Returning To Shore And An Exclusive Interview With Brandon Davis.
Nicole stood at the controls of the Jet ski, slowing slightly as the Coast Guard’s vessel turned on its emergency lights; turning around to Scott, Jay, Jennifer and myself, who were sitting, clinging onto the banana boat bouncing around in the choppy waves, she winked, saying ‘Just play it cool, guys, I’ll handle this.’
The Coast Guard pulled up beside the Jet ski, its sleek hull glistening in the bright sunlight.
‘What are you doing out here, Ma’am, do you know anything about that mushroom cloud over there?’ said the Coast Guard, his crisp uniform contrasting the ripped up, soaking wet clothes of the Scott and Jay, still stained in blood from the intense firefight with the Skull and Bones Boys earlier that morning.
‘No, but we did hear an explosion, we thought it was a fireworks show for a cruise ship or something?’ said Nicole.
‘What are you doing so far out from shore?’ asked the Coast Guard, suspiciously, looking at Nicole in her summer’s dress and us in the banana boat, looking like escaped convicts, covered in blood and cuts in filthy clothes.
‘I was just taking these tourists for a banana boat ride!’ said Nicole, laughing, ‘they wanted an extreme ride, so I took them out to jump some of the bigger waves.’
‘Well, that’s quite dangerous, Ma’am, so if you could make your way back to the shore, I’d appreciate that,’ said the Coast Guard, looking nervously at the mushroom cloud that still loomed on the horizon beyond.
‘Okay,’ said Nicole, ‘we’ll get straight back to shore.’
‘And next time you decide to go so far from the shore, I suggest you wear a life jacket!’ said the Coast Guard.
‘Yes Sir!’ said Nicole, mock saluting the Coast Guard, ‘Have a good day!’ she said, as she floored the engine and the Jet ski sped off, in the direction of the shoreline, the four of us clinging to the handles of the banana boat.
***
Back at the hotel the staff greeted Jennifer with hugs and relief. The manager immediately came over and said, ‘After you guys have had a chance to refresh yourselves, I’ll have some lunch brought over to your table by the pool, all on the house of course, free, I can’t thank you enough!’
‘Thank you,’ said Scott, ‘we’re still waiting on the rest of the party, but that would be great, thanks.’
***
About an hour later, the Captain and the rest of the crew walked into the bar, looking a little worse for wear.
‘Are you okay, Captain?’ asked Nicole, getting up from her chair by the pool.
‘So they managed to rescue you, did they? Well done boys,’ said the Captain, nodding at us sitting around the table.
Scott, Jay and I looked at each other, ‘Well, we didn’t exactly rescue Nicole, it turns out, it wasn’t Nicole on the ship, it was a waitress from here in the hotel!’ said Jay.
‘What the..?’ said the Captain
‘Actually, Captain,’ said Nicole, ‘I rescued them!’
‘What..?’ said the Captain, looking at the rest of us sitting around the table.
‘Where were you then, if you weren’t on their ship?’ asked the Captain looking back at Nicole.
‘Oh, I was at this lovely koala bear sanctuary!’ chirped Nicole, ‘It was very nice really, you should have come along!’
The Captain was shaking his head in disbelief.
‘It’s okay Captain,’ said Scott, ‘Jennifer needed rescuing anyway, and now, guess what? We got all the food, drink and rooms free as a thank you from the manager!’
‘Who’s Jennifer?’ asked the Captain,
‘She’s a waitress here at the hotel,’ explained Nicole.
‘Ah well, that sounds good,’ said the Captain as he surveyed the vast array of food and drinks on the table, still suffering from disbelief, land legs wobbling.
‘Did you get the Skull and Bones Boys?’ asked Jay.
‘They got away,’ said Mad Myx, shaking his head, ‘they cut in towards the shoreline into the shallow rocky waters, so we had to let them go.’
‘For now,’ said Brandon, ‘only for now.’
‘Oh well,’ said Scott, ‘why not sit down and join us, we’ll order you some food while you get cleaned up, and your arm, Captain, looks like it could do with a bandage!’
***
Later that evening I managed to get a moment with Brandon Davis, drummer and ship gunner of the Beer and Flies, to conduct a quick poolside interview while the peacocks wandered by looking relieved to see us again.
Rik: What motivated you to join the Beer and Flies crew?
Brandon: Who doesn’t like Beer… and FLIES!
Rik: Can you describe your creative musical process?
Brandon : I make sure that I’m always in a positive and fun mindset when being creative. For me, it’s really important.
Rik: If you could collaborate with any musician, past or present, who would they be and why?
Brandon: I think I would want to collaborate with Quincy Jones during the 80’s. Pretty much everything he touched during that time turned to gold.
Rik: What musicians inspired you in your early days?
Brandon: Carter Beauford, Dennis Chambers, Thomas Lang, Eric Moore, and many, many more!
Rik: What’s your favorite venue for performing?
Brandon: I really don’t have a favorite venue but if I had to choose out of the ones I’ve performed at, I would say the Nokia Theatre.
Rik: What are the unusual, or unexpected skills that you need to have to be a world class musician?
Brandon: I think what it comes down to is dedication. That and having the God given talent to start out with.
Rik: Do you have any pre-gig rituals?
Brandon: I don’t!
Rik: What’s the best thing about living on a pirate ship?
Brandon: All the fresh fish we can catch.
Rik: How has living on the Seven Seas changed your outlook on life, the universe and everything?
Brandon: Life is so much easier out here!!
Rik: Do you think you’ll ever return to dry land on a full time basis?
Brandon: I think I’ll split the time up evenly. A little time on land, a little time on the sea.
Rik: If you had the chance, would you take a one way trip to Mars to become the first interplanetary band in human history?
Brandon: Who wouldn’t! I would take that opportunity in a heartbeat!
***
