Space Coast Singer, Songwriter and Musician John McDonald to Debut New Album July 29 in West Melbourne
By Space Coast Daily // July 18, 2023
winner of 2022 Single of the Year Award from the Trop Rock Music
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA Space Coast singer songwriter and musician John McDonald will debut his new album Beach More, Worry Less on Saturday, July 29, 2023 at the CW Movie Complex in West Melbourne from 1 to 5 p.m., backed by a 10-piece band populated by local musicians and Nashville veterans.
McDonald is a popular entertainer at live music venues: Squid Lips, Lou’s Blues, Meg.
O’Malley’s, George & Dragon, The Old Fish House, Pub Americana. He is also an award- winning songwriter, receiving the 2022 Single of the Year Award from the Trop Rock Music.
Association for the title track of his previous album Islandology, at its annual awards show in Key West.
A three-piece horn section led by Space Coast Big Band director Joel Greenblatt will join McDonald’s band the Mango Men, along with two guest musicians: singer guitarist Phoenix Mendoza, currently signed to Warner Chappell Music and Josh Leo, former Jimmy Buffett lead guitarist. Leo has written six #1 songs and produced 21 chart topping albums.
According to McDonald, “I rarely get a chance to recreate the full sound of my records at live music venues but I decided to go for it with Beach More, Worry Less. Kevin Kornicki, an accomplished percussionist, leads a hard-driving, high-energy rhythm section.”
With the help of audio engineer Gary Vincent, McDonald and his songwriting collaborator Rick Beresford believe this is their best work to date. Vincent has been nominated for multiple Grammys and a Blues Music Award for his joint collaboration with actor Morgan Freeman on the series Down to the Crossroads.
As McDonald puts it, “I’m blessed to have some incredibly talented people work with me, locally and long distance.”
The new album includes party rockers (Forever Spring Breaker), reggae inspired grooves (Beach More, Worry Less and Escape to Zoom Island), a calypso-style, tongue-in-cheek
commentary (The Haves and the Have Yachts), a profile about a wistful beachcomber who was
a pirate in his previous life (The Last of the Sand Walkers), a fresh take on love (You’re My
Margaritaville) and a heartfelt ballad (Your Loves Anchors Me).
The Nashville duo will kick off McDonald’s Beach More, Worry Less Album Release Concert with an acoustic set that highlights the warm, engaging voice of Mendoza, formerly of the internationally touring band High South, and the string of hits Leo has written and produced for artists like Jimmy Buffett, Glen Frey of the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Reba McEntire, Bonnie Raitt and more.
The Beach More, Worry Less Album Release Concert, hosted by Renee Adams as heard on Radio Margaritaville, will take place at the CWTheaters West Melbourne 15 while streaming customized video by Dan Jones of Cocoa Beach Productions on a state of the art, wall-to-wall screen.