I wanted to know if anyone is going to go on the Cayamo cruise next year ? I really want to go there as my 2 musical heroes Tift Merritt and Brandi Carlile will be on board. I just can't miss it, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

to know more about this, go to the link below

http://www.cayamo.com/

I still have to book my cabin but I'll definitely go there, i'm so excited about the whole thing

My cabin is booked for the cruise ! yeah ! I hope some of you will be able to make it there too, otherwise I'll have to show her a lot of love on the boat.

Yeah....mine just exploded Your going to have 7 days in heaven my friend. Have fun for all of us who can't make it and bring back lots of pictures.

Hi all,

just a quick word to say that the cayamo cruise 2009 will start on Saturday from Miami. I'm very excited to see Tift on board besides the likes of Brandi Carlile, Patty Griffin, Kathleen Edwards, the Indigo girls and so many other great artists. So, while I'll try my best to support and cheer for Tift on the boat, there will be definitely no reviews during the cruise because the internet fees are simply prohibitive but as soon as I get back to Miami, I'll make sure to post the reviews of the shows.

Buddy Miller had heart bypass surgery last week, so would presume that his fan club, including Tift, are missing their buddy on the cruise.

From his website:
Following his show in Baltimore last Thursday evening, Buddy Miller was not feeling well. After consulting doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital, tests revealed some heart blockage. It was determined that surgery was needed right away. He is now resting and recovering and expected to be released from hospital shortly. Buddy and his family would like to thank all for their well wishes and prayers.

Also in the newspaper:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090221/TUNEIN02/90221022/1005/ENTERTAINMENT

hi all,

I'm here in Boston. only a quick word as I have little time of connexion. the cayamo cruise was absolutely wonderful with so many great artists on board but I have to say that Tift illuminated the ship with her kindness, talent and unbelievable grace. I'll go much further into the details when I'll have more time but let's say that her very first performance on the boat was one of the best, one of the most epic performances ever. I had tears in my eyes. I don't know if i had ever felt something comparable at any other shows before. I taped her 3 shows and took wonderful pictures and I can't wait to share them with you so just be patient !

I don't want to give anything away yet but Tift was really the sweetest person on board, particularly to me (details further in time) and this cruise has been a life-changing experience for me and Tift was THE reason for that.

so for now, just a few pictures as an appetizer but yet if you don't have the chills or don't want to cry when seeing these pictures, you have a problem hehehe

 

......and we have a winner !!!

see ya all later for complete reviews from all the shows I attended during this amazing week in the Carribean.

Sounds like you  had an amazing time and I'm sure it will take a bit  to recover from it. Patiently waiting to hear and see all about it. Wow, and you even got a bargain on the duty-free bottle!

While we savor Haruo's snippets of information and await his more detailed report, you might enjoy this interesting blurb about day seven of the cruise:

[Kathleen] Edwards teamed up with Tift Merritt and did a bit of a Vegas like comedy act (what a great singing voice Merritt has - she also plays a mean harmonica).

Here's an assessment from one of the other musicians on the cruise, a self-described "guy with the Tele and hat":

If more female singer/songwriters performed like the incredibly talented, dynamic Tift Merritt, guys with Teles and hats would be out of a gig. She simply exudes a positive energy on stage, but plays as if she's holding it all back, ready to explode at any minute. Her songwriting was elegantly simple, and her dynamics and musicality more than covered for her lack of sidemen. Frankly, if I had that sideman gig, I'd probably lay out most of the time and just let her work her magic. She was on the same flight as us back to NYC, and I told her how much I enjoyed her set on the cruise while we were waiting for our bags. She was extremely friendly, as was her boyfriend Zeke, which sort of seals the deal for her newest fan.

Another blogger's blurb:

Sitting at the table next to us was Tift Merritt, a great singer-songwriter on the cruise, and her partner Zeke. They were as nice as could be. I complained that they had never played Kansas City. They mentioned they had just played Aspen in a crazy snowstorm, and that it made it sweeter to be there, having beers looking out over the beautiful sunny bay in Samana.