The surroundings of a songwriter can have a huge impact on the music they create. Not just the people you surround yourself with but also the actual location where you gain your influences. There is perhaps no better example of this than our recent find Key West Chris.
Published songwriter Chris Rehm has spent the last dozen years living in Key West, Florida. Hence the handle Key West Chris. He truly considers his current locale a utopia. His goal through his music is to share his perspective of living day to day life in his own paradise. Together with longtime girlfriend Dani Hoy, Chris has become a live music staple of the area. In fact, they played over 350 gigs in 2019 alone. This is life now and they would have it no other way.
This past December Key West Chris released his EP All The Best From Key West. The 6 track record is the epitome of island life Americana with a vibe that shares the gentle breezes under the warm sun.
The opener “Local Island Bar” starts the party with a fun little ditty about living among the place where more alcohol is consumed per capita than any other city in the U.S. The happy beach party continues with “Island Girls”. Emily Randle is brought in to add some violin work bringing another level to the fun. Toes will be tapping in the sand.
Key West Chris throws in a little changeup with the slowed down country-tinged “Yeah, A Harbor”. He takes pride in sharing the not so glamorous side of a beach town here. This is real life, not just a place that disappears when the vacation ends. The lyrics dig deep and draw the listener into his vision.
Some more instruments join in the fun on “Dockside Bar”. Piano and harmonica add layers to the storytelling beach song. You can almost feel the fun the artists are having putting this one together. I think a beach vacation is calling. See you soon Key West Chris!
