Singing the Blues, Playing the Rock
Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish keep a good thing going on an Island where musical talent runs deep.
After more than thirty years and thousands of gigs, the frontman and the keyboard player are still together, bringing their own blues band vibe to Vineyard stages.
Sure, there’s a lot of gray and white hair on the dance floor when Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish performs. But Johnny, on vocals and harmonica, and Jeremy Berlin, on keyboards, are still in high demand, delivering to enthusiastic audiences around the Island and beyond. And they have a budding star on guitar, Delanie Pickering, who’s attracting notice beyond the Vineyard’s humble shores.
The Bluefish perform on a Wednesday night at The Ritz in Oak Bluffs.
The Bluefish perform on a Wednesday night at The Ritz in Oak Bluffs.
The band’s longevity comes against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene on the Island, particularly during summer months when musicians are amping up at traditional venues such as The Ritz and the Portuguese American Club, and a host of other spots looking to employ siren song(s) of live music to lure customers and patrons.
“I think people are realizing that competition is fierce and if they want to get people in there, they have to try to make a vibe that’s happening,” Johnny says. “Live music seems to be a tried-and-true recipe for bringin’ in a few extra people.”
Just a few examples include the restaurant Nomans in Harthaven, which features live music virtually every night. The Port Hunter in Edgartown has live music most nights. Featherstone Center for the Arts features the Bluefish every Friday, in addition to a live music series on Mondays. The Tabernacle runs out live music each Friday evening; the Vineyard Preservation Trust and guitarist/vocalist Mike Benjamin are producing a new Wednesday evening series at the Grange Hall. The Black Dog Tavern and Black Dog Café separately sponsor live music every week. A new entry, MV Tap at Five Corners, has blues in the late afternoon and guest musicians on a rotating basis. Edgartown and West Tisbury libraries frequently feature live music, and Martha’s Vineyard Museum has a Wednesday concert series spotlighting music across genres. (See below for a complete list of live music venues.)
When Larkin Stallings, owner of The Ritz, lists the musical talent on this Island, including Johnny (above), Jeremy and Delanie, he’s not hesitant to mention the Vineyard in the same breath as Austin or Nashville.
When Larkin Stallings, owner of The Ritz, lists the musical talent on this Island, including Johnny (above), Jeremy and Delanie, he’s not hesitant to mention the Vineyard in the same breath as Austin or Nashville.
“I think the music scene here is remarkably full, in some respects,” says Jeremy. “The Island keeps growing musicians, and I think it’s because it’s an island and because people are exposed to each other in kind of an insular environment. We see each other all the time.”Larkin Stallings, who owns The Ritz in Oak Bluffs with his wife Jacqueline, says the Vineyard punches way above its weight when it comes to talent. He should know; he and his wife also are operating partners in two – soon to be three – dance hall saloons in Houston. Without skipping a beat, he mentions Martha’s Vineyard in the same breath as Nashville and Austin.
“The one thing that is special about this Island is we have an incredible resource of artists,” says Larkin. “You just go down the list, it’s pretty spectacular. It’s certainly unusual. Even some big cities don’t have this talent pool.” He ticks off a long list of names, which includes everyone from musician/preacher Sean McMahon and Island homeboy Phil daRosa to singers Darby Patterson, Joanne Cassidy and Jodie Treloar Sampson. And then there’s the estimable Mike Benjamin, who might be the Island’s longest tenured musician. His band plays regularly at the Ritz and Nomans.
When they started in 1989, the Bluefish included Johnny’s then-wife Barbara Puciul on bass, guitarists Slim Bob Berosh and Don Groover, and drummer Nicky Huff. As one might expect, there’s been a fair amount of turnover over the years, but some band alums return for short stints. Taurus Biskis, of the musical Biskis family, was the drummer for the band in the ’90s. He’s involved with his own family’s band now but plays with the Bluefish during the winter months. Slim Bob sat in as the band’s guitarist in April, when Delanie was in Europe.
The two constants have been Johnny and Jeremy. Johnny, 68, arrived on the Island in the ’80s after a vagabond childhood, constantly moving with his family because of his father’s jobs. Even at age 17, he had the wanderlust. He became adept at riding the rails, crisscrossing the country. (He even joined the circus for a week or so, helping drive the trucks that hauled the lions and tigers.) Right around then he focused on the harmonica, dazzled by the work of legendary harmonica player James Cotton and other blues artists.
Jeremy Berlin (above) and Johnny have been the two constants for the Bluefish.
Jeremy Berlin (above) and Johnny have been the two constants for the Bluefish.
Jeremy, 63, was a summer kid from Cambridge who ended up opening at the gone-but-not-forgotten nightspot Hot Tin Roof for a long list of jazz luminaries that included Ahmad Jamal, Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie and Les McCann, and played in a Nina Simone tribute band. He still has his own solo gig most weeks at Sweet Life in Oak Bluffs and periodically plays in a jazz trio with Taurus and bassist Eric Johnson.
In addition to keyboards, he’s the band’s unofficial manager who coordinates their schedule, which may include mainland gigs ranging from a dive bar in Providence, Rhode Island, to a swanky jazz club in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
And then there’s Delanie, 28, from Concord, New Hampshire, who was living in her van when she arrived on the Island about seven or eight years ago. She proceeded to go to every Bluefish gig she could, and soon she was asked to sit in and eventually become a full-fledged member.
“I’ve been really lucky to have a lot of great guitar players, but none of them were cute girls that could sing beautifully,” says Johnny. “And there’s a charisma there. It’s hard to put your finger on what it is, but she’s got it... and the world is starting to notice.”
Delanie played in Europe last November and then again for the entire month of April. She’s headed back for short stints this summer. But make no mistake: she’s content as a member of the Bluefish, living on the Island. Besides, she’s bought a house. “So, I’m living inside,” she says, smiling.
Filling out the band’s lineup in the summer and for off-Island winter gigs is promising young drummer Cam Igo, a Berklee College of Music student.
Most musicians on the Island have day jobs, especially in the winter, when the music scene is much leaner. Or they go south in the off-season. Johnny is a stonemason, a fisherman and a farmer — and by virtue of his many talents, the recipient of the Creative Living Award in 2016. Delanie works in construction and at a coffee shop. Jeremy relies on playing music whenever and wherever he can — birthday parties, memorial services and library concerts. He also uses his organizational skills to help feed a steady flow of musicians to a cruise ship that anchors in Vineyard Haven Harbor during the summer.
Band founder, harmonica player and vocalist Johnny Hoy won the Creative Living Award in 2016 for his multi-dimensional contributions to the Island.
Band founder, harmonica player and vocalist Johnny Hoy won the Creative Living Award in 2016 for his multi-dimensional contributions to the Island.
Going forward? Johnny says that he’s spending more time on his music than ever before. “For the first time in my life now, I can think about music and do a little practicing during the day,” he says. “All my musical life, music was the red-headed stepchild. It wasn’t the thing that came first, second or third in my list of priorities. It was all the way at the bottom. Now, it’s up there. And I’m happy about that. Now I feel like I kind of am keeping up with my band.”
While the hustle and grind can be grueling, people keep asking: Can you play on this date? One recent afternoon, Jeremy’s phone vibrated with a text, inquiring about that Sunday night. Sorry, already booked.
In addition to being the keyboardist and de facto manager of the Bluefish, Jeremy Berlin performs solo and with a jazz trio around the Island.
In addition to being the keyboardist and de facto manager of the Bluefish, Jeremy Berlin performs solo and with a jazz trio around the Island.
“We’ve got this thing going,” Jeremy says. “People keep calling. So a gig is booked and by dint of the fact that you have a gig booked you have to keep going.”
John H. Kennedy is a writer living in West Tisbury.
Delanie's guitar playing and vocals won her a regular spot on the Bluefish - and invitations to perform in Europe.
Delanie's guitar playing and vocals won her a regular spot on the Bluefish - and invitations to perform in Europe.
Live Music on the Vineyard Summer 2025
While there are special event venues such as the Old Whaling Church and the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center that host musical acts over the summer, the following list is of places that regularly and repeatedly feature live music. Visit their websites, Instagram pages or calendar.vineyardgazette.com for more information about specific schedules.
AQUINNAH
Cliffhangers
Delanie Pickering has settled in to Island living.
Delanie Pickering has settled in to Island living.
CHILMARK
Chilmark Free Public Library
Summer drummer Cam Igo is a student at Berklee College of Music.
Summer drummer Cam Igo is a student at Berklee College of Music.
EDGARTOWN
The Atlantic
Bad Martha Farmer’s Brewery
Edgartown Public Library
If the walls of The Ritz could only talk...
If the walls of The Ritz could only talk...
The Port Hunter
Town MV
Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites, Eisenhauer Gallery, and Chesca’s Restaurant
Winnetu Oceanside Resort
OAK BLUFFS
Coop de Ville
Featherstone Center for the Arts
The LOFT
Nomans
Ocean Park Bandstand
Portuguese-American Club
The Ritz
The Tabernacle
Musical talent on the Island runs deep: Mike Benjamin and Jodie Treloar Sampson perform at Featherstone Center for the Arts. This year Mike worked with the Vineyard Preservation Trust to start a new concert series at the Grange Hall on Wednesdays.
Musical talent on the Island runs deep: Mike Benjamin and Jodie Treloar Sampson perform at Featherstone Center for the Arts. This year Mike worked with the Vineyard Preservation Trust to start a new concert series at the Grange Hall on Wednesdays.
WEST TISBURY
Grange Hall
West Tisbury Public Library
VINEYARD HAVEN
Black Dog Café
Black Dog Tavern
Martha’s Vineyard Museum
MV Tap
Owen Park
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