Kettle of Fish is Boiling Over the Local Music Scene

Kettle of Fish plays Wednesday nights on Siesta Key.

One photograph, an eighteenth century English saying, and the inspirational history of a bar in New York City were all ingredients to cooking up the familiar local music of Kettle of Fish.

Dana Lawrence, lead singer and vocals, saw the famous photograph of Jack Kerouac, an American novelist and poet, standing outside of Kettle of Fish, which is a bar in New York City. The photograph, taken by Jerry Yulsman, inspired Lawrence and lead to his discovery that the bar was frequented by many famous musicians such as the legendary Bob Dylan. He later found out that “Kettle of Fish” derives from an old English saying, “What a fine kettle of fish you’ve got us into.” In modern terms it means, “What a nice bit of trouble we’re in”.  Lawrence says, “Once I realized Kettle of Fish meant trouble, I liked it.”

At that moment, he started his band Kettle of Fish, and played his first gig in San Francisco. Today his gigs are mainly played in Siesta Key, Bradenton and Sarasota. It is a common question among fans -- who are the fish in the kettle? Aside from Dana Lawrence, the fish are always swimming in and out.

So who are the fish in the kettle? Although nearly always switching up, there are some mentionable names that are consistently playing. Garret Dawson played drums with Kettle of Fish for four or five years, and then left the Kettle to tour with Dickey Betts and the Allman Brothers. Another mentionable is guitarist Greg Poulos, who is known for playing with Freddie King back in the ‘70s. Lawrence loves playing with Poulos because he always has stories to tell of back in the day, playing poker with Freddie King and Eric Clapton.

Berry Duane Oakley is the unofficial bass player. Although he plays with Kettle of Fish most of the time, his number one job is with Three Night Dog, lead by his step-dad Chuck Negron. Kettle of Fish also sometimes gets to share the stage with Jimmy Faden, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who he’s been playing with for 40 years.

Kettle of Fish is continually switching up their band members.

As the old saying goes, “There are plenty of fish in the sea.” In this case, there are plenty of fish in and out of the Kettle, but as Lawrence says, “I’m the only one who will always be there.”

Lawrence observes that the reason he is lucky enough to share the stage with such notable musicians is because of his location in Siesta Key. “If you’re going to be on tour all year, it’s nice to come home to what feels like a vacation place,” he says, explaining why so many musicians are drawn to the area.

Playing in mostly touristy joints, Kettle of Fish does a lot of covers, but they are proud of their original music. When they open for bigger musicians they play their originals, and have had the privilege of opening for acts such as Eddie Money, Marshall Tucker Band and Molly Hatchet.

Between solos and band gigs, Lawrence is playing music six days a week. He tries to keep the weekends open for the band, to keep the other guys busy. “The more I keep them busy, the more they’ll play with me and the tighter we get,” says Lawrence. “If you don’t play as much, you don’t sound as tight.”

His favorite places to play are Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa and the Green Parrot in Key West. Locally, he enjoys their shows at S.K.O.B. in Siesta Key. “First of all, we have a different guitar player every week,” says Lawrence. With a solid fan base there, they hear a lot of positive feedback. “They’re really receptive to the fact that I love music and I play everything,” says Lawrence. “That’s a great feeling as a musician - to be able to do anything.” They keep the crowd on their toes with rock, blues, and reggae. Sometimes, they even add a mix of bluegrass.

Lawrence feels that out of all of the covers they do, they capture Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers the best, because they duplicate Petty’s performance style. “We never have a set list,” says Lawrence. “We try to take the crowd on a rollercoaster.”

He claims that Tom Petty is the best show he has ever seen live, because he does just this. Going to concerts is something Lawrence compares to doing homework. “I always absorb something,” says Lawrence.

With plans to focus on recording their first album in the fall, and gigs lined up at the newly opening Ocean Blues in Sarasota, Kettle of Fish continues to boil over the Bradenton-Sarasota area.

This video captures Kettle of Fish performing one of their original songs!