Meeting of the Minds 2014

         Every year on the first week of November, thousands of Parrot Heads and Trop Rock music fans "flock" to Key West, Florida for the annual Jimmy Buffett fan club convention called "Meeting Of The Minds". Four (or five, or six, or more - depending on your stamina) days of sun and fun in the bars and watering holes around Key West. Like many of our friends, Georgia and I like to take the long way down - flying in to Ft. Lauderdale, renting a car and driving down US 1 until we get to the end of the road. Along the way, we all have our favorite stops for fish sandwiches, conch fritters, and a variety of frozen drinks and cold beer. Here is a random picture diary of this year's trip. If you were there, we hope you reminisce along with us. if you weren't - or have never been - maybe this will coerce you into planning a trip in 2015...

 Alabama Jacks, Key Largo

 BO's Fish Wagon, Key West

 John Frinzi, Smokin' Tuna Saloon, Key West

 Sunset at Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park, Key West

 Geiger Key Marina, Key West

 Sunset in Key Largo

 Ft. Zachary Taylor, Key West

 Gilbert's Resort, Key Largo

 Jim Morris at Hog's Breath Saloon street party, Key West

 Kelly McGuire and Mark Mulligan, Key West Lighthouse

 Duval Street, Key West

 Lor-e-lei, Islamorada

 Looe Key Tiki Bar, Ramrod Key

 Peter Mayer and Coral Reefers, Casa Marina, Key West

 Rob Mehl, Hog's Breath, Key West

 Rum Runners, Islamorada

 Schooner Wharf, Key West

 Sunset in Key Largo

Sunset, Mallory Square, Key West

You can be a Goomba!

The Goombas have an offer you can't refuse. The Young Rebel Goombas, that is. Long Island (aka "Strong Island"), New York's favorite Trop Rockers are getting ready to work on a new album, their first in five years. But, as anyone who has ever picked up an instrument with the intention of recording some music knows, studio time = money. And, like a lot of bands, while the Goombas have an over abundance of talent, energy, and new musical ideas, that doesn't always translate to flush bank accounts. So, the Goombas have hatched an interesting, "outside the box" idea for raising some moolah to help cover the costs of their upcoming project: They're reaching out to their fans.

Using the latest web technology and a healthy dose of social networking, YRG have enlisted the help of a site called Kickstarter, which allows them to accept "pledges" - from $1 to $5000 or more. Their goal is to reach $25,000 in pledges from friends and fans by June 7, 2012. In exchange for financial support, donors can receive everything from autographed postcards, t-shirts, and advance copies of the cd, to your name printed in the cd liner notes - even a private concert from members of the band. Here is the link:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/youngrebelgoombas/new-album-by-young-rebel-goombas

The Young Rebel Goombas hope to have the as-yet-untitled album finished by November, just in time for the next Meeting Of The Minds. Be a part of Trop Rock history - and become an honorary Goomba today!

http://www.trollstudios.com/youngrebelgoombas/index.html

How James White got "Sunny"...

James White is one of the most well known and popular Trop Rock performers in the world. But, how well do you know "Sunny Jim"? Read on to find out about his early days in the "Country music capital of the West", how a broken heart took him to the Caymans, how family trumped island fun, and some of his favorite local places to hang out with his wife, Adela. Oh, and how, exactly, he got "Sunny". Plus, the stories behind some of his favorite songs....

We have something in common… We both spent time in Corpus Christi, Texas. You were born in San Antonio, but grew up in Corpus. But, then your family moved to Southern California. How bad of a culture clash was that – going from coastal Texas to late 60’s Southern California??

It was a culture clash, moving to California, but not in the way you might expect. I went from beachy Corpus Christi (which is where I’m sure my love of the ocean comes from) to the Country music capital of the West, Bakersfield, which was WAY less tropical, and fairly “Leave It To Beaver”. We moved to an area that, no kidding, from the end of my street was desert-like conditions for the next 20 miles to the mountains. Bakersfield was a great location to be, though. 110 miles from the LA beaches, a couple of hours to Yosemite and the Sequoias (where you could go backpacking and rock climbing and skiing). We also had the Kern River to tube in the summer. Not bad!


Something else we have in common; we were both influenced into our careers – me as a dj and you as a musician – by what we heard on the radio, although on different coasts. What are your first recollections of music in California the late 60’s and early 70’s? Can you remember the first artist you heard that made you go, “Wow! I want to do THAT!”?

Oh, it starts even before that. I remember country swing bands in the San Antonio area, and the Beatles, Stones and Beach Boys from the mid 60s’. In California, we had a particularly strong MoTown and Stax influence on the radio, along with Credence, Loggins and Messina, and the usual suspectes from that era. Jefferson Airplane, Steppenwolf, Hendrix. I missed the regional east coast people, like Springsteen. That came later.


Tell me about your first guitar…

My first guitar was my Dad’s. It was a cheap one he bought in Mexico. He played a little, and I started on that one. I remember in 1969 he came home with a brand new Yamaha FG180. It cost something like $120, which was a lot then. It was so much easier to play, and I eventually took that one over and played it or the next 20 years. I finally bought my Martin MDC around 1996, and Dad got his guitar back. He’s been playing ever since. My first electric was a Telecaster. I bought it used and regret selling it. I must have close to a dozen guitars now, mostly second hand cheapies and oddities. I like weird guitars. My main guitar for many years was a Fender Strat, in the Antigua finish. I bought it new (my first new guitar) in 1980. I’ve only seen two like it. One was owned by Eric Clapton, the other by the musical director for the Drifters, with whom I did a couple of gigs in the mid 80’s. I still have it, but it needs some work. It’s been bashed around a lot, and has yellowed over the years.


From California you went cross-coast to Nashville. What made you say – “I need to go to THERE”?

I was living in Northern California after going to college at Chico State, 90 miles north of Sacramento. I had a band with a drummer friend and our guitar player, Bill Cooley, moved to Nashville and immediately went to work with Reba McEntire (he’s now with Kathy Mattea). Then the drummer went out there to work with Allan Jackson. I figured it was time to try my luck in Music City. I got there and got a job doing data entry RC COLA. lol. But I was interested in song writing, and hung out at the Bluebird Cafe, where I met many wonderful people, heard all the best songwriters, and just soaked it all in. It was like grad school for songwriting. And I feel the next question coming on......


You know what’s next, right? Following the Sunny Jim song line, from Texas to California to Nashville…you wound up in playing in the Cayman Islands…How did you get that gig?

It sounds like a country song but I got my heart broken by a cute girl in Nashville, and joined the first band that was headed out of town.. lol That was a show band called the Marvells. After a year on the road, we landed a job as the house band at the Treasure Island Resort on Grand Cayman.


How does a Nashville band get a gig in Grand Cayman?

The resort was owned by some Nashville artists, so that's the connection.


Eventually that Marvells "house band" contract ran out, but you stayed...

Part of our contract included learning to scuba dive and getting to dive whenever there was space available on the boats. We worked five nights a week, and were finished at midnight on Saturdays (thanks to Cayman music and dancing law). So there was ample free time to enjoy island life. Which, I most certainly did. Why would I want to leave that? Oh, and I met my wife that October on her birthday. We were engaged by April, and married the following January (Super Bowl Sunday… she’s a Cowboy Fan and I’m indifferent). We’ve been married 22 years now and have 19 year old twin daughters.


Care to share any good Cayman stories from that time period – characters you met, colorful bars you played or hung out in?

I really should write a book. There are SO many stories. Here’s just a little taste:

Full moon night scuba dive parties, beach parties, tourist girls at the Holiday Inn on the beach (Barefoot Man Rocks!), locals inviting us into their homes and becoming life long friends, Pirates Week (Carnival), Australians, Brits, Philipinos, Germans, Canadians, Irish and French, South Africans, Jamaicans, wading in the Caribbean on my set breaks, Hurricane Gilbert and not being able to get off the island, my $500 first car, my amazing Trusty Rusty (the 3 cylinder minivan that seated 8 people - or four and dive gear), my Victoria 18 sailboat that I rebuilt with Rob Shirley (who started the Mastercraft Boat company in his garage), meeting Rob Morrow, joking with George Hamilton about Buffett, becoming friends with Al Roker (and taking him on his first night dive and going to his wedding in NYC), meeting Jimmy Buffett on his 50th birthday and ending up in his book “A Pirate Looks at 50” and playing on Radio Margaritaville (the first non-Coral Reefer and first time for R.M. out of the U.S.), meeting Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman and especially Sidney Pollack, hanging out with my band, snorkeling every Sunday morning at Eden Rock, learning to sail with Captain Phil, Sunday champagne brunch at the Hyatt, meeting shady people, raising my girls as a semi-stay at home Dad (THE BEST THING), and on and on.

But, at some point, you decided you needed to move back to the States. Was that a tough decision?

The reason for coming home was twofold. First, my girls were very bright and needed to be in a school for gifted children, which they didn't have in Grand Cayman. Second, work permit issues were getting to be a drag. We were ready to be in our own country again.


How much time do you spend on the road now?

For two years, I spent two hours a day driving my Katie to and from school. Now that my girls are driving (second year of college!) I am able to travel a LOT more. Now, I’m all over the map. I’d say I’m gone from home about a fourth of the year. And now that my wife is working from home, she gets to come to the really cool shows. This year we’re looking at Hawaii (with Tom and Michelle Becker- Latitude), Isla Mujeres, Mexico with Mark Mulligan and Kelly McGuire, and Grand and Little Cayman this summer with the Barefoot Man. What a life!

I’m sure you have lots of favorite places to play around the country, but what about bars in your backyard; When you’re not touring and playing, what are your favorite home town hang outs - where would we find Sunny Jim on a day off and what would he be drinking?

Funny you should ask… Adela and I are heading to lunch today around the corner at the Spanish Point Grill. Also the Casey Key Fish House, Pops Sunset Grill. All old Florida style. We’re not city folk… lol We like to stay near our little Fishing Village of Osprey. And Rum and Coke is the drink of choice. Any dark rum.


At least once a week I have a discussion with someone about the pros and cons of the term “Trop Rock”. I see it as a descriptive term for a style of music – in the same way people use “Country” or “Americana”. It’s a jumping off point for what kind of material you can mostly expect you’re going to hear from that artist, as opposed to say, “Singer/songwriter” which is such a broad term. Others say it pigeonholes a performer. What’s your take?

I agree that it’s a good jumping off point. It seems to me that TropRock covers a lot of people who play music for Parrothead Clubs, even though they may be more rock than anything. I think my music does fit that name pretty well. I definitely have my 12 years of island life as inspiration for the lyrics I write, but the music isn’t all calypso and soca. Some twang pops in from my rockabilly days and my early Texas exposures.


Last year was the first Meeting of the Minds for my wife, Georgia, and I. We were originally planning to leave Sunday but people told us we HAD to stay for your Songwriter's Showcase at Blue Heaven – and we’re glad we did. That has become a staple of the yearly gathering in Key West. How did that come about?

My first MOTM was in 1998. It was when Hurricane Mitch hit. That was the worst storm of the 1998 season. It meandered around the Caribbean, sank the Fantome and crossed the Keys as we were driving down. Welcome to MOTM! My friend from Houston, Marcy Delissandri, got me booked at Blue Heaven, and that Sunday I did my show solo on the top of the water tower. I was back there in 99. In 2000, we moved back to the US from Grand Cayman, and I was on the road for the better part of that year. I had met so many good writers and performers, I decided that I wanted to turn Blue Heaven into a songwriter showcase, and expose listeners to people they may not have heard of, as well as get to visit with musician friends that I only got to see when traveling around the country. It’s been ongoing since then, and I only wish we had more time there!


House concerts have become a big part of the Parrot Head/Trop Rock experience. Kelly McGuire says he loves doing them because they are a LISTENING experience, as opposed to a bar gig where you have to compete with everything else going on. How do you feel about them? Do you do many?

I do lots of house concerts, and much prefer that to a bar gig. Unless the bar is on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean! lol A house concert needs to be differentiated from a house party, where a concert is a listening/learning experience and a house party is, well, party time... If any of your readers see that I will be in their area and would be interested in doing a house concert, they should contact me through my web site. It’s easy to do one, and it’s really the best experience for the listener. It’s intimate.


I don’t want to give too much about the story behind your songs, since that’s what people look forward to hearing at House Concerts. But, tell me a little about a few of my favorites:

“Mermaids”: For my daughters, who grew up snorkeling and swimming every day until they were 8. We used to have such joyous times in the swimming pool at our little Cayman apartment.

“The Tropical Shirt Song”: About a friend who would seem very conservative at the office, but once the weekend rolled around.... watch out!

My wife’s fave, “Fishing In The Milky Way”: About one spectacular night on Grand Caymans North Sound, when there was no moon, no clouds and no wind. The water was like a mirror, reflecting all the stars. If you’ve ever been somewhere where there was little or no ambient light, you know I’m telling the truth when I say you could hardly tell where the water stopped and the sky started. Every time you throw out your fishing line, it looked like you were fishing for stars in the Milky Way. And in my little boat, with my good friend Kean Monohan.


Do you have any others that stand out for you personally?

That’s a tough one. “Isla Adela” (from Postcards From Seven Mile Beach) is very special. Every time I sing it, it’s like saying my wedding vows again. Very uplifting. “Blackbeards Navy” has proven to mean a lot to so many people, that it’s now a favorite. “Moon Over Mustique” really caught the beauty of a moonrise shared between best of friends. I guess I need to put the stories and the lyrics on my web site, because each one of them really is a snapshot of a place in time. “Hallie Let Your Heart Go” changed from being about a girl not wanting to leave “paradise” to being about a father telling his daughter that someday he’ll pass on, and that it’s a part of life like the sun setting and the moon rising. THAT was an amazing songwriting experience.


How did you get the name “Sunny Jim”?

A drummer friend, Andy Arrow, use to call me that - both from my sunny disposition and from the Beatles movie, “Hard Days Night”. Then, in ‘98, I was on a cruise ship on the way to Grand Cayman with the Nashville band. The ship’s Jamaican band jumped ship and they were left with no afternoon entertainment. The Cruise Director asked if one of us could entertain a crowd and I volunteered. He told me I needed a “Caribbean sounding” name, so I used Sunny Jim. The band started calling me that and it stuck.


Anything else you would like people to know about you?

Well, I think it’s obvious that I love what I do, and never take it for granted. I love sharing music with people, hopefully giving them insight to my life and theirs at the same time. It’s the universal language, and it’s all about sharing the joy. Otherwise, I think it’s all pretty much out there... I am who I am (quoting Popeye, no less).


Thanks for your time, Jim

Thanks for the great questions, Fred! See you on the beach!

Meeting Of The Minds: Saturday

Saturday, November 5th - Normally, Green World Gallery on Duval Street - owned by trop rock fan "Koz" Koslowski and his wife, Pam Campbell - sells locally produced art. During Meeting of the Minds, it also became a live music venue, hosting a number of trop rockers. We started the day by stopping in to say hi to Loren Davidson - and staying to hear the always entertaining Bob Karwin.

The next stop was one of my personal favorites of the whole week... We'd been wanting to make it by the Lighthouse Court to catch Kelly McGuire's songwriters' showcase since we arrived on island, but this was our first chance to actually get there. Next year it will be one of our first stops. Cozy surroundings and some of the top names in Trop Rock (on this afternoon Jack Mosely, Mark Mulligan, Hugo Duarte, and Mike Aiken joined Kelly) and an audience that was there to LISTEN, something we didn't find at every venue. Case in point: When Kelly performed "Daddies And Daughters" from his latest cd, King Of The Island, it was hard to find a dry eye in the place. Before leaving, I stopped to chat with an old friend, local trop rocker "Key West" Chris Rehm, who was hanging out waiting his turn to get up and perform.

With the sun scheduled to set in just a few minutes, we jumped on our bikes and pedaled quickly down to Mallory Square for one of our favorite Key West traditions, the Sunset Celebration. Watching that big yellow ball drop into the water, signalling the end of another day, never gets old.

Sun down, we headed back across the island to the Casa Marina beach side stage for the scheduled Coral Reefer Band show, arriving just in time to catch the tail end of a high energy set from Jimmy & The Parrots. The place was packed, thanks partly to rumors floating around that Jimmy might show up and play with the CRB (the original plan, apparently, had been for this to be JB's "surprise" visit, but it got changed at the last minute to Friday on Duval). On their own, the Coral Reefers put on a great show, taking turns performing material from all of their solo efforts; Club Trini, Peter, Nadirah, Mac, etc. The only disappointment was that Doyle Grisham wasn't given a chance to showcase anything from one of his albums...

Show over, on a normal Saturday night it might be time to call it a day and grab some much needed sleep. But, this was Meeting Of The Minds and there was still music to be heard. So, we cruised back to Old Town and headed to Schooner Wharf for the last of Homemade Wine's set. They had the place rocking with some Southern Rock covers. Not very "Trop" but the crowd didn't seem to care. Auxiliary entertainment was provided by the bar backs/security, who were having some fun tossing out a few unruly patrons. Having spent a few years owning and running bars, I was able to share some "been there-done that" stories with them.

I mentioned this in an earlier blog post, but there are two things you grab when you can at MOTM - sleep and food. Having run around catching one act after another most of the day, we found ourselves sitting at Schooner Wharf hungry at 1am. Thank fully, Malcolm - one of the bar backs we had been talking to - told us about an Irish bar called Finnegan's Wake that was close by and served late. We got there just in time to catch last call from the kitchen and took Malcolm up on his suggestion of the "killer" bacon wrapped Meat Loaf. Served with mashed potatoes, it was the perfect comfort food after a day spent pedaling around the island.

Meeting of the Minds: Like a Kid In A Candy Store

I mentioned in a previous post that I had promised to be diligent about blogging while here in Key West for the annual Parrot Head/Trop Rock convention called Meeting Of The Minds. The problem has been that blogging takes time. And, if you want to catch even half the artists performing on the island during the convention, while simultaneously trying to see some of the sights of Key West - like the sunset celebration on Mallory Square - maybe squeeze in a little shopping, time is in short supply....Oh, and there is that minor human requirement: food. Hear some music, tour the Hemingway House, grab a quick meal or two and next thing you know four or five days have flown by. Having been in Key West a number of times before, and as someone who can easily afford to skip a meal or two, our main focus this week was on the music. We tried to catch as much of it as we could, in as many places as we could. Here are some of the highlights:

Thursday.....


John Friday, Rum Barrel; Trop Rockers are a pretty magnanimous and supportive bunch and are usually happy to invite other performers up to do their own material. We saw it over and over again all week long. This late afternoon show on the upper deck of the Front Street bar was a revolving stage of songwriters and guitar pickers, hosted and otherwise held together by John Friday and enjoyed by a number of smiling Parrot Heads from around the country.

In between acts, I sampled a flight of top shelf Rums and, for my efforts, was awarded a "Baccalaureate of Cocktailology" from Boat Drink University.

Tropical Soul, Hog's Breath: An always entertaining band from central PA fronted by Dennis McCaughey, it also featured one of the ladies up for "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the Trop Rock Awards, Heather - whose last name I never caught. I actually didn't even get her first name right, either, because I called her "Sue" when I introduced myself after their set, thinking she was Dennis' wife, who had sent me a number of their songs for an internet radio show I'm working on. Heather was gracious, however, and - instead of correcting or reprimanding me, she handed me two of her own cd's. She is also incredibly talented, rocking a flawless version of Adele's "Rolling In The Deep".

Jimmy Parrish, Willie T's: It's always great to see Jimmy and this Jacksonville, FL based Ocean Waves Band. The house was packed, the band sounded great, much tequila was consumed - a typical Jimmy Parrish show.

Jim Morris and The Big Bamboo Band, Smokin' Tuna Saloon: This was our first chance to check out Scott Kirby's new place (see previous interview with Scott about the Tuna on this blog) and to hear Jim Morris do a full set with his band. I never heard why, but the show began with what surely must have been the longest sound check in history- "check one" became "check a hundred and one"- but, this was a party for Jim's fan club, so the place was full of folks I have a feeling would have sat through a hurricane to hear him play. And he didn't disappoint, despite the late start, runing through a long list of his original songs, plus some great covers, like Jerry Jeff Walker's "Navajo Rug".

Interesting side lights included two girls in the front row who were either auditioning for - or had just been fired from their job as - background singers. They had carefully choreographed, synchronized dance moves to EVERY SONG Morris did. There was also a visit from the Beer Fairy. Not making that last one up.

Jimmy & The Parrots, Schooner Wharf: Our last stop of the night, this one was memorable for being the biggest and most entertaining train wreck we saw all week. I had heard soem great things about Jimmy and his band and was anxious to see them rock the Wharf's outdoor stage. By the time we got there, however, the band had obviously consumed much of the bar's supply of adult beverages because it had deteriorated into a drunken mess, with people climbing on and off the stage, songs started but not finished, and songs started that shouldn't have been in the first place. The band was having a blast, though, and so were their friends up front, so chalk it up to the late hour...and blame it on the Rum. Jimmy and The Parrots more than made up for it a few nights later, opening for the Coral Reefer band at the Casa Marina Beach party.

Blogging From Key West: I Tried, I Really, Really Tried....

I promised a number of people - including myself - that I would diligently blog from Key West and Meeting Of the Minds. Then, we got here. From pretty much the minute we put our bags down in our room at the Island City House and rented a couple of bicycles, it has been one non stop whirlwind ride - or pedal, if you will - around the island. As Mr. Buffett would say, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Wednesday, November 2nd: First stop - The Bull (or Bull & Whistle for those who want to be exact) on Duval for the Atlanta Parrot Head Club Welcome Party. Hosted by Joel Oates and the APHC, of which both my wife, Georgia, and I are proud members of. Two-fer-seven bucks Margaritas and music from Jim Asbell & The Tropiholics. A great way to kick off six days of music and mayhem. it was also where we first ran into Kurt and "Achmed", his personal version of Jeff Dunham's dead terrorist puppet. This one welcomed all Virgins (i.e, those who had never been to a MOTM) to town.

We used The Bull as "home base" setting off from there to grab a bite to eat and check out other nearby venues, including a stop at Hog's Breath, where Jim Morris & The Big Bamboo Band rocked a packed parking lot of enthusiastic fans. Back to the Bull for some late night dancing and a couple of nightcaps and home to get ready for what would be a busy Thursday.



Thursday, November 3rd: The Island city House serves a very nice complimentary breakfast in the courtyard every morning. Unless you're Donald Trump, between what you pay for a nice room on the island and necessities like adult beverages during MOTM, you save where you can. So, free breakfast and coffee right outside your room is a no brainer. Fully muffin'ed and java'd, we climbed on our bikes and headed across town to the official convention site - the Casa Marina resort. The ride from the Island City House to the Casa is a pleasant one, down a number of back streets and past a variety of colorful Key West homes. It also takes you past the graveyard, famous for many interesting sites, including the grave stone that proclaims, "I told you I was sick".

Georgia and I arrived at the Casa and encountered something we never seem to luck into back in Atlanta. Looking to register, we were directed by security to the other side of the building, turned a corner and ran smack into a line of people a mile long. We turned to each other and whined in unison, "this is going to take FOREVER". Just as we were about to give up and come back later, when maybe it might not be as crowded, a benevolent Parrot Head standing in the mile long line saw our registration cards and said, "Oh, you have a green one. You're not in THIS line. You can go in THAT one." THAT line, the one she pointed to, was only about five people long. It turned out to be a last name thing, and we - being "M's" - had hit the alphabetical jackpot. Feeling a little bit guilty, but only a very little, we strolled to the head of the pack and before you could say One Particular Harbor, had our wristbands on and welcome bags in hand.

We made a quick spin around the floor, stopping for quick chats with Trop Rock artists Brent Burns and Jim Morris, each of whom were manning their own booths - selling and autographing copies of their cds and t shirts, or I suppose, whatever else any more adventurous soul might like signed, then slid behind the Parrot Heads In Paradise "merch table", where - for the next three hours - we helped sell t shirts, hats and coozies to conventioneers. PHiP is the governing body for the Parrot Head nation, and the one that throws this shindig at mile marker zero every year.

Registration and volunteer responsibilities completed, we climbed back on our bikes and heading back to our room to regroup and get ready to dive in to a veritable smorgasbord of Trop Rock.

First stop: The Rum Barrel, where we catch John Friday and friends and I graduate from Boat Drink U (I have the certificate to prove it). To be continued....

Meeting Of The Minds: Getting There is Half The Fun, Part 2

After feeding the tarpon at Robbie's we made a stop at the next Walgreens we spotted to stock up on supplies for our hotel room, including adult beverages. Yes, I said Walgreens. In addition to the usual aisles of hair care products and incontinence medicine, this one had an attached liquor store. Hard to pass up sale priced Sailor Jerry Rum and Jose Cuervo, especially when you know you may be paying $8 to $10 for a good drink when you get to Key West. But, more on that later. By then, it was already 4:00 and we made the executive decision to do the rest of the trip non-stop, make a beeline to our hotel. That is, until I spotted the Looe Key Tiki Bar. Trop Rock fans may recognize the spot from the Howard Livingston song of the same name. It has always been one of my favorite Trop Rock tunes, so we had to stop in.

That is where we met the Most Organized Man In The World. Like Lor-E-Lei's, the LKTB was full of Parrot Heads heading for Key West. One group seemed especially animated, so I approached them and asked if I could get a picture for this blog. They cheerily obliged then, through the course of introductions, we discovered they were all members of the Ft. Myers, Florida Parrot Head Club. More than that, their defacto leader, Brett Baker, offered to show us "the book" if we would follow them to their next stop, which happened to be almost right across the street at Boondocks.

Running late, we agreed to make the unscheduled visit after being told by his travel mates, Jimbo and Tracy, that this was not just any book. This was THE BOOK.

They weren't kidding. This was the most thoroughly researched, anally organized and painstakingly cross referenced organizational plan I had ever seen. Not just a color coded schedule of bands playing MOTM, but a complete list of bars between Miami and Mile Marker 0, the daily specials offered at those bars, and even the best food choices. Then, there was the schedule. Not only which bars were to be visited, but at what specific times, and for how long - along the proscribed route. This was a man on a mission, and that mission was to make sure he - and anyone travelling with him - squeezed every last drop of fun out of the 4 or 5 days they would be in Southernmost Florida. After basking in the glow of "the book" for a while, and talking to a recently transplanted Cape Cod-ian at the Boondocks bar (Me: "Why did you move down the Keys?" Him: "Why not?") we also discovered that Brett had an interesting business, selling "beer beads". That is, New Orleans style Mardi Gras beads, with bottle tops from your favorite brew crimped all along their length. before I could say "I'd love one of those!" Brett had his tailgate open and was handing me a set of Corona beer beads.

Next: Night number one in Key West.