Picture by Nataliya Pairmount
Key West: Many refer to it as America's Northern Caribbean Tropical Island in the sun. Key West also has perhaps the largest music scene per capita than any other city in the U.S. Noted Key West music photographer and author, Mr. Ralph De Palma, mentioned to me once that there are eighty-five music venues on the island. With a population of 24,649. That equates to 290 people for every music venue. That's pretty damn impressive if you ask me!
Key West emits a certain energy which stimulates the creative spot in one's brain. Over the decades we've seen countless authors, artists, songwriters, and poets do their most prolific work while living on this island. Does this creative energy rise up from the coral rock that it's based on? Perhaps it's something in the tropical breezes and trade winds that meander through the island? Could it have something to do with it being at the point where the waters of the Caribbean, The Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean converge? Perhaps all of the above? I apologize as I don't have an answer. Where it comes from I can not say. What I can say, unequivocally, with no doubt whatsoever, is that it does exist.
Regarding songwriters/musicians, one of the things that I noted very early on, long before I lived here, was that songwriters who live here write from a very different perspective than those who visit.
A visiting songwriter seems to mostly write about the “going to a Key West experience”. This is not a criticism, but rather an observation. After all, when someone lives in say, Peoria, the excitement of going to Key West for a week, or two is pretty fantastic! That can be pretty inspiring! I don't know how many songs are written about driving through the Keys, often miss-naming US1, calling it A1A, with Key West as the destination. Or a song about the crazy, possibly compromising situations some have found their selves in while visiting. Perhaps a tune about just a day sitting on the beach at Ft. Zachary Taylor. These experiences, and others that drew from the inspiration to produce songs that carry both the author and listener through their lives in the other fifty, or fifty-one weeks of the year, somewhere back on the mainland where they are from, which could be anywhere from Florida to Alaska. What this is, is escapism.
The local songwriter is different than that, however. It should be noted that most songwriters in Key West went through the aforementioned phase. Most songwriters in Key West are at best “Fresh Water Conchs”, people who weren't born here, but have lived here at least seven years. Those born in the Keys are “Conchs”.
Local songwriters breathe the air, feel the pulse of the island, and sense that the breeze has shifted and know to duck for cover before the squall brashly blows in with its half hour of wind, hard rain, and vengeance. They recognize the energy of the island even though they may not know where it emits from. Some things are best kept a mystery. They feel these energies 24/7/365, year after year. These folks are not here for a few days or a week. This is their way of life. So, they're not writing about escapism, they are writing about their daily life in the islands.
Believe me, and feel free to ask anyone who lives here who came from the mainland:
Living here 24/7/365 is a lot different than coming on vacation.
Living here 24/7/365 one becomes part of that energy. Additionally, the songwriter goes from being on vacation in Key West to living day-to-day. Listen to Michael McCloud's “Pool Shooting Woman”, or the Survivors “En Cayo Hueso”
Before I lived here, I wanted to live here. The planets, however, weren't aligned properly until May of 2008. Up to that point, I was not a tourist, but a visitor. Consequently, when I did move here I had a head start on Key West. I was attracted to the things that weren't so superficial. I searched out the local color and I started writing music about it. Though it takes time, the energy came through as well! However, I'd say I was here for over a year before I could actually say I was part of the island. To feel it and the pulse and the rhythm of the vibe.
My partner in life, Dani Hoy, will have her five-year anniversary in Key West next month and our band, The Shanty Hounds, is now over four years old! We have come out with our first collaboration album “The Shanty Hounds – Unleashed! Live at Grunts, Key West” This album captures both the escapism and the local feel, all with the energy that Key West somehow produces on its own!
Plus! We are having a CD Release party!
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1st at Grunts Bar, 409 Caroline St, Key West 8 pm – 11 pm!
Grunts Bar 409 Caroline St.
Garbo's also on location at 409 Caroline St!
“Unleashed” captures the magic of Key West's creative energy. The songs on "Unleashed!"that you will already know, have an entirely different feel than on the studio recordings, so it stands on its own. Dani's voice comes through like you've never heard it before, bright and powerful! Additionally, we have three brand new songs released here, “Yippie Cayo Hueso”, “Liveaboard”, and “Tote The Load”! The album also features bassist Bob Tucker and drummer John Sausser, who will both be at the release party as well!
Picture by Ralph De Palma
Giving credit where credit is due, the quality of the recording sets a new standard for an album recorded in a bar. The credit here goes to our engineer and producer, Ian Shaw, who will be at the release party as well, plus Denis Blackham, who did the mastering up in The Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK. Denis has also worked with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Crosby Stills Nash, and Young, Bryan Eno, David Burn, Pete Townsend, Led Zepplin... So it goes without saying that we are eternally grateful that he took on The Shanty Hound's "Unleashed!" project! He also mentioned that he loved the energy!
It's the energy of the island!
We hope to see you there!
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