Rock Blogs from antiMUSIC's staff. Rock Boat By Linda Spielman

Welcomg to Blog n' Roll a place where antiMUSIC's staff brings the blog craze together with their rock n' roll adventures.   Now here is the featured Blog... Enjoy! 

The Rock Boat 2004 Washed Ashore In Cozumel Mexico

In 2001 music promotions company, Sixthman Productions out of Atlanta, Georgia expanded upon an idea of specialty cruises. There are singles cruises, booz cruises, senior citizen cruises and countless others set up by all the major cruise lines. However, Sixthman came up with "The Rock Boat". The four day cruises on Carnival Cruise Lines have been an overwhelming success since their inception back in 2001. In a nutshell, this cruise is a music lover and fan's dream come true vacation. Rock n roll fantasy camp allows everyday people like us to go to music boot camp where professors such as Jack Blades from Night Ranger teach you the art of being a musician with some of the most respected, high profile musicians of the day. The downside to that vacation is the average cost is about $8,000. With "The Rock Boat" it's a standard vacation, where a cabin of four people will cost you about $593 a person. The cost includes all your food, most gratuities, and non alcoholic beverages. 

So, who all goes on "The Rock Boat"? Sixthman Productions is the home of Sister Hazel. So, they have been the honorary captains of the ship for all four years. Tonic has also been a staple on the last few Rock Boats. This year's lineup included both bands along with Cowboy Mouth, Dexter Freebish, Gavin DeGraw, Ingram Hill, Wil Hoge, Pat McGee Band, Michael Tolcher, Marc Broussard and Pittsburgh's own The Clarks on their first virgin voyage on "The Rock Boat".

Knowing some of the bands, crew and friends who sailed RTB over the past four years I somehow got abducted to sail on RTB '04 this year with a bunch of friends from New York, Los Angeles and Virginia. Needless to say, I thought it would be a great chance to report back to you all as journalist and music fan on what RTB is really like for those of you who may never have heard of it before. I went into this trip excited about seeing my friends, some of my favorite bands and reporting on the trip. Never did I think I would come back from this cruise saying it was the best vacation I ever took in my life.

Imagine if you will, a music festival on water. Daily schedules of performances in virtually every nook and cranny of this huge ship, plus late night/early morning jam sessions in the Xanadu Lounge that ended when the sun came up just in time to do it all over again. On any given night in Xanadu it was not uncommon to find Emerson Hart from Tonic with the Sister Hazel guys incarnating themselves into Van Hazel (as they liked to call themselves), or Gavin DeGraw and Marc Broussard along with their bands and fans singing blues cover tunes while other fans danced on the tables and bars.

The fun technically begins before you even get on the boat. RTB throws a preboard party at a designated hotel for all who want to come down the night before we board the ship. This year's choice was the Wyndham Miami International Airport. Sister Hazel played at the pool, the boys from Tonic mingled with fans, the guys from Pat McGee's Band bought me drinks because we almost died together on the plane ride down from Charlotte and bands played in the hotel bar. 
Coming down early is well worth while. Sixthman people helped with early boarding for the ship, transportation and were generally there to answer any questions the boat revelers had about the next day's events. If the 3am party was any indication of how the rest of my weekend was going to be, I was indeed in for a great vacation. 

Thursday afternoon on The Lido deck was a sun bathed, music laden happy hour. Music from some of the bands who won the "Battle For The Boat" contest filled the Lido deck all afternoon. The winners of the contest won free trips on the boat, as well as the opportunity get a slot on the performance schedule for the weekend. 

Each day a list of bands, their set times and places were posted in the lobby as well as a newsletter under the door of your cabin. There was really no excuse to miss any of the bands. For those veterans of RTB, walkie talkies were a huge asset to keeping track of who was playing where and where your friends were at all times. Cell phones DO NOT WORK in the ocean!!!! Most bands like The Clarks, Tonic, Sister Hazel, Gavin DeGraw and Marc Broussard played more than one set a day on more than one day. It took some time management skills, but if your prioritized (i.e. skipped food but not alcohol) you could manage to see everyone you wanted, plus get exposed to new talent. Wil Hoge won hands down on this cruise as everyone's new favorite band. 

Rock Stars and guys in bands have this reputation of being unapproachable. There were no body guards on this cruise. It wasn't uncommon to share a table at formal dinner with any of these guys and their families on any given night or find them sitting next to you at the pool. It truly felt like one big happy family. 

The Clarks brought down the house Saturday night while we were in port in Cozumel in The Dynasty Theater, playing to a standing room only crowd for almost two hours. And again, it wasn't uncommon to see some of those guys drop by Xanadu in the wee hours of the morning to jam with Wil Hoge or Pat McGee for a few songs.

Now, for the question some of you are asking...how crazy did it get? The PG rated answer is "crazy". We did drink the ship out of Ice House and Yuengling beer by Saturday afternoon, if that is a measuring tool for any of you.

As for the people on the cruise. RTB '04 sold out completely by Memorial Day. We  didn't set sail for Cozumel, Mexico until October 7th. I felt as though the people I met on this cruise I have known my entire life. The majority of vacationers were between 24-35. However, music fans come from all walks of life, of all ages, from all across the world. Yes, we even had international fans with us from Canada, Australia and Ireland. I went on this cruise with 4 other girlfriends, and came back with about 40 friends who I have every intention of keeping in contact with as well as sailing with on RTB '05.

The Casino was open 24/7. Many of us, bands included lost a good chunk of our wages at the Blackjack and Roulette tables. Open mic night on Saturday allowed anyone who wanted to showcase their talent on stage. Many of the bands on the cruise weren't shy about jumping up on stage with the fans to sing and play. Every night we had karaoke in the "Comfort Zone" which was sponsored by Southern Comfort. This was not your typical cruise, but nonetheless there was no shortage of things to do while at sea for the weekend.

We all spent Saturday in port in Cozumel, Mexico. Our original destination was The Cayman Islands. But due to the increased hurricane activity this year, we were unable to dock there and were rerouted to Mexico.

There was music 24 hours a day from Thursday afternoon when we boarded until we all got kicked out of our rooms Monday morning when we returned back to Miami from our weekend of mayhem. 

The time I spent on The Rock Boat was money well spent and the most fun I have ever had. This is truly a music fan's vacation. RTB '05 sets sail from New Orleans next September 29 through October 3, 2005. Our destination is yet to be determined. If you are interested in booking a cabin for next year's cruise, RTB '05 is already sold out, in a record breaking 23 days on sale. However, you can get more information on the waiting list for possible open cabins at www.therockboat.com. At press time, Sixthman Productions is thinking of acquiring a bigger ship or sailing two ships out for 2005. So, don't fret. If there is a way, we will all go on RTB '05. And, if cruising with your favorite bands isn't enough. You can now Rock The Slope. Join Sister Hazel, Edwin McCain,
Better Than Ezra and many more in Colorado March 2005. For more information go to www.therockslope.com. 

Thanks to all the bands, my fellow music fans and journalists, everyone at Sixthman, Carnival Cruises and my girls Kendra, Laree, Vicki and Tiffany for the best musical vacation ever. Please join me and The Clarks on next year's Rock Boat.