Meeting Of The Minds: Sunday, November 6th - The Last Waltz

We had originally planned to fly back to Atlanta on Sunday, but were told by several MOTM veterans that we should stay to catch Sunny Jim's songwriters showcase at Blue Heaven. So, we made some last minute adjustments - which included having to move hotels - and stayed another day. And we were very glad we did. Getting reports that Blue Heaven was packed to the gills for brunch, we decided to wait a few hours before going and, instead, headed to the Smokin' Tuna Saloon, Scott Kirby's new place just off Duval (you can read more about it in my earlier interview with Scott here on BB&B). The place was also pretty packed but we ran into our new friends, Jimbo, Tracy, and Brett again, who were getting ready to leave and offered us their table, where we sat and watched Howard Livingston and, then, John Frinzi with special guest, Doyle Grisham.

The Tuna is one of our new favorite places in Key West, with plenty of room, a cozy feeling despite being largely outdoors, and good food - the Smokin' Tuna Dip and peel & eat  local shrimp were especially tasty. One funny note: After turning down my first couple of beer requests, saying they were out of stock, the bartender shrugged and by apologized, saying "This is our first Parrot Head convention. We just weren't ready!"

We hated having to give up our much coveted table, but we wanted to catch at least some of the acts at Sunny Jim's showcase, so we closed out and walked up Whitehead Street. By the time we got there, the brunch crowd had subsided and, although there was still a good sized audience enjoying the music, there were plenty of places from which to watch the show.

If you've never been to Blue Heaven it's REALLY an outdoor venue. Unlike Smokin' Tuna, where there are at least some covered areas where you can go when the weather doesn't cooperate, there is no such shelter at Blue Heaven. Luckily, it was a beautiful Fall afternoon so being outdoors was exactly where we wanted to be. especially given the caliber of entertainment. Another interesting feature of Blue Heaven is that the "stage" is about ten feet up in the air, surrounding an old water tower. So, to see the performers, you have to look up. The advantage is that, unless you were to maybe get behind a group of NBA centers, you never have to worry about people blocking your view.

We caught Tall Paul, Latitude, Rob Mehl and several others before heading back to the Smokin' Tuna to see Kelly McGuire and Scott Kirby. On the way, we stopped by the Green Parrot, where the Sauce Boss was rocking the house while mixing up a pot of Gumbo.

Back at the Tuna, we found the place to be even busier than before. Apparently, even though the convention was officially over, lots of folks had the same idea we did and had decided to stay another day. Georgia eagle-eyed a group with young children sitting at the very same table we left a couple hours earlier ("They can't stay long, they have kids") and this time we were able to repay the favor by inviting Brett and his buddies from the Ft. Meyers area PHC to come sit with us.

Kelly and Scott are two of my favorite Trop Rock artists, and the chance to seem them play together was a real treat. They were joined by Mike Aiken and the three took turns performing their own songs. And that was just the "appetizer" for the main event, Scott Kirby and guitarist Dave Edmisten (along with a fiddle player whose name I didn't catch). Together, they ran through some of Kirby's catalog, including one of my favorite all time Trop Rock songs, "Lucky Enough". The line "I'll raise my glass, you can kiss my old ass...I'll die with my feet in the sand" will probably wind up on alot of Parrot Head tombstones.

A full day of music, wrapping up a long but thoroughly enjoyable convention, but it wasn't over yet. The last hurrah was the "No Plane On Sunday" party featuring Jim Morris & The Big Bamboo Band at Schooner Wharf. Morris had the crowd singing along to every song, mixing his own originals with rowdy covers, like Jerry Jeff Walker's "Up Against The Wall You Redneck Mothers". Wiped out but grinning ear to ear, we called it a night - and a week. On the way back to our hotel, Georgia turned to me and said, "As soon as we get home, we're registering for next year."

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.

More From Meeting of The Minds

Highlights from Friday, November 4th

I received an email the night before from Steve Tolliver of the Trop Rock Junkies, inviting Georgia and me to a breakfast and jam session at the United Street cabins where he and his wife were staying. The hour was a little early, 9am, but a chance to see Steve and some friends play pool side on a beautiful Key West morning made it worth the earlier than usual wake up call. We arrived to find a nice spread of food and pitchers of daiquiris ready and waiting. Pulling up a couple of chairs, we chatted up some of the other invited guests, including Kelly McGuire's "Gal Friday", Sandy Drobiarz-Records, and Fred and Sara Guerrero, owners of  Isla Bella, nominated for Trop Rock Award House Concert Venue of the Year, while the musicians tuned up. Steve played some of his originals, including one of my personal favorites, "Sand In Her Shoes", and guitar-picked along with other musicians, including Trop Rock Award nominees (for Duo of The Year), Steve Johnson and Jimmy Johns, better known as Southbound.

Next stop was Duval Street for the start of the Margaritaville Street Party. We got there in time to catch the Young Rebel Goombas. The Goombas, from my old stomping grounds of Long Island, New York, got the crowd dancing with their upbeat blend of reggae, rock and ska. When they finished their set, we walked right door to La Concha to hear Brent Burns.

Walking back to our hotel to get ready for the worst kept secret on the island: Jimmy Buffett's "surprise" appearance at the Street Party - we caught a few minutes of the Sauce Boss, who was holding court at the Green Parrot.

We also ran into our new friends from the Southwest Florida Parrot Head Club; Jimbo, Tracy, and Brett. Making new, long lasting friends is an important part of MOTM and we wound up sharing many laughs - and more than a few adult beverages - with these three.

Heading back to Duval, area balconies were full and the streets overflowing, but we managed to make our way to a great spot on the side of the stage. Meeting Of The Minds, although it has evolved into a celebration of Trop Rock in general, began as a gathering of Buffett fan club members. There is Buffett music, Buffett t-shirts, and plenty of everything Buffett sings about - beaches, boats and bars. The only thing that is usually missing is Buffett himself. Not on this day. Jimmy played for almost an hour, backed by the full Coral Reefer band.

The event was originally supposed to be Mac McAnally's cd release party. That got pushed aside by Jimmy's visit, but Mac did get to play some of his own songs the next night at the Casa Marina. More on that later...

The finale of the night was the Trop Rock Music Awards back at the host hotel. Attendance seemed a little disappointing - there were, supposedly, 3500 convention attendees, but it looked like barely a third were there to see the awards being handed out. It could have been the chilly night air, or just too many other things goiing on back on the other side of town. Still, the show was fairly fast paced, speachers were short and gracious and the music in between award categories was entertaining (personal favorite was Paul Roush performing "I Wanna Be Howie" joined on stage by Brent Burns and the song's inspiration, Howard Livingston). Great job by the Margarita Mafia (which used the evening to announce they were changing the organization's name to the Trop Rock Association) and congrats to all the winners.

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.

Meeting Of The Minds: Getting There Is Half The Fun

Meeting Of The Minds, the annual gathering of the Phaithful, is taking place right now in Key West, Florida. What started as a Fall migration of Jimmy Buffet fans, aka Parrot Heads, has turned into a celebration of Trop Rock - with dozens of bands playing in just about every Cayo Hueso bar and alley that can put up a sound system. After talking about it for close to ten years, we finally decided to take the plunge this year, booked a room, flights, and rental car and told the kids they were on their own for a week.

We're not novices to Key West, having been there a number of times - including our honeymoon. And one thing we've learned over the years: Getting there is half the fun. You can fly directly into the loftily named Key West "International" airport (really not much more than a small private airport that handles larger planes). But, we prefer to fly into Ft. Lauderdale and drive the 190 miles.  That way, we can enjoy the beautiful scenery, appreciate the quaint little towns and keys, see local color...and, oh, by the way, there might be a watering hole or three to stop in along the way.

Wed morning
After landing in Ft. Lauderdale, we jumped in to our rented convertible and headed South. Our first stop on US 1 is always Lor-E-Lei's in Islamorada. Sitting right on the water, their "Boss" Margarita and Catch of the Day sandwich is just what the doctor ordered after a grueling hour and a half flight from Atlanta (feel free to make up your own excuses for needing food and/or drink). Sitting on their beach, enjoying the Gulf breeze and watching the boats go by immediately gets your mind off whatever you left behind.

Of course, we're not the only ones who think driving down to Key West is the only way to make the trip and, with the largest congregation of fin friendly folks in the world getting ready to begin later that day, it didn't take long to find others who were making the same trek. You could hear the collective sound of heels clicking and people saying, "We're not in Kansas (or Minneapolis, New Jersey, Oklahoma - insert your home state here) anymore!"

Hunger sated and thirst quenched, it was back into the convertible and off to the next stop: Robbie's Marina. More of a flea market with a small bar, Robbie's has something for everyone. Cheap souvenirs, hand produced art, clothing, and - of course - food and drink.

But, what really makes Robbie's a must see stop, especially for people making the trip with kids, is their Tarpon. Schools of the large, dangerous looking sport fish hang around Robbie's, waiting for hand outs from willing visitors. Grab a cold beer from the cooler, a bucket of bait fish, walk out onto the dock and let the fun begin.

Next: We take the Howard Livingston Tour and meet some Ft. Myers phlockers, including the Most Organized Man in the World... And Night One at MOTM.

To be continued....