Posted by Leilani Polk on Jun. 15, 2009, at 1:46 pm
It’s midnight at a hole-in-the-wall club in the heart of Little Havana, Miami. The place is pumpin’, the dance floor jammed with a multicultural mass of bodies writhing and grooving and ducking and swaying and shaking asses to the pulsing beats. The music is a breathing, heaving, horn-saturated slice of Miami fusion, the native flavors of Cuba — salsa, charanga, rumba and the like — mixed with ’70s-style funk, hip-hop turntablism, free jazz, dub reggae, Afro-beat and electronica.
The band responsible, Spam Allstars, calls its Pan-American dance music “electronic descarga” and the man in charge is DJ Le Spam, though he’s not a frontman in the traditional sense. The youthful Miami musician/producer (real name: Andrew Yeomanson) doesn’t sing or play instruments or tell his bandmates what to play. But he crafts the foundation of the band’s music, shaping the mood with basslines and electronic beats. The resulting samplers are triggered throughout the band’s live performances, and Yeomanson uses turntables to add improvised sounds, words and textures to what his all-star group of musicians produce, all while mixing the entire thing via his post behind the soundboard at the back of the stage. (Audio and video after the jump.) Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Van McCourt on Jun. 15, 2009, at 11:51 am
Okay, Elvis Perkins in Dearland is probably a good choice musically to open for Bon Iver. The band is low key, but not low energy, and they built the show up well, especially having Bon Iver come on stage for the last song. That really hyped up the crowd. They started off slowly, though, and I wasn’t sure I was going to catch on. My notes through the first three songs read like strange musings: “Elvis can somehow pull off white jeans & a jingle bell necklace…” “Trombone guy has played like 4 instruments already, is hot, but has a huge hole in the crotch of his jeans…” Song number four picked up the pace and I got more involved. This is another really talented group of musicians, several multi-instrumentalists, and one local guy named David who was someone’s uncle and did a nice job even though he stuck out like a sore thumb (well, he was older and not dressed like he was from 1974). Anyway, they were a good time. When they successfully threw in a gospel tune that led into a sort of doo-wopish buddy holly kind of jam, things really got interesting. I enjoyed Elvis Perkins in Dearland, and they really seemed to be having fun, and it was sort of a love fest with Bon Iver (who said they were all now the best of friends). Happily ever after at The State. (Sigh.) (Photo of Perkins by Sam Goresh)
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jun. 14, 2009, at 5:58 pm
This weekend, I determined that the quality of your back-up singers determines the cheese factor of your show. Steely Dan’s were a trio of lovely ladies straight out of 1989, whose vocals were overshadowed by bad hair and fashion, and badly choreographed dance hands. Yes, I said it — dance hands, those theatric gestures all the drama club kids make when singing in musicals, the ones that don’t really express anything but keep your arms from hanging down at your sides like wet noodles. So, yes, I was distracted by the trio, but I was also just not that into the music, either. (Photos by Phil Bardi taken from the soundboard.)
Full disclosure: I am not among the loyal legion of Dan fans. I can understand and appreciate the influence of the progressive jazz-rockers, and I like some songs from their catalog, although they are guilty of recording one of my least favorite songs, ever, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” (I’m a hater on “Deacon Blues,” too.) There’s just something about the Steely Dan sound — its slick production quality, Donald Fagen’s vocal tone — that rubs me wrong. But my mind has been changed by greater things and music is oftentimes different when consumed in a live setting, and since my husband is a devotee and has never seen them live, and since I’ve never seen them perform live, either, I took us both to the show at Ruth Eckerd Hall this past Friday, June 12. The Florida leg of the “Rent Party ‘09″ tour was a sort of warm-up for the upcoming series of special bigger-city bills where the band will play one of each of their classic albums in its entirety at each show. Read the rest of this entry »
To be totally honest, I went to this showing knowing only one Bon Iver song and a short version of a story about a guy who went into a cabin for the winter with a broken heart and came out in the spring as a rock star — kind of an indie Eric Carle tale. Maybe I was showing bad music journalism manners, setting out to review a rock show with no idea what I was about to get myself into (and I probably shouldn’t have admitted to it just now). I thought seriously for days about doing some homework in advance, but I really didn’t want to. The thing is, I love to hear something for the first time live, at the show, before I’ve ever laid ears on the album. So, if you tell me I just have to hear someone, I’ll Google them first to see if they’re coming to town. I’ve fallen in love with some great music that way, and here I am again, head over heels for Bon Iver. (Pictured: Justin Vernon)
The set-up between bands took a while. Maybe it just seemed like half my life because I was sweating it out on the railing at the back of the room downstairs. (Is there any club in town with really great A/C, even in summer?) When Elvis Perkins in Dearland performed (more on them in another post), there was this huge mass of band in the middle of the stage. After Bon Iver’s instruments were finally put in order, it looked like there were four separate stations. Almost as if four one-man-bands were going to play. Okay, I thought, this should be interesting. (More pics after the jump) Read the rest of this entry »
Not much info, but dates on the band’s own MySpace page confirm this show is really happening and I am totally stoked! I got to see Black Mother Super Rainbow play for a measley 30 minutes before Aesop Rock at Orlando’s Anti-Pop fest in 2007, and it was a pretty stellar time, even for being soo short. To read my review of the band’s latest album, Eating Us, click here.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jun. 12, 2009, at 11:45 am
Two concert announcements came through while I was on vacation these past few days. The artists are as disparate as you can possibly get without being of entirely different species.
Neo-soul singer Maxwell, the Grammy-nominee with the passionate pipes who produces some pretty seductive, made-for-making-looove R&B serenades, will stop at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Thursday, July 30. The artist tours in support of his fourth studio album and first new effort in eight years years, BLACKsummers’night, out July 7 on Columbia. Tickets go on sale Friday today at noon. Check out the first single from the album, “Pretty Wings,” by clicking here. (I’d post it but the embedding function has been disabled. Obviously.)
The other new show on the Bay area concert calendar is The Airborne Toxic Event (pictured, photo by Kristi Sparrow), a rather new (three-year-old) gothic New Wave-flavored rock band from LA that’s been getting some pretty good press for their 2008 self-titled debut. The band stops at St. Petersburg’s State Theatre on Tuesday, October 6. Tickets are $16 in advance and go on sale Saturday, June 20.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jun. 9, 2009, at 11:31 am
Just got this press release from Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center announcing that British dance music twosome Pet Shop Boys will be stopping at the center’s Carol Morsani Hall Thursday, Sept. 10. Here’s the release details:
One of the most iconic and influential pop acts in the world, the English pop duo Pet Shop Boys has reemerged on the music scene with their ninth album, Yes. Filled with sparkling state of the art pop songs, Yes is an affirmation of the duo’s knack for mixing innovative artistry with exuberant commercial appeal.
In a career spanning more than two decades, the duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have created some of the most beloved and recognizable hits in the world including their signature song “West End Girls” as well as “It’s A Sin,” “Always on My Mind,” “Go West” and “New York City Boy.” They’ve sold more than 30 million records and have worked with artists like Dusty Springfield, David Bowie, Liza Minnelli, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Electronic and Madonna.
Regularly priced tickets are $39.75 to $69.75 and go on sale June 12, at noon. Tickets may be purchased by calling 813.229.STAR (7827) or 800.955.1045 outside Tampa Bay, in person at the TBPAC Ticket Office or online at www.tbpac.org.
For more information about the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and its upcoming events, please visit www.tbpac.org.
Magadog is the band that introduced me to ska at the tender age of 16, opening up a parallel universe to the SXE/hardcore scene. When I moved to DC for college, I was surprised to find that the hardcore and ska scenes didn’t interact in any purposeful way like they do here in Tampa. When Magadog broke up, it was very sad … my friends and I had so much fun through the years with them at shows with Checkered Cabs, Skavoovie and The Epitones, The Toasters, The Pietasters and many others. When Magadog reformed in 2007, we were psyched to have them back and so far, we haven’t been disappointed! With one new record out, Sunrise…, and another on the way, Ybor City, Magadog is firmly back in the skank of things. Saturday evening’s performance had the crowd skanking the night away… who doesn’t love a little skaerobics? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Wayne Garcia on May. 27, 2009, at 5:35 pm
The owner of one of St. Petersburg’s favorite concert venues, Jannus Landing, is in the Pinellas County Jail after state agents busted him on charges he didn’t pay sales taxes he collected at the concert site, which has hosted shows for the likes of Katy Perry and Conor Oberst in the past year. The venue is supposed to host a free show for The Hold Steady on Thursday.
John C. Bodziak, the owner and president of Jannus Landing Courtyard, was arrested by state agents today on charges that he failed to pay $208,418 in sales tax from one of Tampa Bay’s most popular concert venues.
According to the Florida Department of Revenue, Bodziak collected sales tax from patrons of Jannus Landing at 220 First Avenue N, but didn’t send the state its share over various periods from June 2004 to July 2007. Investigators say Bodziak kept more than $200,000 meant for Florida’s coffers.
What’s probably the coolest electronic show of the summer is going down tonight at the Crowbar in Ybor. Soft Rock Renegades, CL’s Best of the Bay winner for Best DJ Night, are celebrating their one-year anniversary with live performances from two well-respected electronic artists — The Juan Maclean (DFA/NYC) and The Field (Kompakt/Sweden).
The Juan Maclean are touring in support of their new album, The Future Will Come. You can expect a full-on live show, somewhat reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem (and not just because Nancy Whang is also in the band). With The Field it’ll be a little different as Axel Willner creates huge soundscapes via a minimalist approach from behind his set-up. The Field just released a new album, Yesterday and Today, though hopefully, Willner won’t forget about material from the standout 2007 release, From Here We Go Sublime.
As always, the price is right for Tuesday nights at Crowbar: $5 liters, $10 cover, all ages kids; showtime is 9 p.m.
Posted by Leilani Polk on May. 22, 2009, at 2:54 pm
I missed her the last time she came to town, but you can bet I’ll make sure to catch Texas-based songstress Izzy Cox (aka the “Murder Ballad Queen”) this time around. Cox croons in a clear, honeyed soprano that slinks and slides against voodoobilly jazz, bouncy Western swing and honky tonkin’ blues. Her songs reflect a perverse sense of humor and feature a colorful cast of hard-bitten women, from a hoodoovoodoo type of girl who likes switchblades and Colt 45, to a mad woman in the Number Nine Ward with voices in her head telling her she’s dead, to “Belle Gunness,” an old folk tune about one of America’s most notorious female serial killers.
Thurs., May 28, 9 p.m., The Garage, St. Petersburg, $6 in advance/$8 day of show.
BOB LOG III PLAYS THE GARAGE IN DOWNTOWN ST. PETERSBURG ON SUNDAY, MAY 24.
A lot of people don’t know who Bob Log III is. Those that have seen him will never forget him.
My first Bob Log III experience came at the Deep Blues Festival ‘08. He played with Possessed By Paul James and Scott H. Biram at a few night shows, so I managed to catch him a few times outside the festival and once actually at the festival. The first time I saw him, I was convinced it was Scott H. Biram in disguise, but then I walked up to the bar for a drink and Biram was sitting there. Suddenly I wondered, Who the fuck was this man on the stage in a full-faced helmet and full-body cannonball man suit? As the show wore on, he had women sitting on his lap, women with their tits in his drinks and by the end of the weekend, he had a devoted fan in myself.
(MORE OF THE BOB LOG-APALOOZA AND MP3s AFTER THE JUMP)
Posted by Leilani Polk on May. 20, 2009, at 10:23 am
Just got a release announcing that The Hold Steady will return to the Bay area, this time playing a special, last minute show at Jannus Landing on Thursday, June 4. This one’s on Jim Beam’s tab, which means that the show is FREE. You hear that folks — a FREE Hold Steady show! Not a huge fan myself, but they’ve got alot of loyal fans here because of that “Killer Parties” song with the infamous lyrics, “If she says we partied then I’m pretty sure we partied / I really don’t remember / I remember we departed from our bodies / We woke up in Ybor City.” Tickets are very limited (it’s a free show after all), and are available to ages 21 and up only; sign up for the drawing to get in here.
IN CASE YOU MISSED THE UPDATES: The show at Jannus Landing was postponed, the date moved out to July 2 and the band will now be playing at The Ritz in Ybor City. Tickets that’ve been reserved/printed out/whatever the damn promo included will be honored.
WMNF’s 2009 Tropical Heatwave managed to be a scorcher in spite of torrential downpours. The best thing about Heatwave is the ability to see a wide variety of genres in one evening in close proximity. I managed to catch 10 bands this year on 5 stages: The Beauvilles, David Dondero, James Intveld, Johnny Cakes & The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso, Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa, Magadog, Modern Skirts, Will Quinlan & The Diviners, Roppongi’s Ace and Thomas Wynn & The Believers.
Posted by Leilani Polk on May. 18, 2009, at 2:55 pm
Dozens and dozens of acts will make it onto Tampa Bay area concert stages this summer. Here’s our best bets, in a wide range of genres.
Stanton Moore The bespectacled founder of NOLA funk purveyors Galactic is widely regarded as one of the best drummers currently drawing air. This show has him in a trio setting with estimable guitarist Will Bernard and keyboardist Robert Walter. The small ensemble allows room for Moore to strut his Crescent City-honed skills. Expect expansive jamming and finely honed interplay. (Video: Stanton Moore Trio performing at Emerald Lounge in Asheville, N.C., Sept. 10, 2008.) (May 28, Crowbar, Ybor City)—Eric Snider
Sunday, May 31 WMNF Jazz Jam feat. Sam Rivers/PBS/World Afro-Cuban Ensemble/Infinite Groove Orchestra/Impromptu/Trio Vibe/others TBA Tampa Bay’s community radio station has been putting together more jazz events of late — thank you for that — this being one of the more ambitious. Saxophonist Sam Rivers, 83, was once a front-rank player on the New York (and thus international) avant-garde scene. He’s settled into legendhood well, living in Orlando and taking gigs as he pleases. A potpourri of locally-based acts rounds out the bill. (May 31, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) —ESRead the rest of this entry »
One of the best kept secrets in the Tampa Bay music scene is the fact that an extremely talented on-the-rise band plays semi-regularly at one of the area’s coolest locaI hotspots. I’m referring to Ft. Lauderdale fivesome The Heavy Pets and Pinellas watering hole/live music venue, Dunedin Brewery.
I cringe every time I use the term ‘jamband’ — it’s a descriptor that implies audiences full of happy wigglin’ hippies and sets full of stretched-out songs. Jambands are, in essence, those band that fuse rock, funk, jazz and weird – and like most music involving heavy mixing, sometimes the result is muddy crap. But when done right — like a suicide fountain drink — it’s the sweetest shit around.
The Heavy Pets have shuffled a few members around, notably in the rhythm section, which now features Jaco Pastorius’ son Felix on bass. (No shit!) The band is gaining some real notoriety in the jam scene, playing huge festivals like South by Southwest, Bonnaroo, Langerado and Wakarusa.
Tonight’s show is only $5; Dunedin Brewery has a heady special to go along with the heady tunes: $3 pints of IPA and Cask brews. Showtime: 11:30 pm.
Posted by Joel Weiss on May. 10, 2009, at 10:54 pm
I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into Friday’s concert at Mahaffey Theater featuring an un-costumed, un-amplified-to-11 Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. Maybe I was thinking too hard about it? After all, when you go see a band, they play their songs. When you go see a comedian, he does his material. With Guest, McKean, and Shearer, reality lay in between — a hilarious, two-hour multimedia jaunt down memory lane complete with stories, clips, and songs predominantly from two classic film satires about seemingly disparate genres of music. Read the rest of this entry »
One thing is certain: Americana fans are a committed group. From the moment the music started, the outside patio emptied, people practically sprinting inside. The audience actually watched Red Cortez, unusual for a relatively unknown opening act. As soon as Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit started setting up, people rushed the stage so they could be assured a spot up front. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on May. 7, 2009, at 11:12 am
CL’s choice picks for this weekend in music.
Friday, May 08 What was it that Deiter said on Sprockets? Oh yeah … “Your story has grown tiresome.” I can see this gimmicky show — Unwigged & Unplugged: An evening with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, which features the three now-silver-haired comedians who made up Spinal Tap performing acoustic — as getting real old real fast. Let’s hope the trio doesn’t think that just the songs can carry the day; they’d better have some funny shtick in there, or I could see this thing being a waste of time. Then again, I could be wrong. Still, one wonders: What happens when you run an acoustic guitar through an amp and turn the amp up to 11? Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, $36.50-$49.50. —ES
Post rock meets experimental electronica by instrumental Los Angeles duo El Ten Eleven (pictured). Made up of Kristian Dunn (fretless bass, guitar/bass doubleneck) and Tim Fogarty (electric drums, acoustic drums, synthesizers), El Ten Eleven employs heavy looping and much effects pedal-pushing to create its fuzzified, lively brand of dance music. Also performing: Surly, The Tape Delay and Ghost of Gloria. Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., Orpheum, Ybor City, $8 in advance/$10 DOS. —LP
It’s only fitting that Nashville’s Kings of Leon have graduated to playing arenas — although the Sun Dome is pretty small in that regard — because their sound has morphed from a garage-y immediacy to, yup, more of an arena-style bombast. “Sex on Fire,” the first single from KoL’s current album, Only by the Night, casts a U2-ish hue. The shift must be working: Only by the Night ascended to No. 5 on the Billboard 200, besting 2007’s Because of the Times by 20 slots. For more, read CL’s interview with guitarist Matthew Followill here. Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., USF Sun Dome, Tampa, $35.50 and $43. —ESRead the rest of this entry »
Barely a month ago, I finally witnessed Iron Maiden live. It literally took half my life to see them. I documented the journey, from the show’s announcement through its conclusion. While nothing could top my Maiden experience, it seems the Metal Gods continue smiling down on me nonetheless. After all, you can’t mention Iron Maiden without bringing up Judas Priest.
Is it possible? Maiden and Priest playing Florida in the same year?
A form of influenza caused by overly aggressive pigs (also known as law enforcement professionals) that occurs commonly after close encounters with these infectious vermin. Symptoms include nausea, despair, and a general lack of a good time.
After a successful performance at the State Theatre in St. Petersburg, I caught a flight this past Friday to rock mics with the rest of B.A.S.E. Inc at Radford University’s Quadfest 2009 in Virginia. We were all excited to play a show together for the first time on our home turf. Little did we know that we were the ones about to get played.
Austin-by-way-of-Orlando’s New Roman Times were on their best game this past Saturday, April 18, at New World Brewery as they celebrated the release of their full-length, On The Sleeve, on New Granada Records. Frequently compared with indie greats like The Pixies, Versus and Sonic Youth, NRT successfully fuses quality songwriting with dance-worthy guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll.
One of my favorite rock bands of the last coupla years, these Georgia sons are playing a coupla one-off headlining gigs after a run of dates opening for the almighty Dinosaur Jr. (and a co-headlining European tour w/ A Place To Bury Strangers directly before that) … and we were lucky enough to land one!
I didn’t get to see Dead Confederate’s set in support of Manchester Orchestra in late ‘08 at Orpheum … but I do know they absolutely laid waste to a New World Brewery crowd the day after their Langerado set earlier last year.
The band’s sound: an intoxicating blend of alt-country, grunge, psych, etc; think My Morning Jacket meets Nirvana meets Pink Floyd. Sure, you’ll dig their authentically Southern (ie: slide geetars, trucker hats, unpretentious stage presence, etc.) vibe … but that’s probably not what you’ll focus on. Instead, you’ll just get lost in the ROCK.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Apr. 23, 2009, at 1:32 pm
Friday, April 24 Bay Area Beat presents Adrianne w/Francilla Two stylistically contrasting artists take to the acoustically impeccable Pro Star Sound Stage. Adrianne (pictured), who claims Atlanta and Los Angeles as bases, is a singer/songwriter who favors cozy melodies and spacey arrangements often built around acoustic guitar. Francilla — Tampa by way of the Virgin Islands — has a more beat-oriented dance sound, although it seems unlikely that the show will turn into a rave. Fri., April 24, 8 p.m., Pro Star Sound Stage, St. Petersburg, $10. —ES
Those Legendary Shackshakers w/Nervous Turkey/Tailgunner Joe. For more on the Shackshakers and MP3’s, check out Autopsy IV’s post here.Fri., April 24, 8 p.m.,The Garage, St. Petersburg, $12.
Arturo SandovalA predominant figure on the Cuban jazz scene, Sandoval formed Irakere with Chucho Valdes and Paquito D’Rivera, and was mentored by Dizzy Gillespie in the U.S. His post-bop trumpet style is also spiced by flavors of his homeland, where he still resides. Sandoval is a gregarious performer who knows how to please a crowd. Fri., April 24, 2 and 8 p.m., Largo Cultural Center, Largo, $30 in advance/$35 dos. —ESRead the rest of this entry »
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Apr. 23, 2009, at 7:17 am
By Mitch Perry
PoHo contributor Mitch Perry is the anchor of the WMNF Evening News on 88.5 FM community radio.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival observed its 10th birthday earlier this month. The 3-day weekend event, held in the Palm Springs desert each spring, is generally considered (along with Bonnaroo in suburban Nashville) the preeminent music festival in the country.
Bilinda Butcher of My Bloody Valentine (credit: Mitch Perry)
The festival’s domain has been indie and dance music, but in recent years heavyweights like Roger Waters, Prince, and this year, Paul McCartney, have provided heft to the lineup, as well as some controversy.
But the 66-year-old McCartney wasn’t even the oldest performer on the bill this year. That would be 74-year-old Leonard Cohen, who played right before McCartney on the festival’s opening night. Read the rest of this entry »
This Monday, April 20 (yes stoners, it’s 420), AES and New World Brewery welcome Omaha’s Beep Beep and The Show is The Rainbow along with Tampa’s own Win Win Winter and DJs Mini Horse and 2C opening. The electro-rock of Beep Beep alone is worth a trip to Ybor, which is now touring in support of its second album Enchanted Islands. Hell, Win Win Winter and the NWB bartenders are worth the drive.
But I have a feeling the second act is going to steal the show. For a sneak peek and some wicked videos, check out TSiTR’s YouTube channel. Last fall, The Show is The Rainbow came to St. Pete and opened for The Faint at Jannus Landing. Here’s what I to say about that particular performance: Read the rest of this entry »
Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the musical guests on Saturday Night Live this weekend. They played Zero, the single from their new album It’s Blitz! (reviewed here) and, rather strangely, an older song, Maps. Old but good at least. here’s Zero:
Posted by Leilani Polk on Apr. 8, 2009, at 2:50 pm
I’ve been listening to Ratataton repeat lately and am pretty stoked about their show this upcoming Friday night at The Ritz. The Brooklyn-based duo — made up of guitarist Mike Stroud and multi-instrumentalist/producer/synth extrordinaire Evan Mast — produce some top notch rocktronica and have released three solid full-length albums on XL Recordings — Ratatat (2004), Classics (2006) and LP3 (2008).
The duo’s sound is mostly instrumental, save for when they’re remixing someone else’s song (like their sick redux of Bjork’s “Wanderlust”), or when they’re trying to create a mood, like in LP3’s “Flynn,” which has a breezy, tropical feel and ascending, Beach Boys’ style backing vocal samples. Atmospheric layers of sound effects, ethereal guitar solos and warped riffs are scattered throughout, but Ratatat really excels with hip-hoppin’ beats and funkin’ grooves that make you want to bust a move. Even when the music falls into a lazy, melodic, pop-a-Xanax amble, you’ll still find your head bobbing.
Ratatat has earned quite the rep for energetic live shows marked by synchronized lighting and video projections, and if you are a fan of any sort of electronic music, this is a show you don’t want to miss. opening for Ratatat is solo hip-hop artist/rapper Despot and drum-and-bass trio Tussle. Fri., April 10, The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City, $18 in advance/$20 day of show.
On Sunday, April 19, Skipper’s Smokehouse will host the 4th annual Alchemy Fest – an all-ages, family-friendly, outdoor event that’s like Easter, Earth Day and 4:20 all rolled into one.
There will also be face painting, tarot card reading by Natty Moss Bond, henna tattoos by Aleka Phoenix, arts and crafts activities for the kids and “many more surprises.”
The event starts at 2 p.m. and goes until 6 p.m. Admission is $10. Children 10 and under get in free. Skipper’s Smokehouse is also a restaurant that serves some of the best Florida/Cajun staples around such as hush puppies, crawfish and gator tail bites.
What: Alchemy Fest 4 When: Sunday, April 19 Where:Skipper’s Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Rd. Tampa More: 2 – 6 p.m. | $10 | All Ages | 10 and under free
WIN TICKETS: Send MIXTAPE to 50618 for your chance to win a pair of tickets to Alchemy Fest 4. Congratulations to our winners!
Posted by Leilani Polk on Apr. 2, 2009, at 11:10 am
I’ve got some pretty varied taste in music and I’m usually pretty open to the sort of sonics other people tend to find abrasive, or abnormal, or just plain out there. I like music that feels like it could fall apart at any minute, that’s absurd or ironic, that’s too smart for its own good. I like music that sounds like it comes from outerspace, music with noises I can’t describe in simple text (though they’re a bitch to write about), and I’m especially drawn to novelty as long as it’s backed up by brilliance and not some sort of artificial play at it. I like dissonance and cacophony, especially when the band that brandishes it knows what they’re doing.
But I’ll be the first to admit that I’m just not a fan of Noise, nor do I think I really even get it. I mean, any genre of music that, by definition, means a loud, harsh, confused, discordant sound or group of sounds, just doesn’t sound appealing to me. And I’ve yet to find a self-described noise band that’s done anything other than turn me off.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something redeeming about it, to someone. Which brings me to the real reason for this post: St. Pete International Noise Fest 2. (Organizers sent the press release to me too late for inclusion in the paper, but on time enough to make it to this blog.)
I admit it that I start too many blogs lamenting about why it is that there are no shows (that I want to see, at least) for days/week/months and then there are several competing shows the same night …
It’s not every day we’re lucky enough to see a veritable folk legend at New World Brewery — especially not one with a career as illustrious as Country Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin. On Friday, Mr. Louvin and his band graced New World Brewery with a special performance. At 82, Mr. Louvin tours regularly, releases new records and continues to inspire a new generation of musicians. He effortlessly connects with an all-ages audience by weaving stories and running commentary in between songs in a manner that most musicians can’t even dream of pulling off. Most of us can only dream of being this cool at any point in our lives — let alone at 82.
For every hundred people excited about U2’s impending U.S. tour, I imagine there’s a couple of folks like me – absolutely over-the-moon ecstatic that my favorite band snagged the support slot.
We are pleased to confirm that Muse will be touring in the UK, Europe and North America this autumn. Full details on the UK and European dates will be announced soon, but for now we can confirm that the band will be special guests to U2 at a number of their North American shows this September including New York on September 24th. The remaining U2 dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Granted, the post is vague on exact details, but my hopes are totally up. Muse are one of the biggest rock bands in the world – certainly not on U2’s level, but popular enough to headline arenas in Europe and Asia. Large-scale success has eluded Muse in much of America, confining them to clubs and theaters or opening for bigger bands. I’ve been fortunate enough to see them three times, with each performance further cementing them as my all-time favorite live band. There are a lot of ifs – if people show up early enough to the show, if people give the opener a chance, if stadium sound doesn’t suck – but this is a huge opportunity for one of the most criminally underrated bands in the world. Videos and progress on their new album after the jump.
What’s up Loafers!?! Real quick, before we get to the content … just wanted to say hi!!! Y’know, introduce myself, all that jazz, as I’m finally gonna start contributing here on Tampa Calling. I’m Jack. I promote shows and select tunes (w/ my boy DJ Archaea) and I’ve actually been heading up my own blog as well for a minute now. Anyway, here it is: my first post, copied directly from the aestheticized >>> blog and focused squarely on the out-of-towners playing this Saturday night at Creative Loafing’s Sensory Overload 4 point 0.
ELIOT LIPP = Over the last 5+ years, Mr. Lipp has consistently produced some of the world’s finest Electro / Glitch-Hop, for a handful of the hottest labels in the game (Eastern Developments, Hefty, Mush, etc.). His music is marked by an obsessive exploration of the place where analog synths and software-based composition meet, his sound almost immediately recognizable (a quality all-too-rare in Electronic Music) — rich and relentlessly melodic lines laced over funky breaks and broken beats. He just released Peace Love Weed 3D on his own Old Tacoma imprint; highly recommended for fans of PREFUSE 73, DABRYE, DJ SHADOW, Golden-Era Hip Hop, etc.
It’s midnight at a hole-in-the-wall club in the heart of Little Havana, Miami. The place is pumpin’, the dance floor jammed with a multicultural mass of bodies writhing and grooving and ducking and swaying and shaking asses to the pulsing beats. The music is a breathing, heaving, horn-saturated slice of Miami fusion, the native flavors of Cuba — salsa, charanga, rumba and the like — mixed with ’70s-style funk, hip-hop turntablism, free jazz, dub reggae, Afro-beat and electronica.
For every hundred people excited about 
