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By Rodger Skidmore Sounds of summer That’s a good question — what are the sounds of summer? It used to be, up north or in the Midwest, crickets. This year, while many would say cicadas, others might just say millions of sighs of relief. Since individual sighs are kind of short and summer, especially in […]
Still drumming up a Siesta Beach sensation A: It was originally started by David Gittens, a local polymath who organized a full moon drumming ceremony in 1993 by the site of the “grandmother tree” on the south end of Siesta Key. It was attended by nearly a dozen drummers and one dancer and was led […]
Take lots of notes, students! Q: You are the general music and orchestra director at Siesta Key’s Out-of-Door Academy’s lower school, where you’ve spent 38 years. Tell us about your path that landed you there. A: “I started teaching general music in the Grand Rapids, Michigan public schools, where I taught for eight years and […]
The first moving pictures were actually taken with still cameras — a series of them were lined up along a race track. When the horses charged by, the lead horse broke threads attached to the camera’s shutters. The resulting photographs were then printed on individual cards and, when rapidly viewed one after another (flipped), the […]
“Songs in the Siesta Key of Life” Q: You have reached some lofty accomplishments in the music business. Share with us some of the most significant. A: “To answer this question is difficult because my involvement in the music industry has been very unique and varied as far as switching between studio work, being a […]
By Rodger Skidmore Sweltering-in-place Going from bad to worse: Sweltering – in one place – with the same people/no people. There must be a solution here in Sarasota to this ongoing, and re-occurring, dilemma – and, thankfully, there is. The Beaches. And, praise be, there are lots of them from which to choose – with […]
Rumor Has It By Charmaine Engelsman-Robins It isn’t often that someone sounds convincing when they say, “Money isn’t everything,” but in the case of Rumor Has It bass player Brian King, it rings true. “It’s hard to make a living playing music here,” Brian notes. “What they’re actually paying you for is setting everything up […]
Mike Tozier is so much a part of Siesta Key that you’re almost sure to discover him if you make the rounds of the Key’s clubs that offer live music. His popularity with audiences old and new keeps him working steadily at Gilligan’s, SKOB (Siesta Key Oyster Bar), the Hub Baja Grill, the Island House […]