Hi out there and Happy Spring! Come back sunshine - M.R. Ducks is open!! Hooray!! And they’re shooting out of the opening gate with our favorites, Johnny Bling on Fri. and Tranzfusion on Sat. And a WOW!
    Speaking of Tranzfusion (‘09 winners), it occurs to me that all the Coconut Times Entertainer of the Year recipients are hitting the music scene big time this week. I last saw Tranzfusion on the Fager’s Island stage (where sound man Greg rules!) and I was so excited, jotting down copious amounts of notes that I probably won’t have room for. The band was in fine form as the crowd erupted in wild applause after every song. We reached a fever pitch hearing songs from all the best: Rolling Stones, Doors, The Who, Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Cars, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and more.
    On the keyboards Bob even let his hair down, releasing his inner rock star and, of course, barefoot Hank (all over the stage) on lead guitar and Bobby on drums are consummate performers who obviously still love the music after more than 25 years together. We loved hearing Tom on bass sing a few, too, knocking out the bass beat. Hank amazed us on intricate guitar solos and, was that a sax I heard? No, it was Bob working his magic at the keyboards. Bobby plays those drums with unflagging energy and delivers some mean vocals on Stones’ songs. Looking at the crowd I got a warm fuzzy feeling that this veteran group is winning over a whole new generation to the unparalled quality rock considered classic today with the maturity in their voices and sheer perfection instrumentally. They showed their amazing abilities in the wide range of music they perform singing beautiful harmonies on Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence” and then jumping into Jethro Tull and Aerosmith. You won’t find a better group of musicians anywhere and we get to hear them twice this weekend: Fri. night at BJ’s and Sat. afternoon at M.R. Ducks. Let the games begin!
    BJ’s will be rockin’ all week ‘cause the awesome sounds of No Byscuyts will be showcased Sat. with Coconut Times Entertainer of ‘05 Joe Smooth on sax. Howard, Keith & Elwood lay down the smoothest tunes on the shore - again, magnificent musicians. Then Wed., up and coming classic rock group Old School featuring the vocals of Linda Sears & John Remy (guitar) and also Honu on keyboards/guitar. Ray on drums and Anton on bass rounds out this group that is becoming a fan favorite around town. We’ll hear from them a lot this summer.
    Johnny’s Pizza Pub has become a hot spot for great music and this weekend is a good example with the incomparable Lauren Glick & The Mood Swingers playing Fri. Lauren won the C.T. award in ‘06 and she continues to win audiences with her rich and powerful voice, not to mention her skill on keyboards and bass, at every performance. Mike Armstrong is an incredible guitarist/vocalist, too, who complements Lauren’s talents perfectly. What a team! Sat. night come back to Johnny’s for young group on the rise, Galaxy Collective. These local guys have amassed quite a fan base with their eclectic style on classics done their way and originals.
    C.T. Entertainers of ‘10, Full Circle, will be at the Ocean Club in the Clarion Hotel this weekend demonstrating why they won the honors as they continue to impress audiences with every performance. Patrons of the Ocean Club have embraced them as regulars there and the band loves the big room and stage. There’s so much talent in this group; if you haven’t heard them, make this weekend your special time at one of the best venues in town.
    C.T. winners in ‘08 were Randy Lee Ashcraft & The Salt Water Cowboys whose main performing venue continues to be Smitty McGee’s every Fri. and the duo there every Thur. The group will be all over town this summer at the new Tap House, at Coconuts, OP Yacht Club, and more. And, of course, people who come from miles and miles away to our Springfest celebration always love the show from Randy Lee (two performances this year).
    Chris Button was a C.T. recipient in ‘07; if you don’t know who he is, you’ve been living under a rock. Chris is a brilliant guitarist involved in many musical projects. He sometimes performs alone as he will this Fri. at The 19th Hole Bar & Grille. Fans follow him all around his various gigs and he makes new ones wherever he goes. Chris also plays with Johnny Mojo & Joe Mama as Simple Truth who I just heard Wed. night at BJ’s, one of their regular stops. They will be at M.R. Ducks on Sun., April 15. You can hear Chris as a duo with Joe Mama at High Stakes on Sat., April 14. Chris also plays with Dave Sherman & Joe Mama as 2Guys & a Mama; their next date is Wed., April 18 at BJ’s. And he joins Joe Mama again along with Byron Anthony and Jeff Davis with the Chest Pains, the 2011 C.T. Entertainers of the Year. We just got to hear them last week at Fager’s Island and they were awesome. Catch them again at BJ’s on Fri., April 13. These guys bring the ‘80s music roarin’ back to life with panache and swagger, flaunting the rock stars that they are. Yes, just as good as any and we have them right here in our little town. All of these musicians I have talked about are just incredible. Visitors continually tell me they’ve traveled a lot and never seen nor heard such a superb community of musicians anywhere else. Biased but I agree.
    But wait, there’s more. C.T. winners in ‘02, Opposite Directions, are returning to the Seacrets Tiki stage beginning Fri., April 27; and to the deck at Fager’s Island on Sat., April 21. Kevin Poole (C.T. winner ‘03) will be home from Key West soon and starting his Fri. deck shows at Fager’s on April 20. And likewise, C.T. winner from ‘07, John LaMere will be home from Key West soon to open Coconuts Beach Bar & Grill on Thur., May 3.
Awesome, right. You can see extended schedules on our website, coconuttimes.com and I’ll be back on April 20 with more. Check out pics from Brewgrass - great fun. Party safe!