Soulgrass Rebelllion brings Appalachian/Caribbean Fusion to Green Parrot

Soulgrass Rebelllion brings Appalachian/Caribbean Fusion to Green Parrot

Soulgrass Rebellion brings their mix of rggae, bluegrass and rock and roll to The Green Parrot
stage with shows beginning at 10 P.M. on Friday, October 1st and 5:30 and 10 P.M. on Saturday, October 2nd.
Soulgrass Rebellion is about a family of friends making music, making people dance, and making people feel good. Their high-energy blend of reggae, bluegrass, and rock n’ roll explodes with the history of the Appalachian Mountains and the spirit of the Caribbean Islands. It’s boogie music. And when you come to the show, it’s a boogie party.

Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Soulgrass Rebellion has toured both coasts and the Caribbean. Since their formation in the summer of 2009, the band has shared the stage with Galactic, the Victor Wooten Band, Larry Keel, Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones), Jeff Sipe (Keller Williams, Aquarium Rescue Unit), Bobby Lee Rodgers (the Codetalkers), Kofi Burbridge (Derek Trucks Band), Dubconscious, and more.

Ben Prestage Brings Delta Blues on Slide Guitar and Diddley-Bow to Parrot

Ben Prestage Brings Delta Blues on Slide Guitar and Diddley-Bow to Parrot

Hailed by some as "the future of Southern music", Ben Prestage will
perform true American roots music and down-home Southern Country
Blues on slide guitar and diddley-bow at The Green Parrot with 5:30 P.M.
soundchecks on Friday, October 1st and Sunday, October 3rd.
Hailing from the Dirty, Deep South, and born the grandson of a
Mississippi sharecropper, Prestage has been soaked in blues tradition
and Mississippi culture since birth. Ben Prestage creates a fresh,
new sound while resurrecting the musical spirits of the past.
Prestage was voted one of the top 3 best performers at the
International Blues Competition in Memphis and he is the only two time
recipient of the prestigious "Lyons/Pitchford Award" for "best
diddley-bow player." Ben now utilizes his mastery of the diddley-bow
to take this traditional, Southern, folk instrument to new dimensions.
FYI: from wikipedia: The diddley bow is 1. an American string
instrument of African origin. It is typically homemade, consisting
usually of a wooden board and a single wire string stretched between
two screws, and played by plucking while varying the pitch with a
metal or glass slide held in the other hand. To the unique sound of
Ben's homemade diddley-bow (made by a friend, John Lowe of Memphis,
TN) he adds another homemade instrument, the
lap-steel-guitar (made by his father Kenneth Prestage.) The
combination of these two instruments creates a fresh, new sound that
is the perfect canvas for Prestage's wordsmithing. Growing up in the
swamps of south-central Florida, Prestage began to mix Mississippi
country blues with his own brand of Florida swamp blues Ben Prestage
spent some time as a street performer on historic Beale
Street, while living in Memphis, TN. He used to share a spot in front
of the New Daisy Theatre with modern blues legends Robert Belfour (Fat
Possum Records) and Richard Johnston (2001 International Blues
Competition winner)
Being a street musician in the "Blues capital of the South" threw
Prestage's music in a new direction. To his show, he added a cigarbox
guitar (made by Memphian an one-man-band John Lowe) which has stereo
guitar and bass strings that can be played independently, at the same
time. Then Ben added a series of four foot pedals that can be
manipulated by the heels and toes of both feet to play a drumkit. The
final result is Ben playing guitar, bass, and drums while singing his
own brand of Blues which leaves bottles empty and dance floors full
wherever his music takes him. Playing in large festivals, every kind
of bar, and sometimes on downtown sidewalks, Ben's muddy-water
-meets-black-water stew has been turning heads from California to the
Carolinas to the Florida Keys.
Ben was voted "one of the three best unsigned performers in the world"
at the 2006 International Blues Challenge and is the only two-time
recipient of the prestigious "Lyons/Pitchford Award' for "Best
Diddley-Bow Player".
The GreenParrot is your Southernmost Center for Culture of
every kind, and is located at the corner of Whitehead and Southard
Streets. For additional information call The GreenParrot at 294-6133.

Renaissance Woman, Plus-Size Voluptuary Candye Kane Returns to Green Parrot

Renaissance Woman, Plus-Size Voluptuary Candye Kane Returns to Green Parrot

The island is buzzing with the news of Candye Kane's return to The
Green Parrot Thursday, October 7th,with shows at 5:20 and10 P.M..

Continuing nearly two decades of relentless
touring, the seven-time San Diego Best Blues Award winner is on a 26
city tour in support of her tenth CD, "Superhero".

And what a swingin' CD it is. But Candye is at her very best live and
in all her glory. Candye has made her mark here over the years, and
nobody's forgotten. Kanes' live shows are the stuff of legend. She honors the bold blues women of the past with both feet firmly planted in the present. Nominated for a 2008 National Blues Foundation Award for Best Blues Contemporary Female (the highest honor for blues artists) and beating down pancreatic cancer the same year, Kane is one tough cookie.
She belts - growls - shouts - croons and moans from a lifetime of suffering and overcoming obstacles. She uses music as therapy and often writes and chooses material with positive affirmations that leave the audience feeling healed and exhilarated.
A show that is part humor, revival meeting and sexuality celebration, she'll deliver a barrelhouse-tongue-in-cheek blues tune or a gospel ballad like Jesus and Mohammed, encouraging audiences to leave behind religious intolerance. She'll slay the crowd with her balls out rendition of Whole Lotta Love or glorify the virtues of zaftig women with 200 pounds of fun. She often says she is a "fat black drag queen trapped in a white woman's body" and she dresses the part. Bedecked in bright colored feathers, sequins and rhinestones, Kane's performance is Mississippi by way of Las Vegas with a quick stopover in San Francisco.

Her credits include TV appearances on Roseanne, Penn & Teller's Sin
City, and on HBO, and is featured on the House Of Blues label release,
"30 Essential Women Of The Blues," alongside such luminaries as Bessie
Smith, Alberta Hunter and Etta James.
Candye Kane is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, and musician, but
her many facets don't end there; she is a devoted mother, a political
activist, a sexual libertine, student, actress, lecturer....the list
goes on. A true Renaissance woman and a plus-size voluptuary, her
eclectic career has spanned more than a decade, and she has made her
mark in quite a few areas. But her true talent, her undeniable gift,
is her voice.
Candye's voice is awesome; or rather awe-inspiring. Like an amazing
sunset, or a volcanic eruption, The Grand Canyon or the huge primeval
Redwood forests, her voice is a natural wonder, something that cannot
be learned or faked. There are hints of Etta James, Big Mama
Thornton, Wanda Jackson and Patsy Cline, to be sure, both the sheer
power and volume are Candye's alone, and her innate sense of phrasing
and intonation make her voice unique. From raunchy blues to
wrist-slashing country ballads, from slinky be-bop influenced numbers
to western swing, she has a natural command that can transcend any
style.
The Green Parrot is thrilled to welcome Candye back. It's an event
worth planning your week around. For additional information call The
Green Parrot at 294-6133.

Green Parrot to host Heavy Pets and MOFRO's Daryl Hance

"Perfect Jamband" Heavy Pets Return to Green Parrot

“The Heavy Pets return to The Green Parrot on Friday and Saturday, September 24th and 25th with shows at 5:30 and 10 P.M.The Heavy Pets are an American rock and roll band whose contagious vibe blends rhythm and blues, jazz-funk and reggae fusion with homegrown rock and roll. TheHeavy Pets are known for powerhouse performances spiked with hot electric licks and multi-climactic instrumental solos, as well as for their masterful acoustic acumen.

In 2007, the group became an instant Sirius radio sensation with the release of their acclaimed double-disc debut album, Whale, driven by hit tracks “Operation of Flight” and “Sleep.” Major festival darlings, The Heavy Pets are regulars at Bonnaroo, moe.down, Langerado, New Orleans Backbeat Jazzfest, and their namesake PetZoo, a two-day, multi-band festival that draws hordes of Pets devotees to Bucks County, PA, to feast on the headliners’ live alchemy.
The Heavy Pets seemed to have gotten a makeover. The South Florida jam band sports a new label, a new booking agency and they’ve just released a polished new album with the help of aheavy-weight producer.
But these five guys – guitarists Mike Garulli and Jeff Lloyd, keyboardist Jim Wuest, bassist Justin Carney and drummer Jamie Newitt – are sticking to what has worked for them for the past few years: endless touring, hitting every major city in the Northeast, South and Midwest as well as a host of summer festivals.

"The Pets just might be a perfect jamband" says Dennis Cook, of Jambase.com
"...The greatest jamband to come out of Florida since, well, ever..." "They are an arena ready band without the arena. At its best the band is a living, breathing, force of nature-a whale." said Dan Sweeney of Relix Magazine
In addition to priding themselves on impeccable musicianship, the band
has a staggering catalog of original material,
The HeavyPets combine elegant songwriting with blazing chops, tight vocal
harmonies, and a heavy, danceable backbeat. Don't miss this
opportunity to catch one of South Florida's most dynamic and aspiring
bands.
Reports are that they have been on FIRE lately and are super
pumped for their Key West gig so look for The Pets to blow the roof
off this legendary watering hole when they explode onto The Parrot's
stage this weekend.
The Green Parrot Bar is your Southernmost Center for Culture at
the corner of Whitehead and Southard Streets. For additional
information call The Green Parrot at 294-6133.



Daryl Hance, MOFRO Guitarist, to Play Parrot Sunday Soundcheck

Daryl Hance, singer and guitarist for Southern Swamp Rock band JJ Grey and MOFRO, will make a solo appearance at the Green Parrot Bar on Sunday, September 26th,beginning at 5:30 P.M.

Conjuring up a soothing air of smolderingly hypnotic bluesy guitar passages and rock solid funky grooves, Daryl Hance is an artist who sings his songs and his guitar with a cool abandonment. Contrasting from dark and brooding to a recognition and celebration of all things, his songs and music are as much about the moment we all live in as they are a reflection of experiences that span a lifetime. A prolific well straight out of the book of normal everyday life.

Of his music, Daryl says, "It's bluesy funky rock music focused on songs and strong grooves. Largely a sum of all my biggest influences rooted in older blues, funk, and rock music... Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Tony Joe White, Muddy Waters... with some early Black Sabbath-AC/DC kind of hard rock funkiness to it.
"Live, It's music that people can move around and have a good time to, in the form of a dynamic three piece band that plays mostly 3 to 4 minute songs in the spirit of an old-school singing along rock and roll show!"

“Dude, you have no Koran."

As with so many things in America these days, a planned Koran-burning in Texas last week that seemed as if it might end in tears, instead ended in Auto-Tuning.

While much of the planet was focused on the possibility that the pastor of a tiny Florida church might burn copies of the Koran to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, David Grisham, a security guard at a nuclear bomb facility who leads a group of Christian activists called “Repent Amarillo,” tried and failed to grill a copy of the Muslim holy book on Saturday in a public park in Amarillo, Tex.

Mr. Grisham’s copycat Koran-burning was thwarted not by a phone call from the Pentagon, or the small band of protesters who placed their hands on the grill he planned to use, but by a 23-year-old skateboarder who swept in and stole the book before it could be burned.

As an Amarillo Globe-News account explained, “Jacob Isom, 23, grabbed David Grisham’s Koran when he became distracted while arguing with several residents at Sam Houston Park about the merits of burning the Islamic holy book.” The newspaper noted that, at the time, Mr. Isom was “carrying a skateboard and wearing a T-shirt with ‘I’m in Repent Amarillo No Joke’ scrawled by hand on the back.”

That’s when Mr. Isom explained to a local news crew that he convinced Mr. Grisham — whose group “aims to deter promiscuity, homosexuality and non-Christian worship practices through confrontation and prayer” — to give up by informing him, “Dude, you have no Koran".

But, while Mr. Isom told Gawker on Wednesday that he was happy to find that Jon Stewart “made me a stoner icon,” he explained that he was not that interested in the Internet and didn’t even have a computer, so was not that moved by his new Web stardom. He did, though, express one ambition: to make it into the pages of “High Times,” the marijuana-lover’s magazine of record. On Thursday, that dream came true.
Read the whole NYT story here

Crime Blotter Has a Regular: Yankees Caps and Why Does This Not Surprise Us

Two men and a woman broke into a locker at a Manhattan gym in February and stole credit cards, the first in a series of similar thefts.
Three months later, in May, a young man tried to rob a Chase bank in the Bronx armed with only a note, which he slipped to a teller. She read it and stepped away, and he fled empty-handed. Weeks later, in June, a gunman robbed a Family Dollar store in Queens.

Gym-locker heists, bank robberies, daylight holdups — these New York City crimes have only one thing in common, and it is not the culprits.

It is the Yankees caps they wore.

A curious phenomenon has emerged at the intersection of fashion, sports and crime: dozens of men and women who have robbed, beaten, stabbed and shot at their fellow New Yorkers have done so while wearing Yankees caps or clothing.

In some ways, it is not surprising that Yankees attire is worn by both those who abide by the law and those who break it. The Yankees are one of the most famous franchises in sports, and their merchandise is widely available and hugely popular.

But Yankees caps and clothing have dominated the crime blotter for so long, in so many parts of the city and in so many types of offenses, that it defies an easy explanation. Criminologists, sports marketing analysts, consumer psychologists and Yankees fans have developed their own theories, with some attributing the trend to the popularity of the caps among gangsta rappers and others wondering whether criminals are identifying with the team’s aura of money, power and success.

Since 2000, more than 100 people who have been suspects or persons of interest in connection with serious crimes in New York City wore Yankees apparel at the time of the crimes or at the time of their arrest or arraignment. The tally is based on a review of New York Police Department news releases, surveillance video and images of robberies and other crimes, as well as police sketches and newspaper articles that described suspects’ clothing. No other sports team comes close.

The Mets, forever in the shadow of their Bronx rivals, are perhaps grateful to be losing this one: only about a dozen people in the same review were found to be wearing Mets gear.

“It’s a shame,” said Chuck Frantz, 57, the president of the 430-member Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club in Pennsylvania. “It makes us Yankees fans look like criminals, because of a few unfortunate people who probably don’t know the first thing about the Yankees.”

The Yankees organization declined to comment for this article.


Read the whole New York Times story here.

"The Pets just might be a perfect jamband"

"Perfect Jam band" Heavy Pets Return to Green Parrot

“The Heavy Pets return to The Green Parrot on Friday and Saturday, September 24th and 25th with shows at 5:30 and 10 P.M.The Heavy Pets are an American rock and roll band whose contagious vibe blends rhythm and blues, jazz-funk and reggae fusion with homegrown rock and roll. The Heavy Pets are known for powerhouse performances spiked with hot electric licks and multi-climactic instrumental solos, as well as for their masterful acoustic acumen.
In 2007, the group became an instant Sirius radio sensation with the release of their acclaimed double-disc debut album, Whale, driven by hit tracks “Operation of Flight” and “Sleep.” Major festival darlings, The HeavyPets are regulars at Bonnaroo, moe.down, Langerado, New Orleans Backbeat Jazzfest, and their namesake PetZoo, a two-day, multi-band festival that draws hordes of Pets devotees to Bucks County, PA, to feast on the headliners’ live alchemy.
The Heavy Pets seemed to have gotten a makeover. The South Florida jam band sports a new label, a new booking agency and they’ve just released a polished new album with the help of a heavy-weight producer.
But these five guys – guitarists Mike Garulli and Jeff Lloyd, keyboardist Jim Wuest, bassist Justin Carney and drummer Jamie Newitt – are sticking to what has worked for them for the past few years: endless touring, hitting every major city in the Northeast, South and Midwest as well as a host of summer festivals.

"The Pets just might be a perfect jamband" says Dennis Cook, of Jambase.com
"...The greatest jamband to come out of Florida since, well, ever..." "They are an arena ready band without the arena. At its best the band is a living, breathing, force of nature-a whale." said Dan Sweeney of Relix Magazine
In addition to priding themselves on impeccable musicianship, the band
has a staggering catalog of original material,
The HeavyPets combine elegant songwriting with blazing chops, tight vocal
harmonies, and a heavy, danceable backbeat. Don't miss this
opportunity to catch one of South Florida's most dynamic and aspiring
bands.
Reports are that they have been on FIRE lately and are super
pumped for their Key West gig so look for The Pets to blow the roof
off this legendary watering hole when they explode onto The Parrot's
stage this weekend.
The Green Parrot Bar is your Southernmost Center for Culture at
the corner of Whitehead and Southard Streets. For additional
information call The Green Parrot at 294-6133.

"Here's Frank" Green Parrot Calendar

Someone came up with an idea today to make a Green Parrot Calendar featuring Frank
Could he be any more photogenic?.

Yesterday he was just sitting at the window...looking at the rain...I mean, really...

The Green Parrot Bar Named the Best Live Music Venue in Florida

The Green Parrot Bar has been named the Best Live Music Venue in Florida for 2010 by Florida Monthly Magazine. The announcement will appear in Florida Monthly Magazine’s September issue. The Green Parrot replaces Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park for the top spot.

“This is a real honor,” said Bar Manager John Vagnoni "We are pleased the hard work of the many people involved hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Vagnoni said. “With over eight thousand votes typically cast in most Best-of-Florida categories it appears we've been on somebody's radar."

“We were able to achieve this recognition not only because of our partnerships with both local and national talent but also because of our great Green Parrot staff and Green Parrot patrons. Patrons and staff who have continually supported our efforts and make the musicians so welcome and appreciated that those musicians strive to deliver their best performances when they step out on our stage. Not only does this audience response make musicians want to return to The Parrot again and again but it spreads the word among their peers that the Parrot customers and employees are among the best and most musically sophisticated anywhere ”

"We would like to thank all our staff here for their professionalism, thank musicians everywhere for enriching our lives, and mostly thanks to our patrons who repay us daily with their loyalty and enthusiasm. We promise to remain your "The Southernmost Center for Culture of All Kinds" and will continually strive to make the entertainment at The Green Parrot the best it can be. We are extremely pleased Florida Monthly Magazine has honored us in this way,” Vagnoni said.

You can find the September online issue of Florida Monthly Magazine featuring the Best of Florida winners at http://www.floridamagazine.com/.

Louie's Tan, Rested and Ready.

Louie in his throwback Redskins Billy Kilmer Gear.

Bill Blue at The Green Parrot

The Old Man of Blues, our own Bill Blue, will return to the Parrot
stage on Sunday, september 19th, beginning at 5:30 PM.
When Bill Blue came to Key West in 1983 with a pretty girl, a Cadillac
and very little money he was coming off 18 years of road dog touring
and recording. In the twenty years he made this island his home he
opened a music store and a recording studio, but most of all he left
his mark as a performer.
When Bill Blue left North Carolina to go to Virginia to neet blues legend Arthur(Big Boy)Crudup, writer of Elvis's first record "Thata Alright Mama" little did he know that within two weeks he would go from a out of work musician to being on the road with Big Boy and Bonnie Raitt on her first US tour.That started a career that has lasted more then thirty years and taken him to stages around the world.
Bill signed with the very prestigious Adelphi Records , one of the best blues lables at the time in the US releasing two LP's "Sing Like Thunder" and "Giving Good Boys A Bad Name" with worldwide distribution. This gave the exposure to play venues all over Europe and the US.He released a compilation CD "Closing Time" in 2005 with songs from the last thirty years.
As a New York Times reviewer said about his show at NYC's Bitter End " One moment you are laughting your ass off,a few songs later you're are crying in your beer,from a songwriter, you can't ask for anything more"
And now, Bill Blue will be
celebrating His thirty-plus years
of writing, recording and performing music and The Green Parrot
"soundcheck"
seems the fitting place.
See what all the excitement's about this weekend at The Green Parrot
Bar, your Southernmost Center for Culture, is at the corner of

Whitehead and Southard Streets.
For additional information call The Green Parrot at 294-6133.

J.P Soars & The Red Hots Play Parrot for Poker Run

Blues Award Winners J.P. Soars and The Red Hots Play Green Parrot

International Blues Challenge First Place winners J.P. Soars and The Red Hots will appear at The Green Parrot Friday and Saturday, September 17th and 18th with shows at 5:30 and 10 P.M.
J.P. SOARS & THE RED HOTS took the Blues world by storm by winning the most coveted 2009 International Blues Challenge (IBC).
With the mission to find the best-unsigned blues band, this annual competition is held worldwide on a regional level by The Blues Foundation's 150 Affiliated Organizations around the world. A record number of 164 bands and solo/duo acts from Blues societies around the world took the stages of Memphis’ legendary Beale Street on Thursday and Friday to compete for over $20,000 in cash and prizes, before notable Blues industry judges in hopes of making the finals on Saturday, drawing an audience of many thousands to Beale Street in downtown Memphis.
When the dust cleared J.P. Soars & the Red Hots (CHRIS PEET on drums and GARY RIMMINGTON on bass) sponsored by and representing the South Florida Blues Society took first place and the title BEST UNSIGNED BLUES ACT IN THE WORLD!
J.P. Soars also individually won the Albert King Award, which establishes him as the best guitar player in the competition this year.
Catch this ultra-dynamic group this weekend at The Green Parrot Bar, your Southernmost Center for Culture, at the corner of Whitehead and Southard Streets