Brenda Kay Benefit Bash #2 - Friday, July 11, 2014, at The Boatyard Waterfront Bar & Grill in Sarasota

Clear your Friday afternoon and evening calendar for the second Brenda Kay Benefit Bash. This one will be held this Friday, July 11th (in 2 days!), 4PM - 10PM,  at The Boatyard Waterfront Bar & Grill, 1500 Stickney Pt Rd, Sarasota FL 34231.

The music promises to be outstanding once again. Here's a partial lineup of the amazing local talent donating their chops to help Brenda Kay through her medical challenges:

Chris Otto, Mike Tozier, Zach Yoder, Callie Chappell-Nicholas, Martha Smith, and more. You've just got to show up for the inevitable surprise guest appearances.

A few more details: 

1. Silent auction closes at 8:45 pm.
2. There will also be a live auction.
3. Must be present to win on Chinese auction items.
4. Expansive buffet available - compliments of The Boatyard
5. $5 Donation for entry / $15 entry fee if eating

As more information becomes available - we will continue update here.

Taylor Opie & Dan Dembicki Trio at Ocean Blues

Move over, Bonnie, because tonight I stumbled upon a young soulful blues singer named Taylor Opie who will give you a run for your money! Well, of course, no one can top Ms. Raitt, but keep your eyes and ears open for sightings of Taylor Opie in the Venice - Sarasota - Bradenton live music scene.

Where do I begin? Husky undertones with sweet overlayerings, and she's just got her own deeply flavored and movingly delivered way of bringing the best out of songs we thought we'd heard done best by their original cover artists.

The Dan Dembicki Trio -- drums, bass, and keyboards - provided well-punctuated instrumental backup for Opie's lead vocals. Look for Opie and her band, Dreadnot, playing in the Bradenton area, and hopefully soon a lot more in Sarasota.



Taylor Opie joins the Dan Dembicki Trio every Tuesday in July, 7:30 - 10:30PM at Ocean Blues, on Hillview Street in Sarasota. Let's catch her while she's still local!

SoulRCoaster at Ocean Blues in Sarasota FL

Last night turned out to be double-fun with cover bands around town in Sarasota FL. A sudden downpour that soaked the edges of the dance floor at Marina Jack, at the Sarasota Bayfront, didn't deter couples and families from stepping to the enthusiastic sounds of Lisa Ridings & Vertigo, now a staple dance band in the Marina Jack weekly lineup. A surprise guest appearance by an energetic sax player added interesting visual energy and reed dynamics to the performance.

The night was young,  the dark sky clear and sparkling with pre-4th of July spirit, so I headed over to Ocean Blues, on Hillview Street, to check out SoulRCoaster, another cover band -- new to me, and to the Sarasota live music scene -- this one led by powerful vocalist Sheri Nadelman, backed up by competent lead and bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and harmony vocals by several members of the group. Sheri had definitely gotten the word out to her fans, because the room was pulsing with happy dancers.

SoulRCoaster fit a lot of equipment on that little stage, so the sound was huge and complex. Perhaps a bit overproduced, but it was fun to hear, and dance to, a set list that contained more of a disco-pop mix than we hear locally. For instance, the "Happy" song made internationally legendary by Pharrell Williams. Coincidentally, SoulRCoaster also welcomed a guest sax player onto the stage for a few songs.

Will look forward to more local appearances by SoulRCoaster, now that I know they can dependably deliver a memorable few hours of high-energy fun.