Richard DuckettWorcester Telegram & Gazette
When Yachtley Crew came to Indian Ranch by the shores of Indian Lake in Webster last summer, it was evidently a very popular voyage through the smooth waters of a yacht rock tribute show.
"We love Indian Ranch. Man, they came to party. They were amazing," recalled Phillip Daniel, also known as Yachtley Crew's Philly Ocean and lead vocalist, about how the the show went and the reaction of the audience.
Yachtley Crew will be setting sail again for an appearance at Indian Ranch on July 25. "If it's anything like last year, we're stoked," Daniel said.
'Sailing ... takes me away ....'
The seven-member band, which dresses in nautical suits with captain's hats and wears aviator sunglasses, is currently on its "Full Steam Ahead" nationwide tour, the biggest tour since it was founded in Los Angeles in 2017. Upcoming dates also include South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset on July 26, Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence on July 27, and the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis on July 28.
The band is riding the yacht rock wave since a 2005 video series launched the term in 2005 in an affectionate send up of artists such as Christopher Cross and Hall and Oates. Cross, who was at Indian Ranch July 7 with Justin Hayward of Moody Blues fame, had a big hit in 1979 with the soft rock song "Sailing" which is about getting away from everything on a sail boat and so helped form the archetype of Yacht Rock.
Yachtley Crew also call themselves "The Titans of Soft Rock."
Asked for a definition of yacht rock, Daniel said "it's one of those elusive things ... I think the most easy way to define it is the iconic soft rock hits from the late 70s and early 80s music." Except that, instead of soft rock, "yacht rock just sounds kind of more fun."
Yachtley Crew's first recording release "Seas the Day" (2023) includes its renditions of songs that have become regarded as yacht rock classics such as Boz Scaggs’ “Lido Shuffle,” Ace’s “How Long,” Robbie Dupree’s “Steal Away,” the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” and Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind.” Other songs in the band’s set include Toto’s “Africa,” Looking Glass’ “Brandy” and Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).”
Indeed, "The Piña Colada song, that is a great yacht rock core song, like 'Ride Like the Wind,'" Daniel said.
Audiences often dress up for the shows in yacht-themed attire and love to sing-along. Other yacht rock tribute and fun party bands include Yacht Rock Revue who will be performing at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield on Aug. 4.
'It has to be smooth'
Elsewhere, there has been some rather pedantic debate in some quarters about what makes true yacht rock, with terms appearing such as "nyacht" rock. An article in Mental Floss magazine helps keep things straightforward by saying "But above all else, the sound has to besmooth. "
Daniel's vocals are certainly smooth, and the depth of sound that Yachtley Crew brings to its music is enhanced by having a sax player.
Daniel has memories of listening to the soft music of the late 70s/early 80s era while riding around with his father in a car and singing along to the radio. Later, he was in several original bands in Los Angeles. Besides Daniel (Philly Ocean) Yachtley Crew is made up of drummer Rob Jones (Sailor Hawkins), bassist Chaz Ruiz (Baba Buoy), guitarist Thomas Gardner Jr. (Tommy Buoy), backing vocalist Curt Clendenin (Stoney Shores), saxophone/flutist Paul Pate (Pauly Shores) and keyboardist Matt Grossman (Matthew McDonald).
"Each of us had careers with bands," Daniel said. The crew started to be assembled by Jones and Ruiz who are long-time friends and were listening to yacht rock music and felt they could do something with it. They put out a Craigslist ad and found guitarist Gardner. Daniel is friends with Gardner and also came aboard.
"Everything came together really organically," Daniel said.
'I think we have something here'
The idea of uniforms for the band came early. "Just the idea of yacht rock is such fun," Daniel said. But the group spent several months rehearsing to get the music down right. "We wanted to embody what people remember about these songs."
When the curtain was pulled on their first gigs Daniel recalls the shock on the faces of the audiences when they saw a band in nautical uniform. However, "They got it within two or three songs. They were screaming and dancing ... (I thought) Man, I think we have something here."
Yachtley Crew was soon selling out local venues and were noticed by the late legendary Jimmy Buffett who signed them to his own Mailboat Records label. The group have appeared on SiriusXM’s Yacht Rock Radio “Yacht Rock 311” show as the first ever Yacht Rock band to perform live at the station.
Just as the band was about to get ready for its first nationwide tour in 2020, the pandemic struck. "We had a ton of shows booked," Daniel said. Yachtley Crew made music videos, put on live-streamed concerts and played at some drive-in concerts that were organized in the Los Angeles area. "People seemed to really respond.'
As the lockdown eased, "I think there was so much pent up demand for live music it really helped us. We got all the gigs back and places we'd never played before were selling out," Daniel said.
'Something original'
The "Seas the Day" recording also has Yachtley Crew's first original song, "Sex on the Beach," ostensibly about the drink that bears the name.
"We wanted to put something original out there," Daniel said. The challenge for the band was to come up with a song that sounds like it could have been written in the late '70s/early '80s soft rock era. "We wanted to capture the same vibe," he said. The video for "Sex on the Beach" has a guest appearance by the Access Hollywood & iHeart host Mario Lopez.
The song and video includes a list of names of drinks, a couple falling in love, and "innuendo," Daniel said. All the members of Yachtley Crew contributed to the song. Once they had the concept, "we had the song written in 30 minutes. Everyone brings something unique to it." Fans have started requesting the song at shows.
Yachtley Crew has "two albums in the works" and two more original songs "in the mix." With that, "The core will always be the iconic songs," Daniel said.
The band has been venturing out across the seven seas with appearances abroad, including the United Kingdom.
"Total world domination," Daniel joked when asked about his ultimate goal for Yachtley Crew. Or at least, "To play for a stadium full of people," he said.
"We want to play the music for as many people as we can all over the world. When people come to our shows they're creating memories they will have for the rest of their lives. That's what it's about."
Yachtley Crew — Full Steam Ahead tour
When: 7 p.m. July 25 (doors 5:30 p.m.)
Where: Indian Ranch, 200 Gore Road, Webster
How much: $25 to $35. Indianranch.com
