From Key West, FL to Marietta, PA:
Meet Me in the Keys & my CD Release
Party
By Dani Hoy
Waking up to a rooster crowing nearly
every morning, when you’re not used to it, is a sure way for you to
know you’re someplace different. You stumble out of bed, plant your
feet on the floor and go in search of ibuprofen and strong coffee.
How much fun did I have last night? Must have been a lot. (My
apologies to anyone if I misremember or gloss over any important
details.)
June 14th, around 11:30am,
our 737 landed in the Conch Republic. My good friend J9, and I were
here to participate in Meet Me in the Keys, a fundraising event for
KOA Care Camps hosted by the Southernmost Coconut Castaways. This
Keys-based club is an extension of Howard Livingston’s group of
fans and friends from Iowa and was attended by the man himself, along
with Cyndy, his lovely wife he affectionately calls “Cinderella,”
and many other fine folk.
My “job” was to play the Meet and
Greet that night, but our first stop was to hang out with John Friday
at the Smokin’ Tuna. We had fun playing to the small group there
and hamming it up for the Tuna Cam. After many previous Facebook
chats, I finally met Key West Chris Rehm when he dropped by with his
two lovely hounds. After a bit of Sam Adams and Ceviche, we scooted
over to the DoubleTree for sound check (thanks for the use of your
PA, Chris!) and the Meet and Greet from 6-8pm.
Marc and Tammy Hollander, and all of the
Castaways, were a great audience and so much fun! Captain Josh, John
Friday, Loren Davidson and a few other performers were there as they
were playing over the weekend, too. The really cool thing for me was,
after my gig and a few announcements, plus a song by Captain Ron,
Howie came up to speak and play a few songs. Who’s guitar did he
use? Mine, of course! For a lighter travel footprint, I
brought a ¾ size Martin LXME. On me, it fits. On the guys, it looks
like a toy. However, Howie played his wonderful songs on it,
including “Meet Me in the Keys,” and proved that (wait for it),
size doesn’t matter!
The following day there was a pool
party and a beautiful fashion show featuring comfy, flowing outfits
by Keykers. During the pool party, music was performed by Captain
Josh, Jim Hoehn, John Friday, Loren Davidson, Paul Roush, C.W. Colt,
and Thom Shepherd. After popping in to see the Barry Cuda show at
B.O.’s, we caught Thom again, as he was appearing all week at the
Tuna. Coley McCabe, a beautiful singer with wonderful music projects
of her own, joined him on stage for a couple of songs such as “In
Spite of Ourselves.” Thom blew quite a few strings over the weekend
and, when one of his B-strings came apart, I lent him my mini guitar
while I restrung the B on his. Tom got a lot of laughter when he
asked, “Does this guitar make me look fat?” A few other musicians
jumped up to do a number and, when Thom asked me to do one, I played
“Meet Me on the Boardwalk.”
Saturday was a glorious, steamy day.
After a dip in the pool at Casa 325 Guesthouse, we did a little
shopping, then ended up at Artist Koz’s Green World Gallery.
Captain Josh performed, and then I joined Jim Hoehn and Paul Roush
for a little “round robin” on guitar in front of a great audience
and the web cam. Later, we were back at the Smokin’ Tuna for more
Thom Shepherd. He does a wonderful show, playing favorites like
“Parrothead” and the hit song he wrote, “Riding with Private
Malone.” He also performed “Djibouti,” which he wrote to
entertain the soldiers when he visited there. This time, he was
joined on stage by the lovely Gina Maseratti, a local celebrity.
After a brief downpour, Howard
Livingston and Mile Marker 24 hit the stage. In my opinion, you can’t
beat a horn band for creating a big sound and they really blew us
away. The other thing that blew me away was the appearance of the
Johnson outboard motor/margarita maker. After a vigorous auction, a
generous bidder spent $4,000 for that first margarita. As I mentioned
earlier, this was a charity event and the money went to the pool,
collected over the weekend. The Castaways raised over $10,000 for the
KOA Care Camps.
Sunday dawned, another beautiful day.
(Dawn? Did I say, “Dawn?” Never got up that early!) After
breakfast at Pepe’s, J9 and I meandered over to Schooner’s Wharf
to catch some Michael McCloud. We then headed to Pete’s Dueling
Piano Bar, for more fun with the Castaways. The crown of the evening
was the Sunset Cruise on the Fury catamaran. Thom Shepherd played for
the cruisers while we noshed on snacks, and sipped champagne and
margaritas. I played “TropiGal” during the inevitable string
break. Later, Chris Rehm, Loren Davidson, Captain Josh, Jim Hoehn and
Captain Ron also each did a song or two. I’m pretty sure Loren did
“Pirate Vacation.” With the champagne and margaritas flowing, I
vaguely remember him whipping out a bandana. Arr!
Monday came, and it was time to go.
After a queasy breakfast of coffee and a fiber bar, we packed and
made hasty preparations to mail some booty and swag home. J9 won a
wall-plaque created by one of the castaways and commemorates the
Howard Livingston and Mile Marker 24 experience. I had a huge box of
recently purchased cozies and t-shirts to get home. Marc Hollander
(with thanks to Tammy for letting us “borrow him”) was kind
enough to drive us to the UPS Store and Post Office. After he dropped
us off, we made one last stop at Margaritaville, had a real meal and
said, “see ya later” to Chris Rehm and his dogs. The plane flight
home was fairly uneventful and I arrived home to temps in the 70’s
and a fine rain. For the first time in five days I was cold.
Meet Me in the Keys was a great
experience for me, and I highly recommend to anyone, to attend next year.
