Bobi Loré – perfected the art of gathering Bobi Loré, originally from a Brooklyn Italian family, grew up on Long Island, New York. While growing up, he listened to his father and grandfather’s record collection of 30s, 40s, and 50s music. He played trumpet, until dental braces forced a change to the trombone. Bobi studied […]
The Untold Stories Over the past 14 years I have interviewed 205 Key West musicians (and counting). I’ve written three books about them – the Soul of Key West, Volumes 1, 2, & 3 that included photos and very short biographies of over 160 of them. I record all my interviews they usually go for […]
Terry Wetmore “…There is something special inside the people you meet in Key West.” Terry Wetmore was born in Schenectady, New York. When he was growing up, the local school district emphasized the arts instead of sports. The school would win state awards for vocals, wind ensembles, and string ensembles. As part of his free […]
Dave Arndt Dave Arndt, the youngest of four siblings, grew up in the anthracite coal region of Frackville, Pennsylvania. He was recruited for the North Schuylkill High School band. Dave wanted to play drums but the music teacher said “we need trumpets” so he became a trumpet player. His grandfather was disappointed when he found […]
Zero Turbulence – inspired by the island that raised them Key West is a special place for live music. We have 55 live music venues on this tiny island. We average over 360 live music performances weekly in Key West. Music permeates this island right down to the coral rock. The Key West musical soul […]
Music in VIV Wine Bistro It started when two gypsy jazz musicians, Martin Sedlak and Alexander Michael started hanging out at the quaint VIV Wine Bistro on Petronia Street around Christmas 2022. Julie De Cock, owner-operator of La Crêperie and Viv Wine Bistro, had Martin play Christmas songs one evening at her cozy bistro. Julie’s […]
Historic American Legion Post 168 The American Legion Post 168 is located at 803 Emma Street in Bahama Village. Its rich history begins with its namesake, William Weech, a black Key Wester who perished aboard the USCGC Tampa which sunk off the coast of Wales during WWI. Dr. Nancy Moulton, a self-proclaimed “fix-it” person, is […]
A Music Masterpiece family This past Friday, I attend the first “Soul City – Motown With A Jazz Attitude” which brought back some great memories …. Since this is a republished story from 2023, I thought it might be nice to start with a sentence or two leading into story The Key West Lopez family […]
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 […]
Din Allen “suffering of change.” James “Din” Allen came to Key West from New York City in 1978, to join his brother Woody and to play bass at the Rose Tattoo, (currently, Bagatelle). They performed at other locations but after the winter season ended, it became more difficult to find work. Most bands would leave […]
