^ Listen to Key West Blues while you enjoy the blog!
GETTING TO KEY WEST II
When we last left off, I think we were talking about staying
in Key Largo overnight. I can’t stress this more. Okay, file it under “The
grass on the other side of the hill is always greener”, only the thing is, we’re
still talking about the Conch Republic. Don’t forget, the Conch Republic starts
at the Last Chance Saloon in Florida, which is the northern border. However, be
it Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada, Layton, Summerland, Layton, Sugarloaf, Cudjoe..
ex stay at one of them for a day or two!! Also, bear in mind that some, such as
Islamorada, are towns, not an island itself.
There may be seven islands in Islamorada, which includes the connecting
keys.
I’m heading up to Islamorada on Saturday, so the next blog
will carry more pictures and suggestions in the next blog… which will follow
this one quite closely!
MOTM
Our MOTM events are progressing very well! On Wednesday,
October 30th I’ll be hosting the MOTM OPEN MIC At McCONNELL’S. This
event will start at 6:30 and go until who knows when!
For a bit more information on this, check the Facebook Event
page!
Then on Thursday, October 31 we’re repeating the Tropical
Songwriters in Paradise event! This year we’re in the thick of everything at
Durty Harry’s Stage at Rick’s! There’s a great Trop Rock line up consisting of
some of the best writers in Trop Rock today! Plus, we’re doing it in an
in-the-round format, meaning that there will be three or four artists on stage
at the same time, trading songs and telling stories about them. Additionally,
it is also going to be done as a tailgate party! Music, drinks, and a Bar B.
Que! This will be a blast!!!
On Sunday November 3rd, I’ll be hosting “Sundeay
Afternoon Chill Dockside at Sunset Tiki”! This will be run from noon to 5pm.
The Sunset Tiki is right on the water, behind The Galleon at the end of Front
St. You really can’t beat this setting with a stick!!!
NOTE!!! This event has been changed! With the passing of DJ Jeff, the event has been changed to "Trop Rockin' For Jeff - Dedicated to a Brother DJ Jeff Allen". Any musicians playing in MOTM are welcome to stop by and Trop Rock for Jeff in his memory.
Same time, same place, just that the event has changed..
NOTE!!! This event has been changed! With the passing of DJ Jeff, the event has been changed to "Trop Rockin' For Jeff - Dedicated to a Brother DJ Jeff Allen". Any musicians playing in MOTM are welcome to stop by and Trop Rock for Jeff in his memory.
Same time, same place, just that the event has changed..
All of these events are being sponsored by The Grateful
Guitar here in Key West 305 453 6413
Located at Duval Square, Duval St.
KEEP KEY WEST FUNKY
It’s been a LONG time since Jimmy Buffett lived here. Every
now and then someone claims that he still maintains a home someplace here, or
perhaps up a few islands, but none of this has ever been substantiated. One of
the main reasons that he left was because he felt that the town was losing its
funky character. One of its monikers was “A little drinking town with a fishing
problem”. Of course this was always told in good fun, tongue in cheek. Well,
over the years the fishing fleet has been thrown out and now, what’s left of
it, anchors in the shadow of the power plant on Stock Island. I recalled when I
used to come to visit seeing the fleet docked over by Turtle Kraals. For me, having
spent my youth in Cape Cod, I felt right at home. It was like a tropical
Provincetown! Today, Provincetown still has their fleet, we’ve exiled ours. It’s
things like this that is why Jimmy Buffett left here. The little guys are
getting pushed out of here one by one. It’s nothing new, but it continues and a
lot of people have been pushed out over the years and the funkiness is
depleting.
As I say, it’s been going on for years and continues to
escalate. The latest victim is a trailer park on the corner of Virginia and
Simonton streets, The Southernmost Cabana Resort. Frankly, the Southernmost
Cabana Resort is a cool little community of old trailers nestled in a beautiful
grove of trees which provide a fantastic little hammock. These trailers are
mostly around fifty years old. The folks who live in them can't afford anything
much more than what they have here. Is it pretty? In one of those Key West
funky moments, all one can really say is “Wow!”. It’s like stepping into a time warp! It’s a
rare gem, in my eyes. All of these old, funky trailers living in this beautiful,
shaded hammock.
The owner however, had different ideas and with the full support
of Mayor Craig Cates and most of the City Commission, have given the residents
until October 31 to get out. You see, there’s progress to be had at hand! Sic. Why
have all these old trailers littered with riff-raff, when you can have…
Condominiums??? It fits right in too.. at least with the mayor. Mayor Cates
seems to always be supporting some sort of program that is promoting the paving
over of Key West. Lets turn Key West into an island version of Miami. Hello! They've offered to help relocate the residents up the Keys
about twenty miles to a trailer park named “Lazy Lakes”. In other words, they've exiled these folks
from Key West so that they can build condominiums and tear down most of the
trees and move out the old trailers in doing so. Seriously, I wonder how the
mayor and the commissioners who voted these people out, manage to sleep at
night. Jimmy Buffett approve? Hardly. Captain Tony? Don’t make me laugh.
My friend Patty Rossi Holden and I are in the process of
starting a campaign called:
“Keep Key West Funky!”
More to come on that soon!! !
LOVE LANE GANG
Talk about a breath of fresh air!!! The Love Lane Gang has
become the biggest craze in Key West over the last six, or eight months. Everyone who hears them, just flat out loves
them! The core of the band is Jerrod Isaman on guitar and lead vocals, Missy
Parker on washboard and vocals, Steve Gibson on mandolin and vocals, and
Stephen La Pierre on upright bass and vocals. Additionally, they also may have
Jason Sands on banjo, or Brielle Jeanette on vocals… Honestly, the band can
consist of as many as a dozen members, you really don’t know what the band may
consist of until you get there.
Tired of heading down Duval and hearing yet another
performer playing Margaritaville, Brown Eyed Girl, or Sweet Home Alabama? Well,
get this! The most interesting thing about these guys is that, my guess is that
70% of their repertoire dates from between 1915 – 1945! These are the types of songs you expect to here on a small lane, such as Love Lane (yes, there is a Love Lane in Key West!). Their set is also
peppered with more contemporary music.. say up to the seventies, an English ballad, or some Dick Dale surf music, but in
addition they have ta fantastic selection of original music, much of which
is rooted in Americana music. When people pass by wherever they are playing,
they stop, their jaws drop in awe, stand in a daze for a bit, then smile and
enter the bar. This band is FUN! You’ll hear stuff like Cab Callaway, Parisian Gypsy
Jazz, Bluegrass, … it’s an endless! Additionally, they are always adding to
their repertoire, not at all afraid to go out on a limb. The Love Lane Gang can
be found around town, however they play every Friday at McConnell’s 8 – 11 and
Salute on Sunday 5:30 – 8:30. What a breath of fresh air these guys are! They are FUN!!!! DAMN!!!
Thank you for checking out the Blog!
To obtain my
music, be sure to check my website for downloads and physical CDs!! This site
also has material not available on other sites.
http://keywestchris.com/
Also My CD is
available on iTunes, CD Baby, CD Universe, Rhapsody, and Beachfront Radio.
Search: Key
West Chris
Thank you everyone!!
Once again, an excellent post Chris! Keep 'em coming!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for turning me on to the Love Lane Gang, they do sound like a lot of fun!
ReplyDelete