You’d never know it, but behind the doors of a warehouse in Vero Beach’s downtown, three men are making a lot of noise. And it’s been going on for years – seven, to be exact.
That’s when Larry Schlitt and Danny Brackett started to learn to play the guitar and, unwittingly, laid the foundation for their future band, 60 West.
Schlitt, who graduated from Vero Beach High School in 1982, and Brackett, VBHS Class of ’89, grew up knowing each other through Danny’s older brother, Robbie. But neither of their families was particularly musical back then.
They are, however, big music fans, and they’re also numerous: Larry owns and operates Larry Schlitt Construction and is related to the Vero-based Schlitt family of realtors, electricians and insurance agents. Danny runs Brackett Family Limited Partners and G&G Builders of Indian River. As a result, it’s their large families, along with many, many friends, who now help spread the word about 60 West, and pack the venues wherever they appear.
“They have a great sound, lots of energy and a serious following,” says Josh Graham, manager of Osceola Bistro, following a recent performance there.
“We’d been warned that they bring a big crowd, so we set up a satellite bar outside and were fully staffed,” says Graham.
Good thing they were prepared: More than 200 people came to hear them band, he says.
“It was like a class reunion.”
Brackett and Schlitt were both born and raised in Vero. They were in their 30s raising families of their own when they had their first inclination to play music.
“I’d never picked up a guitar in my life,” Brackett admits.
They started meeting once a week when they could, to pick a couple of chords and strum out new songs. Their good buddy, Steve Nesbitt, an accomplished and professional guitarist, “very patiently helped us learn the styles, riffs and rhythms of the music we thought people would like,” Brackett says.
The band’s name is a nod to their original rehearsal space, west on Route 60 just east of I-95.
They’ve since moved their practice space closer to home, in the downtown Arts District, and have filled it with amps, four-piece drum kits, speakers, top-of-the-line Takamine and Stratocaster guitars – and yards and yards of cable. They’ve also changed their repertoire to include songs from the ‘70s and ‘90s, a few classic country tunes, soft rock and alternative pop.
Along the way, some band members have changed, and some have changed instruments as well.
“I wasn’t playing the guitar so well,” Schlitt confides with a laugh. “So the guys eventually said, ‘Hey Larry, why don’t you give drums a try?’ So I did. That was five years ago.”
Nesbitt, a harvesting manager in the citrus industry who has played lead guitar with the band for the past seven years and has been an integral band member, isn’t playing now due to other commitments. But he often will sit in with the band when they play live.
“The music scene in Vero is incredibly cool that way,” says Danny Brackett. “We’ve had several great friends, very gifted musicians, teaching, guiding, playing and really influencing us from the start.”
Those talented friends include vocalist Sheldon Shrum from the country band Crooked Creek and Smokin’ Man; bass player Steve Sanders, also from Smokin’ Man, and guitarist Eric English.
“They’re just incredibly talented and have all come through for us, singing for us, playing with us, just helping us in so many ways,” says Brackett.
“They were way above our level,” Schlitt says. “We were real newbies just starting out and they were so happy to teach us what they knew, so helpful, incredibly giving of their time, and with no ego.”
That sort of helpfulness is typical of the Vero music scene, Brackett says. “There’s a very easy-going, laid-back camaraderie with the musicians in Vero and a real willingness to teach, help and promote one another. That has made this whole experience very special for me. These guys gave us opportunities to play that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
It was this Vero camaraderie, along with their eagerness to have other musicians sit in, that led 60 West to discover their talented lead singer, Dan Harper. Originally from Ohio, Harper sang with bands in high school, and after his service with the U.S. Navy, continued to enjoy singing with various groups.
A physical therapist now living in Vero Beach, he went with his buddy Chris Schlitt (Larry’s cousin) to see the band play one night out at the old barn where they used to rehearse out west of town.
Extending the same courtesies they had received themselves, the guys in the band invited Harper to come up and sing a few tunes. A few weeks later, Harper contacted Schlitt and let him know he was interested in being the band’s lead singer.
A strong vocalist, Harper’s voice is well-matched with the wide variety and range of tunes 60 West offers its audiences. Set lists include songs from artists that range from Chuck Berry, the Eagles, and the Rolling Stones to later groups like Jane’s Addiction, Radiohead, Sublime and Kings of Leon. It’s a show that has a little something for everyone.
Schlitt still remembers the first song they learned, Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” although they don’t play it much anymore.
“When we first started off, we pretty much played every song we knew,” Danny says. “Now we have 70-plus songs, so we have songs to play during the dinner hours and songs that get everyone up dancing later on.”
While the band plays mostly for the fun of it, gigs are steady, mostly for private gatherings like Halloween parties, holiday get-togethers, and charity benefits. They also play at Sebastian’s riverfront Tiki Bar as well as at Osceola Bistro downtown.
Schlitt promises a Facebook page is in the works.
“Our friends and fans have been asking for us to do that so they can post pictures and videos from our shows.” It would also help the rest of Vero find out where the band is playing. Until then, they’ll just have to listen for really good music accompanied by the roar of a large, very enthusiastic crowd.
