Yacht Rock enthusiasts, prepare “sail away” with Yachtley Crew, a band guaranteed to “make your dreams come true.”
The band cruises on into the Providence Performing Arts Center where they’d “really like to see you tonight,” (well, July 27), and even better, you don’t have to be a “Rich Girl” or boy to attend. Appearing as part of PPAC’s Cool Summer Nights Concert Series, ticket prices range from $10-$45.
We spoke to Warwick native Tommy Gardner, aka Tommy Buoy, who is living the dream of playing lead guitar in the band that has built a national following. “I grew up in Warwick, went to Pilgrim High School and the University of Rhode Island for both my undergrad and graduate degree,” he said. “I’m a Rhode Island boy through and through.”
Before moving to California in 2010, Gardner played in Someday Providence, an alt-rock band known for their seasonal hit “Summertime in Rhode Island,” once a staple on WBRU. He’s now part of the explosion of the Yacht Rock genre, filling big rooms like PPAC with his LA-based band.
The popular Sirius/XM satellite radio station “Yacht Rock Radio” inspired a group of talented LA musicians to come together to form Yachtley Crew. “We started this band in 2017 because we loved the music,” he explained. “It’s some of my favorite music of all time; the set list is #1 hit after #1 hit. It’s Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, Hall and Oates, Toto and more.”
“Since day one, the response to this music is like nothing I’ve ever seen,” continued Gardner. “We have people there who were alive when this music first came out and we have seven and eight-year-olds who know every single word to these songs.
It may come as a surprise that performing the genre requires a high level of musicianship – these songs have complicated arrangements and aren’t easy to play, especially live on stage. We’re very faithful to the originals, but we rock the songs a little bit more than back in the day,” says Gardner. “It’s a high-energy show with choreography and lighting, fun banter, and that kind of stuff.”
Gardner is an accomplished musician, trained in jazz. “This music is jazz-rock fusion. You gotta know music theory, you gotta know your jazz chords. It was a challenge for us when we were learning these songs. It’s genius how they put some of these songs together. It was all the best studio musicians back then. We’re grateful to play these songs on stage every night.”
Among his favorites… “I’m a Steely Dan guy, ‘Reelin’ in the Years’ is one of the songs on our setlist, there’s a lot of guitar in that song,” he said. “I learned the solo pretty much note for note. I love Hall and Oates, Kenny Loggins ‘Heart to Heart,’ its got a great sax solo.”
No doubt, every fan has their favorite song, but Gardner mentioned a couple of fan favorites. “People love ‘Come Sail Away,’ by Styx, which isn’t hardcore yacht rock, but is about sailing. We do (Toto’s) ‘Africa’ almost every show, people love that song, if we don’t play it, people complain,” he laughed. The band also rotates hits, including “Come and Get You Love,” “Kokomo,” “Margaritaville,” and “Escape (The Pina Colada Song) in their setlist.
Their fanbase is passionate, like devotees of The Grateful Dead or Jimmy Buffett. Many fans arrive in costume, “we can them Crewpees, a take on groupies,” laughed Gardner. “People love the opportunity to get dressed up and let loose for a night.”
“We pride ourselves on really bringing a show to people. I’m really excited to come home, it’s always fun to be in Rhode Island in summer and see friends and family. I hope everyone can come out and see the show. It’s really a fun show!
So, “Ride Like the Wind” to PPAC on Saturday, July 27 at PPAC. Click here for tickets to the show.
