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The July / August 2009 issue of Men’s Journal magazine (with Lance Armstrong on the cover) has an interview with Jimmy Buffett on page 150 (part 1 & part 2)

What do you want to do before you die?
I have four things: Learn to hang ten. Go to space. Go to Pitcairn Island, where my Buffett ancestors are from. And go to Antarctica.

What’s the secret to staying young?
For me it’s being in the water every day, whether it’s surfi ng or swimming. I look at these guys in Hawaii and they’re 80 years old in the surf break and look great. And that’s all they do. I want to be in that club when I’m that old.

iPlayMusic, providers of music learning and entertainment products, today launched Chords for iTunes, the first service of its kind to synchronize the chords, music and lyrics to your favorite iTunes songs and present them on video for easy playback and learning. During its beta phase, which begins today and runs through September, 26 chord videos are available for free on the Mac for popular songs from artists including Green Day, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Matchbox 20, White Stripes and more. An expanded selection of videos will be introduced this Fall.

You can download the software here: iplaymusic.com/download/

Enter Radio Margaritaville’s Summerzcool in Hawaii Sweepstakes to win airfare and a weeks stay at the OHANA Waikiki Beachcomber. Complete details and entry form are available at SIRIUS/XM.

Sirius|XM is giving one lucky winner and guest a week long VIP vacation to Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber in HAWAII! This once in a lifetime opportunity includes round trip airfare, 7 nights stay at the OHANA Waikiki Beachcomber hotel located in the heart of Waikiki. And, during their stay, the winner will also sit at a private VIP table at Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber and walk in with $500 in gift certificates to spend on Cheeseburgers, Margaritas and Mai tais! The fun continues with a PRIVATE guided tour of Jimmy’s surfboard collection AND of his favorite surf spots with Honolulu Surf Museum curator Mark Fragale, an outrigger canoe surf ride for 2 and cocktails at “Duke’s on Sunday”. Enter NOW for your chance to win this amazing prize package! Hawaii is waiting!

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band played the second of two shows on Saturday night at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA as part of the 2009 Summerzcool Tour. During the show Jimmy thanked the crowd for coming to his 51st appearance at the venue.

The set list along with comments are now available.

The show included the debut of a new song written by Will Kimbroughan Tommy Womack called “Nobody From Nowhere” (available at Amazon.com). Jake Shimabukuro (ukulele) and Ilo Ferreira were special guests for the show and contributed to several songs.

Jimmy ended the show with an acoustic solo version of “He Went to Paris“.

Jimmy’s next show in on July 5th at Shepherds Bush Empire in London, England (tickets still available). The tour then resumes on August 6th in Cincinnati, OH.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band played on Thursday night at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA as part of the 2009 Summerzcool Tour, the first of two shows. The show marked Jimmy Buffett’s 50th appearance at the venue.

The set list along with comments are now available.

Jake Shimabukuro (ukulele) and Ilo Ferreira were special guests for the show and contributed to several songs. Ilo sang lead vocals on the song “Home Again“. Sweet Sally Taylor, the daughter of James Taylor, added background vocals to “Brown Eyed Girl“.

Buffett dedicated the song “Last Mango In Paris” to former Coral Reefer Tim Krekel who passed away on Wednesday.

The show ended with Jimmy doing an acoustic version of “Tin Cup Chalice“.

The Boston Globe has a review of the show: “Buffett’s breezy, feel-good vibe still resonates”

Last night was Jimmy Buffett’s 50th concert at the venue he still calls Great Woods, and odds are good a chunk of the 17,000 or so fans at the Comcast Center attended all of them. And who can blame them? Buffett is more than a tunesmith. He’s a walking lifestyle, a tuneful outlook, the barefoot figurehead in a laid-back philosopher’s club whose grass-skirted, Hawaiian-shirted members make annual pilgrimages to a virtual reality with its own breezy theme song. About a frozen drink.

Today’s Boston Globe has an interview with Jimmy: “Buffett mixing some politics into his party”

Q. You haven’t been afraid to let loose lately about the state of the country. What’s up with that?

A. There’s a lot of stupidity going around on all sides. The country bought it all, and I thought people needed to be reminded about how stupid they were. And it’s an ongoing saga. I can certainly put more verses in “A Lot to Drink About’’ as we go along. For instance, I noticed that the schools are closing in Los Angeles, but the Lakers were just given a parade. There’s no end to the crazy things going on.

Q. You’re always involved, it seems, with a million different businesses. I hear you’re engaged in a couple of Margaritaville casino resorts in Biloxi, Miss., and Atlantic City opening in the next year. And you’re opening a Margaritaville Cafe in Edmonton. Where do you find time for all of this?

A. Oh, don’t worry. I still go surfing

Former Coral Reefer Tim Krekel passed away on Wednesday after battling cancer. The Courier-Journal has an article highlighting his musical career: “Musician Tim Krekel dies”

Tim Krekel, a musician whose career started in Louisville before he was a teenager and soared to two stints as lead guitar for Jimmy Buffet’s band and a reputation in Nashville as a hit songwriter, died Wednesday afternoon at his Louisville home. He was 58.

That talent twice landed Krekel a touring gig as lead guitarist with Jimmy Buffet, first in the mid-1970s. Krekel told The Courier-Journal in 1978 that he was proud of his work on the singles “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “Livingston Saturday Night” on Buffet’s “Son of a Son of a Sailor” album.

From TimKrekel.com:

One night, Tim performed in a showcase where Chet Atkins and a friend were in the audience. The friend turned out to be Jimmy Buffett’s manager. He and Chet were quick to recommend Tim to Buffett who needed a new guitarist. Tim was hired by Buffett and was his lead guitarist for a couple of years in the late 70’s and again in the 80’s. During his first stint with Buffett, Tim played on the Son of a Son of a Sailor album and appeared with him on Saturday Night Live, as well as in the 1978 film, FM. They also toured with the Eagles who were enjoying immense popularity at that time.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band played on Tuesday night at the Post-Gazette Pavilion in Burgettstown, PA as part of the 2009 Summerzcool Tour.

The set list along with comments are now available.

Jake Shimabukuro was a special guest for the show and joined the band on several songs including Come Monday, A Pirate Looks At Forty, an others.

One change to the set list from the recent shows was the addition of the song “Lovely Cruise” during the second encore.

Some photos from the show are now available in the BN Photo Gallery (thanks to ReefDiver)

Join the cast of the “Christmas in the Caribbean Cruise” with the Coral Reefers on a special Jimmy Buffett Tribute Cruise to the Western Caribbean aboard Carnival’s Dream (brand new ship) Dec. 12 -19, 2009. There will be special Parrothead activities including Karaoke Songs You Know By Heart, Jimmy Buffett Games and Trivia, un-plugged performances by the cast, Q&A, Photo Ops and a Phinale Concert performed by Barrie Cunningham and the Lost Shaker Band with the Island Girls and featuring several Coral Reefer Band members. There will also be a gift bag including a commemorative T-Shirt, laminate and lanyard and more for each cruiser. We are planning a private party at Carlos ‘n Charlie’s in Cozumel too!

Coral Reefers confirmed for the cruise are: Mike Utley, Robert Greenidge, TC Mitchell, Roger Bartlett(original Lead Guitar), Greg “Fingers” Taylor, and Amy Lee.

Visit the Tribute Cruises website for all of the details and to book your reservation.

From the Miami Herald: “Gloria, Emilio Estefan expected to become Miami Dolphins minority owners”

Miami entertainment figures Gloria and Emilio Estefan could be announced as Miami Dolphins minority owners Thursday, a move that would continue a show business-ification of the team under new majority owner Stephen Ross.

The Dolphins announced a Thursday morning ”major announcement on behalf of the Dolphins” hosted by the Estefans and Ross at LandShark Stadium. This is similar to the way the Dolphins announced their association with singer Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville business, which includes Land Shark Lager. The expectation is that Buffett also will be a minority owner soon.

Ross has now linked the Dolphins to two of South Florida’s most famous entertainers — Buffett, whose music symbolizes the relaxed Keys lifestyle and Gloria Estefan, whose career peak coincided with the Miami Vice-early South Beach era that reenergized Miami’s worldwide image.

“A Very Special Evening with the members of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band and Changes In Latitudes” (at Indian Ranch, Webster, MA.) on Friday June 26, 8:00 PM.

Join Coral Reefers Nadirah Shakoor and Doyle Grisham, currently on tour with Jimmy Buffett, appearing with Indian Ranch favorites “Changes In Latitudes” on Friday night June 26, for an evening celebrating the music of Jimmy Buffett. Nadirah has just released her own CD, “Nod to the Storyteller”, a collection of her favorite Buffett tunes. Doors open at 8:00. Tickets $20.00, available at IndianRanch.com and at the gate.

The 2009 Summerzcool Tour continues on Saturday June 27, 2009 at the Comcast Center in Mansfield MA.

Listen to the show on Radio Margaritaville/SIRIUS/XM Radio
and follow along with the set list right here