What Else Can I Do on Martha’s Vineyard?
(Besides See The Dukes, of Course!)
If you’re considering hiring us for your wedding or party, we hope that the videos on our site are enough to convince you that we’re going to rock the house. But sometimes, people want to see us in person before confirming us for their event. Other times, we’ll get booked, but then the folks who booked us will still want to come see us perform live as a preview of what they’ll be getting later on. Either way, we always encourage visiting Martha’s Vineyard in order to see us perform.
And if it seems like a long trip just to see The Dukes perform, you might be surprised by just how much there is to do on the Vineyard. There are plenty of other sites dedicated to all sorts of Martha’s Vineyard activities, but as musicians ourselves, we’ll stick to what we know best: live music venues throughout the island during the summer months.
Noman’s is a great starting point, because there’s not just one musical act per day, but usually two and sometimes even three different performers from noon through evening. Some acts are soloists, like Casey, our guitarist and vocalist; some are duos, including Casey and Maria, our lead vocalist. Sometimes it’s a Dukes quartet or quintet. Of course, there are many other talented musicians on the island who also play slots at Noman’s. You can enjoy outdoor as well as indoor seating; lawn games, a large drink list, and great food make it a must-see during your stay.
The Ritz Cafe is a dive and the oldest bar on the island, and also hosts a musical act each evening, as well as an eclectic cast of island regulars who are often in attendance. The majority of nights each week are also double-headers, with the first group performing on the ground floor, and the subsequent band on the upper level. Many groups have weekly residencies and loyal followings, including Johnny Hoy, Phil DaRosa, Mike Benjamin, Jon Zeeman, and once in a while, your very own Dukes on a Friday or Saturday night when the bar is at its busiest.
Speaking of weekly residencies, The Dukes have our own at The Atlantic, a chop house on the water in Edgartown that does a booming business sating tourists and locals by day and transforming itself into a dance stage a few nights each week. The Dukes perform every Thursday and every other Friday, complemented by other bands and DJs on Saturdays and Sundays.
And there are many other venues with live music, including 20xNine (soloists perform during happy hour at this bar with a huge whiskey selection and tapas-style plates), The Port Hunter (live bands on weekends at this restaurant, which also happens to have fantastic food), The Wharf (a large restaurant and bar with an oft-packed dance floor in back), the Eisenhauer Gallery (live music in the square on Thursdays), and more. Take a few days off, come out to the Vineyard, and catch as much live music as you possibly can – you shan’t be disappointed!