Chat with Pete Jarvis
For over three decades now, Pete Jarvis has been entertaining the crowds at Sloppy Joe’s with his unique blend of music and humor. We sat down with Pete recently and got him to share some stories about his musical beginnings, his arrival in Key West, his legendary partnership with Wayne Hammond in the iconic duo Pete and Wayne, his dream casting for a biopic, and much more.
Where did the life of Pete begin and do you return often?
“I was born in Lake George, NY. I still go back; I have kids and grandkids up there, but not to play music since Wayne passed away, and I stopped going in the summers.”
Tell me about Rockwood.
“(Laughs) Who told you about Rockwood? My very first band…I was 16 in a band called Rockwood. We were an Alice Cooper cover band, complete with costuming and everything. We had a local battle of the bands in Albany that encompassed all of New York state. If you won it three times, you retired as undefeated champs. At 16 years old, we competed three times, and we became retired undefeated champions! At 16, while I was still in school, we were working gigs pretty much every weekend, playing weddings and proms and doing Alice Cooper music. It was great!”
What is your Key West arrival story?
“I came down in 1989 to help a friend open up a jewelry store over here on Greene St. He had an apartment above the store, and he said I should come down, stay for a week, and bring my guitar to see if I could get any gigs. I helped him unload the truck and went down the street to Duval and Front, which used to be a restaurant at the time. I walked in and asked the manager if he would mind if I just played for tips. He said yes, and we made about $200 in tips from the sunset crowd. The place had a great night, and the manager said I could come back, so I had a six-night-a-week gig the first day I got here! I really lucked out.”
Why did Bernice want you fired so badly, and what did the Entertainment Director have to say about it?
“(Laughs) Oh wow, I forgot about Bernice! A customer named Bernice did not care for the content of the Pete & Wayne show and made it a point to complain to the manager, who at the time was a guy named Al. Bernice let him know what she thought of us, and Al just replied with a serious, straight face that he would let the entertainment manager know. The joke is that I was the entertainment manager at the time, so we had a great laugh about it! Though I think that none of the entertainment managers we ever worked with would have cared, and all of them would have gotten a good laugh.”
Recently, some historic pieces from the Pete and Wayne show have found new cherished homes. How special is it to you to have your fellow Sloppy Joe’s musicians take ownership of Wayne's Bass guitars and see them played on this stage again?
“I love it …and Wayne would love it too. Before he passed away, for my birthday, he gifted me one of his basses. When I was in Rockwood, I played bass. After Rockwood, I never really played bass again. Of course, I was fortunate enough to play with one of the best bass players who ever lived in Key West, so I never had to play it. My birthday is in July; he passed away in September. Wayne’s wife Tina called me to ask if I wanted another one, but I turned it down mainly because I just don’t play bass enough. I only do about six or seven gigs a year on bass, but when I play it, he comes alive with it. It’s like the thing plays itself. He had this way of playing…when he was playing, his head was down, and he always had this rhythm in him no matter what the beat was…(when playing his old bass), I find myself imitating that. He was a big influence, all the way around.”
How has Key West influenced you as a musician?
“It gave me a job! (laughs) I don’t consider myself a great musician in any aspect, but an entertainer. Sloppy Joe’s and I have a symbiotic relationship. My mouth keeps people there and gets them involved. The Sloppy’s stage is unlike any other stage in town. You can’t get up there and just sing and play. You have to engage. You have to be bigger than life. People seem to love it when I play with Larry. You couldn’t plan it. You couldn’t plan what Wayne and I did either. We never sat down and said we’re gonna do this kind of show. When I started here, I played with a guy named Kevin as a duo called Two Guys Having Fun. We would work the crowd, get people up on stage, get them to sing along and drink. We played six nights a week from 1992-1996 until Kevin had to abruptly leave town. I ran into Wayne, who I had never played with before, and told him I needed a bass player for a gig six nights a week. He said sure he’d do it. At the time, he had long, scraggly blonde hair down to his waist. For the first month or so, he never said a word on the microphone. He would just play and I would do all the out front stuff. Then, one night, he had a hat on with his hair coming out the back in a ponytail. He got on the mic at the end of the show and said thanks very much for listening, I’m Wayne and this is Pete. He took off his hat and he had shaved his head bald. He took the long blonde hair he cut off and tied it to the back of his hat! It was hilarious! Right then I knew we were gonna work out well.”
Any New Projects?
“I love my Preacher Pete gig. Whenever Larry is out of town, I can grab incredible local musicians in town, even if we’ve never played together before, and see how we fit together. No rehearsals. We just go and figure out songs we both know and let it fly. I actually started it off as For Pete’s Sake a few years back on Saturdays before Wayne passed. I’ve played with some really amazing people over the years, including Kerri Daley Wolf, Larry Baeder, and Bill Blue. I want to play with Jillian Todd. She’s wonderful. I’d love to play with her, but both of our schedules have been so busy.
Do you have a tour planned this year?
“This year, we’re doing a summer tour through South Carolina, Virginia, Put-in-Bay, Maine, and Connecticut before coming home. It’s not as crazy as when Wayne and I would tour where we would go for months & months at a time and travel as far as Alaska, but it’s still a fun time.”
What Song do you wish you wrote?
“Let it Be”
When the weather permits, are you Sock Shoe Sock Shoe, or Sock Sock Shoe Shoe person?
Sock Sock!!..do people actually do the other way?
If your music were the soundtrack to a movie about your life, what genre would the film be, and who would play the lead?
“A lighthearted, upbeat movie. Michael J Fox would play the lead.”
Most memorable moment on the Sloppy Joe’s stage?
“Aside from my last show with Wayne, I would have to say the night Zac Brown jumped up on stage and sang a very inappropriate song with us! Nobody knew who he was! We told people he was just a friend of ours.”
You are hosting a dinner party; what 3 legendary musicians are invited & what's on the menu?
“Dave Grohl, John Lennon, and Woody Guthrie. The menu would be steaks and seafood. A little surf and turf.”
Any stage you could play in the world?
“The Sloppy Joe’s stage!”
If your guitars were an animal, what would they be?
“German Shepherd puppies, cuddly big puppies.”
Thanks for taking the time, Pete. Is there anything you would like to add?
“Rock on!”
Catch Pete Jarvis live on the Sloppy Joe’s stage Monday, Thursday, and Friday weekly at 5:30 pm
