Nadirah Shakoor

MAY 2017

TROP ROCKER OF THE MONTH NADIRAH SHAKOOR

1 Katy Waugh, Publisher Frank Bridges, Computer Guru Writers: Linda Hebert, “Diamond Dave” Bevens, Todd Alexander, Eric Babin and Mike Nash. [email protected] PO Box 754, Gautier, MS 39553

Our Amazing Sponsors Articles & Such

Dani Hoy 3 PHiP News 4 North West Indiana PHC 8 Gene Mitchell 6 Tales From The Far Side of the World 16 The Jake Sullivan Series 7 Trop 40 for April 2017 The Buck Reilly Adventure Series 9 A Listener’s Take—Jimi Pappas 28 Laid Back Attack 10 Trop Rock On The Radio 33 Rob Hill 11 Panama City Beach PHC Rendezvous 34 Sail Windjammer 12 Drinking With Diamond Dave 36 Barefoot Reggie 13 Calendar of Events 42 Chip Bell Partners With PHiP Scholarship 43 John Friday 14 Trop Rocker of the Month, Nadirah Shakoor 44 Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All The Way 15 Trop Rockin’ RV Life 64 Meet Me In The Keys 25

Summer Solstice Trop Rock Fest 27 More Amazing Sponsors Move Coastal / Re/Max 40 Pit Stop Party Too 79 Greg Dillard 41 Radio A1A 80 Keyboard Advertising 62 Radio A1A Carnival Cruise 81 Tiki Man Radio 63 Cory Young 82 Radio Trop Rock 78

PUBLISHERS NOTE: Every advertiser has a link to their website and/or Facebook page. Just hover over their website and click. Please take time to visit them and let them know you found them in PHlockers Magazine! A special “Thank You” to everyone who sent in photos and articles too! Keep sending in your stories to share.

All submissions must be received by the 15th of each month by 5:00 p.m. Central time. Editing may be required and by submitting to this publication, you are implying express permission to do so. Email all advertising requests to the above email address. All rights reserved. The terms Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville, Parrot Heads, Parrotheads, Parrot Head Club, Parrothead Club and PHC are registered trademarks of Margaritaville, Inc. This site is not directly affiliated PHlockers Magazine December 2015 Page 2 2 with Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville.com or Radio Margaritaville. All photos have been submitted and used with permission of their respective submitters. 3 The Virtual Parrot Head Club

In the early 1990s, Jill Pearson presented her idea of a different kind of Parrot Head club... an online Parrot Head Club!

It wasn't long before word about a place Parrot Heads could phlock online spread quickly. With Jill using the tools available at the time, she built the Virtual Parrot Head Club.

There would be no geographical boundaries to limit membership, only one's appreci- ation for the lifestyle Jimmy Buffett sings about would be a requirement.

The success of the Virtual Parrot Head Club was recognized when the Parrot Head Club sanctioning body, Parrot Heads in Paradise, when it granted the VPHC an offi- cial charter... the first, and only online Parrot Head Club!

Today, a large portion of the club membership remains as the cyber roost for Parrot Heads who have no land based club or Parrot Heads who recently moved and were past members of another PHIP Club. For many, the Virtual PHC was their very first club and they remain loyal members.

Over the 20 years, annual donations have varied but included these charities … The American Red Cross, Toys N Tots (A Key West Police Department Toy Drive), Walk to End Alzheimer's, Bike MS, The Visiting Nurse and Hospice Association of the Flor- ida Keys and The Scleroderma Foundation to name a very few.

4 The VPHC has donated to many other causes and hosts an annual Party With A Purpose during Meeting of the Minds at the Bottle Cap Lounge and Bar on Simonton St, Key West. This party is the one opportunity the VPHC members have to gather, meet face to face and hold conversation with other Virtual members.

Many VPHC members travel to land based club events to experience the spirit of friendship and community and a few even request a New Club Application and consider forming a new club where none exists.

We anticipate another year of growth in membership as word gets out through the Coconut Telegraph that anyone who enjoys the music of Jimmy Buffett and has the desire to give back would find a home with likeminded cyber parrot heads via the Virtual PHC!

The Virtual PHC closed the 2016 year out with 253 members and had a large repre- sentation during MOTM! In 2016 the Virtual PHC donations totaled $7,500!!

To join the Virtual PHC, please contact: Sue Kermis @[email protected] or [email protected] The Virtual PHC Membership Application is located at: http://virtualphc.com/Virtual-PHC-Membership-App.pdf.

Did you know there’s a Featured Club page on the Parrot Heads in Paradise website? Well, now you do! It can be found at https:// www.phip.com/ This feature is a great way to not only be recognized by the Parrot Head world but also a good recruiting tool for your club. Imagine saying to prospective members, “We’re being directly promoted by our National organization! Check it out!” Think your club is awesome and worthy of its own spot-light? I’m pretty sure you’re right so send a note to Kathy Pfister cheese- [email protected] and we’ll talk.

Sue

Sue Kermis, Membership Director PHiP, Inc.

5 6 7 The Northwest Indiana Parrothead Club Phund Raiser for “Cops & Kids”

Submitted by Terri Dale

Tim, Rex, Tony, and Mick presented as $400 check from The Northwest Indiana Parrothead Club to Officer Michael Steege of the Porter County Sheriffs Office for Cops and Kids. The program has been going strong for over 20 years! The Cops and Kids raises money to take school age children shopping in August for school clothes and supplies. The donation was raised at our Christmas in January Party. ~~~/)~~~/)~~~

8 9 10 11 12  Booking NOW for 2017

 Download the Brand NEW Song with Donny Brewer “Rum and Somethin”

 Catch Reggie at Summer Solstice, June 22-25

706-713-1985 [email protected] www.reverbnation/reggiestarrett.com

13 14 15

Tales From The Far Side Of The World -A Travel Blog-

By Mike Nash Photo’s by Melissa Donor

Second travel blog. Hello once again from the far side of the world! (well at least the Western Hemisphere). I’m writing today from the beautiful and enchanting land of “Pura Vida” (a.k.a. Costa Rica). It’s the middle of January and it’s a balmy 10 degrees! (above the equator that is!) Lol! Actually, it’s around 85f, very little humidity this time of year and absolutely paradise! So, this being my second installment of our travel column, I couldn’t think of a better place to take you to than Playas Del Coco (Coco Beach) Costa Rica! We started the trip flying out of Nashville airport, gladly saying farewell to the cold for a few weeks. It was a quick 2-hour flight to our connection at Houston Hobby. HOU is one of my favorite airports as it’s just the right size and easy to navigate. Of course, we always love flying Southwest Airlines so the day was off to a great start. After a 3-hour flight, we landed in Liberia Costa Rica (LIR) around 2pm and quickly made our way through customs to meet our friends Dan and Manny wait- ing for us in the lobby. We met our friend Dan Kososki (on our Another Voyage 2016 cruise) through our mutual Parrothead friends Suzanne Calhoun and Jennifer Martin (native Texans who now live in CR full time) who convinced us last year to take Dan up on his offer to come stay with he and his wife, play a few nights at his bar (Coconutz) for some drinkin’ money, and take a once-in -a-lifetime trip….we said yes! It was a short 30 minute drive to Coco where we are currently staying with Dan, his wonderful wife Nancy and the sweetest, cutest dog in the world “Molly” (she’s also the only bi-lingual dog I know and barks very good Spanish. Nancy is native Costa Rican and it’s always a joy to practice my ever-worsening Spanish with her and Dan over late night drinks under the stars on the back porch. They have a rather large home by Costa Rican standards and there’s also a separate 3-bedroom guest house they rent out on AirBnB (hint hint). We spent most of the first few days lazing around the pool, getting caught up on some work and just enjoying the warm sunshine and salty air. Costa Rica is located 10 degrees North of the Equa- tor so it stays a perfect 85 degrees year-round. Their two seasons are the rain season and the dry season. Fortunately for us, the rain season ends in December and so all the lush, tropical landscape is sharing all of its deep green glory and it’s a little too early for high humidity so the days are simply perfect.

16 Costa Rica is a republic government with socialized healthcare, education and a few other things. In many ways, they modeled their system after ours but with a few differences. Citizens are provided free healthcare simply for being born…we’re told it’s comparable to going to the health department back home. There are also “paid” hospitals and doctors you can go to where you’ll pay a set fee for their services (and because of a free market, the competition keeps the pricing down) much like back in the day in the States (before insurance companies started gouging the hell out of us and running up prices). They do have things such as cancer here, but per capita, (we’re told) the number of cases is ridiculously lower. Kinda makes you look at things differently by being here….I find myself constantly criticizing things in America when I compare them to some of the things I’ve seen here. I get the feeling that Costa is (today) a lot like the U.S. probably was back in the 40’s and 50’s. The country has never had a standing army (nor have they had a need). So as you might imagine, the people of the country are very happy and live free. Things here move at a much slower pace they call “tico time”. They are very family oriented and value hard work. Though it isn’t necessarily the richest country I’ve seen, it’s far from the poorest. There are plenty of jobs for people who want them (at least in the parts we’ve seen) and most homes, though quite modest, are decent and liva- ble. They are a very proud people and I don’t get the feeling that much of the country is poverty stricken….most locals are at least making enough to feed their family, dress nicely and quite a lot even have an automobile. Nancy tells us that it was a little difficult to get her visa (her “permit” to leave the country) even after she and Dan were married. For unmarried people …

Mike Nash and Melissa Donor Continued on page 18

17 Tales From The Far Side Of The World Continued from page 17

who don’t own a business or have the money to put up a bond insuring they’ll return, it is very difficult for Costa Rican’s to get permission to leave the country. I find this quite interesting since they seem to live so free inside the borders, but I guess the government doesn’t let them out unless it’s sure they’re coming back? Talking with Nancy about what life was like to grow up here, I find myself intrigued to learn more of the country’s history. It seems that because of free market and tourism dollars flowing into the region for many decades now, the citizens have truly benefited. They have infrastructure: cell phones, satellite TV, clean water, affordable electricity, affordable housing…a lot of the main roads are paved and there’s even an equivalent of an “interstate” which runs right through the heart of the country, spanning the entire length from North to South, and connecting the major cities and towns. Traveling throughout the region as we have, I get the feeling that Costa Rica is a steadily developing country now in its “teenage” years as opposed to infancy. One might imagine that if they can avoid some of the mistakes we made along the way in the United States, this country might one day be the gauge by which all other democracies are measured.

18 The greatest thing about CR is the landscape. Being from the hills in Tennessee, some of it looks surprisingly familiar, though much of it truly looks like a different world. The ocean is that cobalt color of deep Pacific blue and a perfect 75 degrees. The land is covered in lush, tropical rain forest and beautiful flowering trees of a thousand varieties. There (are) paved roads, but some of the best adventures can only be found down the primitive dirt roads carved into the jungles and mountain sides. There are over 200 volcanic formations in the country, about half of which show signs of volcanic activity and even fewer actually classified as “active”. (more on that later). Our little piece of paradise, Playas Del Coco (Coco Beach), is perfectly named as its beach blends its dark and light shades of volcanic sand into a picturesque landscape that looks exactly like a cup of coco. This is one of those places that truly feels like a far-away land. Funny thing to note…there’s a sailboat that has been beached here for over a year; free for the taking if you want to put in the work to get her ship shape again. (roughly about 40ft of love ;) Rumor has it that the original owner had it up for sale for a long time with no luck. In a big storm last year, he snuck out and cut her loose from her mooring in the harbor. She set adrift and now her new home is on her belly on the beach, just above the high water mark…it makes for a great picture! If you come to Costa Rica, don’t expect to get by on a shoe string budget. Unfortunately for us, the Costa Ricans figured out tourist pricing long ago as this has been a hot spot for tourism for decades. The exchange rate for their dollars (Colon’s or CRC’s) is a whopping 525 to 1. Let that sink in for a second…enjoy the dreams of the overnight riches you’ll enjoy when trading in 100 U.S. dollars for over 50 thousand of theirs. Now for a reality check….for a simple lunch one might typically eat, expect to pay around 18,000 CRC’s. A nice dinner, maybe 30K. When shopping for souvenirs, a tee shirt’ll run you 10K…on and on. Like I said, they’ve figured out how to price for ... Continued on page 20

19 Tales From The Far Side Of The World Continued from page 19

“Americans” and Canadians. It’s priced similar to what you’d find in any tourist destination in the States. The quality of food is very good and safe to eat whatever you want as they have a high standard of preparation and quality, and you’re safe to drink the water as well since most of the tourist areas have a standard of filtered water for tourists. Shopping, you’ll find the typical souvenirs you’d find in most places; although, if you look around enough, there are a lot of beautiful hand- made masterpieces you can bargain down to a reasonable price. Playas Del Coco has 3 main bars, our friend’s (and our usual haunt) is Coconutz and it’s the most popular among Canadian and “American” tourists. Prices are fair, the food is great (try the pizza and a movie night on Wednes- day) and if you happen to be in town when we are, you’ll likely find me playing on a bar stool on the stage any random night. Coco has lots of good restaurants with everything from Sushi to Greek food and tacos to pizza. I don’t really know that there is such a thing as “Costa Rican” cuisine, but the local food is pretty much the same as you’d find in a Mexican restaurant.

20 It’s funny, I find I’m having to constantly correct myself here in Central America when I refer to us as “Americans”. As if we have the market cornered on the world. We are politely reminded by our local friends that Costa Ricans are Americans too…Central Americans, but Americans just the same. I guess until we came here that never really occurred to me? I’m so used to automatically monopoliz- ing the word in the States (and when we’re traveling abroad to other places) that it’s always a funny moment for me here when I catch myself (just before) I say it. They don’t really seem to mind though, I get the feeling they do it just for a little teasing. On our last trip here, we took a day trip up to Nicaragua’s Masaya Volcano. (*I would highly recom- mend this as my top pick for things to do while you’re here.) They drove us to several sites in Nica- ragua (only an hour North) and took us right up to the edge of Masaya’s crater. We were looking over a thousand feet down into the Earth’s interior at the boiling, spewing magma lake….it’s truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’ve since learned that there are only a few volcanos on the planet where you can actually do this. Truly breathtaking. So, since we had already done that trip, this time we decided to stay in Costa Rica and check out some of its active volcanos. Our first trip was to Rincon De Las Viejas. Although there’s not a crater or magma lake like Masaya’s, it’s still very much worth the short 45-minute drive East of Liberia. You can visibly see the steam and gasses coming from the top thousands of feet up (a little farther than I care to climb) and the volcanic river that runs through its thick, lush jungle is awesome. We went tubing (though it takes a while to get used to the freezing cold water), we did the zip line tour, rode horses through the jungle and I let Melissa talk me into the volcanic mud bath. Yea, they say it’s supposed to be “good for your skin” yadda yadda…honestly, I think they are probably all laughing their asses off at us tourists who are dumb enough to actually (pay) them to rub mud all over ourselves. Although I do have to admit, the dip in a volcanic hot spring afterward was pretty awesome! Continued on page 22

21 Tales From The Far Side Of The World Continued from page 21

For our next adventure, we enlisted the company of our good friend Manny Lopez. (despite the last name, he’s the whitest dude I know from St Louis). We met Manny and his girlfriend Ileana (a native Nicaraguan) on our last trip to CR and have been great friends ever since. We set out early for a day trip to the Tonorio volcano, another of Costa’s active volcanos located about 2 ½ hours inland and just over the mountains from its more famous cousin Arenal (which had been erupting continu- ously from 1968 til 2010…it’s now dormant). In these travels, I’ve learned more than I ever did in school about these majestic behemoths. I now know that “active” doesn’t necessarily mean they have visible magma or lava flows. I also learned that it’s called magma when it’s inside the volcano and lava when it breaches the surface. (tidbit of useless info for you there). On our way to Tonorio, we stopped at a breath-taking waterfall and swimming hole called the Cortez waterfall. It’s a “locals spot” and being that it was a Sunday, it was very busy with lots of Costa Rican families out enjoying the day. After a dip and a climb behind the waterfall for some amazing pics, it was on to Tonorio. The “tourist” thing to see there is an amazing river called Rio Celeste. The local legend

22 says that when the God’s were painting the sky, they dipped their paint brush in this river. Okay, I’m sold! After the incredibly long and bumpy drive there (as half of the trip is on primitive dirt road) we arrived at the welcome center. …remember when I told you how they’ve figured out tourist pricing and the “American” way? Well it shouldn’t be much of a surprise then that they have taken this natu- ral wonder created from no work of their own and stuck a $15 price tag on it if you want to see it! Unfortunately, what they failed to tell us is that during the rainy season and time of year just after rain season, the river is not at its peak beauty and although the trip was still worth it and we enjoyed the day, we were robbed of our chance of seeing the legendary aqua blue water. Oh well, guess there’s a reason to go back! On a better note, we got to hike up the side of a volcano, saw lots of howler monkeys and we got to pet a wild anteater who could have cared less about our presence as he was gorging in the dirt on a pile of ants. In short, I would need a hundred more pages to tell you of all the amazing things we’ve seen and experienced in Costa Rica…and honestly, we’ve only experienced the North-West corner of it. Though we have little interest in seeing the capitol city of San Jose (our friends tell us we’re not miss- ing much but the traffic that any big city creates), we have heard that the Caribbean side is even more beautiful (although apparently, it’s not quite as developed). With flights from Houston Hobby being so cheap and so fast, there’s really no excuse not to come here and see for yourself. The world is becoming a smaller place these days…those “once-in- a-lifetime” destinations like this are now way more realistically in reach and if you know a few inside se- crets, you can manage to see them without breaking the bank and still have an amazing time. As a matter of fact, we’re already planning a week getaway to do just that! We found the perfect hotel in Coco, we’ve included... Continued on page 24

23 Tales From The Far Side Of The World Continued from page 23 our friends Dan & Nancy’s bar Coconutz, we’ve lined up some excursions and activities and also connected with our friend Michael “Hollywood” Holly down the coast in Tamarindo to put this all together. We met Mike through mutual friends as he is also a co-star of the movie “Parrotheads the Documentary” (featuring SDB among others). We visited him at his bar (Latitude Blue) down in Tamarindo on this trip and liked the town so much we decided to grab a cheap hotel and stay a few nights. Mike was a great host and the food at his place is PHENOMENAL along with his manger Zoilhy. Tamarindo is to Coco as Key West is to Marathon Key. It’s much more “touristy” with tons of shops, restaurants, bars and hotels etc.…they even have a smaller airport that you can catch a hop from San Jose or Liberia to. We will be including a day trip here on our getaway next year and folks who’d like can choose an extended stay package to come down and spend a few extra days when we wrap things up in Coco. In all of this I haven’t even touched on the water sports in CR. There’s world-class fishing, diving, boating, surfing…the list goes on. Way too much to describe in a few paragraphs. Take my word for it, whether you come with us in 2018 or decide to throw caution to the wind and book a trip tomorrow, you cannot possibly be disappointed with Costa Rica. They have a saying here, “Pura Vida”. Translated that means “pure life”. Many times, they will even say that instead of “thank you” or “goodbye”. It’s a perfect reflection of a way of life here….pure, simple, beautiful, adventurous, slow paced, amazing and exotic. The land of Pura Vida will change your life forever. It’s okay if you don’t understand it now, when you’re here, it won’t take long to figure it out! -Mike Nash & Melissa Donor 4/11/17-UPDATE We just released the info and packages for our getaway May 11-20 next year! Now you can join myself and my friend Jerry Diaz and see all this for yourself. For more info or booking go to: www.ExpeditionPuraVida.com

24 25 26 27 A Listener’s Take Jimi Pappas “Acoustic Waves”

By Todd Alexander

Acoustic Waves lives up to its name. The acoustic guitar is front and center on all the songs. Overall, it’s a very smooth and pretty mellow CD. On my first listen, I thought it was a good CD. After I had listened to it several more times, I was totally hooked. I would wake up with a song running through my mind. At some point in the day, I would have what could only be described as a “craving” to hear one of the songs. The instrumentation is expertly blend- ed together. Jimi’s voice is very enjoyable. His voice often reminds me of Freddie Mercury’s voice in some way I can’t quite describe. The CD consists of 10 songs- 7 original song written by Jimi and 3 cover songs. All of the songs are well written. The lyrics do a great job of painting a picture and immersing you in the middle of their imagery. Overall, this CD appeals to and soothes your senses. I spoke to Jimi about music and his newest CD. Listener: How did you get involved in music? Early influences? Jimi: I grew up in Jersey to a musical family. My Dad was a full time player and teacher of five in- struments, a much sought after NYC sax and violinist , It was all AM radio in the 60's Beatles, Beach Boys, Motown, and all the hits of the day. My first band played original music at Earth Day in Times Square; I was a kid of 13 . I play in many NY/ NJ bands thru my 20's then was lead into the tribute world with The Cast of Beatlemania and, later, playing drums for Chubby Checker doing the twist all over the world.. Listener: How did you find/get involved in the Parrothead/Trop Rock world? Jimi: Around 2004/5 my good friend Charlie DeCosa got an emergency call to play bass for Jim Mor- ris at MOTM . I was invited to play percussion with the band for the week. This lead to meeting John Frinzi, Sunny Jim, Tall Paul, John Patti, the Reefers, and many others. Then over the next few years , I sang backing vocals and played percussion on Jim's Another Day At The Office and One Man Party CD's. It was about 2008 when Jim asked if I would play drums at MOTMS and also join the band , as Jimmy Marks (Jim’s drummer for many years) was retiring to Ga. and moving on. Not long after we lost Jim Marks to a heart attack at 54 years old.

28 When I came into the band Charlie DeCosa had already left , but.. I blame Charlie for introducing me to the whole Trop Rock world! It's a great place to be and the support for original music is wonderful. :) As I discovered that these pholks wanted original music I jumped on the chance to get back into writing. This inspiration became my first (Trop) CD “Tropical Salvage” and it blossomed from there. Listener: Any insight to the inspiration for any of the songs? Are songs like Caroline County and Never Should Of Left Key West semi- autobiographical? Jimi: Well Caroline County (was miss spelled on the CD cover) grew from when we were up in Va. and Maryland quite often with the Jim Morris band and we were driving through the farmland. There was a sign that said –‘Entering Caroline County Md.’ It was very early spring, and it shot me back to being a kid, when kids would cut school on the first nice days, I sometimes jot things down and come back to them later and that sign eventually became this song. It's fantasy you know, this art we call song writing. Listener: The covers (These Days and Dance)- not your typical choices for covers of songs by those artists. Any particular reason for you chose them? Jimi: I always loved the early 70's sound. Jackson was huge in my high school days and JT is maybe my favorite of all-time. I didn't start playing solo acoustic till about 2007. I always felt I could do it and envisioned doing these kinds of songs. Emily Randle did a sweet job on violin on These Days, and Sue Kettridge's fiddle on (Dance) is awesome! I messed with the groove a bit and changed it up. I hope that someday JT gets to hear it, I think he will dig it! I've recorded a few James Taylor songs ..like ‘Lighthouse’ on my “This Trip” CD (which featured Michelle Becker on the backing vocals !) Right now I'm doing a whole J Taylor covers CD- ‘JP sings JT!’ with some special guests! Listener: You also cover It’s Taken Me a While by Jim Morris. I know the Trop Rock performers tend to be a tight group. Were you and Jim close? Is there a reason you chose to include one of his songs? Continued on page 30

29 Jimi Pappas “Acoustic Waves” Continued from page 29

Jimi: We had gotten close over the years, and we did the Big Bamboo Band and the acoustic trio with Jim and myself along with John Patti. We had gone on trips -Costa Rica, Bahamas, and been all over the country together! When we were on our way to Seattle last July, everything was fine. As we waited in the airport for the other guys to come in so we could get to the resort for Laid Back At- tack, Jim suddenly didn't feel right, and a few hours later he was on life support! He was still in the hospital when I recorded the song a few days later.

Listener: Any special dedications to the love songs? Jimi: The songs - Sunday, Sweet Love, etc.- it's all part of the bliss! Anyone who as ever had someone that means more than the world to them knows this feeling. Don't take it for granted! express your feelings- which sometimes is not that easy to do. :) The song, The Way I Feel goes in that direction.

30 Listener: Where are you based these days?

Jimi: I have now lived in Orlando for 22 years. I came down to do a six week stand with my Beat- les/60's groups at Disney's Epcot. We wound up performing the show there for 12 years. I left Chub- by and basically never went back. By chance that one worked out- some do some don’t. :)

Listener: What’s going on with your many projects? Beatles tribute? The JP’s? Etc. Jimi: We still have fun doing the Beatles Tribute (www.BeatleBeat.com). Sometimes I'm in the Len- non spot and sometimes Ringo! It's all phun! We will be doing a cruise Feb. 26- Mar 2. 2018. ... Then there’s Tom and Michelle's tribute to John Denver (www.johndenvertribute.net). -- the JPs Duo (www.thejpsmusic.com ) seems to be playing more than ever here in Florida. The Big Bamboo band will continue to play a show now and then. Their gigs will be only Jim Morris music. And I hope to get out to more events around the country in the future!

Listener: Any special gigs coming up?

Jimi: Well, the newly formed trio of Patti, Pappas, & Sunny Jim White will play -Thurs May 11 at the Venice, Fl. Train Depot and at Meet Me in The Keys on June 11th at Kelly's Key West! The Oct 20,21,22 weekend will be a “Magic on the Water” type Jim Morris infused music fest , put on along with the chamber of Punta Gorda , it is still in the planning stages .. as of now we'll have. The JPs Duo on Fri. 10/20 at the Ice House Pub, then Sat 10/21 shaping up to be Jimmy Parrish band and the Big Bamboo band possibly at the 4 Points Sheraton lawn, with more acts and venues to come. Just to name a few! With so many different shows going on sometimes it's hard to highlight on which to promote. I’m sure I left some important ones out! To see my whole calendar, go to www.Jimipappas.com . Continued on page 32

31 Photo by Geri Salitsky Jimi Pappas “Acoustic Waves” Continued from page 31

Listener: Where can people get your music?

Jimi: My website- www.jimipappas.com . You can get my latest, Acoustic Waves, direct from there.

The Songs Sunday- Rarely, does a song so perfectly catch the mood of a subject, this song feels like one of those special Sunday’s where you can actually do what you want to do. The Way I Feel- A beautiful song from the “guy” perspective- just because we may have a hard time expressing our feelings doesn’t mean we don’t love with all our heart Never Should Have Left Key West- A song about the withdraw from Key West- it such a special place no one ever wants to leave. So much to do and experience in an all too short time. Sweet Love- One of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in a long time. It slowly, sweetly rolls through a day’s emotions of being deeply in love. The guitar work and harmonization make this song Last September- A funky song that draws you in and gets your toes and body moving Dance- Cover of a James Taylor song; a soulful, funky song that makes you want to move- even someone who can’t dance (like me, trust me, it’s not a pretty sight) will find them sway- ing and moving to this one. Caroline County- a musical trip to the type of “special, magical place” that pretty much all of us have and how it makes you feel when you return; alas, even our paradise can’t exist all the forces of change but yet stay special Anyone But You- Another guy-perspective love song- we often pride ourselves on being independent, at least until we meet that one special person These Days- Cover of a Jackson Brown song- a beautiful rendition of personal reflection on life and with being content (and happy!) with who and where you are It’s Taken Me A While-Cover of the Jim Morris classic- An amazing tribute! After hearing the back-story, I don’t know how Jimi made it through the song without emotions bringing him to a stop. Acoustic Waves is a wonderful CD! It is best enjoyed when you’re in the mood for a more mellow sound. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the music.

32 Where to Find “Trop Rock” On The Radio -Satellite Radio- Radio A1A Sirius Satellite Radio/Radio Margaritaville *Big Burrito Radio: Mad Marty and Dan *Island Time Radio Show: DK the DJ *Live from the Red Neck Riviera- Thom Shepherd *Radio A1A * Beachbar Radio * Beachlife Radio *Beachfront Radio Last.fm * Radio Trop Rock via Tunein.com * Permanent Vacation Radio * Radio Trop Rock * Songwriters-Island Summer Wind Radio Songwriters Island Radio * Southernmost Radio • The Shore

• The Tiki Man Radio

• The Tiki Pod Tiki Island Radio * Party In Paradise * Tropic Wall Radio

33 12th Annual Parrot Head Rendezvous 2017 By Colleen Fuchs

What an amazing weekend! Great music, phriends galore and a beautiful beach! You couldn't ask for anything more! The Panama City Beach Parrothead Rendezvous is always a fantastic event and the 12th Annual was no exception. This was the year of “Growing Older But Not Up”.

As always, Parrotheads party with a purpose! This year the purpose was Girls, Inc. Girls, Inc. in- spires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold through direct service and advocacy. There were repre- sentatives from Girls, Inc. at the event all weekend and it was nice to interact with them and hear how important this charity is to them. They expressed how thankful they were to all of us attending the event. The total proceeds going to Girls, Inc. has not been fully calculated yet.

A shout out is in order to Danny Lynn, with Tiki Island Radio for live-broadcasting the event all weekend.

The event kicked off on Thursday evening at Sharky’s, with Drop Dead Dangerous on the beach, who never disappoint! JD and Paul from Southern Drawl Band were both on stage with them rockin’ it out too!

Friday, The Meet & Greet, hosted by the Panama City Beach Parrot Head Club was held at the Hideaway Bar & Grill. Local musician Gene Mitchell performed and had many of us up dancing and kicking off the day with some cold beer and boat drinks.

After the Meet & Greet, Jeff & The Camaros started the phun-filled day of music on the beach, with much crowd participation. In addition, Jeff was the event MC, helping to make sure everything went as planned and stayed on schedule. The other musicians that performed on Friday were Donny Brewer, who called up Kitty Steadman to perform several songs with him, and ending the night was Southern Drawl Band.

Saturday morning started with John Reno. Nothing better than listening to live music on the sand, with the beautiful ocean as our backdrop, drinking Bloody Mary's! Following John, were Rick Lamb & The Phin Addicts. Next, was The Sounds of Summer, which I myself had never heard of. Wow!!! They were such high energy and really got the crowd up and sand dancing in front of the stage. They are a Beach Boys tribute band out of Indiana...and they were unbelievable!! It was like having the real Beach Boys there on the beach with us. To finish off Saturday night, was Jim Asbell & The Tropaholics.

34 There was no shortage of contests and games throughout the weekend, such as tent/canopy decorating, jello shot contest, boat drink contest, phun hat contest and a thumb tucking ball toss game. You paid $10 in order to be a judge for the jello shot and boat drink contests, with the proceeds going to Girls, Inc. $1,310 was raised by the Phun and Games Committee!

Girls, Inc. had a Cork Pull....a super creative idea for a bunch of Parrotheads! You pick a cork for $20 and you win a bottle of booze that matches the number on your cork. Some won some very expensive booze! Great way to raise money for Girls, Inc.

There was an award for the Parrothead that traveled the farthest to attend the event and also, to the club that had the most attendees. The Route 66 Parrothead Club won the award for most people from one club that attended, with 25 attendees. I was proud of that award, as I am a member of the Route 66 PHC!

Everyone was sad to see this phin-tastic weekend come to an end, but there was still music to be heard! The Conch Fritters played Sunday morning inside Sharky's, due to rain. It was actually quite nice and was a really intimate atmosphere. Last but not least, Don Middlebrook concluded the day with his phabulous pure Trop Rock music. Don is one of the hardest working Trop Rock musicians I know! He is amazing! I was super honored that he wrote a song for me, and Sunday was the first time I had heard it....it was a hit!! I can't wait for everyone to hear it!

This phun-filled weekend of music only cost $80, which included a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" on Saturday afternoon, free breakfast at Sharky's on both Saturday & Sunday mornings, event tee-shirt and goody bag.

As the man himself, Jimmy Buffett said, "the wrinkles only go where the smiles have been", so I must have a ton of new wrinkles from this phabulous weekend. I made so many new phriends and re-connected with several old ones. This event represents exactly what a Parrothead event should be. Kudos to the PCB Parrothead Club! Sea you all next year!

35 Drinking With Diamond Dave Asheville, North Carolina

By David “Diamond Dave” Bevens

Hello PHlockers! Living in Key West and working as a bartender I get many questions while serving up drinks. One question that comes up quite a bit is, "Living on an island in a vacation town, where do you go on vacation?" Well usually I try to get away from the tourist activity but not so much this year. This year I traveled to the mountains and visited Asheville North Carolina. I get to meet all kinds of people from everywhere with what I do and have a few friends that live there, as well as there are many breweries and great bars nestled in this little mountain town. My good friend Tami and I took off early in the morning and it took about 14.5 hours from Key West and multiple temperature changes I might add. Being pretty worn out from the road the first night was just relaxing enjoying good company of our gracious hosts that let us crash at their place. The next day however it was on, you see I'm a huge craft beer fan and one thing Asheville has is lots of breweries. Someone even created an app for your smart phone that Asheville Brewing Company 36 will guide you on a walking tour of the town and get you everywhere. It's called the Asheville Ale Trail. Let's start with Hi-Wire Brewing, it is an open warehouse style brewery and they actually opened a bit early for us so we had the whole place to ourselves. I had a gose style beer, which is a sour beer along with quite a few others and nothing disappointed. Next we headed over to Asheville Pizza and Brewing Co. and all of us had great beers. Mine were the Shiva IPA and they're very powerful imperial double IPA which i might say got the rest of this day going pretty well. The altitude is a bit different there so it goes to your head a bit faster. Our next stop is the Foggy Mountain Brewpub, owned by my friends Chris and Sam, this place has a great atmosphere with live music tons, of good libations and the best Mac and Cheese I've ever had! End day one. Continued on page 38 Above and below: Hi-Wire Brewing Company

37 Drinking With Diamond Dave Continued from page 37

The next day Tami and I found ourselves getting free passes to the Biltmore mansion and winery. I'm sure you can guess that we went straight to the winery and had wine and a cheese plate with our friend Mary. The Biltmore Estate is huge, taking up a large part in Asheville, (in the Pisgah National Forest) it was built by George Washing- ton Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. The wine was great, we had a Malbec that was made in the winery and it was not bad, I usually stick with Mendoza Argentina Malbec's. From there we traveled to the Omni Grove Park Inn and were astounded by this huge stone structure on the side of a mountain. There we sat a the kid-friendly bar and marveled at the view from inside. I did venture out to the balcony and get some pictures but the temperature that day was 8 degrees if I remember correctly.

Below: Wicked Weed in Asheville, North Carolina

38 So there were a few more days we were there visiting and we got some tickets for Donna the Buffalo at The Orange Peel in downtown Asheville. What a great place to see music! This Huge indoor arena type place draws in many of the top bands from all over the country. A definite must stop for music lovers. That was St Patrick's day and things are bit fuzzy for a few of the days between but all in all Asheville North Carolina is a great place to visit for food, music, and bars. There are three different areas for a brewery hop so take your time while there to hit them all. Until next month I'll be here living the life you wish you could! Dave Diamond Dave

Above: The facade of the Grove Park Inn. Below: The view from out back

40 41 Calendar of Upcoming Events

Meet Me In The Keys, Key West and FL Keys, June 6-11, 2017 http://www.southernmostcoconutcastaways.com/MMITK One Particular Harbor, St. Petersburg, FL, June 9-11, 2017 http://www.sbphc.org/Birthday_Party.html Riddles In The Sand, Galveston, TX, July 27-30, 2017 gbphc-riddlesinthesand.com TropRockin’ River Fest, Leasburg, MO, July 28-30, 2017 Facebook 2nd Annual Phlip-Phlop Phling & Phloat, Canyon Lake, TX, Sept 8-10, 2017 www.canyonlakephc.com Phlock To The Falls, September 16, 2017, Niagara Falls parrotheadsinniagarrasouth.ning.com Meeting of the Minds, November 1-5, 2017, Key West, FL www.phip.com/meeting Please send in your events, complete with dates, locations and website to: [email protected] to be included each month.

To Advertise Your Business Contact Katy Waugh at [email protected] For Rates and Details!

All submissions must be received by the 15th of each month by 5:00 p.m. Central time. Editing may be required and by submitting to this publication, you are implying express permission to do so. Email all advertising requests to the above email address. All rights reserved. The terms Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville, Parrot Heads, Parrotheads, Parrot Head Club, Parrothead Club and PHC are registered trademarks of Margaritaville, Inc. This site is not directly affiliated with Jimmy Buf- fett, Margaritaville.com or Radio Margaritaville. All photos have been submitted and used with permission of their respective submitters. 42 A PHUN MAGAZINE FOR PHRIENDS WHO PARTY WITH A PURPOSE! Author Chip Bell Partners with PHiP Scholarship Fund

Sometimes things arrive at a point that lends itself to reflection. So it is with the publication of the tenth book in The Jake Sullivan Series. Although this series consists of ten stand-alone stories, the first three create a type of trilo- gy, as do the last three, bringing us back to the place of beginning. Accordingly, with the help and generosity of my publisher, Word Association, and the support of David Cohen, Secretary and Scholarship Chair of Parrot Heads in Paradise, we will be offering an autographed poster to mark the occasion, the profits from the sale of which will be donated, in their entirety, to the PHIP Scholarship Fund. The promotion will begin May 1, 2017, and end October 1, 2017. The full proceeds will be donated at this year's MOTM in Key West. The purchase price is only $3.99. If interested, send a check or money order made payable to "Chip Bell" to the following address: Chip Bell 1725 Fifth Avenue Arnold, PA 15068 Please include your return address, and I will promptly get your poster sent out to you. I have always found my readers to be very kind and charitable. I ask you to do so once again for a very worthwhile cause. Many thanks.

Chip Chip Bell

For more information about the PHiP Scholarship Fund, go to: PHiP.com. 43 Photo by Marilyn Listvan 44 Musician of the Month, the Incomparable

Nadirah Shakoor!

By Linda Hebert

As most of you probably suspect, in addition to her undeniable God-given talent, she is a dynamic lady and a multi-faceted person- No more introduction necessary-

Let’s get to hearing straight from her…

Q.) How did you know so early in life what you were meant to do? A.) “I guess I just knew because it was something that came naturally to me. It was something that I loved. When I was growing up, my parents listened to a lot of music in the house. It was the golden era of Motown so we listened to a lot of Motown as well as artists like Curtis Mayfield, Frankie Bever- ly, mostly the R&B of the day. Sometimes my parents would have guests and they would pay me a quarter to sing for them. I guess those were my first paid gigs. I liked singing in the hallway of our apartment building because it had good acoustics, a nice echoed kind of a sound. Anyway, one day I was listening to the radio outside, Diana Ross singing and I thought, ‘I want to be like Diana Ross.’ At five years old, do you really know what you want to do for the rest of your life? - I don’t know, but somehow, I did. Of course, along the way, one can veer off track. When I was in middle school, I thought I wanted to be a teacher and by my first year of college I was sure I wanted to be a pediatri- cian. One day, I said, ‘What am I doing? (chuckle) I really want to sing!’ So, I changed my major to music. Q.) Were your parents supportive of this career choice? Do you come from a musical family? A.) “My parents were absolutely supportive. My father was a singer himself. He also played a little guitar and trumpet. Thinking back about the household I grew up in, Daddy was always in one singing group or another I remember them rehearsing in the living room all the time. I would be sitting right there listening and wishing I was a part of the group. We had moved to California by then, Los Angeles. One day he brought a song home for me to learn in the form of 45. ‘Alfie’ by Dionne War- wick. I was about seven or eight at the time. Even before that he taught me how to harmonize. I remember being in the car with him one day, I was singing along with the radio, singing very out of tune. I’d heard my Aunt Ruby (his sister) singing while she was washing dishes one day. She was singing a note that the person on the radio wasn’t singing. I didn’t understand harmony at the time but I knew she was singing something different and I knew it sounded good. So, I was in the car with my dad and I was trying to emulate Aunt Ruby. My father, knowing that I had a pretty good ear, asked me why I was singing like that? I said, ‘Well that’s how Aunt Ruby sings’. He realized that I was trying to harmonize so he started teaching me how. So yes, to answer the question, he and my mom were very supportive.

Continued on page 46 45 Nadirah Shakoor Continued from page 45

Q.) Can you tell us more about your dad? A.) “His name was Rasheed Shakoor. He was a carpenter by trade. He was handsome with a smile that could light up any room. A very spiritual man, born the son of a Baptist minister, he was one of the most generous and compassionate people ever. He loved my Mother very much, they were high school sweethearts. He was also active in our community and people loved and respected him. Sad- ly, he was killed in 1994 while working. They were building a new school, two guys were driving down the street shooting at each other, a stray bullet hit my father in the heart. We all miss him so much. I don’t think it’s something you ever get over. I’ll never get over it. It is part of my life’s story. I still think about him almost daily. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I get angry. It’s still difficult when I see other girls or with their fathers’. Q.) Please know all of our PHlockers hearts go out to you for having to go through this. Did he get to come and hear you sing and perform much before that? A.) He and my mother both came to my shows whenever they could. “He died right before I joined ‘Arrested Development.’ In fact, it was a few months before his death that I was watching MTV and I saw the music video of Arrested Development’s ‘Tennessee’. The lyrics of that song really moved me. I didn’t find out until later that Speech; the leader of the group wrote the song just after he lost his brother to an asthma attack and his grandmother during the same time. It was the love for his grandmother and brother that I was relating to. In the video, I saw the singer Dionne Ferris singing in a tree… ‘Take me home... Take me home, take me to another place’...Oh oh, I know I need to go to home, yeah.’ I fell in love with them immediately and wanted to know more about them. I went out and bought every magazine they were featured in. I learned that Dionne Ferris was not a member of the group but a guest on the CD. After my father died I knew I wanted to be a member. I wrote them a letter, sent my music and pictures to their management company and waited for a call. They re- sponded and told me they would reach out to me when Arrested Development had a concert in Los Angeles. I didn’t hear from them again but as fate would have it “En Vogue” was their opening act and En Vogue’s band was Janet Jackson’s band from the Rhythm Nation tour. I was in luck! I called one the band members and got an all access pass to the concert. I ended up auditioning in catering and the dressing room. Two weeks later I was heading to London with them to do an awards show “Top of the Pops” as a full-fledged member. My father didn’t get a chance to see me in that group but I know he is always with me in spirit.” Q.) In the early years, who else may have been there to help you get started? A.) “Well, in addition to my dad, my uncle (by marriage, he married my mom’s sister), was a professional guitar player and a singer, named Billy Cooper. He was one of the premiere session musicians and played on a lot of the Motown records. He eventually changed his name to Wali Ali and became the leader of my first band. It was a family band. The members included me, my Uncle Wali, my cousin Melvin Houston on bass, my brother Rasheed Shakoor on drums. A close family friend played percussion and sang background, another close friend, Joe Parson (who lived in the

46 house in front of us) played guitar. I wanted another female singer so I started asking around my former high school and found out that another friend, named Debra Garrett sang. She came over and auditioned, I loved her voice, and she joined the band. One day she and I were riding in the car and trying to decide what to call the band and we saw this billboard (about, I think it was two kinds of whiskey— (Black Velvet and Satin Soul) so we named the band Black Velvet and we called ourselves Satin Soul! We were only 16 years old, bless our hearts. By the way Debra, who now goes by the name, Siedah Garrett, went on to become a successful songwriter penning the ‘Man in the Mirror’ for Michael Jackson. She is also the only woman to record a duet with him. As I got into my upper teens/early twenties, Uncle Wali would take me to some recording sessions with him. I met some influential people and I remained inspired. He helped a lot in that way. He was well known on the LA music scene so I started at one point to go by the stage name Nadirah Ali to be associated with him. When I joined Arrested Development that was the name I was using.

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47 Nadirah Shakoor Continued from page 47

Q.) Other than our idol, Jimmy Buffett, tell us about the many performers you’ve shared the stage with over the years-- A.) I did quite a bit of session work singing on records of artists such as: The California Raisins, Jer- maine Jackson, Madonna (Like a Prayer), Ghost Buster’s soundtrack, Mikey Howard to name a few. My first professional tour was with Howard Hewett, former lead singer with Shalamar. a group found- ed by Don Cornelius of Soul Train. Two of the group members, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniels were Soul Train dancers. When Howard went solo, I sang background for him. I also ended up singing for his wife Nia Peeples for a while. She was a dancer and actress on the show, ‘Fame.’ I did a few shows with a Prince protégé, Lisa Fiorillo, toured with Al Jarreau, Paula Abdul and I did the ‘Rhythm Nation Tour’ with Janet Jackson.” (Me: “Oh, is that all?” LOL!!!!!) Q.) And how did this eclectic journey put you on the path to joining Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefers?… or in “Buffett Speak,”...“Looking back on your background trying to figure out how you ever got here…”

48 My first year with Arrested Development they were transporting me back and forth from LA to Atlanta for rehearsals and recordings. Finally, Speech asked me if I would relocate. I already liked Atlanta so I said ‘Yeah,’ and I made the move in late 1993. By 1995 Arrested Development’s co-founders; Speech and Headliner, were having contractual differences. Consequently, the group dis-banded and I found myself in an uncomfortable position. I had relocated to Atlanta with my son and bought a house, now I was suddenly unemployed! I called some friends and business contacts in Los Ange- les, I told them that the band broke up, that I needed a job and if they heard of anything to please let me know. I was presented with a few opportunities. One was a tour with Yanni (do you remember Yanni? ---yes, I used to play him at nap-time for the preschoolers--nap-time--yes, ok!! hahah!!) another was for a hip-hop group, “Spearhead” lead by Michael Franti I was a big fan of Spearhead but the job was only a two week Australian tour while their singer was out sick. It didn’t pay enough to cover my bills and I needed something permanent. Yanni actually paid the most of the three offers but his tour was instrumental except for one song. I knew that I would be bored out of my mind! Last but not lease was Jimmy Buffett who I had never heard of. For some reason, I thought that one was a jazz gig! I just had it in my mind, ‘Jimmy Buffett and his Jazz Trio.’ Since I had worked with Al Jar- reau I felt that I had my jazz chops up enough. So that’s the job I went for. A good friend of mine Stacy Campbell was on the JANET. Tour and Janet’s stylist, Helen Hiatt happened to also be Photo by Jimdad Kenney Jimmy’s stylist (Helen is great, she even won an Emmy for her styling of Cher). She told me to send my resume and bio to her and she would pass it on to Jimmy. I did and he hired me! A week or so later I received all of his music …. And I started crying!-- because it wasn't all of this jazz--it seemed to be all of this country. I didn't think I could do it nor did I think I would fit in! I had dred locs, a ring in my nostril another in my septum and was coming from a “conscious” hip-hop group. I called my mom crying, ‘Mom, it’s country waaah, what if they don’t like me? She asked me if I needed a job or not? Just do it for a year and if you don’t like it, do something else.’ I went to my first rehearsal, it wasn’t as county as I thought it was going to be--there was a Caribbean vibe, a little rock n roll and a little folk and you know, everybody was really nice!!-- 21 years later I’m still here!

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49 Nadirah Shakoor Continued from page 49

Q.) As a PHan, I’d like to say, thanks for that! Now please do tell us---what’s it like being on stage as part of a Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefers concert? “Well first of all let me say, I love what I do. I really love it. I am very, very honored and grateful to be able to do it. I know that everybody doesn’t have a good singing voice so I think that fact has helped me a lot in deciding what I wanted to do or be. I accept it as a blessing. You know when I get on stage (whether it’s on a big stage with Jimmy or a small intimate environment with my own band) and see people enjoying themselves and being moved whether they're laughing or crying, it’s something I can’t even describe. I guess endorphins get you going or something and I realize every night how privileged and how blessed I truly am. Whenever I perform I choose a song to remind me to be grateful, and with Jimmy, it’s usually, ‘Southern Cross.’ We do it almost every night. And that’s the song that I use to thank God for the honor and the privilege of being on the stage at that moment and being able to commune with people. ---after all, if the audience wasn’t there, what would we be doing? I was up late one night watching old Sly Stone videos. Sly stopped in the middle of a song because the audience was just sitting there. And he said, ’You know this is not just about us. This involves you too. The song is the people that are performing it and it’s the people that are listening--get up and dance and get involved!’--and he changed the whole vibe of the place. It’s so true--the songs are not just about the people that are performing, they are more about the people that are listening.” It’s a beautiful exchange of energy and love. Being on stage with the Coral Reefer band is a perfect example of that exchange. “My first show with the Coral Reefer Band ever felt like…….you ever see ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show?’ That’s what it reminded me of!----the way that the audience participated in every song, beach balls flying, the hats and the outfits--that’s exactly what I thought! Hmmmm... you know, you never know why you’re put in a certain place and for me, initially joining Jimmy Buffett’s band seemed so different than anything I’d ever done. I wondered why I was there myself. When you pose those kind of questions, you get answers and what came to me was that I needed to be around a different kind of people. I needed to gain more understanding about people in general, you know what I mean? All of my other gigs were R&B and hip-hop and the audience was mostly black and young (as was I). As you know Jimmy’s audience is on the other end of the spectrum and is mostly let’s say, more ma- ture (as am I now). Including the band--I’ve worked with a lot of twenty and thirty-year old’s. The Cor- al Reefer Band members are older and with much more life experience. It's a different vibe; and this all gives me a better understanding of people.

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50 Nadirah Shakoor at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. Photo by David Lee-Sue. 51 Nadirah Shakoor Continued from page 51

I was raised Muslim, from the time I was ten years old until the time I decided to go on my own spiritual journey at sixteen. This was a sect of Islam based in the U.S. called the Nation of Islam. The premise,” do for self “dedicated to the black man/woman in America. Some people considered it to be racist as it was to say the least based on the idea of separate nation within a nation. I know a lot of people of many different races” but many of us don’t, we live in our own little worlds, in our own little bubble. If I can be totally honest I was nervous about taking the job --because it was predomi- nantly white, because it was kind of country and it seemed like everybody had a southern accent, you know what I mean? In the end this opportunity has enabled me to broaden my horizons and relate to people differently and hopefully touch different people in different ways. I strive to share my thoughts and my mes- sage. I also strive to remain open and hear what others have to say. It’s been an exciting eye opening experience and one that I wouldn’t give up for the world. It’s not all good but most of it is. I can't wait to share some of my stories with people. There are times that I put something on Facebook that is left leaning politically and I’ll get a lot of flak from some of the fans. I do it because I want to start the conversation and hear where they’re coming from. I want us to be able to share and exchange our different points of view. My hope is that we can meet somewhere in the middle and gain a better understanding of one another. Someone asked me, ‘Why are all of your posts about race?’-which they’re not, but some of them are. Freedom, justice and equality for all is important to me. You know, living in black skin, I have to deal with race some kind of way, just about every day. If we don’t talk about these things how will we affect change? My partner, Gil and I went to see a movie the other night, ‘Get out’, written by Jordan Peele of Key and Peele. It’s a comedic horror story about a young black man dating a young white woman. She’s taking him home to meet her parents. He’s nervous because he’s sure she didn’t tell her parents that he’s black ahead of time. I’m sitting next to this young guy, one of only two white people in the the- atre. Every time they’d tell a “black joke” at a white person’s expense I would cringe a little bit. Especially since the young man next to me didn’t seem to find much humor in the script. I was thinking, ‘This shouldn't be uncomfortable, it’s just a movie after all. It’s a comedy at that, it was such a weird feeling. ‘Why is it so hard for us to just face the question or admit the reality that race is an issue? Let’s get to the bottom of it, work through it so we can all move forward together’ You know what I mean? Photo by Afefe Iku 52 Q.) Yes, I do :( Having been an elementary school teacher, my training had us constantly striving to promote cultural diversity-- Have you ever written any songs along those lines? A.) “Yes, ‘It’s Time’ is sort of about that (here’s a link to a YouTube video of this 2005 single- https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_k5XtlrxI4) It’s also on the app Spotify. Also, Endangered Species, (for my son, Father and brothers) https://youtu.be/xsp0EVOd6l0 . ‘Freedom,’ I haven’t recorded yet and “Diggin the Skin I’m in” -they will both hopefully be on the new CD. Q.) In recent years, it seems that maybe Jimmy has started shining the spotlight a little more on you--sometimes we even see you taking center stage--is this just because he needs a much deserved break to hydrate and catch his breath (so he won’t fall off stage LOL) or is there more to it? A.) “I was featured from the beginning. In fact when I was hired, the tour manager told me that for most of the show I would stand next to Jimmy. That lasted for a few shows but it never really felt right. Eventually that was changed. Some years I’ll get a solo song and some years I don’t. I guess Jimmy appreciates the talent that’s on the stage with him and he is generous enough to let us shine a little too.” Q.) How DOES he recruit and KEEP such world class talent such as yourself and the other Coral Reefers and all of the people behind the scenes? A.) “Well I wasn’t really recruited, instead I kind of went after the opportunity. I do know he asked Amy Lee to join the band after he saw her playing with one of the Neville brothers in New Orleans. The same thing happened when he saw Peter Mayer, Jim Mayer and Roger Guth playing somewhere. He hired them all as to his rhythm section. One of the things I was told when I first spoke to Charlie Fernandez, (tour manager) was that I need to be able get along with everyone. I was replac- ing another singer who had only been there for six weeks and apparently, there were personality conflicts. It’s important to Jimmy that the bandmembers have a certain temperament. It makes for a very pleasant family like environment. I guess the reason we stay so long--- I must say that the Coral Reefers are some of the nicest and most sincere people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. None of us are perfect but we are perfectly good people. Michael Utley--I can’t imagine him ever ut- tering a bad word about anybody-- Peter Mayer, same way! --Mac McAnally, same way! You know, back to what I was saying about learning dif- Tina Gullickson on stage with Nadirah ferent things about different cultures; Mac was raised in that little part of Mississippi that was featured in the movie, ‘Footloose.’ A town where dancing was illegal. The grocery stores there used to charge the black community more for groceries so Mac’s father would get their grocery lists and go grocery shopping for them so that they could get the same prices as everyone else. That’s the kind of people that Jimmy has around him.”

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53 Nadirah Shakoor Continued from page 53

Q.) This is quite apparent and doesn’t go un-noticed--Is it really like one big happy family? And who among the group plays certain roles...is there a protective big brother, mischievous second cousin, etc.? A.) “Okay, Well---there’s no mama, papa, anything like that too much--I would say that everybody has their own personality and their own little quirky ways---Doyle Grisham doesn’t hear that well so you have to talk a bit louder to him but he is very witty and fast with his come-backs! He’s my fellow Texan and a gentleman. His wife Debbie is a good friend and booking agent. I love them both. Jimmy will tease Doyle sometimes during sound check but he has a great sense of humor and doesn’t miss a beat! The other quick witted person (as you probably know) is Mac. If you’ve gone to any of his shows, you know this. He’s a great singer/songwriter/producer (he produced my “Nod to the Storyteller” CD) He is a great storyteller himself and a very thoughtful person. I see Peter as the peace keeper with cleverly worded jokes. Sometimes I’ll be upset or sad about something crazy going on in the world. Peter always knows the right thing to say from a universalist kind of perspective--if you know what I mean-always just kind of like ‘All is one and one is all.’ hahahha I love him for that! Peter can often be seen reading some kind of spiritual book, if he’s not playing his guitar in a stairwell you know-he’s just that way. And let’s see-- Michael Utley is a sweet and pleasant person to be around. He and has a memory like a steel trap. He remembers everything, everybody, and every date. Jimmy occasionally asks, ‘Now who or when was

Mac McAnally, Nadirah and Jimmy Buffett

54 that______?’, Michael always knows. It’s pretty amazing and we count on him for that. Tina is our “Vegetarian Earth Mama in designer stilettos.” She and her husband have been vegetarians for almost thirty years. They rescued and raised rabbits and even had a squirrel living in her house once. She is my confidante on the road, my partner in song. Let’s see, who else? Oh Roger! Whoa! Roger! Roger is hi- larious! He can come off as a bit dry if you don’t know him -’rarl-rarl-rarl-rarl!’--- Ralph MacDonald was like that too. Roger is a bit of a loner with a big heart. He loves fly fishing, a delicious gourmet meal and a good glass of wine. He kind of lets you know what’s on his mind if he’s in the mood (but as far as being interviewed, he can be a little shy in that way). By the way, have you heard Roger’s new album “Tin Roof”? If you like jazz at all, you’ll love it! https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tin-roof/id1118265088. Robert is a true Trinidadian. It took me a while to understand him as his accent is still quite pronounced. He has a lot of Trinidadian expressions. For example, if you say, ‘Robert, how are you?’ He might say, ‘Ahhh, pork pork, no beef,’ which I’ve figured out means, ‘everything is kind of fair to midland.’ Robert also has perfect pitch. If you play a sound, he can tell you which note it is. There are very few people in the world with perfect pitch and he’s one of them. We have fun testing him on it. He’s also a master musician, one of the greatest of our time. He is a big part of the Coral Reefer Band’s signature sound. I had

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55 Nadirah Shakoor Continued from page 55

the pleasure of singing a few songs on his CD “From the Heart”. And let’s see--who else? John Lov- ell is a master of cross word puzzles, and a very good dancer and an excellent cook. He and his wife have been married for many years and they’re the cutest couple you ever want to see. I went to see him play with a jazz on band. I was sitting with his beautiful wife Emilse. She leaned over to me and said, ‘I love that man!’ I’m still getting to know Eric. I think he is a little shy. He’s a proud father and a very talented percussionist. Ralph was old school and Eric is new school. He plays the marimba and has brought more electronic arrays and such to our sound. Eric is a great addition to the band... Jim Mayer is very different from his brother. Peter is vegetarian and Jim is a meat eater. He is spiritual too but a little more high energy than Peter --I don’t even know how to describe him--he types about a thousand words a minute. He gets excited when he discovers something new and wants to share it with you. That’s probably why he is so good with children. I love working on his children’s records with him (award winning collections in this genre where he’s known as Uncle Jim).” Uncle Jim and the Funky Diva (that’ s me). Q.) Do you all ever just stand there and shake your heads and marvel at what it’s all become (Margaritaville, that is!)? A.) “Oh, absolutely! And it’s still going. I mean I read the other day that he’s now going to have a retirement community in Florida with around 700 reasonably priced (I think around $200,000?) homes. I wonder if that’s for us!--- A Coral Reefer retirement home!? ha! It’s just amazing.” Q.) Speaking of the dreadful “R” word, the following question was submitted by phans, Lori and Bob Stanley, of the SW FL Parrot Head Club… “Do you and the other Coral Reefers ever ponder what you’d do in the future if Jimmy ever took up full time residence on some remote island or do you think Jimmy truly will always be ‘The Last Man standing?!” 56 A.) “Yes, it is in the back of our minds as time passes and we’re all getting older. Jimmy loves what he’s doing and as long as the audience keeps coming, I imagine he’s going to keep doing it as long as he can. When he eventually does retire, we’ll have to address our future plans. That’s one of the good things about this band. It’s comprised of some extraordinarily talented musicians and singers. Since our tour is not all year long, we get a chance to do our own music in between. We’ve talked about the Coral Reefer band going on as The Coral Reefer Band, because we think that there will still be an audience for us—We could carry on doing Jimmy’s music as well as of our own. That’s what I’d like to see-- We all have our collective and individual stories to share. I’d like to think that a lot of fans would like that.” Q.) And you’d be right!! Now let’s focus on your tribute album that focused on Jimmy, “Nod to the Storyteller.” I find the album cover intriguing. Can you tell us about how the concept for it and the whole project developed- A.) The original picture that I wanted to use was a picture that I had taken of Jimmy when I was backstage. He had just finished his last song and he was bowing to the audience. I loved the picture. It was a humbling picture of Jimmy just honoring and thanking his fans. When I sent him the picture, he said it gave him (what’s the expression he used?.... ‘chicken Skin!’--which of course, we call goosebumps :) but management didn’t feel it was a very flattering picture. Management is management, so we used the picture that they chose of Jimmy holding the guitar. Then I’m not sure where I came up with the idea of the world depicted in the artwork--I just wanted to show my appre- ciation and another side of Jimmy. There is a lot of talk about the things that he has and the lifestyle that he’s privileged with; but when you get to know him on a personal level, he’s just like you and me. He is the person that helped me pay for an attorney when my son got into trouble. I mean if you meet his children, you see how they’re all kind, down to earth people who happen to have a famous Dad. That alone says a lot him as a person I think. He’s created something beautiful and ever growing. I just wanted to pay homage to him and what the experience has meant for me. Continued on page 58

The Coral Reefer Band

57 Nadirah Shakoor Continued from page 57

Most of the songs were either written by or recorded by Jimmy, two songs were from Mac’s first album. The two I wrote are ‘Give Henry the Receipt’ (about the band accountant Henry Rosquete) and ‘Open’, ‘Open’ was inspired by former Coral Reefer dancer Heather Dee Perry. At one point she, Heather, Tina and I decided to create a singing group ‘The Girls in the Band.’ They both lived in L.A so one day, Heather went over to Tina’s house to write for the group. They were joined by Paul Pesco, (guitarist with Hall and Oats) who was there to collaborate with them. Heather said when Paul walked in, she looked at him and for some reason had the feeling she already knew him although they had never met. I guess it was love at first sight. As she was trying to describe to me how she felt meeting him, I said, ‘You felt open.’ she said, ‘Yes”! ‘Open’, is their love story. Q.) And who among the current Trop Rock scene has had the pleasure of musically collabo- rating with you? A.) “Please forgive me if I omit any, but who comes to mind at the moment is…...Well I recorded ‘I Am A Woman’ w/ Thom Shepherd and Coley McCabe, “Living it Up’ with Tall Paul and Quincy Yeates of Ramajay Intercoastal. Sonny Landreth and his band played on “Nod to the Storyteller and I was a guest vocalist on his CD ‘From the Reach’, Todd Sparks ‘Party in Paradise’, Paul Roush and I sang a few Motown duets during a live performance at a house party at the Batcave. I can’t forget my friend DJ Jeff who I will always miss. He was the DJ at that party. The original Jimmy Buffett tribute band, A1A and I have done several shows together. The Boat Drunks have all become friends of mine. I’ve done shows with them and recorded their song ‘Tangy Margarita’. John Frinzi and of course my little brother from another mother, John Patti! I sang on two of John Patti’s albums. Caba- na Breeze and A Calyp-Soul Christmas. I met John when I had been hired to do one song (‘Love is Made of This’) at a wedding. I was told there would be a steel drum player accompanying me. When I got to rehearsal, I saw that the Nadirah with Robert Greenidge steel drummer was a young boy. He was like fifteen years old and I thought he was already quite ac- complished. We’ve become close friends over the years. He’s just an awesome person, has very good work ethic and we work well together and I love him. I sat in with Hugo Duarte a couple times at the Hog’s Breath. I have had the pleasure of sitting in with so many other talented trop-rock artists --and maybe because I really do get so caught up in the moment, I cannot currently recall them all-- nonetheless, I am always honored and thankful to share the experience.”

58 Q.) And since you too do “Love the Now,” What are you currently working on? A.) “Well a couple of things--I’ve been working on this CD forever it seems. I kind of came to a point of writer’s block. I couldn't get past certain songs. I had this track but all I could come up with was the title, ‘Digging the Skin I’m In’. I sent it to Siedah to write and as soon as I did the words came to me and I finally finished the song. Another thing I’ve learned from Jimmy is that people want to feel happy most of the time. I’ve learned not to make all of my songs so serious. I am passionate an em- pathetic and I do have a tendency to do that. The working title of the album is ‘Sunshine Everyday.’ The first single will be available very soon, it’s the title track. I wrote it with a south African producer/ DJ, DJ City Gonzalez. It has already been released in South Africa and is doing well. It is my homage to growing up in South Central, Los Angeles and what that was like back in the day. I’m proud of it. I have been working for the last couple of years with my own band but that’s kind of on hold now because everybody’s doing other things (we’ve got to keep paying the bills!). My best friend. OsunLade produces a lot of my music including my first CD NadirahSongs. He Is a label owner, Yoruba Rec- ords and the founder of the other band of which I am a proud member ‘The Youba Soul Orchestra, Last month we did three shows in Europe. Berlin, Amsterdam and London. I’m really excited about the band and our music. The rhythm section guys are from Lecce, Italy, the violinist/vocalist Quetzal Guerrera is Brazilian and Mexican American. Osunlade is from St. Louis but he’s a citizen of the world who’s lived everywhere. He lived in LA when we met, Greece for ten years, he lived in Puerto Rico, Toronto, Canada and now Berlin. So, the music reflects our different journeys in life. It’s Latin, African, R&B, Deep House, Ambient and Funky. A very eclectic mix of cultures coming together to make a unique ---anyway, it’s really good and I am looking forward to my future with them. Continued on page 60

Nadirah having fun on stage with Jimmy Buffett

59 Nadirah Shakoor Continued from page 59

Q.) How do you balance/juggle it all? A.) “It’s life. Everybody has a lot of things to do. Gil and I have four properties and one of them is an Airbnb in midtown Atlanta that keeps us very busy. My rea; estate goal is to have twenty properties so I have sixteen more to go! I’m loving the Airbnb thing. I think it’s a good way to have a little income coming in and I’m having a great time decorating the place! I can’t wait to get another one so I can decorate again. Jimmy’s slowing down just a little bit on his big shows this year. He’s going to do some smaller shows so that kind of gives me some time to have some home life. I’m enjoying cooking for Gil who is now Vegan. I went to L.A. for my son’s 35th birthday party and my mother’s 75th---they’re a day and 40 years apart! Gil’s daughter had a son three months ago so I’m a step grandmother.” Q.) Congrats Granny! And before you’re spending all of your time singing lullabies, is there anybody out there in the music world that you’d still like to do a duet with? A.) “Ummmm, maybe Stevie Wonder. I’d love to do something with Stevie. And Gregory Porter. I love Gregory Porter. He has a song called, ‘Take Me to the Alley.’ I saw him at the jazz festival last year, I cried like a baby during that song! It’s a song about… the lyrics go.’ Well, they guild their houses in preparation for the King And they line the sidewalks With every sort of shiny thing They will be surprised When they hear him say Take me to the alley Take me to the afflicted ones Take me to the lonely ones That somehow lost their way… He has such a rich voice and I love his songs so I’d like to do a duet with him someday. That would be awesome.” Ceelo, Jimmy and Mac Mc Anally …

60 Q.) What’s your take on big events vs. house concerts? A.) “Both are cool-You know there’s nothing like looking out over 50-100,000 people, but those festi- vals are also kind of hard. You have to live in a trailer. I appreciate a tour like Jimmy’s especially because of the nice hotels and clean dressing rooms! I also like house concerts because you have a different relationship to the audience. I enjoy seeing their expressions which helps me gage how to perform according to how they react. It’s sometimes a challenge, but it’s a challenge that I love. They both have their place--the big shows and the small ones.” Q.) Do you have a pre-show ritual? Did you feel that any of your formal studies have paid off during your performances? A.) “I do vocal warm-ups, which aren’t necessarily pretty to look at. If I’m nervous about something or I just really want it to be special, I’ll talk to my dad and dedicate to him. I do pray before a show. For the second part of the question, I am certainly glad I was able to study in school as well as pri- vately. I assume it has helped but when I sing it’s like when I ad lib. I don’t think about it as much as I just kind of let it come through me. In the moment, you just let it flow. Spirit moves you and you just of go with it.” Q.) Who might you want to recognize as part of your personal support system? “My life partner, Gil supports me in so many ways...He takes care of the house and properties when I’m not there. He makes sure that when I get home I have what I need: coffee, breakfast in bed, my herbs etc. I’m grateful to have him in my life. He’s a nervous flyer but sometimes I get him to come on the road with me. Relationships can be tough having been on the road since 1984 but I’m proud to say that Gil and I are on year sixteen now!” My Mother is a great support and source of uncon- ditional love and wisdom for me. Debbie Grisham has been a big part of my support system too. Q.) Anything you’d like to add? A.) “Thank you so much for taking the time to inter- view me. I’ve enjoyed it. Thank you everyone who comes out and supports the music and the artists. Be on the lookout for the new single “Sunshine Everyday”.

And we will indeed! Nadirah, thank you so much for sharing your time and insights with us today-- And thank you for sharing your talent and compas- sion with the world--we can’t wait to hear more from you!

61 Serving Key West and the World For Over 25 Years!

Contact Marc Hollander for ALL your promotional needs! [email protected] 305.619.4414 "Promotional Products and Apparel" KeyboardAdvertising.com. 62 63 Trop Rockin’ #RVLife By Eric Babin

Gina and I have recently “sold the house, kept the dogs” and purchased an RV to hit the road as full time RVers. We’ve quickly realized there are many facets about RV life that you never think about until you are doing it. Some of us have begun sharing via “#RVLife” our ups and downs. Rarely a day or two passes without one of us having an “it’s always something” or “how cool is this” day. After a few months of #RVLife I thought to myself, I should write an article about this. I’ve reached out to a few of our trop rock #RVlife folks to share their escapades and experiences with you. At the end of the article you can find links to each artist’s schedule so you can meet up with them “on the road”. I’ve asked Trop Rock artists Thom Shepherd & Coley McCabe, Donny & Michelle Brewer, and Eric & Kim Stone. Gina and I have contributed and I also asked full time RV trop rock fans Chris Mooney & Barb Leachman to also provide input.

64 Eric Babin 1- Why did you decide to go full time RV? Tell us about the discussion you had as a couple when the topic came up. EB/GB: I was reaching retirement from the Navy and realized if we kept our beach house I’d have to get a “real job”, probably doing almost the same thing I was doing on active duty, which would allow me no time to enjoy “the beach”. Gina is lucky enough to have a fantastic boss that allows her to work from literally anywhere that has cellular service. We had been thinking of downsizing when Donny and Michelle Brewer began talking to us about the ultimate “downsizing”- full time RV life. This happened to be the same time Thom Shepherd and Coley McCabe were in the process what they call “simplifying”. After long discussions with Donny, Michelle, Thom and Coley Gina and I decided this was perfect timing for us. The Navy will store our belongings for up to a year and our friends Brian Rienhardt and Kim Hoyt said they could sell our house quickly (which they did). We didn’t want to pass on this opportunity and regret not taking the chance for adventure we hoped lay ahead. Tom/Coley: We tour pretty much fulltime and it made sense for us to be fulltime on the go. We decided in the summer / fall of 2015 and bought ours in December of that year. My buddy Tom Camp- bell lives in an RV fulltime and loves it, he encouraged us to do the same, I guess he was part of the inspiration. DB/MB: Full-timing it was something that we’d been planning for a while so when the opportunity finally came up, there was no discussion needed. When you plan to be on the road 300 days out of the year, it just doesn’t make sense to pay on a mortgage for a house you only visit for the holidays. ES/KS: Kim and I already had experience living in small quarters with our two macaws, after living on our 41’ Morgan Classic sailboat, so switching to a motor coach was like moving into a mansion. We had been living on the boat and touring in our sprinter, leaving the birds with friends and family. Now, with an additional cockatoo in our ‘nest’, the added room and the idea of being at home with the birds while we toured made transitioning into a motor coach full time an obvious choice. Continued on page 66

65 Trop Rockin’ #RVLife Continued from page 65

Chris/Barb: There was no discussion about going full-time. We are a bit unique in that our transition to full-time traveling was to a sailboat before the RV. It was my (Chris) plan before meeting Barb, to retire early and sail to the Caribbean. Once we were together, it was always just assumed that she was part of that plan. Moving to the RV was just a continuation of the dram after the physical de- mands of sailing became more than we wanted to deal with. 2- After you made the decision, how long did it take to find the RV you ended up purchasing? What were some issues that came up during your search? EB/GB: It only took me a couple of weeks to realize purchasing a Class A RV is very different than an automobile. Where as you can find hundreds of cars nearby that meet your needs, Class A RVs are far and few between. We lived in Gulf Shores AL but traveled the 8 hours west to Houston (where we purchased) more than once to look at RVs. Unless you can afford to order from the facto- ry, which we could not, it’s not easy finding an affordable used class A that has your “wants and needs”. The search ended up taking us almost 6 months.

66 Thom/Coley: A few months after we decided to make the move, I went to Arizona to get some point- ers from Tom who is a full timer. He gave me a lot of great advice on what to buy. While there, we looked at a bunch of RVs and just happened on one that was a great deal so we bought it. DB/MB: It didn’t take long, of course after closing on the sale of our house, we had to act fast. The most challenging part of the RV search was finding a floor plan that matched our needs but still had a reliable brand with enough engine. PPL, a consignment store in Texas, turned out to be the thing for us. After searching for a month, turning up RVs that only had 2 or 3 things from our list of 15 needs and wants, we finally found La Tortuga (a green 40’ Winnebago Vectra) which had 13 off the list in our price range. ES/KS: We took a couple of months looking and hours of research leading to some specific things we were looking for. We knew we wanted at least a big diesel pusher with slide-outs. We wanted at least 40ft and really fell in love with American Coaches. We also liked the Monaco’s but settled on the American Eagle because of its all wood cabinets and high quality construction. Chris/Barb: Even for large purchases like a boat or an RV, I do research online to determine what I want, and then I go find it. When I purchased my boat, I had a list of features in mind that were must -haves and nice-to-haves. I communicated that to a broker, and when the time was right, the first boat I looked at was exactly what I wanted. Similarly with the RV, we went to a few shows and I started researching online. I made up my mind on the brand I wanted and the first one I looked at met our needs. The things I was looking for was interior space and storage space since this is our home and contains everything we own, and a reliable chassis with reasonable mileage. 3- What advice would you give someone in the beginning research stage of an RV purchase? EB/GB: Research, research, research…. If you are buying used, walk in and out of a LOT of rigs. Look online at a LOT of rigs. Maybe even look outside your price range just to see what is out there. Whatever you do, have it inspected. Inspected by a mechanic, and someone that specializes in RV inspections. You’ll learn very quickly, these are two different things. Most “RV shops” only work on the “house” part of it. Your refrigerator, slide outs, etc. Then you have the mechanic shops, usually semi- truck mechanics, that will work on engine, generator, and chassis issues. Once that is done and before you make your purchase, get a quote on a warranty. Our warranty came with our RV we purchased used. The warranty cost the dealer about $1,000. It’s saved us a few thousand (and still count- ing) in the first year. Continued on page 68

67 Trop Rockin’ #RVLife Continued from page 67

Thom/Coley: Depends if it's going to be your full time residence. Look around A LOT. None of them get good mileage. Be aware of the age of the tires, they are expensive to replace and they actually have the date on them. My friend recommended buy a less expensive one knowing that it will be your first RV. You won't really know what you like and dislike til you've been in one a little while. DB/MB: Apart from making a list, I would say go bigger than you think. And go with a diesel pusher if you can. They will last forever and the engine noise being in the rear makes long trips and conversation so much more pleasant. ES/KS: Make sure the coach fits your needs, don't over-buy and never buy brand new. I repeat never buy brand new! Most importantly make sure you love the layout. If you are not 100% in love with the layout, you are stuck and will never be happy. Chris/Barb: Think about your planned use of your RV. Are you going to keep a house? If full-timing in the RV, are you traveling full-time or parked one place, or migrating between north and south season- ally, but basically just moving twice a year? Knowing your plan can narrow down the size and style of the RV before you start shopping. 4- Did you come across any friends or family that thought you were nuts when you told them your in- tentions? EB/GB: The most common reaction was “You live on the beach, what are you thinking? Why would you ever want to leave THIS?” Thom/Coley: Not really, most people know how much we travel. But we still get that weird vibe from people who don't get it. People who say, "you live in a camper?" It's not a camper!!! And several people say to us, "why don't you stay with us at our house in a REAL bed?" Well, we have a real bed. The one in our rig is our queen size bed from our house. DB/MB: Yes. All of them. And the few that were just a little skeptical had lots of questions that I guess they thought we never considered, like “Where are you gonna live?” - “um...in the RV.”

68 ES/KS: No, everyone was very supportive and encouraged us. We both had already overcome any questioning of lifestyle choices, by family and friends due to the fact that I have been touring for years, and had lived in the Virgin Islands for a time, and Kim had moved her teenagers to Mexico before moving to Miami Beach and then moving onto a boat. Chris/Barb: None of our family or close friends ever voiced concern that we were nuts when we left in the boat. And the move to the RV is the same lifestyle for us. We have encountered people since then that say “Oh I could never to that”, but no one that really questioned our decision. 5- Tell us about your “maiden voyage” and some of the things you learned along the way during that trip. EB/GB: Kemah Texas for a Pirates and Poets show and we were meeting up with Donny Brewer at the RV park near T-Bone Toms. We woke up the first morning there with dirty water coming up through the shower drain. Donny comes out to see what I’m investigating under our RV…. he runs over to his RV, grabs a funny looking cap thingy, asks “Do you have one of these? No? Get one.” We hook that up to our discharge, shoot some water into it, remove the contraption…. and… wa-lah….. the gray water tank was now draining. Moral to this story…. During your maiden voyage, take a fairly short trip, and have an experienced RVer with you. Thom/Coley: My maiden voyage was driving the rig to TX from Arizona. First big thing: it's a couple hundred bucks to fill it with diesel!!! My rv ex- pert buddy rode along and we towed his jeep so it was like having an in- structor along. DB/MB: Our first trip was to New Mexico to visit family in winter - big mistake! We learned very quickly that we are now snowbirds. Never go where it’s cold. A gust of wind had bent our awning, and in a Walmart parking lot, in 9 degrees, we performed repairs atop a ladder,...in the snow! Continued ono page 70

69 Trop Rockin’ #RVLife Continued from page 69

ES/KS: Our maiden voyage was a month-long tour in south Florida and the Keys. The main thing we learned was always do an engine, tire and basement door check. While eating lunch in the world’s biggest RV Park, Lazydays in Tampa, some kids unfastened our basement doors which were un- locked. As we got up on the interstate, I noticed in my rear view mirror that three of the doors popped open! Luckily nothing fell out and we always lock them now. Upon our return from the Keys, we had a blowout on the turnpike during rush hour in Miami on the driver’s side front. It was very scary and luckily, I was able to steer to the shoulder. Almost five hundred dollars later we were back on the road. Low tire pressure caused it. Always check your pressure, always! Chris/Barb: Our maiden voyage in the RV was not a big deal. The physical things you need to worry about like power, water, and sewer hookups are very similar to the boat. Driving the large vehicle wasn’t an issue for me as I have owned and driven 18-wheelers in the past. Our maiden voyage in the boat was a bit different. Although I had been taught by a friend and day-sailed on Galveston Bay for a few years before leaving, I really had no offshore experience. When I look back at what we learned along the way, that we should have known before we left, I shake my head. But then again, sometimes you just have to jump in and trust your cape. 6- Surely there was at least one time when you thought to yourself “Maybe this was a bad idea”. Tell us what event took place to have that cross your mind. EB/GB: Every time we see yet another estimate for repairs we think that. Lucky for us the warranty has covered most of the costs, but, it’s difficult to budget for when you never know what will happen next. Thom/Coley: I have to say we have been very lucky. Worst thing so far was having the alternator fixed which cost $1000. It was on a trip to Nashville which delayed some stuff and caused me to miss a meeting.

70 DB/MB: Not really, we have a 5 year plan that seems to be ahead of schedule, so we don’t see ourselves changing courses any time soon. Small things always need to be fixed, but that’s true of non- mobile life too. 7- What are some inconveniences you’ve noticed about not having a “house”. What is the hardest part of living in an RV full time? ES/KS: So far no and don’t call me Surely. Only a little apprehension when towing in Dallas traffic. We are 56ft long with our car in tow. That is quite nerve racking when making lane changes. A good rum drink at your destination usually relieves any anxiety. Chris/Barb: On the boat, there were a couple of times when weather predictions were wrong and we were caught out in conditions that were not pleasant. Those times made us wonder what the heck we were doing out there. I can’t say there have been any times in the RV that we have wondered why we do it. 7- What are some inconveniences you’ve noticed about not having a “house”. What is the hardest part of living in an RV full time? EB/GB: My Amazon Prime hobby has died a very quick and painful death. We’ve also learned quickly that when your RV is your home, it makes taking it in for service or repairs difficult. Consider having to move out of your house for a few days if your refrigerator needed to be repaired. Thom/Coley: Not having high speed internet is my biggest beef, phone hotspots are only so fast. Plus data charges, but we just signed up for Verizon's unlimited plan so we'll see how that goes. Having to get water every few days and dump the tanks is kind of a hassle sometimes, especially in bad weather. Trying to keep up with the laundry in a small washer and dryer. Which also means more water fill ups. Lack of space. If you buy something new, even clothing, you better have a spot to store it. Continued on page 72

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DB/MB: One of the interesting life changes is finding boondocking places with restroom facilities nearby. Every full time RVer knows that while you CAN poop in the RV, it’s not preferred. You learn quickly that a 24 hour Walmart is your friend. Apart from that, we’ve noticed that after living in a 3000 sq ft house, getting creative with storage space is essential. “Why is my guitar in the shower?” 8- Was there ever a time when you were about to do something but then realized you could not because you live in an RV? ES/KS: Getting snail mail was a worry at first but Kim did some research and found a mail service that scans our mail and sends us pics of it, then we can decide to have them open the mail and scan the inside or shred it. They will even deposit checks for you or forward mail to a location we may be holed up in for a few days. We chose Traveling Mailbox. There are lots of services out there so you need to research them all and find the one that best suits your needs. Chris/Barb: About the only thing I have missed on both the boat and the RV is a workbench with a vice. And yes, I have seen people in both boats and RVs that have remedied that. I guess we are lucky to both be pretty flexible personalities and can go with the flow when something “inconvenient” comes up, so I really can’t think of anything I miss about having a house. 8- Was there ever a time when you were about to do something but then realized you could not because you live in an RV? EB/GB: Quick stops along the way are just not going to happen. You always have to worry if you’ll fit into the parking lot, and even along city streets due to low branches. Thom/Coley: Not yet.

72 DB/MB: Well you would think things like exercising or recording an album would be difficult, but there’s a way to do just about everything. The only thing that we used to do in the big house that’s now impossible is host a big Family gathering like Christmas dinner. But we CAN visit relatives we never could before, and I hear Christmas in Key West is awesome. ES/KS: No, not yet at least. I carry my tools with me and have built things while on the road. Nothing comes to mind so far. Chris/Barb: Short answer – no. The only thing I can think of is that if you are going to do something like jump on a plane to a Caribbean cruise, you have to plan where you are going to park the RV, will it be plugged in, etc. But that hasn’t kept us from working it out when those times came up. 9- What has been your most enjoyable experience that would have never happened had you not gone “full time”? EB/GB: It’s a huge feeling of freedom anytime we hit the road to head toward the next event. OH…. and that first month we didn’t have to make a mortgage payment…. that was pretty nice. Thom/Coley: Being able to visit my son for about 3 weeks in Idaho last summer and staying in the RV. In the past my trips to visit him were limited to a 3 or 4 day hotel stay. Wyatt loved the RV and the place we stayed was out in the country. Win win! Also the first time we did a show and were able to walk off stage and out into the parking lot, into the rig and fall into our own bed without driving after the show was a nice unexpected pleasure. DB/MB: One of the bigger surprises about RV life has been the drive. We’ve learned that something about the big high up window view, not stopping for restrooms or meals, and pulling off anytime you get tired makes the drive not only tolerable but enjoyable. A 6 hour drive in a car feels like an hour in an RV. But the biggest benefactor from this lifestyle has been the career path we’ve chosen. Being able to get to where the people are, has been a huge boost for the Donny Brewer camp, especially with the surge of house concert venues popping up. And while we expected to get to see some beautiful beaches and soothing countryside, it’s the friends that we’ve made in all these places that has been such a welcome perk of RV life. Continued on page74

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ES/KS: Being able to spend more time at cooler places. We went to Las Vegas for a week when I had a show there. We went to California for the Pacific Sail & Power Boat show and decided to come back to Las Vegas for another week for our 4-year anniversary. I ended up picking up a party at Lake Mead Marina and had one of the best gigs on this tour so far. That would’ve never happened if we had to buy plane tickets and ship my gear and get hotels. Chris/Barb: Meeting the people and seeing the places we have. If we were sitting in a house somewhere, we wouldn’t get out as much. We couldn’t afford to travel to the places we have without having taken our home with us, be it the boat or the bus. Both in boating and RVing, we meet people and have that initial thing in common and then make friends from there. How many people don’t even know their neighbors? We just left an RV rally with 100 rigs there, and we consider most of them friends. Friends we would never have met had it not been for being full-time RVers.

Karavan To The Keys, Michelle and Donny Brewer and Phriends!

74 10- What has been your least enjoyable experience that would have never happened had you not gone “full time”? EB/GB: “It’s always something”. I’m told even when you purchase a new RV things break on a regular basis. I know from experience, used RVs certainly do. It’s a little stressful when the shop sends you an estimate for $4,000 and you aren’t sure of the warranty is going to cover it. Thom/Coley: I have to say nothing springs to mind as of yet. Although staying near train tracks can ruin a good nights sleep. Sometimes finding a good place to park the rig can be a minor challenge but with the help of apps like RV Parky we can usually find something pretty quick. DB/MB: There really hasn’t been any major catastrophes in our journeys as yet. There are always things that go wrong, wear out, or need to be replaced (just ask a boat owner), but the trying part is when those things don’t line up with the tour schedule. If your fridge is broken in a regular house, you can go get a new one. If you need to replace an RV fridge, you have to give up your house for a week. We’ve found the best solution is to book cruises and get work done while we’re gone - and you save money on RV storage! ES/KS: So far we haven’t had any least enjoyable experiences that have to do with being full time or not. Chris/Barb:I can’t really think of anything unpleasant that was strictly a result of having gone full- timing. 11- Full time RV life and marriage / relationship. What advice do you have for a couple that may be thinking about it? EB/GB: Be patient. It’s a small space and 2 people can’t be in same exact spot at the same time. If your lovely wife is curling/straightening her hair, you’ll just have to wait to brush your teeth…. and be OK with that. Thom/Coley: You have to be very patient with each other. It's a small space. I think it's good to give each other some space - like go run er- rands and give the other person some alone time. DB/MB: When you’re in such a small space you definitely find out what your relationship is made of. For us, it’s way better. We hardly got to see each other with different work schedules before. Now we work together and play together. These two best friends have never been happier. The only advice for potential RV couples would be that it’s not about the space, but the time you get together. Continued on page 76

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ES/KS: Make sure you pick the right rig for your needs. Shop together and do a pros and cons list. Travel trailer vs motor home, size, layout, appliances, etc. Finding the perfect rig is a fun experience. The folks we ended up buying our Eagle from have become good friends and I text them often with questions regarding the Eagle. They are a wealth of knowledge and kept impeccable records. Chris/Barb: You have to be ok with being with each other 24/7. On the boat especially, many times there was no option of one or the other person getting space. In the RV it’s not quite the same because one of you could go for a ride in the car or something if you need alone time. We were lucky in that even before we left in the boat, we worked together before we lived together. So we were around each other a lot before moving full-time to the boat and taking off. Once on the boat, it was truly 24/7 together for the better part of nine years. Now that we are in the RV, it just seems normal to always be together, even though it is easier to just go outside for a walk than the boat was. 12- Best advice for someone that has the itch to sell it all, buy and RV, and travel? EB/GB: Talk to folks that have done it. Learn from their experiences. Do your research. Research not only which RV style might be best for you (which class), but also research clubs such as Good Sam, Thousand Trails, Harvest Host, etc., to learn how to cut down on experiences. It’s easy to rack up RV Park fees higher than a mortgage if you don’t research and plan your travel…. which brings up a very good lesson you should know…. learn to “boondock” / dry camp. You can park in most Walmart parking lots for free, overnight, as long as you are ok with no water, electric or sewer hook ups. That is a very big deal once you learn the average RV Park price is $50-75 per night Thom/Coley: If you currently have a property, don't sell it, rent it while you travel, like on Air BnB. De- pends on your income I guess. We were tired of throwing money away renting and paying someone else's mortgage for them. Also, be prepared to fix things constantly. Even on new ones, stuff breaks and falls apart. As an RV mechanic told me, "imagine your house was in a category 5 earthquake EVERY DAY." Stuff is going to shake loose and need maintenance. We have been fortunate not to have had a really expensive fix as of yet. I am handy and have fixed many things myself - the power window, the drawers when they got jammed, the closet door, our ice maker. Just plan on having a little maintenance project on a weekly basis. As they say it's not a matter of IF, but WHEN something is going to need to be fixed. DB/MB: Do it! But if you’re going to do it, go all in. Trying to balance a house and an RV, financially just doesn’t work. Initially we thought we were just going to try it out in say a 27 footer. We are so glad that we didn’t. Can’t say that this life is for everyone, but we are very happy, can’t see our life any other way. ES/KS: Do your research, shop for different rigs, make a pros a cons list and don’t be scared. There’s a great community out there and lots of info online and on pod casts.

76 Thom Shepherd, Gina Babin, Donny & Michelle Brewer and Eric Babin inside the RV. Plenty of room for Phriends!

Chris/Barb: Downsize now. Do it even if you never take off. In the words of Thom Shepherd – sim- plify. Getting rid of all our stuff was probably the best thing we could have done. Our kids won’t have to get rid of it all someday, we aren’t spending money on stuff we don’t really need, and we aren’t storing crap somewhere. If you have stuff you haven’t touched or used or seen in a year, get rid of it. With the exception maybe of spare parts. The other piece of advice would be to start planning early. Make lists and get things done ASAP. But remember, the list will never be empty. At some point you just have to go, whether the list is done or not. Lots of boats sit at docks, and RVs sit in driveways, and dreams never get realized because the list wasn’t done. If you’d like to see where these folks will be “RVing” next visit their websites: www.ThomAndColey.com www.DonnyBrewer.com www.IslandEric.com www.RadioTropRock.com

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