Key West has all the time been a scorching spot for stay music. When vacationers lastly get to the top of the highway after making the lengthy trek down the Keys, it does one thing to their psyche. Usually respectable residents of the mainland are inclined to breathe within the free air of the tropics and begin doing a little fairly uncharacteristic issues – issues like ingesting rum runners and stripping right down to barely perceptible garments. And so they naturally congregate on Duvall Road, the place the native golf equipment are comfortable to contribute to the anything-goes environment. Reside music pours out of practically each bar.
The music leans closely in direction of a Jimmy Buffett, island-flavored sound, and also you’re certain to listen to “Brown-Eyed Lady” not less than ten occasions an evening from ten completely different golf equipment. And that is accurately, as a result of everyone seems to be normally in an island kinda temper. However there’s way more to be discovered. You’ll be able to hear jazz, reggae, onerous rock and blues, from locations like Rick’s, Sloppy Joe’s, The Bull, La Concha, The Hog’s Breath, and, if you happen to do not thoughts strolling an additional ten blocks or so, Jimmy Buffett’s personal Margaritaville Cafe. What makes the entire scene so interesting is that many of the golf equipment are open to the skin, and all this music makes a potent gumbo of sound within the humid air as you stroll down the road.
Way back, earlier than there was ever a highway to Key West, many of the city was populated by pirates, who helped to ‘salvage’ items from ships that had been wrecked on the reefs as a result of somebody had switched the sign lights round. Everybody knew who switched these lights within the first place, in fact. However salvaging was a tempting, profitable occupation in these days. That outlaw spirit nonetheless lives in Key West, and it may be heard within the music of performers within the golf equipment and from avenue performers on practically each block.
I personally received to expertise wholesome doses of Key West music each April for 15 years, once I performed at Sloppy Joe’s with the duo Faust and Lewis 방콕밤문화.
We developed our music and comedy act on that well-known stage, and wrote gobs of humorous songs about life within the islands. We all the time did the 5-9 PM shift, so after our present there was loads of time to do the Duvall Crawl and take a look at the opposite acts on the town. I turned an excellent fan of Hugo Duarte, who was performing on the Hog’s Breath Saloon late one night time in early April. It was uncharacteristically cool that night time, with the temperature all the way in which down within the low 60’s, however my spouse and I braved the coolness to hearken to Hugo for over an hour. His unique songs are practically good, and inform nice tales about life within the islands, and about ship captains heading someplace down south.
I additionally received to know Terry Cassidy, who nonetheless does afternoons at Sloppy Joe’s. He provides a clean, bluegrass really feel to his island music, and his music “Hooked On the Straightforward Life” nearly sums up the perspective of the locals.
Pete and Wayne presently deal with the 5-9 shift at Sloppy’s, and you may make certain they’re persevering with the “What Me Fear?” perspective down there, with their adult humor and songs.
There are such a lot of extra artists which have made an actual splash on the Key West scene. Pat Dailey, the legend of Lake Erie, has been performing in February and March at Sloppy Joe’s for over twenty years. Invoice Wharton, The Sauce Boss, one of many best blues gamers I’ve ever seen, additionally makes scorching sauce throughout his reveals and serves it up in gumbo to individuals who keep round till the top. He makes common appearances at Margaritaville. Ben Harrison, who along with his spouse Helen personal Harrison Gallery, can be a famend singer-songwriter who places on mini operas about among the colourful characters in Key West historical past, together with a man who saved his spouse’s physique in his parlor for years after she died.
All of us who’ve carried out and written songs about Key West owe an incredible debt to Shel Silverstein, who lived in Key West till his loss of life a number of years in the past. Shel wrote many well-known songs, together with “The Unicorn Track,” and “Cowl of the Rolling Stone,” in addition to numerous award-winning youngsters’s books, together with “The place the Sidewalk Ends.” He generously gave of his time and skills to mentor songwriters that made their option to Key West. I personally spent a day at his home, and I knew I used to be actually within the presence of greatness.
I just lately did a weekend again at Sloppy Joe’s for the primary time in 4 years. You’ll be able to relaxation assured that the music and enjoyable proceed on, as vibrant as ever. Perhaps it is the gulf breeze. Perhaps it is the rum runners. No matter it’s, I hope it goes on ceaselessly.