Smooth Sailing

The line of people in captain’s hats stretched across the parking lot in front of Dewey Beach Liquors and wrapped around the corner onto Dagsworthy Street. Eager concertgoers anxiously awaited entrance to the Yacht Rock Revue concert in early August at Dewey Beach’s own Bottle & Cork.

Waiting in line, Sherry Proctor of Maryland confirmed she has seen Yacht Rock Revue three or four times.

“It’s the music I grew up on, and they’re such talented musicians. It really feels like a big singalong.”

John and Amy Howard of Milton have seen Yacht Rock Revue four or five times.

“We love the music,” Amy said.

“We can’t afford a yacht, but we can afford Yacht Rock,” John joked.

Cathy and Andy Inkles were first-timers, but they were dressed in full yacht attire, obligatory captain’s hats included.

“If it’s good music and there is a costume involved … I’m in!” Andy said with a smile.

Yacht Rock Revue is a soft-rock party band that takes listeners on a nostalgic voyage through the sun-soaked melodies of the ’70s and ’80s: Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Christopher Cross, Journey and more.

But Yacht Rock Revue is not just another cover band. While its members have recorded original music, the group is also an anomaly for two other reasons. Six of the musicians were part of the original Georgia basement band formed in 2007, and the group has some of the most dedicated fans around. They call themselves “Anchorheads,” a self-proclaimed name for the die-hard followers of Yacht Rock Revue.

Janice Rowland Radway is an original Anchorhead.

“I saw them for the first time in 2019. My husband, Allen, and I went to the show, and I stood the whole time. They were amazing! It’s like every member of the band is a frontman,” she said.

Janice explained that after just one concert, she was hooked and bought tickets to multiple shows on the band’s 2020 tour.

In February 2020, however, the tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nick Niespodziani, lead vocalist and co-manager of Yacht Rock Revue, turned to Facebook Live broadcasts.

Nick also plays guitar, keyboards, percussion, harmonica, bass and flute. When asked what instruments he played, he replied, “All of them.” He wasn’t lying.

“During COVID, I was doing solo Thursday-night broadcasts and took requests via Venmo to keep paying for the band’s healthcare,” Nick explained.

It was supposed to be something fun and temporary, but “it created a whole culture,” he said.

By September 2020, so many people were tuning in that they created a Facebook fan page called “Anchorheads – Yacht Rock Revue Fans,” and Janice was one of its original members.

“Instead of Deadheads, fans of the Grateful Dead, we called ourselves Anchorheads for Yacht Rock Revue,” Janice said.

The group started with 20 people from Denver, New York and Florida. Now, it has more than 6,000 members across the globe.

During COVID, Janice started a weekly name-that-tune video called “Nauti Bits,” pun intended. She posted videos of herself playing the first few notes of a yacht rock song on guitar, and people had to guess the song. The next day, she would post the full video.

“It helped people stay engaged, especially during the pandemic. I’d say I post quarterly now that we’re all busy again, but it’s still so fun!” Janice said.

After the pandemic, Yacht Rock Revue eased back into live music with drive-in concerts in Indiana and Atlanta. When the band returned to traditional in-person concerts, Janice and other Anchorheads flew to Atlanta to watch the first live show together as a celebration.

“We still do that now. The music is universal and brings us together. Many Anchorheads use the Facebook page to coordinate seeing shows. I’ve met friends in Atlanta, Nashville, Florida, New York, the Midwest and here in Dewey Beach!” she said.

Janice explained that the captain’s hat is part of the unofficial Anchorhead uniform and that she loves all things anchor-related.

“Sometimes we coordinate outfits. A group of Anchorheads went to a concert for my 50th birthday, and we all wore silver and sparkles!”

Yacht Rock Revue is widely recognized as a driving force behind the modern yacht rock resurgence, a style of music that recreates the breezy, laid-back tunes that defined a generation.

“When we were finalizing our band name in the early 2000s, we threw around ‘Dentist Office Music’ and ‘’70s AM Gold’ as potential names,” Nick said with a laugh, before settling on Yacht Rock Revue.

Another rare quality of the band is that, since its inception, six of its seven original founding members still tour with the group.

“Our band has stayed together. It’s really special,” Nick said.

Not many rock bands can say that.

“I’m super lucky to be surrounded by talented and good people. We were all older. We’d had failures, just missed fame or just missed catching a break. So, we all appreciate the gift of making a living with music,” Nick said. “Ego takes a back seat to the good of the group.”

While Yacht Rock Revue always has eight people on stage at a time, Nick explained, “Our drummers swap out.”

Yacht Rock Revue comprises:

Nicholas Niespodziani, vocals, guitars, keyboards and percussion

Peter Olson, vocals, guitars, keyboards and percussion

Greg Lee, bass and vocals

Mark Dannells, guitars and vocals

Mark Bencuya, keyboards and vocals

David B. Freeman, saxophones, keyboards, flute, piccolo, percussion and vocals

Kourtney Jackson, vocals and percussion

Jason Nackers, drums

Ganesh Giri Jaya, drums

“Our band grew from nothing. We played clubs on Thursday nights. We did a lot of weddings, private parties and corporate events. We met our agent in 2010, and he had a vision for us. We’ve stayed with him since signing. But even he didn’t envision us getting as big as we are now,” Nick said.

Yacht Rock Revue released its second album of original material, Escape Artist, in 2024, but the band plays only a song or two from its original catalog during concerts.

“We know why people are coming. They want to hear that nostalgic music that allows them to swim in the pools of their memories, so we give that to them,” Nick said.

Yacht Rock Revue will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year.

“Maybe we’ll go back to the original bar where we started in Atlanta,” Nick teased. “But I LOVE Dewey and the Bottle & Cork. It’s a true vibe!”

Keep an eye on the band’s website to grab tickets for next summer’s tour stop in Dewey Beach. It is bound to be another sellout, and you’ll want to have your tickets and captain’s hat ready to go.

In the meantime, find the Anchorheads on Facebook to join the fun.

After all these years, one thing is clear: Yacht Rock isn’t just sailing. It has a whole crew of devoted Anchorheads making sure it never goes down.  

A Brief History of Yacht Rock

The smooth sound now known as yacht rock emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s, blending soft rock with jazz, R&B and polished studio production. Artists such as Christopher Cross, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers helped define the sound, although nobody called it yacht rock at the time.

The name arrived in 2005 through Yacht Rock, a comedic online series that affectionately parodied the musicians and music of the era. The term caught on, introducing the songs to a new generation and turning a once-dismissed style into a celebrated genre.

Yacht Rock Revue formed in Atlanta in 2007 and helped carry the revival from internet nostalgia to concert stages across the country.