MOTM 2013 Post Mortem Pt. 2: The Madness Continues

Wednesday dawned early and, of course, I didn't sleep very well. That's the story of my life these days. My dad doesn't sleep well, my grandmother doesn't sleep well, so I guess it runs in the family.

The reason I had to get up early for MOTM was that my dear friend Loren Davidson was kind enough to invite me to participate on his Catamaran Concert Cruise. 
http://www.catamaranconcerts.com/

It was a morning cruise, starting at 9am, and included Blood Marys and complimentary snacks. Chris Rehm also was aboard along with Renn Loren, a Trop Rocker from Norway! We had a nice group of folks aboard who enjoyed our "music in the round" style of playing and story-telling. They day dawned bright and warm and the water was reasonably calm with no evidence that a hurricane had gone through. On the water! What a great way to start the day.

After the cruise (as far as I can remember) I went from party to party, stopping at Dante's, then the Smokin' Tuna, wandering here and there. I played at Green World Gallery at 4pm, enjoying the company of Artist Koz and the gang and hamming it up for the web cam. It was very nice of the Young Rebel Goombas and other friends to drop in for a bit. Swim Skinny stopped by with Tom Johnson who joined me on guitar, playing lead parts and filling in nicely. Tom is on my CD playing ukulele on "Quiet Cove."

Thursday was a busy day with the Tropical Songwriters in Paradise songwriter showcase at T's Bistro & Bar on the 1100 block of Duval. I had the opportunity to perform and just enjoy lots of songwriters I had and had not heard live. Key West Chris, the organizer and host, kicked the afternoon off followed by Renn Loren, then Cheryl Housman joining me on pans. C.W. Colt followed us, my good friend John Friday along with Captain Nick, Swim Skinny and Tom Johnson, The Young Rebel Goombas and many more played into the night. The whole thing can be viewed here, recorded for posterity by Sound Man from Hell and MC for the event Gary W. Ek (from 104.9 the X "Key West Rocks!"): 

 
I couldn't stay until the end. John Friday and I had a sunset cruise to play and sunset was on the way! I feel lucky that I got to do two cruises with great friends, one in the morning, one at night, in such a beautiful place. The passengers and crew were incredible, enjoying the music, margaritas and the magic of the sunset over Key West Bight. It was an incredible night, great weather and we had a blast!

When I first got to Key West, I didn't have much going on Friday. How quickly that changed! While I was on my way to the Catamaran Concert with John, Jim Hoehn pedaled up on his bike, the pair of us on bikes, guitars slung on our backs, and asked me if I had time to do a set during his Friday night gig with "Jersey" John Hanney at Pearl's Patio on United St. I said, "Yes," of course. 

By the way, at this point my batteries were beginning to run a bit low. Between the lack of quality sleep and the constant movement, exhaustion was setting in. I know this is the case for a lot of the musicians playing at MOTM. There is not much time to chill, if you don't take it. I was running on adrenaline, caffeine and the energy provided by others most of the week. At one point I fell off my bike (not drunk!). I don't know who was following me with the ball bat but I had a lot of bruises. I also had a pretty good tan which I attribute to the walking and biking I did all week.

Back to the story! On my way to Pearl's I stopped at the Rum Barrel to hear Mike Mangum with Steve Hauser on electric. I did a few songs after the amazing young Fletcher Martin, having fun with Steve accompanying me as well. Then I made a beeline for Pearl's, Jim and John already in full tilt. Pearl's has a nice, intimate atmosphere and the most delicious quesadillas and a great bar by the pool. Dianne "greenwoman" Wickes, Marc and Tammy Hollander and many other friends were there. Jim had me do two sets, for which I was grateful. 

From Pearl's I rocketed down to the Casa Marina for the All Star Jam, kind of an open mic but you get to play with a band. I love playing with a band! I can't say that enough. Sunny Jim, Tom Becker, and more, jamming poolside. It was fun to see Howard Livingston, Jerry Diaz, Dennis McCaughey and many others back stage. I had my two songs and took off. Being the new kid on the block here it was a rush to have this opportunity. Thank you, Jerry Diaz, for the invitation. 

Next up: The Weekend