Tell Me, Are You A Badfish Too?

Badfish - A Tribute To Sublime kicking off their Shark Attack Winter Tour at Sunset Pier - January 12, 2023

I told you earlier about the free Badfish - A Tribute to Sublime show, at Sunset Pier in Key West the other night, right? Sublime, one of the coolest Ska/Punk bands of my early music-loving years, dissolved prematurely when the lead singer, Brad Nowell, overdosed in May of 1996, just two months before the band would release their self-titled album, Sublime. Brad was a newly married father of an 11-month-old, and on the verge of fame he unfortunately, only got to experience from the other side. Rolling Stones attributes the album's success to songs "based on the sweet funk Nowell cooked up during his too-short 28-year love affair with punk, hip-hop, reggae and whatever other music he could lay his hands on," (Mark Kemp, 1997).

And it's from this album that Badfish was born, along with my appreciation for songs like "What I Got," "Carress Me Down," "Pawn Shop," "April 26, 1992," and "Garden Grove". So, Beth and I rallied to the show for, at least, a little nostalgia. We got down to Key West around 4pm, parked in the T.J. Maxx parking lot and rode our bikes to Mile 0, stopping in at Boat House Bar and Grill for #HappyHour first.

Sunset at Sunset Pier, Key West, FL - January 12, 2023

Afterwards, we biked the short distance to the pier, and I managed to snap this photo just as the sun was disappearing behind the horizon.

Not visible in the photo is the stage set up at the end of the pier, which gave attendees a good bit of space to move around and allowed some of us old folks the ability to hang out towards the back without sacrificing hearing the music.

There were several tents set up in the area offering liquor, wine, and beer so we didn't have to fight the crowd to get to the bar. It was definitely expensive, but the bartenders poured heavily, so for me, the $12 drink was worth it. I think Beth would have preferred sipping from a flask but I'm not that bad ass. I need some ice or some Sprite or something to wash my liquor down with. And I just love it when they give me a ridiculous number of cherries!

So. Many. Cherries.

We could have gotten there earlier for a table, but we quickly found a bench by the rail and hung out there until it was time to refresh our beverages.

Kash'd Out, a Reggae/Rock band out of Orlando, kicked things off just after 6pm and I was immediately feeling the vibe. With 7 people on stage, I was loving all the energy and could tell that everyone else was, too.

I love me some horns, so I got excited when I saw two of them up there, and the bass player was barefoot, which also made me smile. The lead singer was engaging, and the keyboard complemented the live instruments.

Kash'd Out performing at Sunset Pier - January 12, 2023

We hung out at the front and danced for a little while until it got too loud (forgot my earplugs), so we ventured to the back to look at the water and watch the boats go by until it was time for Badfish to start their set.

Badfish went on shortly after 8pm, I think. I had been bouncing around a little bit before then, so I don't remember the exact time. By then, the pier had filled up, but we were still able to make it up towards the front of the stage. The guy on the keyboards was our favorite!

Someone mentioned something to me about voice synthesizers and how good they are these days, and I was wondering, does anyone know if the lead vocalist uses a microphone with a voice synthesizer to make himself sound more authentic? Just curious...

Either way, it was a great way to kick off the night and I hope Sunset Pier does more #FreeEvents like this one!

Want to hear some Kash'd Out? Click the button below to see the video, "Way Too High For This" on YouTube.

"Way Too High For This"