MUMBO JUMBO
JUNE 2009
RECORDING NEW CD
Sorry we're a few days late in getting this issue out, but I've been traveling coast-to-coast-to-coast in the past few weeks. We're excited to debut the new look of Mumbo Jumbo.
I recently spent four days in Los Angeles, working in the studio with producer and drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Leland Sklar, keyboard player Jay Oliver and guitarist Dean Parks and feel I have just enjoyed the experience of a lifetime! I’m so fortunate and thankful that Russ put this group of legendary players together to record this album. These folks have played on hundreds of artists' CDs and are the very best people in the land at making great records and I can’t wait for you all to hear it when it comes out in the fall.
I was a little on the nervous side at the thought of working with musicians I have admired my entire life, but was immediately put at ease when all the guys arrived on day 1. There is not a nicer bunch of guys on the planet, not to mention funny! Upon meeting Lee Sklar our conversation immediately turned to the general state of the planet for 15 or 20 minutes and then he stopped and said, “ Hey, the world’s going to hell, let’s go work on your f*****songs!” I laughed my ass off and fortunately that put me at ease for the entire week. I have never laughed so much during a recording project and have enough stories to tell for some time.!
To Russ Kunkel all I can say is thanks buddy, you are the best! Not only did Russ offer to produce and play on this project, he got his legendary friends to join him, and somehow convinced his son Nathaniel (one of the best engineers in the business) to mix it! On top of that he graciously invited me into his home for a week and he and his lovely wife Susan were unbelievable hosts.
I am eternally grateful to both of them.
There are some background vocals and some other parts to be added or fixed over the next few weeks and then it goes to Nathaniel to be mixed.
As I mentioned the CD is scheduled to be released in the fall on November 1. However, it’s quite possible it might be out a little earlier and we’re working on a couple of CD release shows with the big kick off scheduled for Key West the first week of November.
Stay tuned for details and next month I’ll talk about little bit about the 12 brand new original songs we recorded.
iTUNES…..Finally!
A BIG THANKS to all you folks who purchased my tunes on ITUNES in our very first month. A NIGHT ON THE BEACH is now available and TOO DAMN YANKEE, GRAND BAR SCHEMES, WALKIN ON THIN ICE and FOUR GOOD DOGS are soon to follow!
Stay tuned to the web site or my MySpace page and don’t forget to catch me on my new facebook page.
www.scottkirby.com
www.myspace.com/scottkirbykw
NEW MONTHLY FEATURE!!
“Tales behind the Tunes”
As I travel around and run into many of you folks at my shows, I always get lots of questions about the process of songwriting and the inspiration behind the songs, so beginning next month I’ll write about one song each month and try to give you some honest insight without naming names!
I am basically a storytelling troubadour and the fact is many of my songs are directly inspired by things I’ve been lucky enough to witness with my own two eyes. Of course, now and then a little creative license is thrown in to spice up the stew, but I am very blessed to have been given a pretty good radar for recognizing a good line or a good story when I see one in progress. Russ Kunkel calls this “cinema writing.” When he has an inspiration for a song he literally can picture the story unfolding in his mind as it were a movie. The trick is having the sense to write it down whether you’re in a bar at 3:00 AM, crashing through waves on a sailboat off the coast of Cuba, or half asleep in bed in the middle of the night. When I was younger I lost more than a few good stories and songs by not having the discipline to do this. Fortunately I now wake some mornings with notes written on me from the night before……but that’s a story for another time!
OFF TO SEA!
On June 3rd I fly back to Florida to get on board a 42 ft sailboat to help a friend get his beloved vessel back to the Wentworth Marina in Little Harbor, New Hampshire. I have about 12 days to do this before flying back to Key West for an engagement at Margaritaville on June 16th so I’m hoping I at least make it up to Annapolis, Maryland. So, quite a busy month and then out on the road in July and August and hope to see you all somewhere between the sun and the moon!
All the best!
Scott
Copyright Scott Kirby 2009. All rights reserved. www.scottkirby.com
MUMBO JUMBO - May ‘09 Edition
SUNDAY, MAY 3rd, Key West
Hey folks! Sorry I’m a little late with the MJ this month but am literally staggering (or was when I got home at 4am) to the finish line of the 14th annual Key West Songwriter Festival. I have played at Margaritaville this week with special guest Elsie May and have had the time of my life. Nothing like hanging with 18-year-olds to keep you young and make you feel old at the same time! Elsie is already writing amazing songs and was an absolute joy to hang with. She and her friend Steven were here visiting for a week from L.A., and along with friend and songwriter Mat Meyers and Justin Cahill from BMI visiting, it’s been quite a week. I believe it’s fair to say I did my best to keep up with them and represented my generation pretty well! I also have to say that these whippersnappers are such amazing young people that it gives me great hope for the future of the planet!
We played a special show before Mac MacAnally last night at Margaritaville, which was a purely joyous experience. A packed house of great listeners for our set, then a nearly two-hour solo Mac show that was just full of virtuoso guitar and piano playing, amazing songs and heartfelt stories and a voice that would send pangs of envy through any singer on the planet. I sat alone next to the stage and thought to myself that this level of performance is what every singer/songwriter should aspire to. It’s no wonder he’s number one on the charts with Kenny Chesney, the “CMA Musician of the Year” and headed into the studio to record his own brand new project. CATCH MAC next time he’s in your neck of the woods!!!!
I awoke bright and early at 11:00 this morning with a phone call from old buddy Bill Blue with news that a huge manatee was floating next to his houseboat over in Garrison Bight. I leapt out of bed, jumped into my flip flops, yelled to my wife and Justin and headed out the door (I was promptly reminded that my boxer shorts were not proper attire for the marina!). Five minutes later I was staring down at “Fat Albert,” one of the biggest manatees I have ever seen! A thousand pounds or more and covered with barnacles, I was happy to the see the gentle giant looking healthy and completely unscathed by any propeller scars. I knelt down on the dock and gave the big guy a good long back scratch, which he seemed to love judging by the way his back arched in response. What a fantastic way to start the day! It made me so thankful to be in Key West on such a lovely morning and inspired me to rush home and get the Mumbo Jumbo written, cuz there’s lot happening this month that I want to tell you about.
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!! Itunes!!!!!
Yes sports fans, it’s true! With the tenacious prodding of Gavin, my fabulous marketing guru at NRG in L.A., and the hard work of my long time assistant, Terry Lederer, I am slowly clawing my way into the 21st century, one step at a time. We will also be rolling out a new web site and MySpace page very soon and all kinds of other new stuff. A whole new look is on the way (not for me personally, not enough money in the budget!).
Work begins on “ROW ME HOME” produced by Russ Kunkel
I head to Los Angeles on May 21, to begin production on my sixth CD and my first studio production in about five years, with legendary drummer/songwriter/ producer (and dad of Elsie May) Russ Kunkel! I’m very honored and excited about this chance to work with such a talented and experienced guy. Russ has performed with most of the artists in my CD collection and even though we have been friends for only 12 or 13 years, I realized our connection really goes back to the early 70’s when Russ was a very young drummer with James Taylor. At the time, I was a high school student spending endless solitary days in my room listening to the “Sweet Baby James” album over and over, trying to learn the songs and figure out those frustrating and complicated chord patterns that made those songs sound so cool to me.
I never had any guitar lessons back then and to this day can’t read a note of music, so everything I learned was by ear or by trying to figure out things by reading the chord symbols over the lyrics. As I look back at some of my favorite writers and singers over the years including James, Carly Simon, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Crosby Stills and Nash, Jimmy Buffett and Lyle Lovett, I realized Russ has worked with all of them and countless others. He just finished touring Europe with Lyle and is in the studio with him working on his latest release until we start my project on May 25.
Russ has put together an amazing array of musicians to play on this recording. His long time rhythm section partner, Leland Sklar will play bass and Dean Parks will do most of the lead guitar work. It is not an overstatement to say that these gentlemen are legendary players and have literally played on hundreds of albums and CDs you probably own! Their credits would take more than 20 pages to list, but just Google them and you can see for yourself. I’m also ecstatic that Peter Mayer’s longtime friend, collaborater and band mate Jay Oliver will be playing piano and keyboards. Jay is simply a genius musician and arranger and fantastic songwriter and sound engineer. I’ve known Jay for over 15 years and can’t wait to work with him.
Several friends have asked me if I’m feeling at all intimated or nervous about working with such amazing players. The answer would be “YES.” But let me qualify that by saying I’m always nervous before recording and the fact is the best musicians in the world can’t make a bad song good. However, they can make a good song great and my responsibility lies in giving them good material to work with. I’ve worked hard at writing a bunch of fresh tunes, just finished writing a new song with Russ and am planning to record of a couple of jewels written by Russ, Pete Mayer and Roger Guth that have been in the archives for a dozen years. I feel lucky to have the chance to put my stamp on these, as I loved them the first time Russ played them for me.
So you’re probably wondering, hey, what about your guitar player, Country Dave? Don’t worry, Dave will be making his first trip to LA for the project (we’ve already alerted LAPD!) to play some guitar and lend his amazing vocal talents along with Pete Mayer. Truth be told, Dave is not terribly fond of doing guitar tracks in the studio. It’s a very different dynamic than playing live and can be arduous and frustrating if you don’t do it on a regular basis. There are also amazing studio players who don’t enjoy playing live as much as the recording process.
We originally set a release date on November 1st, but it’s possible we might be able to get move that date back to earlier in the fall. I’ll keep you posted!
SAILING NORTH FOR THE SUMMER!
At the beginning of June, I fly from L.A. back to Jacksonville, where I’m hooking up with a couple of buddies to sail a 42-ft boat back to New England. I’m very much looking forward to hopping aboard “Messing About,” as it will give me some time to unwind from an extraordinarily hectic spring and intense time in L.A. The first leg is from St. Augustine, FL, to Moorehead City, NC, which if done in one straight shot offshore should take 3-4 days, depending on wind. There’s nothing like a few days out at sea to unwind!
I have to be back in Key West on June 15, to for an engagement at Margaritaville, so don’t know if I’ll have time to get all the way to New England. If you live anywhere on the coast between Norfolk and New Hampshire, you may see me on your front steps with a sea bag and guitar looking for a ride to the nearest airport about the 14th of June!
MAY GIGS
SNAPPERS, KEY LARGO, MAY 7, 8 and 9, 7PM -10PM
HOG’S BREATH SALOON, KEY WEST, MAY 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. 5:30PM-9:30PM (Editor’s note: you can catch these gigs live on the Hog Cam if you can’t be in Key West that week: http://hogsbreath.com/hogcam/stagecam.cfm)
SUMMER TOUR, July and August
Dave and I have a very busy July and August planned which will take us all over the eastern half (and a few Midwestern gigs) of the country. We have put some dates up on the web site and will continue add more as they get confirmed. If you want to bring us to your neck of the woods please contact Terry Lederer at littleflockdistr@aol.com.
See you “somewhere between the sun and the moon” and as always… thanks for listening!
Scott
Scott Kirby's "A Night On The Beach" CD is now available for digital download on iTunes! This CD was recorded "live" in Key West, during MOTM. "A Night On The Beach" and Scott's other titles will soon be available at Amazon, Lala, Apple iTunes, Verizon, Tradebit and Napster.
Stay tuned for updates and look for Scott's May MUMBO JUMBO newsletter, as Scott prepares to go into the studio to record his upcoming project entitled, "ROW ME HOME."
Thanks for your amazing support of Scott's music!
Spread the word and happy downloading!
Terry Lederer
MUMBO JUMBO April 2009
I hope everyone is having an enjoyable spring, wherever you might be in the world! April happens to be my favorite month in Key West so I’m glad to be off the road and performing right here at home in the Keys this month. March was a whirlwind to say the least: seventeen gigs, 4000 miles by road, 6000 by air, a couple bottles of Patron and a few new songs!
The acoustic tour Pete Mayer and I did was great fun for us and we hope you all enjoyed it as well. We performed in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maine on consecutive nights, and except for the nine inches of spring snow in Virginia, everything went great.
The day after we finished in Maine, Pete flew out for a show in St. Louis and I headed to Los Angeles for some meetings. Ok, there was a little fun involved. I stayed with my good friends Gavin and Claudia Smith in Santa Monica (Claudia let me drive Gavin’s Porsche convertible up the Pacific Coast Highway on a gorgeous Sunday morning!). They are human dynamos and enthusiastic and knowledgeable music fans (I was in Scotland last year at their wedding). Gavin is also a marketing whiz and the CEO of NRG Marketing in Los Angeles. One reason I flew out there was to sit down and get some serious advice from him about marketing and generally improving my entire business plan.
I’m very fortunate to be getting consistent national airplay on Radio Margaritaville. We see the direct results in CD sales and from the great reaction from all of you at my more than 150 shows per year. Thank you for that! However, I’ve come to realize that my marketing, promotion and touring hasn’t quite kept up with the increased exposure and number of new listeners we are getting around the country. To put it simply, I am a bit of a technological dinosaur and needed some help in joining the 21st century!
SO, over the next few months we will be focusing on modernizing and building a far more comprehensive and updated database in order to do a better job of keeping you all apprised of shows, releases and news. We will be redesigning and consolidating all of the online marketing tools, such as the web site and MySpace page, etc., making my songs available on ITunes and expand touring dates to try to get out to new parts of the country in the coming year, including more dates in the Midwest and western part of the country, as well as designing some brand new merchandise and RECORDING A NEW CD, so stay tuned for the changes and improvements and I hope we can do a better job of staying in touch!
Russ Kunkel to produce new CD, “ROW ME HOME”
My other reason for going to LA last month was to meet with Russ Kunkel to nail down the dates and details of a brand new recording project! On May 25, we will begin recording a fresh batch of songs in Los Angeles and I am ecstatic to be working with such a good friend and legendary and talented drummer, producer and songwriter. You may know Russ from his recent release, RIVAGE, on Mailboat Records, his numerous producer credits from Jimmy Buffett to Crosby, Stills and Nash, to Carly Simon and beyond. He has co-written dozens of songs you have all heard and is one of the most recorded drummers of the last four decades. His credits are literally too lengthy to mention!
I have known Russ for over a dozen years and the prospect of collaborating with him on “Row Me Home” is really exciting for me. I so enjoyed writing “The Smallest of Islands” with him years ago and by the second glass of wine at lunch at his favorite Thai restaurant in LA last month, we had already come up with a new song, “Women and Grapes,” which I have been working on while Russ is in Europe with Lyle Lovett. I wish all songs were as fun to write as this one!
There will also be some other great players involved in the project, which I’ll talk more about next month!
April Shows
As I mentioned earlier, all my shows are in the Keys this month so please check the web site for times and places. I’ll be up at Snappers in Key Largo for a few nights and at The Pier at The Ocean Key House with Dave Edmisten and will be performing for a week at Little Palm Island solo. What an amazing spot! Dave and I close out the month at The Margaritaville Cafe for the annual Key West Songwriters Festival (April 28 thru May 3) with special guest Elsie May Larson-Kunkel. Mac McAnally will also be in town for an early show on Saturday May 2nd. This always proves to be a great week of music!
That’s it for now. I’m flying to beautiful Harbor Island in the Bahamas early in the morning for four days of R & R with some friends from Key West and will catch up with you soon! Thanks for listening and hope to see you in the Keys this month!
Scott
MUMBO JUMBO March 2009
Greetings again from Key West. It’s a beautiful cool morning with a fresh breeze rustling through the palm trees and bright sunlight dancing across the big fat green banana leaves. MUMBO JUMBO comes out a little early this month because I head out on the road soon. It’s been a busy few weeks as I was in New Hampshire writing (more on that later) and have had the good fortune to run into an amazing string of brilliant musicians and writers here in Key West in the last month or so. It never ceases to amaze me what an interesting little community Key West is… one by three miles of coral and bone stuck out here in the middle of three beautiful oceans!
It all started at the end of January when legendary singer/songwriter TOM RUSH blew into town for a special show at Pepe's Café which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year as the oldest restaurant in Key West. For those of you not familiar with Mr. Rush, let’s start by saying artists from James Taylor all the way to Garth Brooks have cited him as a major musical influence. Tom and I share some common background as we both grew up in Concord, New Hampshire, having been influenced by time spent at the old New Hampshire State Psychiatric Hospital (not as patients), which Tom likes to point out is located on Fruit Street!
Tom went on to Harvard and became one of the great figures in the folk movement of the 60’s and I admire him as one of the critical transitional artists bridging the folk era and the ensuing singer/songwriter explosion. He is not only a great songwriter, but has as eye and an ear for other great talent as well. One of his first records (maybe his first) featured songs by James Taylor, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell who were at the time unpublished, unrecorded teenagers rattling around the club scene. Need I say more!
Tom was a legendary character as I was growing up in New Hampshire and we got the chance to meet in Key West 12 or 14 years ago and I always love getting the chance to see him play and to hang out a bit every year or so. I think we share a similar sense of humor and realize that we both have the dream of writing a book of the crazy and hilarious tales of this business we’re in! Tom has just released his first studio album in years (it’s great!) so check out his web site or catch one of his concerts, and if you see him after the show, say hello for me. He’s one of the great guys on the planet!
Radio Margaritaville’s Steve Huntington, Tom Rush and Scott Kirby
Two days after Tom left town to continue his road trip on to Kentucky, my old friend and musical collaborator Gabriel Donahue called from a cruise ship headed down the coast to Key West. Gabriel was on board as a performer for a special Irish Music Cruise with a host of other great Celtic artists including the legendary LIAM CLANCY. I have seen Liam play with his partner Tommy Makem six or eight times in my life and count Liam as one of the most mesmerizing singers and storyteller’s of all time. Bob Dylan calls him the best ballad singer there has ever been!
It turns out Liam had a minor ear problem and Gabe wondered if I might get him in to see a doctor during the afternoon they would be docked in Key West. I have sent a number of singers to my excellent doc here in the past, so I excitedly headed to the cruise ship pier to pick up the two Irish lads. It was such an honor to get to spend a few hours with such a wonderful gentleman and brilliant artist. Liam has the speaking voice of the Shakespearean actor he is, and the story he told in the medical waiting room about his Scottish friend and the six month houseguest goes down as one of the funniest, most brilliantly told tales I have ever heard. (We have a few house guests down here you know and I’m often one myself!) Gabriel and I were howling in contortions of laughter in the otherwise quiet and sterile brightly lit waiting room. (close to being thrown out on the street by nurse Ratchett I might add!) You’ll be hearing this story on the road, trust me!!
If you have any Irish in you at all, I’m sure you are familiar with Liam, but if not, do yourself a favor and go to his website and listen to this man! I knew he was an amazing musician and storyteller and actor and songwriter, but on top of that, an absolutely brilliant writer as well. He sent me his recently written memoir titled, The Mountain of the Woman. It is fantastic and makes we wonder, WHERE DO PEOPLE GET ALL THIS TALENT? I was in Ireland just last year, but reading this book makes me want to go back straight away and catch one of Liam’s concerts!
Liam Clancy
After a few days of solitude and hard work in New Hampshire I flew back into town to do a week long engagement with Dave at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Café. My second day back, I got a call from JL Jamison, the entertainment director at the club. “I’m on my way home from Alabama with Jimmy and Mac and they are going to play at the club tomorrow night and we want you to open, so just play one set and they will follow you.” I was incredibly pleased and appreciative that they included us in this special show (let’s face it, Jimmy doesn’t need us to open for him!!), and knew well what chaos would ensue on our little island in the next 30 hours. Jimmy doesn’t play down here that often and when he does the coconut telegraph spins into action like a runaway water spout! Cell phones ringing all over the damn place. GUEST LIST, GUEST LIST!
It turns out Jimmy had just penned a tropical tune about our state of recession and depression titled , WE’VE GOT A LOT TO DRINK ABOUT, and wanted to record it in his own bar. By the way, the tune is dead on, hilarious and classic Jimmy at his best. Check it out on you tube!
I’ve played other times before Jimmy but in most of those cases his appearance was pretty much a surprise. In this instance, every single person jammed into that club (and the hundreds in the street!) were there for ONE REASON…and it wasn’t us! Right before we went on Jimmy came over to say hello and with that unmistakable smile on his face, roared, “Warm em up!” I’m sure somewhere in his memory bank, he may have remembered himself in a similar situation and laughingly thought, “oh my god, these poor bastards!”
The lights came up and we belted my nine or ten best songs to a hyper-excited and raucous crowd and Dave played his ass off. The crowd was very appreciative and supportive but let’s be honest, I didn’t try to play any quiet ballads! Keep in mind, many of Jimmy’s old friends and legendary Key West characters were there and many of those folks don’t see each other that often, so it was the social event of the season. I thought it was great that all the employees were admitted first as many of these loyal folks have never had the opportunity to see their boss perform. A particularly special moment to me was when Jimmy walked off the stage to shake hands with some of the kitchen staff who have moved here from Haiti. Who says there’s no magic left in the world?
When Jimmy and Mac came out, the crowd went nuts but then quieted down to listen to two masters perform their craft. They played mostly tunes written in and about Key West and I thought it was a tremendous show. Phenomenal music and terrific stories! I love playing in a band and seeing other artists with a full band, but there’s still something very very special about two friends with their acoustic guitars and a bag of great songs!
You know we're in a recession when you have Scott Kirby open for you AND you have to borrow his guitar!
SPRING TOUR WITH PETER MAYER
Speaking of two friends with guitars, PLEASE try to come out and see Peter Mayer and me on our spring mini-tour. If you live anywhere near CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA, the WASHINGTON/BALTIMORE area, THE GREAT STATE OF NEW JERSEY, MASSACHUSETTS or a PARROTHEAD in NEW ENGLAND, we’d love to see you. Pete and I haven’t had the opportunity to do this kind of show in ten years or more, and to be frank, I kind of talked him into it. If it’s successful I can hopefully talk him into to doing them a bit more often. I’ve also got a few solo shows planned for the trip back south so look forward to running into you all along the road somewhere!
Peter Mayer and Scott Kirby
NEW SONGS and a NEW CD!
As I mentioned earlier, I’d been up in New Hampshire doing some writing and am relieved and pleased to be finalizing a new batch of songs for my next studio CD, scheduled to be released near the end of 2009. I’ve been putting things on paper in my journal for a long time, but it took a week of complete solitude in the White Mountains with a guitar and recorder to do the hard work of putting these songs in their finished form. I will be playing some of them on this next tour.
Of course Dave and I have been playing IT’S ALL ABOUT THE GIRL and IT’S HARD TO FIND| A HOOKER ON VALENTINE’S DAY for a while but a new song titled BLOW ME DOWN TO CAYO HUESO is now on the set list. My father’s family was from Blow Me Down, Newfoundland, and the song kind on chronicles their migration from Ireland over to Newfoundland, down to New England and lastly me landing in Cayo Hueso, the Spanish name for Key West. I’m as pleased with this song as anything I’ve written, perhaps because it’s so personal. You may know that the name of my music company is DOWN EAST/DOWN WEST and on the East coast Newfoundland is about as far “down east” as you can go and Key West as far “down west.”
I also finished a tune called SO THIS IS THE USA? It’s based on a true story about a young girl sailing over here from Europe with a friend of mine. She had waited her whole life to see America and the first US port they pulled into happened to be right here in Key West…at sunset no less! As they glided into port and she got her first glimpse of the zany goings on here, she said to Captain James, “Are you sure this is the USA?”
I also have a brilliant new ballad written by Russ Kunkel, Peter Mayer, Jim Mayer and Roger Guth titled, ROW ME HOME TO JULIET. I’ve played this tune at a couple of gigs and the response has been fantastic. My special thanks to the guys for sending me this one. It’s a real jewel!
I also hope to squeeze GUYS LIKE US into the set list soon. It’s the comedic and twisted story of a man’s bizarre habit of constantly getting himself involved with, shall we say, less than conventional women! In the end they all dump him but he can’t seem to understand he might be part of the problem! Here’s a peek at the chorus:
NOW I’M BROKEN
I’M BUSTED
LIKE A JUNKYARD CHEVY
I’M BURNED AND RUSTED
NOW SHE’S GONE, TO THE TRAIN ON THE BUS
WHY IS IT?
ONLY THE CRAZY ONES
GO FOR GUYS LIKE US
Other tunes I will be working into my live shows soon are WALKIN ON DOWN, PORT OUTBOUND, STARBOARD HOME, and THE CAPTAIN RIDES AGAIN. More about those tunes and others and very exciting details about the new CD in next month’s Mumbo Jumbo.
NEW VENUES IN THE KEYS!
Those of you who follow us know that we have fairly regular engagements throughout the season at both The Hog’s Breath Saloon and Margaritaville, but don’t forget to check my website for some other special appearences. For instance, I will be performing solo for five nights in April, at the very exclusive and beautiful LITTLE PALM ISLAND resort. You have to make reservations in advance for this dinner show so you can catch the boat to the island, but if you are looking for one of those very special experiences, this is the place. Also Dave and I will be at THE OCEAN KEY RESORT for three dates in April and for those of you in the upper keys and the mainland, don’t forget our upcoming shows at SNAPPER’S in KEY LARGO. We love that place!
KEY WEST SONGWRITER’S FESTIVAL
Also coming up at the end of April is the songwriter’s festival. We will be at MARGARITAVILLE that week featuring a special guest named ELSIE MAY LARSEN-KUNKEL. She is a fantastic young singer/songwriter from Los Angeles making her first appearance in Key West. By the way, we expect about a 150 other great songwriters from around the country to be here as well so make your plans early and check the KEY WEST SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL site for more details.
LITTLE FLOCK CRUISE TO THE CARIBBEAN
March 6, 2010
Hey, I know this is still a ways in the future and at my age, I don’t even buy green bananas, but start giving some thought to joining me, PETER MAYER and THE MASSACOUSTICS and some other great bands for a terrific week of music while we cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West to Grand Cayman, Honduras and Cozumel! We’ll be on the Costas line on a fantastic ship and you can get more details by going to the following website: PARROTHEADPIRATESCRUISE.com
Well, that’s all for now. Thanks for keeping up with us and hope to see all you east-coasters in the next few weeks!!!
All the best!
Scott
MUMBO JUMBO, February 1, 2009
MUMBO JUMBO NOW EVERY MONTH!!!
Greetings everyone from sunny Key West! 76 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The first news of the day is that MUMBO JUMBO will now come out on the first of each month rather than quarterly. OK, I know what you’re thinking but I really am committed to promptly getting out the news every month! There seems to be a lot of good stuff going on lately in the Little Flock Music world and elsewhere, and I’ve come to the realization that I really want to let you know what’s going on more than four times a year.
As I mentioned, it is beautiful day in Key West right now, though we did have a bit of a cold snap last week. Yes, it did get down to 50 degrees one night! However, I am headed north on Friday, Jan. 30 to fly to New Hampshire for 10 days. I know you are wondering WHY? Well the fact is I need to write some new songs and there is no better place to do that than in a secluded spot in a beach town where it’s 10 degrees and the cell phone doesn’t work, no bars open, and absolutely no reason to leave the house!
I will be recording a new studio CD later this year featuring a bunch of new songs and it’s about time I get them finished. I have some very exciting news about the new CD, which I will talk about in the March 1 MUMBO JUMBO, as I am finalizing the details now. I’m very excited about it and not going to leave New Hampshire until the new tunes are finished!
I get back in Key West on February 9th, in time for a six-day engagement at Margaritaville, the 10th through the 15th with Country Dave. Also joining us will be special guest Kenny Fradley, an amazing horn player and percussionist. You might be thinking,” hmmm, a trumpet player with Kirby’s music…I don’t know about that.” But Kenny is an amazing musician who adds a whole new dimension to my show and it’s such a pleasure to play with him. He’ll be joining us Friday and Saturday nights, Feb 13th and 14th! After a few days off, Dave and I head down to The Hog’s Breath for a seven-day engagement, Feb. 20th through 26th. So, get out of the cold and come to Key West!
SPRING TOUR, February 27 –March 16
March 2 through March 6 with PETER MAYER
The day after finishing at The Hogs Breath I head up Route 1 for a couple of solo gigs in Florida before rendezvousing with Peter Mayer in Charlottesville, Virginia. I’ll be playing a private party in West Palm Beach on Friday, Feb 27 and then at THE KINGFISH GRILL (252 Yacht Club Dr.) in ST. AUGUSTINE on Feb 28th.
On March 2 PETER MAYER and I hook up for our little tour beginning at THE GRAVITY LOUNGE in CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA. From there we will play at the ANNAPOLIS MARITIME MUSEUM on March 3rd, and then up to KATMANDU in TRENTON, NEW JERSEY on March 4. We then head north for a show at THE SANDBAR GRILL in TAUNTON, MASS. on March 5th and finish in PORTLAND, MAINE for THE NEW ENGLAND PARROTHEAD CONVENTION.
After a few days of rest, I’ll turn around and head back down the coast and hope to do some solo shows at small places along the way. Terry Lederer is booking those dates now so if you live between Maine and Florida and have a booking request drop her e mail at LittleFlockDistr@aol.com and consult the web site or MySpace page for gig details and new bookings!
KEY WEST SONGWRITER'S FESTIVAL
with special guest Elsie May Larson-Kunkel
APRIL 29 – MAY 3
Don’t forget the annual Key West Songwriter’s festival this year! This is the 14th annual and the event just gets bigger and better every year. 150 of the top songwriters from around the country were here last year and this year’s festival promises to be even better. We will be performing at Margaritaville Tuesday April 29th through May 3rd and will be featuring a very talented 18-year old singer/songwriter from Los Angeles named Elsie May Larson Kunkel. Elsie May is the daughter of legendary singer Nicholette Larson and drummer extraordinaire Russ Kunkel. Elsie May has recently been playing around the LA club scene and we can’t wait to debut her in Key West! Put this on your calendar now!
CRUISE WITH LITTLE FLOCK ARTISTS IN MARCH 2010 : Ft Lauderdale to Key West, Grand Cayman, Honduras and Cozumel.
Peter Mayer and I and new LITTLE FLOCK artists, THE MASSACOUSTICS have just signed on to do a music cruise departing on March 6, 2010, from Ft. Lauderdale. The ink is barely dry on the contract but we’re excited to head off together for a week of great music, storytelling (and story making) and new ports of call. Also joining us will be our good friend and amazing musician, singer and songwriter, GABRIEL DONAHUE, THE CALYPSO NUTS, CHANGES IN LATTITUDES and a fantastic singer of traditional sea chanteys, GEOFF KAUFMAN.
I’ve done thousands of miles of sailing all over the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Irish Sea and up and down the east coast of the US, but must admit, I’ve never been on a cruise! (I did try to sneak onboard one in Key West years ago but was thwarted!) The ship we’re going on is from an Italian line and looks fantastic and if we can manage to stay out of foreign jails when in port and not fall overboard while at sea, it promises to be an unbelievable week of great weather, relaxation and good music. Who knows when will be able to pull this off again so if you’ve got the urge to cruise, get on board! You can link up to http://parrotheadpiratescruise.com, or call toll free for more info at 888-564-7474.
NEW MICHAEL HASKINS NOVEL
FREE RANGE INSTITUTION
Some of you may have read Key West writer Michael Haskin's novel, CHASIN' THE WIND. I read it and it was great! I'm honored to report that Michael's new novel is titled after one of my songs! The first chapter is now available on his web site, www.michaelhaskins.net. Check it out!!
That’s it for this month. Thanks again for all your support and look forward to seeing you soon!
All the best!
Scott
BENEFIT CONCERT JAN 25 at THE HOGFISH
featuring BILL BLUE
We’ll be hosting a bash and benefit for our longtime friend and drinking buddy “DIALIN DAVE HARTMAN” on Sunday January 25, out at THE HOGFISH BAR on STOCK ISLAND from 3:00PM to 5:00PM. Joining Country Dave and me will be blues artist and Key West legend Mr. BILL BLUE!!!! We have all consumed many beers (and other things) at Pepe’s Café over the years and are looking forward to all getting together for Dave on the 25th at one of the Key’s coolest locations. This should prove to be one of the great events of the winter for locals and visitors alike, as Bill has not performed in Key West for several years!
There will be great food and an amazing array of silent auction items available for your bid, including many great local attractions and fabulous gift certificates from Key West’s world class restaurants and bars. There will also be a signed item or two from Jimmy Buffett which you will be available to bid on, online!
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT TO KEY WEST, DON’T FRET AS SOME GREAT AUCTION ITEMS WILL APPEAR ON MY WEB SITE, AVAILABLE FOR YOUR BID THROUGH THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, SO STAY TUNED!!!!!!!!!!
-MOTM highlights, Key West
-Songs and Stories Tour with Peter Mayer, March 1 -6
-Massacoustics live album recording in Key West!
It was the night before Christmas
And all through the shack
The termites where stirring
And so where the rats
OK ENOUGH WITH THE CHEEZY POETRY!!! It is indeed the night before Christmas, it’s 5 in the morning and the wind is howling out of the north at 25 to 30 and whistling through the palm trees, waking me from a sound sleep. The fact the thermometer is dipping into the low 60’s here in Key West and most of my friends in New England have been without power from a vicious ice storm and ensuing two feet of snow reminds me that the winter edition of MUMBO JUMBO is well overdue! Seeing my computer is broken and I can only borrow my wife's at odd hours, this seems like a good time to “git 'er done!”
Wow, what a winter in New England! And people still constantly ask me, “Aren’t you worried about hurricanes living down there in the Keys? Well yes, if the big category 5 mother storm ever sweeps through town the place will be wiped clean, but that would be rare. In the meantime, I’d rather deal with a little flooding and lack of air conditioning for a few days down here than sit in a freezing dark house for a week, shivering and reading Dickens by candlelight, waiting for the pipes to burst and spew fresh sewerage all over the house! Now that’s my idea of a romantic Christmas! Ho!
Oh well. With a withering economy and tourism down a bit, maybe it’s the baby Jesus’ way of saying "get out of town and go someplace warm for god’s sake!" Drive down…gas is almost free! Spend some money, go shopping, buy a new car, get this economy cranking again…..bail somebody out! How else are we going to give cover to the thieves and scoundrels on Wall Street!? After all, you can’t swindle folks out of 50 billion dollars in a down economy can you? What a world! The good news is (as reported in the New York Times) that high priced hookers in Manhattan are down from $1000 to $250, so maybe it won’t be so hard to find a hooker on Valentine’s Day this year.
I‘ve been horribly depressed since the presidential campaign ended. There’s nothing on TV! The Governor Blogo scandal just isn’t doing it for me and I really miss Sarah Palin... A LOT!!! I mean A REAL LOT!!! We try to stay away from politics in MUMBO JUMBO but I’m telling you, I’ve been way down since the circus left town. If there isn’t a live pig being stuffed into a wood chipper behind her in church while she gives her annual Christmas message during midnight mass in Wasilla, I’m going to have to double my medication again. The tequila and scotch I’ve been mixing together isn’t going to do it!
Speaking of Scotch, I’m headed to Vail next week to try to kill myself skiing with some friends I met in Scotland last year. Never been there but heard it’s beautiful and expensive! I know what you’re thinking: No, CD sales aren’t that great! We’re taking the Greyhound, bringing our own trail mix and staying with friends, but really looking forward to being in the mountains for a week!
For the rest of the winter months “Country Dave” and I will be playing in the Keys at The Hog’s Breath, Margaritaville and Snappers, so check our schedule on the web site or MySpace page if you’re headed down this way. I may also be doing as few gigs out on Little Palm Island, the most exclusive spot in the Keys, so stay tuned, stay warm and HAVE A VERY MERRY WHATEVER YOU DO AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Meeting of the Minds 2008
The annual Parrothead festival was fantastic this year and the weather was the best for the week of debauchery and music in recent memory. I want to thank all of you who attended our shows throughout the week. I always love this time as it provides me a chance to play with some of my best friends and some of the most fantastic musicians on the planet. This year was particularly special as legendary drummer/producer/songwriter Russ Kunkel joined us for two big shows on drums. As I mentioned in my last MUMBO JUMBO, Russ has a new CD out on Mr. Buffett’s record label and has played with nearly everyone in my CD collection. Of course Pete Mayer was also in town, along with my old friend Gabriel Donahue who joined us on keyboards. We also had a blast playing the opening night party with The Massacoustics, our new teammates at Little Flock Music.
Pete and I ended the week with an acoustic show on the Pier House Beach. Just the two of us with acoustic guitars. It was such fun and so well received that we are planning to do a few shows on the road in March, so stay tuned.
MAYER/KIRBY “Songs and Stories” tour, March 1-6
Pete and I used to have the opportunity to head out on the road occasionally, just the two of us driving around in a van with some guitars and a small sound system, our songs and the stories behind them. With our schedules being what they are, we haven’t had the chance in many years. However, we have set aside March 1-5 to do a few east coast shows on our way to the New England Parrothead Convention in Portland, Maine, on March 6. We’re working on some bookings now and will be making some announcements after the New Year so please check our web sites. If you are somewhere between the Carolinas and New England and would like to have us in your town, give Terry Lederer a shout at LittleFlockDistr@aol.com.
Massacoustics at Margaritaville January 15!
Hopefully you saw the recent blurb from Little Flock Music announcing The Massacoustics have joined our musical family. Matt and Andy Thompson are two of the most talented musicians I know and will be joining us at MARGARITAVILLE on Thursday, January 15, to record a new live CD. It promises to be a great night of music and a whole lot of fun, so if you are anywhere near Key West, don’t miss it! Dave and I go on at 9:30pm with The Massacoustics to follow at 10:00pm! Get there early as we expect a full house!!!
All the best to you and your loved ones!
Scott
MUMBO JUMBO autumn 2008
Russ Kunkel to be special guest artist in Key West on October 30!
Greetings and I hope everyone had a fantastic summer! I’m slowly making my way south following the flocks of ducks and geese heading in the same direction, feeling a little melancholy. Maybe it’s the coming of autumn or maybe the doom and gloom of the ecomomy, but either way it’s time to head south! We played two great shows in Maryland this weekend and even though the weather was sunny and warm, the shadows are getting longer, accompanied by that sudden chill right after sunset, signaling the end of our cherished summer! I want to thank everyone who came out to one of my many shows this summer and look forward to seeing many of you in warmer climates this winter.
I’m very excited to announce that legendary drummer, songwriter, producer and recent Mailboat Records recording artist RUSS KUNKEL will be performing as a special guest artist with Peter Mayer and me in Key West on Thursday, October 30, at our PHIP concert on the beach at the Casa Marina Hotel at 9:00 P.M. Parrotheads may recognize Russ’s name as the latest artist to release a CD on Jimmy Buffett’s Mailboat Records, entitled “RIVAGE,” an amazingly creative smooth jazz style CD featuring compositions by many of the artists Russ has performed with over the years, including James Taylor, Jackson Brown, Carole King, Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell.
You may also recognize his name as the producer or co-producer of five Jimmy Buffett albums and co-writer of over a dozen of Jimmy’s tunes. He’s also written songs with Jackson Brown, the Neville Brothers, Graham Nash and Dan Fogelberg and produced other artists from Carly Simon to Clannad. The list of artists he has performed and recorded with goes on and on: George Harrison; Crosby, Stills and Nash; Linda Ronstadt; Bonnie Raitt; Lyle Lovett; B.B. King—and that’s just scratching the surface of his credits. Check out his web site or my space page to catch the full list and don’t miss the show at the Casa Marina. Russ will be available right after the show for a meet and greet to sign his new CD!
I was fortunate to meet Russ in Key West at dinner at Blue Heaven in the mid-nineties when he first came to town to write and record the “Barometer Soup” CD for Jimmy Buffett. I was very aware of Russ’s resume at that point and was doing some guitar tech work on the project and after leaving the studio at the end of the day there was always post work relaxation sessions to attend at Louie’s Backyard. I guess that’s a good way to put it! Russ and I would often be the last ones sitting at the bar under the moonlight, solving the world’s problems. We soon became friends and have remained in touch ever since.
I look back on those days with such fondness because I was really struggling (and still am) to become a songwriter, and felt so lucky to be surrounded by such talented friends as Pete Mayer and Roger Guth. Keyboardist and songwriter extraordinaire Jay Oliver was also working with the guys, and watching them write the songs with Jimmy and then in the studio for much of the recording process was the learning experience of a lifetime for me. I will be eternally grateful to Russ for allowing me in the studio the evening James Taylor came in to lay down backing vocals on Jimmy’s ballad about his father, “False Echoes.” This was one of the highlights of my life at the time. Little did I know I would later relate to that song in a different way, watching my own mother battle Alzheimer’s Disease.
Key West was different then and things just seemed simpler. Blue Heaven was still a quiet, out of the way spot where we could sit alone in the courtyard enjoying late dinners.
I remember going out on an old wooden cabin cruiser anchored far out in the harbor one brilliant Sunday with Russ and a few friends to listen to the first rough mixes of “Banana Wind.” I still remember the sweet shrimp and stone crabs and wine and the fresh breeze blowing through the cockpit of the old boat thinking, “A million people are waiting to hear these songs, and I’m one of the lucky ones to hear them first!” Life seemed perfect that day.
Those were the wonder years for me, as I was only five or six years removed from sitting in an office in the cold gray northeast. My world had been transformed and I don’t think I have ever felt more fortunate or enthusiastic about life and its possibilities. I wrote “Last Flying Boat” and “Rosewood and Cedar” with Pete Mayer and “The Smallest of Islands” with Russ. Not only was I pleased and proud of the songs, but more importantly I was shocked that people of this caliber would take the time to even work with me! They gave me the confidence to keep plugging away and I am eternally grateful to them.
I released “Grand Bar Schemes” during this time and remember the CD release party Dan Hatch threw for me at his house in Bahama Village after we played The Pier House. Dan was the extraordinary chef at Blue Heaven at the time (his menu survives perfectly in tact to this day) and he put out a spread of food for 50 people that surpasses anything I’ve ever seen. I can still recall seeing this huge basket of stone crabs and racks of sizzling New Zealand lamb and trays of fresh tuna and the trays and trays of desserts! My father happened to be visiting Key West at the time and I believe he actually began to respect my decision to leave the real world and play music on that very evening. I remember him talking with Pete and Russ and looking at all the food and just laughing and shaking his head: “Jesus, who paid for all this food and why are all these people here?”
My father was a bit of a music fan and he understood how talented Pete and Russ were. I remember going through his CD collection after he died and finding three or four Peter Mayer CDs and some James Taylor CDs that Russ had played on. A few of mine and several by Stan Rogers and that was it! It was all he listened to.
Through all these years, I never got to play with Russ. We’ve talked very often in the past year as we share a common interest in politics and when his CD was released last month, I figured it was the perfect time to lure him back to the smallest of islands for a little reunion. The bonus is that you get to hear him play and get the chance to pick up a signed copy of his fantastic new CD!
I hope to see you all soon and don’t miss the show on the 30th at the Casa Marina if you are in town for the MOTM convention!
Dave and I will also be at the Hogs Breath, noon to 4PM on Oct 27 and 28, play on the parking lot big stage at the Hog at 9PM with The Massacoustics on the 29th. We’ll also be on the poolside stage at The Casa on Friday night and Sunday morning at 11:00AM and don’t forget the acoustic show Pete Mayer and I are doing on the beach at The Pier House on Saturday night.!
See you soon!
Scott
MUMBO JUMBO, summer 2008!
Washington, DC, July 28th
Hey Everybody!
Greetings from the nation’s capital as we are smack dab in the middle of our summer tour. June was a fantastic month as I spent two weeks in Ireland and Scotland. I returned to The Emerald Isle for the first time in fifteen years and then made my first voyage to Scotland to attend a friend’s wedding in the highlands. Fantastic people and believe it or not, great weather! Only one rainy day in two weeks. Edinburgh was an amazing city, the highlands were beautiful and we spent some time on the enchanting Isle of Skye in the northwest. Ireland has changed a bit since my last trip as a result of a booming economy, but we loved the Conamara region and particularly Ishinbofin Island. We also spent several days in Dublin, which is a terrific city. We viewed everything from the historic Book of Kells at Trinity College, to the old Jamison’s distillery.
Scotch whiskey versus Irish whiskey? We’ll leave that debate for another day!
I returned to join Dave in Key West for fifteen shows in Key West and we have just finished five shows in New England. We’re back at the Hogs Breath July 30 through August 8 and then we start a three-week tour through Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia. Then back to New Hampshire for a big ISLANDFEST show on September 7 (details to follow) and then down to Belmar, New Jersey, for the Belmar Pro Surf competition Sept. 12th, 13th and 14th. After that, I hope to spend a few weeks off in New England and then back on the road in October where we play in Ocean City, Maryland, before working our way west through upstate New York, then on to Madison, Wisconsin, and down through the Midwest, across the gulf coast and home to Florida in time for the 2008 Meeting of The Minds Parrothead Festival in Key West. Shows in this area are being booked now so stay tuned to the web site and myspace page for details! If you live in that area and would like to book a show, please contact Terry Lederer at LittleFlockDistr@aol.com.
NEW MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE AUGUST 10th!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to the Hog’s Breath crack design team we will be making available two new items on August 10th: A NIGHT ON THE BEACH T-Shirt, and two baseball hats featuring a new SK logo. Because of the popularity of Kay Cushman’s fantastic painting on the cover of the A NIGHT ON THE BEACH CD, the new shirt will feature this full color artwork on the front of a premium quality ”Blue jean” colored shirt. The Hog’s Breath logo will appear on one sleeve and the new SK logo on the back. The shirt is a very popular color that really frames the colors nicely, without being as warm as a dark blue or black shirt on a hot summer day.
The new hats will come in two colors, white and tan, and will feature the new sailboat style logo embroidery in green, purple and gold on the front and my name across the back. We have spent a lot of time looking for a logo that simply expresses our love of the coastal life and I think this does the trick! I hope you enjoy the new stuff!
We’re also going to continue to collaborate with the Hog’s Breath folks to come up with some other great new items. I’m personally thinking about pajamas, jogging suits, umbrellas, thongs, sports bras, dog blankets, horsewhips and birdhouses!
Ok…. I promise to stick to the songwriting and leave the new product ideas to the Hog’s Breath professionals, so stay tuned! And if you have any ideas for new merchandise, shoot me an email at SKDEDW@aol.com and I will pass it on to the research and development team at The Hog! As you probably know, they are the masters of well-designed, high quality merchandise and I feel very lucky to have them in my corner!
ISLANDFEST RETURNS ON SEPTEMBER 7th!!!
Some of you may remember the great shows we did a few years back with The Peter Mayer Band and Club Trini, which came to be known as ISLANDFEST. The idea grew out of a gig that Peter Mayer and I had booked one summer under the tent at The Makris Restaurant in Concord, New Hampshire. As I recall, Mike Utley and Robert Greenidge showed up with their instruments and we had a magical evening of impromptu music before a very surprised and enthusiastic crowd! A person in attendance that evening later approached me about bringing this show to the Capital Center for the Arts in Concord to benefit the local Boys and Girls Club. We sold nearly a thousand tickets and Islandfest was born!
We later went on to take the show to the Keswick Theatre in Philly, the Thunderdome in Louisville, Mississippi Nights in St Louis, and several festivals in Florida, including the annual Surfers Festival in Cocoa Beach. The show was a blend of three different styles of music: my more acoustic style which some have called “beach folk”; Peter’s awesome rock and jazz influenced pop with brother Jim and Roger Guth; and Club Trini’s amazing blend of island music featuring Mike Utley, Robert Greenidge and percussionist extraordinaire Ralph MacDonald. Throw in the soaring vocals of Nadirah Shakoor and it was quite an evening of music!
We stopped doing the shows for a while as you can imagine the logistical nightmare of getting us all in the same place, not to mention the amount of travel already on everyone’s plate. However, THE SHOW RETURNS ON SEPTEMBER 7 at THE IOKA THEATRE IN EXETER, NEW HAMPSHIRE! Showtime will be at 7:30PM and tickets are available through the islandfest website.
The show will benefit the Earth Sea and Science Center, a non-profit group committed to developing a large-scale aquarium and science center on the New Hampshire seacoast. It’s a worthy cause and we promise a fun show of great music. Some of my fondest memories in the music biz come from performing with this extraordinarily talented ensemble. I’m once again honored to be a part of this show and hope you all have a chance to make it to my home state. The IOKA theatre is a beautiful, intimate theater and every seat is a good one! Jimmy Buffett plays close by in Mansfield, Massachusetts on the 4th and 6th so come and make a weekend of it! There’s nothing like New England in September!
RADIO MARGARITAVILLE ON SIRIUS!
Thanks to you and all the folks at Sirius Radio Margaritaville, my songs continue to enjoy regular play on the station. A NIGHT ON THE BEACH seems to be a big favorite this summer so please keep those cards, letters and emails coming! Hopefully, with the new merger with XM finally gaining federal approval, the music will soon be available to a whole new listening audience!
Thanks for everything and I hope to see you all over the summer!!!!!!!!!!!!
Scott
Look for the next issue of MUMBO JUMBO in OCTOBER!
MUMBO JUMBO spring 2008
Yes it’s me again, along with all the other folks in the world putting out their spring newsletters very close to the beginning of summer! Actually it is a very beautiful sunny spring day here in Williamsburg, Virginia, with not a cloud in the sky and stunning flowers blooming everywhere! After watching the JOHN ADAMS 7-part miniseries on HBO (three times) over the past few months, I figured it was time I stopped in Colonial Williamsburg, as I am playing close by in Richmond. I’m a bit of a history buff, and now I know why. Colonial Williamsburg is not much different from my part time neighborhood in New Castle, New Hampshire! That shouldn’t be surprising as more than a few of my neighbors’ homes were built in the late 1600’s and the town was founded in 1623, not to mention one of the first armed conflicts of the revolution took place 200 yards away at Fort William and Mary, actually preceding the battles at Concord and Lexington!
I have exited Key West for the time being, although I will be back for engagements at Margaritaville in June, and The Hog’s Breath in early July and again in early August. The rest of my time will be spent touring, writing new material and traveling the planet looking for new things to write about. I’m heading to Ireland and Scotland for a few weeks later this month but will be touring all over the eastern half of this country in July, August and October. July looks like mostly dates in the Northeast, August the mid-Atlantic and in October we hope to head out west across the top of the country through western New York, Ohio all the way to Madison, Wisconsin, and then down through the center of the country back to Key West for MEETING OF THE MINDS, the annual PARROTHEAD FEST!
If you would like to have my partner in crime “Country Dave “ Edmisten and me to your town, please drop TERRY LEDERER a note at LittleFlockDistr@aol.com to arrange a booking!
THANKS TO YOU, LUCKY ENOUGH REMAINS ONE OF TOP REQUESTED SONGS ON RADIO MARGARITAVILLE!
I don’t know who you are (well I know some of you!), but if you’ve requested any of my songs on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 31 over the past few years, I’d like to buy you a beer. And you know what, next time I see you I will! I’m serious! I can’t tell you how much all this radio play has helped my career and sales over the past few months. We can’t stock the CDs fast enough and I’m gaining hundreds of new fans every month. It will be 20 years in November that I quit my job and moved to Key West to pursue music and songwriting full time and after thousands of gigs and hundreds of thousands of miles, it finally feels like I’m getting a bit of a following breeze, and it is all because of you and the great folks at RADIO MARGARITAVILLE. THANK YOU!
I also feel very fortunate that LUCKY ENOUGH has touched so many listeners. As you know, I write some pretty serious songs and I write some pretty lighthearted tunes, because that’s how life is, but as an artist it’s extremely gratifying to have your most appreciated song be one of your more serious works. Don’t worry, my latest tune is titled, IT’S HARD TO FIND A HOOKER ON VALENTINES DAY, so I won’t let it go to my head (a YouTube performance of this song can be viewed at http://youtube.com/watch?v=p9W_JCRx9dg
LITTLE FLOCK MUSIC CORPORATE RETREAT
In Key West? RIGHT!!!!
It’s true! We had our first Little Flock Music business conference, held in Key West for three days in April, and actually got a lot of things accomplished. Little Flock owner Peter Mayer, business guru Mike Davis, artist relations and distribution manager Terry Lederer and yours truly assembled on the smallest of islands for three days of grueling meetings, mind numbing power point presentations and corporate team building events such as the dreaded scavenger hunt! We went out for drinks at 10pm and waited to see if we could find each other at 4 in the morning! (No one won!)
Seriously, we did talk about a lot of things that should help in our marketing and distribution including RELEASING MANY OF OUR SONGS ON iTUNES IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE! Watch our web site and MySpace pages for the details! We also hope to improve on our booking and promotion.
It wasn’t all work, as there was some fun and music to be had as Peter joined Dave and myself on The Hog’s Breath stage for a great impromptu jam session. After rehearsing Rosewood and Cedar behind the dumpster in the parking lot, Pete and I were able to pull off the old guitar duet that we only get to play once or twice a year these days. We played some of Pete’s tunes and some of mine and the crowd overflowed into the parking lot for a very special night of music. To my thinking there is nothing more fun – for the players and listeners- than a night like that. If you weren’t there I hope you catch the next one!
NEW SCOTT KIRBY CD for 2009!
BLOW ME DOWN to CAYO HUESO
Well this is one way I put pressure on myself to get things done! It’s kind of like inviting 50 people over for dinner when you haven’t cleaned the house in a month. PRESSURE is a great motivator. The good news is I have the title track finished, as well as a bunch of other half written tunes. My plan is to go into the studio next spring or summer and maybe have a release by Christmas. That’s the plan anyway!
Are you wondering where the title came from? Well my grandparents on my father’s side migrated to Massachusetts from a little fishing village on the east coast of Newfoundland called Blow Me Down (population about 50 with a couple dozen Kirby’s) when they were about 20. I went back to the old seaside outpost recently where only stone foundations remain and immediately understood where my love for the ocean and the coastal life came from (The photo on the back of the FOUR GOOD DOGS CD was taken very close to there, and yes that’s an iceberg!). The song is really a bit of the family history, from Ireland, to Newfoundland, down the east coast and finally to Cayo Hueso, the Spanish name for Key West. My father loved Key West, but one of my few regrets in life is that I did not get to go back to Newfoundland with him. We kept talking about it and talking about it, but all of a sudden it was too late. Unfortunately, so many of life’s trivial and insignificant things got in the way. A lesson hard learned I guess.
NEW MERCHANDISE FOR SUMMER!
The WALKING ON THIN ICE CD will be back in print very soon and a new NIGHT ON THE BEACH T-SHIRT should be ready for sale by July. We’ve had a ton of requests for the T-Shirt as everyone loves Kay Cushman’s painting on the cover depicting an amazing sunset from Louie’s Backyard. Kay has very kindly given me this wonderful painting and I may investigate getting prints made and making them available for sale. If you have any other ideas or requests for new things please write me at SKDEDW@aol.com.
ALL THE BEST TO ALL OF YOU!
Scott
DUPUYTREN’S DISEASE, I HAVE IT
Don’t worry (or celebrate!) I’m not dying just yet, and I’m not turning into a medical correspondent either. But because so many of you have asked me about my very obvious hand condition over the past three or four years, I thought I might take this opportunity to explain exactly what the disease is and the very successful alternative treatment I just received two weeks ago from Dr. David Kline at The Dupuytren’s Center near Boise, Idaho. Also, I hope that anyone who has the disease might read this and learn what alternatives are available, because many hand surgeons appear to be unaware. The surgeon I consulted knew nothing of it and said he couldn’t imagine how it could possibly be successful.
Without getting too technical, Dupuytren’s is a condition that begins to appear in middle age and gradually causes a thickening of tissue in your palms, which causes the little finger and the ring finger to curl in. If the disease progresses long enough it can eventually cause the fingers to totally close up and rest against the palm of your hand. Not a good thing for a guitar player!
My mother, who is a talented pianist, has the disease and I can vividly recall when it started to affect her ability to play or use a typewriter. I also remember the very painful and debilitating surgeries she went through in an attempt to regain normal use of her hands. However, she never did and suffered various levels of chronic pain and long, arduous rehabilitations.
Obviously, I inherited the disease from her. Thanks Mom! Just kidding, I also inherited my modest musical talent from her, so you have to take the good with the bad! (I’m also wondering why I didn’t inherit any of her good looks, as she was a stunning model in her younger days!)
I started to notice a change in my right hand about eight years ago (which is not crucial as I mostly rely on my first, middle finger and thumb to pick the strings). However, a couple of years later the little and ring finger on my left hand (which is crucial) began to curl. About five years ago I was unable to play some chord formations and the last three years the disease began to seriously restrict my playing. During the past six months there have been days where I could barely form even the most basic chords, and playing had become very much a struggle. I had completely stopped playing at home. I knew that without some surgical procedure my playing days were down to four or five months at best.
The full surgery had really stopped being an option for me for two reasons: First my mother’s horrible experiences and a Mayo clinic report I read on Dupuytren’s that described the surgery as “OFTEN WORSE THAN THE DISEASE ITSELF.” Although the disease was seriously affecting my ability to play guitar, it wasn’t painful and didn’t stop me from doing other things I loved to do, such as play tennis and ride my bicycle.
However, about a year ago, my sister Jill, who lives in Boise, Idaho, sent me an article from her local newspaper about Dr. David Kline and his Dupuytren’s Center in nearby Ontario, Oregon. From this article, I learned that Dr. Kline played guitar and had the disease himself, and was apparently also aware that the surgery was not a great option. Just so you know, the surgery involves removing part of your palm, requires substantial skin grafting, and has a recovery time of three to four months, with all kinds of possible unpleasant side effects such as infection, nerve damage etc. In his research, he had learned that an alternative procedure had been developed in France 30 years ago called Needle Apunevrotomy, (NA) and was commonly performed there with fantastic results! In 2002 he went to Paris and Dr. Lariboisiere performed the procedure in a matter of minutes under local anesthesia and within a day or two his hands were nearly normal. Years of discomfort were reversed in a matter of minutes. He felt he had to bring this wonderful procedure to patients in this country and trained in France, learning to perform NA himself!
After reading this article I began to do my own research, and learned that only a handful of doctors perform this procedure in the United States, and none in the northeast or even New York! I consulted a prestigious hand surgeon in New Hampshire and discussed this new procedure with him, even showing him information I had downloaded from the internet (every doctor’s nightmare, I’m sure!). He told me he had never heard of NA and that it would never work. “ I NEEDED SURGERY, AND SOON!!”
Of course, being God’s own procrastinator, I continued to try to play the best I could. Shaking hands had become downright embarrassing with my hideous claw of a right hand and about two months ago I got up one morning, picked up a guitar and horror rushed over me. I couldn’t even play a C or G chord properly! I had long abandoned playing some of my favorite James Taylor tunes but now faced the reality of not being able to play at all, so the next day I called Dr. Kline’s office and made arrangements to go out to Boise the second week of January, as I had no gigs after that until the first of February.
I flew into Boise on January 10th at 1PM. Jill picked me up and drove me directly to Dr. Kline’s office. Dr. Kline and his staff were unbelievably friendly and he spent a lot of time talking about the disease and his experiences. We also talked about music a bit and discovered we both owned Lowden guitars, a great omen! One hour later, after a Novocain shot in my left hand and some poking with a needle and some tugging (I didn’t really look!) I looked at my hand and was astonished to see my fingers nearly normal and straight when earlier my little and ring finger were bent about 90 degrees. In other words, if I extended my arm out straight, with my palm parallel to and facing the floor, those two fingers were so bent they pointed straight to the ground! My index finger was also bent about 30 degrees.
My sister was completely blown away, as she had seen how bad my hands were and had watched our mother suffer for decades. I left Dr. Kline’s office with an ice pack on my hand and a HUGE smile on my face and looked forward to returning the following day to have my right hand done.
The next morning my hand wasn’t even sore enough to require taking aspirin. It was a little black and blue (as Dr. Kline said it would be) and a little touchy where a small part of my skin had split, as my skin was not used to being stretched out straight. We went back to the office, had the right hand done in about 45 minutes and headed back to Boise for a celebratory dinner! The very next day, Saturday, I flew back to New Hampshire, and on Sunday morning couldn’t stop myself from gingerly picking up a guitar. To my amazement, I easily played things I hadn’t played in five years. Since then I have been playing guitar three to seven hours a day with newfound enthusiasm. For me, this has been nothing short of a miracle.
I guess the lesson to be learned here is that if you develop a medical problem, check out all the options. Obviously in this case, the French have one up on us! Not to mention their trains, communications, wine, food…I could go on and on, but don’t want any angry mail from you French haters!!!
All I have to say is VIVA LA FRANCE and VIVA DR. Kline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And to my buddy JL, YOU CAN STOP CALLING ME “THE CLAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Till we meet again!
Scott
I hope you are all well and coping with the holidays! I'm here in Key West for a few weeks where Dave Edmisten and I are playing a number of shows at The Hogs Breath Saloon and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Cafe. In fact, we're playing 21 shows in 26 nights including Christmas night and New Years Eve. I hope Santa brings me a strong voice because I'll sure need it with this month's schedule. As soon as we finish this run we saddle up to head to the midwest for a show in Madison, Wisconsin on January 4th and Minneapolis on January 5th. (Do I even have a coat or socks here?) Hopefully we won't run into any kind of blizzard!
2007 has been a productive and interesting year and I want to once again thank all of you who have purchased copies of A NIGHT ON THE BEACH and my other CDs. I'm in the process of writing some new tunes and hope to make several available for sale on I tunes in the new year. I also have a lot of shows scheduled here in Key West through the first six months of the year and plan to do some extensive touring throughout the country as well. I also plan to try to write a monthly newsletter, and come out with some new merchandise. Many of you have asked about a NIGHT ON THE BEACH T-shirt which we hope to offer in the spring.
As I travel and meet many of you from around the country, I'm often asked about the inspiration for many of my songs. It may appear obvious for some songs, but less so for others. I thought I would tackle that topic in my monthly newsletter in 2008. If any of you have songs in particular you might be interested in, please shoot me an e mail and I'll try to get to them all. Songwriting is a great source of joy for me and I hope I can explain where some of these stories and tunes come from without boring you to death!
Songwriting is a very mysterious activity. I can't tell you how many times I have thought about a song for months, or even years, to have the words suddenly pour out of my head onto the paper, almost as if the words are contained in the ink as it flows out of the pen. Most songwriters often experience a similar phenomenon. The words suddenly lie on the paper and you wonder where the heck they came from. Then of course there are the songs which are a terrible struggle. Unfinished verses lingering in your notebook for weeks on end and hours of lying in bed staring at the ceiling, waiting for pieces of the puzzle to fall from the sky. I carried one song around with me for two years before Bobby Donaldson and I finally finished it in a friend's living room in Madison, Wisconsin.
People also often ask me which comes first, the music or the words. The truth is it depends on the song, and these are all things I will write about in the coming months. I'm going to start with LUCKY ENOUGH on January 1 and we'll see you then! Have the happiest of holidays!! I've got to get on my bicycle and head to the Afterdeck Bar for happy hour.
Scott
|
| Scott always wears a tie when checking out new guitars! |
MUMBO JUMBO!
August 27, 2007
Well, it’s another edition of Mumbo Jumbo, which has now morphed into my monthly musings about scraping along the road and life and laughs in the music business! (How could anyone take this too seriously!?) As I write this, I’m in Washington, DC, preparing to limp through the last two gigs of this 3 ½ week tour. If you’ve seen the schedule Dave and I have been keeping, you can see we’ve been a little on the busy side, and put more than a few miles on the van and ourselves! But, life is good and I sincerely want to thank every one of you who have come to our shows and to those who have purchased the new CD. I have to honestly say, that out of the five CDs I’ve released, I’m the most pleased with this one. Maybe it's because we had so much damn fun recording it! I hope you like it, and keep requesting those songs on Radio Margaritaville!
I’m also really pleased with the way the cover came out. One of my very close friends, Kay Cushman, did the painting, and there’s an interesting story behind it. I’ve known Kay and her husband Ray for nearly 35 years and we’ve shared millions of laughs, thousands of drinks and dozens of vacations. A lot of photographs were taken of me the night of the show, but not exactly being Brad Pitt, I’ve always leaned towards using art on CD covers. Close friends Jo Stephens painted the Thin Ice cover and Tom Norby, Grand Bar Schemes, and both pieces are proudly displayed in my house! (In a fit of frugality, I drew the 4 Good Dogs cover with a sharpie) Anyway, about a month after we recorded the show, Kay e-mailed a photograph of this extraordinary painting. I didn’t even know Kay was an artist! Apparently Kay had painted a bit in college and since retiring had decided to take an art class and this was her first piece! On top of that, the painting was done from a photograph taken from the Afterdeck Bar (My Cathedral) in Key West, right next to the beach where my concert was recorded. What are the chances of that happening!
As you can see, the painting is simply amazing. I don’t profess to be an art expert, but I’ve spent my share of time recently in Paris staring at the impressionistic masterpieces and was simply blown away when I saw this on my computer screen. I knew within a nano-second that I would ask Kay to use it as my cover, and she kindly gave her permission. In fact, people like it so much that we will be producing A Night On The Beach T-shirts and hats in the very near future. Who knows, we might even convince Kay to have some prints made!
There are also two great photographs on the CD taken by good friends of mine. Claudia Hould, one of the original “wicked sisters” came all the way from LA to be at the concert in Key West and took the shot of me on stage, which is on the back of the CD cover and featured on my new promo poster. Tamara LaTorre took the very cool shot of the schooner at sunset on her most recent trip to Key West. Tamara is a talented freelance photographer who also designed and maintains my My Space page. Thanks girls!!!!
Well, September will be a quiet month for me, musically speaking. It is my favorite month of the year in New England and I plan to completely enjoy it this year. I plan on spending a lot of time on the water, maybe even help my friend Bruce McKenna sail his boat south, hopefully stopping on Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket or Block Island. It doesn’t get any better than that! I also plan to get up to Maine for a few days, maybe visiting my Key West friends who summer in Boothbay Harbor, and hell, I have one of best damn views on the planet out my living room window in New Castle, New Hampshire, overlooking Kittery, Maine. THANK YOU BROOK, THANK YOU BROOK!!! Lucky enough, I guess!
In my spare time, I will be working on putting together a TV series including all the major presidential candidates, but that’s another story…
October will take Dave and I on a short tour starting in New Hampshire, then heading out to western New York and then down through the middle of the country, all the way to Key West for the annual Parrothead festival. We’re booking dates now and should have them up on the web site and My Space page in the next two weeks, so stay tuned!!
I’m really looking forward to September and feel some good times and good stories coming on, maybe even a new song or two! Hell, I should put some damn pressure on myself and just publicly commit to finishing “It’s Hard to Find a Hooker on Valentines Day” by Columbus Day weekend!! See you soon and stay tuned for the next Mumbo Jumbo!
"...we agreed to abandon ship and hook up with Scott. We did so on the deck of a Kennebunkport watering hole called "The Wharf," and we did so over adult beverages and in the intervening six days, the CD has not been out of earshot."
Read the full article at UnionLeader.com
Little Flock Music proudly announces the release of A NIGHT ON THE BEACH, Scott Kirby’s first live CD, featuring three new original songs: I Tried, Northern Town, and A Night On The Beach.
A NIGHT ON THE BEACH was recorded live in a single performance on the beach at the Casa Marina resort, on Key West, FL, before a crowd of about a thousand festive folks in town for the annual Parrot Heads in Paradise bash.
As some of you may know, most live CDs are recorded over the course of five or six performances and then the best tracks are edited together into what sounds like a single, seamless performance. Attempting a one shot deal like this was a high wire act from the get-go. I told all my friends in the band to just go for it. First and foremost, I wanted to put on a great show and didn’t want them to play safe just because the “record” button was on. This world-class group of musicians put on a phenomenal performance, the recording turned out great, and we now have the CD to take us back to A NIGHT ON THE BEACH!… Scott Kirby
Joining Scott on this project are David Edmisten, Peter Mayer, Gabriel Donohue, Emily Leader, Matt Thompson, Andy Thompson and R. Scott Bryan.
A NIGHT ON THE BEACH, as well as all Scott Kirby titles and merchandise, may be ordered at the Little Flock Music online store, by visiting www.LittleFlockMusic.com, or by calling toll free: 877-LIT-FLOK (548-3565). CDs are $15.00, plus shipping and handling.
MUMBO JUMBO! spring/summer 2007
Ok, so I missed the winter issue of Mumbo Jumbo, my periodical newsletter. You know how it goes; you get busy, life flies by and the next thing you know it’s spring and almost summer!
Last time I wrote I had recently returned from a great trip to France and Switzerland. Well, here I sit, months later, on a 767 getting ready to take off and fly back to Boston after a whirlwind weekend in Paris. I’ve always been extremely conscious of how precious our days are on the planet, and as I turned another year older this weekend, I decided to catch some of the French Open and Jimmy Buffett's show at a little old jazz club in Paris. I have six uninterrupted hours of peace and quiet ahead of me, and even though we got back to the hotel 6 AM this morning (thank god my wife will never read this!), I’m committed to get a first draft of Mumbo Jumbo written by the time the wheels hit the ground in Beantown. No need to go into the gory details; let’s just say I’m hoping jet lag will be counteracted by just plain lack of sleep. Does that make any sense? I think not.
It was such a great weekend, and hearing Jimmy and the guys play “A Woman Gone Crazy on Caroline Street.” in an old Paris club was simply surreal. I’ve seen a few women go crazy on Caroline Street over the years and hearing the song and seeing some familiar faces in the bar really made me realize what a small world it is becoming. Brook, my friend and partner in travel and crime, and I had made a similar weekend trip to Munich just before Christmas, which was equally stunning. One small regret in my life is that I haven’t done as much traveling abroad as I could have, so it seems like I’m trying to make up for lost time.
I’ve been out straight the past few months with the “real job,” performing, and trying to get the new CD finished and out in time for the August tour. A NIGHT ON THE BEACH will be released on August 1 and I will be on tour with guitarist David Edmisten for much of the month of August. (SEE TOUR DATES)
I want to talk about the CD a bit, mostly because I’m so happy with it. I think the band knocked it out of the park that night and I will be forever indebted to them. It was probably the best performance of my career and we were lucky enough to record it!!! And thanks to the sheer wizardry of producer and engineer Dan Simpson, I have a CD that evokes the emotion, frivolity and spontaneity inspired by playing under a full moon on the beach, with a quality of sound nearing that of a studio album.
A NIGHT ON THE BEACH was recorded live in a single performance on the beach at the Casa Marina resort on Key West, before a crowd of about a thousand festive folks in town for the annual Parrotheads in Paradise bash.
As some of you may know, most live CDs are recorded over the course of five or six performances and then the best tracks are edited together into what sounds like a single, seamless performance. Attempting a one shot deal like this was a high wire act from the get-go, but at the least I thought I might get a handful of useable tracks for a future CD. I told all my friends in the band to just go for it, as I had very low expectations of getting an entire CD out of it. First and foremost I wanted to put on a great show and didn’t want them to play safe just because the “record” button was on.
I mostly perform these days accompanied by an amazing guitarist and vocalist named David Edmisten. Occasionally we’re joined by Emily Leader on fiddle or Jeffrey Shenandoah on percussion, but much less often by a full band. Although Matt and Andy Thompson of the MASSACOUSTICS and I have jammed on many occasions, they had only joined me on bass and drums on a couple of prior gigs. If you happened to be in Key West that week early last November, you might recall the driving rain and howling wind that battered the island for several days. As a result, Matt and Andy couldn’t fly into Key West in time to make a rehearsal the night before the concert Consequently, they had to learn two brand new songs in sound check a couple of hours before the show, and proceeded to lay down a rhythm track so solid it still boggles my mind. Add that to the fact that this was literally the first time these seven musicians had ever stood on the same stage together and you’ll understand why I feel so lucky!!
If you’ve seen the Thompson brothers play before, you know Matt plays bass guitar, drums and sings at the same time; something I’ve never seen any other human being do. His brother also has a great voice and is an amazing lead guitar player, however in this instance, he kindly agreed to play bass as Dave and Peter Mayer would be playing guitar. Bass players are often under appreciated by people because they don’t generally project the flash of an acrobatic drummer or hot lead guitar player. However, musicians know and love a great bass player because he or she is the one player who must absolutely know every single chord change, plus play in perfect time with the drummer. Improvisation is not an option! One bad clam by the bass player can produce the fiercest of glares by band mates and frowns of bewilderment by the audience.
Had the Thompsons played such a strong rhythm track after playing the songs a few times; I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised. The fact they pulled this off with no rehearsal is extraordinary.
Gabriel Donohue and I met one balmy night in 1986 while he was playing on the pier at the Ocean Key House in Key West. I recall seeing this tall Irishmen and being immediately stunned by his virtuosity on both the acoustic guitar and the piano. On top of that, he had an amazing voice and a repertoire that spanned from traditional Celtic, to rock to jazz to Broadway and back!
In those days I was very busy working for a leader in the state legislature and producing political ads for TV and radio, and didn’t even own a guitar. I don’t think I had owned one for six or seven years, but under the influence of some rum I’m sure I thought it was a great idea to play Steamroller Blues on Gabriel’s guitar while he played the piano. I look back on that moment and realize I must have been inspired by his amazing talent-- and possibly the amazing woman he was attracting—and upon returning to New Hampshire immediately went out and purchased a new mahogany Guild acoustic guitar.
Gabriel and I struck up a fast friendship, as he was also very politically astute, and I continued to visit Key West and also occasionally drove down to Cape May, New Jersey, on summer weekends to watch him play at a place on the beach called Carneys. I was working on putting a solo act together and he would kindly invite me up to join him for a few Jimmy Buffett or James Taylor tunes. Singing had never come naturally to me and in those days it was a momentous struggle. In fact, I played bass in a group called the Overdew Band years earlier and they would only let me sing one song: “Steamroller Blues”! A couple of years of vocal lessons have helped a little, but at this point, I generally just try to stay in my comfort zone and express my songs the best I can with the voice given me.
Gabriel ended up giving me an old sound system and I borrowed some money and bought a really good set of speakers and set up the PA in my apartment on South Street in Concord, New Hampshire. I lived upstairs over a wonderful old woman named Edna, who was fortunately a little on the deaf side. In fact, one night I had a party where so many people were dancing that the hardwood floor and walls were flexing like the place was breathing! I was terrified of what Edna thought down below, but the next day I ran into her and she was just as sweet as ever and said, “Scott, I haven’t seen you in a few days, I though you might be out of town!” From that point on, I knew a little music wouldn’t bother her.
I was tiring a bit of the political scene, in my early thirties and single, and moved my bed into the kitchen (a room I didn’t use much) so I get make the large bedroom into a small after hours club, complete with 5 tables (with red and white checkered clothes) a bar and hideous tacky memorabilia I had collected from the Keys! When the local watering holes closed at 1 O’clock in the morning, I would drag my friends over for drinks and an occasional impromptu performance. By then I was rum courageous enough to play and they were drunk enough to listen. One night someone had the bright idea to push one of my wobbly card tables up against the big bay windows to create a make shift stage. One of my friends still remembers being terrified that the table would collapse and I would topple backwards through the windows to the street two stories below!
Over the course of the next year or two, after endless practicing in my bedroom, I finally got the courage to play my first paying solo gig as a guitarist/singer. I had a friend in Newport, Rhode Island, that introduced me to a bar owner in the brickyard mall area there (The name escapes me, but I recall it was a western name, The Wagonwheel maybe?). So with the gear Gabriel gave me, and his inspiration, I played my first paying gig. So whatever meager accomplishments I made as a singer/songwriter- not to mention the pain, frustration and humiliation- I have Gabriel to thank!
He’s gone on to play around the world in dozens of ensembles and toured for five years with the legendary Chieftains and emerged as a talented record producer and engineer. He played flawless piano, organ and mandolin on my CD and was an experienced voice of calm at the otherwise chaotic sound check-rehearsal. If you’re lucky, you might catch him in Key West, at Finnegan’s Wake or at any other number of places on the east coast.
I have watched “Country Dave” Edmisten play a variety of different music at The Hogs Breath in Key West for years. His stunning high clear voice and lightning fast flatpicking on the acoustic guitar always caught my eyes and ears. A couple of years ago, a great guitarist named Chris Clifton, Dave and I had the opportunity to jam for a few nights at the Hog. Dave knew I did a lot of solo and duo work and approached me about playing together. He was very humble about his guitar playing but told me he was a good listener and could really add a lot to my songs by singing all the harmony parts; no small feat, considering the volume of lyrics to memorize in 50 or so songs. I knew he had a great voice and a dead-on ear for harmony, but was unsure if his incredible flatpicking would translate to the electric guitar and my style of folk rock, or beach folk, or whatever it is I play. However, the first time we played “Little Blue Boat,” I knew he was very gifted and incredibly versatile, and from that first gig, his playing has just been getting better and better. His harmonies are glorious and we always have fun playing together. It just doesn’t get any better than that!
Many times in the month preceding the show, Dave would make comments indicating he was not thrilled about the upcoming recording. Many musicians are not wild about it and I’m one of them. It’s amazing how one can play or sing a part dozens of times live, but after the record button is pushed, everything changes. I’m sure players who are constantly recording get used to it, but to many of us it’s intimidating and in some ways stifling. Dave was agonizing so much about the recording that I actually had a meeting with the rest of the band to discuss lying to Dave just before the show that the recorder had broken and we wouldn’t be taping anything after all. However, that had its own pitfalls,so we abandoned the thought.
Well, Dave played his ass off! I don’t what potion of herbs, supplements, beer and tequila he leaned on, but he was as cool as a cucumber and tore off some rip snorting solos…and had fun doing it!
Emily Randle, or should I say Emily Leader (happily married now!) and I met a number of years ago while she was on tour with Peter Mayer. An amazingly versatile and talented violinist, Emily is equally comfortable reading complex classical charts as she is improvising on a jazz piece or digging into some rock and roll. We hit it off immediately as we both have a dominant zany side! You may know that Emily is a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army where she plays in several configurations for the Army band. Unfortunately, she can’t join me as much as much as we would like because of her busy schedule, but I was so happy she made it to Key West. She literally flew in during our sound check. We had someone pick her up at the airport and wisk her directly to the stage. She also had never heard a couple of the new tunes before, yet played wonderfully, not only on her solos, but in her accompaniment under other player’s solos. Brilliant!
Pete Mayer and I met back in 1989, when he and brother Jim and Roger Guth first started working with Jimmy Buffett. I immediately recognized these guys as very serious musicians. Over the years we have played countless shows together, traveled around the country in old vans and had the special opportunity to write together, and had more laughs than any human beings deserve. One of my goals down the road is to write a comedic book about the humorous side of the music business, not from the view from a palatial tour bus or private jet, but from the window of a rusty van or oil leaking RV with a stinky bathroom. I already have a title and the hilarious things that have happened to Pete and I over the years could easily fill three or four chapters.
I wouldn’t want to do a live CD without Pete’s involvement and fortunately on this evening he and his band followed me, and he was gracious enough to lend some of his energy and immense talent to my show. “Last Flying Boat” - a song we wrote together to pitch to Jimmy- wouldn’t be right without Pete’s soaring vocal harmonies. On top of that, the guitar solo he pulled off is simply amazing. The great thing about recording live is that a musician literally feeds off the positive energy from an audience, and is often inspired to play at a level - technically and creatively- that they might never achieve in a sterile environment like the recording studio.
Pete is also an amazing songwriter, and if you don’t have any of CDs, you are doing yourself a great disservice. Thanks Pete!
Another great thing about sharing the stage with Pete’s band is that Scott Bryan was also available to play a little percussion on my set. You may know him as the guy who plays percussion, piano, organ and guitar with Pete. In fact, Scott plays just about every instrument under the sun, is a great singer/songwriter with his own CDs, and also a talented recording engineer and producer. He also played for a number of years in Sheryl Crow’s band and I can’t thank him enough for jumping on the stage for the last couple of songs of the night!
So… Look for the new CD, A NIGHT ON THE BEACH on AUGUST 1, listen to Sirius Radio Margaritaville and try to catch us at one of the upcoming shows!!
SUMMER TOUR – click on “GIGS” for all the up-to-date information on venues, locations and ticket information! A few more performances are in the works, so check back often!
"Scott Kirby's songs have graced Radio Margaritaville since we began in 1999. He is a favorite of our listeners, always near the top of the list of our most-requested artists. Recent material like 'Lucky Enough' and '4 Good Dogs' show that Scott just keeps getting better. And he remains one of the most sought-after performers at the various shows and gatherings of Parrotheads that our listeners attend so enthusiastically."
Steve Huntington, Program Director, Sirius Radio Margaritaville
MUMBO JUMBO fall 2006 Edition 1
SIX STRING MUSIC: A Visit to The Big Easy
French Wine
MOTM and a live recording
Radio Margaritaville
Key West Magazine
Hello to everyone out there in cyberspace! Thanks for checking in on my site! Terry Lederer, my manager and the brain and pain (her pain!) behind Little Flock Records, has been urging me to do an online newsletter for some time. Nothing too formal mind you. Just a few words every few months to let you know what I’ve been up to.
I said, “Terry, come on…. who would really give a shit what I’m up to?” She said, “You’d be surprised, in the depths of winter or deep despair, it might be heartening for someone to know you’re face down in a vineyard in Napa, drunk and aground off the coast of France, or in jail somewhere doing research for your next CD!” “OK, maybe you’re right,” I said, “but I’m not going to take this too seriously!” Thus the birth of MUMBO JUMBO, my new quarterly newsletter.
While researching a name for these mutterings, I ran across MUMBO JUMBO in my thesaurus. Related words were hocus pocus, gibberish, and nonsense! PERFECT, I screamed a loud while uncorking a bottle of cheap champagne. If that’s not the ideal name for this thing, I don’t what is! And, I came up with it in less than five minutes! Luck is a beautiful thing and MUMBO JUMBO IT IS!
SOME SIX STRING MUSIC IN NEW ORLEANS!
One of my summer highlights was getting back to New Orleans to play at The Six String Songwriters Invitational, held at The Margaritaville Cafe in the French Quarter. OK, I have to admit, I wasn’t that excited to leave the balmy days and cool nights of the tantalizingly short New Hampshire summer, to tackle the summer heat and humidity of New Orleans. On top of that, some of my friends seemed surprised I would even consider going to a place they viewed as storm-ravaged, chemically contaminated and downright dangerous! However, I‘m here to tell you I had a wonderful time, and you should consider a visit to this great old town as soon as you get the chance. No time is better than now.
I performed there in the summer of 2005, and remember doing an interview on Radio Margaritaville, along with singer/songwriter James White, joking about hurricanes of all things! Jesus, I won’t do that again. Katrina hit the following week. I felt so bad that Peter Mayer and I donated all of our profits from a concert last October in Manchester, NH. But alas, I wasn’t able to break the spell of my stupidity-- the voodoo was too strong! Five days later, a hurricane bowled over my home port of Key West, flooding half of the town including a little cottage I own. What have I learned???? Don’t joke about hurricanes!!!!
It was great getting back to The Big Easy, but heartbreaking all the same. Kind of like visiting an old friend you know has been through hard times and don’t know quite what to expect.
Landing at the airport, I immediately got a feeling in my gut that things were still not normal. The terminal was eerily quiet and relaxed, not the bustling sea of humanity one is accustomed to battling at most big city airports. The corridors were shiny and clean and adorned with welcoming signs and I immediately got the feeling New Orleans was glad to have visitors once again, and ready to fight its way back with a heavy dose of hospitality.
After grabbing my guitar from the baggage carousel, I stepped outside into the bright light and that unmistakable gulf coast humidity. There wasn’t an overabundance of passengers around and plenty of cabs, so I immediately jumped into the backseat of an air conditioned, late model, four door sedan, driven by an easy going bear of a guy about 65 years old, named Andrew. He asked where I lived and I told him I spent some time in New England and some in Key West. Of course from there the talk immediately turned to hurricanes.
He was a native of New Orleans and I could tell he’d been through a dismal year. He’d lost his home, and business was so slow that some days during the week he barely had any fares at all, and flights into the airport were still way down from pre-Katrina days. He was, however, very excited about the newly renovated Superdome and the return of the Saints! Maybe the only thing he was excited about. I got the feeling he wasn’t exactly holding his breath waiting for the federal government, or any other government, to ride to the rescue!
While traveling the 20 minutes or so from the airport to the French Quarter, I didn’t notice the type of devastation I had viewed on the nightly news over the past year, but recognized we weren’t adjacent to the ninth ward or other storm ravaged areas. And as we wheeled into the Quarter on a bright Thursday afternoon, I was actually struck to see how neat and tidy the streets and sidewalks looked. I guess a big bath from Mother Nature, and a year with virtually no tourists, will add a little shine to the face of a legendary old party town! Of course I was aware that this old section of New Orleans had escaped the worst of the flooding and not suffered much serious damage.
Andrew dropped me off at an intersection next to the Margaritaville Café. I unloaded my gear, wished he and his Saints good luck, and stood there for a moment in the sweltering August sun, looking back and forth, feeling pleased to be there, but slightly uneasy. The Quarter looked really good, but something was very very strange. After a moment or two, I realized what it was. No people. There were no people. As far as I could see, in all four directions, there was no one walking the streets. Granted, it was the heat of the afternoon on a summer weekday, but still it seemed odd. Finally, I noticed one person duck out of a doorway and walk slowly off in the other direction, disappearing through the shimmering blur of heat arising off the distant sidewalk.
Later in the afternoon, a smattering of folks started to appear on the streets, lazily strolling from one shop or bar to the next. As I did the same, I became aware of just how friendly the shopkeepers and bartenders were, and how happy they seemed to have survived such a horrible disaster. But there was something else I noticed as I carried on casual conversations with many of them. As they looked you in the eye, I could feel they were sincerely appreciative you took a chance on New Orleans. Regardless of all the negative media, you gambled your precious time on their struggling town, and I sensed they appreciated it. It was then and there I felt really happy to be back in New Orleans and knew it would be a great weekend.
The humidity dropped off to a comfortable level on Friday, the temperature cooled a bit and the breeze filled in making for a delightful summer day. A steady but measured stream of visitors started to filter in, breathing a little more life into town as the day went on. I walked all around the French Quarter and up and down the riverfront during the day, brushed up on some local history, and even finished a song one morning in my room at the old Provincial Hotel. I ate some of the best food in the world, met up with some old friends and enjoyed some fine tequila with them late into the evening, on a balcony overlooking Bourbon St. Basking in the sweet midnight air, my feet propped up on an iron rail, gazing out at the architecture so uniquely New Orleans, I was a very happy man.
And oh, I almost forgot, I got to play some music with a whole bunch of great songwriters from around the country! Keith Sykes, an old acquaintance and phenomenal writer and performer stole the show. You may know Keith as the writer of some of Jimmy Buffett’s classics such as Volcano and The Coast of Marseille, but he’s written all kinds of wonderful tunes for all kinds of artists and a great performer and recording artist in his own right!
I don’t get to see Keith often; however, we have been in trouble a couple of times in Key West in the past. Let’s see, there was the first time we met. I was scheduled to pick him up at The Key West Airport at 1pm for the KW Songwriters Festival. After doing so, we proceeded directly to Pepe’s Café for cocktails. We tried to leave about 3pm, but when we walked out on Caroline Street, we noticed my old Dodge van had a big lime green card on the windshield and a Denver Boot on the left front wheel! Damn! Those friggin parking tickets! And that’s where the trouble began.
ANYWAY, IT’S A GREAT TIME TO VISIT NEW ORLEANS!!!! The town isn’t crowded with thousands of drunken conventioneers, the flights and hotels are reasonable, the food is hot and the drinks are cold and you’ll be doing a great service to your fellow man, while having the time of your life. Now what beats that?!?!
A LONG WAY TO GO FOR GREAT FRENCH WINE!
Ok, I’ll admit it, there is absolutely nothing worse than hearing a long torturous soliloquy about someone’s travels, unless of course you write like Paul Theroux, the great travel author! But seeing I was missing in action for most of the month of September, I thought I would at least briefly explain where I was, because I’m sure you’ll eventually hear about it in a song anyway. My wife and I were invited to spend some time with our good friends, Marty and Denise White, aboard the classis yacht BOLERO, a gorgeous 73ft Sparkman and Stevens sailing yacht. This boat was built in 1949 and is so famous in sailing circles that a coffee table book has just published about her. Marty and Denise, professional captains, were on a break in the south of France for a few weeks, so we decided to take them up on their offer and see a bit of Europe at the same time. I have traveled to England, Ireland, Belgium and Holland, but that has been the extent of my European travels.
My flight into Paris came direct from Boston and my wife, Michelle, was coming from Key West, so I landed several hours ahead of her, at 7:30 in the morning Paris time. My flight was less than five hours and 45 minutes. I read some, slept some, had a little food and before I knew it, we were landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport. I blew through customs in a matter of minutes and quickly found myself in the back of a cab headed to the Hotel Molliere, in the heart of Paris, about two blocks from the Louvre. My immediate thought while soaking up the amazing sights of Paris was, “How is it possible it took me 52 years to do this?!”
I don’t speak much French, but had relearned some very basic phrases and of course had heard “the French don’t like Americans” thing from everyone in the weeks prior to my departure. I can honestly say that with the exception of one hotel clerk in the French Alps, the language barrier was never more than anything but a minor inconvenience, and throughout our 16 days there, we never had one single unpleasant encounter with anyone. Granted, I did scale down my loud, laughing fool act a notch, after reading in a book that if the French see someone like me walking down the street, they fear a deranged escapee may be on the loose! I learned to speak in French “Hello, I’m sorry I don’t speak French, do you speak English?” That, and “thank you” served me very well.
We spent seven days in Paris, six on the Riviera, two in the Provence Region and five days in Switzerland, which was also amazing. We also traveled to Normandy for a day, which was unforgettable. If you run into me in a bar some night, remind me to tell you about walking on Omaha Beach with Gerry, a D-Day veteran from Ft. Lauderdale we just happened to run into getting off the train. If I could describe that experience on paper, I’d really be a writer! It’s better told over a glass of wine and something I’ll never forget.
One quick story and I’ll move on! About 10 o’clock at night on a cool evening, we meandered into a small café about a block from our hotel. 12 hours of soaking up Paris and we were ready for a bite to eat and a couple glasses of wine. This particular café was very small, seating 30 or 40 people. When we walked in we were seated in the corner next to a black upright piano, the kind you might see in an old saloon out west. Next to it was a big old stand up bass, leaning in a kind of careless way that told me the musician playing it was not far away and wouldn’t be gone too long. We ordered some red wine and within 10 minutes a couple of Frenchman in their 40’s got up from a table and walked over to our corner.
One sat at the piano and the other stretched his arms around the big bass. They started with a couple of Chuck Berry tunes and immediately could tell we were into the music. Musicians have a way of sensing who in a crowd is enjoying them and then feeding into that positive energy. In a small club like this the positive vibe you get from one or two couples is all you need to keep you going. However, on this night, everyone in the small café was enjoying really themselves. A lovely young black woman with long dark hair got up to sing with the duo on the third song, belting out a jazz standard. She sat down after enthusiastic applause and they continued playing a mix of blues, R& B and rock and roll. They could see us singing along, knew we were Americans, and nodded and smiled at us after each tune, acknowledging our applause. Then an extraordinary thing happened.
A young black gentleman, extremely athletic looking, handsome and dapper in a white suit and tie with a shiny silver vest, approached the informal stage and leaned down to talk to the piano player. I assumed he was discussing what number he might sing. After a few moments, they nodded and smiled at each other as if they were enjoying a private joke. The pianist spoke a few words to the bass player and off they went into a kind of bouncy ragtime number. Just as I was expecting the man to sing, he began swinging his arms and tap dancing on the tile floor with such a combination of energy and finesse that I almost fell out of my chair. Now, I don’t claim to be a connoisseur of dance, but I can tell the real deal when I see it! This was amazing!! I’m talking Gene Kelley amazing!! The crowd went absolutely wild as the guy danced through three numbers. I have to admit I have never seen a tap dancer perform in person, never mind from 10 feet away, and it was unbelievable to the point of bringing tears of joy to my eyes! I had this feeling I had just witnessed one of those incredible spontaneous events you’ll never see again, here on my second night in Paris, in a little café on a narrow side street a stones throw from our hotel.
After the third number of acrobatic dancing, the man smiled, cocked his head and took a bow as the crowd stood screaming and clapping. The band took a break, as I knew there would be no way to follow a burst of magic like that! The bass player leaned his old bass into the corner and immediately came over to speak with us. His English was quite good and I invited him to join us for a drink. I assumed he knew the dancer and that perhaps this had happened before. No, he explained, they had never seen the guy. They understood he was dancing in a show somewhere in Paris and had just happened to stop in with his girlfriend for a drink. Wow, how lucky we were to be sitting there.
I explained to my new friend that I played guitar and wrote songs and we had a great discussion about all kinds of music and it once again reminded me of what an amazing influence American music has had on much of the world. Aside from playing in this duo, the bassist told me he also played in a Texas swing band! I said you mean stuff like Asleep At The Wheel? He replied in his French accent, “well yees, but of course they borrowed much of their style from Bob Weels.” Unbelievable, I thought! He probably