Several months back in March, I was contacted by PBS who wanted to do a piece on The Shanty Hounds for their Art Loft series! PBS wanted to do a piece on a Trop Rock act! Fabulous!
Frankly, it was a mystery to both myself and Dani as to how they came up with the idea of focusing on us? Furthermore, they sent it to our Shanty Hound email address. We never really do all that much with this address and it had been to the point that neither Dani or myself had been there in quite a while.
By chance, I went to check it and there was the query from them only a day old! The fact that it was only a day old and we hadn't been there in months makes me think it was just in the cards that it came about. I immediately replied in the affirmative and the ball started rolling very quickly. Likewise, I didn't want to ask too many questions about how they came up with us as a subject. We were flattered they did however and left it at that.
They wanted to film us at Boondocks, a bar/restaurant up on Ramrod Key, twenty-eight miles north of Key West, which is a venue we play. Boondocks is also good for us in that Bob Tucker plays bass and sings our three-part harmony at this gig! Subsequent to that, they wanted to interview us the following day in Key West and everyone felt comfortable with the bar I co-own, The Cork and Stogie, here at 1218 Duval Street!
The PBS crew and The Shanty Hounds arrived at Boondocks about a week later. The PBS crew were both highly professional and fun to work with. They were looking for a complete set of original songs, both mine and Dani's, which was easy to accommodate for us. During the set they seemed to appear out of nowhere in different locations, filming as we played. I'd look and see them on my left, out in the audience using their video cameras, then look away and look back in what seemed like five seconds, and they'd be on the complete opposite side of the restaurant filming away! The PBS crew on the project consisted of three young women and they were truly amazing!
The following day they met us promptly on time at The Cork and Stogie. They interviewed Dani first outside on the veranda, which lasted maybe a half hour. Then they interviewed me inside. Again, these women were first rate professionals and did such a fabulous job, it was a sincere pleasure to work with them!
Production, of course, takes a fair amount of time. However, the end product is now out and aired! Everyone I speak to think it's fabulously done and I agree. The piece is six minutes long, so it's easy to view. Please check it out!
This excerpt is The Shanty Hounds segment of the Art Loft show.
Here is the link for the entire Art Loft show. Check it out, it's a very well done show promoting the arts!
The production was done by PBS/PBT of South Florida and is available to any PBT station around the country.
What an honor to have PBS do a piece on a Trop Rock act from the Keys and they chose us!
Thank you PBS!!!
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Shanty Hounds July 2018 Schedule
We also just received the perhaps the most flattering comment of the year! At a gig on 6/28/2018 a patron leaving said to us:
“We've been here a week and you are the best band we've seen since we arrived”
A comment such as this, especially from a complete stranger can really make you feel like you're doing something worthwhile.
June 2018 was a great month for The Shanty Hounds! Thanks to ALL!!!
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