Justin Kase Say Goodbye to Yesterdays
By Chris Manson August 14, 2003 Issue

“We’re celebrating our 70th straight night without a day off,” bassist/vocalist Dale Voitel said at the Dock O’the Bay the other evening. He and longtime friend Teddy Lehmann (guitar/vocals) make up the duo Justin Kase. Their repertoire covers the fabulous ‘50s, current radio favorites and just about everything in between.

“We actually have a drummer and guitar player for the big gigs,” Voitel said. “When we played out at Hightide, Doug Dickerson played guitar and Randy Whitaker was on drums. Those guys are bad to the bone.” At the popular Okaloosa Island hangout, MIDI technology provides percussion and additional instrumentation.

Justin Kase’s set list included the old Lemon Pipers hit Green Tambourine, noticeable for its absence of tambourine. The Dock O’the Bay crowd responded to a Creedence medley of Green River and Susie Q by doing some freak-me dancing. The band’s funky rendition of Billy Preston’s ‘70s chart topper Will It Go Round in Circles made me want to get up and dance like Rerun from What’s Happening!!

Lehmann offered the sweaty dancers some moist towelettes before Voitel introduced a special guest. “Bubba Ted’s gonna do a rap song,” Voitel announced, and Lehmann donned a funny hat and thick glasses to sing Jim Stafford’s novelty favorite Spiders and Snakes. Lehmann comes from Mossy Head, and says the character Bubba Ted is a composite of some of his neighbors.

The guitar hero demonstrated his chops on Frank Zappa’s My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama. “This is off the Weasels Ripped the Flesh Off My Face album,” Voitel said.

“Good album!” the guy sitting in front of me yelled.

Next, Justin Kase dedicated a “very special song” to a young lady named Lori. Voitel lent some unusual phrasing to Garth Brooks’ The Dance, and it wasn’t until the end of the song that a couple made their way out to the floor for a slow dance. Voile urged the couple to stick around before they unleashed a revved-up Don’t Be Cruel—Lehman’s “forget the past/before I smack your ass“ indicates that the guy’s knowledge of Elvis Presley goes way beyond the 30 #1 Hits CD.

“Teddy’s all time favorite is Elvis and mine are the Beatles,” Voitel said. “And I have to mention Yes. They inspired me to play bass. I used to go to friends’ parties with my copy of Fragile and put it on after they played their Doobie Brothers albums.” Voitel recalls meeting the Yes bassist Chris Squire while he was working at a music store in South Bend, Ind. “I couldn’t believe it! They were in town on the Close to the Edge tour (1973), and my idol came in. I sold him a guitar.”

Justin Kase carried on with more good time oldies—a pleasant, de-psychedelicized take on Tommy James’ Crystal Blue Persuasion, a bouncy Love Me Do and a lively Mustang Sally. They encouraged everyone to sing along with the Grass Roots’ Let’s Live for Today. Even the widely detested group America’s Sister Golden Hair got a decent overhaul. Their version of the Zombies’ Time of the Season came complete with those exhales familiar to fans of oldies radio.

Voitel sang his heart out on Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA. Then a guy requested The Asshole Song, which Justin Kase didn’t know. “Get us a copy and we’ll learn it,” Voitel said. “And bring me a beer.” It was great to hear the Beatles’ I’ll Follow the Sun—so appropriate for the Gulf Coast, I’m surprised nobody else does it. The guys switched gears for an ‘80s tune, the Cars’ My Best Friend’s Girl—Lehmann had a lot of fun singing this one.

Lehmann and Voitel took a stab at Dion’s Runaround Sue, then did the required Eagles song, Take It Easy. There was a nice tribute to the late June Carter Cash—Lehmann did an amusing impersonation of the Man in Black on Ring of Fire, the tune June co-wrote with Merle Kilgore. Lehmann got into some serious guitar pyrotechnics on Black Magic Woman, and segued into some solid country picking on a clever arrangement of Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues. Finally, the guys were ready for a break.

“We got to town in ’84 with a band called Charade,” Voitel said. “We used to play at Jason’s, which is where Sapphire’s is now. We played at Marina Bay for a couple years. We were the first band to open the Holiday Inn in Fort Walton Beach (now the Radisson)—that used to be the hippest, coolest place. We played there with Chubby Checker, the Shirelles and a bunch of other oldies groups.”

Working with oldies acts paved the way for their next gig. In 1990, they became the Great Pretenders and appeared regularly at Yesterday’s in Destin.

“The band phased out when the place turned into Chuck E. Cheese. We’re not what you’d call a PG-rated’ band.” Voitel played at 98 West while Lehmann finished out his contract at Yesterday’s. Now the duo appears at Dock O’the Bay Monday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, they alternate between Barracuda’s and Vic’s in Navarre.

“The Great Pretenders had a reunion when the new Yesterday’s opened in 2000,” Voitel said. “But it was so corporate, that was pretty much the end of the band.”

While Voitel and Lehmann admit that keeping up with today’s Top 40 is difficult, these fun-loving musicians managed to work Jimmy Eat World’s 2002 smash The Middle into their second set. (Top)

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