Posted by Lily Reisman on Jul. 30, 2009, at 2:16 pm
It was ridiculously hot. It took me 15 minutes to realize that my white wife beater would become my face towel for the day. It was loud. It was colorful. It was my first time at Vinoy Park. And finally, at the age of 24, it was my first time experiencing Warped Tour.
It’s been three years since I attended a music festival and as I walked through the ticket line into a field filled with tents, stages, beer stands and even a slip n’ slide, I instantly recalled why I love outdoor fests; passing through the gates meant entering a world of the unpredictable and the unexpected. I didn’t know what kind of crazies I’d come across (there were bound to be some amidst the 10,000 attendees), what kind of new music I’d hear, or how pleased I’d be with the bands I was there to support. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
Posted by Eric Snider on Mar. 13, 2009, at 3:50 am
Irma Thomas headlines the Sunday (March 22) portion of the Tampa Bay Blues Fest. Here’s my feature/interview with the Soul Queen of New Orleans Look for it in Wednesday’s CL print edition.(By the way, Irma Thomas is awesome.)
Let’s see, Irma Thomas. Lots of stuff to ask her. The music biz kicked her around but good in her early days, but she forged on to become known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans. At 19, she’d already been married twice and had four children; now, at 68, she has nine great-grandchildren.
So where to start this interview? How about … her funeral.
The Crescent City is big on funerals. We’ve all seen images of raggedy brass bands parading next to the casket while people on the periphery dance, celebrate the fallen and just dig the music. Those folks are called the “second line” and such processions have come to be known as second line funerals.
So I wondered: Does the Soul Queen of New Orleans want a second line funeral?
“Not really,” Irma Thomas says. “If I tell my kids I don’t want it, they’ll make sure it doesn’t happen. I’m not a big second line person.”
Posted by Eric Snider on Mar. 10, 2009, at 10:12 am
The 15th annual Tampa Bay Blues Fest is around the corner — Fri., March 20 through Sun. March 22 at Vinoy Park on the downtown St. Pete waterfront. Needless to say, it’s a good time. Sunny days, cool evenings, free-blowing beer and hour after hour of hot, quintessentially American music.
Here’s a primer for the event, some quick blurbs about the acts to whet the appetite. Ticket prices range from $30 for a single-day ticket to $350 for a three-day backstage pass. This year also introduces organized after-party jams on Friday and Saturday nights, to be held at Nova 535 in St. Pete. Here are details.
Friday, March 20
12:30 p.m. Robin Rogers The blonde, blue-eyed songstress out of Charlotte, N.C. has quite a bit of that Koko Taylor roar in her.
2:30 p.m. Lurrie Bell The 49-year-old son of the late, legendary Chicago harp player Carey Bell wields a Stratocaster and has a lusty voice somewhat reminiscent of B.B. King.
4:30 p.m. Coco Montoya A one-time protégé of Albert “Iceman” Collins, L.A.-based singer/guitarist Montoya is a familiar figure on the blues festival circuit.
Coco Montoya
6:30 p.m. Curtis Salgado The 55-year-old veteran of the Northwest blues scene has played for a few years in Robert Cray’s band and in 1995 did a short stint as lead singer in Carlos Santana’s band. He sings and plays harmonica.
8:30 p.m. The Fabulous Thunderbirds Singer/harp man Kim Wilson has been the constant over the band’s 35-year history (which has included since-departed guitarists Jimmie Vaughan and Duke Robillard). Having scored a handful of hits in the mid 1980s (“Tuff Enuff,” “Wrap it Up”), the Austin-based quintet soldiers on as a more-than-dependable juke-joint R&B band.
Sat., March 21
11:30 a.m. Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps Houston-bred, L.A.-based Teresa James brings a kind of Bonnie Raitt/Susan Tedeschi feel to her singing — gritty but feminine. Sexy.
It was ridiculously hot. It took me 15 minutes to realize that my white wife beater would become my face towel for the day. It was loud. It was colorful. It was my first time at Vinoy Park. And finally, at the age of 24, it was my first time experiencing Warped Tour.
