Cayamo Songwriter's Cruise

Way back in August, I was procrastinating from head-down work on my Live CD and Christmas CD, and I came across this advertisement for a Songwriter's Cruise, featuring Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin. It was too good to be true, so I went online and checked out the website, and sure enough--it wasn't a mirage. So I made a move in the direction of this heavenly vision taking shape before my eyes, and before I could blink, I had plopped down the money for Allison and I to go.

The excitement was catching. Every person I told about it was in disbelief, and my I had trouble even thinking about it for too long, as it was still torturous months away.
I worked my tailfeather off between September and December, and on the Christmas holidays I found myself booking our flights and hotels. I learned that the cruise was near sold-out, and that many of the people coming were musicians themselves. So it was, "Bring your guitars and jam with your fellow passengers!".

Now that's my kind of vacation!!


MIAMI SOUTH BEACH, FEB 3rd, 2008

We flew into Miami a day early to make sure that we didn't miss the boat. This shot was taken just as the sun as going down on South Beach, and I remember my skin thanking me when those warm ocean breezes washed over my whole being, erasing the memory of snow and ice, shivering and shovelling, and 5-o'clock sunsets. Ahhhhhhh.




We spent that first evening just walking around the Art-Deco-style hotels that line Ocean Blvd. The colors were all baby blues and pinks and neons, and I half expected Crockett and Tubbs themselves to emerge from the scenery to bust the drug lords, who cruised the strip in their jacked-up Humvees and pimped-out Explorers.




There were so many colorful characters coming and going from these hotels, many of them owned by celebrities like Gloria Estefan and Gianni Versace.



PORT OF MIAMI: FEB 4th




The next day was the one we had been waiting for. Lining up to board the ship, we could see she was a worthy vessel. My fellow passengers were a friendly bunch of folkies, mostly aged 30-55, many brandishing guitars and mandolins. The excitement to get on board was palpable, and this boat did not disappoint. The sheer size and grandeur of the thing was breathtaking. 12 levels, 5 stages, and a half dozen places to eat. There was also a casino, internet lounge, spa, full gym, arcade, gelateria, pool, and a waterslide.



"Lido/One for the roooooad!" ~Boz Scaggs





We made our way up to the Lido deck, open to the sky, and affording a nice view of the disappearing Miami shoreline. Our journey was not purely a musical one, but a 3-port circuit that would include Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios.



Here we see the beach we were standing on in the first picture...





The first thing I did upon seeing this waterslide?


Make a quick change into the proper attire and race to the top---to assume the Olympic louge position. That salt water never tasted sweeter!!





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THE MUSIC

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I didn't get a ton of great shots of the artists, but I hope to find some online this week and post them here. Needless to say, it was incredible to see these artists in such an intimate setting, and each one was spellbinding in their own way. Here's my diary entry on this subject from Feb 7th.

"As I write this, I'm in the coffee lounge, where Shawn Colvin is ordering a
cappucino, before heading back to the blackjack table. Buddy Miller just walked
by, and John Hiatt was in line with us for the breakfast buffet. People are very
cool about it. No mobbing or harassing that I've seen.

There's 2700
souls aboard the Victory for this cruise, which means there are definately
crowds for certain things, but it never feels like you can't find a quiet place,
and you see a lot of the same faces. An educated, healthy and music-loving
bunch, judging by the books people are reading, the lineups for the gym, and the
enthusiasm at the shows (and the empty casino).

When you hear about the
lineup on this cruise, your thoughts immediately turn to impromtu duets and
improvised jams. Well, this actually happened on almost every show, such was the
collegial atmosphere and bonhomie amongst the players. Shawn Colvin invited Lyle
Lovett to join her on "The Trouble with Jimmy" and "Diamond in the Rough"; Patty
Griffin invited Emmylou and Shawn onstage to form a choir for "Mary". Lyle had
John Hiatt up for "My Baby Don't Tolerate", and Buddy Miller held the entire
Lido deck in a trance as he and Emmylou sang "All my Sins be Washed Away". It
was a beautiful moment, to see the whole ship basically crowding into every
square inch of that deck, as the sun was low in the sky, and the warm Caribbean
breeze was blowing through Emmylou's silvery mane; her iconic voice filling the
air with a mixture of soulful authority, longing and sadness. It seemed like
every passenger was hanging off the rails, and off of every note as the
musicians invoked a song of blessing. Truly a holy moment. "

Other highlights were hearing Lyle Lovett and his band sing "If I had a Boat"(!), "North Dakota", "La to the Left", and "She's Already Made up her Mind". Can't believe he's got Russ Kunkel playing drums! He was one of the great session guys on the LA scene in the 70s/80s. Killer player.

The Duhks were a big surprise as well...their style was a soulful gumbo of celtic, country, Cajun and world music. Plus they covered "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin!! and it was great! Check these guys out whenever you can. You'll be happy you did.

Here's some pictures by Sue McGinnis, a fellow passenger on this amazing trip:

The ultimate back-up singers.

Shawn Colvin

Patty Griffin on the indoor mainstage.


Patti sings with Buddy Miller on the Lido deck.


Buddy lays it down...

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THE OPEN MIC CONTEST

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This happened in the Paste Lounge (the magazine people) on the third day of the cruise. I brought my guitar on the trip with the intention of writing and getting into some jam sessions. While I didn't do much of that, I did enter the Open Mic contest, which offered a pretty cool prize to the winner: a 45-minute set in the Atrium Lounge, playing for all the people who hang out there as well as anyone within earshot on the other 6 floors, including the crowds hanging out waiting for the Emmylou Show in the nearby Caribbean Lounge.

The deal was basically play one song, and a celebrity panel (Ari Hest, the Scarlett Kings) will decide who among the 16 or so contestants will get the prize. I played my song (Everything's Gonna Be Alright) and listened to all the other acts, many of whom probably did music for a living. After it was over I remember abandoning hope of winning against these worthy competitors, so I began packing up. Then they announced the winner, and it was me!!




That's me with Ari Hest, a great singer/songwriter from New York City, and a nice guy for picking me as the winner. Or did he say 'wiener'?




The set was a ton of fun, and I met a lot of wonderful people from all over the world after it was over. A lovely couple from Dublin, and a lady from Florida who wants to talk about bringing me to her festival ("Rock by the Sea") next year. Someone from Sirius Satellite was there wanting to do an interview, which we still need to do, since I misplaced his card.





All in all, it was so worth doing, so magical, and every person on that ship knew they were seeing a once-in-a-lifetime thing. With any luck, they will do it again next year, and when they do, maybe they might consider putting some Jacob Moon into their lineup. For my part, I can think of no better way to beat the winter blues than to play for a boatload of beautiful people who are all into music. I hope you guys will join me next year, cause I am going fo' sho'!




The last sunset...Feb 9th, 2008. One for the books...


http://www.jacobmoon.com/

http://www.sixthman.net/