first hand, these are the
performers to check out! If you're coming in for MOTM, be certain to
check out one or two local performers while you're in town!
One
last thing, please tip the performers! Rent here starts at over $2K per month.
As
an example to go by:
One
way of thinking of it would be in NYC a cover would be $20. Si, here. if you really liked the band, tip them $10, that's a
fabulous deal! You got to hear fabulous music and paid them ½ what
the cover is in NYC, plus it's actually better than that because if
you were in NYC, you'd most likely tip them $10, or $20 anyway. So, in
the end, tossing a Key West performer $10 saved you as much as $30 vs
NYC! 😃
If
you liked the performer, a $5 tip is good. 😉
It's
interesting. We have a fair amount of homeless in Key West. It really
touches me and means so much when they tip $1. I used to say “Oh
no, that's okay don't worry about it”, but they always would not
hear anything of my jabber and they would say “You made my day!”,
or something to that effect. They had to sacrifice something to give
up that dollar. That means a lot. 🙏
We
are grateful to all!!! Thank you SO MUCH!
For
this year's MOTM, here is The Shanty Hounds schedule
And DON'T forget Dani and Chris' MOTM After Party!! See ling to blog below!
https://keywestmusic.blogspot.com/2019/09/dani-chris-motm-after-party-bbq.html
Thank you for reading my blog!!!
https://keywestmusic.blogspot.com/2019/09/dani-chris-motm-after-party-bbq.html
Thank you for reading my blog!!!
Please check out The Shanty Hounds NEW LIVE RELEASE!!!
“Unleashed! Live at Grunts – Key West”
Also available at:
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Please check out my book "Time Traveler - The Oddities and Adventures of a Key West Bartender". Follow Mark Straight's continuing journey and friendships from current Key West, back to historical Key West and elsewhere!
Order paperback or download here! Paperback comes with a free download!
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Also, my first book, Bar Stories, is now available in paperback!
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Also, here's more of music here at iTunes!
