All Aboard At Hard Rock Cafe Miami

Have any of you ever been on a cruise? I’m sure many of you have at one time or another boarded a large luxury liner and headed out for an enjoyable vacation. Most of you possibly made your way to South Florida and then visited ports throughout the Caribbean. One of the perks of living in South Florida has been the opportunity to cruise several times. I must say that every one of them has been relaxing and wonderful in various ways.

Another thing that one might enjoy is meeting a lot of people. Of course, there are passengers from all over the US and some from other countries. However, when you board the cruise ship you meet crew members from all corners of the world.  If you like gaining knowledge of various places, cultures and more, the cruise ship vacation is the place for you.

Linda James from Norwegian Sky takes the microphone

The part of the cruise experience I enjoyed the most had to be the music. Yes, from live Broadway style shows all the way down to the small piano bars around the ship, the music is something that always remained in my memory long after the trip.

Right away I noticed that the musicians, all of them, seemed to be proficient artists who quickly connected with the very diverse audiences found on the cruise ship. Each week a different set of people came in to enjoy their vacations. As they board from the very beginning music is a major part of the voyage.

Is it possible to bring cruise ship entertainment to the crowds on shore? Of course you can. The music is the same and the musicians love entertaining. However, last month I saw it play out at the Hard Rock Café Miami.

Bart Delaney came up with a fantastic idea to put together a jam session which included musicians from some of the cruise ships docked next door at Port of Miami, and local musicians from the Miami area. The idea worked great! I included some pictures of the event so that you might get a feel for how much fun the musicians, and the audience had for lunch that afternoon.

Aldo Canta and Bart Delaney

As Delaney explained, the group is not really a band at all. Bass player Delaney, guitar/vocals Eric Wormsbaker, and drummer Mark DeRose make up the house band with guest musicians joining in to make it a musical feast. I'm sure I'll go back to listen soon.



A-BAND-ON SHIP! is an International Invitational Musician Jam at Hard Rock Café Miami that connects local South Florida musicians with the musicians that work on the ships docked right next door for the day.

A local rock trio is the backbone for the lunchtime extravaganza where singers, musicians, and entertainers from all over the world converge on the Cruise Ship Capital’s Hard Rock Café to create music for your lunchtime experience.

The Miami Hard Rock Café is located in Bayside by the Port of Miami. 401 Biscayne Blvd. Set, R200 Miami, FL 33132. If you are a musician that is interested in sitting in with A-BAND-ON SHIP! please email abandonshipjam@gmail.com to get into the lineup!

Rohan DeSouza and Bart Delaney having fun at the Hard Rock