Emerald Coast Musicians “Give Big”

By Chris Manson
April 2, 2009 Issue

The Wailers—a spin-off of Bob Marley’s old band—will headline the Give Big Destin, Florida Music Festival at the Village of Baytowne Wharf April 4. They couldn’t have asked for a better roster of local musicians to warm up the crowd.

Reed Waddle kicks off the festival at 1 p.m. with a solo acoustic set of originals and “a cover or two.” The Beachcomber Music Award winner for Best Singer-Songwriter tells The Beat he was approached about a year ago. “They said they were going to get Sheryl Crow and Jackson Browne,” says Waddle.

“Any time any kind of charity for Destin comes up, I’m always down for doing it. I like to give back to a community that lets musicians prosper.” Waddle recently opened for the All-American Rejects at a benefit for the Taylor Haugen Foundation, playing to over 2,000 people.

Waddle travels to Boston, New York, Atlanta and Nashville in the coming months, and he promises you’ll be able to see him all over town this summer. He’s also opening for Daryl Hall and John Oates at the duo’s Pensacola concert April 5. “We wrote a song together a couple years ago,” Waddle says of Oates. “I met him in Colorado after someone played my music for him.”

Gileah, whose CD Gileah and the Ghost Train won national acclaim, hasn’t performed in public since last summer. “I just had a baby and have about 10 pounds to lose,” she says. Taylor will hit the stage at 2:15 accompanied by frequent collaborator Ava Quigley. Expect a lot of material from Taylor’s first two albums, as well as new songs from the upcoming A Crooked Line: The Field Guide and Coloring Book.

“I love the idea of the music festival and all the money going to another village,” says Gileah. She considers writing a song called “Give Big” for the festival, but assures me that “The Satellite”—from Ghost Train—fits right in with what the organization hopes to achieve. “From the satellite the earth looks so bright/Let’s make it shine tonight…”

The new album will be released later this year. Gileah says it’s “a little more spiritual. The last one was more ‘adult-alternative,’ a little more rock than I’m used to. This takes a step sideways in more of a Fiona Apple, earthier direction. This is more acoustic, although it will have a full band.” The accompanying book is a compilation of writings from the people who inspired her—her preacher father and friends of her husband, musician Chris Taylor. “I’m most inspired by writers, and this follows the spiritual themes of the record.”

Gileah and other Give Big artists—Waddle and Dread Clampitt, for sure—will perform at Seaside’s Central Square Records for National Record Store Day April 18. “This is a day for local artists to give people a taste of their music and actually entice them enough to buy a CD,” she says.

Donnie Sundal, who was voted Best Keyboardist by Beachcomber readers last fall, plays at 4 p.m. Drummer Fred Domulot will join Sundal, along with some possible “surprise” guests. “We’ll be doing original stuff, a couple reggae songs—a Bob Marley tune I’m redoing,” says Sundal. “And the normal funky stuff we do.”

Sundal’s wife Jennifer is the entertainment consultant for Give Big. “That’s how I found about it,” he says. “It wasn’t hard for her to find me! As you know, I love the Wailers, so it’s going to be fun opening up for them. Musicians get asked to do charity events all the time. I’ve done tons of them, for the American Heart Association, the Hundred Friends benefit at Alys Beach for the Children’s Volunteer Health Network.”

For Jennifer, Give Big is unique because of its global and local aspects. “I’ve never really gotten involved with a full event, but this is amazing,” she says. “You’re not seeing all the money being spent on lobster dinners. All the money is going where it’s supposed to go. Donnie and I are really enthusiastic about supporting this.”

Dread Clampitt, the Beachcomber Award Winners for Best Band, are scheduled for 5:15. At press time, the band members were bringing their infectious newgrass sounds to the Suwanee music festival and could not be reached for comment.

Tickets for the Give Big music festival are only $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 12 to 17. Children under 12 will be admitted free with donation of one canned food item and a child-sized toothbrush. For more information, visit www.givebigdestinflorida.com.

FRIENDS OF THE BEAT
Randy Sherwood, the go-to saxophone man around these parts, has some excellent new videos posted at www.youtube.com/user/SaxyGuyDestin. A big thanks to Randy for the hardcover copy of The Devil’s Horn, a fascinating history of the sax by Michael Segell…Thanks to CJ Peake for sending us a copy of his rocking CD, Melancholy Baby. You can catch him solo acoustic on Pompano Joe’s new deck Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Fridays at Cabana Cafe, 7:30-11:30 p.m.; and Sundays at Scully’s, 4-8 p.m.

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