Report: Cayamo Cruise 2010 (Day 5)

For Thursday, Feb. 25, we rock and roll - literally, thanks to the rough seas - while rock ‘n' rolling with Stephen Kellogg, Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Ben Taylor, Rachel Yamagata, Vienna Teng, Brandi Carlile... the list goes on forever, as does the road (ocean).

By Lee Zimmerman / Photos by Alisa Cherry

Ed. note: Last week BLURT contributor Lee Zimmerman was on the annual Cayamo Cruise, which as you'll read below boasts a who's-who of roots and Americana artists playing for (and mingling with) fans traveling on a five-day cruise through the Caribbean. Fittingly enough, the event's called Caribbean on Cayamo 2010: A Journey Through Song. Go here to read his report from Day 1,  here for Day 2, here for Day 3 and here for Day 4.  Incidentally, you can also read his report from last year's Cruise elsewhere at the BLURT site.

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things - Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax - Of cabbages--and kings..."

-Lewis Carroll

Sadly, the final full day of our cruising adventure has arrived, much to our dismay. The seas are rough this morning, in some cases reaching swells of 30 feet. The breakfast buffet, a kind of human pinball game under the best of circumstances, takes on an added frenzy this morning as people carrying trays piled high with morning treats, collide with one another due to both the urgency of getting that extra omelet and the fact that the boat is providing more teeter-totter than a carnival funhouse. I confess, I have little tolerance for those surrounding me; I have a good half-day of artist interviews, beginning at 10 AM, and there's precious time to grab the grub and devour it before the artist onslaught begins.

I needn't have worried though; Samantha Crain, the first musician in our gab session line-up is a no-show, reportedly due to the fact she's been inflicted with seasickness. There's no reason to doubt her excuse, given that "Do Not Disturb" signs litter the doors of various staterooms and barf bags have been conveniently placed at strategic locations throughout the ship. We're beginning to get concerned about Rachel Yamagata, but fortunately she shows up a mere ten minutes late, all cheery and girl-next-door-like in a way that belies the dark strains of her music.  "I don't live my life that way," she says referring to her doom and gloom stance, adding that due to the melancholy gaze on her album covers, "I never want to be on an album cover again." Overall, she's been delighted by the cruise thus far, likening it to a great big tour bus on the water. "I'm completely humbled," she allows.

Yamagata also reveals the reason for the overall giddiness that preoccupied her set the day before, attributing it to the fact that (A) she had a cocktail at 5 PM which managed to keep her loopy well through show time, (B) the ship's rocking kept her off balance, (C) she bungled the first verse of her first song and (D) she didn't realize Brandi Carlile was in the audience and it made her discombobulated.  Very well, then.

Katie Herzig was as charming in person as she was onstage, humble and shy but obviously exhilarated by her second stint onboard Cayamo. Like the others, her greatest thrill was meeting her favorite artists. Despite the fact that she's looking forward to a two-month break, she's already beginning to compile songs for her next album, which will be her fourth to date, but the first where, in her words, "all the songs go together."

Glen, Luke and Jerry from WPA hold court next, offering up an explanation as to why their seemingly disparate band of pop, rock, country and bluegrass works so well. "WPA doesn't replace anybody's day jobs," Glen Phillips states.  As for the band's ability to balance song contributions from their wealth of writing talent, he's equally adamant.  "It's like cage fighting," he jokes before turning serious.  "Everybody in this band has high standards as far as songwriting is concerned. We're all respectful of one another so it becomes quite democratic. In five years maybe it will get petty."

Luke Bula, who's seemingly played practically every gig on the ship, balances his role in Lyle Lovett's band and his place in WPA. "I've had ten hours of sleep total in the past three days," he confesses while expressing his enthusiasm for the seemingly non-stop cycle of jam sessions. 

"I thought I'd hate being on a cruise," Jerry the drummer confesses.  "But it's actually really comfortable, kind of like an outdoor festival with air conditioning."

Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle are holding court for World Café, but other than the fact that both originally hail from Houston and play a form of roots music, the differences between them couldn't be more striking. Lyle, his trademark pile of curly hair towering neatly over his forehead, is dressed impeccably in a black leather sports coat and his ever-present cowboy boots. Earle on the other hand looks like he just shuffled in off the street, dressed in shorts and flip-flops with his long stringy locks and overgrown beard doing little to conceal his balding up above. The two reminisce about their early days in the biz and the various venues they played in Southern Texas before each made his move to Nashville, and the cast of characters - Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and Jerry Jeff Walker -- who more or less set the standard in terms of songwriting. 

"This is just music," Earle commented as the stories wound on.  "Nobody dies. I feel very fortunate to be able to make music at all." 

After the interview, Earle ambles over to the pressroom to further elaborate on his thoughts about life, politics and his art.  He speaks freely about the fact he was once an addict and inmate, but he now insists he's happy and content for the first time.  Though New York seems an odd environment for a rural renegade, he's looking forward to raising his child there.

His cell phone rings and he scrambles to answer it.  "Allison is due any moment," he remarks, speaking of pregnant wife Allison Moorer.  Curiously enough, for a man who boasts a reputation as a rowdy hell-raiser, Earle is quite personable and seemingly down to earth.  He asserts the fact that he's a socialist who's out of sync with mainstream politics ("I have to refrain from publicly supporting any candidate because that would be their kiss of death"), but also insists that though he's been in quite a few fights in his life, he's never won a single one.  Asked if people often seem intimidated by him, he says that in the past, it's hurt his feelings.  "I'm okay with it now," he maintains.  "I finally realized that if people have problems with me, that's something they have to deal with."

Stephen Kellogg, on the other hand, is simply a humble, affable guy who's genuinely appreciative when complements are offered for his music.  Now in their sixth year of making music, his band the Sixers have played nearly a thousand shows and gaining a committed following in the process.  I mention the fact that his band seems grounded in classic rock traditions.  "My wife tells me I was born at the wrong time," he comments, saying that after progressing through his various phases - heavy metal, the Dead, frat rock ‘n' roll - he finally went back to the music his parents played for him while he was growing up.  "Those artists were a different breed," he says.  "Singer/songwriters who still managed to convey pop appeal."

It's now nearly 2:00 PM and there's still a day of music to attend to. My wife Alisa's been felled by a form of seasickness, remedied by a double dose of Dramamine that's rendered her too woozy to get out of bed.  I venture out to catch the tail end of Samantha Crain's set and a subsequent songwriter workshop in the Spinnaker.  It's an impressive cast that's been assembled to offer their insights and play selected songs - Vienna Teng, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. Katie Herzig and Gregory Alan Isakov all sharing the same stage.  Every song is a gem and the musicians seem as awed as the rest of us.

I'm torn between my choices for the next show I want to see, those being encore performances of Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers playing on the pool deck and WPA, making a repeat appearance in the Spinnaker, as well as Edie Carey, who I've yet to catch, now appearing in the atrium.  This of course is the happy dilemma Cayamo commands.  I opt for WPA, knowing that Chuck, my gracious Canadian pal, has saved seats.  WPA are excellent as always, erasing all doubts about my decision.

Ben Taylor, another artist I've yet to experience, takes to Spinnaker next, offering up an array of songs, half sad, half funny.  Opening with a tune entitled "Your Boyfriend's a Really Nice Guy," he appears to be relating a tale of a sexual switch-over, although a later offering, "Wicked Way ("I just want to have my wicked way with you") suggests he's still hetero at heart.  Ben bears only a faint physical resemblance to his famous parents, James Taylor and Carly Simon, but his caressing vocals and swaying guitar play bring more than a faint reflection of his folks' soothing soft rock style.  A version of his dad's lullaby-like "You Can Close Your Eyes," featuring Shawn Colvin and Arnold McCuller -- who, along with drummer Hal Blaine, is introduced as men who were like uncles due to their association with both James and Carly -- makes the family ties complete. 

Buddy Miller's final show is billed as "Buddy Miller and Friends" and it doesn't disappoint, although as Buddy himself allows, "All my shows have featured my friends."  Emmylou and Sean and Sara Watkins are among the perfect pals this time around.

Speaking of famous friends, Brandi Carlile rolled out an impressive guest list for the final Starlight show of the cruise, including Arnold McCuller who joined her for an opening take on a Roy Orbison classic "Crying." Carlile herself is exhilarating and enthusiastic, and despite confessing to being a bit under the weather, she and her band put on a first rate, rock star-worthy performance, one that mixed poses, poise and polish.  Long a favorite of the Cayamo crowd, she ran through a set list that drew equally from her three albums and EP.  A version of "Caroline," a duet with Elton John featured on her latest effort , Give Up The Ghost, was terrific, particularly the story that preceded it in which she relayed how awe-struck she was to meet Elton, her all-time idol.  Longtime accompanists, twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth, kicked off the encore with a stunning version of "Sounds of Silence," before the entire ensemble raised the energy and amplitude to bring the final main stage show to a thunderous conclusion.

And so, the time had indeed come, as the Walrus once remarked.  The end of a Cayamo cruise inevitably brings a mix of joy and tears with bidding goodbye to day after day of euphoric musical indulgence.  So too, there's the bittersweet sadness of having to say farewell to new friends for yet another year, as well as having to accept the cold reality that a new workweek will soon be upon us.  While I've endeavored to describe Cayamo as best I can and in as much detail as possible for one who's weird and wacky, in reality the only way to truly appreciate all it has to offer is to experience it for yourself. We'll have to wait an entire year until the next Cayamo - John Prine has already been announced as one of the performers  - but hopefully these shared thoughts and the collective memory of what Cayamo is all about will provide ample sustenance until then.