From Key West, FL :Meet Me in the Keys
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 travel a lighter travel footprint, I brought a ¾
size Martin LXME. One 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, Paul Roush 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 anyone attend next year.
