The latest news from Tallville

May Blog

Tue, 5 May 2009 04:37:23 -0500

ahhh... never a dull moment!! after the cruise ship docked, we headed home to rest right? NOPE! we drove to orlando to see a private concert with one of my favourite keyboard player/songsmith heros, terry adams of NRBQ fame... my buddy charlie de cosa managed to put this together and in addition to letting me play a few songs before the main act, charlie got to play bass for most of the show.. a real treat for everyone!
then we were off to st. louis to play at flipperstock! there were several great acts playing and lots of friends in attendance... the act to play after crawdaddy and me was none other than mac macanally! and he put on a great show!! then we were driving home in a snowstorm... YES a snowstorm!
the next weekend was the 20th anniversary of the atlanta parrothead club so guess where we were headed next? you got it, hot-lanta.. friday night i was the musical host for the first anniversary party of the social network known as “meet the phlockers.” for the second and third set that night, we debuted a new band featuring my friend quincy yeates on steel drums & vocals and vince ilagan on bass... the band is called “ramajay intercoastal” and we’ll be hitting the road in june for our first series of shows!
the rest of april was spent mostly in tennesse with one jaunt down to hamilton, GA to play at poplar place farms... i made a “reply” video to my friends the calypso nuts that weekend and will be doing the same THIS week for cinco de mayo and “10 shows in 10 days!” so stay tuned for THAT blog entry!

on the road again... sort of

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 02:31:42 -0500

once again, fate, luck and a little hard work has landed me in a really cool place with people i really like doing something i love...not a bad deal... our GOOD friends the calypso nuts (robbie and lynley) are joining me & kristie, crawdaddy and gretchen, jerry diaz and 500 parrotheads from all over the country to sail the western caribbean for a week... having fun, playing music and wreaking havoc at every port... i will do my best to keep this blog updated with each days shenanigans and goings on... maybe even post a photo or two... check back and see what’s happening... bon voyage...
DAY 0
before leaving there was a party in tampa for cruisers and anyone willing to deal with us in the state of readiness/excitement we found ourselves in... the band (sunny jim, charlie d. and john frinzi) was in RARE form... one UT alum came to the party just to get a photo and to talk about the time i crashed on their fraternity house couch after a gig!!! leigh ann showed up and was a HIT, as always... plus we got up and did a few harmonies with the “boys”... after a few drinks it was time to prepare for the big day and CRASH
DAY 1
things started out rocky... they don’t tell you that there is a LOT of waiting in line in order to get 2400 people on to a cruise ship... LOTS of long lines so you’re tired and cranky by the time you get to your room.. now don’t get me wrong... the room is REAL nice, but it is a bit difficult to appreciate it AT THAT MOMENT... add to that kristie’s luggage not arriving, having to track it down only to find out that someone has taken her REALY COOL pink pirate luggage tag from the bag... dinner was very nice... good food and good company (NOTE: melting cake=YUM!!)
we were also able to get to our stowed away margarita stash which helped immensely... knowing monday was an early sound check, we went to bed early
DAY 2
sound check was at 10 am and i made it on time! jason was a great sound man and made things easy... we were set up on the Lido deck (aft) by the pool and our 4 hour show was rocking! we had a blast playing, everyone seemed to really get in to it and the view off the back of the ship was extraordinary... a GREAT way to kick off the official parrothead cruise!!
dinner was formal so naturally no one recognized crawdaddy and me in our jackets and ties.. robbie was in “pirate formal” and the girls were stunning... afterwards we went ski drinking with some SMPH phriends and saw jerry diaz’s show before retiring to the room for more drinks and discussing the trip this far... a good day at sea
DAY 3
grand cayman... we made the 10 am tender to shore and did a little sightseeing before having a real nice lunch at breezes... then more walking around and a cab “tour” of some of the more residential parts of the island with our cabbie bonnie... back on board the legend, an indian food snack then lounge time... i just found out that tonight’s comedian is an old friend named ronnie bullard... i am trying to get in touch with him before the show... tonight WILL get interesting...
since it is st. patrick’s day, everyone wore something green... it was an awesome display of fun...i brought some shrek ears and my custom “tie dye mary” green tie dyed shirt... dinner was GREAT (sound redundant?) and there was even a guest bagpiper! afterwards there was a live charity auction of jimmy buffett autographed memorabilia that raised several thousand dollars!! then several of us went up a deck to see ronnie bullard (he’s “dirt”).. it was COOL.. his shows, one family and one adult, rocked and we got to spend a little time catching up and exchanging numbers afterwards... all in all another really good day...
DAY 4
cozemel... we had a 10:15 gathering on ship to make sure all the gear cleared customs then we were off... walk, taxi. walk, senor frogs!!! jose, our sound guy, took a while to get all 8 of us sound checked, but once we got turned loose, it was a PARTY!!!! we played straight thru till 3 and the joint was CRAZY... dancing, singing, drinking, drinking, drinking... a GOOD show... everyone on stage left room for everyone else to “shine”... it’s fun playing with pros... jerry was a little concerned for my well being after i was over-served shots of tequila, but i weathered the storm! then an hour of “speed shopping” before the 5:30 “all aboard” (i think a few folks almost got left on shore)... the “nuts” play at 10:30 tonight... nap time...
a sea of pink at dinner... it is really cool that parrotheads need very little coaxing to take up a good cause (in this case, breast cancer research) and tonight was proof... lots of food and the obligatory melting cake... we even sent one to robbie who had left dinner early to go set up for the show... and WHAT a show it was... top notch entertainment by the calypso nuts as usual... robbie “wrote” a couple spontaneous songs about melting cake and shaving 3 of the phlock... all caught on video for the cruise DVD... i don’t know how roBear can make up stuff like that on the spot, a rare talent!... it’s too bad there is no time to sleep... we’re counting on photos and blogs to help us remember how much fun we had once we get home
DAY 5
belize... 7:30 roll call for cave tubing came REALLY early but we all made it! brent jones is WAY too organized and calm... he manages to handle each crisis with ease... cudos BJ! there was an hour bus ride to the launching area for the caves... our guide’s was named charlie and he is a wealth of knowledge about all things belizian (is that a word?)... history, geography, pop culture and mayan tradition were all part of his travelogue which entertained and educated us on our way to the caves... once there, a 20 minute hike thru the jungle (with more cool commentary by charlie and the eating of jackass bitters by yours truly) found us at the cave launch site... the guides connected us and we were off... it is fairly dry this time if year in belize so the water level was down forcing us to go “butts up” quite a bit, but the tour and scenery were amazing... i’m not sure i have ever been in a more remote place in the world... it was extraordinary... one of our crew had protective gear for his camera so i can only HOPE there are some photos to show how beautiful it really is... after the much more subdued return bus ride there was MORE speed shopping then back on board the ship... there was time for an attempted nap,then a group photo in togas, a parade thru the ship in togas and dinner... have i mentioned that there is ALWAYS something good to eat here?!? i need to apologize to jerry diaz because even though i had every intention of going back down to catch part of his show, once i got to the room i accidently laid down and i was TOAST! the next thing i knew it was dawn... sorry guys... and all this with ZERO alcohol being consumed!!
DAY 6
roatan... ANOTHER 7:30 call for the zip line tour... damn, this early stuff sucks... we were again loaded onto busses and taken up the mountain (which was breathtaking in and of itself!)... after a brief instructional talk, we were harnessed, helmeted and zipping thru the canopy... it is difficult to explain how exhilarating it is to go flying thru the jungle suspended by only a thin cable... there will undoubtedly be photos and video that will appear on websites and youTube so i’ll add links here later... WOW... if you are ever in roatan, i advise you to try this unique adventure... our tour company was “south shore canopy tours”... the guides are professional and fun at the same time and provided an amazing experience!! once back at the ship, brent, tammy, robbie, lynley, kristie and I went on a cab tour... first our guide and driver showed us some shipwrecks... then a stop at the iguana farm where we fed and petted iguanas and got to see barracuda, monkeys, sea turtles and anteaters before having a GREAT local lunch of black beans, rice, plantains and chicken... good food and great company... now it is nap time.... later there is a sunset party, formal dinner and our big show tonight, the fun never stops...
we stopped by the sunset “mallory square” party for a little while before getting ready for formal night dinner, which was once again fabulous... them time to prepare for the show in the firebird lounge... we got underway about 10:45 and from the first note, the show ROCKED!!! there was dancing and singing along, a bit of drinking, a great hoop dance demonstration by my new friend janelle wolfe, leading up to the “boat song” contest! nearly 40 people had taken the time to watch the “if i had a boat” video on youTube and learn the motions....we narrowed that down to about 10 phlockers and did it again to proclaim a “winner”... LOTS of people got prizes and EVERYONE had a good time... the second set was MORE dancing and drinking and we carried on until nearly 2 am... fun is an understatement to what happened tonight!!!
DAY 7
at sea, heading home... the “nuts” played poolside at 10 am and once again i was there... on time... amazing... it was a really good show and, once again, the weather was awesome! jerry, crawdaddy and i sat in a a few tunes each and they had the crowd DANCING! afterwards there was an appreciation reception for folks that had helped put the cruise together and brent thanked everyone individually... he ROCKS, then it was time to set up for the songwriter’s showcase... we took turns playing original songs, told stories and generally had a fun time musically in a much more intimate setting... lynley wrote a great song about keeping a diary of the week... it was QUITE entertaining and she got a standing ovation!! i played “deep in my heart” for brent and tammy knowing they had used that song in their wedding last november... mark, robbie and crawdaddy played great solos on everyone’s songs and the show was a big success... then off to our final dinner of the cruise.... it was interesting to see how attached we had gotten to our service staff and they wished us well in song! then back to the rooms to pack the bags so the stewards could take them away to be offloaded in the morning.
as i write this, there is a howling wind outside and fairly rough seas... we have been fortunate to have had great weather all week... the only rain was during our show at senor frog’s which didn’t affect us at all... this is a pretty cool way to end the voyage... once things settle in a bit, i’m pretty sure i’ll add some closing commentary here, post some photos to tallpaul.com and facebook and put a couple videos on youTube... keep an eye out for them...

Melissa Duke Mooney 1968-2009

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:20:52 -0600

i met melissa duke 20 years ago in murfreesboro, tn at a place called mainstreet. it was, at the time, THE place to play live music in that area and i was the regular wednesday night entertainment... duke was a server/singer/bohemian and even if she was simply bringing you another beer, there was that smile and the glint in those eyes... you REMEMBERED her... and this little sprite knew more about indy music than i did... we were destined to be friends... after a gig we would sit around talking motorcycles with the bartenders, theatre with john lennon (the other one) or watch a meteor shower and discuss our latest favourite band or a recent tumultuous relationship...
then she was moving to LA... big plans, a little trepidation, but GOING... we sat around the night before she left talking about the FUTURE... then she was gone
we met up in new orleans a couple times... once for mardi gras and i became part of the family... hell i was invited to grillades & grits brunch on fat tuesday morning by the mcintyres... that is IN!
and i visited her a couple times in LA where she was adapting to the LAlien-ness of it pretty well... the sushi was different, there was loads of traffic but she had COOL friends... she showed me the hollywood sign up close, universal studios, venice beach... it was fun and duke was doing ok.... then she met this knight-in-shining-armor rockabilly guitar slinger named neil and suddenly she was happy... i mean HAPPY
the smile was back, the joyful laugh... all back...neil rocked... then there was a band, burlesque, a house on a hill with a view and a hot tub and finally a RING
the wedding in columbia, tennessee was a blast... all these west coasters staring at all the green trees and grass wondering how we irrigated it all while all the locals wondered where they found clothes like that and if their hair looked that way intentionally... what a party!!!!!!
then the mooneys decided the west coast was too far from home/family and not the place to raise a family of their own... moving again...
after a bit, duke and mooney ended up living less than 5 miles from our house and i am sad to say that we probably saw each other more when we lived all those states apart... lives progress, families grow, responsibility increases... we stayed in touch... i read neil’s “leaves of grass” online... i saw photos of the kids online... i was part of the “burn this” club (duke’s foray into “Rock Steady” was enlightening to say the least)... they came to a picking party or two... but i was always gigging on the weekends so i would miss the birthday parties and their gigs at the family wash... we DID have that great birthday dinner a couple years ago... just neil, melissa, kristie and me... a GREAT night... and we vowed to do it more often... melissa showed up at the picking party by herself that year because the kids were sick... and she sang her ass off... this past september we saw each other in the lobby of the ryman before the squeeze concert... we were all happy and excited... both about seeing each other and the concert just moments away... and again we vowed to spend more time.. but i was out of town gigging for the “come as your favourite album cover” birthday party last month... in fact i even forgot to call... then last wednesday i went to see some friends play at grimey’s and bought the latest blue runners CD because duke loved them so much... and now she will never know

its been less than 24 hours and already there is this HUGE hole in my world... i cannot imagine what neil and the girls, matthew, marcy, delores and her entire family are going through.. i do know that i don’t tell a lot of people that i love them... but i said it to duke and her family as often as i could... and i will always miss her... she was one of the “good ones”... vibrant, enthusiastic, loyal... and gone much too soon

you will be missed
sleep with angels dear friend

midnight 2/19/09

dinner with Hyram

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:25:06 -0600

we got to edith’s pizza a bit after 6 and ordered conch fritters, rum punch & kalik while we waited... hyram arrived a few minutes later with his fiancee’ and we spent the next few hours eating, laughing, solving the worlds problems & drinking... not necessarily in that order... we had a GREAT time talking about all that we had done and experienced since we had seen each other last... and the girls bonded too... good friends are timeless and this evening was proof!
 after hyram left to run the water taxi, we headed back to party with cecil, emily and their families that had arrived this afternoon... if this evenings antics are any indication, tomorrow and saturday nights are going to be VERY interesting and lots of fun... stay tuned

bimini 2009

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:33:42 -0600

i used to come to bimini to go diving several times a year... this tiny yet amazing island holds many special memories for me... great friends like hyram, matt, motion, ozzie & julian brown...and places... the compleat angler, the end of the world bar, weech’s marina and bimini undersea dive adventures! today, sitting on the patio looking out at the brilliant turquoise water, i have so many mixed emotions... this day itself is quite poignant for me... it is the 12th anniversary of losing my dad (also on a thursday) and my first visit back to this island in the same amount of time... driving past the ruins of what was the compleat angler was quite sad... it was a place where i had played music many times but the history of those rooms is extensive... hemingway lived there for many years and dignitaries from all over the world have visited.. jimmy buffett would frequently come by for lunch with ozzie and played on the stage a few times himself... ozzie and julian have passed as has motion... but then i saw the gleaming smile that could only be hyram rolle, my diving/drinking buddy from years ago... we’re meeting for pizza and drinks in a few hours... i’ll let you know how much fun THAT was when i type next... be sure and stop by www.tallpaul.com to see my bimini photos... it truly IS a beautiful and amazing place...