Daily Loaf

It’s hard enough to wrangle a hip group of artists/musicians/designers/models together at the same place and time, but it’s even harder to convince anyone to come see the spectacle. The visionaries at Square One do just that with scenester-crowded, can’t-miss-‘em shindigs — like Saturday’s eco-themed Magnum Opus — that draw party people in droves. More than 75 visual artists display their work (among them CL faves like Bluelucy, Kat Wilson, KLAAREN and Robert Wegmann), Jeremy Gloff hosts his album release party, and dance and fashion shows by Bella Danza, Enigma Dance Kru, Kinetic Dance Group and Wear To The Tear Fashion mean that there’s always something shiny and new to look at onstage. The cherry on top is that this nightlong shindig is completely gratis. Sat., Nov. 14, 7-10 p.m. , The Ritz Ybor, 1503 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, free, squareoneflorida.com. – Franki Weddington

What goes together better than wine and blues? The holy union (which drew more than 30,000 folks downtown last year) gets its due this weekend at Dunedin Wines the Blues, when the Suncoast Blues Society heats things up at Dunedin’s Second Friday Art and Wine Walk and a blues jam takes the stage to accompany the arts and crafts, food and wine vendors. The real party gets started on Saturday, with an all-day jazz and blues jam-session that welcomes Grammy-nom John Lee Hooker, Jr., The Steve Arvey Horn Band, Kathy Jo and The Bluzification Band to the stage. Visit dunedinwinestheblues.info for more info. Nov. 13-14, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Fri., 5-11 p.m. Sat., Downtown Dunedin, free. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. It’s hard enough to wrangle a hip group of artists/musicians/designers/models together at the same place and time, but it’s even harder to convince anyone to come see the spectacle. The visionaries at Square One do just that with scenester-crowded, can’t-miss-‘em shindigs — like this Saturday’s eco-themed Magnum Opus — that draw party people in droves.

More than 75 visual artists display their work (among them CL faves like Blue Lucy, Kat Wilson, KLAAREN and Robert Wegmann), Jeremy Gloff hosts his album release party, and dance and fashion shows by Bella Danza, Enigma Dance Kru, Kinetic Dance Group and Wear To The Tear Fashion mean that there’s always something shiny and new to look at onstage. The cherry on top is that this nightlong art extravaganza is completely gratis. Sat., Nov. 14, 7-10 p.m. , The Ritz Ybor, 1503 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, free, squareoneflorida.com. – Franki Weddington

Some shots and photo galleries featuring dance rock sextet Foxy Shazam and Swedish New Wave synth pop fivesome The Sounds, fronted by Maja Ivarsson, who was deemed by Blender as one of the “Hottest Women in Rock.”

See full galleries after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

The city closes down two blocks of Central Avenue for the third edition of Creative Clay’s now-annual fundraiser, FolkFest St. Pete. The free two-day street party celebrates all things folk with food and drink, art booths spotlighting the works of a range of local artisans, and a solid lineup of music throughout. Florida’s finest singer-songwriters,  folk and blues artists join national talents on the outdoor stage. South Carolina kicks off the music on Saturday, with sets by Dave Hardin, Green Grass Boys and TC Carr, Sarasota Slim and Nitro, Rebekah Pulley and the Reluctant Prophets, Ben Prestage, and The New Familiars of Charlotte, S.C. to follow (and in that order). The Sunday bill features Veronica Jackson, Ella Jet, a “Tribute to Woodstock,” Have Gun Will Travel and the main headliners and a big score for the fest – NY’s Donna the Buffalo (pictured), their folky, rootsy jams marked by elements of zydeco, old time fiddle music and three-part harmonies. Sept. 26-27, beginning at 10 a.m. both days, Central Avenue, between 11th and 13 streets N., St. Petersburg, free admission. –Leilani Polk

Time to start mapping a route that hits every major museum and attraction this side of the Bay: ArtsAlive 2009: Free Museum Day includes the Salvador Dali Museum, the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Museum, the Florida Holocaust Museum, Florida International Museum, Great Explorations, the Fine Arts Museum, the St. Pete Museum of History, the Morean Arts Center, the Pier Aquarium, the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, the Florida Craftsmen Gallery and more. Visit stpete.org/artsalive for museum hours and more info. Sat., Sept. 26.

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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 »

From the review of the 12/08/08 show: “Of Montreal put on a stage show that was an aural and visual hallucination brought to dazzling life. The six-member band played against a huge backdrop of vivid, psychedelic animations and under washes of saturated lights. Two sets of drums were mounted on risers on either side of the stage and a revolving screen set up between them hid-or-revealed a motley cast of performers, who acted out all manner of scenes and scenarios with and without frontman Kevin Barnes, and in costumes and masks that ranged from cute to freakish. Barnes himself disappeared behind the screen to change outfits a dozen or more times, from fur to sequins to spandex to centaur, a performer serving as his second set of legs for that last ensemble. He covered himself in red paint, in shaving cream, in glitter. He sang and played guitar, pranced from one side of the stage to the other in nothing but a pair of sassy gold trunks, climbed up a riser to sing from its heights or play drums a few minutes, climbed back down to be executed in a faux-gallows, and appeared to have a grand old time all throughout.” (Barnes pictured, photo by Phil Bardi.)

For a complete list of Best of the Bay winners, click here.

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, ritzybor.com.

For a complete list of Best of the Bay winners, click here.

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. This weekend, check out a comedy show inspired by playwright Tyler Perry and a benefit party for the hardworking folks of the Gasparilla International Film Festival.

Tyler Perry must the most inspired man in Hollywood, cranking out show after movie after comedy special, non-stop. Something is working for him though – I feel like I see a new “Madea does (insert crazy situation here)” movie on Blockbuster’s shelves every week. Another of his never-ending onslaught of loud, sassy, overly-made up characters hits the stage for the Meet the Browns Comedy and Gospel Extravaganza this weekend.  David Mann (pictured) reprises his role as Mr. Brown, and his real-life wife, Tamela Mann, busts out said extravaganza of soul singing. Doug Williams opens. Sat., Sept. 12, 8 p.m., 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg, $37.40-$47.50, mahaffeytheater.com. – Franki Weddington

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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.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Depeche Mode (pictured) w/Peter, Bjorn and John English electronic music pioneers Depeche Mode have influenced anyone from Radiohead to Rammstein to Crystal Method, and are among the too-few bands that emerged from the 1980s with dignity intact and more than a just few charting singles (45 in the UK, 18 in the U.S.). I enjoyed a brief but torrid love affair with Violator in high school during a period when all the music I wanted to listen to had to be dark and intense and danceable. DM’s simple yet weighty lyrics — “Words are meaningless and forgettable” “Because when you learn / You’ll know what makes the world turn” “Never before is what you swore the time before” — were just what I needed at that moment in my life and to this day, frontman Dave Gahan’s affected vocals evoke very specific memories. The band just released their 12th full-length, Sounds of the Universe, and are supported this tour by Peter Bjorn and John (read my feature on PBJ here). 7:30 p.m., Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa, $43.50-$83.50

REAX Rent Party w/Glasgow/Geri X/Nessie/Memphis Train Union/Will Quinlan & The Diviners/Military Junior/King of Spain/The Basiqs/Vera Violets/Life of Pi The print industry is experiencing some rather dark times right now, with newspapers across the country desperately trying to figure out how to survive in an era where the general public consume their news and information for free via the internet. Grassroots publications have been hit hardest, including Florida’s own REAX, which is hurting so bad it won’t go to press this month and is actively seeking donations of money and supplies to stay afloat. A bill of quality local acts have banded together to help by playing this benefit show, and the music ranges from the introspective roots rock of Will Quinlan & The Diviners, to the psychedelic fuzzed-out shoegaze of the Vera Violets, to the experimental dancetastic hip-hop of The Basiqs. Admission is cheap, so dig deep when the donation bucket is passed. 6 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $5 (ages 18 & up) Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Finding an emotional connection with our planet- Doing so allows us to look at what our needs are in life and what is of the highest and greatest importance to us and our environment.

Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll 2009: The race for Greenest Politician has Linda Saul-Sena in the lead- Who do you think should take the title of this year’s Greenest Politician in the Bay?

Clean energy and anti-offshore drilling rally in Ybor this Thursday- Thursday, August 27th, join Sierra Club, 1Sky Florida, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and other environmental groups for a real grassroots rally outside Big Oil’s staged gathering.
Read the rest of this entry »

Used to be you could hit an ’80s dance party nearly every night of the week in Ybor. New Wave, Dark Wave, glam and hair metal, synthpop, pop punk — pretty much any music from that era does well here, and we tend to get some high-caliber performers in addition to the wankers. Influential electro alt rockers Depeche Mode bring the final leg of their U.S. tour to Florida in support of their 12th and latest album, Sounds of the Universe. Frontman Dave Gahan should be in tip-top shape and fully recovered from the tumor removal that forced the band to postpone more than a dozen shows in May and June. (Fri., Sept. 4, Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa, $10-$83.50). British dance music twosome Pet Shop Boys have sold something like 100 million records worldwide, but will always be remembered in the states for their 1984 hit, “West End Girls.” (Thurs., Sept. 10, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, $39.75-$69.75). Read the rest of this entry »

Would you like to stand up against the Big Oil and Big Energy companies and oppose offshore drilling of the Gulf Coast? Would you like to support Clean Energy and green jobs in the Bay area? Then help make a difference and make your voice heard by attending this Clean Energy rally on Thursday in Ybor:

The American Petroleum Institute, a lobbying front group for Big Oil and other energy industries, is orchestrating staged “grassroots rallies” to try and stop the Clean Energy and Climate Bill from passing the U.S. Senate. The press calls these rallies “astroturf”: manufactured grassroots. This Thursday, August 27th, join Sierra Club, 1Sky Florida, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and other environmental groups for a real grassroots rally outside Big Oil’s staged gathering.

WHEN & WHERE: Meet beforehand at 9:30 am at La Tropicana Café, 1822 East 7th Ave. for some for great cuban coffee! The “Energy Citizens’” event begins at 11:00 am at The RITZ YBOR theatre, and we will counter rally out front at 1503 East 7th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605 (there is a shady area where we’ll be).
Read the rest of this entry »

It might be hot, hot, hot, but that’s no excuse to stay home and whine. Get out on the town and network/party/be charitable at the Party in the Penthouse benefit event. Held at the breathtakingly beautiful Crystal Palms Beach Resort, the event features catering by Bubba Gump Shrimp (we’re betting on shrimp gumbo, shrimp stew, shrimp kebobs, shrimp and grits, and a lot of Forrest Gump jokes) along with complimentary wine and beer. Don’t forget your business cards — this is a networking event, after all, and local business people will be out in droves. Proceeds from your partying benefit the Edwards Family Foundation, which gives away thousands of bikes, toys and food baskets to underprivileged local kids each Christmas. 5:30-8 p.m. Weds., June 24, Crystal Palms Beach Resort, 11605 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island, $20, 727-360-0037, edwardsfamilyfoundation.com.

Celebrate the ultra-successful debut year of The RITZ Ybor at its One Year Anniversary Party. This funky (and free) event features Grayson Capps and the Stumpknockers onstage, kickin’ it in their Southern bluesy rock style. The “newest but oldest hot spot in Tampa Bay” promises another year of stellar events and star-studded performances. (Grayson Capps photo courtesy livemusicphotography.info) 6 p.m. Weds., June 24, The RITZ Ybor, 1503 7th Ave., Ybor City, free, 813-247-2555, theritzybor.com.

[Editor's Note: Ami Sallee Corley is an actor, a teacher and now a blogger for CL. (That's Ami in the photo with Drew DeCaro, Bechir Sylvain and Petrus
Antonius, fellow members of the cast of Gorilla Theatre's recent Six Degrees of Separation.) I'm pleased to have her join the conversation, which she begins with a particularly cogent question for area artists.]

In a city where an artist’s choice is to   survive on crumbs or leave, why would anyone want to stay and starve as an artist in Tampa?

I believe there are some pretty fantastic reasons out there.

If we are to build a thriving, sustainable arts and culture scene here in Tampa, we should at first focus on what makes it tempting to stay.  Here goes. Read the rest of this entry »

Repo! The Genetic Opera is a new horror movie musical set in a near-future earth where an epidemic of organ failures brings big business to a biotech company that offers organ transplants for a price — those who miss their payments are earmarked for repossession and hunted by evil Repo Men. 7:30 p.m., Tampa Theatre, $9 adults/$8 students with ID/$7 seniors and military. Pictured below: Paris Hilton as Amber Sweet in Repo! The Genetic Opera.

Of Montreal brings their intellectual synth-pop and outrageously theatric stage show to The Ritz Ybor, the second half of a national tour in support of Skeletal Lamping, the band’s ninth and latest studio album. New York brother-and-sister-led indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces open. 7 p.m., Tampa, $17.

Henry B. Plant Museum welcomes author Les Standiford, who gives a talk about and signs copies of his new book, The Man Who Invented Christmas: The True Story of How Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits. A champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception kick-off the events. 6 p.m., Plant Hall, University of Tampa, $20 Henry B. Plant Museum members/$25 general (includes admission into the Victorian Christmas Stroll).

Dr. John Bannon leads the St. Petersburg College Band through a program of works that includes Bach/Moehlmann’s Prelude and Fugue in g minor, Bach’s Sheep May Safely Graze, Paul Dukas’ Fanfare to precede La Peri, Haydn Wood’s Mannin Veen, “Dear Isle of Man”, Howard Hanson’s Dies Natalis II and Victor Herbert’s “March of the Toys” from Babes in Toyland. 7:30 p.m., SPC Music Center, free.

Business coach and fourth-generation business owner Tom Shay offers tips on marketing, sales, customer service and how to survive and thrive in the current struggling economy. Noon-1 p.m., the Courtyard on Beach Boulevard, Gulfport, free; to RSVP, e-mail specials@localshops1.com.

Deadite Empire stages another living dead event: ZOMBIE, A Dead Man’s Party. Locals are invited to dress up and take part in costume showcases, with bar tab prizes for the “Best Couple,” “Most Original,” and “Best Overall” costumes. Zombie costumes earn a free drink at the bar. 5-7 happy hour, 8 p.m.-10 p.m. party, The Ritz Ybor, free admission.

St. Petersburg’s Physiques by Damon Reio stages a “Halloween Pump’-kin Bootcamp Extravaganza,” a charity work out with the central piece of equipment a pumpkin. Participants should bring a pumpkin as their “ticket” through the door and are encouraged to dress in costumes and bring their favorite healthy versions of fall recipes. Physiques will be accepting donations for the Susan G. Komen Florida Suncoast Affilliate. For more information, call 727-320-7952. 6 p.m., North Shore Park Beach, St. Petersburg.

Avenue Cellars stages “Vampire Lair” Halloween wine tasting parties featuring wines from all over the world, vampires wine experts who guide guests through more than 120 wine, cheese and chocolate pairings in a haunted lounge, and on Halloween, a costume contest. 6 p.m. Oct. 30-31, Avenue Cellars Wine Merchant & Lounge.

Colorado’s twangy Drag The River plays a gig at New World Brewery. Raging country rockers Two Cow Garage of Ohio, and locals Nessie and Brahm Bones provide support, and singer-songwriter David Dondero plays an early-evening solo set to kick things off. 6:30 p.m., New World Brewery, $8.

Johnny Vitale hosts The Monsters of Art Show, a single night party with live music by Zombie Dragstrip Hookers and Funeral Daizies, Monster Mash-Ups by Suess, a “Best Monster Costume Contest,” and Halloween-themed art. 9 p.m., The Garage Bar, St. Petersburg.

1. Economic Stimulus Productions stages a limited run encore of Another Evening Wasted with the Songs of Tom Lehrer, a New York-style cabaret featuring songs by satirical composer Lehrer, among them, “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park” and “The Masochism Tango”; T. Scott Wooten (pictured) directs. Admission is on a “Pay-What-You-Can” basis.

2. Masquerade at the Ritz is a single-night return to the popular ’80’s Night Thursdays that took place in the ’90s and early ’00s at The Ritz Ybor when it was known as The Masquerade. Happy hour is from 5 to 7 p.m.; Danza Dance Collective stages a “Vampiress Fashion Show” at 8 and 10 p.m. and DJ’s Sirius and Noi provide the retro spins throughout. Attendees are invited to dress in costume (vampires a plus; $25 bar tab prizes for the best get-ups). Admission is free.

3. Reps from The Refuge and The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign talk about problems and solutions during a 7 p.m. “Politics of Poverty” presentation at the Globe Coffee Lounge.

4. The 2008 edition of USF’s Octubafest concludes tonight with a free concert of heavy metal music as performed by the USF Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble.

5. Photographer Lori Ballard and poet Gianna Russo stage a collaborative project that pairs a slide show featuring images from Ballard’s In Late Day Sun: The Florida Plant Studies series with poetry by Russo; a discussion follows. Proceeds benefit the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.