By John Ostapowicz / The Jambar
The floating musical festival, The Rock Boat, is currently making waves as it set sail Jan. 26-31 to celebrate its 24th annual voyage.
For six days and five nights, several bands and fans boarded the Norwegian Gem as it departed from the Port of Miami to Harvest Caye, Belize, with a stop in Roatan, Honduras.
The Rock Boat XXIV features national and local bands from near the Mahoning Valley, such as Red Wanting Blue from Columbus and Pittsburgh natives The Commonheart.
For nearly 12 years, Red Wanting Blue has performed on The Rock Boat. Drummer Dean Anshutz said the opportunity to play with new artists on the cruise ship is always a surreal experience.
“With [The Rock Boat] — since it’s a couple days — we are able to act on the things we always talk about like, ‘We should play a song together’ or ‘You guys should jump up and do something with us,’” Anshutz said. “The collaboration and the community is something we’ve never experienced anywhere else.”
Besides Red Wanting Blue and The Commonheart, the lineup includes several bands such as Walk the Moon, American Authors, Tonic, Echosmith and The Strumbellas.
Since 2001, the cruise charter company Sixthman has presented The Rock Boat in collaboration with the rock band Sister Hazel.
In addition to live music, the cruise offers games and activities for voyagers. Bingo cards, an immersive DJ experience, song writing challenges and a polar plunge are a few of the available experiences.
The Rock Boat is also a cruise dedicated to first-time rock boaters. Dean Mitchell, known professionally as Saxsquatch, made his rock boat debut. He said he’s grateful for the organizers at Sixthman, and the ability to play with Sister Hazel.
“I’m thrilled, because I’ve been a huge fan [of Sister Hazel] ever since I was little. [It’s] going to be an insane dream come true and I’m really excited,” Mitchell said.
Saxsquatch is known for his YouTube videos as a saxophone playing sasquatch with covers of popular songs such as “Better Off Alone” and “Carry On Wayward Son.”
The boat also promotes collaboration between artists such as Red Wanting Blue joining The Strumbellas for a few tracks and Saxsquatch partnering with Sister Hazel for the band’s set.
The Canadian sextet The Strumbellas, known for the song “Spirits,” also made its rock boat debut. Violinist Izzy Ritchie said the band took a different approach in preparation for The Rock Boat with variations of older songs.
“We’re not playing any brand new songs, but we’re playing a couple new covers we’ve never played before. We have different arrangements of songs that are stripped back or added to, to make something real special for everyone,” Ritchie said.
Today marks the final day at sea for The Rock Boat. Red Wanting Blue kicks off the festivities from 9-10 a.m.
With the conclusion of The Rock Boat XXIV, the planning for The Rock Boat’s 25th anniversary voyage is currently underway, as the boat will depart Jan. 29, 2026.