Little Feat

November 9, 2009

Little Feat

The MuseGurus



Little Feat



In the 30 some years that I have been going to see live music, 500 plus concerts and almost 1000 bands, somehow there are still a few bands that slip by and I have never gotten around to seeing. Little Feat, a band that is celebrating their 40th year of existence, happens to be one that I somehow missed. That all changed when the Parrothead convention booked them to headline their Saturday night concert at the Casa Marina beach stage.

Emma & Dani



The day began early as Kathy & I joined hundreds of people who participated in the Zonta Walk/Run to raise money for cancer research. We were walkers, but we kept up a steady clip to complete the 5 K in around 45 minutes. It was a nice walk from Salute restaurant along the beach in a brisk wind.

Kathy & Michael

Tracy & Gretchen

After the walk, I headed over to check out the vendors at the Parrothead convention. I was surprised to find some friends among the vendors as my friend Charlie, who owns a bookstore in Marathon was hosting a book-signing for mystery writers Tom Corcoran & Tim Dorsey. Both authors set their books in Key West and both are worth checking out. Tom who has written songs for Jimmy Buffett (including crowd favorite “Fins”), was excited to share with me the new “Shoreline” CD by John Frinzi on which he co-wrote most of the songs.

Tom, Tim & Charlie



We were back at the Casa by early evening for the Little Feat show. The crowd seemed a little subdued at the start and it took a little time for the band to really get going, but they eventually did and the second half of the show was truly stellar. The weather was near perfect, a beautiful night with a stiff wind coming in off the ocean. The sound system they had was really excellent as well and the band seemed to enjoy the beautiful setting as well.







The parrothead convention wrapped up on Sunday with the final few events. One of these was the wonderful and jam packed Songwriters jam at Blue Heaven. I went and checked it out for a while, watching a variety of up and coming songwriters giving their best trop rock inspired performances. It was a mixed bag, but fun nonetheless. Next, it was over to the Oldest House on Duval where the Bahama Village Music Association was hosting a “Day Filled With Music” which featured a number of local bands performing to raise funds.





Dora & Larry





Our friends Larry & Dora and their band the MuseGurus were performing when I arrived, it was a nice little event, that was interrupted briefly by the loud sounds of the Powerboat parade that motored down Duval Street in the early evening. The events don’t seem to end in Key West this time of year and the World Powerboat Championships are on tap for this week. The parade of boats, heads down Duval before heading into Truman annex to the pits where they will reside all week.

Parrothead Invasion

November 8, 2009

Peter Mayer



Howard Livingston

Parrothead Invasion

Bill Wharton

The weekend after Fantasy Fest in Key West is reserved each year for an influx of Parrotheads who hold their annual Jimmy Buffett fan convention, The Meeting of the Minds on the island. Literally thousands of mostly middle-aged, often pudgy and somewhat pasty people arrive from the north, in search of the mythical tropical island lifestyle that is espoused in Jimmy Buffett songs.



Peter & Jim Mayer



They are a friendly bunch and they certainly enjoy a libation or two, easily standing out in their funny hats, Hawaiian shirts and their convention credentials draped around their necks. Many locals seem to despise them for some reason, I can’t figure out the origins of the many negative comments that I hear from friends because they are a harmless lot. In fact they not only add needed dollars to the bottom line of our local economy, they also donate a tremendous amount of funds to local charities.



It is through their charity work that I first started attending the convention about 12 years ago, as Reef Relief was one of the charities they supported. While I no longer work for Reef Relief, I have kept signing up as an attendee, even though I am not a parrothead in the truest sense. The reason is that they bring a fantastic array of music to the island for the week and they know how to throw a great party. In addition to occasional appearances by Jimmy Buffett himself (he was a no-show this year), they bring in all sorts of great trop rock bands, members of the Coral Reefer band and more, putting on concerts and performances at many venues around town.

Peter Mayer



The first night featured a stunning good show at The Studios of Key West by Peter Mayer, who is a member of Jimmy’s Coral Reefer Band. Peter & his brother Jim recently released an entire CD of Beatles songs that they reworked and rearranged and the show featured them performing these songs in the sold-out (two shows) at the Armory.





The intimate setting and familiarity of the crowd with the Beatles tunes as well as the rabid parrothead following that came to the show, made for a spectacular performance. We were thrilled to have been able to see the incredible show. For those in Key West, Mayer will be returning to TSKW for an encore show in January and I would suggest rushing out and getting tickets.

Club Trini



Shannon & Carla

The next night was at the beautiful beach stage at the Casa Marina and we saw performances by the Boat Drunks and Club Trini, which is basically the Coral Reefer band sans Jimmy. While the Boat Drunks were decent, Club Trini was sadly terrible and we actually left early.





Friday afternoon, was the Parrothead street party on Duval, headlined by Howard Livingston & the MM24 band. Howard lives just up the Keys and has been getting increasingly popular as his light, fun beach inspired music catches on. Watching his performance from the perfect vantage point of the Spottswood Law offices, it is easy to see why Howard is enjoying so much success. He was fantastic, easily one of the highlights of the weekend.

Teri & Jerry



Gae

Mike



After Howard’s show it was over to the Green Parrot, where The Sauce Boss- Bill Wharton was whipping up some blues music and his traditional Gumbo for the packed soundcheck audience, performing from the stage, atop the bar and even heading out into the street outside the bar.



Bill Wharton

Peter Mayer website

Howard Livingston website