Interview: Tommy Buoy of Yächtley Crëw (US)
See below for the full video
Yächtley Crëw, the band that has taken the world like a tidal wave, is gearing up for their first international tour in Australia, commencing in Perth on May 12th – this Monday. In an interview with Sheldon Ang Media, Tommy Buoy – guitarist and vocalist, floated his excitement and insights about their music, their journey, and what fans can expect from their upcoming performances in the world’s largest island.
Buoy, one of the seven members of the nautical-attired band, expressed his enthusiasm for the tour, “We’re all really excited for our first really international tour. It’ll be great to bring all these songs to the Australian people, and they seem like the type of people that would like to party on a yacht.”
Yacht rock, a genre that combines 70s and 80s soft rock with jazz influences, has been gaining popularity worldwide. Tommy explained, “It’s the 70s and 80s soft rock, like Steely Dan, Toto, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, and all of these legends. It’s just kind of been redubbed a different name, yacht rock, by a YouTube series in the 2000s.”
The band’s three-year residency at PALMS in Las Vegas has been a significant milestone, “Honestly, I never thought or knew that I would be in a band that would have a residency in Las Vegas. It is really validating.”
Yächtley Crëw’s performances are known for their fun and energetic vibe, but the band takes their music seriously. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we take the music very seriously. The show is fun, and we do choreography on stage. The music’s no joke. You have to be a seasoned musician to even play this stuff,” Tommy emphasised.
The band’s setlist includes iconic songs like “Africa” by Toto, “Sailing” by Christopher Cross, and “Escape (The Pina Colada Song).” Tommy shared, “We kind of let the audience tell us what they want to hear. Our show is just like hit after hit after hit. People are really having fun,” evoking a sense of nostalgia and relaxation. “There’s a certain chilliness to it. Yacht rock is when you get home from work and want to just put a nice record on and chill out on the porch and watch the wind blow the trees.”
“People come to our show not knowing what to expect, and they see a bunch of guys having a lot of fun and performing the songs like the record. The vibe we get from people is like, ‘Wow, I’ve just never seen anything like that.'”
Yächtley Crëw are touring across the coastal cities in Australia commecing in Perth on the 12th of May (this Monday). Tickets to the world’s number 1 Yacht Rock Band are available from Total Touring
Their typical setlist includes the likes of:
Africa (Toto)
Baby Come Back (Player)
Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty)
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) (Rupert Holmes)
Kiss You All Over (Exile)
Hold The Line (Toto)
Lido Shuffle (Boz Scaggs)
Don’t Bring Me Down (ELO)
Magic (Pilot)
Reelin’ in the Years (Steely Dan)
Rich Girl (Hall & Oates)
Ride Like the Wind (Christopher Cross)
Sailing (Christopher Cross)
Steal Away (Robbie Dupree)
Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett)
