When Atlantic City first opened beach bars in 2003, Brian Varhelyi immediately booked some shows there for his band to play the best of Jimmy Buffett, The Beach Boys and Bob Marley.
Problem was, he didn’t have a band.
“My agent asked, ‘What’s the name of the band?’ and off the top of my head I said, ‘Brian and the Coconuts.’”
He was able to scramble a band together, and they’ve stayed together since, except now they’re simply known as The Coconutz.
“We’ve been having so much fun since then, and that’s never stopped,” Varhelyi says.
Today, the band plays a lot more than those feel-good, stereotypical beach bar standards. They play a mix of everything now, from classic rock to pop to modern country.
You can see them most often at Coconut Cove in North Wildwood on Friday evenings, Trump Plaza Beach Bar on Sundays, and a lot of private events.
The band: Brian Varhelyi, guitar and lead vocals; Deb Mumford, lead vocals; Joe Mekler, percussion; Dave Kaplan, bass; and Tim McKinstry, keyboards.
On the web: www.LiveMusicByBrian.com; Facebook.com/CoconutzMusic
Upcoming shows:
Sunday, July 8: Trump Plaza Beach Bar, Atlantic City, 2 p.m.
Saturday, July 14: Sammy’s Beach Bar, Atlantic City, 2 p.m.
Sunday, July 15: Trump Plaza Beach Bar, Atlantic City, 2 p.m.
