Five Bands Later
Jerrod Isaman … Five bands later
Jerrod Isaman is from Olean, New York. His father was a rock guitar musician but his first music mentor was his grandmother who was a huge Hank Williams fan. Jerrod never had a formal lesson but plays guitar, accordion, and piano.
He was traveling around the Northeast, playing acoustic guitar folk music and met some musicians in Philadelphia. They got along and began playing together. His new friends had planned a trip to Key West in 2008 and invited Jerrod to join them. Jerrod met some of the Key West characters and immediately decided to stay.
Jerrod’s first gig was at Salute and then a Sunday gig at Blue Heaven. He was amazed at the talent, the sense of community, and the abundance of music that made Key West quickly feel like home.
His solo performance at Salute was going well so Jerrod decided to add his neighbor Steve Gibson, who played the mandolin, to the gig. Gibson introduced Isaman to a weekly jam on a porch on Love Lane. He met Stephen LaPierre, who played stand-up bass, and a few other musicians. They started playing together at Salute, just for fun. They began performing some of LaPierre’s gypsy swing music and Jerrod’s 50s rockabilly and accidently became a group called The Love Lane Gang. They were a huge hit all over town but only for a short period – Jerrod said. “It soon ran its course.”
Over the years, Isaman has been instrumental in putting together a number of very successful bands in Key West: The Love Lane Gang, Patrick and the Swayzees, Billy the Squid and the Sea Cow Drifters, Coconut Victrola, and currently, Jericho. He has always been drawn to the music of early rock ‘n’ roll eras, especially the rockabilly genre with its country roots that was part of his grandmother’s influence.
Forming the group Patrick and the Swayzees followed more of a plan. Isaman met bass player Patrick Stecher and drummer Tyler “T-Bone” McHone. They were just hanging out at a boat yard playing old surf music one summer day in 2016. Isaman had just switched from acoustic to an electric guitar and credits that day with starting the band.
Later, they added the amazing vocals and energy of Les Greene. They specialized in early 50s rock music, even writing their own doo-wop style song, “My Baby Left Me in The Keys”. They later added a keyboardist, River Seine. After one of their first performances, Jerrod told Les that his vocals sounded like Little Richard. Les responded, “Who’s Little Richard?” Jerrod was shocked. Les was teasing of course and enjoyed Jerrod’s shock.
Fast forward a few years – an executive of Warner Brothers Studios found a YouTube video of Les Greene, with Patrick and the Swayzees, covering Little Richard’s “Rip It Up”. He selected Les Greene to do the Little Richard voice overs for their movie, “Elvis” (2022).
Patrick and the Swayzees had been a huge success traveling all over the East coast. Jerrod and Patrick Stecher decided to stop touring and Les Greene became more of the front man, the business agent, and soon, the band leader. Today, “The Swayzees” continues to tour and are very successful.
Isaman continued his gigs and playing rockabilly music which led to the formation of Billy the Squid and the Sea Cow Drifters. They were always shifting lineup but the main players were Jerrod on guitar, T-Bone on drums, and Megan Whedon on bass and keyboard.
In 2019, after an Island Cleanup Day on Wisteria Island, a generator was set up. Billy the Squid and the Sea Cow Drifters along with other local musicians performed.
The water taxi brought over people from Key West. They built a bonfire and had a great night of music and fun. Unofficial concerts continue to this day on Wisteria Island and recently featured the NOLA group the Dirty Rotten Vipers.
With his fourth band, Coconut Victrola, Jerrod started digging up early music of Sister Wynona Carr. Carr was gospel singer in the late 40s who later moved to secular music. 
She was part of an era when gospel sounds collided with rock ‘n’ roll sounds. She became Isaman’s inspiration for the Coconut Victrola band.
During the COVID recovery period, after vaccines started, Coconut Victrola began a Sunday evening gig at the Higgs Beach Pavilion behind Salute which ran January-May 2021. Owner Richard Hatch beefed up a couple of circuit breakers and placed a long extension chord in the sand from Saluté to the pavilion. It was exactly what Key West needed, and at the right time, an outdoor venue, with plenty of space for “social distancing”, and great music of 1930s jazz, old New Orleans classics, and, of course, 50s Rockabilly.
After a tour, Coconut Victrola ended and Jerrod moved on to form another group called Jerico which is very successful and currently gigs all over the island. Jerico had previously recorded a few songs but, with a newer lineup, they have been writing new music that Jerrod terms “gritty rock a billy ” and will start recording again soon.
At this year’s Key West Music Awards, Jerrod was presented with two honors – Mentor of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. Amazingly, Jerrod has never considered himself an entertainer just a performer, band leader, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, vocalist, etc. (just kidding). After 18 years in Key West, and five wonderful bands, the recognition seemed very appropriate and much deserved.
Another very cool, but short lived, band called Bea Bea Banda included Channing Lynn’s clarinet and violinist Martin Sedlak performing gypsy jazz and swing music. The trio continues to write new gypsy tunes and may soon record two songs for an A-side and B-side old 45 vinyl record release.
Jerrod is still working on new music with a group of friends (working title The Questionables) that all share a love of punk rock. Patrick Stecher and T-Bone McHone are included along with Jaime Sellers and Nick Brownell. They have recorded 12 original songs to be released soon.
In his spare time (just joking), Jerrod teaches children to play music. Three of his students, brothers ages 9 – 13, call themselves the Big Pine Boys and were featured at a recent Blue Heaven gig.
When Isaman first arrived in Key West, many of the smaller bars had music but were known more as a bar. Now many of the smaller bars in town are known more for their music.
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