October 18th, Retrophonics Studios - Jim and I worked on a new track for "Say Grace", The Carpetbaggers 3rd project. It's a song called "The Less Fortunate Ones". We also worked on the mix "Wait a Minute", a song performed by The Big Lonesome.

October 18th, Songwriter's Night at Pelican Landing - We had a nice night at Pelican Landing playing our songs.  Elizabeth and Mike did a great job. Bob introduced a new tune. looking forward to next month.

Dave, Bob, Elizabeth, Mike

October 20th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue and Tony at Hurricane Grill and Wings - It was  a rough day that continued through the night for me. I should have changed strings, it might have made it a little better. Sue and Tony stepped up to the plate as usual and kicked butt. Thank you!

October 21st, Bagan and Company - Designed and ordered more Don't Stare at The Sun CDs. Set up date for photo shoot for pictures for the new CD "Back Again".  

October 21st, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at Pelican Landing - We had a great night! Come check out our new Thursday gig! Thanks Jeff and staff!

October 22nd, DAVE at Aunt Kate's - I had a great evening out on the porch by the water! Thanks Brian, Dave, Tina and staff!

October 23rd, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at Borrillo's - What a great place. I talked to Dewey about it the night before and he said he enjoyed playing there and it was a nice place, he wasn't lying. Our first night, Jerry and Delia and the staff were great! We will be back there January 29, 2022. We are looking forward to it! Thanks!

Carpetbaggers at Borrillo's 

It's been a great week! I'm looking forward to getting back in the studio on Monday and seeing Kevin Cosner and his band Modern West. I'm also looking forward to shooting the cover pictures for our "Back Again" project. Thanks for letting me live my dream! Keepin' It Real! -David

see you down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
check out my upcoming performances here:
http://davidwattbesley.blogspot.com/p/schedule_31.html

October 4th, Retrophonics Studios - Jim and I worked on "Took Off Like A Rocket"  a track from my sessions with Barry Dunaway at his studio. There will be 3 or 4 tracks from those sessions being considered for our 3rd release "Say Grace". Also laid down a new song I wrote "America".

October 5th, Bagan and Company  - We had a good show last night. Bad Dog Mama did a great job. See you next month November 2nd at a new starting time of 7:30 pm. We missed Sue, I hope she is feeling better.

October 6th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Tony and Frankie at Hurricane Grill and Wings - We had a nice evening, thanks Frankie for filling in for Sue, you sounded great as always. You to Tony!

October 7th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at Pelican Landing - Again, a great night! I'm going to miss the band while I'm over on the gulf coast for a few days playing solo at The Big Deck Bar and Grill.

October 8th, 9th and 10th, DAVE at The Big Deck - I had a great weekend as usual. It's hard not to have fun playing at such a great place. Thanks Bryan, Darlene and staff, you guys are the best! 

October 11th, Retrophonics Studios  - Jim and I finalized The Carpetbaggers new release "Back Again". We also worked on "Wait a Minute" a cover song recorded by The Big Lonesome.

October 13th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue and Tony at Hurricane Grill and Wings - We had a great time, no rain, we were out under the umbrellas. We had a visit from Brady Green and Woody Pernell, that's always special!

October 14th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, sue, Tony and Frankie at Pelican Landing - This has turned out to be the best decision we have made lately. We would like to thank Jeff, Jennifer and the wonderful staff at this great venue. Come check it out! We were visited by Bob Ganley and Steve Bennett.

October 15th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at the Rhythm and Ribs Festival - It was a blast! Great job goes out to all the folks that were involved with this event. Thanks for having us start your show! 

Carpetbaggers at Rhythm and Ribs Festival

October 16th, Carpetbaggers Dave, Sue and Frankie Zaharias - Well we didn't get any rain while we were playing, it came after we packed out, thank goodness.  It was a great time playing with these two greats! See you next month, thanks Angelica and staff!

October 17th, DAVE at Aunt Kate's - I had a nice afternoon out on the porch by the water! See you next Friday. Thanks Brian, Tina, Dave and staff you guys are the best!

Things are going great this month,  I'm looking forward to the studio this week. I will be working on The Big Lonesome release and Carpetbaggers' "Say Grace". It will be the third release for the Carpetbaggers. Thanks for letting me live my dream! Keepin' It Real! -David

see you down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
check out my upcoming performances here:
http://davidwattbesley.blogspot.com/p/schedule_31.html

September 28th, Retrophonics Studios - Jim and I finished the mix on "Back Again". The Carpetbaggers 2nd release. I can't wait for everyone to hear it. We will work on the layout and shoot the pictures for the cover and the back over the next week or so.

September 29th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue and Tony at Hurricane Grille and Wings -  We had a great night under the umbrellas. Thanks Abe and staff you guys are the best! See you next week!

September 30th, Bagan and Company - We worked on the layout for "Back Again" the Carpetbaggers 2nd release. 

September 30th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at Pelican Landing - What a great night! Come check out Pelican Landing on Thursdays!

October 1st, DAVE at Aunt Kate's - I had a great afternoon on the porch by the water! What a great place! 

I've finished "Back Again" the Carpetbaggers 2nd release. I've started work on "Say Grace" our next project. I also finished "LIVE And A Little Touched". It's a flash drive with 10 videos and audio tracks. Thanks for letting me live my dream! Keepin' It Real!  -David

see you down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
check out my upcoming performances here:
http://davidwattbesley.blogspot.com/p/schedule_31.html

September 14th, Retrophonics Recording Studio - Jim and I worked on mastering 6 tunes on the Carpetbagger's "Back Again" CD. I'll be in the studio next Tuesday September 21st and hopefully we will be finished with this project. 

September 16th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at Pelican Landing - We had a great night, it was good to get back together with the band. Pretty nasty evening but had some folks brave the weather and stop by.

September 17th, Carpetbaggers DAVE and Sue - Tides Oyster Co and Grill - What a great night! Sue and I really enjoy this gig, there's always a great audience. Stop by the 3rd Friday of every month. Thanks Felicia and staff, you guys are the best!

September 18th, OFF - Zaharias is closed!

September 19th, DAVE at Aunt Kate's - I was halfway through the gig and it started to rain. I told Brian I owed him he said I didn't but I do. See you October 1st.

September 20th, Songwriters Night at Pelican Landing - We had a good first night at our new Songwriter's location at Pelican Landing. Rob Peck was not feeling well so Denny Blue stepped up to the plate. He did a great job! It's always good to hang out and listen to Bob Patterson play his music. He is one of St. Augustine's treasures, that's for sure. Grant Peeples was maybe even better than the last time I shared the stage with him. I'm a fan!

September 21st, Back 40 - Theresa and I had dinner with Mike and Joyce it was a fun meal with two great people. Looking forward to next time.

September 22nd, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue and Tony at Hurricane Grille and Wings - We're back! We had a great night and the place looks great!

September 23rd, Bagan and Company - I worked with Dan on the layout for "Back Again" our 2nd Carpetbaggers release. 

September 23rd, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at Pelican Landing - It was a packed night! We had a blast!

September 24th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at  Hammock Wine and Cheese - Our first time at this venue.  Lisa and the staff are real nice, the food is good, it has a stage. All the things that make a nice place. We will be back October 30th, so come check it out. Thanks to all our folks that made the drive, and to all the new folks we met. 

September 25th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie The St. Augustine Fish House (Creekside) - We had a great night! The weather was perfect. The band was playing good. The place was packed. It doesn't get any better than this.

September 26th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie Sing Out Loud Festival - I think we did a great show. The crew involved with the show was great! Thanks Sing Out Loud, hopefully we can be a part of your show next year.

Sing Out Load Festival

It's been a crazy couple weeks. I'm looking forward to finishing "Back Again" this week. The Carpetbaggers second release. Also my new flash drive "Live And A Little Touched" is out for sale. Dan Bagan and I have been working on this project since 2017. I am so glad it is finally done. Great job Dan! Thanks for letting me live my dream! Keepin' It Real! -David

see you down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
check out my upcoming performances here:
http://davidwattbesley.blogspot.com/p/schedule_31.html 

September 1st thru the 6th, DAVE at Coles Point Tavern - I had a great road trip. I read two books, rested some, hung out with friends and played some music. It doesn't get any better than that. Thanks Acie for putting us up and putting up with us. Thanks Mike and Sandy for a wonderful meal also Selise for the potato salad, watermelon and sausage and cheese dip. It was all awesome. Thanks Randy for the PA and the lifts to the gig. Thanks Chris and Anne for booking me for the 5 days. Thanks to the wonderful staff at the Tavern who took care of me. Thanks to Joel who is always there for the music. Thanks brother Ed for making The Seiners Virginia. reunion a great time. Thanks Theresa, Dad, Margie, Kristen,Brent and Ed because your family and I love you all! See you Memorial Day weekend!

Labor Day 2021 Coles Point Tavern

September 7th, The Carpetbaggers DAVE, Frankie and Tony at Bagan and Company "LIVE" from the Classic Car Museum of St. Augustine -  The start was frantic but everyone held it together.  What pros (with a capital "P") these guys are (Clay and Dan) everything worked out and we had a great time as usual. Rob Peck who in my tired state of mind kept I kept calling Rob Pickett (my deceased half brother), did a great job! Rob also hung around a little bit after his show and played a few tunes with us. Dan, Clay and Theresa did a great job. We will be back October 5th. I'm really looking forward to it! Thanks for supporting our "LIVE" stream.

September 9th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Tony and Frankie at Pelican Landing, It was a great night! We missed Sue but she will be returning next week!

September 10th, 11th and 12th DAVE at The Big Deck - Another great weekend on the other coast at the Big Deck. We lost Liam this weekend, he was Byryan and Darlene's dog,  the biggest Dog friend I ever had. He left us on 9/11/2021 

My new release LIVE and a little touched USB Flash Drive with 10 Videos and music tracks is available now! Thanks Dan and Clay you guys are the best! Also as I keep saying we are closing in on "BACK AGAIN" our new Carpetbaggers CD produced by Jim DeVito at Retrophonics Recording Studio. I can't wait to get back with the band. Thanks for letting me live my dream! Keepin' It Real!! -David

see you down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
check out my upcoming performances here:
http://davidwattbesley.blogspot.com/p/schedule_31.html 

August 25th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Frankie, Tony and Tommy Gilstrap at Music By The Sea - We had a blast! It was hot as hell but what a great time! Tommy you are a real pleasure to play with, thanks!!! As far as the rest of the band you all never cease to amaze me.

Music By the Sea August 25, 2021

Carpetbaggers in harmony

Carpetbaggers with Tommy Gilstrap

 Photos by: Wayne Westcott

August 26th, Bagan and Company - Dan and I worked on some ideas for the Carpetbaggers "Back Again" cover. Also Dan showed me a "LIVE And A Little Touched" t-shirt he had made with our new press.

August 26th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Frankie and Tony at the Pelican Landing - It was a little slow but the weather was pretty nasty. We still had a great time playing. Don't forget next week Tony and Frankie will be joined by Barry Rapp and Jeff Ganz come check it out.

August 27th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at The San Sebastian Winery - We made a good call and set up inside. Thanks everyone who showed up to support us and our music. Thanks to all the great folks at the winery

August 29th, DAVE at Aunt Kate's - It's always a great time on the porch by the water!

September 1st, Travel Day - Theresa and I are headed north to Virginia today for my gigs at the Coles Point Tavern.  I'm looking forward to it. I'll playing with Eddie Pickett on Monday.

Still trying to get all my new music out. I'm running into a few thousand snags. When all is said and done I hope to be releasing "LIVE And a Little Touched" (DAVE 10 music videos),  "Back Again" (Carpetbaggers 12 songs), "Say Grace" (Carpetbaggers 10 to 12 songs), "The Big Lonesome Rides Again", (The Big Lonesome 12 songs) and "Then And Now" (The North Star Band 20 songs), that's over 50 new songs. I can't wait for you guys to hear! Looking forward to my Virgnia trip! Thanks for letting me live my dream! Keepin' It Real!!!-David

see you down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
check out my upcoming performances here:
http://davidwattbesley.blogspot.com/p/schedule_31.html

August 16th, Retrophonics Studios - I hope Jim will get the final mix for "Back Again" done this week. Today we worked on for the second time,  "This Land Is Your Land" a Big Lonesome song we recorded for a project many years ago. It was a great band that didn't last to long but we did get a recording out of it. I hope with Theresa and Brianna's help I will be able to post this for you all to hear. We also worked on "Life Goes On", "Ain't Life Grand" and "Took Off Like A Rocket" three new songs for our Carpetbaggers' 3rd release.

August 18th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Tony and Frankie at Hurricane Grill and Wings - It was hot but we had a great night! This will be our last gig until September 22nd at the Hurricane Grill and Wings. So see in a month!

August 19th, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Sue, Tony and Frankie at Pelican Landing - What a blast! This is a great place, come check it out! Thanks Jeff, Sarah, Jen and the rest of the staff you guys are the best! See you next week!

August 20th,  Carpetbaggers DAVE and Sue at Tides and Oyster Co. - It was a little quiet tonight but we still had a nice time playing. It started picking up as the night went on and we finished with a nice crowd. See you guys the 3rd Friday next month! Thanks Felicia and staff!

August 21st, Carpetbaggers DAVE, Tony and Frankie at  Zaharia's - We had a nice night, no rain! Thanks Angelika and staff you guys are great! See you next month!

August 22nd, 23rd and 24th, Camping with the Westcott's - Theresa and I spent a nice couple days in Clearwater at the Avalon RV Resort camping with Wayne and Sue. We had such a good time.  The first night we went to see Steve Earle and the Dukes at the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, we had box seats courtesy of Wayne. We had dinner at Clear Sky Global Bistro on Cleveland before the show, it was the bomb. It was one of the best restaurants I've been to in a long time. We had a nice day by the pool on our last full day and we had dinner at Thai Basil, that was excellent as well.  Later Theresa, Sue and Wayne were able to go at a bottle of 1816 while I had a zoom meeting with the other members of The North Star Band about the future. Overall a great trip. We made it back safely and after parking the camper and unloading I got to work on our show list for The Music By The Sea show tomorrow.

Wayne, Sue and Dave

Jim was going to work on the mastering of "Back Again" on his own since I was out of town. I'll be working with Dan at Bagan and Co this week to hopefully finish "LIVE And A Little Touched" my new release. Hopefully some shows in March of next year with the North Star Band. Thanks for letting me live my dream! Keepin' It Real!! -David

see you down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
check out my upcoming performances here:
http://davidwattbesley.blogspot.com/p/schedule_31.html