Music from the Mailbox

I’m a Trop Rock fan. Big surprise. If the song is about beaches, bars, or boats, chances are I will like it. Lucky for me, there are literally HUNDREDS of artists out there these days singing about my three favorite subjects – and I’m discovering new ones every week.  As a fan, I listen to this kind of music most of my waking hours anyway. But, I’m also a mobile dj – the only one that I know of in my part of the country that features Beach Music and Trop Rock as a regular part of my playlist, from weddings to pool parties. So, I also get a regular chance to play these tunes for other people - not just Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Bob Marley, and the Beach Boys – but independent singer/songwriters and bands. My wife and I also have a business – Bahama Llama – that brings “great food and a tropical vibe” to festivals around the Atlanta area. Our booths are always beach themed and, of course, the music we play all day is Buffett and Trop Rock. At some festivals, that could mean tens of thousands of people passing by our booth (hopefully, at least some stopping) and hearing what we’re playing. On top of all that, I have this blog. One of the main reasons I started it was to help expose people around the world to Trop Rock and the folks who play it - hence the second word in the title. 

For all those reasons, hardly a week goes by that I don't walk out to my mailbox and find a package full of cds from somewhere around the country. Some are new releases from artists and bands I have known about for some time, others are from people I've only recently been introduced to. Either way, I'm like a kid in a candy store - I can't wait to get back inside and hear what the mailman has brought me.

Here are some of the more recent releases I have gotten in the last few weeks... 

 Paul Roush "Today's The Day" - Paul is a veteran music maker from Missouri with a storied history. He was a founding member of the band Phins, 2008 winners of the Trop Rock Horizon Award, and also fronted the 12 Volt Band. He decided to go solo last year and the result is this cd. Recorded at Orca Sound Studios in Maryland, it was produced by Captain Quint's Kevin Johnson, who also plays keyboards, bass and drums on the disc. The ten tracks include a few notable covers; "Layin' My Life On The Line" comes courtesy of Jerry Jeff Walker, "Daddy Was A Sailor" is a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band composition, "I Wanna Be A Pirate" was originally found on the Captain Quint cd, "Unsinkable Still", and it doesn't take a die hard Springsteen fan to immediately identify "Thunder Road". The rest of the material is all original, including "Bad Day On Vacation" - a glass-half-full look at a bike ride on the beach, "Today's The Day" - a feel good ditty about discovering a love you already had, and the retrospective "Just To See If I Could". Two of the more melancholy songs, "Three Sailors" and  "Fools, Drunks, And Children", are updated versions of Paul's tunes originally penned for Phins projects (the former can be found on "Welcome To The Beach", the latter is the title track to their 2002 cd). Howard Livingston fans will also appreciate Paul's hilarious ode to the multi-award winning Florida Keys' musician, "I Wanna Be Howie" (with a nod to Brent Burns).  http://www.paulroush.com/ 

Captain Josh "Whitecaps & Nitecaps" - Josh Ramsteck, aka "Captain Josh", hails from the Orlando, Florida area and is a true Parrot Head - member of the Parrotheads of Central Florida. "Whitecaps & Nitecaps" is his third cd - following up on 2008's "If I Had A Hammock" and "Music In The Lower Keys" from 2007. Like the first two, it consists of original material with some carefully chosen covers, most notably on this one Ricky Nelson's 1972 hit "Garden Party" and the Motown Classic (later re-recorded by Linda Ronstadt) "Ooh Baby Baby". Josh's original tracks often take a humorous look at the Parrot Head lifestyle, and this cd is no exception:  "Parrotheads in Paradise" boogies along on a bed of Buffett references, the double entendre filled "Deep Vee Bottom" is a tongue firmly in cheek look at boats, "Room Key" tells the (true?) story of an amorous fan at a festival date Josh played in Panama City, Florida, and "I'm Into Leather But I Could Be Suede" speaks for itself. Of the "serious songs", "Ship To Shore" would be a great one to listen to as the sun sets and the title track is a nautical ditty with squeeze box accompaniment. Guests on the cd include Trop Rocker Jimi Pappas and guitarist Rob Seay. http://capt-josh.com/

John Patti "Cabana Breeze" - From appearances on various Trop Rock records, to a tropical take on the Folger's Coffee theme with John Reno (top ten finalist in a national contest), to the recent Coral Reefer Soul show in Tampa, and upcoming dates in Costa Rica with Jim Morris, John Patti is a busy guy these days. Playing the steel drum from an early age, Patti cites a chance encounter with the Coral Reefers in Key West back in 1998 as a turning point in his musical career. "Cabana Breeze" is his second cd and features Buffett band members Peter Mayer, Doyle Grisham, and Nadirah Shakoor, who adds vocals to the soulful and sexy "Steamer". The other ten tracks are all-instrumentals. Songs like "Start The Party", "Catamaran Race", "Tiki Groove", and "Tauranga" make you want to run, not walk, to stick a lime into a long neck and your toes in the nearest sand, and "Wonderful Tonight" is his reggae-fied (and slightly more upbeat) take on the Clapton classic. John is a member of the Deb Grisham Music group of artists, which also includes Nadirah Shakoor, and both Peter and "Uncle" Jim Mayer. http://www.johnpatti.com/

Scott Kirby "Row Me Home" - As an unabashed Scott Kirby fan, I was thrilled to connect with him via telephone recently to conduct an extended interview (found elsewhere on this very blog) and talk about some of his music, including tracks on this - his sixth cd, released last year. Produced by world renowned drummer Russ Kunkel (Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Dan Fogelberg and countless others) and featuring an all star cast of musicians like Leland Sklar, Dean Parks, and Coral Reefers Jim and Peter Mayer and Roger Guth, "Row Me Home" is full of Kirby's trademark warmth and poet's eye for detail. Favorite tracks include "Blow Me Down To Cayo Hueso" - an ode to his own song line, which has taken him from New England to Key West, "Port Outbound Starboard Home" - a catchy Jackson Browne type rocker about not looking back, the pretty, country tinged "Out Here Near The Edge" and the cleverly titled acoustic ballad "Row Me Home To Juliet". Kirby recently kicked off his Spring/Summer tour in New Hampshire and will be travelling South and West, with dates in Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Washington and more through July.  http://www.scottkirby.com/

 Hana & Satchwell "Chillaxin" - Another group featured in a full length interview on this blog, Ricky Hana and Alan Satchwell split their time between the California coast and Hawaii. Successful musicians in their own rights, 2010's Chillaxin is their second cd as a duo and the second to win a Hawaii Music Award as "Pop Album Of The Year". As the name implies, "Chillaxin"' is all about slowing down and taking things one day at a time. "Island Daze Island Nights" rides a lazy horn-driven groove, the beautiful and relaxing "My Sunset" features their trademark smooth vocal harmonies, "Duval Street" and "Cali Samba" are jazzy instrumentals, "Island Gurl" is the perfect soundtrack for a cruise along the North Shore, and "First Day Of Summer" and "Lighten The Load" are reggae tinged and danceable. Much Aloha!  http://hanasatchwell.com

Hana & Satchwell: It's all about Ohana

 "Want to be with my Ohana. Want to ride in my canoe. 

We can all be friends and family...If your heart is true."

Those lines are taken from "Island Daze and Island Nights", one of sixteen tracks on Hana & Satchwell's  "Chillaxin'" cd, winner of the Hawaii Music Awards "Pop Album of The Year" in 2010 (their previous cd, "Love Of The Islands" took home the same honors the year before).

The theme of Ohana - along with the Hawaiian spirit of Aloha -  runs through all of Hana & Satchwell's music. Ohana means family in Hawaiian and, if you have spent any time on the Hawaiian islands, you know that they celebrate two families. There is the nuclear family - brothers, sisters, mother, father. But, there is also an extended family. You can stop and ask a complete stranger for directions and chances are the reply might include being called "cuz" or "brudda", for "cousin" or "brother". That's because Hawaiians have a deep seeded belief that all people are related. Bob Marley's "One Love/One World". Hawaiians are also extremely proud of their islands, the beauty and history. And that's another theme that runs through Hana & Satchwell's music. So, who are these two multi-award winning musicians who bring the traditions of the Hawaiian islands to the 21st century?

Hana is Ricky Hana. He grew up playing piano on California's Catalina Island, but moved to Santa Barbara in his mid teens and picked up the guitar. At the time, the early 70's, he was more into the rock bands of the day - Cream, Santana, Buffalo Springfield. "I got a job working at one of the music venues and got to see bands like Led Zep, Jethro Tull - guitar players like Page and Clapton." Convinced he wanted to make music his career, but still attending school for "something to fall back on", Ricky started playing guitar at local parties, bowling alleys, and bars, eventually joining a local group called DB Cooper, which landed a contract with Warner Brothers Records. "It was cool. We opened for bands like

Tom Petty, Judas Priest, Toto, The Pretenders and many times for the The Beach Boys, were paid weekly salaries, flew from town to town, had roadies. The whole rock and roll lifestyle!" But, eventually, that lifestyle caught up with him and he felt he needed to take a break. "I wanted to get away, raise my Ohana, my family. So, I packed up and moved to Hawaii."

Satchwell is Alan Satchwell. He also grew up near the coast of California - in Palos Verdes, but played the trumpet as a youngster, inspired by Herb Alpert. "I started writing songs on a little four track recorder when I was about 16 or 17." A music degree from UCLA followed, then some studio work as a singer, as well as time spent on the popular nationally televised music shows Solid Gold and Solid Gold Hits. "In the 80's I was in a band called North by Northwest that played the clubs in the L.A area and got a deal with Interscope Records, and I also wrote songs for other artists. Then, in 1993, I went to work for a church in the San Fernando Valley. I helped them build a gospel choir - which came in handy much later when it came time to do the vocal arranging on the Hana & Satchwell cds." Like Ricky, Alan soon got burnt out on the lifestyle, too. But, instead of heading to the Hawaiian islands, Alan sought his solace in Santa Barbara, in the picturesque St. Ynez Valley. "I raised four kids there, had a small vineyard..It was nice."

Two California musicians, with successful careers, moving in different directions. And, each ultimately fried on the business and lifestyle. How did their paths converge? And how did their rock/pop/jazz/new wave/gospel backgrounds evolve into to the island rhythms which ultimately led them to having the Top Pop Album in Hawaii two years running? I'm getting to that...As H&S might say, "Chillax, brudda!"

"We had grown up in the same area of California, actually played in a band together - a Christian band - years earlier. So, we were friends," says Alan. "But, then we lost track of each other for must have been 8-10 years. Ricky had moved to Hawaii and I was in Santa Barbara." 

Ricky picks it up: "I fell in love with Hawaii, the people and the natural beauty. I worked as a tour guide in Maui for a while, spent time with my Ohana. Was there for twenty years. But, eventually, I missed the music. I picked my guitar back up and started writing some new material, which was influenced by what I had been experiencing. In 2008, I released a cd on my own, "My Hawaii."

Alan: "I came across Ricky's new stuff on the internet, was really impressed with the songs he was writing - they had this great island feel to them. I had been to Hawaii during this time too, on a second honeymoon with my wife. I got to spend some time with the locals. You look into their eyes, see the depth of their spirituality and your blood pressure drops. Hawaii ministered to me. I really got a sense of Aloha. I started writing some new material and sent it to Ricky in Hawaii. That was it. We decided we needed to work together."   

Ricky: "Once we decided to work together, our first cd, "Love Of The Islands", came together really quickly. It was recorded and out in three months. A month later we won the Hawaii Music Award!"

So, you knew each other, had even worked together, but it was Hawaii that really was the common bond?

Alan: "Southern California and Hawaii have always had this relationship, there's alot of synergy between the two. When things get too crazy in California, people go to Hawaii to recharge. Musicians like Jack Johnson and Mick Fleetwood have homes in both places. Hawaii is like 'California West."

Ricky: "I love to come back to California, still keep a place in Santa Barbara. I come to see Alan, to play, and to work on new music. But, I still consider Hawaii home. The music scene there is great; open and refreshing. They respect their older musicians, but welcome new energy."

How did you write and record the second cd, "Chillaxin'?

Ricky: "Pretty much the same way as the first. We each came with our ideas. We'd trade files over the internet, I would carry a portable studio with me for whenever I came up with a new idea. And, when I came to California, we'd get together at Alan's studio."

Alan: "We played what we felt, that spirit of Aloha. It's hard to explain. It's not something you can force, it's more of a concept, like the term 'Trop Rock'. It's what's in your heart. I mean, Brian Wilson wrote about waves and cars, couldn't surf and didn't even have a driver's license!" The process was very fluid. Almost every sound on the cd is unedited, exactly as we played it the first time."

So what is next?

Ricky: "We're constantly writing. As soon as we finish one album, we start working on the next. We want to get out and play around California. And we have been discovering - starting to be embraced by - the Trop Rock community. We're looking to do more of the 'Parrot Head' type events around the country. Now that DJ Jeff Allen lives near us in California, we hope to be on BeachFront Radio soon."

Alan: "And we want to say 'Mahalo' to you for all your help in letting people know about us, spreading the Aloha."

I also asked Ricky and Alan about some of their favorite places to hang out when they're not working, in Hawaii and SoCal:

Ricky: I spend alot of time in Waikiki. There are a lot of great local spots but, believe it or not, I like the Cheesecake Factory (on Kalakaua - Fred)! Great food and great prices. When I want to get out of the city, there is a little surfing town called Hale'iwa on the North Shore (be sure to grab a shave ice at Matsumoto's - Fred). If you're in Kaua‘i, Bar Acuda in Hanalei has great food and great service.

Alan: In Santa Barbara, Brophy Brothers has some tasty food. It's right on the harbor. In Long Beach, Shoreline Village has lots of shops and restaurants - places like The Yard House, which has around 1000 different beers - and always has great entertainment.

http: //www.hanasatchwell.com

http://www.facebook.com/Hana.Satchwell

http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/
http://haleiwatownhawaii.com/

http://www.gonorthshore.org/

http://www.matsumotoshaveice.com/

http://restaurantbaracuda.com/ 

http://brophybros.com/

http://shorelinevillage.com/

http://www.yardhouse.com/CA/Long_Beach/