Key West Side Tracks

Musician Tim Williams joined Keys Weekly digital editor Gwen Filosa on the Key West Side Tracks podcast for a deep dive on one of the most endearing and enduring albums of the past half century: August and Everything After by Counting Crows.  The Tim Williams Band is headed to the Key West Theater on Monday, Aug. 12, to perform August and 30 Years After: A Counting Crows Tribute.  Tim arrived in Key West in July to play shows in Key West and dropped by the Weekly’s office on Stock Island. From “Mr. Jones” to “Anna Begins,” Tim and Gwen go song-by-song sharing what they find meaningful in the roots rock staple.  Tim and his band will play in its entirety the smash debut album by Counting Crows, released Sept. 14, 2023, to rave reviews and eventually sold seven times platinum.  As he introduced Counting Crows on his show in 1994, David Letterman said, "And I’m telling you something, if you don’t have a copy of this, there’s something wrong with you.” Key West Side Tracks is presented by the Keys Weekly Newspapers, the only locally owned and operated media outlet in the Florida Keys. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gwen Filosa hosts the podcast, with a wide-ranging guest list that includes touring musicians as they make stops in Key West, along with local creatives. Key West Side Tracks is available wherever you find podcasts.  keysweekly.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liza Jane, a singer-songwriter from Key West, is currently living in Los Angeles where she writes songs, performs and works on a career that has taken off with hits, music videos and live shows -- including playing Hollywood's Viper Room and Troubadour.  She started singing at age 2 and never looked back, later becoming a classically trained musician who lived in Nashville before moving to L.A. Today, her original songs "Unbreakable," "Sacrifice" and "Man or the Monster" are successes in the electronic dance music world. lizajanesmusic.com Key West Side Tracks, presented by the Keys Weekly Newspapers, is hosted by digital editor Gwen Filosa, a Pulitzer Prize winner who has covered the Keys for 13 years.  If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review on wherever you find podcasts.  keysweekly.com    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joy Nulisch, of Key West, is a true "Conch," as those born and raised on the island are known. She joined Gwen to talk about the legendary, near-professional level of the Key West High School Conch baseball program, the island's tight-knit, familial community that welcomes tourists and transplants without hesitation, adopting her dog, Tito, and what it's like retiring from the Monroe County School District after 35 years on the job. Key West Side Tracks is hosted by Gwen Filosa, Keys Weekly digital editor and Pulitzer Prize winner for her part of covering the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. Keys Weekly is the only locally owned and operated news organization in the Florida Keys.  keysweekly.com The Keys Weekly Newspaper's three editions -- Key West, Marathon and Upper Keys -- publish every Thursday. Check out keysweekly.com. No paywalls, no email sign-ups required.  joynulisch.com The Bring Joy podcast, hosted by Joy Nulisch s available anywhere podcasts are found.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director Noah Salzman and actor Germain Arroyo join Gwen to talk about their film 'Clocked' (2023), the story of Adolfo, an 18-year-old Puerto Rican boxer who fears being accepted as transgender by his conservative Catholic family. 'Clocked,' at its heart a sweet film about family ties and self-acceptance, has made the film festival rounds, including in Key West, Miami and Sedona, to rave reviews. Salzman said they're now looking for a distributor to release the film to the public.  keysweekly.com Photo: Writer-director Noah Salzman, Germain Arroyo and Danell Leyva on the set of Clocked. Clocked photo  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florida Keys Film Commissioner Chad Newman joins Gwen to talk about Hollywood's long-term relationship with the Keys.   The much-anticipated Bad Monkey, based on the Carl Hiaasen novel, was shot in Key West. Starring Vince Vaughn and produced by Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Shrinking), the 10-episode comedy series premieres Aug. 14 on Apple TV. Key West Side Tracks is produced by the Keys Weekly Newspapers, a locally owned and operated news organization with the largest print circulation in the Keys.  keysweekly.com    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Menta is a chef, a rum distiller, a competitive kite-boarder and the guy who put together a second-line parade in memory of Jimmy Buffett within 16 hours of the announcement that the legendary singer-songwriter had died Sept. 1, 2023.  Now, Paul is among the Key West locals starring in the season premiere of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, which airs May 27 at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel. Paul joined Gwen to talk about how he did battle with celebrity chef Ramsay in a final cooking showdown.  Photo credit: National Geographic Channel    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nancy Klingener, the community affairs manager for the Monroe County Public Library, joins Gwen to talk about how she keeps the library's events, history archives and many no-cost services in the spotlight via social media.  Nancy, a veteran journalist in Key West for 30 years for numerous news organizations, took here talents to the Keys library system to in August 2022.  Since then, she's posted fantastic Twitter threads on Keys history that brings to life the greatest hits from the island chain, including before and after photos of Keys landmarks, oddball crimes, Duval Street arrivals and closings, and the sponging era. For the historic photo of a man holding his enormous catch of sponges from the ocean, Nancy is grateful AI hasn't created a scent feature.         See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Undercovers present Rogers, Richie & Robinson: the songs of Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson like you've never heard them before.  World-class singers Luke McMaster, Kevin Pauls and Joel Parisien are on tour, reimagining songs that have become the soundtrack of our lives in astonishing harmonies. Classics like Smokey Robinson's "Cruising", Kenny Rogers' “The Gambler” and Lionel Ritchie's "Endless Love" are just a few on their playlist. Smokey Robinson has called the group's “Ooh Baby Baby” the best cover of his song he’s ever heard. Discover the stories about the songs and the songwriters, and the connections between them.  The Undercovers are scheduled to perform at the Key West Theater on May 11. Tickets https://thekeywesttheater.com/e/?event=537138  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He's from Key West! Local hip-hop artist Mike Stack stopped by Keys Weekly's office the other day to tell Side Tracks host Gwen Filosa about his upcoming performance at the Key West Songwriters Festival, which starts May1, how he landed the opening act spot for Billy Currington's June 7 show at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater, and what it was like rapping on top of Sloppy Joe's Bar on Duval Street with D-Lew for thousands of people below on New Year's Eve.  The episode opens with Mike Stack's island anthem, "I'm From Key West." @iammikestack on Tik Tok and Instagram Search for Mike Stack on all streaming platforms.  keysweekly.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Berg, manager of Books & Books at The Studios of Key West, joins Gwen Filosa for a chat about whether audiobooks count as reading, the store's Banned Books display, the disturbing and endless success of V.C. Andrews and Go Ask Alice, Independent Bookstore Day is April 27, 2024, and the sheer horror of 1999's The Blair Witch Project.  Key West Side Tracks is presented by The Keys Weekly Newspapers. Check out keysweekly.com for the top news, sports and entertainment stories in the Florida Keys. No paywalls. Locally-owned and operated in the Keys.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.