Many people who are considering moving to the island ask about the “music scene” here. I’m happy to report we have WORLD CLASS musicians here and in the wintertime you can see live music somewhere most every night. In addition to the fantastic local musicians, there are musicians and musical groups that like to “winter” here, or at least visit in the winter, and promoters bring in talent for special events. There are also several venues that host “open Mic” night where a variety of talented musicians jam together and delight their audiences. So the short answer, is YES, we have a vibrant and excellent music scene here! Whether it’s Reggae, Rock, Blues, Jazz, easy listening, soca, hip hop, or country & western, there’s really something for everyone. My personal favorite is Kurt Schindler – a “one-man band” who not only sits in with several of the bands here and has one of his own, but also has a “loop show” where he plays about 6 different instruments and records/loops them all together. He is amazing!  Check him out !
https://sites.google.com/view/kurtbriggsschindler/home

Another of our full-time residents here (Steve Katz) has written some music for a play by Russian author, painter, and actor Alexander Kaletski, entitled Darkness of Light, which opened in Manhattan on March 30th It’s directed by Michael Mailer. Steve has several CDs out – and this talented and super nice guy performs here several times a week in different venues. Check him out online (https://stevenkatzmusic.com/) or catch him on his YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/QRv45OnhDSE), and if you visit, be sure to catch one of his shows. For a little treat, you can listen to one of his original songs by cutting and pasting into your browser: https://stevenkatzmusic.com/single/46456/fair-winds

And not only do we have great musicians, we also have some amazing venues for music, too! Of course outdoors at the beach in Frederiksted can’t be beat – but for more “elegant” occasions, we have the Contessa’s Castle out east. And for just plain fun, the best gas station in the world (Ziggys) on the east end of the island has live music every other Monday night with some of the finest musicians ever! (Yep, you heard me, a GAS STATION! Those of you who know, KNOW! ) And NOW, the former “Chenay Bay Beach Resort” is now “Bungalows on the Bay” and they recently had a weekend “Beach Bash with four bands playing throughout the day. It was a blast! They have live music several nights a week and a nice restaurant there too! It’s super nice to see this venue open again. Our Island Life Real Estate office is located on this property!

The Caribbean Music Festival U.S. Virgin Islands, curated by United Jazz Foundation in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, recently held their Final Festival of the series on the Frederiksted waterfront. Jon Faddis, a Grammy Award-nominated jazz trumpet player and protégé of Dizzy Gillespie, with special guest vocalist René Marie and the Grammy Award-winning horn section of Usher & Patti Labelle – The Goodtimes Brass were featured.

This festival inspires people of all ages and expands audiences through the Arts of Music. A world-class celebration of the musical arts that enriches the community and its visitors by presenting world-renowned artists.