Yard Dogs return from Midwest tour
While you can take the Yard Dogs out of Pine Island, it seems you can’t take Pine Island out of the Yard Dogs. Home from a five-week tour of the Midwest, members of this popular island trio shared a taste of Pine Island and Matlacha with thousands of audience goers in Wisconsin, Indiana and up-state New York.
“Each year that we have done this tour, we ask our audience who has ever heard of Matlacha and Pine Island. It was just incredible the show of hands we got nearly everywhere we played this year,” said band member Kip Lawrence. “It is amazing how so many people now know about our part of the world. Over the years, we have done our best to share our homes with northern audiences, not for any personal gain, but then, why not encourage people to come here.”
One way the Yard Dogs use to introduce northern audiences to Pine Island is through music.
“During our shows we will tell our audience a little something about Matlacha and Pine Island and follow it up with songs we have written,” said Lawrence. “We begin with a trip over the bridge into Matlacha with songs like Matlacha Rebox and Matlacha Moon. We then take listeners to the four-way stop and follow it up with songs about Bokeelia and St. James City.”
Evidence of those discovering Pine Island and Matlacha came in the form of wardrobes.
“When we play at places like the Wisconsin State Fair and smaller venues like a private party called Markelstock on a farm in Indiana, we were amazed at how many people showed up wearing Yard Dog hats and shirts as well as shirts from Matlacha and Pine Island,” Lawrence said. “What was even more amazing was how so many people actually knew the words to some of our songs.”
A blend of work and play, band member Brian Travis said there were two performances in particular that he will never forget.
“The entire tour was amazing, but two shows stand out. One of which is Waterfest in Oshkosh, Wis.,” Travis said. “We were scheduled to be the first of three acts to play so we got there early to set up. I couldn’t believe that a half hour before the show, people began lining up to get in. Before the gates were open there were people lined up down the street and around the block. I was told that more than 3,000 people came to see us play.
“The other memorable performance was the opportunity to play a smaller venue at Barnacle Buds in Milwaukee. We packed the house with so many fans who came from as far away as Boston just to see us. Another great time was the gig at Markelstock when 300 people came for three days. They stayed in campers, pitched tents and shared covered dishes. It was something to see.”
According to Travis, the group added an additional stop this year in a small town near Buffalo New York, playing at the Colden Lakes Resort.
“This gig was special because we were asked to play at the resort by the owner who had seen us once at Pinchers Crab Shack here in Florida,” said Travis.
Not just fun and games, Travis also said that a five-week tour is a lot of hard work.
“I think the hardest part of the trip was our 11-day job at the Wisconsin State Fair,” Travis said. “We played every day and over one particular weekend we played for a total of 18 hours over a three-day period.”
While Lawrence and Travis made their way back to the island, the third member of the band, Charlie Kuchler, spent additional time on the road to perform his solo act at two locations in Ohio.
“My first gig was at the home of a couple of snowbirds from St. James City. It was a private party on a lake in Columbiana, Ohio, and they dubbed the event Mardi Gras Monday,” Kuchler said. “My second performance also had a Pine Island connection. I played at a little bar much like Bert’s in Matlacha in Williamsburg, Ohio. Here, too, the couple who own the bar had seen be at Woody’s in St. James City and booked me to play when I would be here with the Yard Dogs.”
Among Kuchler’s favorite experiences while on tour, involved airplanes.
“If I had to pick one thing that I recall stood out for me, it would be playing at the EAA Fly-in in Oshkosh. It is the largest fly-in in the world,” Kuchler said. “I couldn’t believe I was watching everything from bombers to single-seater aircraft landing on a tiny airstrip. It was just amazing knowing the pilots were coming in from all over the world.”
Kuchler can be seen every Monday evening performing his solo act at Woody’s Waterside in St. James City, and the Yard Dogs will be at Bert’s every other Wednesday as well as other venues on Pine Island, Cape Coral and Fort Myers Beach to entertain audiences with their special blend of cajun, zydeco, Florida swamp music.
For more information and performance dates visit theyarddogs.com