LOCAL MUSICIANS SAY THEY WEREN’T PAID FOR GIGS

Live music is as much a part of Key West as flip flops and frozen drinks. 

But a group of 10 or so local musicians in October launched what they called the Unpaid Musicians Movement to amplify and act on complaints that they hadn’t gotten paid for gigs that a fellow local musician had booked for them at local hotels and boats.

Allen Goldsmith Holland, who plays Caribbean-style music under the name Frankendread and was booking gigs for other musicians at multiple venues, was arrested Dec. 8 and charged with being an “unlicensed talent agent,” according to a report from the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office. Upon learning that a warrant had been issued for his arrest, Holland turned himself in and was released later the same day. 

Investigator Frank Zamora’s report states the investigation is ongoing and could result in further charges, based on reports from musicians who say Holland never paid them for gigs he booked for them.

“Records show that Holland, from Jan. 4, 2022 through Oct. 31, 2022, booked over 100 events at (hotel bars) in Key West. Records from (both hotels) revealed that between the two properties, Holland was well compensated; over $200,000, while he allegedly only paid a fraction of the money to the musicians he represented,” the state attorney’s office reports.

Musician Tony Novelli told the Keys Weekly Holland has owed him $2,950 for months, and attempts by Novelli to collect on the debt via text message, email and phone calls have been unproductive.

“This is a small town and you hate to trash-talk someone, but when you find out that he doesn’t just owe you money, but loads of other people, something has to be done,” musician John Solinski told the Keys Weekly. “He still owes me $2,200, and I’ve gotten nothing but excuses.”

Luna Fox and Solomon Underwood, who play as a duo called Coconut Koalas, were part of the group that launched the Unpaid Musicians Movement in October. Holland owed them $3,200 at the time and they were struggling to pay rent and bills.

“He finally paid us a week after we launched the movement and marched to the courthouse with a group of musicians to begin the formal complaint process,” Underwood said. “The hotels and the detective have records that Allen had been paid for our gigs, but then he wasn’t paying the musicians he had booked.”

Michelle Dravis, a longtime Keys musician who never used Holland for bookings and wasn’t owed money, helped champion the Unpaid Musicians Movement by organizing the march to the courthouse in October. She said she is now printing out the required forms for small claims court filings.

“I know some people will say, ‘How did the musicians let things get this far?’” Dravis said. “And the fact is, everyone thought they were the only ones who were owed money.” They didn’t want to rock the boat by not playing gigs, and jeopardize their chances of getting paid what they were owed, she said.

The Keys Weekly spoke on Dec. 18 with Holland, who said his lawyers have advised him against saying too much given the open case against him for the unlicensed talent agent activities.

Holland said he would be willing to sit down with the Keys Weekly once he gets clearance from his lawyers “to get my truth out there.”

“This was a planned movement and personal attack, which is why I have a team of four attorneys working on it,” Holland said. “There are things that are not being said, and people are still innocent until proven guilty. I’ve lost everything due to lies and innuendo. I just cannot speak about it at the moment. But these eight or 10 musicians aren’t the 51 others I have worked with without any problems.”

Mandy Miles drops stuff, breaks things and falls down more than any adult should. An award-winning writer, reporter and columnist, she's been stringing words together in Key West since 1998. "Local news is crucial," she says. "It informs and connects a community. It prompts conversation. It gets people involved, holds people accountable. The Keys Weekly takes its responsibility seriously. Our owners are raising families in Key West & Marathon. Our writers live in the communities we cover - Key West, Marathon & the Upper Keys. We respect our readers. We question our leaders. We believe in the Florida Keys community. And we like to have a good time." Mandy's married to a saintly — and handy — fishing captain, and can't imagine living anywhere else.