Happy Sunfest!  As I write this, we’re enjoying a bluebird sky and brisk autumn temps; perfect for Sunfest.  The entertainment lineup is phenomenal, the performance times have been extended, and all acts are free.  You can find a complete lineup at ococean.com.   As usual, there are plenty of our local venues that are also featuring excellent entertainment.  Coconuts Beach Bar & Grill, located oceanside behind the Castle in the Sand Hotel, is one of my favorites.  This is the last hurrah for the season at this beautiful venue and I’m planning to visit as much as I can.  Today, Friday, the amazing Dunehounds will play at 4.  Sean (guitar), Troy (guitar), Kasey (bass) & Adam (drums) deliver excellent renderings of all our favorite music spanning decades and genres.  The vocals are also amazing from Sean & Adam with occasional backups by Kasey.  Love these guys and you will too.  On Saturday show up early (noon) and enjoy the sunshine with Endless Ember featuring the vocals of Sarah Robins.  Later, get your groove on with Ryan & Brad with Colossal Fossil Sauce.  Be sure to be there on Sunday for the annual closing party featuring half-price specials (can’t decide whether I’m having the Black Bean Burger, Pepper Jack Chicken Wrap, Coconut Shrimp, or a juicy hamburger) and the music of the Aaron Howell Duo at noon and Monkee Paw at 4.  Many thanks to the staff of Coconuts for providing excellent music, food, and service this summer; the reasons why this venue continues to be the best!

Speaking of the best:  Tranzfusion is playing tonight at Bourbon Street on the Beach and I can’t wait.  It’s been a while since I’ve heard these most excellent musicians: Bob Davis on keyboards/vocals, Hank Koenig on guitar/vocals, Bobby Malaby on drums/vocals and Al Cook on bass/vocals.  Did you notice that each of these four talented players sing?  Each has their own specialty and they do everything so well.  If you’ve read my column before, you’ll know that I often refer to their music as “Album Rock” because they play each song exactly as you’ll hear it on the artists’ albums.  The integrity of the music is paramount to the performance they tell me; and they have stayed true to that edict in all their years together, which is considerable, by the way.  Come on out and hear for yourselves.  Saturday at Bourbon St. Chris Button visits, my original local guitar wizard.  He’ll play at 4 with First Class coming in later.  Love Danny Dolan and his sexy sax; you will too.  Sunday at 5 is a special performance from The Mercury Agenda, one of my latest favorites.  So, lots of action at Bourbon St.

Last weekend was a blast for me with Great Train Robbery at Coastal Smokehouse, 33 RPM at Bourbon St. and Tonight’s Crush at The Purple Moose.  First, Great Train Robbery.  Yes, this band has been together since the ‘80s; a couple of them more recent, of course, so they’ve had years to hone their craft.  After guitarist Freddie Vanover played “Rocky Mountain Way” by Joe Walsh, he told me that the voice box, most famously employed by Peter Frampton, was actually invented by Walsh.  Freddie sang and played it, complete with voice box, to perfection.  That is also how I would describe the performance of all the players as they took us on a musical journey with songs by Bob Seger, Mellencamp, a beautiful rendition of “Baby I’m Amazed” by McCartney; leading into some hard rockin’ from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Led Zeppelin, plus CCR, Petty, Doobie Brothers and the Eagles; I loved their “Life in the Fast Lane”.  Long-time bassist Dave Capozzoli sang several songs, too, such as “Suzie Q,” while lead vocalist Aaron Fuller powered through most of the rest with his incredible range.  Drew Sewell kept the heartbeat going on drums and Billy Weyforth played keyboards and sometimes contributed on guitar and vocals as well.  It was an incredible night of great music reminding me of why Great Train Robbery is still so popular.

Next, I took off for The Purple Moose where Tonght’s Crush made their debut there.  What struck me most about this group was the diversity from the usual set lists probably because they feature not one but two female vocalists: Megan Elizabeth and Brittney Lewis.  These gals brought us a lot of current hits from current female artists that I have not heard performed live.  Adam Dutch led the band on guitar with Josh Green, also on guitar, trading lead parts.  You know I love dueling guitars.  Amber Chester may be young but she plays those drums like she’s been behind that kit forever.  Did she start young?  Probably; I didn’t get the chance to ask her but she’s fine, believe me.  Sitting in on bass was our local “have bass will travel” professional, Mike Rogers, also doing a fine job.  This weekend The Purple Moose is featuring regionally hot rock band The Cellar Sessions.  Rick Steele (guitar/vocals), Todd Egger (drums/vocals), J. Kleman (bass), and Dustin Dillman (guitar/vocals) make up the group.  Again notice that three of the four players sing.  This always makes for a more versatile band as far as song selections go; plus better harmonies.  The band prides themselves on playing many different genres of music from the classics to pop, rock and country.  You’ll hear everything from Johnny Cash to Kenny Chesney; from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars.  I’m really looking forward to hearing these guys, Friday and Saturday nights at The Purple Moose.  Check out The Purple Moose ad in View Advertisers for info on their upcoming Halloween party, October 29, featuring the music of Alter Ego.

Lastly, I’ve got to say I really enjoyed hearing 33 RPM again; they never fail to entertain me.  Last Saturday at Bourbon St. I was sitting on the sidelines where I had an unobstructed view of Larry and his magic pedals (check out the photo in Fun Fotos).  I loved watching him tap away as he changed the sounds of his guitar and obviously had a really good time playing for us.  You know, sometimes we forget that the musicians might be having more fun than us.  Certainly Mike on drums and lead vocals exudes fun and excitement in his performance; in fact, he sometimes gets so excited that he just pops up off his seat.  It was cool when he even used the overhead ceiling pipes as a percussion instrument.  And excited might not cover it for bassist Rock who is so good at engaging the audience with his hair whipping, bass thumping performances.  We all loved it when he picked up a cowbell as we all chanted “more cowbell!”  It was a very entertaining night - and weekend.  I’m off to see what I can get into this time around.

Have fun whatever you do, my friends, and remember to always party safe!