Sinking the Vandenberg: Discovering a Southern Paradise and The Ark Band

Thursday, May 28, 2009

By Ric

I got an invitation several weeks ago from Sam Maher, the booking agent for a Columbus, Ohio based reggae band called The Ark Band, to cover a couple of their performances as part of The Sinking of the Vandenberg in Key West. The USNS Vandenberg is a decommissioned World War II troop transport that was sunk off the coast of Key West yesterday, May 27, to create an artificial reef. Happily, I accepted and made plans to drive down with my girlfriend.

It was my first time driving down to Key West. We drove down the Florida Turnpike until it ends on US1, and as soon as we passed the Starbucks in Florida City the landscape shifted drastically and Miami's urban landscape turned into the Florida Key's tropical paradise. We travelled across the 150 miles of bridges and waterside roads, and were mesmerized by how the water heaves right up to the streets.

The beach-worn, pastel-colored homes that litter the various keys only add to the laid-back feel of the trip. "Last Chance Saloon" or "Southernmost Boat Rental" are all major selling points of the small shops clustered together along US1.

Key West is an old-style city with the flare of new school attitudes. Since it was first "discovered" by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1521, it's 450+ years of history is rife with the things that children's stories are written from. Pirates, riches, evil dictators, and, best of all, a massive independence streak.

We passed some iconic sites on the way to The Ark Band's first gig at Island Dogs Bar: Ernest Hemmingway's house, the Little White House, Sloppy Joe's, Margaritaville, and so many more it's amazing to think that it can all be squeezed into 6 square miles.

After parking, we walked up to the cabana-style, open-aired building known as Island Dogs Bar, whose motto is, "Come As You Are." Off to my right I spot a tall, dreded man carrying a guitar case, who I'd come to know as Eustace Bobb, bassist for The Ark Band, and their agent Sam. I walked over, introduced myself, and they both gave me fist bumps and excused themselves to finish loading in.

Eustace, who I would guess must be in his 50's, immediately struck me with his calm and friendly demeanor, eventhough his band had driven for 2 days, their van broke down, and then they spent who knows how much money to rent another van and trailer; it all seemed to fall off his back.

I followed the two inside and grabbed a spot in front of the area where they'd play. Sam walked over and pointed out the guys: Eustace's brother, Terry Bobb on drums, lead singer and guitarist Mark, their other guitarist Reggie, and, my favorite, keyboardist Gaboo Mondesir. He told me that Eustace and Terry are from St. Lucia in the Carribean and they've been on the road for almost 25 years.

Gaboo, 61, is also from St. Lucia. In the late 80's, he was part of a successful reggae band called Identity, which signed a three album deal with Island Records. Two albums were released, but he eventually moved on with his life and got a day job. His love of music was too much and he joined The Ark Band to hit the road and play music again.

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Each member has their own unique story, but The Ark Band centers around the two brothers, lovingly known as the St. Lucian Riddim Twins. With The Ark Band playing a reggae version of Steve Miller's The Joker, Sam told me that Terry "went dred" in 1974, and came to the United States shortly after Terry and his friends were jailed for their Rastafarian beliefs. The brothers were sent to Brooklyn to live with their Grandparents and took their surname Bobb.

They formed The Ark Band in 1987, and have been playing and touring ever since. The lineup changes regularly, and when I asked Sam how they find their members, he said, "they kind of just appear."

During my interview with Mark (which I'll post later), I was told if you talk about reggae in Columbus, you're talking about The Ark Band. Musically, it's obvious to see why. Twenty-five years of regular gigging has formed the band into one of the most cohesive units I've ever seen; with a rhythm section comprised of two brothers, it would be impossible for them not to be. The musical highlights are filled in by Gaboo and guitarist Reggie, all while Mark belts out jam after jam.

After talking with Sam and catching a good portion of the guys' set, I took a stroll down Duvall Street. Even though it's really late on a Monday night, the roads and sidewalks were filled with people. Almost every bar and corner had some musical happening. On one street corner I talked to a conga player who moved down from Harlem 6 months before to play music in the streets of Key West. In one saloon a middle-aged man played covers of Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley. Sloppy Joe's was filled to the brim with people that waited to catch a nu-metal band.

Key West is filled with art and music, the streets bustling with the sites and sounds of a city filled with life and people who care about the arts.

We headed back to The Ark Band, caught a couple more songs, and called it a night.

Unfortunately, it rained all through Tuesday, and eventually my girlfriend and I escaped to get a couple of slices of chocolate-covered key lime pie on a stick, walked around the Little White House, and got to a Sinking the Vandenberg cocktail party on a series of piers behind the Westin Resort.

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That night The Ark Band was playing at Schooner Wharf Bar. As the guys did their thing and had the crowd out of their seats and dancing, I was able to speak with owner Evalena Worthington. The Schooner Wharf Bar, whose motto is "The last little piece of Old Key West," is no better example of Key West life and culture.

Schooner Wharf Bar is host to several extremely specific Key West events, including the Schooner Wharf Minimal Regatta and the Schooner Wharf Wrecker's Cup Race.

More then anything, Evalena stressed that Schooner Wharf Bar is the home of the old culture of Key West. Most of the time the Bar is filled with old Conchs (people born in Key West), where they discuss business and the like. That, in her opinion, is the old culture: people doing business and talking--the essence of a laid-back attitude.

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The night after the show at Schooner Wharf Bar, I met up with The Ark Band in their hotel room and spent a good deal of time with the guys, especially with Mark. I transcribed the interview, that I'm going to post later, but mainly I got to know a great group of guys who care about music as a life passion.

The trip out of Key West was like a sigh, leaving a paradise to return to the hustle of Miami.

I really want to thank Sam and wish the best to The Ark Band. Visit their website, www.thearkband.com, or their myspace, www.myspace.com/thearkbandcolumbus.

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Tags: Sinking the USNS Vandenberg, The Ark Band

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 1:45 pm and is filed under Counter-Culture, Events, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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