Brett Staska and The Souvenirs: Yes, there is country music from South Florida
The Bark Back Benefit music festival in Lake Worth Beach last month was a familiar showcase for the eclectic South Florida sound — a little reggae, a bit of ska rock, a helping of punk, some Latin flavor and a couple of tribute bands. But the day started with something that felt quite exotic, as singer-guitarist Brett Staska sauntered into a cover of Buck Owens’ 60-year-old country hit “Love’s Gonna Live Here.”
Lean and handsome, Staska seemed right at home in jeans, sunglasses and a straw cowboy hat, his face brightened by an easy smile and bracketed by a curtain of brown hair that fell past his shoulders. Across the front of his white T-shirt was an homage to Gram Parsons, the revered country-rock pioneer.
In his remembrance of Owens (who lit the fuse on the Bakersfield Sound in rural California) and Parsons (who got his start in Winter Haven), Staska offered a reminder that country music can come from anyplace.
“I’m a surfer from Loxahatchee,” Staska said after his performance. “I play country music with a little bit of surf twang added to it. Yeah, man, that’s who I am and that’s what we do.”
To this point, the 35-year-old Staska has been best known as a versatile multi-instrumentalist of varied inspiration. He has served as a singer and guitarist with West Palm Beach groovers Roots Shakedown and released the 2015 folk-acoustic EP “No Worries,” as well as a stream of beachy and bluesy rock singles.
If you’re looking for new local music to add to your weekend soundtrack, consider “County Line” by Staska and his band, The Souvenirs, an engaging seven-track album released Nov. 8 that includes straight country songs and surf-guitar instrumentals.
The album’s Western sound is elevated by the essential slide guitar of Kevin Maul, the widely respected musician based in Hobe Sound. Other members of The Souvenirs include drummer Chris Denny, guitarist Royal Hayes and Bryant Forsythe on bass.
The band performed at a free record-release show on Nov. 8 at Guanabanas Restaurant and Bar in Jupiter. Their future schedule so far also includes a performance on Dec. 14 at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach.
Among the standouts on the album is “American Music Scene,” a jaunty celebration of musical diversity, with Staska’s sunny drawl backed by joyful ribbons of Maul’s pedal steel. “One Lonely Day” is a barstool lament with echoes of Freddy Fender; “Send Me a Letter” is a lovelorn story of longing and distance; and “Ballad of Trapper Nelson” remembers a backwoods legend of the Loxahatchee River.
“That’s definitely a main draw of country music, the storytelling,” said Staska, who grew up on his family’s 5-acre Loxahatchee spread on the edge of the Everglades.
Staska acknowledges that he came to country music tentatively, but is now all in on the music of Willie Nelson, Parsons and others. His Bark Back set included a rendition of Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make it Through the Night.”
The album in heavy rotation in his ear these days is The Byrds’ seminal country-rock release “Sweetheart of the Rodeo,” the band’s first album with Parsons as a member.
“Most people’s first observation of country music is whatever watered-down version they hear on the radio or TV. It took me a little while to discover and love country music,” Staska said. “Personally, it just hits home with me.”
Staska’s performance at Bark Back won over some new fans, including Jen Smith, 40, of Lake Worth Beach, who was at the festival with daughter Jennifer, 10.
“I don’t really know the band, but he looks good up there. And I like the twangy sound, and the Kris Kristofferson song. It was music my dad played,” Smith said.
Staska took the sound he calls “coastal cowboy” for a test drive on a well-received summer tour of Southern California.
“Ever since we’ve sort of gone the country route, there’s definitely been a little more recognition and eyes on us,” he said. “I like to call it surfin’ country. It’s a nontraditional form of country music. I know that’s a hard pill for people to swallow around these parts. Think of Gram Parsons, but with more reverb.”
Brett Staska and The Souvenirs are scheduled to perform Dec. 14 at Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. Visit RespectableStreet.com. For more information about Brett Staska and The Souvenirs, visit BrettStaska.com.