April 28, 2025 • 31 mins
Duane Betts carries a legacy forged by his father (the legendary Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band) while forging his own path of soul-stirring blues blends, raw passion and six-string mastery. Joined by his band, Palmetto Motel, Betts plays The Key West Theater on May 15. Britt Myers is joined by Josh Mothner on the Florida Keys Weekly Podcast, as they chat with Betts on what it was like growing up with legendary musicians, flying around the Keys as a child with his father and Don Johnson in a helicopter, along with upcoming projects with iconic producer Dave Cobb. Duane Betts and Palmetto Motel show is an unforgettable journey that no music lover should miss. For more visit thekeywesttheater.com.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to another edition of the Florida Keys Weekly podcast.
I'm your host Brett Myers. I have a special co-host today.
He's joined me a few times before. Before I get
to that, I wanna thank quickly our radio listeners, you
early risers out there, 103.3 FM and WKWF 1600 AM,
and of course all the podcast listeners, you can catch
(00:22):
this show at Keysweekly.com, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, wherever you get
your podcast at.
And more in this show is brought to you by
Overseas Media Group.com that's your local digital website, social media,
all the cool digital things you need with great service
here in the Florida Keys, Overseas Media Group.com and with
that I wanna introduce my co-host and our guest today.
(00:44):
I'm pumped about this for several reasons, but here's what's
really cool. I've got my man Josh Mothner with me today, and, uh,
Josh is, is a uh reoccurring co-host, but what's cool
about this and our guest is here ready to go.
He's joined me for Warren Haynes, who we are big
fans of a really special moment on this podcast. He
joined me with Derek Trucks on this podcast, and if
(01:06):
you follow music and love music or know anything about music,
this is really cool. This is the trifecta. Josh, you're
joining me today for none other than Dwayne Betts. Super.
All right. And Dwayne, I know you're there. It's all
about you, so enough about us, uh, we're, we are
crazy excited to have you on the show and, uh.
Get ready for you to come down here on May
15th at the Key West Theater and enjoy seeing you here. Dwayne,
(01:27):
how you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Hey, guys, how are you doing? Yeah, it's great to,
great to be here with y'all and always great to
be down in the Keys, down in Key West.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Yeah man, so I think we saw you at least
one of the last times you were here, uh, when
you guys were performing over here across the street and, uh,
and the Almond Bets, uh, performance when you guys were here. Uh,
have you been down since that show, Dwayne? I think
that was probably probably about 7-8 years ago, Josh, is
that right? Does that sound right?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I don't really remember recall that clearly what the date
was because it was one of those nights.
Um, it was at the green, right across, as you said,
right here in the opening entrance to Key West, and
it was the Almond Bets Band and we had a
great time. We're in the front row watching you.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Beautiful night, yeah, uh, Dwayne, have you been down since
that night or is that your last, last Key West visit?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Um, I think.
I, I don't know if that was the last time
I played down there, but I've definitely been, I was
just in Key West actually for a day. Um, we
were on the Big Easy cruise, which is the kind
of New Orleans themed.
Cruise and it was um
I think it left out of Miami.
(02:36):
And then it stopped in Key West, but they, they,
it's like they drive in the wrong way. They drive
in the wrong direction so that you, they, you have
a day at sea, and then you turn around and
come back and go to Key West. But it's like
if they, it's like if they just would have gone
from Miami to Key West, it wouldn't have taken nearly
(02:57):
as long, but, um, but yeah, that was, that was
a really fun time and we had a day off there.
It was actually kind of cold. I mean I was
just there and
I, I wanna say it was February. I was in,
in Key West for a day, but um just long
enough to get off and, and have some seafood and,
you know, get a coffee or whatever. Right. Do your thing.
(03:18):
So the, the show we saw was the, uh, of course,
was you and, and Devin Allman and Devin and Barry Oakley,
Barry Dwayne Oakley as well, right? That was the, yeah,
that was, um, I wanna say I don't.
Was that pre-COVID or was that like kind of at
the end of COVID? I mean, I feel like that
was probably 5 years ago.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
You've
probably played a few shows since then,
Speaker 2 (03:41):
well, yeah, I, I, you know, I've played it it's,
it's strange like I, I, I know that we've played
Key West a few times.
Um,
And I think
I think I played Key West with Dawes once, but
I'm not, I'm not sure. I, I, part of me
(04:03):
thinks I, I played there with him, and then the
other part of me is like, wait, no, you definitely
did not play down in Key West. Like, it's a
weird thing. It's like almost like I had a dream
about it that it happened and it seems like it's real,
and then I have to kind of like really think
about it. Um, so I'm gonna do some research on that, but, um,
Yeah, I mean, I love, I love coming down there.
(04:24):
I mean, I grew up in Florida and I grew
up going to Islamorada every year, going deep sea fishing
with my dad. And so, I mean, I post pictures
sometimes of, you know, when I was like 5 years
old of, of me and
And my dad fishing down there, um, so yeah, it's a,
it's a, it's a really special place for me, um,
(04:47):
you know, to have those early childhood memories, but.
Well,
Speaker 1 (04:51):
and I know it's always the tap dance we have
to do when we interview when anyone interviews you.
The way into the legacy of you and your family
and the Allman Brothers to not just make it about
that because you are so incredibly talented and then have
forged your path, but there's there's so many connections that
uh all of us fans love and the nostalgia and
the love for all those artists that come through and
(05:13):
connected to that.
To that, uh, that whole scene, but one thing that
I always kind of find fun, you talking to Derek,
talking to Warren, those guys, it seems like they always
have a Key West story or or surprise me sometimes
that they played somewhere, uh, when they were younger or
popped into a bar. I'm not saying you have.
To have one of those, but do you, do you
have any, when you're coming down to Alamorada or coming
(05:33):
down here, did, did you ever, did anyone ever just say,
hey man, there's Dwayne Betts, did you ever pop in
and play or anyone pull you into something like that?
Speaker 2 (05:39):
No, I mean, I was a little kid. It was
before I even, I mean, when I started playing drums
when I was like 6 or 7 years old and I,
and I mean, this was when my mom and dad
were still together like in the early 80s, so I
was like 4, I was like, like 2345 years old,
6 years old, you know, um.
But I, I do, I mean, I have some pretty
(06:01):
fun stories. I mean, I definitely have some funny stories that,
you know, my dad was, my dad was really good
friends with Don Johnson, and Don Johnson, they met in Macon.
Um,
During a
I believe
I, I get confused sometimes because he met Nick Nolte,
(06:24):
I think there was a movie called Macon County Line or,
or something like that that they were filming in Macon,
and my dad met Don, I think, during the filming
of it, I could be totally wrong. But anyway, let's
fast forward and then in the 80s, you know, they
wrote songs together and Don is actually, there's a great
Southern record from 78 where Don is a co-writer.
(06:47):
And there's actually a picture of Dawn and my dad
in the, in the, the, the, the inside of the record.
Um, and then fast forward about 6 more years and
then you, of course, then you get into Miami Vice
and Donna is like the biggest star in America, so.
Around that time when Miami Vice first started like '84,
(07:10):
I wanna say, you know, Don was living in Miami,
so we'd go down to Miami and, and go to
Don's and then we'd drive down and we'd go fishing
with Don. Well, Don also was a uh
You know, he had a helicopter and, and, and one
time he flew, he flew us down from Miami to
(07:31):
uh to the Keys in a helicopter and, uh, and
I think we were fishing, um, we were fishing on
the blue chip, uh, the blue chip 2.
Um, the first, the blue chip or, uh, there was
a fire. All these stories I think are true, like,
you know, if I was fact checked, they might all
(07:52):
be wrong, but, um, I think there was a fire,
so then, so yeah, my dad was really good friends with, um,
with the captain and his name was Skipper, which is
I guess maybe a nickname. I don't, I don't know.
I haven't seen, I mean this is when, when I
was 6 years old and again.
This could all be wrong. It could have been, you know,
(08:13):
Chip or something, but I'm pretty, I'm pretty doggone sure
about most of this. But, um, so yeah, we'd come
down and watch a Miami Vice taping and then like
fly down in a helicopter to the Keys, and I was,
you know, I mean, I, I grew up around some,
some of that, you know, but I mean, I didn't
(08:34):
grow up like in
You know, my dad wasn't a movie star. I didn't
grow up in a mansion in Beverly Hills. I mean,
obviously when the Allman Brothers got back together in '89
and started playing and then had a resurgence, I mean,
things were, were pretty good for, for the, my dad and, and,
but in that 80s period, it was kind of a
lull for, you know, my dad was probably having a
(08:56):
hard time getting a record deal or was kind of
You know, it was after the peak of the Allman
Brothers and they had broken up and, but here we
were like with Don in Miami, and he had the
biggest show in the country and
And we're flying down to the Keys in a helicopter.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Was there ever any question again? I wanna talk about
you and I know Josh is a big fan as
well and what you've got going on, but I do
wanna ask this you know as you look back and
by the way, happy birthday you just had a birthday
I know Dwayne so. Yeah, yeah thank you thank you
yeah I almost share I'm a Georgia boy originally and
uh we almost share a birthday that's all I got
for you that's it but uh uh I didn't wanna
say happy birthday to you, but um.
(09:34):
Was there ever ever any question, you know, I think
about you grew up with a dad whoever you are,
and sometimes we follow in footsteps, sometimes we don't, but
in your world it was obvious some of the most
incredible musicians doing something different in the in the in
the stratosphere that you're living in. Was there ever any
question when you were growing up, Dwayne, were you did
you ever think I'll be a fireman or I'll just
or was it always this is what I'm gonna do?
(09:56):
I know you played drums as a kid, got into
guitar at a young age, was there any question this
was the life for you or not, or did it happen? Um.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Yeah, I didn't, it's not like I made a decision. I,
I mean, I, I, I guess I kind of did
make a decision. I mean, I kind of decided what
I liked and I decided to work really hard at it,
and I was very passionate about it, and that was
You know, playing, playing drums and um.
And I did that until I was about 13, and
then I went back to the guitar cause my, you know,
(10:27):
when I was very young, my dad had a little
ukulele and he was, you know, he'd kind of go
over my shoulder and move my hands and stretch my
fingers out over the, on the neck, and I just,
I mean when I was very young, I just remembered.
Not liking it and it was too hard. I didn't
like having to make my fingers fit in places and
I just wanted to bang on things, so I asked
(10:47):
him for a drum set, so I, I, I really
took a um
You know, a, a liking to, to playing the drums,
and I started, you know, I started and practice like
it meant everything to me and then.
Um, you know, around 13, I started picking up the
guitars around the house and, uh, noticed things were coming
(11:11):
a lot easier to me and I, I, uh, you know,
started training my ear and realized that it was kind
of easier to pick up things and I was learning
stuff and
And I started enjoying that. So then I just shifted
all of that energy over to guitar. Um, but to
answer your question about if there was ever anything else
that I was intrigued by, I mean, yeah, there was
(11:33):
other things.
But there's not, there was no, there was never something
that I felt like I wanted to do with my
life instead of music, and it was kind of a,
you know, a no pressure situation. There was absolutely no
pressure to do anything. And then, of course, once you're
like 18 and you're like playing in your first band
(11:53):
and you're an adult, then it's like, well, now I
actually have to
Try to figure this out to where I can make
a living, you know, um, and now, now it's tricky,
but then you're in bands and you're having a good time.
I mean, I was having a great time when I
was in.
You know, around 18 to 25, I mean, was, was, um,
(12:17):
It was, it was a wild time, but it was
a lot. It was, it was a good time, you know,
there was a lot of good, uh, times in there.
I'm sure that's when you were in California.
Mhm. Yeah, I was out there. I was playing in
a band called Backbone and um we, we made a
record and then I was in, um, well, initially I
(12:38):
was actually in a band with um Barry Oakley and
uh Barry Oakley Junior and Waylon Krieger. They were in, uh,
they were in a band that broke up, um.
And then they formed a new band. They were actually
in a band with Joe Bonamasa called Bloodline when when
Joe was like, I don't know, he was 13 or something, um,
and then that band broke up and then Barry, um,
(13:02):
called me and they asked if I wanted to come
out because my mom lived out there and I, I
grew up in between Florida and, and Malibu and I
mean I grew up in Florida till I was like 12,
you know, I'm really um.
Born and raised
in Florida. Yeah, we
Speaker 1 (13:17):
grew up, we're about the same age, Dwayne, uh, this
is Brett, Josh is not, he's he's old, but uh yeah, uh,
but no seriously, we grew up, I grew up listening
to your dad's genre and I was in, I didn't
know any better, we just inundated with with Southern rock
and brothers and and all, but you and I grew
up in a different era where the 80s went through,
the 90s grunge era came in and and
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yeah, I went through all that. I mean, I loved, I, I, I,
you know, when I was playing guitar and I was like.
Listening to Albert, buying Albert King records and buying.
You know, I mean, I was really into like Alice
in Chains and and smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana and a
lot of like the really
Kind of even like some of the shoegazer stuff, and
I mean, before that, I mean, I went through a,
(14:00):
a real metal phase, like 4th, 5th grade, and 6th grade,
I was like really into like thrash metal and stuff, so,
you know, um, yeah, it's pretty funny.
But the first band that I played professionally in was
that band with, with Barry, um, with Barry and, and Waylon.
(14:21):
And then then that led into Backbone. I went out
to Maine, etc. etc. etc. you know, but. So I
want to mention something real quick because as Britt mentioned,
I'm old, so I'm not, I, I, I was listening
to an interview I was listening to listen, I'm 63,
so I'm listening to an interview with you.
With a guy, it was really good interview. You were
great and it was talking about going out to the
merch tents and having to listen to guys like me
(14:43):
tell you Allman Brothers stories. I don't know if you
remember telling him. Yeah, that's pretty common. I mean, if
you go out there to meet folks, I mean, you're
kind of
Opening yourself up to that and it's not that I
mean 99% of people like mean well and most of them,
a lot of them come across as well, but then
(15:03):
there's like
You know, I mean, you're, you know, you just, you
just have to kind of, it's, it's it's a burden
you have to bear. I understand. But I, I saw you,
you don't have to. I mean, if there's too many people, like,
I mean, you don't go out to merch like for
my solo shows, if there's, there's a limit, if it's like.
You know, when we're doing like the, when we're playing
(15:26):
theaters or something with Almond with the revival tour with,
you know, or even Almond Bets band, I mean, that's
like a level or 2 or 3 up, you know,
I mean, we don't go out to march every night,
like it's, you know, but if it's like, if you're
trying to build something and you're really like, like with
my stuff I enjoy it cause I really like meeting
(15:46):
people at the end of the night and it obviously
it helps out business, that's part of it. I'm not
gonna lie, but
Um, and if I feel kind of like I played crappy,
usually by the end of that I'll feel better, like
people will boost my ego. Well, let's talk about what you,
not really. Let's talk about what you built. Let's talk
about Palmetto Motel and that band you have now, because
(16:09):
that band I listened to that that album, uh, Wild
and Precious Life is, um, I love that album, and I,
I wanted to ask you, yeah, Wild and Precious Life is, is,
I'm really proud of that one. I mean that's.
That's, um, you know, we recorded, actually, this is a funny,
this is a funny one. So I recorded that at
Derek and Susan's in Jacksonville at their studio.
(16:31):
And uh uh the name is dude it's Swamprago. That's
where they record all their stuff um but
I was at a birthday party for a friend of
ours in in the Keys at Little Palm Island, which is,
you know, a really nice kind of old Florida like
(16:51):
resort kind of it's basically like a little private island
that's really what it is, but um.
Anyway, we were there and Derek and Susan were playing
at this person's birthday party like with, with Tyler with
with Falcon, who actually played drums on Viol and Precious Life, um,
who's one of their two drummers, but, um, they were
(17:12):
doing like a little three-piece thing and, and Jimmy Vaughan
was one of the guests and a couple of other people, but, um,
that was the impetus for
Doing Wild and Precious Life um was basically Susan, um,
saying that I should record at their record, you know,
they were asking what I was up to, what I
(17:34):
was doing. I was like, well, I really want to
do a solo record and I have some songs, so
I think I, I think that's the next thing I
wanna do. And, uh, and Susan said, yeah, you should
and you should come do it at our place, uh,
and so that.
That all happened um I watched you, I watched you
last year at Sunsand and Soul up in Miramar Beach. I,
(17:55):
I watched your, your performance. I also watched what was
obvious to everybody in the crowd was this affection between
you and Susan Deedeski and Derek. It was clear when
you came out to play with them, your sets, you know, I,
it was just, it was amazing and I'm looking forward,
I'm going up there again next week actually for the
next iteration of that. Yeah, I'm pretty. Yeah, yeah, that,
that's a really great event that they put on there
(18:16):
and um.
Yeah, it's good, it's, it's good people. um, but I
have one question and yeah, Derek and Susan are are
really nice people. But you recorded that album basically like
right after they finished I Am the Moon, or were
they still doing I Am the Moon when you were there?
Well, no, they weren't doing it because I wouldn't have
(18:37):
been there if they were doing it. Um, I feel
like they already had done it or no, I don't know.
What year did I, I am come out. I don't
really know. I know when I recorded mine. Mine came
out in 23 and we were there in the, we
did two sessions in the spring and summer, like May
and April.
(18:58):
Or May and
Yeah, it was like right around late spring, um, in 22,
I think. So are you bringing the whole you you
it's the, what's the band made up of now? So
you like you said, Falcon's not playing with you. He
played on the album, but he's not with Palmetto. Yeah,
I mean, yeah, Palmetto Motel is just kind of is
(19:21):
the band that, you know, I don't, I, I, I
want to give the band identity. I don't want it
to just be Dwayne Des, um.
Because I feel like I have like really good players
with me. But uh it's Pedro Ravalo on bass, uh
who actually played with me in my father's band. He
played in my dad's band actually longer than I did
(19:42):
because I joined.
You know, Great Southern in 2006, let's say, and he
joined in like 2004. So he played bass with my
dad and, and knows the music really well, um.
And then Johnny Statula, who obviously
He is a great flag guitar player, a great guitar player.
(20:03):
He plays uh in Almond Betts band as well. And
then uh.
On drums, I have Vince Fawcett Junior from Los Angeles.
He's
Really an amazing drummer.
And then, uh, on keyboards, uh, Max Butler also from
Los Angeles,
um,
Speaker 1 (20:22):
is that is that Max on, uh, when you a
song that blows me away, Dwayne is is uh under
the Bay moon and that piano and that song and just. Yeah,
Speaker 2 (20:31):
that's
that's, that's John Ginty. I mean, you know, I don't
use when I tour, I mean, I kind of want
a set band and some of the guys that you
can get on your records.
Or
Um, you know, they don't want a tour or they
are home doing sessions or they're touring with someone else,
(20:52):
you know, so I want to set in, so sometimes.
You know, when I, when I did that record, I
was playing with Barry and, and I wanted Falcon on it,
and I wanted John Kinsey, um.
And it's a great band. Um, but, you know, Ginti
doesn't really want to tour a whole lot, um.
(21:15):
And you know, so you just, you just find a
band that can really play well and create something live,
but it's not always gonna be the same band that
that's on the record. Now, to fast forward, I have,
I just, I, I have a new record that I,
I did in Savannah with Dave Cobb producing, who Dave
Cobb is is one of the
(21:35):
You know, one of the great producers out there right now,
I mean, um, you know, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, you know,
you know who he is, um, so I was really
Fortunate and uh and really honored to get in there
with him and, and, and really see how he works and,
(21:55):
and be part of
That process with him and kind of let him do
things the way he does them and, and, and then,
you know, obviously be given the space to do my
thing the way I do it, but um
But that record is uh
(22:16):
Done and I'm shopping it right now and so that's
really like the next thing that I'm, I'm really, really
excited about, but I can't, you know, I don't have
a release date for it and I'm not really playing
a lot of stuff off of it yet, um, or
I'm not playing anything off of it. Yeah, I'm not
playing anything off of it quite yet.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
I was gonna ask you, you bring up, I'm sitting
here with a Sturgill Simpson magazine cover in front of
Josh and I right now and I and I think
about guys like you, Dwayne that grew up.
Uh, you know, you probably didn't have the fan guy
but you, you were in it your entire life, but
who does anybody, anybody you listen, I know this is
kind of a cliche question, but you talk about Tyler
and Sturgill and others, even if it's a different genre,
(22:57):
anybody that you listen to today that inspires you because
you've been around so much, you've seen so much, you've
heard so much, anybody that you that you tune into
and think, man, these, these folks sound cool.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I mean there's a ton
of people that inspire me. There's a ton of songwriters
that I, uh.
Um, the.
I mean.
I don't know. I like, I like a lot of those,
a lot of guys that have an authenticity and kind of, um,
you know, I like some of Ryan Bingham's stuff a lot.
(23:26):
I mean, I like, I like Sturgi, I like Tyler,
I like uh Charlie Crockett. I like um
I like Lucas Nelson a lot. I mean, Lucas has
become a friend and
I play with him, uh, you know, he's asked me
to sit in a few times and
And, uh, you know, obviously Marcus King is, is, is
(23:49):
extremely talented and, you know, can
Sing lights out, play lights out, and write, you know,
he has songs too.
And that's kind of what I strive for. I strive
to kind of
You know, people, it's one thing to play an impressive
guitar solo and melt somebody's face with a, you know,
(24:10):
a guitar solo, and that's, that's great. But I mean,
you've got to have songs too, um, and I think
the bands that I like that jam a lot, a
lot of them have great songs as well, whether it's
the Allman Brothers or the Grateful Dead or um
You know, I mean, even some of the newer jam,
(24:32):
you know, the jam band stuff, there's not all of
it's my cup of tea, but I mean, I really respect.
Um, I mean, I think Pish is amazing at what
they do. I, I mean, they're not a new band
by any stretch of their imagination, but what they do
live and the way they play together is, is astounding,
and I, I totally dig that. Um, but, um, yeah,
(24:54):
I mean, it, the songwriter thing is, is really important and, um, yeah,
there's a lot of really good ones out there. I
mean there's people that I like. Oh, I got two
quick questions. One, you ever considered two drummers for a band?
Yeah, I, I, I would love, I mean, I probably would.
Almost
Prefer it um.
(25:16):
But it's
More it's more cost efficient to only have one that's fair.
And I have one other question. You mentioned Lucas Nelson.
Do you still have a dog named after his father?
Uh, yeah, I mean, that's kind of a funny thing,
but it's also, yeah, yeah, I mean, Willie, my dad,
(25:37):
he's right here, yeah, Willie, yeah, he's, he's beautiful. He's,
he's a, uh.
He's a a mini goal. He's a really big mini goldendoodle,
so he's like, he was supposed to be, he's supposed
to be 28 to 32 pounds, and I think he's
like 48. But he's not, he's just bigger than like his,
his body frame is bigger. He's not like overweight or anything.
(26:01):
He looks, he looks amazing. I've got
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Boomer, my, my Wheaton terrier right here, and he's, everyone
thinks he's a goldendoodle, so, uh, he says, he says, Yeah,
that's great.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Oh
Speaker 1 (26:10):
that's awesome. Well, I know we've, I know we've had you, Dwayne, for, uh, I,
I don't wanna keep you too much longer. We're so
honored and thrilled to have you on this as we
promote this show coming up on May 15th at the
Key West Theater. Uh, that's and and everyone here in
town and across the country knows how to get those
tickets at the Keystheater.com.
But um if you, if you will appease us, let's
ask you about one or two more questions to get you,
(26:30):
get you moving, can't wait to see you, but Josh
I know you had something on the tip of your
tongue there, and I, I didn't wanna cut you off.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
No, no, no, I, I, I just the whole Florida thing, you,
you know, you wrote up, as you said between Florida
and California, and I, I, I talked to you about
Sunsand and Soul last year. It might have been the
most Florida moment I've ever lived in a music realm.
I mean, between you and the, you know, Derek and
Susan and JJ Gray and just the whole feel of
the place.
Um, do you, do you, is there a Florida sound
(26:58):
in your mind? Is there something about Florida? I mean,
there's a lot of different music. I mean, we, you know,
obviously you have Tom Petty, you have other people like that,
but what, what encapsulates Florida to you?
Musically, um, you know, I think, I don't know if
there's a, a Florida sound. I, I don't think of
it as a Florida sound per se, but there, uh,
you know, there is a conversion, a convergence of a
(27:21):
lot of different.
Music, um, even in like the beach bar scene, you know,
like in, in Sarasota, for instance, you have like
You have kind of this kind of outlaw country thing
mixed with reggae with
You know, it's kind of like a soup of, of
(27:41):
different things that could be considered, uh, you know, cause
Florida is like that. It's kind of southern, but it's,
but it's like tropical, you know, it's kind of like island,
it's islandy, um.
But I mean, a lot of great musicians came.
From Florida and, you know, they all sound a little different.
(28:03):
I don't know if there's.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Well you're one of them you're one of those musicians, Dwayne,
and I'll ask you this as we wrap up, but
uh this is a selfish old guy question that kind
of goes through your past, but you've been around, you're
one of the greats, but you, you grew up and
were influenced by all these great guitarists.
And musicians and have seen so many and probably things
that it's just every day for you to be around
them having conversations but I'll, I'll ask one more cliche
(28:27):
question what's what's some of the best advice? Who gave
you what's something that really sticks out from these great
musicians you've been around that gave you some great advice?
Did anything jump jump in your head that somebody told
you at one point?
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Um, yeah, I mean just about.
Playing guitar, I mean, I mean, I've been around some
really great guitar players and when I was young coming up,
whether it was my dad or or Warren or, or
Jack Pearson, um,
You know, I mean, my dad always emphasized the importance
of melody, you know, and, uh, of kind of creating
(29:02):
a story, telling a story, um, you know, he had
this thing where he'd say, when I first was starting,
he'd say, you know, you ask, you ask a question
and you answer it, you know, and you can hear
that a lot in his playing and
You know, sometimes
As a musician, sometimes it's just flowing. You feel like
you're just playing and you're not, and other times you
(29:24):
can kind of, like I'll feel like I'm stuck, you know,
when I'm, when I'm in a jam, you know, when
you're just kind of playing over two chords and you're
trying to create a story. Sometimes you kind of
You kind of hit a dead end, but I'll always
go back to that. I'll always
If I'm stuck, I'll just say we'll just ask a
question and answer it and then you'll, you can build
(29:46):
back up from there um.
So if that makes any sense at all, but also nature,
I mean, nature is a big part of, of what,
you know, of what we do, um.
You know, trying to emulate something that's that's in if
it's in nature, then how could it be wrong, you know,
(30:08):
if it's, if it's uh natural, you know, the wind
blowing or if it's a river flowing, or if it's
lightning striking or any of that.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
That's awesome. Well, you, you've, we've had questions, you've answered
them and
Cannot tell you, uh, a lot of people coming into
this town and a lot of people in this town
can't wait to see you on May 15th at the
Key West Theater. Uh, Dwayne Betts, uh, this is a
lot of fun for us, really appreciate you taking the time,
but it'll
Speaker 2 (30:36):
be a great night. We'll, we'll throw a few classics
in there. It'll be, you know, it'll be a nice
mix of, of original stuff with, um, with some, some, some, uh,
you know.
No one will be disappointed, I'll put it that way. Fantastic.
Well yeah,
Speaker 1 (30:52):
thanks for coming on, thanks for carrying the legacy and
doing it your way and and making it as as
as good as it gets when I go to your
shows and can't wait to see you. So thanks for
coming on, I appreciate you doing
Speaker 2 (31:01):
it. Cool, man. Thank you, thank you all so much
for having me. Have a great one and uh yeah,
let's rock down in Key West.
You got it.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Alright, thanks buddy. Talk to you talk to you then,
thanks so much, bye bye.
Welcome to another edition of the Florida Keys Weekly podcast.
I'm your host Brett Myers. I have a special co-host today.
He's joined me a few times before. Before I get
to that, I wanna thank quickly our radio listeners, you
early risers out there, 103.3 FM and WKWF 1600 AM,
and of course all the podcast listeners, you can catch
(00:22):
this show at Keysweekly.com, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, wherever you get
your podcast at.
And more in this show is brought to you by
Overseas Media Group.com that's your local digital website, social media,
all the cool digital things you need with great service
here in the Florida Keys, Overseas Media Group.com and with
that I wanna introduce my co-host and our guest today.
(00:44):
I'm pumped about this for several reasons, but here's what's
really cool. I've got my man Josh Mothner with me today, and, uh,
Josh is, is a uh reoccurring co-host, but what's cool
about this and our guest is here ready to go.
He's joined me for Warren Haynes, who we are big
fans of a really special moment on this podcast. He
joined me with Derek Trucks on this podcast, and if
(01:06):
you follow music and love music or know anything about music,
this is really cool. This is the trifecta. Josh, you're
joining me today for none other than Dwayne Betts. Super.
All right. And Dwayne, I know you're there. It's all
about you, so enough about us, uh, we're, we are
crazy excited to have you on the show and, uh.
Get ready for you to come down here on May
15th at the Key West Theater and enjoy seeing you here. Dwayne,
(01:27):
how you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Hey, guys, how are you doing? Yeah, it's great to,
great to be here with y'all and always great to
be down in the Keys, down in Key West.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Yeah man, so I think we saw you at least
one of the last times you were here, uh, when
you guys were performing over here across the street and, uh,
and the Almond Bets, uh, performance when you guys were here. Uh,
have you been down since that show, Dwayne? I think
that was probably probably about 7-8 years ago, Josh, is
that right? Does that sound right?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I don't really remember recall that clearly what the date
was because it was one of those nights.
Um, it was at the green, right across, as you said,
right here in the opening entrance to Key West, and
it was the Almond Bets Band and we had a
great time. We're in the front row watching you.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Beautiful night, yeah, uh, Dwayne, have you been down since
that night or is that your last, last Key West visit?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Um, I think.
I, I don't know if that was the last time
I played down there, but I've definitely been, I was
just in Key West actually for a day. Um, we
were on the Big Easy cruise, which is the kind
of New Orleans themed.
Cruise and it was um
I think it left out of Miami.
(02:36):
And then it stopped in Key West, but they, they,
it's like they drive in the wrong way. They drive
in the wrong direction so that you, they, you have
a day at sea, and then you turn around and
come back and go to Key West. But it's like
if they, it's like if they just would have gone
from Miami to Key West, it wouldn't have taken nearly
(02:57):
as long, but, um, but yeah, that was, that was
a really fun time and we had a day off there.
It was actually kind of cold. I mean I was
just there and
I, I wanna say it was February. I was in,
in Key West for a day, but um just long
enough to get off and, and have some seafood and,
you know, get a coffee or whatever. Right. Do your thing.
(03:18):
So the, the show we saw was the, uh, of course,
was you and, and Devin Allman and Devin and Barry Oakley,
Barry Dwayne Oakley as well, right? That was the, yeah,
that was, um, I wanna say I don't.
Was that pre-COVID or was that like kind of at
the end of COVID? I mean, I feel like that
was probably 5 years ago.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
You've
probably played a few shows since then,
Speaker 2 (03:41):
well, yeah, I, I, you know, I've played it it's,
it's strange like I, I, I know that we've played
Key West a few times.
Um,
And I think
I think I played Key West with Dawes once, but
I'm not, I'm not sure. I, I, part of me
(04:03):
thinks I, I played there with him, and then the
other part of me is like, wait, no, you definitely
did not play down in Key West. Like, it's a
weird thing. It's like almost like I had a dream
about it that it happened and it seems like it's real,
and then I have to kind of like really think
about it. Um, so I'm gonna do some research on that, but, um,
Yeah, I mean, I love, I love coming down there.
(04:24):
I mean, I grew up in Florida and I grew
up going to Islamorada every year, going deep sea fishing
with my dad. And so, I mean, I post pictures
sometimes of, you know, when I was like 5 years
old of, of me and
And my dad fishing down there, um, so yeah, it's a,
it's a, it's a really special place for me, um,
(04:47):
you know, to have those early childhood memories, but.
Well,
Speaker 1 (04:51):
and I know it's always the tap dance we have
to do when we interview when anyone interviews you.
The way into the legacy of you and your family
and the Allman Brothers to not just make it about
that because you are so incredibly talented and then have
forged your path, but there's there's so many connections that
uh all of us fans love and the nostalgia and
the love for all those artists that come through and
(05:13):
connected to that.
To that, uh, that whole scene, but one thing that
I always kind of find fun, you talking to Derek,
talking to Warren, those guys, it seems like they always
have a Key West story or or surprise me sometimes
that they played somewhere, uh, when they were younger or
popped into a bar. I'm not saying you have.
To have one of those, but do you, do you
have any, when you're coming down to Alamorada or coming
(05:33):
down here, did, did you ever, did anyone ever just say,
hey man, there's Dwayne Betts, did you ever pop in
and play or anyone pull you into something like that?
Speaker 2 (05:39):
No, I mean, I was a little kid. It was
before I even, I mean, when I started playing drums
when I was like 6 or 7 years old and I,
and I mean, this was when my mom and dad
were still together like in the early 80s, so I
was like 4, I was like, like 2345 years old,
6 years old, you know, um.
But I, I do, I mean, I have some pretty
(06:01):
fun stories. I mean, I definitely have some funny stories that,
you know, my dad was, my dad was really good
friends with Don Johnson, and Don Johnson, they met in Macon.
Um,
During a
I believe
I, I get confused sometimes because he met Nick Nolte,
(06:24):
I think there was a movie called Macon County Line or,
or something like that that they were filming in Macon,
and my dad met Don, I think, during the filming
of it, I could be totally wrong. But anyway, let's
fast forward and then in the 80s, you know, they
wrote songs together and Don is actually, there's a great
Southern record from 78 where Don is a co-writer.
(06:47):
And there's actually a picture of Dawn and my dad
in the, in the, the, the, the inside of the record.
Um, and then fast forward about 6 more years and
then you, of course, then you get into Miami Vice
and Donna is like the biggest star in America, so.
Around that time when Miami Vice first started like '84,
(07:10):
I wanna say, you know, Don was living in Miami,
so we'd go down to Miami and, and go to
Don's and then we'd drive down and we'd go fishing
with Don. Well, Don also was a uh
You know, he had a helicopter and, and, and one
time he flew, he flew us down from Miami to
(07:31):
uh to the Keys in a helicopter and, uh, and
I think we were fishing, um, we were fishing on
the blue chip, uh, the blue chip 2.
Um, the first, the blue chip or, uh, there was
a fire. All these stories I think are true, like,
you know, if I was fact checked, they might all
(07:52):
be wrong, but, um, I think there was a fire,
so then, so yeah, my dad was really good friends with, um,
with the captain and his name was Skipper, which is
I guess maybe a nickname. I don't, I don't know.
I haven't seen, I mean this is when, when I
was 6 years old and again.
This could all be wrong. It could have been, you know,
(08:13):
Chip or something, but I'm pretty, I'm pretty doggone sure
about most of this. But, um, so yeah, we'd come
down and watch a Miami Vice taping and then like
fly down in a helicopter to the Keys, and I was,
you know, I mean, I, I grew up around some,
some of that, you know, but I mean, I didn't
(08:34):
grow up like in
You know, my dad wasn't a movie star. I didn't
grow up in a mansion in Beverly Hills. I mean,
obviously when the Allman Brothers got back together in '89
and started playing and then had a resurgence, I mean,
things were, were pretty good for, for the, my dad and, and,
but in that 80s period, it was kind of a
lull for, you know, my dad was probably having a
(08:56):
hard time getting a record deal or was kind of
You know, it was after the peak of the Allman
Brothers and they had broken up and, but here we
were like with Don in Miami, and he had the
biggest show in the country and
And we're flying down to the Keys in a helicopter.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Was there ever any question again? I wanna talk about
you and I know Josh is a big fan as
well and what you've got going on, but I do
wanna ask this you know as you look back and
by the way, happy birthday you just had a birthday
I know Dwayne so. Yeah, yeah thank you thank you
yeah I almost share I'm a Georgia boy originally and
uh we almost share a birthday that's all I got
for you that's it but uh uh I didn't wanna
say happy birthday to you, but um.
(09:34):
Was there ever ever any question, you know, I think
about you grew up with a dad whoever you are,
and sometimes we follow in footsteps, sometimes we don't, but
in your world it was obvious some of the most
incredible musicians doing something different in the in the in
the stratosphere that you're living in. Was there ever any
question when you were growing up, Dwayne, were you did
you ever think I'll be a fireman or I'll just
or was it always this is what I'm gonna do?
(09:56):
I know you played drums as a kid, got into
guitar at a young age, was there any question this
was the life for you or not, or did it happen? Um.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Yeah, I didn't, it's not like I made a decision. I,
I mean, I, I, I guess I kind of did
make a decision. I mean, I kind of decided what
I liked and I decided to work really hard at it,
and I was very passionate about it, and that was
You know, playing, playing drums and um.
And I did that until I was about 13, and
then I went back to the guitar cause my, you know,
(10:27):
when I was very young, my dad had a little
ukulele and he was, you know, he'd kind of go
over my shoulder and move my hands and stretch my
fingers out over the, on the neck, and I just,
I mean when I was very young, I just remembered.
Not liking it and it was too hard. I didn't
like having to make my fingers fit in places and
I just wanted to bang on things, so I asked
(10:47):
him for a drum set, so I, I, I really
took a um
You know, a, a liking to, to playing the drums,
and I started, you know, I started and practice like
it meant everything to me and then.
Um, you know, around 13, I started picking up the
guitars around the house and, uh, noticed things were coming
(11:11):
a lot easier to me and I, I, uh, you know,
started training my ear and realized that it was kind
of easier to pick up things and I was learning
stuff and
And I started enjoying that. So then I just shifted
all of that energy over to guitar. Um, but to
answer your question about if there was ever anything else
that I was intrigued by, I mean, yeah, there was
(11:33):
other things.
But there's not, there was no, there was never something
that I felt like I wanted to do with my
life instead of music, and it was kind of a,
you know, a no pressure situation. There was absolutely no
pressure to do anything. And then, of course, once you're
like 18 and you're like playing in your first band
(11:53):
and you're an adult, then it's like, well, now I
actually have to
Try to figure this out to where I can make
a living, you know, um, and now, now it's tricky,
but then you're in bands and you're having a good time.
I mean, I was having a great time when I
was in.
You know, around 18 to 25, I mean, was, was, um,
(12:17):
It was, it was a wild time, but it was
a lot. It was, it was a good time, you know,
there was a lot of good, uh, times in there.
I'm sure that's when you were in California.
Mhm. Yeah, I was out there. I was playing in
a band called Backbone and um we, we made a
record and then I was in, um, well, initially I
(12:38):
was actually in a band with um Barry Oakley and
uh Barry Oakley Junior and Waylon Krieger. They were in, uh,
they were in a band that broke up, um.
And then they formed a new band. They were actually
in a band with Joe Bonamasa called Bloodline when when
Joe was like, I don't know, he was 13 or something, um,
and then that band broke up and then Barry, um,
(13:02):
called me and they asked if I wanted to come
out because my mom lived out there and I, I
grew up in between Florida and, and Malibu and I
mean I grew up in Florida till I was like 12,
you know, I'm really um.
Born and raised
in Florida. Yeah, we
Speaker 1 (13:17):
grew up, we're about the same age, Dwayne, uh, this
is Brett, Josh is not, he's he's old, but uh yeah, uh,
but no seriously, we grew up, I grew up listening
to your dad's genre and I was in, I didn't
know any better, we just inundated with with Southern rock
and brothers and and all, but you and I grew
up in a different era where the 80s went through,
the 90s grunge era came in and and
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yeah, I went through all that. I mean, I loved, I, I, I,
you know, when I was playing guitar and I was like.
Listening to Albert, buying Albert King records and buying.
You know, I mean, I was really into like Alice
in Chains and and smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana and a
lot of like the really
Kind of even like some of the shoegazer stuff, and
I mean, before that, I mean, I went through a,
(14:00):
a real metal phase, like 4th, 5th grade, and 6th grade,
I was like really into like thrash metal and stuff, so,
you know, um, yeah, it's pretty funny.
But the first band that I played professionally in was
that band with, with Barry, um, with Barry and, and Waylon.
(14:21):
And then then that led into Backbone. I went out
to Maine, etc. etc. etc. you know, but. So I
want to mention something real quick because as Britt mentioned,
I'm old, so I'm not, I, I, I was listening
to an interview I was listening to listen, I'm 63,
so I'm listening to an interview with you.
With a guy, it was really good interview. You were
great and it was talking about going out to the
merch tents and having to listen to guys like me
(14:43):
tell you Allman Brothers stories. I don't know if you
remember telling him. Yeah, that's pretty common. I mean, if
you go out there to meet folks, I mean, you're
kind of
Opening yourself up to that and it's not that I
mean 99% of people like mean well and most of them,
a lot of them come across as well, but then
(15:03):
there's like
You know, I mean, you're, you know, you just, you
just have to kind of, it's, it's it's a burden
you have to bear. I understand. But I, I saw you,
you don't have to. I mean, if there's too many people, like,
I mean, you don't go out to merch like for
my solo shows, if there's, there's a limit, if it's like.
You know, when we're doing like the, when we're playing
(15:26):
theaters or something with Almond with the revival tour with,
you know, or even Almond Bets band, I mean, that's
like a level or 2 or 3 up, you know,
I mean, we don't go out to march every night,
like it's, you know, but if it's like, if you're
trying to build something and you're really like, like with
my stuff I enjoy it cause I really like meeting
(15:46):
people at the end of the night and it obviously
it helps out business, that's part of it. I'm not
gonna lie, but
Um, and if I feel kind of like I played crappy,
usually by the end of that I'll feel better, like
people will boost my ego. Well, let's talk about what you,
not really. Let's talk about what you built. Let's talk
about Palmetto Motel and that band you have now, because
(16:09):
that band I listened to that that album, uh, Wild
and Precious Life is, um, I love that album, and I,
I wanted to ask you, yeah, Wild and Precious Life is, is,
I'm really proud of that one. I mean that's.
That's, um, you know, we recorded, actually, this is a funny,
this is a funny one. So I recorded that at
Derek and Susan's in Jacksonville at their studio.
(16:31):
And uh uh the name is dude it's Swamprago. That's
where they record all their stuff um but
I was at a birthday party for a friend of
ours in in the Keys at Little Palm Island, which is,
you know, a really nice kind of old Florida like
(16:51):
resort kind of it's basically like a little private island
that's really what it is, but um.
Anyway, we were there and Derek and Susan were playing
at this person's birthday party like with, with Tyler with
with Falcon, who actually played drums on Viol and Precious Life, um,
who's one of their two drummers, but, um, they were
(17:12):
doing like a little three-piece thing and, and Jimmy Vaughan
was one of the guests and a couple of other people, but, um,
that was the impetus for
Doing Wild and Precious Life um was basically Susan, um,
saying that I should record at their record, you know,
they were asking what I was up to, what I
(17:34):
was doing. I was like, well, I really want to
do a solo record and I have some songs, so
I think I, I think that's the next thing I
wanna do. And, uh, and Susan said, yeah, you should
and you should come do it at our place, uh,
and so that.
That all happened um I watched you, I watched you
last year at Sunsand and Soul up in Miramar Beach. I,
(17:55):
I watched your, your performance. I also watched what was
obvious to everybody in the crowd was this affection between
you and Susan Deedeski and Derek. It was clear when
you came out to play with them, your sets, you know, I,
it was just, it was amazing and I'm looking forward,
I'm going up there again next week actually for the
next iteration of that. Yeah, I'm pretty. Yeah, yeah, that,
that's a really great event that they put on there
(18:16):
and um.
Yeah, it's good, it's, it's good people. um, but I
have one question and yeah, Derek and Susan are are
really nice people. But you recorded that album basically like
right after they finished I Am the Moon, or were
they still doing I Am the Moon when you were there?
Well, no, they weren't doing it because I wouldn't have
(18:37):
been there if they were doing it. Um, I feel
like they already had done it or no, I don't know.
What year did I, I am come out. I don't
really know. I know when I recorded mine. Mine came
out in 23 and we were there in the, we
did two sessions in the spring and summer, like May
and April.
(18:58):
Or May and
Yeah, it was like right around late spring, um, in 22,
I think. So are you bringing the whole you you
it's the, what's the band made up of now? So
you like you said, Falcon's not playing with you. He
played on the album, but he's not with Palmetto. Yeah,
I mean, yeah, Palmetto Motel is just kind of is
(19:21):
the band that, you know, I don't, I, I, I
want to give the band identity. I don't want it
to just be Dwayne Des, um.
Because I feel like I have like really good players
with me. But uh it's Pedro Ravalo on bass, uh
who actually played with me in my father's band. He
played in my dad's band actually longer than I did
(19:42):
because I joined.
You know, Great Southern in 2006, let's say, and he
joined in like 2004. So he played bass with my
dad and, and knows the music really well, um.
And then Johnny Statula, who obviously
He is a great flag guitar player, a great guitar player.
(20:03):
He plays uh in Almond Betts band as well. And
then uh.
On drums, I have Vince Fawcett Junior from Los Angeles.
He's
Really an amazing drummer.
And then, uh, on keyboards, uh, Max Butler also from
Los Angeles,
um,
Speaker 1 (20:22):
is that is that Max on, uh, when you a
song that blows me away, Dwayne is is uh under
the Bay moon and that piano and that song and just. Yeah,
Speaker 2 (20:31):
that's
that's, that's John Ginty. I mean, you know, I don't
use when I tour, I mean, I kind of want
a set band and some of the guys that you
can get on your records.
Or
Um, you know, they don't want a tour or they
are home doing sessions or they're touring with someone else,
(20:52):
you know, so I want to set in, so sometimes.
You know, when I, when I did that record, I
was playing with Barry and, and I wanted Falcon on it,
and I wanted John Kinsey, um.
And it's a great band. Um, but, you know, Ginti
doesn't really want to tour a whole lot, um.
(21:15):
And you know, so you just, you just find a
band that can really play well and create something live,
but it's not always gonna be the same band that
that's on the record. Now, to fast forward, I have,
I just, I, I have a new record that I,
I did in Savannah with Dave Cobb producing, who Dave
Cobb is is one of the
(21:35):
You know, one of the great producers out there right now,
I mean, um, you know, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, you know,
you know who he is, um, so I was really
Fortunate and uh and really honored to get in there
with him and, and, and really see how he works and,
(21:55):
and be part of
That process with him and kind of let him do
things the way he does them and, and, and then,
you know, obviously be given the space to do my
thing the way I do it, but um
But that record is uh
(22:16):
Done and I'm shopping it right now and so that's
really like the next thing that I'm, I'm really, really
excited about, but I can't, you know, I don't have
a release date for it and I'm not really playing
a lot of stuff off of it yet, um, or
I'm not playing anything off of it. Yeah, I'm not
playing anything off of it quite yet.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
I was gonna ask you, you bring up, I'm sitting
here with a Sturgill Simpson magazine cover in front of
Josh and I right now and I and I think
about guys like you, Dwayne that grew up.
Uh, you know, you probably didn't have the fan guy
but you, you were in it your entire life, but
who does anybody, anybody you listen, I know this is
kind of a cliche question, but you talk about Tyler
and Sturgill and others, even if it's a different genre,
(22:57):
anybody that you listen to today that inspires you because
you've been around so much, you've seen so much, you've
heard so much, anybody that you that you tune into
and think, man, these, these folks sound cool.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I mean there's a ton
of people that inspire me. There's a ton of songwriters
that I, uh.
Um, the.
I mean.
I don't know. I like, I like a lot of those,
a lot of guys that have an authenticity and kind of, um,
you know, I like some of Ryan Bingham's stuff a lot.
(23:26):
I mean, I like, I like Sturgi, I like Tyler,
I like uh Charlie Crockett. I like um
I like Lucas Nelson a lot. I mean, Lucas has
become a friend and
I play with him, uh, you know, he's asked me
to sit in a few times and
And, uh, you know, obviously Marcus King is, is, is
(23:49):
extremely talented and, you know, can
Sing lights out, play lights out, and write, you know,
he has songs too.
And that's kind of what I strive for. I strive
to kind of
You know, people, it's one thing to play an impressive
guitar solo and melt somebody's face with a, you know,
(24:10):
a guitar solo, and that's, that's great. But I mean,
you've got to have songs too, um, and I think
the bands that I like that jam a lot, a
lot of them have great songs as well, whether it's
the Allman Brothers or the Grateful Dead or um
You know, I mean, even some of the newer jam,
(24:32):
you know, the jam band stuff, there's not all of
it's my cup of tea, but I mean, I really respect.
Um, I mean, I think Pish is amazing at what
they do. I, I mean, they're not a new band
by any stretch of their imagination, but what they do
live and the way they play together is, is astounding,
and I, I totally dig that. Um, but, um, yeah,
(24:54):
I mean, it, the songwriter thing is, is really important and, um, yeah,
there's a lot of really good ones out there. I
mean there's people that I like. Oh, I got two
quick questions. One, you ever considered two drummers for a band?
Yeah, I, I, I would love, I mean, I probably would.
Almost
Prefer it um.
(25:16):
But it's
More it's more cost efficient to only have one that's fair.
And I have one other question. You mentioned Lucas Nelson.
Do you still have a dog named after his father?
Uh, yeah, I mean, that's kind of a funny thing,
but it's also, yeah, yeah, I mean, Willie, my dad,
(25:37):
he's right here, yeah, Willie, yeah, he's, he's beautiful. He's,
he's a, uh.
He's a a mini goal. He's a really big mini goldendoodle,
so he's like, he was supposed to be, he's supposed
to be 28 to 32 pounds, and I think he's
like 48. But he's not, he's just bigger than like his,
his body frame is bigger. He's not like overweight or anything.
(26:01):
He looks, he looks amazing. I've got
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Boomer, my, my Wheaton terrier right here, and he's, everyone
thinks he's a goldendoodle, so, uh, he says, he says, Yeah,
that's great.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Oh
Speaker 1 (26:10):
that's awesome. Well, I know we've, I know we've had you, Dwayne, for, uh, I,
I don't wanna keep you too much longer. We're so
honored and thrilled to have you on this as we
promote this show coming up on May 15th at the
Key West Theater. Uh, that's and and everyone here in
town and across the country knows how to get those
tickets at the Keystheater.com.
But um if you, if you will appease us, let's
ask you about one or two more questions to get you,
(26:30):
get you moving, can't wait to see you, but Josh
I know you had something on the tip of your
tongue there, and I, I didn't wanna cut you off.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
No, no, no, I, I, I just the whole Florida thing, you,
you know, you wrote up, as you said between Florida
and California, and I, I, I talked to you about
Sunsand and Soul last year. It might have been the
most Florida moment I've ever lived in a music realm.
I mean, between you and the, you know, Derek and
Susan and JJ Gray and just the whole feel of
the place.
Um, do you, do you, is there a Florida sound
(26:58):
in your mind? Is there something about Florida? I mean,
there's a lot of different music. I mean, we, you know,
obviously you have Tom Petty, you have other people like that,
but what, what encapsulates Florida to you?
Musically, um, you know, I think, I don't know if
there's a, a Florida sound. I, I don't think of
it as a Florida sound per se, but there, uh,
you know, there is a conversion, a convergence of a
(27:21):
lot of different.
Music, um, even in like the beach bar scene, you know,
like in, in Sarasota, for instance, you have like
You have kind of this kind of outlaw country thing
mixed with reggae with
You know, it's kind of like a soup of, of
(27:41):
different things that could be considered, uh, you know, cause
Florida is like that. It's kind of southern, but it's,
but it's like tropical, you know, it's kind of like island,
it's islandy, um.
But I mean, a lot of great musicians came.
From Florida and, you know, they all sound a little different.
(28:03):
I don't know if there's.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Well you're one of them you're one of those musicians, Dwayne,
and I'll ask you this as we wrap up, but
uh this is a selfish old guy question that kind
of goes through your past, but you've been around, you're
one of the greats, but you, you grew up and
were influenced by all these great guitarists.
And musicians and have seen so many and probably things
that it's just every day for you to be around
them having conversations but I'll, I'll ask one more cliche
(28:27):
question what's what's some of the best advice? Who gave
you what's something that really sticks out from these great
musicians you've been around that gave you some great advice?
Did anything jump jump in your head that somebody told
you at one point?
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Um, yeah, I mean just about.
Playing guitar, I mean, I mean, I've been around some
really great guitar players and when I was young coming up,
whether it was my dad or or Warren or, or
Jack Pearson, um,
You know, I mean, my dad always emphasized the importance
of melody, you know, and, uh, of kind of creating
(29:02):
a story, telling a story, um, you know, he had
this thing where he'd say, when I first was starting,
he'd say, you know, you ask, you ask a question
and you answer it, you know, and you can hear
that a lot in his playing and
You know, sometimes
As a musician, sometimes it's just flowing. You feel like
you're just playing and you're not, and other times you
(29:24):
can kind of, like I'll feel like I'm stuck, you know,
when I'm, when I'm in a jam, you know, when
you're just kind of playing over two chords and you're
trying to create a story. Sometimes you kind of
You kind of hit a dead end, but I'll always
go back to that. I'll always
If I'm stuck, I'll just say we'll just ask a
question and answer it and then you'll, you can build
(29:46):
back up from there um.
So if that makes any sense at all, but also nature,
I mean, nature is a big part of, of what,
you know, of what we do, um.
You know, trying to emulate something that's that's in if
it's in nature, then how could it be wrong, you know,
(30:08):
if it's, if it's uh natural, you know, the wind
blowing or if it's a river flowing, or if it's
lightning striking or any of that.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
That's awesome. Well, you, you've, we've had questions, you've answered
them and
Cannot tell you, uh, a lot of people coming into
this town and a lot of people in this town
can't wait to see you on May 15th at the
Key West Theater. Uh, Dwayne Betts, uh, this is a
lot of fun for us, really appreciate you taking the time,
but it'll
Speaker 2 (30:36):
be a great night. We'll, we'll throw a few classics
in there. It'll be, you know, it'll be a nice
mix of, of original stuff with, um, with some, some, some, uh,
you know.
No one will be disappointed, I'll put it that way. Fantastic.
Well yeah,
Speaker 1 (30:52):
thanks for coming on, thanks for carrying the legacy and
doing it your way and and making it as as
as good as it gets when I go to your
shows and can't wait to see you. So thanks for
coming on, I appreciate you doing
Speaker 2 (31:01):
it. Cool, man. Thank you, thank you all so much
for having me. Have a great one and uh yeah,
let's rock down in Key West.
You got it.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Alright, thanks buddy. Talk to you talk to you then,
thanks so much, bye bye.
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