Joel Oates: Suburban Swashbuckler. How YOU can turn your backyard into a Parrot Head Paradise!

Ever hear an artist perform a song and thought, "He (or she) is singing about me!"? Joel Oates has.  In fact, he thinks it every time he hears Jim Asbell's "Pirate In His Own Backyard", found on the Georgia Trop Rocker's "Man Overboard" cd. Only, in Joel's case, the song actually IS about him! "Tankard filled up to the brim, he walks out back to set sail again...Smooth sailing from his captain's chair, his friends and loved ones join him there. He's a pirate in his own backyard."

A true "Suburban Swashbuckler", Joel Oates is a founding member of the Atlanta Parrot Head Club - the original, and therefore oldest, such Club in the country. Like many of us, Joel and his wife, Susan, love the beach and the trop rockin' lifestyle. But, being five hours from the nearest salt water - in the town of Duluth, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta - means they have had to carve out their own little slice of tropical heaven. I spoke to Joel recently and asked him how he built his "harbor surrounded by the city".

What did this house look like when you and Susan first moved in?

We bought the place in 2002. It was your basic suburban backyard, with a cyclone fence around it. It had a pool, a nice garden and flowers, a small deck, but something was missing."


What made you choose it over others you looked it?

As we went around looking at different houses, we would give each one a name, to help us remember it. There is a house Susan and I would rent when we went down to Key West called Fish Gardens. It's right behind Pepe's. Oddly enough, there were no fish at the Key West Fish Gardens, but we liked the name. When we looked at this house, it had a fish pond - stocked with Goldfish. So, this house became 'Fish Gardens'. When we wound up buying it, the name stuck. It's a piece of Key West we were able to bring to Georgia."


So, you buy this house in Duluth, Georgia and it needs a Parrot Head make over. What did you do first?

"We knew we wanted an 'I'm Living on an Island' feel (With a nod to Howard Livingston - Fred). As it turned out, one of the wedding presents Susan and I received was a palm tree. So, that was really the first thing to go in. We now had a pool and a palm tree. That made a statement. We started adding inexpensive little touches like Christmas lights, tiki torches, and some lawn art - pink flamingos. ..


You and Susan like to travel to tropical places. How did that help with the decorating?

"We do like to travel - the Keys, Caribbean. Our honeymoon was in St. Lucia. Now that we had this backyard, wherever we would go, we'd start picking things up we thought would look good; fish, turtles, lizards. Susan got into collecting flat sculptures made out of old steel drums. Little by little, we started adding more and more."


What next?

"I mentioned that the yard had some nice gardens, but we wanted more of a tropical feel. So, Susan started replacing the plants and flowers with ones she saw down in the Keys - that we knew would survive Atlanta winters but would add some color."

How about the deck?

"That was probably the biggest project and we waited almost five years to do that. The house had a small 10' x 10' deck when we moved in. But, we like to throw parties, invite alot of people over, so we knew we needed to expand it.I enlisted a contractor friend - who also happened to be a Parrot Head - and we told him what we were going for, that we wanted to go all out on. He got to work and built us a 500 square foot deck, five times the size of the original."

And the "Tiki Hut"?

"I had an area where I kept my grill. I started thinking it would be nice to have a shelter over it, to keep the rain off.  I wanted it sturdy but also wanted more of an open feel, like a palapa. While the "pros" were building the deck, another couple of friends came over. We'd stand around drinking beer and talk about what we thought would work and what wouldn't."

Sounds like an episode of "King of The Hill", with Hank and his buddies...

"(Laughs) It was kind of like that. It took alot of trips to the hardware store - and alot of beer - but we got it done. Luckily, I live about a mile and a half from a Lowes! We put a cement slab under it, ran electricity to it, shingled the roof - it's actually built to code - but, to give it the island touch, covered it in thatch. Now, I've got my grill, a Big Green Egg smoker, and some other things under there. It's a real outdoor kitchen. I can cook a couple hundred pounds of meat at a time out there. "

Where did you find the thatch for the roof?

"On Ebay. It's real thatch -  came in a roll we could cut to whatever size we needed. Nowadays they also make it out of plastic. It's more expensive, but it's practically permanent. I still prefer the 'real' stuff, though."


Anything else?

"The thing that really 'converted' the yard was when we covered up the hurricane fence with some bamboo we found on the internet. The bamboo came in rolls, is 6 feet high, and we attached it to the old metal fence with 12 gauge wire, so it's sturdy but still allows air and light to come through. And it looks alot better.

We also added outdoor speakers on the deck and pool area, so we could pipe Trop Rock from the house to the backyard".


How much in total would you say you spent to make your Parrot Head Paradise"?

"It's hard to say exactly how much, because we did it little by little over the years, and we're still adding to it. For instance, not too long ago someone gave us a 3' tiki totem statue, then I went out and found another one at Lowes. They cost about $150 each. Overall, the art cost anywhere from a couple of bucks to hundreds of dollars for each piece. Another few hundred in plants. The original palm tree died, so we had to get a new one of those. The tiki hut was about $600 - plus beer for the guys who helped, and the bamboo fence was about $400. The deck was by far the biggest expense."


What about maintenance?

"Other than the usual care and upkeep of a yard and pool? The thatch on the tiki hut needs to be replaced about every three years. I pressure wash the bamboo fence once a year. And, of course, the deck needs to be water proofed and re-stained every few years. That's pretty much it. We do alot more enjoying it than working on it!"

I hope this post inspires some of you to become a "Pirate in your own backyard" (or, as the Brent Burns song goes, put a "Beach In My Back Yard"). As Joel mentioned, he and his wife Susan like to entertain. Among the many parties they host at Fish Gardens is a yearly Conch Republic Independence Day Celebration, which I am very much looking forward to attending.


http://fishgardens.net/

http://atlantaparrotheadclub.org/

Trop Rock Artist Spotlight: Jeff Pike and A1A

1984 began with the introduction of the Apple Mac and ended with Band Aid's “Do You Know It’s Christmas” single. In between, Michael Jackson found out hair spray and pyrotechnics don’t mix, the Tigers beat the Padres in the World Series, Ronald Reagan beat Walter Mondale for President of the US and the Space Shuttle Challenger made its first landing at Kennedy Space Center. George Orwell wrote about it, David Bowie sang about it. An interesting year, to say the least. And, on October 24th of that year, another little piece of history – at least as far as Parrot Heads are concerned - was taking place at a small barbecue joint called Jilly's Ribs in Atlanta, GA. That's the night a 22 year old guitarist, keyboard player, and one-time award winning barbershop quartet singer named Jeff Pike stepped up to the mic and launched a solo career that would lead to the founding of A1A – “The Official and Original Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show” - putting the young musician squarely in the middle of Parrothead history.

From a musical family (his mother played piano and organ) Jeff’s first musical memories go back to hearing Harry Belafonte records being played around the house in the early 60’s. Music continued to be a large part of his life through the late 70’s, from singing in grade school glee club and choir, to playing guitar in a high school rock band. In 1978, Jeff and one of his high school buddies formed an acoustic duo, performing material from the top singer/songwriters of the day, like Jackson Browne, Don McLean and – Jeff’s personal favorite at the time - Dan Fogelberg. His life would change forever when he first heard the Buffett live album “You Had To Be There”, recorded earlier that same year at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. Jeff dropped the needle on the song “Captain and the Kid” and the rest, as they say, is history. Ironically, Jeff had given up his tickets to see the show to go see a girl.

College and a series of bands followed until 1984, when Jeff decided to strike out solo. The Jilly’s gig only paid $35 a night but the experience was priceless. Not only was it his  first “professional” solo performance, but it also found him starting to add Jimmy Buffett tunes to his repertoire – including some of those songs he had heard on that live concert album six years earlier.

Cut to 1988. Returning from the road following another stint with a cover band, Jeff once again decided to go the solo route. For the next year, he performed around the Atlanta area as a one-man band, using recently acquired drum programming skills for backing percussion and incorporating more and more of Jimmy Buffett’s music in his show. He also started seeing larger and larger crowds come out to hear Jimmy’s tall tales of sailing ships and sandy beaches. It was during one of those shows that he came across a newspaper ad calling Buffett fans in the Atlanta area to come together to “Party with a Purpose”. The ad, it turned out, had been placed by Scott Nickerson, a fellow musician and major Buffett fan in Atlanta. The two got together, became fast friends, and before you can say “Pencil Thin Moustache”, Jeff’s one man Buffett show became a two man tribute to Jimmy -  arguably the first “Trop Rock” act ever. It also began the worldwide phenomenon known as the Parrot Head Nation, as Scott went on to form the Atlanta Parrot Head Club - the first club of it's kind in the world. In 1991 Scott and Jeff picked up the name A1A (details on the exact date and who came up with the name are still fuzzy). and the next year won a Margaritaville Records-sponsored Jimmy Buffett sound-alike contest.

Scott called it quits in 2002, but Jeff and A1A continued on and, since then, have released a number of CDs. “Ship Happens” came out in 2003, followed by 2008's “Beachwrecked” – along with a pair of live cds: "A1A - Live" (featuring long time Coral Reefer Greg "Fingers" Taylor and produced by current CR bass player “Uncle” Jim Mayer), and “A1A and Friends - Live at Hemingways”. In 2002, Jeff and friends, going by the name Vertical Smile, released another rowdy and raucous live cd. Recorded at The Keys Bar in Montgomery, Alabama, the disc includes both original material and hilarious parody versions of Jimmy Buffett songs ("Tuck It In Second Chin", "Parrothead Saturday Night") and classic rock hits ("Don't Stop Drinking Until Tomorrow"). Through the years, Jeff has also appeared on stage with Jimmy Buffett, in Jimmy's video for "Fruitcakes", and was a featured soloist on Jimmy's "Barometer Soup Radio Special CD".

More recently, A1A sold out several nights at the Strand Theatre in Marietta, Georgia in 2010. One of those nights was recorded and is being mixed down for release as a live cd. The final disc will include an hour of all-original Jeff Pike/A1A material, plus a cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" and is expected to hit the streets in April or May of this year. And, last but not least, Referettee Nadirah Shakoor enlisted Jeff and the band to provide back up music for some of her solo dates back in 2009 and, rumor has it, that Jeff and Nadirah have been in talks recently to do some more co-headling dates in 2011. Keep an eye on this site for more details soon. 

 For a full discography, including Jeff's solo cds, and more info on Jeff or A1A you can check out any of the following websites… www.a1a-live.com, www.jeffpikemusic.com, www.jeffpike.com, or www.facebook.com/TheJeffPike

Blame it on Buffett (with a nod to Kelly McGuire)

I have always loved the water. I was born near the Southern coast of Spain (military dad) less than twenty miles from the Atlantic Ocean. From there, we moved to Long Island, New York - a fish shaped spit of land surrounded by water, and later to NJ, with its miles of coast line. Summers were spent at places like Long Beach, Long Island and Ocean City, MD. Over the years I have moved around the country for school, jobs, and other reasons but have always gravitated toward H2O, including stops in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Corpus Christi, Texas. I'm far more comfortable in a pair of shorts than a suit (which may partly explain why none of my careers - and I've had a few - have ever involved the word "corporate"). My lovely wife is the same. Which in no way explains why, for the last twenty years, we have lived landlocked in the Southern city of Atlanta...miles from even a boat worthy body of water, let alone sand and surf. The fact is we got here, set down roots, had kids and, two decades later, are still here. Early on, when I was doing record promotion, I was able to travel all up and down both the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts: St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Miami, Key West, Sanibel, Ft. Myers, Apalachicola - staying ocean front whenever possible. We found lots of great restaurants, tiki bars and hotels along the way. Now, while I don't travel any more for business, as often as possible we still escape to "where the map turns blue", places like Ft. Walton or Fernandina Beach, FL.

So, what does all that have to do with Jimmy Buffett? Jimmy's music has been the soundtrack for both my wife and I for as long as we can remember. When we can't physically be at the beach, we put on a Buffett song and instantly get transported to "One Particular Harbour", with a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" in one hand, and a "Tin Cup Chalice" in the other. ThroughJimmy's music we have been introduced to the world of Parrot Heads, loud Aloha shirts, and the "frozen concoctions that help us hang on" (Hang on! Hang on!). As if all that wasn't enough, several years ago a member of the Atlanta Parrot Head Club turned me on to "Trop Rock" (thanks, Cathy!). What is Trop rock? That's for a whole 'nother post. Suffice to say that it has become a large part of my life. Our love of beaches, boats, bars, and bands that sing about all of the above. Blame it on Buffett....