From January 10 through the 14th I was cruising around Southwest/South Central Florida in a 2013 black Kia Forte rental, tapping the steering wheel to my favorite tunes playing from my iPad through the car's stereo system. I drove at least and hour and a half each day and the car was beyond comfortable. My reason for traveling was to do my first Florida tour, a short one I called "TropiGator Tour." Having a full time job and a limit on vacation I wish I could have done more concerts. It's a start and I'm very encouraged by the response I received!
After flying into Tampa and visiting with my aunt and uncle I drove to Bonita Springs for a house concert at Cheryl and Norm Kayser's "Laughing Parrot Tiki Hut." It was a beautiful night and 35 good folks showed up to hear me sing and play. I met so many great people on this tour! I'm thankful to Cheryl and Norm for their wonderful hospitality.
The next morning I had a delicious breakfast (and spicy Bloody Mary!) at the home of Sandy Shaefer Kayser and John Friday. It was a pleasant, balmy Florida morning. Apparently I had arrived at the same time as a warm front. I had days in the 80's and was grateful for the air conditioning at times. After breakfast, John and I jammed a bit together then I hit the road back toward Tampa, heading to Holmes Beach and Anna Marie Island.
AMI, the shortened name of the island, is very beautiful and also "old Florida." It's a great place to relax, fish, boat and listen to Trop Rock music at The Sandbox. Cross Grassy Pointe Bayou on Rt. 64, Manatee Ave., and make a left, then a right on 31st and a left on Avenue E. The Sandbox is a little oasis disguised as a backyard complete with a pool, palm trees, a bar and a small stage. Paul and Diana, the owners and proprietors of this donation only concert venue, also have a very nice vacation rental property next door that is for rent at a reasonable price.
This evening I was joined by my friend Rick Schettino. I had met Rick in Key West during MOTM and he was literally everywhere. He even jammed with us poolside at the Wicker Guesthouse. Rick accompanied me and did some of his own songs. You can find out more about Rick here: http://rickschettino.com/music/. We had an awesome night and were joined by Rick McGuire http://schoonerandthewharfrats.com/ who played a few songs and jammed. As for the tiki hut, the "Pabloritas" were flowing and so was The Kraken! The night was capped off with an acoustic jam around the firepit and a brief splash in the gulf under the stars. I should have some live cuts to share soon on Soundcloud.
The next morning after another good breakfast plus a pair of mimosas, Rick and I cruised off to the Nav-A-Gator Grill in Arcadia. Another beautiful afternoon was upon us. It was a bit windy as we set up and a little into the afternoon but still bright, sunny and warm. The fun was not terribly dimmed by the fact that I locked my keys in my trunk. Gallant Rick whipped out his AAA card and set me up! Lots of great friends showed up including the Kaysers and Paul and Diana. John Friday http://johnfriday.com/and Sandy Kayser were there and John popped up to do a little harp while I sang plus we sang John Prine's "In Spite of Ourselves." Rick accompanied me until AAA got there, then popped back on stage with my car keys and resumed playing. Rick did a few songs of his own which are outstanding!
Randy Zimmerman and girlfriend/manager Kay Adams were also "in the house." I've know Randy for years as a member of Tropical Soul and just an all-around good guy. He and Kay have moved to Florida for awhile. He kicks ass on guitar and hopped up to play along for a few, then we switched guitars and he did a few of his own awesome tunes. It was a really great time at the Nav! http://www.randyzmusic.com/
If you go to the Nav-A-Gator http://nav-a-gator.com/ you will love it! Great drinks, delicious food (Super Grouper!) and a fun atmosphere plus it's on the Peace River so you can go out on a cruise and see some gators. They have a cute store where you can buy t-shirts and gator back scratchers. There is a new tiki bar as well. Lots of great music there day and night!
After a nice supper at the Nav, I headed north to Venice to catch Sunny Jim and Brent Burns at the Venice Train Depot. It was a fun time watching those two guys play off of each other. They are awesome musicians, songwriters and just delightful! I could watch them all day. Folks had brought food and Norm Kayser (and Cheryl) was there, sharing his Yuengling Lager with me. I met some new friends and some old and got to kick back for awhile!
https://sunnyjim.com/ http://www.brentburns.com/
I spent the night at the Days Inn Port Charlotte. What a wonderful hotel! http://www.daysinn.com/hotels/florida/port-charlotte/days-inn-port-charlotte/hotel-overview. After a continental breakfast, I headed to the pool where I found Dave Calhoun from Seattle with his wife and a friend who tagged along. Dave had played at the Nav-A-Gator the night before I did. http://www.tropzone.com/ Dave and I jammed around the pool for a bit, then I put the guitar down and swam in the heated pool! It felt good, like bath water. Soon it was time to leave and I packed the Kia and drove to Lake Placid, FL.
Lake Placid, Reader's Digest's "Most Interesting Town," is home to an amazing variety of culture from over 40 murals to a clown college, plus it is the calladium capital of the world (http://tourlakeplacid.com/). My afternoon gig as at Dock 633 on Lake June Rd. entertaining the Ol' South Parrothead Club (Polly IS a cracker!). https://www.facebook.com/Dock633. The crowd was amazing and it was fun to see old friends John and Irene Flinchbaugh who had been at the Nav the day before. Jimi DiNapoli and the rest of the crew made me feel quite at home. I hope to get back there again sometime soon! http://www.osphc.org/
I spent a day chilling with friends the next day and drove around a bit. Driving by myself feels freeing, in a way. I get to do my own thing, listen to music, think about where I've been, where I'm going. My life has become an amazing adventure and I'm looking forward to more travels and opportunities down the road. I'm working on lots of new songs and a second CD is in my future. Soon I will be in Tampa, then Key West. After that, it's on to Ohio and points west, then back to Key West in October and the beginning of November for MOTM. I can't wait to see how things develop this year and where the next bend in the road takes me. I hope to see you there.
Dani
Hey! Just a quickie.
The last time I was in Florida (OK, I know. Key West ISN'T really Florida. If I don't say this now I will hear about it from SOMEBODY down there on the island), I had an incredible time playing music, riding my bike all over town with my guitar. You can read all about that in my previous posts about MOTM. Well, I'm going down to SW Florida for a few days this weekend to play for some more Parrot Head phriends and I couldn't be more thrilled!
Tomorrow morning I'm flying out from Baltimore to Tampa, meeting my Aunt and Uncle for lunch, then traveling by rental car to Bonita Springs to play a house concert at The Laughing Parrot Tiki Bar. Friday I'll be joined by Rick Schettino (http://rickschettino.com/music/) at the Sandbox AMI, BeachfrontRadio.com's #1 House Concert Venue as voted on by the Beachfront Radio listeners (The Laughing Parrot was #4). Saturday I'll be at the World Famous Nav-A-Gator Grille in Arcadia with Rick as well! Finally, on Sunday, I'm playing for the Ol' South Parrot Head Club at Dock 633 in Lake Placid.
I have lots of new songs and Rick will be doing a few of his. I met Rick while at MOTM and I think we'll complement each other well musically. I love to collaborate and see what other musicians bring to my songs. You can follow me on Facebook or check my follow-up posts to see how things went! Check out my website for more info and to hear music. www.danihoymusic.com
For now, enjoy and see you some day at the End of the Road,
Dani
After flying into Tampa and visiting with my aunt and uncle I drove to Bonita Springs for a house concert at Cheryl and Norm Kayser's "Laughing Parrot Tiki Hut." It was a beautiful night and 35 good folks showed up to hear me sing and play. I met so many great people on this tour! I'm thankful to Cheryl and Norm for their wonderful hospitality.
Randy Zimmerman and girlfriend/manager Kay Adams were also "in the house." I've know Randy for years as a member of Tropical Soul and just an all-around good guy. He and Kay have moved to Florida for awhile. He kicks ass on guitar and hopped up to play along for a few, then we switched guitars and he did a few of his own awesome tunes. It was a really great time at the Nav! http://www.randyzmusic.com/
