About Us

Joe Rathburn's ISLAND is a musical group that specializes in a style known as Trop-Rock: An amalgam of rock, country, reggae, calypso, cajun, Hawaiian, Afro-Cuban and folk. Typified by artists such as Jimmy Buffett, Bob Marley, and Harry Belafonte, this global approach to popular music makes for a band that appeals to all age groups and crosses cultural barriers, making them accessible to, and popular with the most mixed of audiences.

Aside from the above mentioned artists, The ISLAND's repertoire consists of Caribbean twists on the music of Paul Simon, James Taylor, The Beatles, Cat Stevens, Marvin Gaye, The Beach Boys, Credence Clearwater Revival, Van Morrison, Buddy Holly, Louis Armstrong, The Police, and many, many others, making The ISLAND's sound both familiar and fresh.

Their instrumentation (configuration) is dependent on the needs and budgetary constraints of their clients, and ranges from Solo Joe (Joe Rathburn on guitar and vocals, with recorded backing tracks for a full band sound) up to the 6 piece ISLAND (Joe with bass player/vocalist, drummer, steel drummer, percussionist, and another musician who multitasks on flute/keyboards/and vocals). Every configuration, starting with the ISLAND Duo, can feature the steel drums, the signature sound of the Caribbean. The ISLAND is capable of handling all situations from quiet background music, to conga lining around the pool.

Lead by Joe Rathburn (AKA Kokonut Joe) a 35 year career musician/entertainer, The ISLAND is professional in appearance, sound, and manner. They show up on time, start on time, don't drink, take great pride in their presentation, and know how to handle all guest situations. They're self contained and bring with them all they need to do their job. Above all they are clean and family friendly. Each member is a career musician and an expert on their chosen instrument.

Experience: They have performed for all the major hotels in San Diego, Orange County, and LA, as well as community concerts, Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. They've been part of the summer music programs at the famous Barefoot Bar at San Diego Paradise Point Resort, as well as the Coronado Marriott. As Kokonut Joe, Joe Rathburn was the musical ambassador for the San Diego Hilton Beach and Tennis Resort from 1996 to 2002, and has held the same position at The Tin Fish Restaurant in San Diego's historic Gaslamp district since 2002. With the Tin Fish located just outside of PETCO Park, each baseball season Joe is seen and heard by at least 750,000 baseball fans as they make The Tin Fish their pre-game stop. Many come both for the music and the great seafood, while others come just for the music. With this high visibility Joe's become a San Diego summer institution.

By including J.R.'s ISLAND in your entertainment program you'll be giving your guests the very best at a reasonable cost, while solving the hardest puzzle of all: "How do I please the widest possible range of people?"

• Sea World
  

• San Diego Zoo
  

• Barefoot Bar
  

• Coronado Marriott
  

• San Diego Hilton Beach and Tennis Resort
  

• The Tin Fish Restaurant
  

• Shadowridge Country Club
  

• Mission Bay Yacht Club
  

• Poolside at Omni Hotel
  

• Alpine Inn Restaurant
  

• Trisler's Wine Bar
  

• Latina's (Michigan Tour)
  

Past clients at a glance