CMT Blog: Archive

Some of country music's top songwriters converged last week in Key West, Fla., for the 13th annual Key West Songwriters Festival, where they played free shows in the town's various nightspots and watering holes along Duval Street. The tiny island was overrun with tourists and festival attendees who jam-packed the venues for dancing and late night sing-alongs.With so many people around doing what vacationing, sometimes intoxicated people do, I found it difficult to stay focused on the music at times. However, there were a few ticketed shows at the Hog's Breath Writer's Room and the Tropic Theater, where Jeffrey Steele, Chuck Cannon, Kim Richey, Raul Malo, Robert Earl Keen, Kylie Sackley and other professional tunesmiths played shows with a Bluebird Café vibe and attentive crowd. I know these songwriters love it when artists like Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Montgomery Gentry and Faith Hill record their songs, but personally, I always prefer to hear the songs straight from the creator's mouth. The music portion of the festival culminated in a street party where Keen and Steele entertained throngs of people strolling along Duval Street.

Since direct flights to Key West are sometimes hard to come by, I flew to Fort Lauderdale and hitched a ride with songwriter-producer James "Bubba" Hudson for the three-hour drive to Key West. We noticed a billboard in Key Largo advertising the "world's best fish sandwich" and stopped at Craig's Restaurant to give it a try. With a fried slab of dolphin, American cheese, lettuce and tomato on grilled bread, it lived up to the hype. Within a couple hours, I had settled into my quarters and headed over to the kick-off party on the roof of the La Concha Hotel. There, Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson read a proclamation declaring James Slater's "Key West Address" the official song of Key West.

After the kick-off party, four music-filled days and nights began. Between shows, I revved up my Honda scooter to scout out some good eats, and found plenty. El Siboney, a Cuban restaurant tucked away on Caroline Street, is my new favorite. They serve a variety of meats, including grilled red snapper, chicken and shredded beef, with sides of black beans, yellow rice and fried plantains. It was as hearty and tasty as any Tennessee country cooking to which I'm accustomed. I also recommend the fresh shrimp at the Hog's Breath Saloon, lobster Benedict at Blue Heaven or gourmet pizza from the Upper Crust.

I toured the home of Ernest Hemmingway, where the guide shared stories of the writer's love affairs, fishing trips, polydactyl (six-toed) cats and extreme melancholy. Lush, tropical gardens surround the home, and visitors can peek inside the preserved writing studio.

Every evening, tourists and locals gather at the Sunset Pier to witness the spectacular sunset. Craft vendors and street performers are ubiquitous on the pier. A silver robot man, a charismatic Frenchman with hoop-jumping cats, and a trio of young acrobatic siblings seemed to gather the largest crowds.

A wrap-up party hosted by Johnny and Peggy Newberry at their Mango Tree Inn featured an impressive spread of food and memorable performances. I kept hearing whispers of "Gina Maseratti is coming," thinking she might be the next hot songwriter to get Nashville's attention. Well, she was certainly a talented fiddler, guitarist and performer, but she was actually a drag queen otherwise known as married (to a female) construction worker Kerry Torr Cressman. A strong rain shower stalled Gina's poolside performance of hilarious parodies of popular country songs, but the result was an indoor gathering around the grand piano where I witnessed Scotty Emerick, Chuck Jones and James Slater jam with Gina in a surreal spectacle -- something I don't think anyone could ever expect to see back home in Nashville.

View photos from the Key West Songwriters Festival.