09.22.2012 - Angels In Tropical Shirts Festival - Seven Points, TX

This was another pre-Heath booking. From my Parrot Head connections, I was approached by Kelly Brown (from the Bad Monkeys) about playing the show and donating a track to their CD. For those of you who don't know, Angels In Tropical Shirts is a trop rock music festival that raises money for charity. It's been going on a few years now and is a really nice thing to have been a part of.

So, as I said before, this was booked pre-Heath and was billed as a "Roy Holliday" appearance. However, it was a Sand Dollar Rodeo show all the way... and that's probably the funniest part I recall from the show... that and the fact that Heath and I both kept thinking we were lost when we were trying to find the place!

There's quite a difference in what the Parrot Heads listen to around the country (aside from Buffett). Some like upbeat, some lean to rock, some lean to country, some like storytellers, some like anything they hear as long as the singer is wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Follow me? So, today's mix of Parrot Heads... well, let's just say it was meant to be a relaxing day of acoustic performances until Kelly's band came on later that night. We were on at something like 1pm. Originally, that was fine with me, as I had only recently moved back to Texas at the time it was booked. I told him to put me on early, out of respect for the locals that their crowd were more familiar with. Fine and dandy... I had no idea it would be a mostly acoustic day. Boy, talk about the unexpected... we go on after a singer/songwriter. Very good performer, but very laid back - We open with I'll Just Have A Beer and barrel through our set. Pretty much the same set as we did at Okra Fest, maybe an additional song or two, I can't remember. Anyway, I just remember that the early crowd was a bit older and I remember that their eyes were wide open as we kicked in. It was kind of funny and I'm pretty sure I made a few jokes about it on stage.

For the record, while we may do an occasional acoustic song or two. We don't do "acoustic shows." Period. I like concerts that are loud and have a good beat. Sorry, that's just me. It's what I do. If I tried to do an all acoustic show, I'd fall asleep on stage - you probably would as well. Additionally, I'm a keyboard player, not a guitarist. If all my bad notes on the guitar weren't masked by the blaring keyboards, it just wouldn't be pretty.

Anyway, I told Kelly all that up front and he knew we would be loud. But, here's the deal. While some people were a little scared of us at first, we received good applause in between every song, toes were tapping, the audience responded when I prompted them and, in the end, the show was really well received - it was just a little too early in the day for that crowd! Afterwards, Kelly and I were having a beer and a variety of fried food and he said something like if he had known what we were like live, he would have put us on later in the night and it would have been perfect. He then said, "next year!" I agreed.

I give Kelly and his wife Anita great respect for putting this thing together. They worked their butts off all for no personal gain. I remember that, at the time I showed up that morning, the sound guy was AWOL so Kelly was trying to set up the PA, do sound checks, etc. Poor guy, but he dealt with it gracefully and it worked out nicely. All in all, I met some really nice musicians, met some nice Parrot Heads from the Cedar Creek Parrot Head Club and it was a fun day... and we raised about 15k for charity. No regrets.

The compilation album is pretty good, too. I would assume they still have a few copies for sale over at their website. Proceeds from the CD go to charity as well and it includes songs by myself (Carry Me Home), Nadirah Shakoor, Walt Wilkins, Tommy Alverson, Thom Shephard, Brent Burns, Kelly Brown, Jerry Diaz, and a bunch more. Go pick yourselves up a copy right here - AIT 3 .