Hi, y’all. Are ya havin’ fun yet? You certainly should be ‘cause I know I am. In fact, I can’t even get to all the great stuff happenin’ around here - it’s so exciting. Last week’s musical journeys took me through the gamut of musical stylings, everything from R&B to classic rock to amazing tribute bands ... and even some Bluegrass. Yep, you heard me right. Our local boy, Nate Clendenen, arranged for his friends, Chester River Runoff, to visit Pickles Pub last Friday and it was a hoot. Nate started the night playing with banjo master Robert Mabe, then he brought on Chester River Runoff who displayed their amazing musical prowess. How do they make their fingers move that fast? Bluegrass is an integral part of our American culture, a ‘runoff’ of celtic music merging with the diverse ethnic influences of our young country. This generation of players employed an electric bass, acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin. I was surprised to learn when I researched the banjo that it originated in Africa, the early ones made from gourds with a neck and strings, and their use spread to Europe and America through the slave trade. Pretty interesting if you’d like to look it up too. Anyway, those young fellas are to be commended for their dedication to the music and for keeping this artform alive.
    Saturday night was a treat hearing the Queen of Rock & Soul, Mary Lou, and the Untouchables. As I said last week, it’s a shame that this type of band is disappearing because of economics. There’s just nothing like the sound of a band with a full horn section, and with Mary Lou belting out our favorite familiar tunes, we were in heaven. Well, really we were at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club, where good music is featured every weekend. There’s a young group called Time Police that I have heard good things about but haven’t heard yet myself. Here’s your chance. This Fri. is the awesome Full Circle featuring fabulous vocal harmonies from Michelle, Kathy & Dave.
    Full Circle will play again Sat. night at Coins Pub and every Mon. on the beach at Seacrets. If you haven’t heard them yet, get out there and hear what all the buzz is about.
    Well, I was all abuzz when I heard that Will McIntyre had rejoined Great Train Robbery. Well, we know that I think Will is one of the best guitarists ever so I had to go hear them when they played the Purple Moose last week. It was so good to hear them back at this great home of rock n’ roll and I have a newfound respect for this classic rock band. Jeff Coulson is the lead singer on guitar but founder Dave Capazzoli on bass also sings a few as does Will. John Brugh adds wonderful depth on keyboards and Dwayne Adams is dynamic on drums. I hope we’ll have them back again. This weekend The Moose features a band that is likened to Surreal in their musical selections and vocal talents. They are Alive N Kickin. Let’s go kick it up with them Fri. & Sat. And Thurs. coming up will be another fabulous tribute band, this time doin’ Rush music, they’re called Cygnals. Rush fans alert!
    Fager’s Island was all about the tributes last weekend with Eclipse on Sat. & Dave Matthews Tribute on Sun. Both were musically fantastic but I have to say the reproduction of Pink Floyd’s music by Eclipse was nothing short of phenomenal. We were all blown away, everyone standing, swaying, dancing in awe of the music ‘till the very end of their three-hour, non-stop performance. The band featured three equally talented guitarists up front; one of them also played table steel slide. Their voices blended perfectly on vocals along with the bass player and the incredible gal at the keyboards, five strong voices. I was mesmerized watching her play, only to be astounded anew when she picked up the sax and blew the heck outta that thing. I know everyone who was there will join me in saying “We want them back!” To flip to yet another genre of music, Buffett fans will be happy to hear that Parrot Beach will return to Fager’s on Sun. These guys are so much fun and they sure can do Buffett songs great; even pulling out some of the more obscure songs that you may never have heard; unless you’re a real Parrothead, of course.
    Sublime fans will flock to Fager’s Island on Mon. night to hear tribute band 40 Oz to Freedom. Sounds like another winner to me.
    If you like the sounds of Alicia Keys, Beyonce, a little R&B and a little rock, too, join Marcella Peters on Wed. at Galaxy 66. Marcella has an incredible voice and is most ably accompanied by Sean O’Brien on guitar. You’ll remember Sean from his days playing lead with Mary Lou; in fact he ran the sound board for her last Sat. Anyway, these two make a great team. And that incredible Philly George Project will be most entertaining on Fri. & Sat. at Galaxy 66.
    It was a real pleasure to hear Power Play  this week at the Fontainebleu Clarion’s Ocean Club and you can hear them this weekend as well. Welcome back to Jay who was hospitalized with a serious heart condition, but he’s back on his amazing guitar singing and playing for his equally amazing wife Kay of the velvety voice. She can sing anything and sometimes they even pull a standard out of the closet to the delight of the dancers such as, “What a Difference A Day Makes.” I was swooning.
    Oh gosh, I’ve got so much more to tell you and so little space. BJ’s annual Canoe Race was a huge party as always. It’s so good to see all these hard-working servers, bartenders, etc. out playing hard, too. Congratulations to the winners; check out the photos. This weekend BJ’s features the awesome music of Nothin’ But Trouble: Greg (bass), Joe (guitar), Chris (guitar) & Billy (drums). These guys are so talented, trading up on lead and vocals and harmonizing perfectly on rock and blues tunes. You’re gonna love ‘em, guaranteed.
    Here is an absolute you cannot miss this show - it’s The Jay Hoad Band playing Thursday at Dead Freddie’s. You may have heard Jay play solo or duo but this time out he is assembling the whole band. This international star hails from Adelaide, Australia, where he learned an instrument indigenous to his homeland, the didgeridoo. He employs that along with 12-string guitar, lap steel guitar, dobro, harmonica, percussion and more to create his unique sound. Hoad is also a master at laying down or looping tracks in real time as background to Last time I heard him at Davey Jones he was accompanied by Jim Miller on trumpet and Dean Haemel on percussion. Thur. at Dead Freddie’s you’ll hear the full band play a collection of familiar tunes plus Hoad’s creative compositions that are a blend of funk, rock, reggae, latin, pop and jazz with traditional Australian influences punctuated by dynamic horn infused arrangements and unique blends of instrumentation. His multi-genre debut album, Warmth in the White, released in 2009, includes “Rat Race,” a runner-up in the 2008 Australian Songwriter’s Assoc. competition. His song lyrics, although delivered in a fun and exciting manner, focus on many controversial subjects including environmental issues (lack of water being of prime importance in Australia), political contradiction and many other random observations culled from his world travels. I can tell you that Jay Hoad amazes audiences wherever he plays and you will be too. Maybe you’ll even get into a little belly dancing with Zerita the belly dancer. It’s gonna be fun.
    As always, please check our “Who’s Where When” list for your favorite bands, such as Lower Case Blues at High Stakes on Fri., or Tranzfusion at Steer Inn on Fri. and Sun. at M.R. Ducks, or that incredible singer Meghan with Go Go Gadget at Seacrets, or Bryan Russo Trio Sun. at Macky’s. Whatever you do, remember to always party safe!