MUMBO JUMBO – December 2015

Greetings from the Southernmost Pole!
In the spirit of the great American holiday season,
we’ve got lots of stuff to sell!

 

MAYER KIRBY MAYER: NEW CD RELEASED DECEMBER 22ND

The new Mayer Kirby Mayer live CD may not be at your doorstep by Christmas, but at least you will be able to listen to it on New Year’s Eve!

After naming the new CD La Casa Cayo Hueso in late October, we decided to write a new song that would be the title track for the CD. The annual migration of thousands of Parrotheads to Key West has been going on for 25 years, and for much of that time an enormous stage has been built on the beach at the Casa Marina Hotel to accommodate the four days of live music. We have played on the stage many wonderful nights, and I recorded my Night on the Beach live album there in 2006.

 

A NEW TITLE SONG

Pete and I loved the ring of the title (which translates as “Key West House”), and we wanted the song to capture the spirit of coming together once a year for these magical nights of music wafting across the south shore of Key West. Here are a few of the lyrics:

In la Casa Cayo Hueso
A long line of rising Suns set outside your door
The rhymes and rhythms of the waves know
Susannah’s voice calling in the wind
Singing here I go again

A hundred bridges span the sea, through coral reefs a
nd mangrove trees
Sailing south before the breeze, brings us here as one
Some came down to leave it all behind,
some to find a way to lose their mind
To stop the clock for one night’s time,
in this house our home.

 

The song had never been played in public before the night of the recording. Throw in the fact we were performing on a huge stage with guest musicians Gary Green, Jim Mayer and Roger Guth, with no rehearsal and a three-minute sound check, and you have the musical version of a high wire act.

I haven’t heard a single note from La Casa Cayo Hueso recordings, as the tracks immediately went to Nashville for mixing and mastering, so you and I and will be hearing it for the first time together. In fact, knowing the mail service in Key West, you’ll most probably hear it first. One thing I can guarantee is that it won’t be perfect, or at least my parts won’t be. But you will hear two songs performed by us for the first time, and I’m sure it will capture the musical camaraderie and the spirit of the evening.

 

A NEW PRINT BY PHYLLIS LONDON

Some of you will recognize Phyllis London as the painter of my Sol Searching CD cover. I was delighted with her work on that project, so at very short notice Pete and I threw the idea of a cover for the Casa Cayo Hueso album in her lap. We absolutely love what she came up with. She’s already sold a number of prints produced from the original work, and you can order yours, as well as a selection of caps, t-shirts and CDs, at the Little Flock Store. Check out Phyllis’s other fine work at http://fineartamerica.com/artists/phyllis+london.

 

 

 

A NEW BOOK BY RALPH DE PALMA

Photographer Ralph De Palma has been shooting and interviewing folks in the Key West music scene for years and will be releasing his second book of photos and conversations on December 18. Ralph interviewed me and a number of my musical friends for this volume, and I look forward to seeing it. The Soul of Key West Volume II can be ordered from Ralph at www.rwdepalma.com. Thanks, Ralph, for your great work.

Speaking of photographers, you may notice that a number of the photos posted recently in our newsletters and social media carry the watermark of Renae or Toby Karlquist. Renae and Toby are friends of ours who have also done some great promotional work for us in the past. They were recently in Key West to photograph our live recording and I’ll talk more about them and their work in the next newsletter.

 

ALL SHOW DATES THROUGH APRIL 2016 NOW ON THE WEBSITE.

I hope you and your family enjoy the most wonderful holiday season possible. And as always, thank you for listening!

Cheers!

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