Tag: New Spire Arts

‘5 O’clock Somewhere’ show celebrates Jimmy Buffett’s music

By Gary Bennett

This article appears in the February 22, 2024, issue of Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” entertainment insert.

5 O’clock Somewhere, a tribute band that celebrates the music of Jimmy Buffett and others, is coming back to Frederick.

The show will be at New Spire Arts on Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Key West Productions has brought the “5 O’clock” show to Frederick in years past, but with the death of Buffett on Sept. 1, 2023, the producers have infused the show with more Buffett classics and a heartfelt tribute.

“The show kind of morphed after Jimmy died. There had always been a few of his songs in the set list, but now we have eight or nine with great stories and pictures to really enhance the experience,” said Tom Kohlhepp of Key West Productions. “You’ll imagine you have a drink in your hand and a sea breeze in your face.”

The 90-minute show features soft-rock and country favorites in the first half from artists like The Eagles, America, the Doobie Bothers, Kenny Chesney and others — songs you want to hear when it’s 5 o’clock on a Friday and it’s time to let your hair down and have a good time.

The second half of the show is turned over to the music and stories of Buffett, the late troubadour of laid-back island soul.

Kohlhepp promises the band will play all of the songs that used to get costumed crowds on their feet all over the world, batting around beach balls and swaying back and forth in packed arenas.

The band will play “Margaritaville” (with a rarely sung last verse), “Come Monday,” “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” “A Pirate Looks at 50,” “Volcano,” “Fins,” “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” and a few surprises.

The featured artists are Safe Harbor, based nearby in Jefferson.

Safe Harbor is made up of the award-winning married duo of Sam and Katherine Ott, along with backup artists from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. They count themselves as Buffett fans, playing all over the eastern U.S.

They performed the show recently in Key West, Florida, Buffett’s hometown.

“I can guarantee folks in the audience will come away with a better understanding of Jimmy Buffett, why he wrote each of his greatest hits and the great stories that are behind them,” Kohlhepp said. “Some people consider Buffett a country singer, others a pop singer. I’ve always considered him just a folk singer in flip flops. There’ll be good stories put to song with a drink in your hand. What could be better?”

The stories and music of Jim Croce at New Spire Arts

By Gary Bennett

Mike Schirf will perform the music and tell the stories of Jim Croce at a special tribute show in Frederick. Courtesy photo

This article appears in the November 30, 2023, issue of the Frederick News-Post’s entertainment insert “72 Hours.”

“50 Years Gone: A Tribute to Jim Croce” will hit downtown Frederick at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at New Spire Arts for two shows, one of which is already sold out. Presented by Key West Productions, the show was put together as a loving, musical tribute to the life and music of Jim Croce.

According to show producer Tom Kohlhepp, Frederick will be the first stop for this show.

The duo of Mike Schirf and Chris Masheck will take the stage and not only play all of Croce’s biggest hits, like “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” “Time in a Bottle,” “I Got a Name” and “Operator,” but they’ll also tell the great stories that Croce told during his all-too-short career.

They’ll also sing many of Croce’s lesser-known songs, like “Roller Derby Queen,” “One Less Set of Footsteps” and “Workin’ at the Car Wash Blues.”

“This night will be really [about] spending time not only listening to Croce’s music but more importantly, I think, getting to know more about the man,” Kohlhepp said. “He wrote so many of his best songs about people he actually knew and came across in life.”

Schirf will sing and play the Jim Croce parts. He is a big Croce fan, according to Kohlhepp, and includes many of Croce’s songs in his setlist when playing his own gigs.

Once Schirf and Kohlhepp decided to put this show together, they settled on Chris Masheck as the best person to accompany Schirf in Maury Muehleisen’s role. All Jim Croce fans know the impact Maury’s beautiful guitar work had on Croce’s success. It’s a testament to the producer that his part is included in the show.

It should be noted, Schirf and Masheck will not attempt to look like the original band members. “The feel and the sound are what we’re really going after,” Kohlhepp said.

Kohlhepp’s production company will also offer the “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere” show about the life and times of the late Jimmy Buffett at New Spire Arts in February. Kohlhepp was privileged to know Buffett and has lots of interesting, little-known stories to share. “I really like doing my research and enjoy sharing these stories with anyone who wants to listen,” he said.

And if you were wondering, yes, Croce and Buffett knew each other in real life and got together a few times in the early ‘70s. Buffett was actually signed in 1974 to take Croce’s place on the roster of ABC Records’ recording artists after Croce passed.