This photo courtesy Greg Dumas. All other photos courtesy Jon Burns.
Pirates & Poets themselves, Dammit Earl (left) and Jon Boy are the best of friends and perfect business partners.
Pirates & Poets True Friends
Jon Boy (Jon Burns) and Dammit Earl (Earl Sanders) are a match made in heaven. Inseparable best friends who met at a Jimmy Buffett concert pre-party in Arkansas over 10 years ago. Six months later, they met again when attending the annual Pardi Gras event in New Orleans and the rest is history…. as they say.
Over the next decade each move to the greater Houston, Texas area, each work for Trop Rock singer/songwriter Jerry Diaz and finally move within a few 100 feet of each other in Clear Lake Shores, Texas. These best friends even threw a 10 year anniversary party this summer to celebrate and poke a little fun at their crazy friendship.
These are the guys behind the Trop Rock music and Gulf Coast lifestyle endeavor Pirates & Poets. Jon Boy (JB) and Dammit (no one bothers to say Earl anymore) are true supporters of independent musicians. All their efforts go towards introducing artists to new audiences or help keep artists in front of their growing fan base.
Pirates & Poets Invitational Annual Event
With constant involvement in the Gulf Coast Trop Rock music scene, they took on their first undertaking five years ago with a singer/songwriter showcase in Port Aransas, TX and named the annual event Pirates & Poets. Friday night and Saturday afternoon feature an independent songwriter leading up to the Saturday night finale of an in-the-round style showcase.
Dennis Davis, Gulf Coast Trop Rocker, performs at the annual Pirates & Poets Invitational in Port A.
Still going strong today, this intimate musical event is on for it’s 6th year this February 26-27th, 2016. Trop Rock music fans from all over Texas will head to the coast for a fun-filled weekend showcase of independent music.
Pirates & Poets Monthly Songwriter Show
Second on their Pirates & Poets adventure, they added a monthly songwriter show at T-Bone Tom’s, a well known Kemah, TX establishment. Barry Terrell (owner) is a big supporter of all kinds of music, especially Trop Rock. Working with Jon Boy and Dammit, along with host Jerry Diaz, the Pirates & Poets showcase brings in a different Trop Rock artist on the 3rd Wednesday of each month March-December.
The consistent showcase of Trop Rock music is helping grow the fan base in the local Kemah area and throughout Texas. As a ripple effect in Jon Boy and Dammit’s efforts, there is a steady stream of Trop Rock singer/songwriters booking house concert venues across Texas, including Dammit’s own backyard. So, add house concerts to the ever growing events under their Pirates & Poets brand.
Jerry Diaz hosting the monthly Pirates & Poets show at T-Bone Tom’s
Pirates & Poets Podcast
The opportunity to extend their reach and promote Trop Rock artists was right in front of them. With bringing in a different Trop Rock artist to their hometown each month, why not interview the artist and send it out over the internet waves? Their latest venture started last year and has morphed into a comfortable variety show focused on independent singer/songwriters and life on the Gulf coast.
Originally, among the banter between two best friends was a traditional question and answer interview of a singer/songwriter. This felt a little forced and formal, which didn’t truly represent their style.
In recent Pirates & Poets podcasts, JB and Dammit have hit their sweet spot. No longer is there an “interview” feel to the artist segment, instead it’s been replaced with casual banter between the artist and the boys while sitting together in “Dammit Boy Studios” (the spare room of Dammit’s home turned into a podcast recording studio).
If you’ve been lucky enough to spend a few hours with these two best friends, you know the intriguing, funny and sometimes just a little bit strange banter is extraordinarily entertaining. Add the fireside chat with a Trop Rock artist and this newest venture of Pirates & Poets is a real winner.
If you haven’t listened in yet, check out this recent episode with guest Trop Rock Singer/Songwriter “Sunny Jim” James White. I think Sunny may have a new song for his next album?
I look forward to each weekly episode because I know I’m going to laugh a lot while learning about what’s happening with a Trop Rock singer/songwriter. Catch the show on JB & Dammit’s website Pirate & Poets or in syndication on Radio A1A where you can hear the latest show every Friday at 9pm Central / 10pm EST.
Join the adventure with these two best of friends as they spread the word about Trop Rock independent artists. Hopefully, you can attend a Pirates & Poets live show, but if not make sure you listen in online, either way you’ll have a lot of fun.