November 30th marks the official end of the Atlantic Hurricane season. In the Florida Keys, residents have traditionally celebrated this by dousing hurricane flags in rum and then burning them. In recent years, a new celebration has come to Key West.
In 2017, after Hurricane Irma devastated the Keys, Billy Kearins, the owner of COAST Projects, hosted a two day concert to bring residents together, raise money to help rebuild Key West, and to celebrate that the “coast is clear”. That first event featured G. Love, Langhorne Slim, Rayland Baxter, and local Key West band The Skank.
Fast forward five years to 2022, and that little backyard event has grown into the COAST Is Clear Festival held this past December 1st-4th. This year saw the program of events expand from a two-day into a four-day celebration. Kearins, who now co-produces and partners with Key West Art & Historical Society, says that the expansion has allowed them to include more art and island culture into an event that had previously been almost entirely music-centric.
This year’s lineup included every artist from that first year except for G. Love, (he did play last year though) which is a testament to how well this festival is run, and to how much respect artists have for Kearins. Time after time throughout the weekend artists spoke on stage about how special this weekend is every year.
The festivities kicked off Thursday night at Tropic Cinema with a Danny Clinch photo exhibition followed by a screening of his A Tuba to Cuba documentary which follows the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to post-embargo Cuba in search of the indigenous music that evolved into the New Orleans jazz sound. One of the highlights of the weekend was Preservation Hall Jazz Band leading a second line march from the San Carlos Institute to the famed Green Parrot where they played in the street surrounded by hundreds of people dancing, laughing and celebrating.
While so many other festivals focus on the big events, one of my favorite things each year at COAST Is Clear, is the small, intimate shows that take place around town. Kearins says the festival’s decentralized program is designed to celebrate Key West’s culture:
“My main mission, which is shared by my co-producer and partner at Key West Art & Historical Society, is really to pay respect to and also to shine a light on Key West as a relevant cultural dot on the map. Key West has a rich history as a place where acclaimed artists and creative folks have found a home. But it’s never been Duval Street or the cruise ships that they fell in love with. It’s the tiny lanes and backyard parties; the secret spots and the late night haunts; and it’s the community of eccentric folks who really make the island so special. The festival really aims to bring Key West back into that light — to make the island feel like more than a tourist destination, but rather a hub of creativity and culture if only for one weekend in December when the coast is clear.”
Friday night began with a surprise Rayland Baxter set at General Horseplay followed up with sets by COAST Is Clear vets Electric Blue Yonder, Cayman and SUSTO. Then came one of the live music experiences that I will never forget – one that ranks up there with seeing John McCauley of Deer Tick lead an ensemble of musicians sing Goodnight Irene/La Bamba at Newport Folk Festival in 2011.
On a tiny stage, at one of my favorite bars in America,with people overflowing onto the sidewalks of Whitehead and Southard Streets, and Rayland Baxter on bass, Liz Cooper gave a raw and raucous performance that everyone was talking about all weekend. Wailing on her one-off, pink, Creston guitar she mesmerized everyone at The Green Parrot.
SUSTO, Rayland Baxter and Liz Cooper weren’t even on the lineup, but showed up to play free shows anyway. That’s what this festival is about. It’s about community. It’s about the love of music.
Friday night’s festivities left me feeling a bit groggy on Saturday morning. Nothing a Bloody Mary couldn’t fix. The music marathon started at 11:00 AM with Lou Hazel. However, I decided to head to Don’s Place to watch the US World Cup game. In hindsight, I wish I had skipped the game.
By the time I arrived I had missed Lou Hazel, Banshee Tree, Electric Blue Yonder, The Skank and SUSTO. Fortunately, I was able to catch sets from all of them at other places throughout the weekend.
I caught the sets of Neal Francis and Katie Pruitt and anxiously awaited Preservation Hall Jazz Band to take the Sunset Stage.
These guys know how to put on a show! Wildly entertaining and superb musicians. Watching and listening to them is witnessing an American treasure. After a few songs they brought up another treasure in the music industry, photographer and director Danny Clinch, to play some harmonica with them. Every photographer there pretty much lost their mind. Not only is he a legend behind the camera, he’s a damn good harmonica player as well.
PHJB was followed by COAST Is Clear OG, Langhorne Slim, Hiss Golden Messenger and Fruit Bats before headliner Shakey Graves took the stage to close out an unforgettable day.
Shakey began his set with his band backing him. Tonight it was Shakey Graves & The Defendants. All of them dressed in matching suits, though he acknowledged that it might not have been the best wardrobe choice for the band’s last performance of 2022. “I was talking to someone earlier who told me that the only person who wears a suit on this island is the defendant,” he said before unleashing his song Cops and Robbers.
The band left the stage after a few songs and this is where the set really shined through. Shakey, with his captivating banter between songs and the energy he brings to the stage with just his guitar and suitcase kick drum, sent the audience away with a performance to remember.
The last day of the weekend was just as special as the rest. Outdoor yoga, music and mimosas with SUSTO, a kids party with Electric Blue Yonder and shows back at The San Carlos Institute by Daniel Milewski, Lou Hazel and Bonny Light Horseman.
To tie a bow around the weekend, Langhorne Slim hosted a show called “Langhorne & Friends.” Inspired by nights in his living room with talented musicians just having fun and playing music, he invited the artists that were still in town up on stage to play a few songs. For two and a half hours it was like sitting in his living room listening to uber-talented friends have a jam session.
Asked about what’s in store for next year, Kearins encourages me to expect more of what I loved about this year:
“Organic is the name of the game — small, but sometimes significant changes to keep folks interested in what’s next. This year’s big change was that we expanded the program of events — from a two-day to a four-day celebration. And with that, we were able to weave in more art (photography and film) and island culture (like baseball) into a program that had previously been almost entirely music-centric. Being a nonprofit endeavor really helps us maintain slow and steady growth and honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way. But next year you ask? Hmm, I think really we want to continue to expand on the arts and culture end of things and maybe have more small and intimate live music sets — those seem to always be the most special. We really want to enhance the overall experience and pay more attention to the smaller events that will really get us to where we want.”
COAST Is Clear should be on every music lover’s annual list to attend – especially those of us that live in the North. May I suggest to you that next year, treat yourself to a trip to Key West the first weekend in December and experience this fantastic weekend of music. Not only will you escape the winter cold, but you will join Key West locals in celebrating a new season of peace and prosperity. No matter what hardships the year behind us brought, finally the COAST Is Clear!
