Daily Loaf

Doug Stanhope is a balls-to-the-wall tact-free modern-day outlaw comic who says exactly what’s on his mind to great (if highly uncomfortable and nearly always offensive) comic effect. He recently admitted to being a “techno-retard” on his blog and to becoming “every hackneyed old comic who talks about these kids and their gadgets today. Take your apps and iPhones and leave me sitting here with my thumb stuck in my oldy-fashioned vibrating latex anus.” Expect some related techno-bashing at his Crowbar show. Sat., Nov. 21, 8 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $20 (ages 21 and up), dougstanhope.com. –Leilani Polk

Tony Soprano and Groucho Marx would be in heaven: The 11th annual Cigar Heritage Festival includes an attempt to break the Guinness Book’s World’s Longest Cigar record by master cigar makers Wallace and Margarita Reyes, who try for a 180’ cigar. The nationally syndicated Cigar Dave Show is on site to report the festivities, a game zone offers big screen TVs, leather couches and casino tables (it doesn’t matter how many cigars there are, you still gotta catch the game), a beer and wine garden, a kid’s corner, access to the Saturday Market, myriad ethnic food vendors, and, of course, an enormous selection of the world’s finest cigars and accessories — all in the heart of Ybor. Sat., Nov. 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Centennial Park, Tampa, $5, free for children 12 and younger. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a rare pleasure to indulge in the tradition of High Tea (and by that we do mean afternoon tea, not drug-infused drinks), and today pinkie-lifting tea lovers  can enjoy the tea traditions of four cultures with samplings of drink and cuisine from around the world: cucumber and mint sandwiches, goat cheese and watercress on raisin bread and scones with clotted cream and jam from England; smoked salmon sandwiches, roasted pepper and cream cheese sandwiches and tea cookies from Russia; curried chicken salad in pita, fennel and apple sandwiches and coconut puffs from India; and hummus on flatbread, pistachio baklava and date nut bread from Palestine. Bring your favorite tea cup and a story to share at this elegant oasis from the usual buzz of mid-week activity. Call Anne White at 813-253-7478 to make reservations. Tues., Nov. 17, 2:30 p.m., HCC Dale Mabry, Tampa, $15. Read the rest of this entry »

“mc chris” does not capitalize his handle. Googling him, I found he is pretty adamant about it. He also doesn’t even capitalize song titles. [Photo courtesy of mc chris' myspace.]

Whereas some bands put on lackluster performances and call their concerts “shows” for the sake of monosyllabic brevity, I Fight Dragons put on a spectacle of a performance worthy of the term “show.”

The band started off as any good mixtape should — with a fast paced, hit-‘em-with-the-best-you-got opener, “Don’t You.” The song set the tone by showing the band’s appreciation of musicianship as well as showmanship.

As clips from Metroid and Super Mario Bros. were projected on the wall behind them, I Fight Dragons showed they could write catchy pop songs with selections like “No One Likes Superman Anymore.” On “The Faster the Treadmill…,” the band sounded surprisingly like Owen, a side project of Mike Kinsella with similar electronic noodling and emotional lyrics. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Next week, Ybor City sets the stage for two worthy comedy shows, and neither takes place at the Improv.

Four furry Southeastern funnymakers bring their “Beards of Comedy” tour to New World Brewery to entertain the beer-loving masses with their alternative brand of humor. Each comic – Dave Stone, Andy Sanford, TJ Young and Joe Zimmerman (pictured) – presents a set of his own stand-up and participates in collaborative performances of music, sketch, and improvised comedy with the rest of his comrades. Topics and styles range by comedian; Stone touches on subjects ranging from Facebooking his Pop Tart eating habits to getting warned by his dad about the perverts on “Myspaces” (“Dad, I’m a 30-year-old bearded fat man poking around on Myspace, I think I’m the predator not the prey”), Read the rest of this entry »

The bump-and-groove crew was in high spirits as we enjoyed a brief reprieve from our regular lives and shed the stresses of the week to take a ride on the Junior Boys’ indie train to electro jam land. [All photos by elawgrrl.]

The stage was bathed in saturated lights and scattered with Halloween trimmings; flickering jack-o-lanterns, a crow perched on the keys, a huge skull and crossbones hanging over the drums, rainbow spears of light shining up and out of the drumkit and into the audience, and occasional blasts of fog for extra effect. Read the rest of this entry »

Fresh from the success of the Best of the Bay-winning Summer Sunset Cinema Series, The Studio@620 and Push Ultra Lounge once again team up to present a collection of classic films each Monday. Tonight’s selection in the Wilder to Williams Film Series — which includes the best of Billy Wilder and Tennessee Williams — is Williams’ This Property Is Condemned, starring Natalie Wood and Robert Redford (pictured). Visit studio620.org for more info. Mon., Oct. 26, 8 p.m., Push Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg, free.

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A veritable dance party erupted at Crowbar this past Tuesday evening during and between splendid sets by Vivian Girls (NYC), and Tampa’s Sleepy Vikings and Hippodrome.

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You catch the mid-tempo beat as the night fades to black and the lights on the dance floor fall in saturated reds and blues, your body slipping into a supple, hip-shaking groove, ass grinding lightly against the anonymous partner moving at your back, then not so lightly as he draws you closer, and suddenly his breath is on your neck and in your ear and you can smell the musk of invitation on his skin. The music has loosened you up, made you comfortable in your sensuality, so maybe you’ll accept. Or perhaps you’ll realize it’s the hypnotizing effect of the Junior Boys’ indietronica, a heady fusion of electro-pop, R&B, disco and UK garage buoyed by the falsetto caress of singer Jeremy Greenspan, his tender whispery tone seeming to encourage the mating dance. [Photo by Joe Dilworth]

“I definitely don’t do that on purpose,” Greenspan laughed after I asked him about his music’s inherent sexiness when I interviewed him last week. “I’ve always wanted my music to feel like pop songs, and the easiest way to make a pop song is to put it within the context of love or relationships or sex or whatever. But most of the themes of our music and most of the lyrics have very little to do with sex.” Read the rest of this entry »

Just when you thought there was nothing to do on a Tuesday night, two hot acts — psyche rock pioneers and an electro indie buzz band — stop right here in Tampa Bay.

Merging elements of ’60s psychedelic rock and pop with traditional Brazilian rhythms, Os Mutantes (“the Mutants”) carried the Tropicália movement torch after leaders Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso were jailed on a false charges, then exiled to London in 1968. The band’s distinctive, riotous sound was marked by unorthodox song structures, lyricism tending towards cultural irony and political activism, and experiments that incorporated distortion, feedback, Musique concrete recording techniques (looping, mixing, filtering), field recordings, and various other avant-garde sonics that have influenced anyone from Nirvana to Flaming Lips to Beck and David Byrne. Os Mutantes released seven albums and went through several lineup changes from 1968 to 1976 before calling it quits in 1978. But after playing a string of dates with Os Mutantes in 2006, founding frontman Sergio Dias Baptista found himself revitalized and ready to write. His new incarnation of the band signed with ANTI- and released the first new Os Mutantes studio record in 35 years, Haih or Amortecedor, in September. Their Tampa appearance, which is supported by Brooklyn world music quintet, DeLeon, is a rare treat and this show has definite sell out potential. Get your tickets ASAP. Tues., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, $25. Read the rest of this entry »

An evening of something new (Chris Tolan), something borrowed (Mr. Vidal and Mr. Zipf) and something blue (stage lighting – though in truth it was mainly pink) was enjoyed by all at Crowbar on Friday, October 2, the bill featuring Chris Tolan & Friends (pictured below), Lauris Vidal, Andy Zipf (who replaced Old North East) and Philip Pietri & the Manatees. (I was running late so I missed out on their set!)

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A quick breakdown of this holiday weekend’s most worthy concerts. For a more comprehensive schedule, check out our Upcoming Events page.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
JJ Grey & Mofro w/Shooter Jennings/Earl Greyhound [pictured] A good ol’ boy from the backwaters of Jacksonville, JJ Grey is the creative force and frontman of Mofro, their music swamp-stomping, finger-licking, funked-out rock ‘n’ roll with a solid R&B groove marked by Grey’s husky soulful drawl. LA alt-country rocker Shooter Jennings (the sole spawn of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter) just released his first compilation, Bad Magick: The Best of Shooter Jennings and the .357’s, which includes select tracks from his first three studio albums, a few live recordings and a cover of Hank Williams Jr.’s 1976 single, “Living Proof.” And NY’s Earl Greyhound features afro-thrashing bassist/singer Kamara Thomas, who brings charismatic energy to the power trio’s fiery, heavy-handed blues rock. 8 p.m., The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City, $20.

Tom Goss w/Mara Levi Goss is an out-of-the-closet singer-songwriter who abandoned seminary school and impending priesthood to pursue social justice issues and his love of music. His vocals are high and pleasantly emotive, his acoustic pop touching and uplifting. He’s currently touring in support of his 2009 release, Back to Love.  4:30-6:00pm, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg,  free (students only). Read the rest of this entry »

I have a confession to make: I went to the REAX Magazine multi-band benefit concert a few nights back at Crowbar. Does that make me some sort of traitor? In my mind, I simply love music, so I support any publication out there with musical content. But that’s not the point. The point is, I went to this show with no expectations (I had never seen any of the bands before) and I left with a new obsession: King of Spain.

Picture this: a guy sitting on stage with his electric guitar gleaming in the stage lights and a little Mac book sitting next to him on a stool. Intrigued, right? Of course you are — it’s not necessarily something you see everyday. This mastermind and sole member of King of Spain is Matt Slate.  When he took the stage, laptop and all, I wasn’t sure what to think. With a press of a button and a strum of his guitar, I was done. His ambient soft rock put me in a trance-like state where all I could do was listen (and drool). The Tampa native mixes sharp, witty lyrics with spacey, reverb-laced vocals. The result is a beautiful but edgy sound that brings you to your happy place. And this was a live show! Read the rest of this entry »

ThxMgmt’s Summer Jam 5 was a resounding success with a plethora of diverse bands, acts and DJs — The Honorary Title, Cory Branan, Damion Suomi, Carter Hulsey, The Beauvilles, Shunda K (formerly of Yo Majesty!), Da Goldminerz, How Dare You, S.L.I.M.M. H.U.S.T.L.E, Blind Man’s Colour, Larcen, GreyMarket, The Tape Delay, The Sheaks, Deficit, Alexander & The Grapes, StereoType & The Treble Makers, DJ Sandman, DJ Mega, DJ Deacon, DJ Colonic, and DJ Chris Golden — at two Ybor City venues, New World Brewery and Crowbar this past Saturday, August 29.

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Mogul Street Reserve pictured at right; all photos by Phil Bardi.

Despite being bone-weary and mentally exhausted, I slagged my tired ass down to Ybor City and made it to Summer Jam 5 just before sunset to enjoy the mini-fest’s variety of musical offerings, a huge roster of quality local acts as well as the few necessary nationals (The Honorary Title, Cory Branan, Carter Hulsey) to round things out.

We cruised into Crowbar just in time to see Blind Man’s Colour (pictured after the jump), a new experimental outfit made up of some young and green but super skilled musicians who are so hot that Kanye West gave the little known St. Petersburg outfit some love with a “Some Dope Shit for My Apartment” post on his blog this past January, and Grizzly Bear’s Edward Droste followed suit with a tweet about the band around the same time. BMC was also featured recently on NPR’s All Things Considered for a “Music from the Sublime to the Old Time” artist spotlight a few weeks ago, so it appears like they’re on the upswing. Read the rest of this entry »

Tastemakers and THX Management team up for the fifth annual summertime mini-fest, Summer Jam 5. Originally organized as a way of merging musical genres, uniting their respective audiences, and introducing original local music to the Bay area masses, the event touches upon Americana, hip-hop, experimental electronica, punk rock and more. This year’s national headliners are neo-folk artist Cory Branan, who delivers his intelligent, droll and occasionally melancholy lyrics in a raspy drawl; and The Honorary Title, a Brooklyn-based indie rock outfit fronted by singer-songwriter Jarrod Gorbel (pictured at left). On this tour, Gorbel sheds the majority of his band (save keyboardist Dustin Dobernig) to perform a series of acoustic shows and preview new material from his forthcoming solo debut.

Summer Jam 5, Sat., Aug. 29, 5 p.m.-late: The Honorary Title, Cory Branan, Damion Suomi, Mogul Street Reserve, Shunda K, Larcen, Slim Hustle, Blind Man’s Colour, Da Golminerz/Rook and The Sheaks at Crowbar ($10 advance/$12 dos), and Guiltmaker, Carter Hulsey, Alexander & The Grapes, GreyMarket, Deficit, How Dare You, The Tape Delay, Stereotype & the Treble Makers at New World Brewery ($6 advance/$8 dos), both in Ybor City; tickets to both venues are $13 advance/$15 day of show.

Miami’s annual Winter Music Conference and its corresponding Ultra Music Fest first drew electronica artists to Florida. But once they discovered audiences ripe and ready to get down rave-style, any time of the year and not just in South Florida, music makers spanning the electro spectrum began appearing in Tampa more and more often. We are fortunate enough to see a virtual who’s who of hot talents in the upcoming months. DC’s Thievery Corporation — made up of DJ duo Rob Garza, Eric Hilton and their vibrantly diverse ensemble of performers — produces a lounge-lush fusion of electronica, reggae, acid jazz, psychedelia and the world flavors of India and Brazil. Sat., Oct. 10, The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City, $42). Tiësto (pictured) is a famed Dutch DJ and progressive trance producer (Sun., Oct. 18, The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City, $40). (Video after the jump) Read the rest of this entry »

A quick breakdown of this weekend’s most worthy concerts. For a more comprehensive schedule, check out our Upcoming Events page.

Friday, Aug. 21
Sick Puppies / Hurt w/The Veer Union/From This Fire/The Stand LA-by-way-of-Australia trio Sick Puppies make aggro-sexy alt rock with muscular basslines, crunchy guitar riffs, and vocals either crooned, sung-yelled, growled, or processed through fizzy effects. They bring a generally fresh feel to the hackneyed alternative market and are currently on tour in support of their recent release, Tri-Polar, which features the hot hit single, “You’re Going Down,” also the theme song of WWE’s Extreme Rules PPV broadcast last month. Co-headliners HURT are also on the non-traditional alt rock bandwagon, their sound marked by much more drama, heavier washes of sound with symphonic flourishes, and a lead singer who delivers lyrics in soft pained pleas or shrieks that come straight from the pit of his soul. The foursome is also pimping a new album, Goodbye to the Machine, which was released on indie label Amusement in April. Fri., Aug. 21, 8 p.m., State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $15.

Geri X Video Release Party w/Eric McFadden and James Hall/Thomas Wynn & The Believers/Have Gun, Will Travel Neo-folk rock songwriter/vocalist Geri X has a strong voice that’s rich, grainy sharp and hypnotizing, and she sings with raw power, plays a confident guitar and leads her band looking like tattooed porcelain. She’s been back in town less than a year and has already put out her sixth and latest album, Anthems of a Mended Heart, played a launch party to a near 300 people at State Theatre in January (pictured above, photo by James Ostrand), and has been working the scene ever since. Now she’s moved onto the next phase of her career: music video. Geri X unveils the Michael McCourt-directed vid hot off the digi-reel for the Anthems song, “Kiss on Both Eyelids,” at a video release celebration with special guest artists: Atlanta guitarist/songwriter James Hall (Kommander, Jane’s Addiction) and San Francisco guitarist/vocalist Eric McFadden (Les Claypool, P-Funk), as well as Tampa purveyors of fiery Americana Have Gun, Will Travel and Orlando’s roots rockin’ Thomas Wynn and the Believers. For those who can’t make it out to the show, the video will be broadcast nationwide on Geri X’s Myspace page beginning at midnight that night. Fri., Aug. 21, 8 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $8 (all ages). Read the rest of this entry »

Pennsylvania experimental rock ensemble Black Moth Super Rainbow (pictured, photo by Jae Rumberto) hit retro and modern notes all at once with their day-glo vibrant electro-dance melodies, fizzadelic folk shambles and made-for-space jams. It’s some of the headiest music you’ll find out there right now, but songwriter/frontman/creative conscience Tobacco (real name Tom Fec) doesn’t consider his music psychedelic at all.

“I think everything I do is pop,” he told me a few weeks ago during a phone interview before the second leg of the band’s two-part tour. “I don’t like psychedelic music and I never set out to do it. It just sort of comes out that way. I might be the only person who thinks this, but Eating Us … it seems like a pop album to me.”

Eating Us, his band’s fourth and latest full-length, is not the sort of name that makes me think pop. The black-and-white album cover, with its smeary sad face superimposed onto the back of a hand, doesn’t make me think of pop music, either. And the limited edition “hairy” version of Eating Us (with synthetic hair in its inner sleeve) is probably as far from pop packaging as you can feasibly get. (FOR VIDEOS and MORE, CLICK HERE)

Every Tuesday night, Soft Rock Renegades (a DJ team made up of Cameron Correa and Jack Spatafora) bring hot jamz to Crowbar, spinning a range of weeknight kick-back music ranging from hip hop (The Roots, De La Soul, Dr. Dre, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest), to electronica (LCD Soundsystem, !!!, Thievery Corporation, Chemical Brothers, Animal Collective, Junior Boys), to old school rock (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, David Bowie) to new school rock (The Sea and Cake, Radiohead, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Santigold) and more. For this week’s edition, SRR welcome Orlando experimental electro duo DiViNCi & Beef Wellington (pictured). This will be their last performance before Divinci hits the road with his fulltime group, Solillaquists of Sound, to promote their new album, ‘No More Heroes,’ out August 4. Tues., July 21, 10 p.m.-3 a.m., Crowbar, 1812 N. 17th St., Ybor City, free admission; $5 liters — Leilani Polk

Stageworks Theatre presents a staged reading of A Tennessee Walk, a quirky folk tale about a circus visiting a small town in Tennessee in 1916, and winner of the Longjohns Awards for outstanding Florida playwrights. Visit stageworkstheatre.org for more info. 7 p.m. Tues., July 21, Shimberg Playhouse, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, $5, 813-251-8984.

SciCafe, a literary and scientific discussion group, hosts this chat about the “perks” and pitfalls of caffeine intake. Dr. Mark Eichenbaum leads the discussion. Enjoy free food, swag, trivia prizes and drink specials while expanding your horizons. 6-7:30 p.m. Tues., July 21, Red Mesa, 128 Third St. S., St. Petersburg.

Two years ago, Jonathan Berlin was in a bad place. He was the lead singer and songwriter for a band called Bernard that had a distribution deal through East/West, a division of Warner Bros. The trio, whose drummer was his longtime collaborator and best friend Jared Bowser, had played 300 shows on tour.

So what exactly was the problem, you might wonder?

“With Bernard, we worked our asses off to make it happen,” Berlin, 25 (at right in photo), says in a phone interview. “As it turned out, it just wasn’t fun. I always loved writing songs, but after we got hooked up with Warner Bros, I started writing and I couldn’t do it. It was like, ‘I’m writing a record for Warner Bros. This has to be good.’ The whole thing wasn’t really awesome.”

Given those circumstances, a lot of artists would’ve continued to flog it, but Berlin decided to walk away. The Bernard split led in part to a four-month rift between him and Bowser, 23.

Berlin decided to rethink this whole music career thing. And he came up with something of a novel solution: He had to basically stop trying. So Berlin retreated to his loft in downtown Jacksonville and started making music for himself.

Read more.

Videos after the jump.

Check out CL’s main music site.

Go Red for Women Luncheon This American Heart Association-sponsored event features three women who receive a Go Red makeover and the first female winner of NBC’s The Biggest Loser, Ali Vincent (above), as the keynote speaker.  11 a.m. Wed., May 6, A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, $125, 813-831-5190.

Tale of Two Cities: Tampa and St. Petersburg. It’s the Battle of the Bay, as Mayors Iorio and Baker face off at Centro Asturiano in Ybor to discuss the history, culture and characters of Cigar City and Sunshine City. It’s an opportunity for residents to compare the history smarts of their top public officials, and a chance for the mayors to one-up each other on their towns’ relative merits. Wed., May 6, 7-8:30 p.m. Centro Asturiano, 1913 N. Nebraska Ave, Tampa, 727-873-2006. Sponsored by Florida Humanities Council. Free admission.

Lifetime of Laughter Comedy Benefit. A comedy show to raise funds for diabetes research features Mark Eddie, who combines stand-up with guitar, and Ybor’s own Roy Johnson, winner of the 2006 Maxim/Bud Light Real Man of Comedy competition in Atlantic City. Wed., May 6, 8 p.m., The Tampa Improv, Ybor City, $20.

A little furniture store from Sweden opens today. If you aren’t already in line by the time you read this, maybe you’d better wait for the crowds to thin out before you visit. Think July. Read the rest of this entry »

Crowbar teams up with Reax for a Pre-Turkey Day Throwdown with a solid bill of quality Florida bands — Deland’s Dish (pictured), Tallahassee’s Fantome, and Strangers Family Band of Orlando. 8 p.m., $6, ages 18 and up, Ybor City.

Nervous Turkey and Poetry n’ Lotion play a food and booze Thanksgiving Eve party at Stoney’s Lounge, with NT’s Ernie’s manning the grill at 7:30 p.m. and PNL to start the show at 9 p.m. $7 (ages 21 and up; includes Ernie’s famous grill food), Tampa.

The 13 Ugly Men Foundation presents “Get Roasted Thanksgiving Eve,” Bevedere vodka specials throughout the night, live spins by DJ Gemini , Proceeds benefit Mary Lee’s House. 9 p.m.-3 a.m., $10 ladies/$15 men (includes one free drink), The Kennedy, Tampa.

Soulfound plays a pre-Thanksgiving show with with One Night Crush (featuring members of Suburban Tragedy) and New Violation at Gasoline Alley. 8 p.m., $10, Largo.

Comedian Roy Wood, Jr. kicks off a run of stand-up at Side Splitters Comedy Club tonight. 8:30 p.m., $12-$14 (free admission with the donation of one non-perishable food item for Metropolitan Ministries), Tampa.

Remember the The Presidents of the United States of America, that band who had such goofily catchy alt hits in the mid-90’s, like “Lump,” “Kitty” and “Peaches”? They reunited in ‘04 and released two albums since, the most recent, These Are the Good Times People, this past March. PUSA (pictured) is currently touring in support of the album and make a stop at Jannus Landing this Saturday night; Jeffrey Lewis provides support. 8 p.m., $18.

Like cars? See eco-friendly vehicles, the latest 2009 models, vintage and concept cars, and plenty of other ‘mobiles this weekend during the 2008 Tampa Bay International Auto Show at the Tampa Convention Center. Through Nov. 9, noon-10 p.m. Fri., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun., 9 adults/$4 seniors, military, students and children 7-12 (children 6 and younger enter for free).

Cranky, no-holds-barred comedian Doug Stanhope returns to Crowbar for a set of cleverly venomous stand-up. 9 p.m., $20, Ybor City.

Scenic historic St. Pete neighborhood Roser Park stages its fifth annual Historic Roser Part Art Fest. Nov. 8-9, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun., free admission.

Beach Theatre presents a single-night screening of the long-awaited (seven years in the making) Flaming Lips sci-fi feature, Christmas on Mars, which stars all the Lips members and tells the story of the first Christmas on a newly-colonized Mars. Proceeds from the event benefit WMNF. Fri., Nov. 7, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Beach Theatre $7.