Singer-songwriter Bruce Isaacson is ready to celebrate his one-year anniversary as a fulltime resident of Key West. While the local lifestyle helped him make the decision to move to Key West he is not retired or on vacation.

“ I’m here because I am not interested in performing on the road,” he said recently. “I’m comfortable here and the road takes too much creative time away.”

Isaacson said his one-year in Key West is the first time in more than eight years that he has found time to take advantage of the creative side of the business.

“ I’ve found a new energy!” he laughed. “I love it.”

Anyone catching his performances at the Hog’s Breath Saloon – where he performs regularly – can see that energy in his stage routine. As soon as Michael Oakland or Red Seidman – two musicians who often play with Isaacson – join him in a song, the singer-songwriter’s energy explodes and involves everyone in the audience.

The enjoyment Isaacson experiences when performing, comes across in the excitement of his songs – even in a slow ballad by Joni Mitchell or Gordon Lightfoot. It seems impossible for the entertainer to sit quietly while playing his guitar. Isaacson is often having as much fun as his audience and each song begins a new cycle to see who is having the best time.

Isaacson’s explosive energy and enthusiasm for life are contagious. He works hard at his craft, evident as sweat beads on his forehead and marks his shirt from where his guitar has been.

His current CD “Live at Morada Bay” is on sale during his show.

“ I’m currently working on two new CDs,” he said with his thin infectious grin. “The songs on both will be all new originals.”
As a sign of his dedication to Key West, Isaacson is building his own home recording studio in between writing and playing.

“ One of the great things about the Hog is that the audience is there to listen to the music,” Isaacson said. “It’s great for any songwriter to have an audience that wants to hear his original works and came to be entertained.”

Isaacson doesn’t have a label for his music, but says it’s a mixture of acoustic-vocal-pop, seasoned with some rock ‘n’ roll.

“ I’m giving myself five years to write and record,” he said. “I want to publish and sell my songs.”

A Vermont native, Isaacson comes from a musical family.

“ My grandfather was a concert cello player,” he smiled. “My brother, Clay Canfield, had a blues band and I joined it in Austin as a drummer.”

Twenty-one years ago Isaacson switched to the guitar and continued to play in Texas and Louisiana for another eight years before moving back to the northeast. During those 21 years he played clubs in his native Vermont, Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., as well as New York City and Key West.

“ I am here because I am not interested in traveling,” he said. “I make a good living here, have a personal life and creative life. My original work receives a good response from Key West crowds and that’s a big help to me.”