Labor Day Sept. 3, 2007 was a travel day for the Other Band. The destination? Hedonism III in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. This marks the 7th year for the Jamaica Rock n Blues Jam! And still going strong! We streamlined things this year by taking only one band. As it turned out, that was all that was needed. The Other Band is made up of Linn Roath on guitar and vocals, Steve Springer on drums, Scott Morris on keyboard, and myself, Roy Robbins on bass and vocals. I am always so fortunate and amazed to be able to play with such talented players! Excluding me, there was over 97 years of talent on stage! WOW!!!!

The Jam has been evolving and takes on a different form each year. This year it turned out to be more of a performance than a jam. I spoke with several people who told me that they had come down just to enjoy this fabulous resort with all its amenities. Plus, they came to Hedo to be entertained by the band that I brought this year. This made me feel we should step it up a notch or 2 or 3 or 4. With Scott, Steve, and Linn in tow, the mood was set for the best series of shows yet.

There were two shows a day at 12 noon and 7pm, excluding Saturday evening. All shows occurred in the main dining room, where everyone is chooses from an incredible selection of food at the huge buffet that I love so much! So volume is always an issue. No Problem Mon! These guys in the band can get the point across at any volume. Linn belts out vocals with such a soulful vigor and plays his guitar with an expertise that you would think that he invented the instrument! Steve, aka Even Steven, sits back behind the drums and lays down a groove so involved, yet so simple and adequate. I think he invented the "GROOVE"!! I just recently met Scott, and without any doubt he is the best keyboard / piano player I have ever been on stage with. "Period, Exclamation Point"! With all that said, I think that you might understand that this band was "GOOD". Now it was time for some JAMMING.

The first set was noon on Tuesday. As we were setting-up about 11:00 am for the 12:00 noon downbeat, I noticed that a number of folks were already seated. I thought they must be there early for the kick-ass buffet. HOwever, after talking to some of them, I was surprised to learn that most were waiting the band to start. COOL! This is going to be fun! Well, I announced that the Jam was officially back for its 7th year and invited anyone that wanted to play to join us on stage. We played two songs back to back and got a rousing round of applause. Again, I invited any players that wanted to play up on stage. This went on for at least 30 minutes, so I was getting a little concerned that nobody had come up to participate. Linn said, "Man, let's just play!" So we did! The crowd stayed and watched the band run thru a set and feasted from all that food, plus made us feel very appreciated. No Jammers???? Wow! That's a first. But Linn, Steve and Scott are professionals. They stepped up to the plate and did the job. 90 minutes later, the first set was over. This is FUN. But now it's time to EAT! OH MY GOD! There were lamb chops on the buffet today. Man, I love my job!

That evening at the 7:00 pm set we got our first jammer. Or should I say, singer? Todd from Kentucky, whom we have seen at The Blues Week at Hedo III for four years running now, came up to the stage and wanted to sing, "Turn the Page" and "Suzie Cue". He bounced around the stage singing and rockin' out and grinning ear to ear! I think he was having a good time. That was fun! GOOD JOB Todd! He came back every set and sang his tunes, adding a couple more songs as the week went on. The call for more jammers went out, but no takers. I did notice that people were just hanging, watching and listening. We began kicking out tunes till the evening set was over. Day one was done. It was time to tear down and head for the buffet, where I heard the tuna steaks calling my name!!

After the show that evening, the entertainment staff at Hedo put on "The Fashions of Hedo" event. All the staff wears "exciting" clothing in an upbeat erotic fashion show. If you come to Hedo III make sure that you catch this event! The ladies look stunning. One of the ladies, Vixen, wore a hot-pants outfit made to look as if it were made for jersey cow leather, complete with boots, hat and guns! My evil little mind just sprang into gear. I talked to her and she was game!!

12:00 noon on Wednesday continued the pattern. Todd came up, sang some songs and The Other Band put on a show. With only the band playing, we began pulling out some tunes other than just the Blues. After all, Todd was singing classic rock tunes, so why not? Bingo! We just expanded the format! Fasten your seat belts baby! The fun has just begun! About 25 minutes into the first set, Vixen, wearing that outfit from the night before, stormed out onto the stage, guns drawn, and DEMANDED that we play some cowboy music! I wasn't going to tell her no! She had GUNS! We did just like she said and played "Back in the Saddle Again" and she danced throughout the whole song. Then she looked me square in the eyes and with her best Texan/Jamaican accent she said "Thank ye, pardner" and pranced off stage. HEY, now that's fun! The folks in the dining room loved her! When I came this year, who would've thought that we would pull out a Gene Autry song? You just don't get this every day!!

At Hedo 3 you make your vacation your way. So this year, between sets, I took time to just roam the grounds and absorb as much of the quiet as possible. Sometimes it's nice just to roam and lounge. This place is really cool and after 6 years, kind of like a home away for home. Lots of the same people still work here and I just love talking to them and hearing of what’s going on with their lives. Kevin Levee, the manager, has created a good environment here and it shows up every place you look. The resort is fresh and clean. And the staff is always there to help and give you the best service possible. Everyone is so friendly!

Oh well, back to the grind. Spike, who is filling in for Nick, the Entertainment Manager, let me know that because of scheduling errors our sets would be cut back from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. O K, send me to this haven of fun and make me work less?! I'll tell the guys, but I know it'll be a bittersweet announcement. We love playing and we love this resort. Should we play more or should we PLAY more? Decisions, decisions!

Wednesday at 7:00pm, Todd joined us and sang his songs again. He really "sold" them this time! All right Todd! It turned that he was the only jammer. The folks were there to watch and listen. So the band picked up the pace, playing one song after another. Anytime I'm on stage with Linn, the guitarist, we trade off the singing duties. I'll sing a tune, and then look at him and say, "your turn". He'll sing one and throw it back to me, and so on. The only reason to stop was to invite people up to play or sing. Again, there were no takers. The new 1 hour set just flew by! After the show we all grabbed a table and enjoyed the massive buffet. There is always good food here!

Thursday, before noon, Todd was back even before we set up! We got him up after a song or two. This time there's a bit of a strut added to his "bounce" Yeah! He's having a big time! A few more songs and April, his wife, came up and started dancing on stage. COOL! Somebody requested Mustang Sally! (There goes my evil little mind again) I talked April into asking some ladies to join her on stage and to help out on the background vocals. She convinced two lovely girls to accompany her, dancing and singing "Ride Sally Ride". The Other Band now had back-up singers, The Otherettes. That was really a lot of fun. Every one was yelling and having a blast. Man I love my job!

Thursday is TOGA DAY! There are toga-tying demonstrations on stage in the afternoon as well as on the prude and nude beaches. The entertainment staff uses "live" models and you really shouldn't miss one of these little shows!

Last year Linn wore a COW toga on stage! This year I wore a TEXAS toga! FUN, FUN, FUNNY! Check out the picture. We backed-up Todd on his tunes and then the band finished the set. Another fun evening! Chow time, then TOGA PARTY TIME!! YeeeHaaa!

Friday at noon Todd and The Otherettes were back. This time when the girls sang and danced two of the ladies from the dining room staff couldn't resist and came up to join them. Now there you go! That's what this is all about! Letting go and having FUN. And that wasn't the end of it! We played for 30 minutes, then had to stop so the entertainment staff could supervise the WET T-SHIRT Contest. Wait a minute! A wet t-shirt contest? I'm thinking, that if you want to see some wet...well, you know what I’m talking about... All you have to do is go to the nude pool or possibly the quad pool. But hold on! This is Hedonism III and I don't think you have ever seen a wet t-shirt contest like this one. There is only one way to describe it to you. MY GOODNESS, LAND SAKES ALIVE! NOW THAT'S A WET T- SHIRT CONTEST!!

Friday evening, when we took the stage, Todd was nowhere to be found. The show must go on. George, our good friend and guitarist for the resident band X-Tassy, came onto the resort to set-in with us! He is a fantastic guitar player and I know that he didn't know some of the tunes we were playing, but his ability to learn on the fly is uncanny and his never missed a note! This set just flew by! We hung with George and a couple of his band mates, just spending the evening talking and enjoying a few adult beverages. Just sitting back and chillin'.

Saturday at the noon show, a guy that went only by the name of Cowboy, came up to sing. He's a singer in a band back in Alabama and after a short huddle, we decided on a Bob Seger tune and a George Jones song. Now, how's that for variety? Ole Cowboy belted them out, sang his ass off! If I ever make it to 'Bama, I'm going to make it a point to go check out his band, as it must be a good band. He went back to the buffet. And Todd still couldn't be found, so we finished up the set and helped ourselves to lunch. They actually have anchovies, palm hearts, artichokes, 11 types of fruit, 7 kinds of cheese and breads, and that's just one side of the salad bar. The entrée bar is about 20 ft. long. Today there was fish, pork, lamb and curried goat. WOW!

We had the rest of afternoon and evening off, but had plenty to do. Eventually we all wound up in the disco watching the "show" (there is always something crazy going on in here late in the night).

The last two sets were taking place Sunday at noon and 7:00pm. Todd and Cowboy were back for both shows. "Hey, Todd! Where ya been? ... Oh! I've been around...!" Well the boys did just fine. The crowd loved it! That evening another treat was when George showed up again with his drummer and keyboard player. They played 4 songs with us. This is fun!! With about 20 minutes to go before the 7th annual Jamaica Rock 'n' Blues Jam was in the history books, I asked the guys to turn "on" one last time. BOY did they DELIVER! Steve Springer, Linn Roath and Scott Morris cranked out fine music all week long. But these last few songs were something else. Entertaining is second nature to these guys and they enjoy doing it. I am completely amazed by all three. They make and have made my job easy for some time now! Thank you Steve, Linn, Scott! I love you guys!

I also want to thank Todd, Cowboy, and The Otherettes, for performing this year. Ya'll are great and hope you had fun! Thanks to George and his band for letting us use their equipment and setting in with us. Those times are always special! And a very large Thank You to Mr. Levee and the staff of Hedonism III for all their help in making this year another success!

Ya know, if you have never been to Jamaica and especially Hedonism III, you just don't know how much fun this place can be! You make you own vacation. You can participate if you want, or not. Your choice is what matters. Be wicked for a week, or not. Jam with the band, or not. Eat five times a day, or not. Get drunk and walk "home", or not. Go to the nude pool/beach, or not. Get a massage, or not. Go sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, or not. I think you get the idea. This is your vacation. Do what you want! And to do it while a kick ass Texas band is here just adds one more element to the mix. Ya can't beat it.

The Texas Blues Legend, the Late Rev. Robert Ealy had a true saying:

"YOU DON'T GET THIS EVERY DAY"