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Melbourne Musician John McDonald Discusses His Upcoming Album Release of ‘Islandology’ Set for May 2

By  //  April 30, 2021

Islandology CD Release Concert set for May 2

Melbourne Singer Songwriter John McDonald will launch his new CD on Sunday, May 2 where it was inspired, the beach.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Melbourne Singer Songwriter John McDonald will launch his new CD on Sunday, May 2 where it was inspired, the beach.

Backed by an 8-piece band with steel drums, McDonald will showcase his new CD ‘Islandology’, a collection of songs influenced by his relocation to the Space Coast from the Mid-Atlantic, several of which are in rotation on a number of regional and internet radio stations.

The first single, Rooftop Island, hit #1 on the Weekly Trop40 hosted by Tropical Americana station Radio A1A.

McDonald feels creatively rejuvenated by Space Coast life. ‘At any gig, I might talk with NASA scientists, Viet Nam vets, aerospace engineers, Air Force para jumpers, FIT professors, global tourists or retirees with amazing stories. It all feeds my imagination and stimulates my creative process.’

Backed by an 8-piece band with steel drums, McDonald will showcase his new CD Islandology, a collection of songs influenced by his relocation to the Space Coast from the Mid-Atlantic, several of which are in rotation on a number of regional and internet radio stations.

Although his genre is widely known as Trop Rock to loyal Parrot Heads who appreciate the escapist, island life-style themes portrayed in Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney and ‘beachin’ country’ hits, McDonald adopts the blended term ‘Floribbean’ to capture his take.

‘Floribbean’ is a culinary term he discovered in Miami, where improvisational chefs creatively combine cuisines from all over the Caribbean, Central and South America.

“I love this food!” McDonald states. “It hit me later that my band mates and I kind of emulate these guys who mix and match spices, flavors, and rubs from all over the Caribbean, tapping Jamaican, Afro-Cuban, Central and South American influences. Along with strait-ahead rock, we mix in percussive grooves from Africa with some Latin, calypso, bosa nova and reggae.”

Drummer and percussionist Kevin Kornicki, an avid student of World Beat rhythms and the Afro-Caribbean music tradition, drives the energetic, up-tempo vibe of Islandology.

Lead guitarist Dale Cinski, steeped in flamenco, Latin rock and jazz, merges a Santana-like tone with the fluidity of his mentor, smooth jazz innovator George Benson.

When they quarantined to record McDonald’s new songs in Kornicki’s Merritt Island studio during the Pandemic, they intuitively dug into their mutual passion for tropically rooted music, sprinkling steel drums and island-based rhythms with copious percussion: tribal drums (Just Enough Madness), bosa nova (Rooftop Island), reggae (Code Rum, Rum & Reggae), cajun (Countdown to Sundown), calypso (Islandology, Just Chime In) and Hawaiian (Ukulele Luau Dreams).

The fact that they have been performing together since the 90’s certainly didn’t hinder their collaboration. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review labelled them a “premier party band,” opening for Smokey Robinson, America, Hall and Oates and the Beach Boys.

Along with his tightly crafted original songs, beachside concert goers will hear ‘tropified’ versions of iconic songs by Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Gabriel and Van Halen. You may want to indulge in a Margarita with plenty of salt on the rim as you consume the infectious, Floribbean party vibe of John McDonald’s new Islandology CD.

Islandology CD Release Concert is scheduled for Sunday, May 2 at Crowne Plaza Melbourne – Oceanfront 1 to 5 P.M.

For more ticket information, visit www.JohnMcDonaldMusic.com

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