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It's Mardi Gras Time In Dunedin Again

Photo from the Vodkanauts

Mark Warren, left, and Jonathan Harrison will perform with the Vodkanauts at the Mardi Gras in Dunedin on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The Gumbo Boogie Band will also perform.

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By Cheryl  Bentley | The Suncoast News

Published: February 14, 2009

Mardi Gras Dunedin style is set to set toes tapping with the hot sounds of two bands.

This year, the 18th annual Mardi Gras in Dunedin, set for Tuesday, Feb. 24, will feature two of the event's favorites, the Gumbo Boogie Band and the Vodkanauts. Both groups have played at previous Dunedin Mardi Gras.

The Gumbo Boogie Band will open the entertainment with a two-hour set at 5:30 p.m. The parade will follow, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. The headlining Vodkanauts will hit the stage at 9 p.m. and play until 11.

The Vodkanauts cover the musical spectrum, from Sinatra to surf rock. "We deny genre," said founder Mark Warren.

The band's performances are high energy, Warren said. "It's the surf crowd and Rat Pack together," he said, referring to the 1950s and 1960s nightclub style popularized by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. "I love Dean Martin as much as I love Dick Dale."

Dale, the "King of Surf Guitar," is a pioneer in surf rock, a combination of surf music and rock.

Dale is particularly important to the band because its first gig was to open for him in 2002 at the state fair.

The audience reaction was so positive they decided to make it permanent, Warren noted.

Warren, manager at Skipper's Smokehouse Restaurant & Oyster Bar, one of the Suncoast's best known live music venues, has his finger on the region's entertainment pulse.

The five-member band's music appeals to many tastes, he noted. "We've just accumulated and added on music, instead of switching to the latest fad. Our latest fad ended in 1972."

The Gumbo Boogie Band will add a touch of Louisiana to the celebration. According to percussionist Chaz Trippy, the band is one of the few Creole-Cajun-zydeco bands in the state.

"We do the gamut from Cajun to Mardi Gras," he said. In addition, to other instruments, Trippy plays the rub board, or washboard, an instrument often used in zydeco, a form of African American Creole.

Trippy played on Southern rock legend Gregg Allman's "I'm No Angel" and "Just Before the Bullets Fly" albums.

Gumbo Boogie often plays at area events and has also performed at Skipper's Smokehouse.

Trippy warns Dunedin to expect a spirited performance. "We're going to slay them," he said.

The lowdown

The 2009 edition of Dunedin Mardi Gras will be on Main Street 5 - 11 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24. In addition to the parade and entertainment, it will feature food and beverages, including beer and wine.

Cheryl Bentley can be reached at 727-815-1069 cbentley@suncoastnews.com.

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