Travels with Woody

Travels With Woody Graber

In November, I had the distinct pleasure of cruising with Woody Graber and his lovely wife, Lori, on the spectacularly gorgeous ship, Celebrity Apex. It was interesting how this happened. We were all sitting outside My Mama’s Books Records & Cafe in Dania Beach waiting for a Vesper Sparrow reunion concert. Woody and Lori were discussing their passion for travel and how they were looking forward to a bucket list voyage of a transatlantic cruise in November. I mentioned that my mother, Annette, and I were going on one, as well. After a bit of back and forth, it turned out we were on the same cruise. “I wasn’t sure what to think about cruising with an older person,” said Woody. “But as it turned out, it was one of the highlights of the cruise! Annette was fantastic!” he added.

For those unfamiliar, Woody has promoted music for almost his entire life and is head of Woody Graber & Associates. He has worked with Live Nation for years. He was a part owner of South Beach’s famed Stephen Talkhouse music venue that operated from 1992-1995 and was also instrumental in promoting Ron Wood’s club, Woody’s On the Beach, from 1987-1989. He is a South Florida music fixture and you can easily spot him at music concerts with his long white hair tied in a ponytail and white mustache and beard. He is currently in charge of promoting the Ft Lauderdale music venue, Revolution. Woody and Lori were each celebrating big birthdays. They started celebrating in Paris and Barcelona before boarding the transatlantic cruise that would cross the Atlantic Ocean returning to Ft Lauderdale. I cannot say enough about the beauty of the Celebrity ship, Apex, which is the part of the Edge class of Celebrity and is simply elegant, new, and luxurious. The cruise began in Barcelona and traveled to Malaga and Valencia in Spain, the British territory of Gibraltar on Spain’s southern coast, Portugal’s Ponta Del Gado in the Azores, Bermuda, and Nassau, Bahamas before ending in Ft Lauderdale. The ports were all beautiful and special in their own way, as Woody is special in his own way. He is a most interesting character, with endless fascinating tales of his rock and roll adventures.

Take it away, Woody…and tell us a few of your rock and roll escapades:

What are the most memorable artists that played at Stephen Talkhouse?
So many wonderful artists played the Talkhouse. Most memorable would be Joan Baez or when Taj Mahal played and Bob Marley’s Mom, Mother Booker, joined him onstage or NYE with the Mavericks when Trisha Yearwood and Maren Morris were Raul’s backup singers.

And at Woody’s On The Beach?

Had to be Ray Charles and his whole orchestra with the Raelettes. There was also one of our Grateful Dead Nights where Bobby Keys brought Brent Mydland and Bill Kreutzman along to jam. Blew the minds of a lot of Deadheads.

How did you enjoy this magnificent cruise?
Was definitely bucket list worthy. One high point, other than your Mom, was when the Captain renewed our wedding vows along with 200 other couples! What a party.

Being a world traveler, where have you enjoyed the most?
We’ll always have Paris!

Any bucket list concerts?
Not really, though I’ve heard talk of the Kinks getting back together. So, I’d like that one.

What’s coming up at Revolution for 2024?
Revolution has had so many great concerts over the years from Arctic Monkeys, Pink, Snoop Dogg, Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Smashing Pumpkins, Mos Def, the Black Crowes, Wu-Tang Clan, Panic! At The Disco, Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance, Chris Cornell, and Modest Mouse. For 2024, there is more to come including an outside show with Social Distortion and Bad Religion, and Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth.