Best Comeback: Geri X
Moody neo-folk rock songwriter/vocalist Geri X skipped town last year to pursue a blossoming relationship and work the Milwaukee music scene. She returned with a brighter outlook, a boyfriend/band member, and a mission to make a career of her music in the city she had admittedly taken for granted. She re-submersed herself in the scene and returned to gigging regularly with her new three-piece, staged a re-launch party for her sixth album, Anthems of a Mended Heart, and played to a near 300 people, and produced and released a well-styled, well-made video for “Kiss on Both Eyelids” at a show featuring special guest artists who flew in for the occasion. Overall, she filled a hole we never even realized was empty. (Photo by James Ostrand.) myspace.com/gerix
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When the former Masquerade got a $2 million makeover and re-opened as The Ritz last June, it didn’t seem like many shows were making it to the marquee and some of us wondered whether the booking folks set the bar too high in their selections or if the 1,000-capacity place had become a bit too fancy for just any show with its new open and airy feel, higher stage, in-house lighting rig, and walls draped in red velour for superior sound quality. But gradually with help from No Clubs Productions, The Ritz began beefing up its events schedule and in a matter of months, went from hosting tribute acts to a range of top notch talents – Lady Gaga, of Montreal, Jesse McCartney, Ben Folds, Gogol Bordello, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon, Three Dog Night, Rabbit in the Moon and many others. The Ritz has also picked up several shows lost by Jannus Landing due to that venue’s pending legal issues. 1503 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa, 813-247-2555, 
Really, just take the time to step a half-block off your downtown St. Pete Central Avenue restaurant crawl and you’ll find, or rediscover, one of the best restaurants in the Bay area. 
Although chef/owner Zack Gross has dished up fine food at 
He’s been profiled in Southern Living, garnered the highest Zagat food rating in the Bay area, and owns three restaurants and a chocolate-making facility. But have you ever heard of David Miller? He is a humble culinary wunderkind still in his 20s who produces exceptionally beautiful and tasty fare at his high-end prix-fixe
The meat at 
Given props by 
Harvey’s 4th Street
Clad in all white, white hair standing on end, Byrne led a seven-piece ensemble (three back-up singers, a percussionist, a drummer, a bassist and a keyboardist/programmer, also all clad in white) through a concert of songs from his latest Eno collaboration, Everything that Happens Will Happen Today, as well as older crowd-pleasing cuts – “Houses in Motion,” “Take Me to the River,” “Burning Down the House,” and “Crosseyed and Painless.” A trio of petite, athletic (dressed in white) modern dancers bounded onto the stage to perform choreographed routines with and around Byrne and the band, adding to the show with their spirited, carefree capering. Byrne’s distinctive warbling falsetto was as clear and strong as ever, and he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself and soaking up the crowd’s enthusiasm, which carved an already fantastic performance into memory. Read the 
Just imagine what you’d see after dark on the only slice of beach in Pinellas County that allows drinking directly on the sand – all-manner of outrageous behavior, from impromptu nude photo shoots with cell phones to uninhibited alcohol-fueled canoodling. Off West Gulf Boulevard, from 77th Avenue to Blind Pass Road, Treasure Island. (Photo courtesy of 
The heavy drive of metal, the old-timey bounciness of swing jazz and groovin’ slinkiness of funk jazz, the organic backporch feel of roots, the swagger of ’70s prog rock, the easy-going sway of reggae – all these elements and more are thrown into the fusion fabulous sound of Poetry n’ Lotion, a mostly instrumental fourpiece that includes mandolin player Jim Page, guitarist Matt E. Lee, bassist Tom Murray and drummer John Nowicki. Whether they’re playing original tunes like the lively party closer, “Skinsuit,” performing lively renditions of the Knight Rider or MASH themes, re-interpreting the music of anyone from Mungo Jerry to Dusty Springfield, or pairing together songs – like their Pink Floyd “Fearless-Mother” combo and a mash up of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” with Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” – PNL fuses all the right elements with seeming ease. (Photo by 
You’d be surprised what turns up in the discount bin at The Sal. My wife, Heidi, found a blue-green Bianchi Italian racing bike sitting in the back of the Family Store on Fourth Street N. in St. Pete. A new Bianchi goes for over a thousand bucks. The manager told Heidi he’d take $50. That wasn’t good enough for the small crowd assembled in line behind Heidi, who protested until the price was lowered to $35. Heidi put about $150 worth of work into the bike (new tires, brakes, etc.) and it’s as good as new — for less than one-fifth the price. The Salvation Army Family Store, 5321 Fourth Street N., St. Petersburg, 727-521-4208, uss.salvationarmy.org.
Isn’t it nice when the readers and critics agree?
Trumpeter/warm drawling vocalist Jim Morey leads this capable quartet featuring bassist Ann Van Atta, banjo player David Crisler, and drummer Billy Carr (all four of them also current members of Lounge Cat). The band offers a fresh take on old jazz using swing and muddy river Creole as their foundation, incorporating elements of gypsy, ragtime and stumbling roots rock, and then spicing things up with electronics (Crisler has a synthesizer hooked up to his banjo), humorous textures (kazoo, washboard, bike horn, slide whistle), and the occasional one-man low-end display by Carr, who plays bass and drums simultaneously (and quite proficiently) when Van Atta can’t make a gig. 
Dr. Shannon has been treating animals for nearly three decades, and although she’s run a string of veterinary clinics over the years, the Cat Hospital is her pet dream: a fully loaded feline-only care center that opened last November in a new plaza on the edge of St. Petersburg. The Cat Hospital is within easy reach of Tampa residents as well as native ‘Burgians and the trip is well worth it – Dr. Shannon is a true treasure who exudes calm and manages her testy four-legged clients with a firm but gentle hand, making both you and your cat feel at ease all throughout her examination. 
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