Where
Dave?
West Point, Virginia
August 31, 2007
We always smile when the phone rings and the caller I.D. says "Dave
Jacobson/ Royal Atlantic Entertainment". Dave always comes up
with the coolest engagements for us and this time was no different.
Tonight we were in West Point, VA. playing from 6-9pm on a flatbed
trailer. 400 people from town came out for their Friday evening party.
The local volunteer fire department showed up to steam shrimp and
when they found out that there wasn't really a plan for lighting the
event, they brought in the truck, extended the ladder and fired up
the sodiums. The place was buzzing with neighborly fun and fellowship.
Some danced, some ate and drank, some just chilled in their beach
chairs, but everybody said they had a great time. West Point
is Americana and we can't wait to go back.
Morning
StarsRichmond, Virginia
August 25, 2007
So what do you say when they take you out of your closer position and ask you to play Saturday morning poolside? You say, "Sure, wherever you think we'll best serve the event". The rumors were all true. There was a crowd, they were ready to go, they were hungover AND there was 100 dozen fresh Krispy Kreme donuts. We found out that if the conga line in the pool works real hard to make a whirlpool and then relaxes and just floats on my countdown, they'll all be flung to the outrside and take out the people hanging on the edge. Funny! We also found out that if the crowd wants us to jump in the pool, their persistance will enventually pay off. 3 cheers to The Parrot Head Club of Richmond on another incredible multi-day event. Stars is a nationally known Parrot Head event, and rightly so.
How
Will They Ever Top Piratestock?Manassas, Virginia
July 7, 2007
Ally Taylor asked Rob (her hubby) what he wanted for his birthday and he said that he wanted all his friends to be together in one place and he wanted Tall Paul and Crawdaddy to play. No problem, but he also said that he wanted The CalypsoNuts to play. Ok, can do, but there must be something else right? Uh, yea, I'd, uh, like to have St. Somewhere play too even though they haven't played together since 2003. Well, he is a pirate and he is turning 40...so...the phone calls started and to make a long story short... The soire was called Piratestock, people came from as far away as Iowa, and all Rob's musical requests were satisfied.
The CalypsoNuts shared the day slots with Tall Paul and Crawdaddy poolside, then a little rest before St. Somewhere took the stage for the first time since 2003. All the Somewheres are great musicians in their own right, but when you put them on the stage together the magic starts to fly. All the old favorites were served up as if they'd never stopped playing together.
Crawdaddy and Tall Paul joined them at times throughout the night for classic St. Somewhere arrangements. Matt called Lynley and I to the stage during the Mailman song where Quincy handed his mail carriers shirt to Lynley and the song was officially bequeathed to us to protect and bring to the masses. Proud, proud proud CalysoNuts we are right now.
Being Lynley birthday too, her cake came out covered in white with the classic black Jolly Roger and a note saying something about a pirate wench was written in black icing. She had an awesome day!
Perfect timing and a little Matt Hall prodding, landed all the musicians filled the stage for A Pirate Looks at 40 and the big Rocky Top finale.
The night ended with Paul and Kristie, Lynley and I sitting at IHOP wondering what just happened and happy it just did. Pictures to come here and videos on you tube too. Not yet, but soon.
2nd Annual Panama City Parrot Head Rendezvous
Panama City, Florida
April 22, 2007
We never know what to expect when we show up to play a multi-day, destination party, but large Parrot Head events are always fun and they all have their own flavor and attitude. Well, the 2nd Annual Parrot Head Rendezvous in Panama City was indeed the fun filled event that wouldn't die. Things looked sketchy when they lost their venue, but the Days Inn stepped up and gave the Panama City Parrot Heads complete reign of their property. A beach stage and a pool stage made back to back live music a breeze. Entertainment included: Steve Youngblood, The Dockside Junkies, Sunny Jim, Brent Burns, Jack Mosley, Gene Mitchell, and The Nuts. The beach stage came complete with a hand dug lagoon (a 3'x6' water filled hole) to keep the adoring throngs from rushing the stage and ripping out Robbie's hair. uh.. ok, scratch the adoring and hair part, but there really was a moat..
The weather was perfect for a 3 day beach party and the little chill at night was controlled by three bonfires. If you left the beach, you had to carry a piece of wood to the fire as kind of a re-entry fee.
Parrot Heads from as far away as Wisconsin pretty much left the world behind for a few days and relaxed in true Florida Panhandle style and I'm glad we were a part of it.
As usual our cameras were the last thing on our minds, so once again we're asking for folks to email us shots from the event for a slideshow. You send 'em, we'll post 'em.
It's real nice to be chillin' on the panhandle with Tim and Betsy, it's been waaaaaay too long and that has to change.
UPDATE: 3 more shows on the panhandle. Seville Quarter in Pensacola, Fudpucker's in Destin and Paradise Bar and Grill in Pesacola Beach were all perfect spots to throw parties. Seville Quarter had $2 Landshark Lagers, Fud's had an Emerald Coast Parrot Head Chili cook off, and Paradise offered perfect weather and a perfect setting. We love the panhandle and all of our friends there. Take care of each other 'till we get back.
Studio Journal
Stevie and His Magical Toys Make Studio Time Big Fun
April 2007
| Early
March 2007, Late Night in Chesapeake, Virginia Looks like the CalypsoNuts 2nd CD starts tonight. We spent the night in the studio with Stevie Stevens, plotting the course for what looks to be another incredible adventure. Any CD project starts with lots and lots of talking and planning. You can "pre-plan" all you want, but you still have to spend the time getting everyone on the same island and digging the heat. We're real happy that Steve's schedule is open enough to get this bird flying. Nice studio with a real cool vibe, so we think it's gonna be a great time. Ok, now it's our turn to ask you for requests. What do we name this CD? Send your ideas to Name_that_CD@calypsonuts.com. |
| April
2nd, 2007 2am... Home 4 Sessions down and we've got a lot done. We started with sequences and then began tracking vocals and guitars. It's crazy, but we're almost 75% done with the tracking and we've only done 4 nights so far. Looks like we're only a couple sessions off from bringing in Brad and Jimbo. That's gonna be another whole level of cool. Steve's blowing our mind behind the console and he's gonna do a guitar cameo as well. Hahahahahha, I'm having too much fun here! |
| April
6th, 2007 2:35 am...Home Funny how things work out sometimes. Last night we were playing at G.F. Keagan's at Hilltop with Jimbo and Chris Dunn (steel drummer and band director at Crestwood Middle School) walked in with Shelley Irvine (pan builder, tuner, player, from Ohio). Crestwood Middle has a 15 piece steel band and Shelley comes to town a couple times a year to tune their pans. After joining with us for a few tunes, the obvious question came up... What's happening tomorrow night? Feel like laying down a track or two on the new CD? Well, the session was magical tonight. Shelley played the lead section on Party Time and Chris laid down the double second part on Waiting in Vain. Looks like I just leaked two of the songs that'll be on the cd. We had some time at the end of the night, so we set up a live mic and had a little fun. Shelley taught us this Spanish Folk Song called ".......". Chris played drums, Steve grabbed a bass guitar, Lynley and Shelley played lead and I played seconds. The night ended with Shelley's version of Amazing Grace on double seconds. Very nice. Great times tonight, some of it made it to video and it'll probably and up on you tube one day soon. |
| April
15, 2007 2:00 am...Home Studio time tonight with both Jimbo and Brad. Laid down a few tracks and had a lot of fun just yapping the night away. No more hints right now about the song lineup, but a little bird told me that we're almost finished tracking and that means mixing and mastering is coming soon. Lots of ideas for CD titles, but nothing has been set in stone yet. We will tell you that "6 More Years" has been submitted numerous times and ha ha ha, very funny, uh, no. Congratulations to Jeff Schweiger, however, for the most enties in a single 24 hour period. Jeff, turn the computer off and go outside or something. |
| May
11, 2007 2:00 am... Home Spent time finishing up sax parts with Brad tonight. It's cool watching him get used to studio work. The studio is real different from live settings because what ends up on the cd is permanent and you have to be able to put your name on your parts with pride. Brad did that tonight. Steve continues to amaze us. He has a great ear for what should (and shouldn't) be and he won't even think twice about telling you to shut up and listen. By the way...Jimbo laid down more percussion tracks while we were playing on the panhandle and things sound really nice. He's so cool! Nothing 100% firm on titles yet, but we're close, soooooo close. |
| May
15, 2007 2:00 am again... Home Jimbo finished up all the percussion stuff tonight and it's nice to have that put to bed. Any little milestone is a huge milestone when you're in the studio with a deadline looming over you. Jim did great, but we still didn't get out of there in time to make it to Hooter's before closing. We spent some time listening to what we've got, so we know what we still need and what we need to fix. The burp at the end of ______ has to come out I guess, huh? |
| May
17, 2007 (guess what time?)... Home Tonight was really good. We fixed a ton of little stuff and Lynley did two harmony vocals on _____, so you'll hear 3 Lynleys on that track. We're close to having everything tracked and then it's mix and master time. It always takes longer in the studio than planned, so all in all I guess we're still on course. Mix, master, rights, artwork, liner notes, layout, duplication, shipping... Sheeesh, six more weeks! |
| May
22, 2007 (not quite 2am)... Home Looks like mixdown will start after 1 more session to get the very last stuff tracked. Been a long night, more next time. Promise. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
June
20, 2007 4:22 am... Home Almost 30 days since the last entry, but we've been steady at it. As of tonight, we're alllllllllllmost finished mixing. Backing tracks, congas, guitars, vocals, sax, pans, bass, it's all there and with just a few more hours in the control room it'll be ready to ship off for mastering and duplication. Soon, soon soon, but not soon enough. |
Another
Road Cruise Journal
When the Deep Blue Sea Calls, We Say YES everytime!
March 2007
| Journal
for Eastern Caribbean Cruise aboard Costa Magica |
| March
1, 2007 2pm...Norfolk, VA. Here we go folks! Another whirlwind adventure with The CalypsoNuts and Memorable Cruises and Vacations. Once again we'll be aboard Costa Magica and this time we bound for the Eastern Caribbean. As we push back from the gate, (the driveway) we're alerted to weather cells in the southern states that may bring us some rain between home and Miami. We'll meet Jimbo, Linda, Brad and Mandy in Miami for a pre-cruise party Saturday night and then up to Fort Lauderdale to board the ship on Sunday. Weeeeeeeeeee, hang on ! |
| March
1, 2007 11pm... Walterboro, S.C. 400 miles down and the weather says stop. Rainy and very windy on I95 South through the Carolinas. News reports of Tornados in Alabama and that they're headed this way, so time to chill until it's calm. The plan is to make Miami by tomorrow evening, chill and meet up with the crew on Saturday before the party. For tonight, it's a Microtel on I95 South somewhere in South Carolina. Nite everybody! |
| March
2, 2007 11pm... Miami, Florida Tada! Made it to Miami! The night air is filled with warmth and music from a mexican club next to the hotel. Aye Aye Aye, Arrrrriba Holmes! Found a place in S.C. on I95 that warranted a picture. The Squat and Gobble! What a name. Stopped at Wal-Mart for a few last minute, "Oh my God guess what I forgot" items and saw a car in the parking lot with a Parrot Head on Board sticker in the back window. While the folks were in the store we put a CalypsoNuts CD under their windshield wiper in a random act of Parrot Head. Hope they found it. Sushi dinner at an off the path place in Ormond Beach gave us the energy to push the last few hundred miles. Anyway, Miami is warm at 11pm and we're happy to be off the road and in the hotel. The rest of the crew shows up tomorrow and we play at Frankie's Hideaway tomorrow night with the Miami Parrot Head Club. Things are falling together quite nicely. Hugs from South Florida! Nite. |
| March
3, 2007 11:45pm... Poolside with Miami PHC and The Thirsty
Parrot Cruisers |
| March
4, 2007 11:45pm... Aboard Costa Magica Cloudy skies were the theme of the day in Ft. Lauderdale, but all is well and we're underway, pointed toward the warmth of the Caribbean. The cabin is actually comfortable and the balcony overlooks our whole cruise. Same great top deck Calypso band as last cruise and Max (Cruise Director) is still here. Light-moderate seas tonight made dinner an adventure. Not bad really, just enough to remind us that terra firma is nowhere nearby and that we're at the mercy of Mother Nature and the ship's Captain. The gear is locked up in the hold somewhere, but we've been assured that it'll be at the stage area tomorrow by noon for a 1pm showtime. Still no luggage for some of our group and the word is that they won't see it until we get to San Juan on TUESDAY! Stopped in the buffet for a late salad tonight and ran into Gustavo. Gustavo was our head waiter on the last cruise aboard Magica and he recognized us after he took 10 seconds to figure out who was calling him by name on day 1 of the cruise. Although this is just our second trip aboard this ship, the familiarity of her makes it feel like a strange kind of homecoming. It's nice to be back onboard Magica and nice to feel welcomed by her crew. The motion brings back that sleepiness that you can only feel at sea. Nite everybody, more tomorrow. zzzzzzzzzzzz |
| March
6, 2007 2am... The day was perfect, The night was too... |
| March
7, 2007 2:17am... Good Night San Juan |
| March
8, 2007 2:14am... Paradise, St. Thomas Style |
| March
8, 10:38pm... Rolling away from the Dominican Republic Today was nice. We woke up docked in The Dominican Republic. Started the day by jumping ship and heading to downtown to La Romana. What a place. Vendors were E V E R Y W H E R E! Hello mi amigo! Come in and check it oooooouuuutttt! You're my brotha! She's my sista! I'll give you the family price. Don't smoke? Start today! Cigars have vitamins! The favorite method of transportation in La Romana seems to be the motorcycle. Not Harleys or crotch rockets, but old school Honda and Yamaha 125s and 350s. It was crazy, but more than once we saw 4 people on 1 motorcycle. Dad driving, kid#1 on the handlebars and Mom riding side saddle with the baby in her arms. Wild. Dinner? Awesome! Avocado salad with seafood, Pineapple boat with baked banana and pink coconut, Linguini with clams and garlic, Grilled Swordfish with olives and roasted tomatoes, Sirlion with Garlic Butter, Rack of Lamb with Mint Jelly. Dessert? Awesome! Crepe Suzette, White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce, Cannoli with candied fruit, Cheesecake. Stop with the food already!! Tonight the ship is rolling a bit and folks are weaving around like drunks. You can tell who is crew and staff because they're the only ones walking in a straight line. While the ships rocks and rolls, Linda hit a slot machine for $350 and Randy hit one for $1500! You don't see that every day on a cruise ship. Tomorrow we dock in Grand Turk for some of the clearest water around. Night everybody, hopefully we won't get tossed out of the bed tonight. |
| March
9, 4:30pm... Grand Turk, BWI The plan recently has been; get up get out, hit the island and be. Today was different. Docking at Grand Turk in perfect. When you get off the ship you don't have to take a bus to the beach, it's right there, you're docked 75 yards off the beach in crystal clear waters. Of course the pier leads you first to shopping, but that's ok too, we know how to say "No Thanks". Bought a shirt anyway! Lots of above average rums, tequilas and Whiskeys to choose from at nice prices. Off to Margaritaville, Grand Turk for a libation with friends. A strange game called back to back was played by the DJ and Lynley was the winner! What a competitor! a swim up bar and a stage? Sounds like a nice place for a CalypsoNuts engagement. A walk down the beach yielded some cool coral pieces that'll become pendants. The water was perfect, not cold and not bathwater. You know? That kind of perfect! Back on the ship, tired, tanned, ready for dinner. More later. |
| March
10, 1:48am... Grand
Turk in our rear view mirror Dinner was nice tonight. 5:30 seating and 6:00 sailing made for a beautiful view of the tiny islands that make up Turks and Caicos. Lynley ate my Beef Tenderloin and I ate her King Crab. Being the last formal nightwe had Baked Alaska for desert. Brad's slice was nothing but Merengue, so Michael brought him another piece and he atew both. A little time in the casinos yielded nothing at all, so Lynley dashed off to Solento Grand Bar to dance with Luigi. A rhumba and a cha cha later it was time for the midnight buffet and trip through the galley. Awesome, but it left us with a empty spot.. Mandy, and ideas? "How about pizza and softserve in the Bellagio Buffet on deck 9? Folks,we left a buffet just to go to another buffet. Tonight is done. Legs are tired from walking the beach, Lynley's crashed hard and I'm right behind her. Tomorrow is a sea day and that means The CalypsoNuts play a the adult pool from 1-4pm.. Life is good, Food is good, Diets suck. We're bringing the "A" game tomorrow I hope, Life is good, Life is good, Life is good. Night friends, see ya soon. much calmer tonight, perfect for sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
| March
10, 2007... Now that was a day! |
| March
11, 2007... 1:31am...Down for the night until the 7:30am ejection. Back at the room after a great show put on by the cruise staff and GLADIATORED by cruisers. Some folks sang, some danced, two people actaully played acoustic Guitar, Harmonica and sang Jambalya in English and French. The Gladiators did their thing and then the crowd decided if they were to go to the midnight buffet or to be eaten by the lions. The lions went hungry tonight. The contestants did pretty good and the lions weren't necessary. Stopped into the 9th deck pizza buffet for a slice, and then went to the 3rd deck for ice cream and peaches boiling in syrup, just before we went back to the 9th floor buffet for soft-serve one last time. Buffet to buffet to buffet, man it's getting bad. Get me off this ship before I ask Lynley for a soft serve machine for Christmas. The gear is in the hold and just when you think you have it figured out, they change procedure on you. Not Costa, US Customs! Instead of all 40 pieces of our gear staying in their cages and being forklifted to our van, now, all the gear is treated just like luggage and put, loose, in with the other luggage. I can see a pain in the butt getting ready to happen. We'll see if the custom agent on duty has had his "Happy Customs Guy" pill tomorrow morning. He has the power to make our day heaven or hell. Saying goodbye to Costa always gets us a little melancholy. Although we know it's time to go home to life and our cats, it's awfully tempting to pitch Costa about being the purveyors of fun at the back adult pool. |
| March
11, 2007 9:46pm... I95 North, 242 miles from home |
A New Year, A New Start
Norfolk, Virginia
2006 becomes 2007
Happy New Year to all of our friends and family and Happy New Year to all the people of the World. The changing of the year always sparks resolutions and plans, but it also causes rememberence and reflection. Although our first "official" gig was October 1998 in Virginia Beach, the first time we hit the stage as The CalypsoNuts was at The Hard Rock Cafe during the 1998 Parrot Head Convention in Key West, Florida. Many things have changed since then, but one thing remains the same- we love what this life brings and our lives are better because you're in it. We look forward to 2007, it's certainties, uncertainties, and fun times.
Happy New Year Everybody!
CalypsoNuts Videos You Probably Didn't Know About
You Tube Dot Com
December 2006
Be careful what you do when there's a camcorder around, you just may end up on you tube. The folks from Chicks Beack Dot Com came to Cheeseburger in Paradise in Virginia Beach and brought their camera. Bada-Bing, you tube. We stopped in The Bottle Cap in Key West to see Tall Paul and Crawdaddy, hopped up to sing one with them and ..Bada-Bing, you tube again. Here's a link to 4 videos, 3 from Cheeseburger in Paradise and 1 from The Bottle Cap.
What time is it? It's Island
Time!
Berea,
Ohio
December 2006
WBWC is located on the campus of Baldwin Wallace College and every Monday
night from 10pm until 1am it's Island Time. DK King hosts Island Time
Radio and plays the stuff that hammock loving kinda people like. He
also has musicians stop in to play a few on the air and talk about what's
going on. Last night was his annual Christmas show and he featured The
CalypsoNuts and Santa Chuck Cornwall. This is our third Christmas show
and Chuck's sixth.
We rolled into Stow, Ohio Late Sunday night and snuck into Patti McCoy's
house while she was sleeping. We cracked open her bedroom door and whispered,
"Honey, we're hoooooome". He answer was basically, "Hi
babies, love you, you know where everything is, Goodnight". We
love her.
We spent Monday in Hudson with Lynley's dad until Patti met us to go
to the radio station. She's gone with us every year and we'd be lost
without her. She knows the way there and she always stops at Panera
Bread for coffee stuff and a nibble, so we gotta have Patti.
Got to the station early and camped out in the hall like homeless musicians
waiting for a gig. The early night DJ welcomed us to come in, but we
had to let out the steam, tune up and run over Bama Breeze which I forgot
anyway.
Show starts at 10 and here comes DK at 9:53, just enough time to hit
the seat, say hello and fire up the news. We talked a bit about Meeting
of The Minds and how we must get to Put in Bay next season. Lynley's
ready an she makes the travel arrangements, so let's go. Bama Breeze
was 2 voices, a lead pan and an acoustic guitar live through 2 studio
mikes. Lynley's playing was sweet, her hands are really pretty. My guitar
playing was fine, but the lyrics went like this, "At The Bama Breeze,
you can .....uuuuuhhhhmmm....hahahaha". God, didn't we just go
over this 14 times in the hall? We (I) recovered fast and from then
on the song went fine.
We were joined around 10:45 by Santa Chuck Cornwall and his guitar.
Bald still, and he still has his loud "HoHoHo, you'll shoot your
eye out kid", but this year's difference is that after many many
years, he has retired from his day job. Chuck does 3 things these days,
he golfs and gigs and smiles. He and Lynley played Barometer Soup while
I took pictures and answered the show's email and request mail.
We got a ton of emails and that really makes us feel good, 6 or 7 from
friends in Virginia, Dr and Mrs. Burns from Nags Head, NC on the Outer
Banks, Several from Florida, Maryland, Georgia and one from Chief Petty
Office Ian Chase serving aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower currently in
the Persian Gulf Region. I guess the internet is as vast as we all think.
Stay safe Chief and come home soon. Godspeed.
All too soon it was Oh-Vah! The songs were sung, The stories told. Giveaways
helped reclaim sq footage in our dining room at home. Emails were read
and phone calls were answered. It was OOOOOH-VAAAAH! We know what that
means. It means it's 1:30am and time to go around the block to The Eastland
Inn. We were the only 5 folks in the place but she stayed open, made
us 3 dozen wings, and brought beers and diet cokes to toast DK and his
7th year at the helm of Island Time Radio.
I don't think DK really understands how important he is to Trop rock
musicians and entertainers. If The Big Stations aren't gonna play Buffett,
Peter Mayer or Fingers Taylor, they're never gonna play The
CalypsoNuts or Tropical Soul or Latitude, or A1A, or Chuck Cornwell
unless it's on a specialty show and those went away with the Hula Hoop.
As DK the DJ says, "Tune in, Chill
Out" <—click here
Akron,
OhioDecember, 2006
Whenever we come to Ohio to see Patti or Dad, or to play with DK the DJ, we always take some time to stop in and see the guys and the angel at panyard. Steve Lawrie built our lead and seconds and he's the only person who we want to tune them. Granted, these pans don't slip very far from pitch, but it is nice to have them gone through and have their song brought back. The get here in tune, they leave here SINGIN' BWOY! Still the absolute best in the world of pan technology and innovation, these people still offer their top of the line, solid hoop pans as well as an import series that will make players who use smaller 55 gallon Trini drums look real close before sending their money overseas again. Panyard is also the only place we can get hard to find cds from the masters of pan and calypso. Check out www.panyard.com for info and mention The CalypsoNuts. This service announcement has not been paid for and we don't receive squat for it, but maybe they'll discount our next tuning.
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Key West, Florida
November 2006
| Road
Journal for Meeting of the Minds 2006 |
| October 29, 2006
5am...Dunn, NC |
| October
30, 2006 3am...Cayo Hueso, Key West, The Rock, Isle of Bones. Wow, made it! US1 South is an amazing drive. A slow and steady cruise through the chain of islands called the Florida Keys is the only way to get here. Try to fly down the road and Johnny Law will getcha like he got that guy in the Mercedes back around mile marker 40. Lynley loves to drive so she did about 800 of the 1100 here. Weather is perfect, but we miss ya already, kinda. Traveling the roads instead of the skies lets us see the crazyiness of everyday America. Today it was a restaurant in GA called the Squat n' Gobble. Might just have to stop there on the way home. First gig tomorrow from 2-6 at The Conch Republic Seafood Co. and then some gutter time on Tuesday. Nite all, more mañana. |
| October
30, 2006 11pm...Ahhhhhh, look,,,,,a bed. Back to the Conch Republic and it was very nice.The new PA sounds real good there and the crowd seemed to be diggin it. Lots of compliments and we were proud. Parrot Heads were there in force. Rum and cooked animals were too. Key West pinks are in season and when they're steamed just right the taste a little bit like lobster. These were indeed steamed right. Went with Paul and Cherri to Willie T's for dinner. Awesome as usual. Seafood Quiche with scallops, lump crab, pink shrimp and swiss. Jerk chicken. Broiled Swordfish. And I had sauteed yellow tail snapper with citrus bur blanc. Mojitos and a hot tub ensure early and deep sleep. Lynley and I are snugglin in on the loft and we'll be lucky to be awake another 4.36 minutes. Nite friends, sincerely wish you were all here with us. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
| October
31, 2006...8:30am Up way to early today... rooster's you know.hahahahahaha. |
| October
31, 2006...Halloween in Key West After lunch at Hog's Breath and little time around the hot tub, we got it together for a night off in Key West. Lynley did the cat woman thing and did it right.(pictures to come). We wanted to see Sunny Jim and David Waugh so we just decided to have dinner at Conch Republic. The food was awesome and so was the band. We never new how pretty Coconut Dave's hands were. His playing is great. Early night for me, but Lynley stayed out on Duval and soaked up all the "meow" comments. She was hot and the people let her know. Gigging tomorrow at Conch Republic from 1-5, should be a real good time. |
| November 1, 2006 10am... Early is nice down here. |
| November 1, 2006 11pm...Wow, oh wow, oh tropical
wow! |
| November
2, 2006 10pm....It just gets better Light rain during the day made things soggy again today. 2 hours before we were scheduled to go on the heaven's opened up. Crazy rain! It was dumpin'!! The beach gig acts at The Casa Marina were moved up onto the large covered patio and things went on as planned. Kind of hard to believe the energy that the crowd gave us to work with. It was pretty amazing. Harry Ellis (The Corona God) was in town and brought us a pile of hats, tees and leis for the crowd. Yay! We're absolutely wiped out from the gig and if we're awake another 20 minutes I'll be suprised. Wish everyone was here, it really is paradise. |
| November
3, 2006 4am DAMN ROOSTERS |
| November
3, 2006 2pm... Half a Day, Half a Done Back at the house on Thomas St. and chillin' for a while. We played at The Conch this morning at 9am for the Club Leaders Brunch. Very nice time and very possibly our favorite gig of the year. We play on the main stage as Parrot Head Club leaders file in for breakfast, a meeting and a video message from Jimmy Buffett. During the meeting, Bill Wright (president of PHIP) made the announcement that The CalypsoNuts are the longest running musical act of Meeting of the Minds. That was touching, we had no idea. 1998 was our first, wow. Gotta go get Lynley (she's shopping), and get back to The Conch for our 3:30-6:30 show. More later. |
| November
3, 2006 11:59:46pm... Another Day laced heavily with smiles
and Lobster Bisque This afternoon was absolutely magic at The Conch Republic Seafood Company. Don Middlebrook finished up at 3 and he had the crowd 100% primed and going. At 3:30, we took the stage and almost immediately brought Tall Paul and Crawdaddy up to do 3 or 4 tunes. You really need to check out what these great guys are doing. (www.tallpaul.com) . Last Train to Kitty Hawk is not only one of my favorites, but now it's a favorite of Key West visitors too. Later, we saw Dave Lapio (www.pandave.com)walking down the dock and he graciously joined us onstage for Party Time. He's a great player and a great person to boot. Last but not least, we were joined by Gerry Maddox(www.IslandGerry.com) for a couple tunes. Nice to see Gerry in Key West, he's a real team player and always a crowd favorite. Tall Paul and Crawdaddy played a little later at The Bottle Cap, so we popped in for the back half of their last set and did 3 Little Birds with them. Stopped in Monte's for the Jimmydreams.com 10th Anniversary party and then over to Schooner Wharf where I jumped up on the stage and pretty much pantsed Dave Lapio. How was I to know he wasn't wearing a belt. The day is done, so am I and the pillow is whispering my name from across the room. Maybe I should go see what it wants. |
| November
4, 2006 9:30am... Up and at 'em, Atom Ant!! I checked to see what the pillow was saying last night. It said, " Kill the chickens, Kill the chickens". Hahahaha, actually they're quite calm this trip, although the others in the house up front aren't feeling the same chicken vocal courtesy that we are. From the loft I can smell Lynley's coffee, and that means it's time to wash the island off this body and get to the Rum Barrell for a gig with Tall Paul and Crawdaddy. This will be the last show for this trip. Tonight and tomorrow are relaxation with no "schedule" to worry about. We'll be able to just loll around with friends. My turn in the freeze, scald, freeze, scald, rinse, repeat, water torture machine. Rolling! later ya'll |
| November
5, 2006 1am...W is for wow! What if you threw a party and no one came? Well,,,we don't know. The Rum Barrel was packed today. Parrots, Pirates, locals and vacationers came to the Tall Paul, Crawdaddy, CalypsoNuts show on the roof. Amazing, amazing, amazing how music can bring people together like nothing else. A light drizzle threatened the third set, but quickly blew off. Had a really nice group of Parrot Heads from home and also from other parts of the country stop in to see what was going on. Lynley and I hung out tonight with Tall Paul, Kristie, Crawdaddy, The Ripa's, The Taylor's, and a bunch more. Off to the drag show at 801 Bourbon Bar and then LOTS of walking. Margaritaville, Schooner Wharf, and then Hog's Breath. As of now, part of the gang is still at Hog's Breath watching Hugo Duarte with Fingers Taylor. Lynley and Kristie are once again dancing their legs off on Duval, Paul is foraging for late night sustanance at Margaritaville and Crawdaddy is most likely onstage somewhere harp in hand. Me? hahahahah, Slice of Pizza from Angelina's and a cab ride back to the house with Patti. She's outta here at 6am for the frozen lands of Ohio and I think I have a date with the hot tub. Love my wife and love my life. What a great time. |
| Here,
There, and Home! November 11, 2006.....late Sunday in Key West was nice, We hung out wit Tall Paul , Kristie and Crawdaddy for most of the day. Stoppped by Blue Heaven and played a couple from the rooftop for Sunny Jim's "Songwriter's Brunch". Left the island, headed to Miami and jumped aboard Carnival Fascination for 4 nights of R&R. The stories are many and long, I'm sure we'll bore you with them when we see you. Finally home and just in the nick of time, we play a double starting in about 12 hours. Off to sleep and back to the stage. Rah Rah sis boom bah, keep smilin' Y'all!!!!Once again, many thanks to All the PHIP folks and MOTM commitees for the sometimes thankless hours of design and planning, without them the memories would never happen. Hey Ally, YOU ROCK! We have no idea how you pull it off at Conch Republic every year, but we're proud to be a part of your entertainment line-up. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
White Tail Park Gets Nutty
August 19, 2006
We jumped in the van and pointed it toward White Tail Park and the unknown waters of playing at a nudist resort. What to expect? Is it gonna be wierd? Are these people for real? What's up with this whole thing? Nude? Really? No really?
After 3 minutes of pulling through the gate into the resort, it was just like any other party with two exceptions: 1, these folks were naked and 2, they know how to have a good time. Miniature golf by the pool, a crazy version of a dunk tank, grills going 90 miles an hour, homemade boat races in the pool and The CalypsoNuts on stage. What a great time and what a wonderful welcome from incredible people who don't waste a lot of money on silly things like clothes. Cameras are normally a no no, but when we asked for volunteers to take a picture for our web site, people were more than enthusiastic. Hooray to you White Tailers, we had a fabulous time!
)
Corona VIP Party
Party at the End of the World aka Dust Bowl Crazy
August 2006
With Jimmy Buffett in Manassas, Corona once again brought out the coolers and the grills for the now annual "Party on the Hill". We pulled into the parking lot at Nissan Pavillion at just after noon and the place was already starting to take shape into a 102° Parrot Head Party Zone. A constant (or almost constant) breeze on top of the hill kept it bearable and guaranteed that folks would leave the still air of the lower lots and come to visit.
It was conga lines and cold Corona and Chip 'N Whales and CalypsoNuts tattoos and a parking lot full of fun. Oh, and it was dusty. Not a little bit dusty, we're talking lung fillin', eye stingin', ear cloggin' all one color people-in' dusty! The party quickly got into high gear and stayed there despite the dust.
Brad Brewer, The Chameleon, was in the dust bowl with us. He's a team player, but he may regret his decision to join us just a little bit when it comes time to clean his horns. Tall Paul and Crawdaddy from Tenessee came out after their gig across town. It was game on after that. Paul's voice and Crawdaddy's harmonicas made the day even that much nicer. All that was missing was Paul's Lola. We were told that she had things pressing in Nashville, but we think she was afraid there was going to be pancakes. Sorry, inside joke.
All in all it was a great day. Harry Ellis and his Corona Party Posse threw another great shindig. The Ripa's came in from Upstate NY.. Paulio Artrip MADE us a mist system for the tent. Brad and Mandy saw their first Buffett show. Parrot Head friends from all over were there. A few pirates were there as well. And Oh by the way, Jimmy Buffett put on what we thought was his best show in ten years.
'Round and 'round she goes, where she stops nobody knows!
New Toy News
1924?
Really? Well, That's What the Title Says
August 2006
The Newest Nutmobile is here. Is it a 1924 Ford Model T 4 door sedan?
Well, that's what's on the title. Actually it's a 1915 Dodge Brothers
that was made in 1981 and has just enough 1915 to make it all legal.
I guess you can say it's a 636 V16 because it has two 318 Dodge engines
mounted in-line. Crazy crazy crazy! Porsche front suspension with a
4 link rear suspension, it's better made and safer than most of the
stuff made today. Lynley loves it and I think she loves the attention
that comes our way whenever we're out in it. Already dropped the transmission
and the radiator, but isn't that what hot rods are about? New tranny
and radiator are on the way and that'll get us back on the road. Trying
to find a trailer so we can take it to Key West this year. Any ideas?
Click the thumbnails for full size pictures of this yet un-named beasty.
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psssst,
click here for more information and journal,, shhh, it's secret.
Deep in the Heart of Texas
July 2006
| Road
Journal for Riddles in the Sand |
| July
28, 2007 5am...Feels
like we've done this before Can we be any more insane than the amount of insane we've always been known of being? Well, in one word, Yes! It's 4:59 am and we're in Dunn, NC about 225 miles from home. What's insane is the fact that we played in Virginia Beach until 11 last night and left for Texas right after we finished. Why right away you ask? Well... We'll be playing in Galveston, Texas for Riddles in the Sand on Saturday evening. Ah, the road calls and we answer gleefully.We'll make it and it'll be a blast. Brad Brewer showed up 20 minutes before we left, threw his saxophones and a suitcase in the van, kissed Mandy goodbye 36 times and said, "Let's go". He sure picked a L O N G trip to join us on for the first time. 15 hours on the road tomorrow leaves us 2 and a half to Galveston on Saturday. Lynley and Brad are both asleep and I'm typing this. The eyes are heavy and the sandman comes. More tomorrow from another hotel somewhere between here and there. Night everybody. Thanks for the well wishes |
| July
29, 2007 7am CT..Beaumont, Texas Also known as 999,999 bottles of beer on the wall, we spent 18 hours in the van today. We added another 1,110 miles to the trip today for a subtotal of 1,335 so far and we have another two hours to go after we sleep for a few and catch a shower at what has to be one of the nicest and also crappiest Holiday Inns in America. Nice as in, well, nice. Crappy as in, now after two rooms we still have no wireless access, and the room is right next to the service elevator and supply room. Hahahahahaha, I thought I was Elvis. Brad and Lynley were scolded by some cashier at a gas station tonight for playing the toy accordians that were on the shelf for sale. What? Can'tcha try out an accordian before you buy it in Looooziana? We bought fireworks, but I doubt they make it home to VA. Brad is snoring like a Texas Freight Train and Lynley has nodded off to his nasal rhythms. Ear plugs and a sominex tells me it's time to close the eyes. More Mañana. nite. |
| July
30, 2006 3:45am CT...Good, Gooder, Goodest, Way Bad and Good again Woke up in Beaumont, hit the road for the last 130 miles to Galveston. Good. Arrived in Galveston with plenty of time to check into an great hotel room and chill for a whle before the gig. Gooder. Played from 8pm until midnight for some awesome parrotheads from Texas and surrounding states. Great people who had a great time and great great great was great great the night. Goodest! After packing the gear I (Robbie) tried to take the 20 foot tall van under a 3 foot tall concrete ceiling and ripped some beeeeeautiful holes in the fiberglass roof. Waaaaay Baaaaad. Went to Wal-Mart, bought spray adhesive, scissors, and a tarp to fix the holes until we get home. Now we're back in the room and chugging rum cream. Good again. Nite all, watch the roof in short parking lots. |
| July
31, 2007 3:13am CT.... 1 hour + 1 gig + 300 miles= Baton Rouge After the van into the ceiling charade, we all got about 2 hours of sleep last night and then got up to play by noon at Boudreaux's on the Bayou in Galveston. Kinda like the no plane on Sunday party in Key West, it was a party filled with Parrot Heads that just weren't ready to go home yet. Lots of love came our way in the form of compliments and return invites. After we packed the gear in the holey-roofed van, we stopped by the beach to say we were there and then went to a mexican restaurant called Salsa's. No habla ingles in dis place senor. Hahaha, just point at the menu and they'll figure it out. Not quite that bad, but almost. Lots of grins and nods and then really good food. Green Avocado, green salsa, green margaritas, but not one "green card". Hitting the road, we laughed away the miles and somehow got back on the conversation about the woman who razzed Lynley and Brad about trying out the toy accordians. About that time, we just so happened to come up on the exit where that store was. Is she working tonight? Will she remember them? Should we avenge their honor? Yes! No! and Yes! We took the exit, pulled in, she was there, we bought some tarantula, and then walked over to the accordians where Brad and Lynley started to jam away! Ah, a strange but wonderful form of justice. Now, after 300 miles, we're in Baton Rouge and once again the hotel stinks. This time it's cat pee. Can't Holiday Inn keep it together? Points or no points, I think it's time to try another chain. It's now 4 am and we're thinking about sleeping. Just thinking so far though, the sleeping habits are completely topsy turvy because of being on the road. Tomorrow? 1200 miles if we're lucky and back home to wireless internet that works, no elevator shafts behind the bedroom wall, no cat pee smell, our own sheets and pillows, and smiling cats that are happy to see us. To our friends and family, "Good night, we'll see you soon", and to our new friends in Galveston, "Thanks for the hospitality and the good time!" zzzzzzzzzzzzzz click it---> ) |
| Home
again, home again, if only for a while 22 hours on the road means we drove straight home from Baton Rouge. Seems like the last 200 miles of the trip takes as long as the other 1300. Route 58 from South Hill to Virginia Beach takes FOREEEEEEEEVER. When we finally got to Brad's house, the dialog went by quickly. Robbie: Hey! Brad? Brad: Yeah dude. Robbie: When we get to your house? Brad: Yeah? Robbie: Get out of my van! Brad and Lynley: Hahahahahah Robbie: Hahahahahaha backatcha Lots of stories to tell about this trip. We can see why Gulf Coast Texans love to call Galveston home. Home, home, home! Smiling cats, neighbors who know our names, ripe tomatoes in the garden, a fresh loaf of bread, mayo and a sharp knife means that life is back to normal for a minute. Peace. |
Called by the Lure of the Sea
April 2006
| CalypsoNuts
Road Journal for the cruise aboard Costa Magica |
| April
7, 2006 4pm ...and they'rrrrrrrrrrre off Once again we kiss the cats, lock the back door, count our blessings and our socks, and head off for the life of the gypsies known as The CalypsoNuts. This time we're headed to Florida for a party in Fort Lauderdale and 3 shows aboard Costa Magica bound for Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay and Freeport. |
| April
8, 2006 4am ... and whoa horsey Day one was a piece of cake. Light traffic, dinner at Cracker Barrel and 12 hours puts us here in Jacksonville. Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn, no room at The Holiday Inn, so Lynley books us at The Crowne Plaza Riverfront. They didn't charge us for parking, they only charged us their day rate and TempurPedic beds are the absolute bomb. Tomorrow? Ft. Lauderdale and party with the Parrot Head Club of Tidewater. All is well and our world is once again being cradled by the arms of great friends. nite y'all,,,,zzzzzzzzzzzzz. |
| April
8, 2006 11pm FT. Lauderdale Played tonight at The Bahia Cabana in Fort Lauderdale. Huge outside bar with different areas and stages. People are excited and ready for sure. It's cruise ship this and Island time that. AmeriSuites was no fun though. We and most everybody else got our rooms, but the hotel overbooked and some had to find lodging elsewhere even after showing their confirmations. The poolside gig went good. We started with the Club Trini song "Party Time" and it just kinda set the Island Hoppin', Fizzy drink drinkin', Slow life downin', quick teach me how to say "Mon", mood that's necessary if you wanna have fun aboard a cruise ship. The day is done and so am I, nite children! More Mañana. |
| April
9, 2006 11:30pm ...out on the briny Well, we're onboard Costa Magica and underway. As of now, we're off the coast of Key Largo bound for Key West. The Terminal was a breeze, and the gear got onboard very easily after Lynley found the right person to talk to. Today at 5, Costa threw the parrotheads a private party in Spoleto Lounge. It was basically a lounge that wasn't being used at the time, but Manhattans, Champagne and Martinis were free and it was a nice time for folks to exchange the first of many stories. Tomorrow's our first gig onboard. Noon til 3pm on the pool deck should be a whole lotta fun.This cruising thing is addictive and we recommend it completely. Early night for us because if the early start tomorrow. We only hope our shipmates are having as much fun and wish all of our friends at home were here with us. It's wonderful out here, G'night y'all. |
| April
10, 2006 late night...Not enough letters in "WOW" As the ship woke up today we were docked in Key West. A shiny, sunny day with a light breeze made the beginning of day 2 very nice. With a 12:30-3:30pm gig time, setup had to start a little early. The party stage is all the way aft on deck 9, but our gear was all the way foreward on deck 12. 3 decks and almost a thousand feet? Bring on housekeeping! Like army ants, these guys who barely speak English, showed up and carried ALL of our gear to AND from the gig. Amazing! With first impressions being lasting impressions, we knew we had to bring our "A" game. I had mine, Lynley had hers and Jimbo (now known as Chicklet), had his in a big way. I hate to brag, but dammit, we were good today! Two conga lines were working - one on the deck and one in the pool. John Downing from Flagler Beach Parrot head club got ahold of our temporary tattoos and was plastering them on everybody including the ship staff. Our assistant waiter at dinner pointed to his own arm and said, "Good show, see you Friday". The support we got from our fellow cruisers was great and their enthusiasm created a party that caused an even larger party. Even the bartenders were boogying as they made drinks. With the show over, we sat on the deserted pool deck with John Murphy from Memorable Cruises and Vacations and relaxed as we watched Key West disappear at the stern. See why I say, There aren't enough letters in wow? A quick note about dance contests on a cruise ship. If Lynley and Billy Goodson enter, don't even waste your time competing. They won the twist contest hands down with all the craziness of a comedy show. Now, once again the gentle roll of the ship drops me into the kind of deep sleep you can't experience on shore. More tomorrow from Cozumel. Nite, y'all, miss ya, but not a whole lot yet. |
| April,
11 2006 9:30pm... All's well in Cozumel With sleep still in our eyes, we stumbled onto the balcony this morning and were greeted by the bluest blue on earth. The water off Cozumel, Mexico is a blue that can't be shown in paint or photo. It's a blue that you'll never forget though. Almost black in the deeper spots and clear white turquoise in the shallow areas. You can see the bottom in 60 feet of water. Jimbo (aka Chicklet), Linda, Andy and Bonnie Harrell, and the two of us went to Carlos and Charlie's for a cocktail. Good idea and bad idea all in one fell swoop. After yards of Margaritas, Pancho (yes, his real name) brought out the homemade sangria and made us drink it. Pictures were taken and may surface soon. Woo hoo, let's go shopping! We haggled with vendors for a little fun. Andy and I double teamed a guy and got 5 really nice cuban cigars for 25 bucks and saved Bonnie a ton on a coconut wind chime thingy. Early dinner and early snooze tonight, but we may see the night life after this much needed nap. [editor's note] night life never happened. hahahahaha, Life is Good! zzzzzzzzzzzzz. |
| April
12, 2006 10pm...Georgetown, Grand Caymen More of that incredible whitish blue water today and not too hot, so we tendered over to the island and bummed around a bit. Grand Caymen is beautiful, but it's busy and very expensive. Spent an hour or so shopping and came back to the ship. Dinner on the ship was the highlight of the day. Being an Italian ship, it's no wonder the italian food is top notch. Just before desert, the waiters started waving napkins in the air and all of a sudden it was showtime. That's Amore' and Volare actually make good conga line tunes. Yay! Big fun! Ate too much, movie in the cabin, sleep too early, sheeeeesh, give me my late nights back. Gigging tomorrow night in the Capri Lounge, gotta be rested and ready to go for a 10pm-1am slot in a very pretty lounge. Nite y'all, we'll see you way too soon. |
| April
13, 2006 4am...Montego Bay, Jamaica? Sometime before dawn. I opened my eyes and looked out the window. We're already here? The lights of Montego Bay were twinkling like something out of a Hemmingway novel. Is this paradise? I must be dreaming. No, really, I must be. Back to sleep for a while until the island, the islanders and the tourists wake up. April 13, 2006 4pm ...Yes, Yes, Montego Bay I wasn't dreaming! Into town, bought rum, bought junk, more junk. Haggled with shop owners. We went to Margaritaville for lunch and met 15 people from our group of cruisers. Conch soup, Jerk Chicken and chilled shrimp that were so hot that; #1 Andy gave away his last 4, and #2, I ordered MORE! Yikes. Veggie Gumbo and a tall margarita for Lynley please. Playing tonight in the Capri Lounge, so here comes another nap. more later. zzzzzzzz April 13, 2006 late night ...Too Much Fun The Capri Lounge was unusually busy tonight. Here's what happened. We set up and the Parrotheads came in. That's all it took for the party to start to grow. We did more of the islandy stuff on deck and more of the show stuff in the Capri Lounge. Smiles, laughs, craziness and even Lola made an appearance. Now remember, what happens on the deep blue sea, stays on the deep blue sea,,,,,but,,,Kurt Von Gehr looks nice in a flowery head lei, grass skirt and coconut bra. What a fun time and what a nice response we got from our friends, other vacationers and ship crew and staff. One more gig tomorrow. Hard to believe it's already Thursday night. |
| April
14, 2006 ...Another day in Paradise Played today at the adult pool. A wonderful time. Really. Performing on this ship is a pleasure. From the time our gear entered the ship until after the final performance, we never had to touch it once to move it. We packed it and housekeeping swept it away to storage. It was always already at the stage area before set up time as well. Costa Cruise Lines in a class act when it comes to dealing with out of the ordinary situations, and those of you who know us well know that we are anything but an ordinary situation. Parrotheads are the coolest, and these parrotheads are friends, I guess that makes them the coolest of the cool. Supportus Maximus is the slogan of the day. Thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of our hearts for you enthusiasm. It not only fueled our fire, but the passengers and staff will never forget your spirit. Late night room service and some sleep before a day in Freeport. Missing the cats and our friends. Home soon. nite.... |
| April
15, 2006 ... Freeport, Grand Bahama Island Today was nice. The weather in Freeport was perfect. The water and sand at the beach is what postcards are made of. Stopped at a cabana bar for a Bahama Mama and saw the most amazing act of the trip. Big John Ferguson plays keys and sings. That part's normal. The abnormal part is his drum machine. He made a contraption that triggers drums and cymbals with his feet. Right foot bass drum, left foot cymbals, snare drum and maracas. It was rusty and salt pitted from being played on the island since 1978, but what a gimmick. Every band needs a good hook, and his is real good. Tonight was toga night and that meant that every arm that had a CalypsoNuts temporary tattoo on it was on full display. John and Tracy Downing must have been busy because there were hundreds. Ok, maybe not hundreds, but way more than we've ever seen in one place at one time. As of now, we are halfway between Grand Bahama Island and Fort Lauderdale and the sea is like glass. Orion is shining bright and the ship is cruising sloooooow. The melonchloy sets in a bit, but you can't start an adventure until you finish one. We're in the last hours of this adventure, but other adventures are already in our thoughts. |
| April
16, 2006 very late night ...Did it really happen? Was I really
there? We were off the ship by 8 this morning. Some strings were pulled and early disembarkation was granted to all 70 in our group. Off the ship quickly, no line for immigration and no line for customs. 15 hours and 997 miles later we're home. Ok, Costa Magica. 9 cruises between the two of us and this one ranks among the best. The ship was beautiful, the food was way above average, the shows and entertainment were top notch, comfort level was A+, and the ship's staff was both professional and fun. We'd cruise with Costa again for sure. John and Shirley Murphy from Memorable Cruises and Vacations put the whole shindig together and made it possible for us to play onboard. Thanks tons, you have no idea the doors you may have opened. The Parrothead Club of Tidewater.........Wow......we're truly speechless when we think about the support you given us since 1998. We hold our friends very near to our hearts. You know who you are and we love you! Next cruise? We're already talking about Royal Caribbean's Voyager Class Ships and a 6 day to Bermuda from Norfolk is for sure. |
Newport News, Virginia
1-888-lock u up
January 21, 2006
A Tropical Casino Night was held to benefit The Peninsula Crime Line and The CalypsoNuts were the entertainment for the second year in a row. We haven't seen this many gaming tables in one room since Vegas last Fall and people were all over them. Just like Vegas, some were smiling and some were not, but in the end it all went to charity. The committee was happy to know that we hadn't moved away from Hampton Roads and have already booked us for next year's event. No report yet on how much was raised, but the crowd was twice the size as last year's. A king and a ten? Ah, hit me!
Suffolk, Virginia
Baron's Pub is Big Fun
January 6, 2006
Playing at a place for the first time can be stressful sometimes. You never know what to expect or how you'll be received when you don't know anyone. Baron's Pub in Suffolk was not the normal new gig. Friends from the local Parrot Head Club showed up before we even started and stayed all night long. Paula Thornton actually dragged her hubby Jerry away from the Empire for a night in town. We even had a visit from some folks from White Tail Park (that's a story in itself).
Getting there early was a good idea. We sat at the bar, had a bite to eat and met bartenders Lisa and Nicole. We got a feel for the place really fast. This place is as comfy as a pair of old jeans and they take you in like family. We had a great time and the compliments made us feel great. Can't wait to go back as soon as we can.
Fredericksburg, Virginia
First Night Celebration in Historic Fredericksburg
December 31, 2005
As the ball drops in Times Square, a fiber optic covered pear turns brilliant white in Historic Downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia.
This is the fourth year in a row that we've been part of the entertainment roster for Fredericksburg's New Years Eve party. The whole town shows up and the streets are closed to all but foot traffic. It's nice to see that many neighbors getting together and ringing in the new year together. It's no wonder that First Night celebrations are popular all over the country. Congrats to Kim and all the staff on the best year ever, and thanks for making us a part of it.
Cleveland, Ohio
Island Time Radio's Christmas Show
December 19, 2005
DK King hosts Island Time Radio and broadcasts live from WBWC in Berea, Ohio every Monday night from 10-1am. This is the second year we've been in the studio with him for his Christmas show. We showed up with freshly tuned pans and a small arsenal of instrumental Christmas (yes, I said Christmas not holiday) tunes. Although the range of the station's signal is not very long, the show is also broadcast on the web and that's where the fun begins. We had folks listening in from Washington state to the Florida Keys. Patti McCoy from Stow, Ohio and Mike and Renee Ripa from Walton, NY. joined us for the fun and frivolity. Santa Chuck (ho ho ho, you'll put your eye out kid!) Cornwall brought his guitar and we backed him up on a few Buffett tunes. Cool guy from a very cold place. DK had Lynley and I doing public service announcements between songs and giveaways, What a hoot! With the final "Merry Christmas" wished, we met at a local pub for a cold one and some nachos before heading over to Casa McCoy for a long winter's nap. Life is good, cold, but good.
5 Cheeseburgers Please
December 8, 2005
With the performance at Cheeseburger in Paradise in Virginia Beach last week, The Nuts have now played at five locations (Fredericksburg, Woodbridge, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and Pasadena, MD.). The burgers and awesome and the beer is cold. Some locations toast the sunset and some celebrate birthdays with a singing staff, but all locations have full moon parties every month. It's Key West if you don't look out the window. Stop by their website to get an idea about this cool, island themed place.
Norfolk, Virginia
Finally Found a Home
November, 2005
The mad dash to find a house has ended and the results are in. The CalypsoNuts will be staying in Norfolk, Virginia. It took us just 6 days after returning from the islands to find a place, apply, qualify, pack and move. The Nut Hut is now located in the Old Bayview section of Norfolk. Sam (she), a neighbor, came over one morning with hot cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit and hot chocolate to welcome us to the neighborhood. Jerry, next door spends a lot of time on the front porch waiting for golf balls to come sailing in from the Ocean View Golf Course. We're gonna like it here. The new address is 517 Lenox Ave. Norfolk, VA 23503
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Another Honorary CalypsoNut
November 2005
Brad Brewer from Soul Libre and Tru Fusion came to visit us at G.F. Keagan's last Wednesday. He brought two things: his sax and his girlfriend Mandy. It's strange for a 20 year old player to sound as good as he does. You can't shake this guy! Give him a key and a nod every now and that's all it takes. We found out later that night that Brad and Mandy are as addicted to cruising as we are. Ships, ports of call, and onboard menus were the main topics for the rest of evening. Looks like we're gonna have to spend a little time together of the deep blue!
National Parrot Head Convention
November 2005
| CalypsoNuts Road
Journal for Meeting of the Minds 2005 in Key West |
| October 30, 2005
3:00pm Norfolk, VA ..start The New "Nut Van" is loaded and we're off for Key West and MOTM 2005. We hugged Herb, the cats, the dogs, and called Betsy, so the goodbyes are covered. Brother Brooke called and offered up a prayer of safety on the road for us. Thanks Brooke, every little bit helps. We're hoping for good gas mileage, dry roads, fuel availability and funny stuff for this trip south. We're gonna take it slow because no matter how fast we do it, Loveable Lou will do it in two hours less. Trip meter is reset,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,go! |
| October 31, 2005 3:30am St. Augustine, FL ..stop |
| October 31, 2005 8pm Key West, FL |