The Beach Maniac Island Music Podcast is dedicated to supporting and promoting independent Island Music artists and their songs, whether it’s Trop Rock, Reggae, Hawaiian, or any music about the beach, the sun, the sand and the sea. It’s all about those good beach vibes, friendships and fun!
Please help support our featured artists by purchasing, streaming and downloading their music, attending their live events, festivals and house concerts, and following and engaging with them on social media.
New release: ‘Largo’ by Kirstie Kraus and Mike Nash
Get ready for a music-filled adventure in this special edition of the Beach Maniac Island Music Podcast and Blog! We’re cranking up the beach vibe as we help debut Largo, the brand new release from two Trop Rock rising stars – Kirstie Kraus and Mike Nash.
You’ll hear the full track, with a personal intro from Kirstie herself. Trust us, you won’t want to miss this tropical love tune that'll transport you straight to the islands!
This song is a perfect blend of Trop Rock vibes and Country charm! It tells the sweet, heartwarming story of a young couple who meet on spring break in Key Largo and instantly hit it off. Flash forward 20 years, and they're still going strong. While vacationing back in the place where it all began, they decide to make it official—staying in Key Largo to live out their dream life on the island where they first fell in love. It's the ultimate island romance, with a dash of adventure and a whole lot of heart! 🌴❤️🎶
Long Way to Mexico by Flip Flop Republic and Stoney Banks
Joe Lowder from Flip Flop Republic and Stoney Banks introduce their new single Long Way to Mexico on the Beach Maniac Island Music Podcast.
They also talk about the history of Flip Flop Republic, the career of Stoney Banks and how these great artists collaborated to create their unique troprock-reggae-country-Mexican-western sound.
The Music of Mark Mulch
After 19 years of building a successful career writing and performing in Nashville, Mark Mulch has found a home in the Trop Rock / Island Music community and is “all in”
“I found my people,” he says in the latest Beach Maniac Island Music Podcast. Three years after embracing Trop Rock, Mark now has several Island Music hits, including Tide Down (with Kirstie Kraus), Sunrise Vibes (with Monallo), High Life, Livin’ It Up and Beach Up in Heaven, and is working on more. Click here for the audio podcast, video podcast, video clips from the interview, embedded music videos, and more.
The Music of Mike Miller and the Boat Drunks
The Trop Rock / Island Music band The Boat Drunks, co-founded by Mike Miller and Jake Tatar, consistently draws large loyal crowds and wins big awards, including being named Trop Rock Band of the Year nine times, most recently in 2024, by the Trop Rock Music Association. In this podcast, Mike Miller opens up about his music and more. Mike talks about: How the Boat Drunks came into existence … How he wrote Hollow Man (and other popular songs) … How he spent five years living on a sailboat and writing music … How meeting Jimmy Buffett at Alpine Valley was one of the highlights of his career … How the members of the Boat Drunks have mostly stayed together for nearly 25 years, and remained friends … Most importantly, how the Trop Rock Community and Parrotheads throughout the country rallied behind him, giving him emotional and financial support after he was diagnosed with cancer and needed a bone marrow transplant, and how he wrote the song Together We Fly to thank them for their tremendous support through that very difficult time. Click here for the podcast, the transcript, and embedded videos of music from Mike Miller and the Boat Drunks.
The Music of Kirstie Kraus
Kirstie Kraus is an amazing young talent who has found a way to navigate two parallel tracks to success and stardom: in both the country music and Trop Rock / Island Music genres.
She already has racked up country music success and grabbed the attention of Nashville with hit songs that include Bird, Thirsty, Silver and Dab A Dolly (a tribute to country music icon Dolly Parton). In fact, Kirstie was honored at the Grand Ole Opry as the 2024 Female Country Artist of the Year by the Josie Music Awards for Independent Musicians.
But at the same time, Kirstie is also one of the most popular singers in Trop Rock today, with songs that include Beaches Be Crazy, Floridays, Tide Down (with Mark Mulch), the holiday remake Tropic Wonderland also with Mark Mulch, and the soon-to-be-released duet with Mike Nash called Largo. Click below for the podcast and blog. Click here for the podcast, the transcript, and embedded videos of Kirstie Kraus music.
The Music of Todd Donnelly (Part 2)
Todd Donnelly’s unique blend of Caribbean sounds carries you away to the tropics. Todd talks about the music he loves, and how he got to where he is today, in this Beach Maniac Island Music Podcast interview. Click here for the podcast and the transcript of our interview with Todd Donnelly.
The Music of Todd Donnelly (Part 1)
Twenty five years ago, Todd Donnelly wrote a love song - Navigate My Heart - for his bride Kathi, and performed it at their wedding. The song - like their marriage - had staying power. Now, 25 years later, Todd has written a follow-up called Another Quarter, which celebrates their first quarter century together while looking ahead to all the promises of the next one. Click here for the podcast, the transcript and embedded videos of Todd Donnelly music.
Beach Maniac is a guest on Tiki Man Radio
Beach Maniac Bill Hurley was the guest on Sunday Mornings with Tiki Man on Tiki Man Radio, talking about his awesome experience of being Tiki Head DJ for an Hour and about how the Beach Maniac song came to be. Check it out!
The Beach Maniac Radio Hour
Tiki Man Danny Lynn turned Tiki Man Radio over to Beach Maniac Bill Hurley for an hour this November. Bill shared his favorite Trop Rock and Coastal Americana music and told a few stories, including the story behind the Beach Maniac song. Listen to Bill’s Beach Maniac Radio Hour.
