Tampa Calling

WMNF’s 4th Annual Americana Fest at Skipper’s Smokehouse went off without a hitch this past Saturday, July 11, a hand clappin’, boot stompin’ good time that showcased the vast array of talent in Florida’s Americana scene.

Have Gun, Will Travel

Originally masterminded by Ted Lukas, Americana Fest is all grown up. This year featured ten outstanding Florida Americana bands: Ted Lukas & the Misled, Will Quinlan & the Diviners, Have Gun, Will Travel, Thomas Wynn & the Believers, Nervous Turkey, Black Finger, Roppongi’s Ace, Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England, Matt Butcher and The Nine Volts plus a national headliner: Blue Mountain. Read the rest of this entry »

Thx Mgmt brought an all-star Florida rock n’ roll show to New World Brewery last Friday, June 5, featuring Tampa darlings The Beauvilles, Orlando-based Thomas Wynn & The Believers and Jacksonville’s Shawn Fisher & The Jukebox Gypsies. The master plan was a mini-weekend tour with stops at each of the bands’ hometowns while rotating the headliner spot and introducing the out-of-town bands to new audiences. A grand idea!

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In the hours after penning my little fuck you to the Tampa/St. Pete music fan base, I got to thinking. There’s a line in the Outkast song, “Git Up, Git Out,” that says; “You need to git up, git out and git somethin’ / Cuz you and I got to do for you and I.” I thought, instead of bitching about how lazy Bay Area music fans have become, instead of railing against the DJ culture of Tampa, instead of being a whiny bitch about it, why not try and help the people who are trying to change things in the area. And we’re going, too. Just as soon as we finish this other thing … None of this has anything to do with the Thx Mgmt show Friday night at New World Brewery except that the two subjects are in the same spirit…

So, on with the show.

Following my rant, Shawn Beauville from the Beauvilles emailed me to inform me about a little tour his band was taking part in. The idea was to get a collection of bands together who can pull within their own markets and put them all on the road together with the “home band” headlining their respective market. In this case, the bands are: The Beauvilles (Tampa), Thomas Wynn & The Believers (Orlando) and Shawn Fisher and the Jukebox Gypsies (Jacksonville). Joining them on the Tampa date is The Junkyard Kings. Not only is the spirit of this show something I can get behind, but the lineup has something for everyone who likes their music played live and loud and right in front of them. Seems Thx Mgmt might be coming to the same conclusions as I am cause right on the tails of this show comes The Citrus Circuit Tour featuring a whole other slew of Florida bands. But more on that later this month.

Anyhow. Come on Tampa. Come on St. Pete. Get out to New World on Friday night and celebrate/support your local musicians. ‘Til then, here’s a sampling of what you’ll hear: Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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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.

This year, the concert will feature performances from Thomas Wynn and the Believers, Geri X, The Sheaks, Sons of Hippies and The Jim Morey Band.

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!

TWO VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMP …

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Lots of concerts to pick and choose from this February 20-22 weekend (for a complete list, click here), but if you haven’t already made concrete plans, why not show some support to the local and regional acts who always work extra hard for your lovin’? Here are highlights from the Florida band concert calendar:

Friday, Feb. 20 Grey Market w/Palantine/Spellbinder/Lush Progress/Magic Shoppe An appealing local bill headed up by drums-and-guitar duo GreyMarket, which produces driving alt-rock with dark waves of drama and electro flourishes. Palantine brings the crunch, Spellbinder the ’70s prog-metal vocals and riffs, Lush Progress the classy symphonics, and Magic Shoppe the psychedelic funk. State Theatre, St. Petersburg.

Friday, Feb. 20 Buffalo Strange, Ringside Cafe, St. Petersburg.

Friday, Feb. 20 Thomas Wynn & the Believers w/Have Gun Will Travel/The Takers/Lauris Vidal/Experimental Pilot Tampa Bay is more known for its Americana acts than Orlando is, but Thomas Wynn comes over from O-Town with a satchel full of rugged tunes and a penchant for Southern rock. The guy is good. He’s joined by a bevy of Bay area acts that will make for a strong bill. New World Brewery, Ybor City (write-up by Eric Snider).

Saturday, Feb. 21 Giddy-up, Helicopter! CD Release Party. Czar, Ybor City.

Saturday, Feb.  21 Rachel Goodrich w/The JeanMarie/The Wedding Party. Rachel Goodrich is a quirky South Florida indie-pop multi-instrumentalist/songwriter whose rich foxy voice is set against songs pondering halos and demons and stars and nighttime adventures and whatever other delightful topics tickle her fancy. New World Brewery, Tampa. (Goodrich pictured above; photo by Yvette Labov.)

Saturday, Feb. 21 The Sheaks w/Gino and the Goons/Steady State/The Fuzz. Flannagans Pub, St. Petersburg.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Lorna Bracewell. Grand Central Peddler’s Fair, Grand Central District, St. Petersburg