By Joanie Cox-Henry
Photo by Joanie Cox-Henry
To quote the great yacht rocker Christopher Cross, "Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be" and to be honest, so did Yacht Lobsters during their Monday May 6th performance at Boca Black Box.
Formed in 2022 within the vibrant confines of New York City, the Yacht Lobsters took the audience at Boca Black Box on a musical voyage through the velvety waters of 70s and early 80s soft rock. Their expansive sound not only pays homage to the studio finesse of retro-rock legends such as Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, and Toto but also offers flirty, fresh medleys of 70s sitcom theme songs and a magic medley featuring everything from Heart's "Magic Man" to "Abracadabra" by Steve Miller Band.
With frontman David Mendselsohn as the captain of this love boat, Yacht Lobsters fuse NOLA funk, classic rock and jazz improvisation to breathe new life into tried and true classics such as "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," "Dance With Me" and "Somebody's Baby."
"This is our first time ever playing South Florida," Mendelsohn said. "Thank you for coming out on a Monday to check out our show and we hope to all see you back here with your friends in November!"
The Yacht Lobsters will be back at Boca Black Box Nov. 16, 2024! If this band is headed your way, you will definitely want to 'sea' them. It's a nonstop shellabration!
Check out some footage I shot of their Boca Raton show here:
Wanna go backstage with the band? Meet each Yacht Lobster! [sourced from https://www.yachtlobsters.com/]
David Mendelsohn
Band Captain
Lead Vocals & Guitar
Co-founder of Brother Joscephus and the Love Revolution in 2007 (www.brotherjoscephus.com).
Recipient of the Independent Music Award, Best Live Performance, 2011 for “Live at Brooklyn Bowl,” ; John Lennon Songwriting Award Finalist in 2009 (Gospel) for “A Child Shall Lead the Way” and 2008 (R&B) “I Won’t Be That Man”
David was founding member and principal guitar player and songwriter for Trickside (Wind-Up Records ), touring nationally, with the single “Under You” reaching #27 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 Charts in 2001.
David is an alumni of the BMI Lehman Engle Musical Theater Songwriters Workshop, runs the very busy wedding and event band The Love Revival Orchestra (www.theloverevival.com), established 2011 and Grateful Dead Tribute Act Shakedown Citi, established 2023 (www.shakedownciti.com).
David is too a total party on stage and delivers flawless vocals with plenty of pizzazz.
Ameerah "Charly Kay" Kindle
Lead & Backing Vocals
Charly Kay is a third generation musician and entertainer with over two decades of experience in the industry. Charly is known for her powerful vocals, ability to play around with harmony/ melody and her attention to musical detail.
With influences ranging from jazz all the way over to rock and nearly everything in-between, Charly has an eclectic view of how music can be sung and leans into every opportunity to make every song her very own, while still paying homage to the artists that came before her and paved the way.
Charly Kay is also an actress with multiple credits and accolades to her name. She has performed at countless weddings, venues and festivals across the country, and beyond. She has had the pleasure of sharing her gift with the likes of Taylor Swift, Boyz II Men, Chad Smith of RHCP, and many more.
Charly is a soulful songbird who is pure joy to experience live!
Matt Zebroski
Drums
Matt has also had the pleasure of recording/performing with such artists as Lew Soloff, Randy Becker, Mike Stern, Bonnie Tyler, multi-platinum songwriter Jim Steinman, Grammy nominated cellist Dave Eggar, metal band Ikillya, Broadway star Rob Evan, Philippe Quint, Matt Herskowitz, Miles Davis keyboardist/producer Adam Holzman, and Grammy award winning Polka artist Alex Meixner. Matt is also a founding member of the group the Flail, a jazz quintet that has toured all over the U.S. and Europe, playing concerts at jazz at Vienne And Marseille Jazz Festival.
Matt is a killer drummer with so much energy behind the drums!
Dean Fransen
Keyboards
Dean Fransen has performed and directed music for over 30 years with a wide array of notable artists and groups such as, Harry Connick, Sr, The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, The Fifth Dimension, Regis Filbin, Nell Carter, Jennifer Holliday and Rosemary Clooney. Fransen is the Co-Founder and Music Director for the New York based national touring ensemble called Brother Joscephus and the Love Revolution.
He's super fun to watch on the keys and he's not arfraid to throw on some sparkly Elton John shades and solo away!
Tom McCaffrey
Electric Guitar
Tom McCaffrey is a guitarist, singer, and producer based in New York. His projects include writing and performing the original score to the Rochester Fringe Festival Circus with his duo Mountain Girl, backing up artists like Gloria Gaynor and John Wetton of King Crimson, playing in the house band for the NASCAR awards ceremony, and running a recording studio called Rad Hazard (@rad.hazard.studios) in Brooklyn where he has produced records for a vast array of artists as well as his own projects.
Boca Black Box also has a plethora of vibrant shows coming up including Fame...The Ulimate Bowie Tribute tomorrow May 11, Majesty of Rock: The Music of Journey & Styx May 17, The Motown Revue- “The Next Generation” May 23, Seger Experience: The Premier Bob Seger Tribute Band May 24, The Pure Zeppelin Experience May 25 and more if you check out bocablackbox.com. This is a fantastic local venue if you haven't checked it out yet with a super friendly staff and easy parking situation. It's a great opportunity to support the local arts scene and have a chance to see some epic live music, have a few laughs with touring comedians and gather with friends for a memorable, reasonly priced evening out.
Lavondo Thomas
Bass Guitar
Lavondo is a Grammy nominated bassist, composer, and music director out of New York City. He has performed for audiences around the world ; 30 plus countries from Europe, Asia, Australia, and all throughout North America - with such acts as recording artist Daisy Jopling, Ana Popovic, Broadway and TV's "Survivor" stars Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly, Mitch Jarvis, Eddie Holmn (Hey There Lonely Girl), and Umar Bin Hassan (The Last Poets), Sir Graham Russell’s A Wall Apart, and 50 Shades! The Musical among many others.
Lavondo is a dynamite bass player with funky riffs and an electric presence!
Kyle Schweizer
Saxophone
Kyle Schweizer is a Bronx-born saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist, being also skilled at clarinet, flute, piano, guitar, voice and percussion. He honed his craft at Fiorella H. LaGuardia High School and New School University. He gracefully switches between various instruments during his live performances.
Kyle is a blast to watch on stage and his solos are lit!
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