LIVE FROM JACKSONVILLE! with Amadeus
99.9 Gator Country morning show host Amadeus shares stories that did not make it on the air, and he takes a deeper dive into those that did make the cut. Fans of Your Hometown Morning Show will enjoy a more behind the scenes look at what goes into the making of a country radio morning show. Listen daily for this PG-13 version of the top stories making pop culture headlines, artist interviews, and much , much more.
LIVE FROM JACKSONVILLE! with Amadeus
EXCITING EVENTS IN JACKSONVILLE, ALTON BROWN'S CULINARY SHOW, AND THE BRONX WANDERERS' STORY!
Wondering how to make the most of Jacksonville's vibrant event scene? Get ready to uncover exciting upcoming shows and performances with insights from Cody Gates, the marketing coordinator at the St. Augustine Amphitheater. We've got the scoop on everything from the adrenaline-pumping Professional Bull Riders at Vice Star Veterans Memorial Arena to dazzling performances by Taylor Shines the Laser Spectacular. But that's not all—Cody also shares the buzz about the Sing Out Loud Festival, Peter Pan's magical rendition by the FSCJ Artist Series, and major concerts at Daily's Place featuring the legendary Rod Stewart. Plus, discover how partnerships like Live Wildly are harmonizing the local music scene with environmental consciousness.
Ever wondered about the quirks of sourcing the perfect avocado or the thrill of a live culinary show? Join us as we chat with culinary maestro Alton Brown about his upcoming vaudeville-inspired culinary variety show at the Florida Theater. From sharing his personal anecdotes on tour dining experiences to reflecting on his latest book "Food for Thought," Alton's infectious enthusiasm will leave you craving more. And, catch up with Vinny and Vinny from The Bronx Wanderers as they share heartfelt stories of their musical journey and the role of family in their success. This episode is a delightful medley of entertainment, culinary insights, and personal reflections that promise to keep you entertained and inspired.
Hey, thanks for checking out episode two of Live from Jacksonville. I am Amadeus. We've got three guests on our show today, including Cody Gates from the St Augustine Amphitheater, the Bronx Wanderers who will be at the Florida Theater this week and Alton Brown, who will be in town on Valentine's Night. Let's talk about what's happening in the next few weeks in Jacksonville. Professional Bull Riders is coming back to Vice Star Veterans Memorial Arena on February 22nd and 23rd. If you've never seen PBR it is so much fun you should definitely check that out Over at the Thrasher Horn Center in Middleburg. Wow, they have got a ton coming up in the next week or two. Super Bowl Sunday Taylor Shines the Laser Spectacular I actually had tickets to that, didn't realize it was Super Bowl Sunday. Taylor Shines the Laser Spectacular I actually had tickets to that, didn't realize it was Super Bowl night. But I really really want to check out that. If you're a Taylor fan, you got to check that out. That's at the Thrasher Horns Center. Also, ozark Mountain Daredevils are going to be there on Wednesday, february 12th and Larry the Cable Guy on March 6th at the Thrasher Horn Center. Check out thcenterorg for tickets to all of those shows.
Speaker 1:The FSCJ Artist Series presents Peter Pan, the hit Broadway musical. That's February 18th through the 23rd. I went to see the American ELO called Evil Woman last night. What an amazing show. I really hope that show comes back to town because I want to see it again. I'm a huge ELO and Jeff Lynne fan and we had such a great time. So thanks to the Artist Series for bringing that into town. Check out fscjartistseriesorg for all the shows coming in to purchase your tickets. Rod Stewart returns to Daily's Place on February 25th. That show's almost sold out, so get your tickets today if you want some. And Jimmy Buffett's Choral Reefer Band will be at Daly's on March 15th. The show is called Keep the Party Going, a tribute to Jimmy Buffett, and if you're a parrot head, you definitely need to be checking that out. Tickets for both shows are on sale at daly'splacecom. Joining me right now is Cody Gates, marketing coordinator for the St Augustine Amphitheater. And Cody, what exactly is that job?
Speaker 2:We're kind of like the front line and getting the word out about our shows here and you know, not just at the Amph but for you know all of our brands Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, fort Mose Jazz and Blues Series, sing Out Loud Festival so we're kind of constantly working on just getting our name out there.
Speaker 1:Man Sing Out Loud Festival this year. What a show.
Speaker 2:Well what a couple nights of shows. Yeah, it's become a giant thing and we love it because we get to kind of bring these great acts here you know these ticketed events and you know get it on Francis Field. But we also get to have a lot of know local showcases at venues around saint augustine for free, um, and people just really love to get involved with that. It kind of makes the whole month well like like we call it the month of music, so you can kind of always find something to do in september. There's always a show to go see, um, and it ranges from like small scale to large scale and it's just become this whole, this whole, and it's been a lot of fun seeing it grow.
Speaker 1:When I saw Eric Church announce, I thought well, that can't be right, Somebody's made a mistake here. But it was correct and you know what Francis Field is like the perfect place for something like that. We had so much fun at that show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, francis Field has been awesome. We love just having the opportunity to really increase the capacity and get these huge artists in here. Having Eric Church and Noah Kahn together was insane. People were super excited. Like last year, we partnered with Live Wildly and it's been really great to not only, you know, again focus on the music but support a greater cause and get people involved and sort of spread that message even further. So, yeah, we're really trying to take this thing, you know, throughout the whole country and even worldwide. We're trying to reach people and get them to come visit the area and just kind of spread the word. Like we might be in a smaller town but we can bring these great acts here and have a more, you know, comfortable, feel that you might not get anywhere else.
Speaker 1:We had so much fun in the Live Wildly tent that I think they wanted to kick us out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know we were all enjoying everything. I mean, their setup was great, they were awesome to work with and we just you know we love working with them.
Speaker 2:They really came in and added their flair to it and it was just really cool to see people like getting to enjoy the music and then being able to go into their tents and their setups and just learn about. You know what they can be doing, even on an individual scale, and how they can get involved, and maybe even just finding out about you know some local parks or you know outdoor activities that they might not have even known about before.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's fun too. I mean, I've lived in Jacksonville since fourth grade and Florida is my home. I'm a self-proclaimed native, but it was fun to go in their tent and learn things that I didn't even know about Florida and it's my home state.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean it was even here for us. Obviously we knew some things just going into this partnership, but even for me it just blew my mind how many state parks we had, how big it is, how important it is. I mean you kind of know these things in the back of your mind. But to really get more of the details on it, check out some of these places, just see how much care is being put into protecting those spaces and really bringing that awareness to people. It was really impactful.
Speaker 1:In my next life. I want to explore Florida and my plan is to have a dog named Ponce de Leon, and we're going to explore the state together.
Speaker 2:I like that idea. I like that idea. I might join you on that. I'm down to check out some different places. There's so many cool little areas in Florida, I mean St Augustine. That's been a huge part for us, even in promoting our shows, and that's been a huge part for us even in promoting our shows. It's like you can come here and come and see all these shows and all these live events, but there's also so many cool spots to visit and you can make a whole trip of it. So, yeah, we really want to encourage people to just kind of get out there and see some things they might not have even known about before.
Speaker 1:Cool. Hey, can we talk about what's going on with the AMP and AXS?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, what's going on with the amp and AXS? Yeah, yeah. So we actually we're just kind of at the end of contract term with Ticketmaster. We had heard from access, you know, just started working with them and it was a great partnership. Ticketmaster was great too. But, you know, it just lined up perfectly where we could work with access and and kind of get it out into the hands of people, and we're just super excited to be able to have everything kind of set up and and start our season off with this new platform. Um, so we'll be starting. Obviously we've kind of had ticket sales up already, but alice cooper, uh, next tuesday on the 11th, will be our first show here for the season and it'll be, you know, officiallyxs platforms.
Speaker 1:When we first started working with you call them AXS, right yeah.
Speaker 2:AXS, axs, a-x-s, but yeah, axs is kind of the main term that we've been going with.
Speaker 1:We first started working with them a couple years ago. We had pretty much only worked with Ticketmaster in the past and we both know that Ticketmaster has had their share of troubles over the last couple years. But we're really excited to have some competition and I think it's going to be really great for the Amp to have this partnership.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I mean you know we got along great with Ticketmaster too, but you know the timing of it has happened to work out and it's been really great to just get our hands on some new stuff and try it out. And I know we've been working hard getting the word out there and the box office has been killing it like just getting all of these shows set up and it's been busy. But it's really exciting to kind of kick off the season with that and you know see where it goes.
Speaker 1:So you guys have Alice Cooper coming. I saw him at the Florida Theater a few years ago. He's one of those acts Ever since.
Speaker 2:Prince passed away away. I've been trying to see the legends like I don't want anymore to go without me seeing them and he is so much fun live. Yeah, he was great. Uh, I actually worked at that event, um, last year when we had it. It was. It was amazing. I mean, he's just got so much energy and I'm really looking forward to him kind of kicking the season off. I think he's just going to really start it off strong and he is, like you said, one of the legends, so to be able to kind of have him start everything off is super exciting.
Speaker 1:And then you've got Gypsy Kings on Valentine's Night, macy Gray on the 15th Gosh, that's going to be an amazing show. And Willie Nelson for two nights. Willie Nelson and family on the 19th and the 20th.
Speaker 2:Yeah, nelson for two nights Willie Nelson and family on the 19th and the 20th. Yeah, yeah, we have a a busy February. You know we're starting off strong. We're just trying to keep the schedule going. You know we want to bring a lot of different acts here and, like you said, we have Gypsy Kings on the 14th, macy Gray on the 15th, so we kind of have things going on here at the amp and then over at Fort Mose for the Jazz and blues series. So you know we're giving people all the options they could possibly need for for shows in the area. You know, whatever genre you're into, we want to want to hit that and make sure that everybody you know gets to see something they want to see. And, you know, keep it local it's. It's not like you have to drive super far if you live in the area.
Speaker 1:It's a nice easy way for people to get to see some bigger acts yeah, and that's what this podcast is all about, because between Jacksonville and St Augustine and Middleburg with the Thrasher Horn Center, we have so many amazing venues in this area and so many great shows that no one has a reason to sit on their ass at home.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree. I mean, even before I started working here, I was always looking at, you know, the St Augustine Amphitheater, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. It was like what can I see? I mean it. Looking at you know, the St Augustine Amphitheater, ponte Vedra Concert Hall, it was like what can I see? I mean, it's crazy who we were able to get here. And a lot of it is just about us, you know, making sure that the artists feel really comfortable and welcomed and showing them what you know a great little area we're in, I mean, it's hard to compete with the scenery too.
Speaker 2:So yeah, we just really strive to keep growing and growing, and we've got a lot of really great legends returning and some really cool new acts coming.
Speaker 1:Hey, before I let you go, speaking of the Ponte Vida Concert Hall. What's the latest update on that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're working hard on it. It's coming along nicely. We'll definitely have more updates out to the public once we have everything fully set in stone, but it's coming along and we're just keeping things moving. We just have been encouraging people to check out our Instagram and Facebook pages on Avidra Concert Hall. We've been posting all of the updates that we can on there, so we're definitely going to be, you know, ramping things up and keeping everybody in the loop.
Speaker 1:When the time is right for a hard hat tour. Can I get an invite?
Speaker 2:I will certainly check in and let you know. I'll talk to the powers that be and definitely let you know.
Speaker 1:That could be a lot of fun. Cody, thank you so much for your time today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you so much for having me on and I look forward to hopefully speaking with you again soon.
Speaker 1:And, by the way, that Ponte Vida concert hall is looking absolutely gorgeous. I cannot wait for it to get done. So Food Network star Alton Brown Is coming to the Florida Theater On Valentine's Night. He's joining us right now. And, alton, before I talk to you, I did a little research and found out that you have a little secret weapon In making guacamole, and that is a potato masher.
Speaker 5:But that's not a secret. You mean, everybody doesn't do that. Here's the thing is that, if you, I also rub lemon on the potato masher before I do it, because it helps to keep things from browning.
Speaker 1:See, I knew that the lemon would work like after you make it, before you put it in the fridge, squeeze a little lemon juice on it, but putting the lemon juice on the masher, great idea. So now, I've never made my own guacamole, I've always been buying it, but I've been thinking I need to start making fresh, because everything is so expensive now.
Speaker 5:No, it's so simple, it is so easy and it is so much better. Trust me, it's just about getting ripe avocados. What I try to do is I use some that are really ripe and then a few that aren't quite as ripe, so that they'll stay chunky, because some people like it a little chunky, I do. Other people want it really smooth, and if that's what you want, then they just use really ripe ones.
Speaker 1:Do you prefer California over the Haas?
Speaker 5:You know, I don't. It depends on your supply. The problem is like avocados that are coming out of Florida and the Florida varieties you just want to get them when they're really, really, really ripe, and that's just harder to do. At least where I live in Atlanta, I have a harder time getting them.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about your live show coming to the Florida Theater. I actually didn't know you did live shows.
Speaker 5:Oh wow. This is my fourth live tour show and I think this will be the third time that we have played the Florida Theater. I like to call them culinary variety shows. It's kind of like if a vaudeville truck ran into a food truck. You would get one of my shows, Hopefully a fair amount of comedy, a lot of audience interaction. We do very large, very unusual cooking demonstrations. Interaction we do very large, very unusual cooking demonstrations. Our cooking demo this time is so big that it almost doesn't fit on the stage there at the Florida. We've had to make a couple of changes to it, so they tend to be a lot of fun and you never know exactly what's going to happen, because the audience plays a huge role in the shows.
Speaker 1:Obviously it's a lot of cooking. Is there a lot of sampling?
Speaker 5:No, not a lot. No, some of the audience members will get to, but it's not like I can cook food for the whole audience, and actually there's not a whole huge amount of cooking. There's a lot of other stuff that goes on as well. I mean, there is some cooking and about 80 people in the audience will get fed some food, but that depends entirely upon volunteers who will be distributing that.
Speaker 1:Ah, gotcha, I need to find my way into the 80 volunteer section.
Speaker 5:Well, let's just say that that's going to completely depend this time on where someone's staying.
Speaker 1:Okay, so it's very random.
Speaker 5:Pretty much yeah.
Speaker 1:So is this your last tour, the last time you're going to do this kind of thing?
Speaker 5:This will be my last national tour. I had always kind of hoped. When I started doing this back in 2013, I kind of said for myself that I would do four, Four big national touring shows and this will be the fourth. So I'm going to keep my word and be done after this. I'll still do smaller shows, but this whole thing of getting on a bus and living on a bus for 12 weeks, this will be the last time.
Speaker 1:Now Cher has said that twice.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, she has. I'm just going to say it this once All right, perfect, perfect.
Speaker 1:What's your favorite thing about doing these kind of tours?
Speaker 5:Oh, the audiences, Absolutely the audiences. It's the whole reason that I do it. I mean, it's real simple to stay in some big, dark studio and make TV shows, but you don't have that audience there to work with you and enjoy the evening with you. That means that I can do a show 60 nights in a row practically, and it's a different show every night because of the audience. That's the only real reason that anybody would want to put themselves through something like this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've actually been to a couple of, I would say, non-concert shows at the Florida Theater, including seeing Neil deGrasse Tyson, and we talked to him right before a show and he said the same thing. Like every show is different because the audiences are different every night.
Speaker 5:Absolutely, he's right, and so I noticed you went to his shows, but you haven't been to one of my shows.
Speaker 1:I know I'm so sorry.
Speaker 5:No, that's all right, I will not. It's totally fine. Neil deGrasse Tyson, I went to his show, but I didn't go to your show. No, I get it. I will not Listening to somebody talk about the freaking universe for three hours.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, that's good, that food lover too. So I'm embarrassed that that's the truth, but I will not make that mistake again, because Well you should be embarrassed.
Speaker 5:We can make tickets appear for you, Amadeus. If that's a problem, we can make that happen. I have that power.
Speaker 1:I will not make the mistake again. I know this is your last tour, so Valentine's night it is. This is it, man? I now have a date with Alton Brown.
Speaker 5:Well, tell me about your book Food for Thought. Food for Thought released today. I'm up in New York City doing press for that. It's a collection, my first collection of essays 39 essays. I illustrated it and it's available today from all fine booksellers Really excited about it. After writing nine cookbooks, this is my first selection of essays, my first prose book.
Speaker 1:What made you want to do more of an essay book than another cookbook?
Speaker 5:I absolutely didn't want to do an essay book. I was actually doing maintenance on a manual typewriter that I used to write the book and I had a sticky key on the typewriter. So I oiled it and I had to put some paper in the machine and kind of just type a bit to work out the key and a couple hours later I had the first essay from the book. I had no idea what happened and I just kind of left the paper on the table and I came back a couple days later and read it and I'm like I don't know who this person is, but I like the writing. I sent it to my literary agent. He's like, yeah, keep doing this. And so I sat down for four months and read the rest of the book.
Speaker 1:That is an amazing story. Did you write the rest of it on that typewriter?
Speaker 5:Yes, yeah, the typewriter that's on the cover of the book. That's what I wrote the book on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is available, I guess anywhere people buy books.
Speaker 5:I think pretty much you know, and that place called Amazon has it too.
Speaker 1:So Amazon, Amazon. I've seen Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Speaker 5:It's kind of a thing, yeah, I haven't heard of that yet.
Speaker 1:Well, Alton, we are very, very excited. I'm excited that you're coming because now I have plans for Valentine's Day. I didn't before.
Speaker 5:Well, you know this is where I'm going to be, so you might as well be there with me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's your last tour. I've got to see you now, before it's too late.
Speaker 5:This is it before I do my Vegas residency, you know, because that's what you do, right? You do your last tour and then you just get to play Vegas for six months.
Speaker 1:And then, a year later, you do your second last tour.
Speaker 5:Yeah, no, I'm going to skip that one. I think I'll sit out. My second farewell to work.
Speaker 1:Are there any new TV shows coming down the pike for you?
Speaker 5:Not for me. No, not right now. I'm concentrated I'm not saying that that won't happen, but between the book and the live show. I enjoy right now doing the live shows more than I enjoy doing TV. So I'm going to do that and then I'm going to take a long vacation and figure out if I want to do more TV or not.
Speaker 1:Hey, one last question before I let you go. When you travel, do you eat at local restaurants or do you like to make your own food wherever you're going?
Speaker 5:I love getting the local chow. Getting the local chow. I typically can only do so after the show every night because I have to be so careful about what I eat before I do one of the shows because if I get sick, bad things happen for the show. But every night after the show we order in food from every place that we can get it that's open at that time of night so that I can kind of sample the local fare.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I'm sure you know there's a great little Italian joint right next to the Florida Theater and we go there for pizza normally before shows.
Speaker 5:It is so good, I do know this, and the last time that I played there I want to say they were closed the last time that I was there. So I'm hoping that they'll be open on Valentine's, but I mean everybody's open on Valentine's right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. Just get your pizza before the show starts, then you'll have it for afterwards.
Speaker 5:Oh, trust me, and then I'll have something to look forward to in the bus.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. You'll be rushing through your show like I gotta get to my pizza.
Speaker 5:I gotta get to that pizza. That is pretty much my favorite food group.
Speaker 1:Alton Brown, the Last Bite Tour going to be at the Florida Theater on Valentine's Night. Tickets are available at floridatheatercom. We are so excited to see you. I promise you I will not miss this show we're going to talk.
Speaker 5:If you do, I'll talk to Neil deGrasse.
Speaker 1:Tyson too, and he'll give you some crap as well. Elton, thank you so much for your time this morning. It was great chatting with you, Great meeting you.
Speaker 5:Thanks.
Speaker 1:Alton Brown is not the only one at the Florida Theater this weekend. The Bronx Wanderers will be there on Wednesday, February 12th. Tickets start at just $25. And I had a chance to catch up with Vinny and Vinny from the band.
Speaker 3:We're just so looking forward to coming back.
Speaker 1:I was just on your Facebook page checking out some videos. You guys look like so much fun.
Speaker 4:We have fun. It's a good time.
Speaker 3:It's been 21 years now now, so it really is.
Speaker 1:Everybody kind of has it down now, finally, for those that have never seen the bronx wanderers tell us about your show. Go ahead, dad, you can. So essentially.
Speaker 3:Essentially, we're so lucky. I was a record executive for columbia records back in the 70s and I got to stay until the early 2000s and I got to work with everyone and then when columbia sold the label to son, they came in and cleaned house out and I was lucky enough that I knew Chaz Palminteri. We grew up in the same neighborhood. He's the actor from a movie, A Bronx Tale, and he said to me why don't you take your kids and just tell your story and do the whole thing? Say who you worked with. And I said to him the kids are 14 and 11. It's never going to work. He said, trust me, just do it. It's a great gimmick. And I listened to him and it's 21 years later and we're like a poor man's Jersey boys. I mean, I always like to describe us as the Jersey boys meets a Bronx tale.
Speaker 4:Good thing we didn't put that on the poster.
Speaker 1:But you had me at Chaz Pelimentary. I'm such a huge, huge fan of that movie. Oh, but you had me at Chaz Pelimentary. I'm such a huge, huge fan of that movie.
Speaker 3:It was great and we were lucky enough that we got to sing in that and he's just been great to us all through the years. He's in our show. We have a piece where I talk to him on screen and we go back and forth with him telling me to start the group and it really is great.
Speaker 1:And now, 21 years later, how was it working with your kids when they were so young?
Speaker 3:They listened to me. That was the big difference, whereas now they know everything and I know nothing.
Speaker 4:So those days are long gone. Huh, it's the natural progression of how life goes, you know, you know. Now we're not 14 anymore. I'm going to be 37 in two weeks. I think the last time we played the Florida theater how long ago is that, dad?
Speaker 3:About eight, nine years ago, I mean, and the story is the, the theater director, kevin Stone, was one of the guys that believed in us so much years ago and he gave us a full week at Clearwater theater there. Then he put us opening up for Tony Orlando and Danny Aiello and the next thing, you know, we're selling out. And when he left to take over the Florida Theater he said I want to bring you guys up here and we have so much family there, which is great. My dad's two sisters live in Jacksonville, so it's really he's been great to us. You know, we would not be where we are today without him and the people that got behind us.
Speaker 3:You know, we had no hit record, no reality show, and it's like who are these guys, why are they here? And you know, and we got that same kind of attitude when we would play all the oldies shows. It's like, why are you guys, who are you, why are you here? And it just worked out great. Why are you here? And it just worked out great. And my story always was you know, we're not a tribute act. You know, I got to work with all these guys, so I get to tell my stories behind the scenes and it really worked out great.
Speaker 4:We're very lucky. We've been in Vegas for like eight years. We just did our 2000th show Wow, which is incredible and we're able to actually go out on the road now and tour again which is amazing with our new contract. So we're really happy to come back to Jacksonville.
Speaker 1:At what point did you become the music director of the band?
Speaker 4:That's when dad got past the point of 55 and he got lazy. I learned everything. I learned how to do everything in the studio. I learned how to make all the click tracks and, you know, produce a record. We have seven albums out and I just dad was always supportive and put the band into the kids' hands. You know he let us pick a lot of the set lists and it's done nothing but grow over the past 20 years. It's been shocking. This is supposed to be a college job for me. I'm shocked I'm still here.
Speaker 1:Hey, you know what? When you find what you love, they always say when you do what you love, you never work a day in your life and from watching your videos, it looks like you guys are just having a blast.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. I mean I pinch myself every day. I mean, you know we're going on a cruise next month and if you look at the lineup of who's on that show, it's just frightening that I say to myself I listened to all these people growing up Temptations Association, the Rascals, mitch Rodd of Detroit Wheels. I mean it's like Vox Tills, box Tubs, cowsills, it's like the Happy Together Tour and I see our picture. I go, what are we doing here? It's just, you know, I pinch myself about how lucky we are. And you know it's really been a tremendous, tremendous. Tony Orlando always says to me are you enjoying the ride? And I said I'm not you. We didn't have old hit records, but now I'm starting to get to that point where I go yeah, this is a really nice ride, it's been great.
Speaker 1:When I was researching. Talking to you guys, I was kind of getting the whole because Sinatra was from Jersey, right?
Speaker 3:Yes, Hoboken.
Speaker 1:Hoboken. Yeah, and I was getting that whole Sinatra Vegas connection and I was watching some of your work going. I get it, I totally get it.
Speaker 3:You know, that's where we kind of first off. First two years we got to work with Wayne Newton every night, which was phenomenal, and then from there we got to work with the Righteous Brothers. So it's been like this tremendous thing. But I grew up with Frank Dean, sammy, tom Jones, elvis Wayne those are the guys Vegas icons and when I went there I always wanted to be a part of that. But yet I grew up with all these guys, the way that we talk and connect with an audience. And the great thing is, like a lot of the groups that are out now, you know they're so talented but they don't do that thing where they talk and tell stories, where where Wayne Newton would always promote our show going. These guys are a throwback to my era and if you enjoy, you know you'll feel like you're part of the family. And that's what our show really, you know, tries to do is when people leave, it's like they forget their troubles for 90 minutes and then they say like I feel like I'm part of the family.
Speaker 1:I see a lot of quote-unquote tribute shows. It's so much fun to sit there and walk down memory lane of the songs with some of the bands that you grew up on. When they use that phrase the soundtrack of your life it really is true, and as I was watching some of the videos of your guys' performances, I was getting that total vibe.
Speaker 4:Oh thank you.
Speaker 1:We love that, are you coming and we're?
Speaker 3:going to get to see you or what You've got to come?
Speaker 1:You know what or what you've got to come? You know what I was debating. I don't have any plans Wednesday night. A month ago I'm like do I want to go to this show? I don't know. Now, after doing the research on your guys coming and talking to you, I'm 100% coming. I wouldn't miss it.
Speaker 3:We've got to get Kevin to let you introduce us. Yeah, that'd be cool.
Speaker 1:That'd be awesome. I love Kevin. He's amazing, he is he's such a great guy. The Bronx Wanderers. They'll be at the Florida Theater on Wednesday, february 12th. Tickets are on sale now at floridatheatercom. You guys, thank you so much for your time this morning.
Speaker 4:Thank you so much for having us. Yeah, I don't wake up for many people.
Speaker 1:so thank you, Thank you both, Vinny's. We appreciate you guys.
Speaker 4:You Thank you both, Vinny's. We appreciate you guys. You take care. Thanks for having us Look forward to seeing you.
Speaker 1:All right, sounds great, thanks, take care Bye. So there you have it. So much going on in Jacksonville for the next couple of weeks. Thanks to Cody Gates for talking with us from the St Augustine Amphitheater. Also, alton Brown. He'll be at the Florida Theater on Valentine's night and two nights before that. I really hope you come to see the Bronx Wanderers on February 12th at the Florida theater. I think this show is going to be absolutely amazing. Thank you for listening and I'll always try to keep you posted on what's happening live from Jacksonville.