With the passing of the Labor Day weekend, the 2019 Summer Season came to an end. There is still, however, a lot of good fun to be had in September. The weather is still warm and sunny, the ocean temperature is at its warmest, Sunfest awaits, and many outdoor bars and restaurants still cater to the alfresco lovers. The musicians can now find some time to take care of personal business and enjoy this beautiful resort town. They spend endless hours from January to April running from tiki bars to restaurants to hotels in order to book their gigs for June through September, knowing that they make most of their money in the summer. The musician’s goal is to stay as busy as possible during the summer, when bar managers want live music, and fun-loving tourists plow green notes into their tip jars. Equally important, summertime has the special ability to offer up fun-loving crowds that are totally engaged with the performer. This kind of crowd is nourishment for the performer, who needs and cr... » Click here for the full story.

John Heinz, fiddler, is a busy man. This week, he will leave his home in the morning for his job as Senior Telemetry Technician at NASA on Wallops Island, and, on the weekend, he will go to Chincoteague to work on a music project with Chris Daughtry, country singer and former contestant on American Idol. Last weekend, he played with Pearl (Michael Smith, Rita Conestabile, and Jay Stinemire) at the Carousel. His plate is full, but he still makes time for the love of his life and wife, Madelyn. His love for music and playing the fiddle drive him to burn the candle at both ends. Actually, this drive is genetic. He gets it from his father Jerome Hines, who relentlessly kept busy. When Jerome Heinz was sixteen years old, he joined a glee club in Los Angeles and was dismissed for lack of talent. He then studied chemistry and mathematics at UCLA and wrote many publications on the subjects. Jerome also took vocal lessons. Due to the Second World War image of Germans, he changed the spelling of... » Click here for the full story.

In the early 1900’s, a Christian Romani Gypsy family immigrated to the USA from Romania. The father and mother had many children and were very poor. The family grew up in the USA with the love of music, as most Gypsy families did. One of the sons was so poor, even as he grew older, that he “saved some food after a meal in his moustache, so that he would have some for later.” This young man was quite smart and grew up to work hard and marry an American girl. He played music nightly, and they had a daughter, who they named Billie. Billie grew up around love for the Lord, passion, happiness and lots and lots of music. Music was played almost every day at home, so rhythm and musical structure is nothing new to Billie Carlins. I have known Billie for several years, as she is married to Leo Carlins, the bass player for Randy Lee Ashcraft and the Salt Water Cowboys. I caught up with her on the phone recently, so that I could get her back story.Vincent: “Billie, if you could tell me several wo... » Click here for the full story.

The reason that the word perseverance is so strong is because it truly describes the undying strength that one needs to keep on going and succeed. Perseverance describes Linda Sears, the leader of Old School. Born in West Virginia, she moved to Baltimore and began singing in bands there at the age of sixteen. Her father pressured her to sing country music, but she wanted to sing rock and roll. After years of overcoming stage fright in high school, she started playing in rock and roll bands throughout the Baltimore area. She fell in love with John Sears, who supported her desire to sing in bands, and after performing for years as a house band in the Essex area, Linda started doing gigs in Ocean City and became one of the most engaging singers in town. And then tragedy struck. Linda and her husband lost their son in 1996. For ten years after the passing of Donovan, she could not sing, as it would bring her to tears. After such a long time, Linda thought that maybe it was time to get back... » Click here for the full story.

It’s 1984 and US Army Special Forces Sergeant Ashcraft is hiding behind a wall observing suspicious activity behind enemy lines in some foreign country. His mission is to observe the enemies and report on their activity before another unit enters to attack. It is a typical mission for the Green Berets. He completes his mission, and, after he returns to Ft. Bragg in North Carolina, he settles down, picks up his guitar and plays an old country song to relax. His four-year service term is up soon, so he reports into his re-enlistment officer, who tells him that, while he is a great soldier, he should really follow his dream of being a country singer and songwriter.“Son, if you don’t get out there and try to be a musician, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. And if you decide it’s not for you, then call me and we’ll get you back in the Army,” the officer said.With that, Randy Lee Ashcraft left the US Army with his guitar in hand and signed up to study music at Salisbury College. Th... » Click here for the full story.

A few weeks ago, a friend was reading one of my columns on this Coconut Times website. He asked me while laughing, “Hey Vincent, you’re a local musician, so why don’t you interview yourself? Ha ha!” I was surprised by the question and joined him with a chuckle. “Heh-heh, I never thought of that. But don’t you think that would be a little egotistical and arrogant?” I asked. He replied laughing, “Well, you can just hide your real personality and make it a humble story about yourself instead.” Nice guy, my friend, huh? And so, in the interest of artistic expression with no vanity intended, I interviewed myself. I hope you enjoy the resulting split-personality experience between Vincent (the interviewer) and Vince (the interviewee). Hang on for a crazy ride on the psychosis train:I caught up with Vince at Coconuts on a warm summer evening right after he finished playing a gig as the guitarist for Old School. He had just finished packing up his gear and helping Erve Cassell, the bass player... » Click here for the full story.

Picture a sailor setting out to sea. He just got his haircut military-style and boarded a submarine in Ballast Point, San Diego, California, and is prepared to be underwater for months. Little did that submariner know, he would become one of the top booked performers in all of Ocean City, Md. That submariner is Dave Sherman, who has been entertaining crowds in our resort town for twenty years. He’s come a long way from his days in the Navy, judging from his long well-groomed hair, giving him that Neil Young look. Dave is a gracious person who invited me to his lovely home just before dinnertime for this interview. We shared a bottle of red wine as we talked.Vincent: “Dave, you’re a staple here in Ocean City. You’ve been doing this for so long, and everyone knows you.” Dave: “I think I’ve done more than 3,400 shows – not counting the ones where I got rained out.”Vincent: “Wow! How did you get your start here in OC?” Dave: “I’m originally from Baltimore. I had played in teen center bands... » Click here for the full story.

Three guys walk into a bar. A jock, a geek, and a stoner. They are the band. No, this is not the beginning of a joke. It’s what happens every time 33 RPM plays around town. Back in high school, Mike Beavan, lead vocalist and drummer, was the jock, Larry Biegel, lead guitarist, was the geek (who also lettered in three sports, for the record), and Rock Rollain, bassist, was the stoner. They are from Howard County, Md, and have been playing in Ocean City for about four years. Mike designs and builds luxury pools, and back in 2013, Larry was his customer. Upon noticing musical equipment in Larry’s home, Mike started discussing putting a band together with Larry. Rock was later found at a cancer benefit called Woodstock Rock, playing for another band. The result was 33 RPM, referring to the old LP records that played on a turntable at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute (RPM). If you knew that already, then you most likely are from the era of the songs that 33 RPM plays. The band had a very excit... » Click here for the full story.

Adversity. Some people let it strike them down forever. Others face it head-on and overcome it. It is with great pride that I tell you about such a person, who has overcome great adversity in his life. Jack Worthington grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, near Gaithersburg. He started playing guitar much later in life, compared to other musicians. He took a classical guitar course in college and fell in love with the instrument. He learned quickly, started to play solo gigs, and then put together a band, called Riptide, which played originals and covers. Things were going well for Jack and Riptide. Then, adversity knocked on the door in 2002, when Jack suffered an untimely stroke. It left him with slurred speech and a fairly crippled right hand. He spent the next years overcoming this affliction with tenacity. He focused on singing and pronouncing lyrics. To compensate for his right-hand problems, he designed a special guitar pick with an extension, so that he can grip it tightly. T... » Click here for the full story.

Meet the Band: Chris Button Vincent Paez, June 2019 It was a beautiful, warm, sunny Saturday, and about thirty patrons were all smiling and quietly chatting around the bar at the Harborside Bar and Grill, watching the working and pleasure boats cruise by. A seemingly quiet man with short white hair entered the bar area and scanned the crowd. He looked carefully at each customer, then walked away. It was Chris Button, and he was studying each person in the crowd.Vincent: “Hi, Chris, why were you just staring at everyone in the crowd?” Chris: “Hey, Vincenzo.” That’s what he calls me. “I do that before every gig. I try to see the ages, genders, and possible backgrounds of the people in the crowd, so that I can put together the most enjoyable set for that particular group.”Vincent: “That’s smart. I don’t know of too many musicians who do that so intensely. What else makes Chris Button different from the other bands?” Chris: “Well, you have to be in tune with the crowd. Sometimes, I’m just ... » Click here for the full story.