If you haven’t had the chance to see Wilco live, then you better get to the Amphitheatre on May 16 for one of the most anticipated shows of the year.

Formed in the mid-90s in Chicago, Wilco is singer-songwriter-guitarist Jeff Tweedy, bassist John Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalists Patrick Sansone and Mikael Jorgensen and drummer/percussionist Glenn Kotche.

The band has released 10 studio albums to date with the latest being “TheWhole Love,’ a Grammy-nominated disc released fall 2011 on their own dBpmRecords.

Compass caught up with the band’s guitarist, Nels Cline, to chatabout playing festivals, being named one of the best guitarists of all time,and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Compass: You guys play a nice mix of single venue shows and outdoorfestivals. Do you have a preference?

Nels Cline: I feel like we feel lucky to play — no matter where — butpersonally, I think playing our own shows individually means that we justget to play longer, so I like that better. Other than that, and it doesn¹talways work out this way, but we played a festival in Germany last year thathad us on a bill with Death Cab [for Cutie] and Fleet Foxes and a lot ofguys in the band are friends with those guys and so it was just a really funnight even though it was in a tent pitched on the freezing North GermanCoast.

Compass: “Rolling Stone” recently named you one of the 100 greatestguitarists of all time at No. 82, congratulations. How did you feel when youfound out?

N.C.: Well, I mean it’s a little surreal. I realize that it’s the connectionto Wilco that makes such a thing possible. The first thing that goes throughmy mind is the list of the 100 guitarists that aren’t on there that I wouldhave liked to see on the list. Other than that, it’s flattering, but I justdon’t take it very seriously.

Compass: Do you guys talk as a band about being inducted into the Rock andRoll Hall of Fame or is that not even on your radar?

N.C.: (laughs) It’s never come up … at least not as far as I’ve ever heard.I’ve never heard those words uttered in any seriousness at all. Um, I’venever even thought about it, frankly. I mean I didn¹t think I’d be in a rockband that people listened to … ever. I just don¹t know what I think aboutthe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I guess in some ways, it’s kind of a bigdeal. And then in other ways, I just don’t get it.

Compass: Are you working on material for the next album or justconcentrating on the tour?

N.C.: There’s nothing going on with new stuff at the moment. Although I knowwe’re going to do some recording and work on some new ideas late this year.Jeff’s been working on another Mavis Staples record right now — he¹sproducing Mavis again with the same team. And he’s producing a young band inChicago called, “Kids These Days.”

Wilco performs with Purling Hiss on Wednesday, May 16 at the Amphitheatre,1340C A1A South. Gates open at 6 p.m. and show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are$46.50. Go to staugamphitheatre.com.

They’ve had more than 35 U.S. Top 40 hits, 56 Hot 100 hits and four number-one singles. They’ve sold over 100 million albums worldwide and Rolling Stone listed them at No. 12 on their 2004 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.” They are The Beach Boys.

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, Calif., The Beach Boys’ original members included brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. A year later, the group signed with Capitol Records and released some of the most iconic Americana songs ever recorded.

“Surfin’ USA,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Surfer Girl,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “Good Vibrations,” “I Get Around,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Barbara Ann,” “Sloop John B” and “California Girls” to name a few.

The group’s pop lyrics — written mostly by Brian Wilson — reflected a Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars and, of course, girls.

Like any band that’s been around for five decades, The Beach Boys have had their fair share of drama including mental health issues, substance abuse, line-up changes, death and creative differences.

Today, as the quintet celebrates their 50th Anniversary, the line-up consists of original members Brian Wilson on vocals, Mike Love on vocals and Al Jardine on guitar, Bruce Johnston (joined in 1965) and David Marks on guitar (a member from ’62-’63).

The current tour takes The Beach Boys all around the world from Bangor, Maine to Berlin, Germany with a stop mid-next week in the Nation’s Oldest City. This is the first time these five guys have toured together in more than two decades.

“It’s a sentimental thing for me,” Brian Wilson told Rolling Stone in a recent article of the Beach Boys’ first all-new studio LP in decades. “We’ve been together 50 years – that’s a long time.”

“Conceptually, the album is not going to be anything outlandish or silly like Smiley Smile — it will be like the Beach Boys circa ‘65,” Mike Love added in the interview. “I’m trying to write lyrics that fit the music without making it sound like you’re writing from a hospice.”

From mid May thru September, weather permitting,  free concerts each Wednesday from 7 till 9 PM.  The concert series featureas a wide variety of music and prior to the concert a local restaurant makes dinner appetizers available.  This is a family friendly event so bring your cooler, your beach chairs and join us for the 2012 Music by the Sea Concerts.  Go the the link here for the full lineup!

MUSIC BY THE SEACONCERT SERIES 2012

 

 

 

The sea turtle nesting season begins today.

That means restricted vehicular beach hours through Oct. 31 or until the last nest has hatched, whichever comes later.

Public vehicular access to authorized beaches will begin each day at 8 a.m. and end at 7:30 p.m. St. Johns Sheriff deputies, St. Augustine Beach Police, and Beach Services will start directing autos off the beaches as early as 6:30 p.m. Ramp gates will be locked at 7:30 p.m.

Drivers of vehicles still on the beaches past 7:30 p.m. may have to wait for law enforcement officials to unlock the gate. The driver may also be subject to a citation.

The ship should be coming into St. Augustine at noon today near the bayfront and the St. Augustine Municipal Marina. Local pirate groups will be waving scarves to welcome in the boat and its staff. The public is welcome to greet the Bounty as well.

The HMS Bounty, a replica of one of the most famous ships in the world, was built for the 1962 MGM movie, “Mutiny on the Bounty” starring Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard. The Bounty has also appeared in several other motion pictures over the years, including “Treasure Island,” and two of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies starring Johnny Depp.

The Bounty, which has just begun its 2012 East Coast tour, will come through the St. Augustine Inlet, possibly as early as Wednesday, and tie up at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina, where she will be available to the public for tours Friday through Sunday.

“We’re thrilled to come to St. Augustine,” said Tracie Simonin, director of the H.M.S. Bounty. “We had several important ports of call that we were obligated to make, but I also hand-picked a few, including St. Augustine, because we love coming to cities we haven’t visited. And with all of the history of St. Augustine, it’s a natural fit. It should be exciting.”

The ship is widely known for the 1789 mutiny that took place aboard the ship, which had been tasked with obtaining breadfruit in Tahiti and delivering it to the West Indies to feed slaves. The mutiny has been the subject of several books, films, and popular songs during the more than 200 years since. The mutiny was led by master’s mate Fletcher Christian against the now infamous commander, Lt. William Bligh. He is generally referred to as “Captain Bligh,” since he served in that capacity on the ship.

Saturday marks the 223rd anniversary of the mutiny, which took place on April 28, 1789.

Cap’t Bligh’s ship

According to most accounts, Bligh’s crew became tired of the captain’s harsh treatment during the cruise, and had also become attracted to the idyllic life on Tahiti.

“Oh yeah, Captain Bligh has become synonymous with tyrannical treatment,” Simonin said. “But several researchers have taken issue with that image, and I think he’s been unfairly given a bad reputation.”

In the 2004 book, “The Bounty,” historian Caroline Alexander claimed that Bligh was inaccurately portrayed, and that he was in fact relatively lenient compared with other British naval officers.

Either way, led by Christian, 18 mutineers set Bligh and members of the crew who were loyal to him afloat in a small boat. The mutineers then sailed the ship to Pitcairn Island, where it was burned to avoid discovery by the British Navy, and to prevent desertion. Descendants of many of the mutineers and Tahitians still live on Pitcairn island.

After Bligh, who was renown for his navigation skills, and his men made an epic journey in the small boat to Timor in the Dutch East Indies, he returned to England and reported the mutiny.

Pirates, city match up

“We’re extremely excited about having a tall ship in our harbor,” said St. Augustine City Manager John Regan. “And it will be a nice sort of kickoff for our upcoming Maritime Heritage events.”

Regan said he looked forward to taking his family aboard the ship.

“Mutineers and pirates are the perfect combination, especially for St. Augustine, where centuries ago tall ships sailed in and pirates pillaged,” said Pat Croce, pirate historian and founder of The Pirate Museum.

The current Bounty, at 180 feet overall, is a bit bigger than the original, Simonin said.

“She was built one third larger to accommodate the cameras and film crew for the movie,” she said. “But she is a faithful replica in every other way, constructed of wood using the original plans for the ship from British Naval records, just up-sized proportionally.”

The replica was built in Lundenberg, Nova Scotia, and it was the first three-masted sailing vessel to be launched there since the 1880s. According to the Internet Movie Database, 400,000 feet of lumber were used, 10,000 square yards of canvas were sewn by hand and 10 miles of rope were rigged for the reconstructed version of HMS The Bounty. After construction, the ship then sailed the 7,000 miles from Nova Scotia to Tahiti for filming.

The Bounty later appeared at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. It was afterward berthed in St. Petersburg, Fla., until 2008. For most of those years, the ship was still owned by MGM. The current owner, Robert Hansen, purchased the Bounty in 2001.

The HMS Bounty is now commanded by Robin Walbridge, 63, who has served as the ship’s captain for more than 20 years, Simonin said. She carries a crew of anywhere from 18-20 paid crew members, including a ship’s engineer/carpenter and a chef.

“Most of the current crew are college-aged,” Simonin said. “In order to support her, we keep the ship moving as much as we can, moving from port to port for tours. It’s not as easy for very many people beyond their 20s to pack up and walk away from the ‘real world’ and live that life.”

During the winter months Bounty is docked in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and travels most of the spring and summer. In the summer of 2007, the Bounty sailed to Britain and visited several ports across Europe.

Another difference between the current Bounty and the original is the addition of two 375 horsepower John Deere diesel engines.

“We try not to use the engines, whenever we can,” Simonin said. “We enjoy teaching young people the art of square rig sailing, and, of course, it saves a lot of money on fuel.”

Marina ready

When the ship arrives, it may tie up to the dolphins located just outside the ICW channel inside the inlet before approaching the city marina, said Sam Adukiewicz, harbormaster for the City of St. Augustine.

“There are, of course, concerns about the 13-foot draft,” Adukiewicz said. “So we’ve suggested they wait until high tide.”

Adukiewicz also said the ship’s rigging may present a challenge getting through the Bridge of Lions.

“They’ve been advised of the horizontal clearance through the bridge, and I’m sure they’re going to have it all worked out,” he said. “We’re looking forward to their safe arrival and hope they enjoy their stay in St. Augustine.”

Aduckiwicz said he’d seen the ship in films and would enjoy seeing her up close.

In the 1962 MGM film, Brando portrayed Fletcher Christian. Howard was cast as Bligh, and the movie also starred a young Richard Harris. When the movie premiered in the U.S., it opened to mostly negative reviews. Although it was the sixth-highest grossing film of 1962, it lost money because of its runaway $19 million budget.

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If you’re going:

What: The HMS Bounty, a replica of the historic British merchant ship infamous for the 1789 mutiny led by Fletcher Christian against Capt. William Bligh. The ship was built for the 1962 MGM film, “Mutiny on the Bounty,” starring Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard and Richard Harris.

Where: St. Augustine Municipal Marina (next to the Bridge of Lions)

When: Open for tours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday through Sunday.

Cost: Tickets are $18.99 for adults; $9.99 for children 5 to 12; and free for children younger than 5. A joint and discounted ticket to tour the H.M.S. Bounty and The St. Augustine Pirate Museum will also be available at The Pirate Museum and on the museum website, www.thepiratemuseum.com

Tickets to tour the ship only are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets to tour the museum only are regular prices: $12.99 adults, $6.99 kids (5-12 years) and under 5 free. Tickets to tour the ship only are available at the marina. Ticket to tour the ship and the museum are available at the marina, the museum website and at the museum.

For more information, go to www.tallshipbounty.org.

Showtime is scheduled for 8:00pm, doors open at 7:00pm. Tickets are $29.50 to $125
St. Augustine Amphitheatre
1340C A1A South

A popular event in NE Florida, the Flower and Garden Expo will delight gardeners of all ages with growers, nurseries and artisans from around the state offering shoppers every item to make your garden all it can be! This year’s show features a variety of vendors bringing a wide array of horticulture including olive trees, aquatic plants, herbs, ferns, succulents, citrus, African violets, anthuriums (the ‘love flower’), bamboo, colorful flowering plants, butterfly plants, native plants and more plus gardening accessories and art. Everything needed to restart and enhance gardens will be available at the Expo.

There will be a lecture series both days with doorprizes at each lecture. The Garden Club of St. Augustine will be presenting their annual Flower & Horticulture show with the theme of “On the Wild Side”. Working under the same theme will be the beautiful quilt show sponsored by the Piece Makers Guild. Tickets are $5.00 for a two-day pass, and children under 11 admitted free. Plenty of free parking on site. Patrons at the Expo can also use their Expo ticket for discounts at local attractions such as the St. Augustine Historic Walking Tour and Marineland. In addition, the Expo pass will get patrons into EPIC’s “A Taste of St. Augustine” on April 28. At the Expo, food and beverages will be available for purchase both days. To get to the Flower and Garden Expo-from I-95, take exit #318, head west on SR 16, immediate left on CR 208, next left on Agricultural Drive to the end of road, 3125 Agricultural Center Dr.

New this year – all Expo patrons can use their tickets to receive discounts at local attractions.

On Sunday, April 22, 2012, between noon and 5pm select First Coast area farms will open their gates for the community to learn about local food production – where our food comes from, and the farmers who produce it. You can attend educational farm workshops, visit a cattle and goat ranch, taste produce right from the field, talk with farmers, and find local business owners who are committed to more sustainable practices and growing our local economy.

TOUR BOOK NOW AVAILABLE!

Click here to get a PDF version of the 2012 Tour de Farm booklet with a list of all the farms, partners, stops along the way, and sponsors! You can also pick up a copy at your Public Library in Nassau, Baker, Duval, Bradford, St Johns, Putnam and Flagler counties.

This is a FREE event!

Would you like to volunteer on the big day? Please email Deborah Schroth at deborah.schroth@gmail.com for more information on positions, and availability.

Participating Farms

The big push is at 3 p.m. April 8, when the Easter Parade makes its way through downtown St. Augustine. Bands, floats and Easter bonnets are the drawing card for this annual event, begun in 1959. What’s special is that the holiday hats are worn by horses pulling the sightseeing carriages in this oldest city.

Also on tap Easter Day is the annual promenade in the Plaza de la Constitucion. Prizes are awarded for Easter finery ranging from the group traveling the farthest from home to the oldest city to the best Easter dress and most original hat.

This year’s festival concludes at 2 p.m. April 15 with the Fromajardis Serenade at the Spanish Bakery on North St. George Street; and the 3 p.m. Royal Family Tea, which follows at the bakery.

There is no charge for either event.

Presiding over the festival is the Royal Family, portraying the ruling family in Spain in 1672, year construction was begun on St. Augustine’s fort, Castillo de San Marcos.