Sail Away With Yacht Rock

Yacht Rock
Bulfinch Yacht Club
234 Friend St., Boston
Saturday, September 22
9:00 pm - 2:00 am
$12, 21+, and get a few bucks off with a secret password

What is Yacht Rock, you ask? Two filmmakers, J.D. Ryznar and Hunter Stair, dramatized the origins of their favorite smooth pop tunes from Kenny Loggins, Toto, and other similarly coiffed songbirds. Actors take on the parts of the yacht rockers as they write their songs, cuss each other out (Exhibit A: Loggins vs. Messina), and wear captain's hats.

The visuals have that warm, but washed-out, look of 70s film stock. The actors really ham it up, and a special award goes to the guy playing Oates of Hall & Oates, who basically take on the role of the resident douchebags in the world of Yacht Rock.

The Yacht Rock party this weekend actually has nothing to do with Ryznar and Stair, but local music promoter Ashley Willard and member of Three Day Threshold Kier Byrnes were so inspired by the series that they are having their own yachting soiree at the Bulfinch Yacht Club. Willard told us in an e-mail, "We have no affiliation with the makers of the video series, we just think it's pretty awesome."

Roadsteamer, Okay Thursday, The Stolen Records, B for Brontosaurus, Tristan da Cunha, and headliners Three Day Threshold will play yachty (is that a word?) covers and originals, and episodes of "Yacht Rock" will show throughout the night. The first 30 people to arrive get a captain's hat. A "yachttail" will also be served at the party. Willard said that the "yachttail" would be a "Malibu-based drink" like a "tropical coconut breeze."

The mySpace page for the Yacht Rock Boston crew also points out that Michael McDonald will be in Boston on the same night as the Yacht Rock party. So, Mr. McDonald, will you bring yourself and your soulful, rugged, yet somehow buttery smooth voice to the Yacht Rock party?

Title image of Yacht Rock episode one from Wikipedia, which goes into loving detail about Yacht Rock, the series and the music.