Tampa Calling

In three short years, the Reax/ThxMgmt Hot Dog Show has established itself as a must-attend event of the summer, providing a great opportunity to see a diverse group of bands, catch up with old friends, make some new ones, and of course, witness a hot dog-eating contest. This year, the Hot Dog Show took place on Friday, July 3, at Crowbar. I arrived just in time to see the first female victory in the hot dog eating contest (sorry – I didn’t catch her name!), which was followed by an animated performance by Bealsville/Plant City-based Shunda K of Yo Majesty! Bringing the evening to a dance party conclusion was Sunbears! (Jacksonville).

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A band of Florida traveling bards and minstrels aka the Citrus Circuit Tour made a stop at New World Brewery on Saturday, featuring Lake Worth’s Truckstop Coffee, Daytona’s Lauris Vidal, Gainesville’s The Takers and Bradento-based Have Gun, Will Travel.

Have Gun, Will Travel

With three new songs and a Tom Petty cover, Have Gun, Will Travel (HGWT) continues to innovate at each show. Accordingly, HGWT’s set had New World Brewery dancing up a storm and singing their hearts out to old favorites like “When We Were Kings” and “Blessing and a Curse” (affectionately know by fans as “Bop Ba Da” after the chorus that stays in your head all the way home). Read the rest of this entry »

Pontiak galloped into New World Brewery this past Thursday, June 11, the exceptional headliner of History’s last show in Tampa supported by King of Spain and Glasgow. Another splendid Thx Mgmt show – thanks Joe.

Pontiak

To get the downlow on Pontiak, check out Eric Snider’s interview with the brothers who make up this band. Live, Pontiak delivers a constantly evolving performance, its members switching instruments (who doesn’t love the impact of double drum sets?) and keeping even the most jaded scenester interested. These mistral brothers are a talented family garnering positive media attention from sources as diverse as Pitchfork and Wired. 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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Thx Mgmt hosted yet another fine show this past Wednesday, May 6 — Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit with Red Cortez at Crowbar.

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 »

Saturday found a distilled presence at New World Brewery!

Whiskey & Co. headlined a fine evening of Americana along with Will Quinlan & The Diviners and Matt Butcher this past Saturday, April 25. The show was hosted by Thx Mgmt. (More pics and info about the show after the jump.) Read the rest of this entry »

For this week’s forthcoming Urban Explorer’s Handbook, Creative Loafing maps out the best of the best of the Bay area’s Internet community. Here is one of our featured music sites; to see the rest, click here.

Aestheticized Presents, State Media, THX MGMT
Who runs them: Aestheticized is owned and operated by longtime indie scene promoter and stalwart Jack Spatafora, who books shows at Crowbar but also works with State Theatre, Czar and New World Brewery. State Media (aka No Clubs Productions) is managed by area show-promo veterans Tony Rifugiato and Dave Hundley; State Media promotes and stages shows at State Theatre, Orpheum, The Ritz Ybor and, less frequently, Jannus Landing. And the newest to the scene, Joe D’Acunto and THX MGMT, has been bringing some noteworthy, taste-of-the-moment acts to Tampa venues like Crowbar, New World Brewery and Orpheum.
Why you need them: These three are powerhouses when it comes to bringing the hottest up-and-coming Pitchfork.com-beloved indie and major label pop and rock acts to the Bay area’s smaller (1,500 or less) venues. Anyone who considers themselves music followers should probably check their sites on a regular basis. As added bonuses, Aestheticized bills certain shows as “essential” and usually offers details as to why these shows should not be missed, while State Media hosts MP3s by all of its upcoming acts on its website.

In Commonwealth countries, the day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day or St. Stephen’s Day, when everyone commonly gathered together and celebrated in various ways. (When I lived in Dublin, Ireland, I got to see Mummers perform on the post-holiday holiday.)  Sadly, in Tampa, we don’t have Mummers but thanks to THX MGMT, we were treated to a great night of local music featuring Geri X, Rec Center, Sons of Hippies, and The Actomatics. Read the rest of this entry »

After several days of family togetherness and gorging on Thanksgiving leftovers, Saturday evening at New World Brewery was a welcome respite brought to us by THX Mgmt.  The show featured a diverse group of Florida bands: Beardsley,  Incredible Crisis, Zillionaire, and Sunbears! I got there a bit late after being distracted playing trucks with my friend’s three year old so I missed Beardsley… but I did manage to capture the rest of the bands.

Incredible Crisis

This was my first time seeing this band and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.

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