The beach is alive with the sound of music

There’s something special about brunch, lunch or dinner accompanied by live music. Over three decades, the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival has grown into blockbuster events staged at spacious venues - complete with online tickets, professional sound and lighting, and tight schedules.

But long before the official jazz festival became the official jazz festival, our beach eateries were already getting into the act. Now, locals and visitors not only get to enjoy the headliners, but they also have the opportunity to enjoy beachy cuisine and the talents of our local musicians. The combination of food and live music is, and always has been, pitch-perfect. 

I’ve been writing and talking about our Cape Region restaurants for over 14 years. My gastronomic ramblings can be found in the Cape Gazette, Beach Paper, at RehobothFoodie.com and in various Delmarva magazines. I love beach dining, and I admire the entrepreneurs who often risk everything to bring their talents to a market where consistently predictable patronage might last only four or five months. I like helping to get the word out for those who deserve it. Not for the faint of heart, this business of eating! 

Over the last couple of years, I’ve also had the honor of providing a bit of live music at some of those very same restaurants. I’ve played in bands most of my life, doing it professionally for over 30 years in the Washington, D.C. area and in Ocean City, Md. When I moved here 17 years ago, I thought that that first time around would be the last time around. But one of the events at the 2017 True Blue Jazz Festival reignited that spark. So I put together what I guess is the aptly named 2nd Time Around band. 

One of the most difficult things (at least for me) about playing in local restaurants is coming up with a list of songs that match the ambiance, the clientele and the menu. Having owned restaurants as well as having played in them, I get that we are there to improve the dining experience - and the bottom line. If we are six notes into the first song and half the restaurant patrons raise their hands and cry, “Check, please!” then something isn’t right. I’m not going to sugar coat it and tell you that that hasn’t happened a few times over my lifetime. Playing in a restaurant is very (very) different from appearing on a stage in a theater or auditorium. 

In fact, there are scientific studies and websites that focus on the pairing of music with food. A good example is Turntable Kitchen, a music and food blog that shares recipes and reviews of carefully selected songs. Every month, the writers on the site create a Monthly Pairings Box that includes menu ideas and ingredients - right alongside suggestions for musical pairings. 

Of course, 2nd Time Around isn’t the only musical group that tailors a repertoire to the restaurant concept. We are lucky to have so many great bands in the area! From quiet piano musings to hard rock, they all tailor their sets to please the guests.

However, much of the musical pairing responsibility also lies with the restaurant ownership: A band that specializes in heavy metal rock might not be the ideal one to hire at Ruth’s Chris. And soft cocktail piano probably won’t go over very well at Conch Island.

So my set list for 1776 Steakhouse will bear very little resemblance to that of, say, Rehoboth Ale House. This correlation has been borne out in scientific studies, including those at Oxford University’s Crossmodal Research Laboratory, where the relationship between the perception of taste and certain audible frequencies (known as pitch) are compared. For example, sounds of a higher frequency (like a piccolo or a cymbal) seem to be related to foods with a sweet or sour taste.

Low-frequency notes (a bass guitar or organ) have been tied to savory tastes generally referred to as umami. So can the music accompanying a meal actually change the taste of that meal? Research is ongoing. (And for better or worse, I’m doing my part….) 

Restaurant consultants place a lot of importance on background music. Years ago, a specialist I used for one of my restaurants near Washington, D.C., believed that music can actually improve the taste of comfort foods. Interestingly enough, however, the taste of haute cuisine (not generally associated with comfort foods), doesn’t appear to be affected by the presence of or the lack of music. It would be interesting to be a part of one of these studies. 

As all this high-falutin’ science grinds away, our local restaurants continue to feature talented musicians to attract patrons.

Live bands are a way of life at Rehoboth Ale House, The Pond, Big Chill Surf Cantina, Gilligan’s Milton, Irish Eyes (both Lewes and Milton), Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, Victoria’s, Crooked Hammock, The Starboard, Café Azafran, Bluecoast Rehoboth and Casa DiLeo. The same applies to The Cultured Pearl, Conch Island Key West Bar & Grill, Chesapeake & Maine, Blue Moon, The Pines, Blackwall Hitch, Zogg’s, and Jerry’s Seafood, the Wheelhouse and Bethany Blues in Lewes.

Many of our favorite Cape Region eateries such as Indigo Indian Restaurant, a(MUSE.), the Blue Hen, Just in Thyme and Dos Locos add live music to the menu during the jazz festival and sometimes over the holidays. Examples of this include Fork & Flask’s jazz brunches, Touch of Italy Rehoboth’s annual Thanksgiving Eve & New Year’s Eve parties, and the New Year’s Eve bash at the Rusty Rudder. 

Jazz festival isn’t the only time to venture out for live music and good food.

Add a tasteful audio track to your dining experience by keeping an eye on Cape Gazette’s Steppin’ Out section and on the various restaurants’ websites.