Creative Loafing Tampa — February 15, 2024 by Chava Communications

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PUBLISHER James Howard EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ray Roa

RAY ROA

Editorial DIGITAL EDITOR Colin Wolf MANAGING EDITOR Kyla Fields THEATER CRITIC Jon Palmer Claridge FILM & TV CRITIC John W. Allman IN-HOUSE WITCH Caroline DeBruhl CONTRIBUTORS Ben Montgomery, Jennifer Ring, Tyana Rodgers PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Decker POLITICAL CARTOONIST Bob Whitmore SPRING INTERN Suz Townsend Creative Services CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jack Spatafora GRAPHIC DESIGNER Joe Frontel ILLUSTRATORS Dan Perkins, Cory Robinson Advertising SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Anthony Carbone, Scott Zepeda Events and Marketing MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS DIRECTOR Leigh Wilson MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Kristin Bowman SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING MANAGER Corrie Miserendino

It’s just a chance to kind of reorder our plan.

Circulation CIRCULATION MANAGER Ted Modesta

chavagroup.com cltampabay.com cldeals.com EDITORIAL POLICY — Creative Loafing Tampa Bay is a publication covering public issues, the arts and entertainment. In our pages appear views from across the political and social spectrum. They do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.

King State guys talk bankruptcy reorganization, p. 30.

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It’s the stories around the food.

St. Pete collard green celebration is now one of the biggest food festivals in Tampa Bay, p. 23.

The newspaper is produced and printed on Indigenous land belonging to Tampa Bay’s Tocobaga and Seminole tribes.

ON THE COVER: Photo by Dave Decker. Design by Joe Frontel.

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Fight for your life Photos by Dave Decker

policy change at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles takes away a transgender person’s ability to obtain a driver’s license corresponding with their gender identity. A memo detailing the change was issued to county tax collectors’ offices and last Friday, almost two dozen activists staged a die-in inside and outside the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Driver License and Motor Vehicle Service Center in Drew Park. See more photos from the protest on cltampa.com/slideshows, and read more about the action on p. 18.—Ray Roa

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do this

Tampa Bay's best things to do from February 15 - 22 Feelin’ Lucky

While most Tampa Bay residents celebrated the start of 2024 six weeks ago with flowing drinks and fireworks, hundreds—probably thousands—of folks with Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian and Korean backgrounds welcome the Year of the Dragon at various Lunar Year parties across Pinellas and Hillsborough counties this weekend. Tampa-based nonprofit Suncoast Organization of Chinese Americans (SACA) has hosted its mutli-cultural new year’s party at Water Works Park for the past few years, and each February the annual celebration seems bigger and better. Attendees can expect traditional Chinese lion and dragon dances, calligraphy artists, singing, performances on a variety of traditional musical instruments, a children’s activity area, dancing, martial arts and over 20 Asian food and drink vendors selling barbecue, boba tea, desserts, bao buns and more. Non-food vendors will also be present slinging arts, crafts, red envelopes, and other typical New Year’s souvenirs. In previous years, the lines for food and drink options at this festival have gotten relatively long, so come equipped with backup snacks or lots of patience.

SACA Chinese New Year Celebration: Saturday, Feb. 17. 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. No cover. Water Works Park, 1710 N. Highland Ave.,Tampa. @sacatampabay on Facebook —Kyla Fields PRAPAT/ADOBE

SPZF24: St. Pete Zine Fest and Symposium: Saturday, Feb. 17. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. No cover. West Community Library at St. Petersburg College-Gibbs Campus. 6605 5th Ave. N, St. Petersburg. printstpete.org/spzf

—Ray Roa

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PRINTSTPETE/FACEBOOK

There aren’t many better feelings than reading something on paper. For four hours in February this festival organized by Print St. Pete celebrates that feeling alongside dozens of independent publishers who’ll set up their comics, zines, books, small presses and more. Nearly all of the St. Pete Zine fest takes place outside at SPC’s Gibbs campus but Dr. Tyler Gillespie will also read poetry in the library.

Tampa Bay boasts an infamous reputation for being ground zero for nationally-recognized chains and fast casual restaurants—from Outback Steakhouse to Hooters—but a smaller, teenage franchise is getting ready to celebrate its 17th birthday. In 2007, the country’s first World of Beer opened in Tampa and now franchisees across the country operate dozens of locations throughout the Southeast and up the East Coast. World of Beer has even expanded to China and South Korea in recent years. The beer bar and laid-back restaurant hosts an all-day party at its OG Westchase location that’s filled with food and drink specials, appearances from OG bartenders, a complimentary cookout, raffles every 30 minutes and live music from Tequila Boys at 8 p.m. The beerfocused chain with over 60 locations worldwide is known for its massive tap list, variety of can and bottle options, and hearty menu of chicken wings, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches and more.

OG World of Beer’s 17th Anniversary Party: Saturday, Feb. 17. 2 a.m.-2 p.m. No cover. World of Beer (Westchase), 9524 West Linebaugh Ave., Tampa. worldofbeer.com —Kyla Fields

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Hoppy Birthday

Hands on

See more (and submit your event) @ cltampa.com Mansion’s mind

Enter the Lab

Creative Pinellas opens 2024 with a solo show featuring technology-inspired works by St. Pete-based artist Mikhail Mansion (pictured). This year’s Creative Pinellas Artist Laureate, is also the mastermind behind the technology that makes Fairgrounds St. Pete hum. Mansion—who’ll be at the opening reception on Feb. 22— literally elevates coding to an art form. Mansion’s Nature Pix aren’t your average landscape photograph or painting. They’re not created by storebought cameras or paint, but through code and custom-designed electronics. “Code is a creative medium, akin to paint, wood, metal, or glass,” Mansion said in a press release. “Each piece in this exhibition is an embodiment of the software I’ve crafted, expressing a mix of my own values, mixed with live data culled from nature.”.

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While some theater companies’ audiences demand more familiar, escapist offerings, groups like Lab Theater Project continue to present new work like this world premiere from Craig Houk whose two-act drama tells the story of Sydney Trahan (Mandy Keen), who in 1973 was taken into custody and charged with lewd and lascivious conduct for dancing together at Brady’s, a notorious lesbian bar in the French Quarter.

‘Syd’: Feb. 22-March 10. $31. Lab Theater Project. 812 E Henderson Ave., Ybor City. labtheaterproject.com

Nature Pix Exhibition: WednesdaysSundays. Feb. 22-April 21. 10 a.m.-5

—Ray Roa

p.m. No cover. The Gallery at Creative Pinellas, 12211 Walsingham Rd., Largo. bit.ly/ naturepix —Jennifer Ring

How Bazzar

Tropicana Field is home to some pretty elite athletes, but it’ll be home to even more thanks to Cirque du Soleil, which raised its “Bazzar” big top on Monday. The shows are the fourth stop on the “Bazzar” national tour, and mark the production’s local debut (it world premiered in India in 2018 and toured the Middle East). A press release calls the presentation “a high-energy spectacle of intrepid acrobatics, dynamic stunts and exhilarating performances that pays homage to the entertainment company’s legacy.” In the show, 35 performers—including musicians acrobats, plus gymnasts who practice the traditional Indian sport of Mallakhamb (aerial yoga, on a hanging wooden pole)—work under the direction of a “maestro” who directs the “high-energy excitement, collision of sounds and colors, and meeting place of diverse characters.” A Cirque representative told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the first show will be on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. The company will take Monday-Tuesday off, do one 7:30 p.m. show Wednesday-Friday, then two shows each on Saturday (3:30 p.m., 7 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m., 4:30 p.m.).

Cirque du Soleil ‘Bazzar’: Wednesdays-Sundays, Feb. 22-March 24. $24 & up. Tropicana Field, 1 Tropicana Dr., St. Petersburg. cirquedusoleil.com —Ray Roa

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“It’s hard to cram 60 years into two minutes.” POLITICS

ISSUES

OPINION

Another step

After painful testimony, Florida bills to pay survivors of Dozier school clear committees. By Ben Montgomery who suffered mental, physical or sexual abuse at the hands of school personnel. How much? No one knows yet. Lawmakers have floated several ideas, like awarding $50,000 to each victim, or giving each an equal share of $40 million. The cost to the state is hard to calculate because no one is sure how many victims there are; more than 500 men have claimed to be victims in the past 15 years, but many of them have since died. The men themselves have a hard time calculating what that childhood trauma has cost them. Nobody at the table was willing to proffer a number, but no one is eager to say $50,000 covers it. “You can’t put a price on what we endured as children and dealt with all of our adult lives,” DeNyke said and the rest nodded. Their wives and daughters nodded, too. The lawyer lobbying on their behalf, Troy Rafferty of the Pensacola personal injury firm Levin, Papantonio, Rafferty, told them not to worry about the money right now. “I know, quite frankly, it’s not going to be enough,” Rafferty said. “I will tell you this: The

wheels of justice don’t move quickly, and right now we’re in a sprint to get those wheels turning.” Any compensation bill would be historic. While a scholarship related to the 1920 Ocoee Massacre was created in the same vein, experts in civil rights law can point to just one similar package in state history: nearly 30 years ago, then-Gov. Lawton Chiles signed a bill compensating survivors of the 1923 Rosewood race massacre $1.5 million, plus more to cover property loss and to establish a scholarship. “We will be thankful for whatever the state hands out,” said soft-spoken Charlie Fudge, president of a group called the White House Boys, named after the building in which boys were beaten bloody by a man wielding a weighted leather strap. Bryant Middleton was ready. The retired Army Ranger with a Purple Heart would tell lawmakers he’d go back to Vietnam before he’d go back to the Dozier school. Richard Huntly was ready. He’d tell them how, at age 11, men stripped him from his

FLORIDA NEWS

mother’s arms and put him in a field in Jackson County with two options: work, or a beating. Charlie Fudge would tell them about his anger and his three marriages and how on the third day at Dozier he took 31 licks from Mr. Hatton that he can still sometimes feel. All of them had a story. Gene Luker remembered the school psychologist watching the boys take showers in the dorms. Johnny Lee Gaddy could talk about the human hand he saw in the pig slop. John Bell remembers the cottage mates holding him under a scalding shower, payback for ratting on a perverted staff member. When they’d filled out speaker forms, they filed down the street under a bleached-blue sky and down into the basement of the Capitol. Some lawmakers greeted them apprehensively. Others hugged their necks. “It gets to the core of me when I hear your stories,” Sen. Tracy Davis told them. “I feel like every year we get closer and closer.” By the time it was over, both committees had voted unanimously to send the bills forward. Things could still go wrong, but the men said it felt like a step toward healing.

BEN MONTGOMERY

“I

would talk about the beatings,” the lawyer said. “I would talk about the paddle,” he said. “I would talk about the claustrophobia.” The old men sat around a long table in an office building a block from the Florida Capitol on Tuesday, reaching for ways to summarize a shared childhood nightmare that crept into the rest of their lives and still haunts them a half century later. The statements they would deliver later to lawmakers on two separate committees—one in the Senate, one in the House—had to be brief, but powerful. They might only get one shot at convincing legislators to forward a bill that would help ease their anguish with a lump-sum payment, likely of $50,000 or more each. When they were boys, they were victimized—beaten, threatened, experimented upon, molested—by state employees while confined at the Florida School for Boys in Marianna in the 1950s and ‘60s. That’s the same school where forensic anthropologists found 20 undocumented graves around a small cemetery on campus. The state closed the school in 2011 and formally apologized in 2017, but “sorry” was a thin comfort to men who blame Florida for their broken marriages, sleepless nights and festering anger. Now, though, after years of false starts, lawmakers are closer than ever to passing a bill meant to make amends. The former wards were invited to speak. Three would testify before the Senate’s committee on government oversight and accountability. Two would speak the next day to the House’s judiciary committee. Each would be allotted just two minutes. “It’s hard to cram 60 years into two minutes,” vented Jim DeNyke, who spent 18 months at the rural school in the mid-1960s. Will people in suits and ties and houndstooth jackets know what it’s like to try to drink yourself to death to end your internal strife? he wondered. They needed to get this right. One ally warned them not to use the word “reparations” when addressing lawmakers, but the definition fits. The bill would provide a one-time payment to any living former ward held at the Florida School for Boys— later called Dozier School for Boys—or the Okeechobee School for Boys between 1940-1975

KEEP RIDING: James ‘Harley’ De Nyke addresses a Senate Committee at the State Capitol on Feb. 6, 2024.

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MEN & WOMEN’S

TIMELESS FASHION

Been here

Trans-rights activists stage die in at Tampa DMV. By Ray Roa

policy change at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles takes away a transgender person’s ability to obtain a driver’s license corresponding with their gender identity. The news broke with the distribution of a memo from the department’s deputy director Robert Kynoch that treads on transphobic tropes. “...the term ‘gender’ in s. 322.08, F.S., does not refer to a person’s internal sense of his or her gender role or identification, but has historically and commonly been understood as a synonym for ‘sex,’ which is determined by innate and immutable biological and genetic characteristics,” he wrote. The memo was issued to county tax collectors’ offices and this morning, almost two dozen activists staged a die-in inside and outside the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Driver License and Motor Vehicle Service Center in Drew Park. The protest was part of statewide action that included hundreds of demonstrators, according to Youth Action Fund. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay photographer Dave Decker said that there were no arrests or notable confrontations at the die-in and that a trans woman approached the protesters after the action and thanked them for being there. “You can’t erase us, you cannot make us go away,” Alejandra Caraballo, an University of Tampa alum, said through a megaphone outside the Tampa office. She invoked Anita Bryant, the former Miss Oklahoma who was famous for Florida Orange

juice commercials before going on a crusade that villainized LGBTQ people in the late-’70s. “She led a hateful campaign for years, and now nobody remembers who she is. She never got work as an actress again, and her career for the Florida citrus industry ended, and her own granddaughter came out as gay,” Caraballo—now an instructor at Harvard—said. “You can’t win this fight. You can’t erase us. You can’t make us go away, we’ve always been here,” she added. “Hate will not win.” Axios Tampa Bay said that, “Until now, a trans person seeking to change their gender marker could present documentation from another state, a court order or a physician’s certification stating that they are undergoing gender-affirming care.” For new licenses, the memo said, misrepresenting a driver’s gender could be prosecuted as criminal fraud and result in the license being revoked. A spokeswoman for Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles told Fresh Take Florida that the new policy applies only to replacement license requests going forward. But Civil rights and advocacy organizations said that they are considering how to contest the new rules. In a statement, Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, said that tens of thousands of people have legally updated their gender marker on their driver’s license or ID. “They carefully followed the rules to ensure their identification accurately reflects who they are, and they trusted this process. Now, an abrupt policy reversal has thrown their lives into chaos,” Smith added.

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FOOD & DRINK EVENTS Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival

Saturday, Feb. 17. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Woodson African American Museum of Florida, 2240 9th Ave. S, St. Petersburg. tbcgf.org

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Seeing green

Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival organizers reflect on growth and community-focused mission. By Kyla Fields

off something similar in the heart of southside St. Pete. Later that year, they formed the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival nonprofit and hosted the inaugural event in 2018. In its first year, the festival drew about 1,000 folks, while last year’s event saw a record-breaking attendance of 8,000. Harris expects even more festival-goers on Saturday. The 2024 Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival returns to St. Pete’s Woodson African American Museum of Florida (2240 9th Ave. S) on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. As always, there’s no cost to attend—and both Harris and Hosey absolutely plan to keep it that way. Through donations from locals, big name sponsors Publix, Johns Hopkins, Bayfront

a sustained effort and a certain amount of fundraising to get to that level. And in our seventh year, we’re not quite there yet.” And in the midst of intensely preparing for the event and checking off boxes on their never-ending to-do lists, both Harris and Hosey reflect on the festival’s origins and more importantly—its future. “When I think about the festival and what it means, it’s really about connecting people with their community. As a storyteller and a journalist, the thing that I love about this festival is that it satisfies the desire within me to see people connect, share and talk with one another,” Hosey—who spent 24 years at the Tampa Bay Times and is the current Senior Editor of Visual

ANGELIQUE HERRING

n any given weekend in Florida, there’s probably a food festival happening within the state—whether it celebrates a holiday, specific food or style of cooking. Somewhere in between Plant City’s annual springtime celebration of strawberries and the Sunshine State’s plethora of seafood fests in the fall and winter, lies the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival. Now in its seventh year, this locally-organized festival has built a reputation for being far more than a run-of-the-mill foodie event. Organizers Samantha Harris and Boyzell Hosey are on the precipice of hosting yet another daylong celebration of community, nourishment, health, wellness and Black culture. What started as a joke between church friends in 2017 has evolved into a no-cover, Tampa Bay-wide festivity full of dozens of local vendors and food trucks, a variety of healthy cooking and fitness demonstrations, a collard green cook-off, live entertainment, fresh collard giveaways, and urban agriculture education. A presentation from two-time James Beard Award winner Adrian E. Miller, aka “The Soul Food Scholar,” is on the menu this weekend, too. Harris and Hosey met at St. Pete’s Bethel Community Baptist Church nearly a decade ago and eventually struck up a conversation about one of their favorite foods: collard greens. “We initially bonded over the fact that we both prefer no meat in our collard greens,” says Harris.“ We eventually started cooking greens to help raise money to send kids in the youth program to a church conference in Ohio. We saw the positive effect of selling greens at church, and we wanted to bring that same energy to the community around us.” After the initial church fundraiser, Harris and Hosey toyed with the idea of selling greens at St. Pete’s annual MLK Day parade, but it didn’t pan out. The next step—which was proposed in a semi-joking manner—was to start a collard green festival of their own. “Nobody has laughed harder than Boyzell and I when we first came up with the festival name—I swear we laughed for 15 minutes because it just seemed ridiculous at the time,” Harris tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. After the friends made the drive to Snellville, Georgia to attend the OG Collard Greens Cultural Festival in 2017, they knew that they could pull

STAY FRESH: Ocala farmer Howard Gunn is one of the festival’s many collard green vendors. Health, HMC Hospitality Group and JP Morgan, a longtime partnership with the Culinary Federation of America—which organizes a collard green recipe contest for local highschoolers each year—the festival is able to remain free. But over the next few years, Harris and Hosey hope to also start fundraising for kid’s scholarships and other local nonprofits. “Our goal going forward is to solidify the infrastructure of the organization to achieve some sort of long-term sustainability—we’re looking into doing more continuous programming throughout the year,” Hosey tells CL. “It takes

Storytelling for ProPublica—explains. “I believe that storytelling is one of the central tenants that brings people together. It’s not just about the food, it’s the stories around the food.” While the festival has experienced exponential growth since its inception in 2017, organizers and volunteers are proud that they’ve always remained true to its original , community-focused mission of “emphasizing education in food consumption, agricultural science, and improved lifestyle choices,” as detailed on tbcgf.org. For future iterations of the festival, Harris would like to incorporate a live-action cooking

competition, while Hosey ponders the more whimsical addition of a ferris wheel, so patrons can take in a “panoramic view of our beautiful community.” And despite virtually outgrowing its makeshift festival grounds outside the Woodson African American Museum, both Harris and Hosey state that their intentional decision to host the event along South St. Pete’s historical Deuces district is an important connection between the city’s rich African American history and the cultural origins of their collard green fest. “It’s easy to get caught up in the action of the event, but we always want to highlight the ‘why’ in all of this. We want to keep raising awareness in Black and brown communities of the alarming rates of heart disease and strokes that are changing our family dynamics across the country,” Harris says. “A lot of times the Black maternal figure is the household leader, and when they encounter these health problems, it can be detrimental to the family structure. And as an African American mother, that hits home for me. It’s happened in my family and I’ve seen it in other families around us.” Like the organizing of the festival itself, collard greens have always been a labor of love—from the time it takes to strip the leaves from the stem and vigorous rinsing process to its low-and-slow cooking methodology—but the end product always seems to be worth it. While collards (accompanied with black eyed peas), can help signify luck and prosperity in the new year, St. Pete’s annual collard green festival can help turn those hopeful wishes into reality each and every February. St. Pete boasts a reputation for hosting one of the country’s longest-running MLK Day parades over the past four-ish decades, and it’s not presumptuous to say that the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival has the same sort of organic, community-focused momentum that may secure the event as another Black History Month mainstay in The ‘Burg. For the latest updates on 2024’s Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival. head to its Facebook or Instagram, both @TampaBayCGF. The festival also hosts a kick-off party across the bridge at Ybor City’s Cuban Club called “Collards After Dark,” where Adrian E Miller will discuss the favorite cocktails of former U.S. presidents on Friday, Feb. 16.

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Blatant localism: 26 Black-owned restaurants in Tampa Bay everyone should visit There’s plenty of praise to pass around when it comes to Tampa Bay’s restaurants. But any examination of our local dining scene isn’t complete without recognizing our rich history and tradition of Black-owned bars and restaurants in the region. Since February is Black History month, here are some incredible spots you should check out.—Tyana Rodgers

Gabby Bakes Thirty-one year-old Tampa resident Gabby Duncan is the one-woman-show and creative mastermind behind Gabby Bakes. The self-taught baker launched her small business right before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and it’s swiftly evolved into one of the most popular food pop-ups in all of Tampa Bay and recently opened a brick-and-mortar in Seminole Heights. 4410 Florida Ave. N, Tampa. Gabbybakes.com

Al’s Finger Licking Good Bar-B-Que If you see chickens in the alley you are most likely in front of Al’s Finger Licking Good Bar-B-Que. Serving up Tennessee-style barbecue, menu favorites include Sparky’s Pulled Pork, Aunt Nita’s Black Eyed Peas, and Mazie’s ServeIt-Up Yellow Rice and Chicken. 1609 Angel Oliva Senior St., Ybor City. alsybor.com

House of Vegano If you have never heard of vegan sushi, well then House of Vegano should be your first stop. Owned by Thalia Tathaman and located within Body Electric Athletic Company, the menu includes Jamaican twists to the Japanese cuisine with dishes like oxtail dumplings and curry ramen, in addition to traditional flavors like miso and tonkatsu. 655 31st St. S Ste. A, St. Petersburg. houseofvegano.com

Big John’s Alabama BBQ Big John’s Barbeque is known for its signature sauce and open pitstyle barbequing using oak wood. Using a 40 year-old technique, the meat forward menu includes center cut, thin end, and sausage. Side dishes include macaroni and cheese, baked beans, collard greens, potato salad and cornbread. Say hey to pitmaster Corey Miller (L) when you stop in. 5707 N 40th St., Tampa. bigjohnsalabamabbq.com

Jerk Hut Island Grille & Beach Club For over 26 years, Andrew Ashmeade’s Jerk Hut has served Jamaican cuisine and drinks to the Tampa area with food that takes you on a quick trip to the islands. Not only can you get curry chicken, jerk chicken and yuca, there’s also a fully stocked bar that serves up rum punch and Jamaican iced tea. The mothership is in the University area while a downtown Tampa food truck serves daily, too. 1241 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. jerkhut.com

Bruh Man’s BBQ In the shadow of rollercoasters and open on weekends only, Cory Taylor’s Bruh Man’s barbeque is a roadside must-try off Tampa’s bustling Busch Boulevard. His team slings classic sides and meats—including two-meat combo plates that could feed three people—all cooked in a pair of gigantic smokers behind Bruh Man’s food truck trailer and adjacent free standing kitchen. The no-frills, parking lot outdoor dining room is underneath a giant car wash cover and soundtracked by a booming sound system that bumps the classic hip-hop of today (read: Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, Mike Jones). 2702 E Busch Blvd., Tampa. bruh-mans-bbq.business.site

Ladies of the Sea & Soulfood Whether you like soul food or seafood, Ladies of the Sea & Soulfood has a variety of options for both. The spot has been open for over 25 years and serves classics like conch, snow crab trays, jerk chicken, shila (a traditional rice dish originating from Georgia) plus fried fish and shrimp. 2705 E Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Tampa. 813-247-2722

Coasis Coasis is a hybrid restaurant from popular Tampa chef Melissa Gardner. Hence the name, the dining concept shares a building with a salon, and as you can see, the decor is an entire vibe. But besides the Instagramable space, Coasis features crafted cocktails from the bar and a diverse menu with everything from oysters, lamb chops, and shrimp ceviche. 7701 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa. @coasistampa on Instagram Copa Located in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg’s Edge district, Copa is the place for wine and beer lovers. Copa was designed and created by local brothers Maxim and Sebastien Thuriere, and offers a fusion of international dishes, such as jerk tofu spring rolls, seared ahi tuna plus copa tostones. 1047 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. copadtsp.com Flava’s Chitown Wings Opening last September, Flava’s is all about, you guessed it, wings. The new spot offers dozens of chicken wing variations—from unique sauces to dry rubs, and everything in between. Just a handful of wing flavors include chili lime, honey barbecue, ghost pepper, Nashville hot, mango habanero and garlic parmesan. Flavas co-owners Jacques Brooks and partner Deonta Taylor

Lorene’s Fish House The fried catfish sandwich is a staple of this St. Pete fish shack. But Lorene’s has been a local’s favorite for years, and more recently made a cameo in They Hate Change’s music video for “Blatant Localism.” 927 22nd St. S, St Petersburg. 727-321-7297 Mama’s Southern Cooking If you’re looking for classic, homestyle goodness, Mama’s Southern Cooking is the spot for it. For over 15 years, Chef Reaves and Katrina have been whipping up classics like porkchop sandwiches, chicken liver and beef tips. 3701 E Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Tampa. mamassoulfoodrestaurant.com Mango’s Serving up Caribbean and Haitian Creole cuisine Mangos is a Temple Terrace favorite. The restaurant itself has a Haitian menu, a Caribbean menu, a soul food menu, and brunch menu on Sundays. Food selections like Jamaican patties, jerk chicken, and curry goat are staples across the menus with highlights of traditional soul food like turkey wings, collard greens, plus homemade mac and cheese. 9718 N 56th St., Temple Terrace. mangoscateringservice.com The Outside Kitchen The Outside Kitchen has a menu packed with flavor. Make sure you get there early because the kitchen is known for selling out quickly. The rotating menu includes glazed lamb chops, jerk crab cakes, shrimp and grits, bang bang pasta and rasta pasta 4622 E Hillsborough Ave., Tampa. @outside_ kitchen on Instagram

26 | FEBRUARY 15-21, 2024 | cltampabay.com

RAY ROA

7th + Grove Southern restaurant and lounge 7th and Grove is the perfect harmony of good food and good vibes. Offering a menu stacked full of southern favorites like, catfish nuggets, fried alligator Tail and seared salmon. The cocktail menu offers great pairings like the Beyoncé, which is made with Hennessy, lemonade, simple syrup, topped with champagne. 1930 E 7th Ave., Ybor City. 7thandgrove.com

recently relocated from Chicago, and wanted to bring a taste of home back to Tampa. A few Chicago-inspired items on their menu include a Polish sausage topped with cheese, grilled onions and peppers, and the city’s beloved pizza puff, which is basically a fancy Hot Pocket. 4819 E Busch Blvd., Tampa. flavasrestaurants.com

Lorene’s Fish House Pepper’s Island Trinidadian restaurant Pepper’s Island officially debuted last August. The official opening of Pepper’s Island marks an important chapter for owner Rodney Dhanraj, who had a long-term goal of opening a restaurant in honor of his grandparent’s 60 year-old roti shop back in Trinidad. Guests can dive into dishes like stewed chicken, curry duck, and paratha aka “Buss up Shot.” 1701 E 4th Ave., Ybor City. peppersislandrestaurant.com Queen of Sheba Queen of Sheba owner Seble Gizaw curated a menu focused solely on traditional Ethiopian cuisine with a weekday lunch buffet. The food is served on a traditional flatbread called teff and if you’re new to Ethiopian cuisine, start with the Queen’s Eight Platter, loaded with four beef and chicken samplings, alongside four veggie choices. 11001 N 56th St., Temple Terrace. ethiopianrestauranttampa.com Rays Vegan Soul Ray Milton, the owner of Rays Vegan Soul, combines soul food with a vegan twist. Menu items like cashew-based mac and cheese, African almond soup and quinoa meatloaf are on the lineup. Try the local kombucha, stick around for live jazz music on Sundays. If you want to indulge in your sweet tooth, options like plum cobbler and sweet potato pie are also on the menu. 1330 49th St. S, Gulfport. raysvegansoul.com Roam Curated by the duo behind Red’s BBQ, Roam is French and New York steakhouse with a Southern twist. The rotating menu highlights staples like alfredo cavatelli, and a drink menu that contains signature cocktails like The Dirty Peach crafted with whiskey, lemon, peach, simple, and dirty cherry. 3405 34th St. N, St. Petersburg. roamsteakhouse.com Soulful Flavors Owner Andre Warren whips up Southern-style staples with various seafood selections, too. The rotating menu offers seafood eggrolls, Hennessy flavored wings and oxtails. But besides the soul food, there’s a full bar with hookah available, and don’t skip the Sunday brunch with bottomless mimosas and lobster tail and grits. 2001 E Fowler Ave. Unit B, Tampa. soulfulflavorsseffner.com Steaming Pots One of the only west African spots in Tampa, Steaming Pots has a menu packed with African flavors, like egusi with

goat, attieke (cassava) with fish, and groundnut na peanut soup. 1109 W Waters Ave. Suite B, Tampa. @steamingpotstampa on Facebook Thee Burger Spot A one-stop shop for burgers, Thee Burger Spot is known for having the best burgers in the 813. Owned by husband and wife duo Joe and Tivona Hill, the neighborhood fave is known for whipping up unique burgers like the pizza burger, which is a quarter pound patty with pizza sauce, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, white American cheese on grilled Texas toast. 3917 N Tampa St., Tampa. theeburgerspot.com Ti Bamboo Hard to miss because of the huge Bob Marley mural by Derek Donnelly on the outside, St. Pete’s Ti Bamboo Caribbean Restaurant and Lounge takes diners straight to the Caribbean, with a menu curated of Caribbean classics like oxtail and beans, callaloo and fried plantains. 9291 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg. ti-bamboo-caribbean-restaurantand-lounge.business.site Wing Boyz Known for over 100 wing flavors, WingBoys—with locations at the Citrus Park Mall and 4990 E Busch Blvd.—has plenty of flavors, like garlic, Buffalo, lemon pepper, ranch, Cajun, teriyaki, honey, bourbon, blue cheese and jerk. Besides sauced up flats and drums, the husband and wife duo Javier Rodriguez and Angelica Torres, also have a menu packed with non wing options like melts, wraps and bowls. Multiple locations. wingboys100.com Yah Mon At Yah Mon, husband and wife duo Andre and Janise Thompson transport diners to the Caribbean with their spread of traditional island dishes. Casual dishes like stir-fry cabbage, banana fritters, brown stew chicken and curried tofu can be found on the menu. 301 W Platt St. Unit C, Tampa. yahmontampa.com Yuppi At Yuppi, Executive Chef Kyle Luke is known for whipping up the infamous “Yuppi Wings,” with a sauce that is sweet, savory, and tangy (definitely squeeze the lime on it). The half and half special is great for newcomers because it features a little bit of everything, two proteins, and two sides. Choose between fish, shrimp and the Yuppi pattie, which is actually a plant-based burger. 9024 W Hillsborough Ave., Town ‘N’ Country. theblackchefs.com

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Ups and downs

Tampa Heights cafe files for bankruptcy reorganization as it deals with surrounding construction. By Ray Roa

ast month, Tim McTague, co-founder of King State, told city council that his business’ problems with ongoing construction on surrounding streets would probably lead the Tampa coffee shop and restaurant to file bankruptcy. That day finally came. According to court records filed last week and first reported by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, King State filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. This style of bankruptcy filing will allow King State to keep operating as normal on the customer-facing side, co-founder Nate Young told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “We obviously have to get lean, and we’ve been doing that since September, when all of [the construction woes] started,” he said, adding that King State revamped its menu, streamlined its closet of a kitchen, and worked to improve margins on the backend. “It’s just a chance to kind of reorder our plan. And take a look at what we can do to continue. It’s business as usual,” Young said, adding that no staff will be laid off. He thinks the business will now be able to do more as far as planning special events. One such event includes King State’s Tampa Bay Beer Week Lagerfest on March 7, which used

to happen at The Brutalist, a taproom and contract brewery King State used to run in St. Pete. Young said in simple terms, The Brutalist—a 10,747-square-foot building, constructed in 1981, that went on the market for $2.7 million last month—fell victim to its location inside a neighborhood, plus added pressure brought on by an expanded canning line, new tanks and more. “We went for it as best we could and you know, sometimes it just doesn’t pan out,” he added. Lagerfest is now happening at Magnanimous Brewing’s new location inside the old 7venth Sun Brewery on 6809 N Nebraska Ave. in Seminole Heights. In the bankruptcy filings, King State reported a net loss of $72,600 between last October and December. The paperwork also lists between $1-$10 million in liabilities, plus $500,000 in estimated unsecured claims. “The claim is encompassing the losses that we have from before and where those losses will be,” Young said. Last month, McTague told Tampa City Council that King State had already experienced a six-figure loss in the first quarter. He and Young told TBBJ that the business estimates that “total losses will climb to $300,000 by April.”

On Jan. 12, McTague told WMNF public affairs program The Skinny that what finally set the claim in motion was realizing that King State was five figures below its numbers during the 2020 Covid shutdowns. “The only way any businesses like ours got through that is with forgivable non-debt, financial aid. And that’s all we’re asking for. So we extrapolated the losses that we can obviously prove. I pulled all of our reports for four years, it’s proven,” McTague told WMNF. “And then realizing that it’s three to four to five more months, we just forecasted what those losses would extrapolate over six or seven months.” Construction around King State, located at 520 E Floribraska Ave. near I-275, is related to the hundreds of millions of dollars the City of Tampa is pouring into upgrading infrastructure including water pipes. Work began last September and will continue until at least April before another complete streets project starts in May. King State made its issues with construction—which more or less blocked off all access to the business—public in a big way last month. Dozens showed up the Tampa City Council to

“God, it has been fucking hell.”

NUH: There’s no end in sight for the construction around King State.

30 | FEBRUARY 15-21, 2024 | cltampabay.com

FOOD NEWS voice their concerns, and while councilmembers don’t have the power to help King State directly via funds, councilwoman Lynn Hurtak did help the business with creating maps and expediting signage saying the shop was open. “From our shop local campaigns to our small business navigator aimed solely at helping Tampa businesses thrive, the success of our local business community is and has always been a priority for the city,” City of Tampa spokesperson Adam Smith told CL. “Bankruptcy, often years in the making, is difficult for any business owner, and we are here to help King State however we can as they navigate through this challenging time.” McTague and Young, however, said their claim with the city has not been resolved. Young said this route gives King State, which recently opened a location in St. Petersburg, a chance to keep operating and keep its head above water. He is not interested in cutting the losses and closing the shop, and he doesn’t want King State’s claim with the city to go into any kind of litigation. “We knew we wanted to keep trying to give it our all so it’s not a fun thing. It’s not an easy thing. It’s not simple at all,” Young said. “It’s like, ‘God, it has been fucking hell.’”

RAY ROA

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Wild game-forward concept The Huntsman heads to St. Pete, plus more local food news. By Kyla Fields washed old fashioneds and beeswax-washed gin to “give the spirit more florality.” It’s been more than a year since the fate of the parcel became unclear. After almost a decade in The ‘Burg, The Mill announced its closure in January 2023 citing construction-related issues with its neighboring Art House building, although the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported shortly thereafter that the restaurant faced almost $400,00 of tax liens and were later sued by an investor for “allegedly defaulting on a $270,000 loan.” The Huntsman will most likely deal with a six month inconvenience

Renninger also tells CL that he and his partners plan to pay everyone on their St. Pete staff a salary with the expected benefits of vacation time, retirement contribution and sick leave. An 18% service fee and additional tip pool will guarantee that The Huntsman staff will receive “the bare minimum of what we think our employees deserve.” This pay structure has been implemented at the Tallahassee location since its 2022 debut, resulting in a very low staff turnover rate. Renninger explains that the Huntsman’s flagship restaurant has retained almost its entire kitchen staff during the two years since it’s opened.

slaw that comes in different flavors. Sandwiches and hot dogs are also part of the menu. • Hotel Flor in downtown Tampa announced that Dernier Buleje is the new executive chef at its restaurant, The Dan, where he has reimagined the 1920s-inspired speakeasy’s culinary program. —Ray Roa • Magnamious Brewing recently debuted its new Seminole Heights taproom at 6809 N Nebraska Ave. in 7venth Sun Brewing’s former warehouse space. Its temporary hours in Seminole Heights will be 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, noon-10 p.m. FridaySaturday, noon-8 p.m. on Sunday and closed

HUNTSMANTALLAHASSEE/FACEBOOK

new restaurant headed to one of downtown St. Pete’s most bustling blocks aims to expand the palate of diners throughout The ‘Burg. The Huntsman—a new American concept that focuses on ethically-sourced wild game and “farm & stream-to-table” fare—hopes to debut out of The Mill’s former space at 200 Central Ave. No. 100 during the third or fourth quarter of this year. While Tallahassee’s flagship location of The Huntsman mainly serves of a crowd of college students or folks traveling for political reasons, Daniel Renninger—who owns the concept with Executive Chef Skylar Stafford and fellow partner Ben Williamson—tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the new restaurant will fit well in St. Pete’s “vibrant and eclectic” food scene. “That 200 Central space is a fantastic location that met all of the criteria that we were looking for,” Renninger says. “The landlord, property managers and contractor are excellent to work with and it feels like everything lined up and just makes sense.” With an appetizer menu of small plates like wood-fired bone marrow, grouper tartare, and fire-roasted oysters alongside entrees like boar and rabbit cacciatore, moulard duck cassoulet and seafood jambalaya, the upcoming restaurant will feature a wide spread of familiar dishes with an eclectic, wild bent. The Huntsman will also offer separate five-course seasonal tasting menus for either carnivores or vegans, in addition to an a la carte meat menu of elk tenderloins and bison ribeyes. Other items range from a $42 deer leg filet to a $82 five-oz. strip of Japanese A5 wagyu—although its ownership understands that these unique proteins may not be for everyone. “We have a whole bunch of items that are not as intimidating to some people—filet mignon, imported and domestic wagyu, chicken, fresh seafood, vegan and vegetarian options—we have it all,” Renninger says. “We love exposing people to a dish or protein they’ve never had before, but not everyone is looking for an adventure.” St. Pete’s Huntsman will also offer brunch service, unlike its location in Tallahassee that is only open for dinner and late-night bites. While its brunch and lunch menu are still in development, it will definitely feature all of the expected egg and Benedict dishes alongside daytime cocktails like mimosas and bloody marys. Sips offered during happy hour, dinner service and late-night hours will include traditional cocktails with unique, carnivorous twists—like its dirty martini with foie gras and black truffle stuffed olives, wild boar bacon-fat

WILD THING: Huntsman’s grilled antelope with duck fat sweet potatoes, crispy onions and a red wine reduction sauce. while Art House wraps its construction up in 2025, but the restaurant’s ownership is not worried about its long-term effects. “Is there construction going on? Yes. Will it be going on for forever? Definitely not,” Renninger shares. “The Art House that’s under construction is going to complement our concept and our customers will be able to utilize its valet and other parking services, so it’s ultimately a good thing.” In terms of The Huntsman’s own construction and build-out, Renninger says that they’re “completely gutting it down to the studs,” which includes installing a special hood system for its wood-fired grills.

For the latest information on St. Pete’s newest bar and restaurant and its late-2024 grand opening, head to its Facebook at @ HuntsmanTallahassee or Instagram at @ Huntsmanrestaurants. ICYMI • Popular Savannah, Georgia food truck DefBurger has plans to open a brick-and-mortar in St. Petersburg’s Hillside Center shopping plaza. The truck—run by deaf restaurateur head chef Anna Cerney and her father, Brian Cerney, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal— specializes in burgers topped with made-to-order

Monday-Tuesday. The operating hours for its Tampa Heights and Bradenton taprooms will remain the same. • Specialty meat store Southern Steer Butcher just celebrated its grand opening in west St. Pete last weekend and is now open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Located at 2145 66th St. N adjacent to the Tyrone mall, the butcher shop features prime cuts of steak, chicken, beef roasts, sausages, pork chops and tenderloins, marinades, cheeses, craft beer and more. There are other Southern Steer Butch locations in Clearwater, Sarasota and Orlando.

cltampabay.com | FEBRUARY 15-21, 2024 | 33

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WINNER, WINNER: Offerings in the Space Perspectives capsule will be better than chicken dinner.

Tampa’s Hard Rock casino wants to literally send someone to space. By Ray Roa

ampeños don’t need much coaxing to head to the casino, but Hard Rock Tampa has reached its "we’re sending people to space" era. Last week, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, unveiled a new giveaway that includes a literal trip to space. The winner will do it on a vessel provided by self-described “luxury space travel company” Space Perspective. The company says that its windowed, bougie-as-fuck vessel—buoyed by a “SpaceBallon” large enough to house the Statue of Liberty—will reach heights of “100,000 feet above 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere as part of the six-hour flight. Naturally, the eight passengers on the flight will “Share cocktails, chat with your fellow passengers, and select the perfect playlist for the climb.” And, yes, there’s a bathroom and Wi-Fi. The flight on the “Spaceship Neptune— which does not require any training, and involves no weightlessness or heavy G-forces— is valued at $125,000, according to a release from the casino. That makes Space Perspective’s offering less than Virgin Galactic ($450,000),

and makes it look like Spirit Airlines compared to the millions of dollars some paid to go up to space with Blue Origin. Space Perspective has more than 1,700 ticketholders confirmed for the experience, Kim Persse, Head of Marketing & Communications for Space Perspective told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. The early adopters, she said, are the kind of people who love space and cannot believe that this opportunity is happening in their lifetime. The company—which operated on the east coast of Florida out of Kennedy Space Center—successfully sent a capsule simulator up and down 200,00 feet in 2021. Since then, Space Perspective has been manufacturing the capsule casino winners will ride. Persse said there’s no date set for the flight yet because the capsule has not yet been tested for human flight. Test flights for the capsule are set to start in the next couple of months, she added, with hordes of data collection to follow. The company hopes to do human test flights towards the end of the year.

A&E NEWS

“Almost there on actual uncrewed test flight,” Persse said. “I think that once we have the uncrewed test like behind the wheel, we’ll have a clearer picture of the commercial timeframe. But this year is definitely going to be a big testflight year.” The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s “$150,000 Win a Trip to Space Drawing” is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 29 and starts at noon. Five players will win $500 cash every hour, with the grand prize winner being selected at 9:30 p.m. Anyone with one of Hard Rock Tampa’s Unity cards can claim one free entry daily, and earn more by playing slots or table games. And we thought car giveaways were cool. Busch Gardens SkyRide has reopened, but not everyone is happy about it After three years idle, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's popular SkyRide attraction officially reopened this month. The kid-friendly ride takes passengers back and forth between Stanleyville station and Cheetah Hunt Plaza, rising as high as 50 feet above various attractions and animals, mainly the Serengeti Plain. While the news was welcomed by just about anyone who has ever had to walk back to the main entrance from Jungala with a tired toddler, many BGT fans were shocked by a new fee attached to the ride. Unlike previous years,

COURTESY

the slow-moving, gondola-style transportation ride now costs $5 extra for regular admission guests, but is still free for Annual Pass, Fun Card and Preschool Card holders, says the park. The disclosure of the new fee was not mentioned in the social media post, but was added to the ride’s dedicated webpage. Regardless, commenters still noticed. “Reopening as an upcharge attraction is very disappointing,” wrote one commenter on the post. “Imagine having to pay for a ride that used to be free,” said another. It’s unclear what changes or upgrades have occurred since it’s been shuttered, but the SkyRide does have a new logo and signage at the loading stations. Designed by the Von Roll Holdings company, the SkyRide initially opened at the park in 1974, but closed in 2020 during the pandemic. Last August Busch Gardens confirmed it would return, and began testing the ride last month. Similar gondala-style rides manufactured by Von Roll are currently at other parks owned by BGT’s parent company SeaWorld Entertainment, including SeaWorld San Diego’s Bayside Skyride and Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Aeronaut Skyride. Both of these rides are currently free for all guests. CL reached out to BGT have more information, but did not hear back.—Colin Wolf

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40 | FEBRUARY 15-21, 2024 | cltampabay.com

REVIEWS

PROFILES

MUSIC WEEK

Something new

Whataboutmomma is part of a weekend of firsts at Gasparilla Music Festival. By Ray Roa

that backed Joey Dee. In January 1962, Dee and the Starliters’ “Peppermint Twist” knocked Chubby Checker off the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 and spent three weeks in the no. 1 spot. “It’s funny, over Christmas, we’re all just playing instruments and singing harmonies,” Lattimore told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay about family get togethers. He and his sister both play instruments, and he started taking piano lessons at the age of three before picking up trumpet in fourth grade. The instrument got him into Blake, and he auditioned with it to get into Berklee. For Whataboutmomma, Lattimore is on vocals and guitar, instruments he started to learn as part of his songwriting track at the storied Boston music school. Alexander’s dad was a DJ, but he doesn’t consider himself someone who comes from a musical background. Momma’s boys As a kid, he fell in Whataboutmomma love with composition (stylized in all-lowerwhile using a Fisher Gasparilla Music Festival case) is built around Price keyboard that w/Young The Giant w/Lake Street Dive/Louis three friends—Jalen The Child/Big Gigantic/Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram/ was a gift from mom, more. Friday-Sunday. Feb. 16-18. $45 & up. Lattimore, Donnell who played violin in Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. 1001 N Blvd., Alexander and Stephen middle school. Tampa. gasparillamusic.com Michael Stewart—who “It was a toy, but I graduated from Blake High School just one was literally composing songs there, and she block away from Julian B. Lane. They met in noticed that I just had that natural inclination a classroom run by Carmen Griffin, Blake’s for it,” he said. Director of Jazz Studies. So he was in lessons by six years old. Like Lattimore, 24, and Alexander, 26, both went a lot of middle schoolers obsessed with “Adult to Berklee School of Music on scholarship where Swim” (Cartoon Network programming that they studied sound design, music performance, featured cutting edge music in the bump segmusic production and songwriting. Stewart, ments), Alexander fell into beat production. 24, went to Florida A&M University where he “I used to wonder, ‘Who's producing these?,’ studied jazz performance. and that's how I got put on to Flying Lotus Circumstances led them all back to their and the whole SoundCloud era and artists like born-and-raised homes where Gilchrist and Mr. Carmack and Kaytranada,” Alexander Stewart’s jazz and R&B combo already had his- explained. The mandatory dance with home tory gigging at local venues. Whataboutmomma’s PC production studio FruityLoops followed, but roots in music reach back even further. dad noticed the gift and bought him Pro Tools Lattimore’s family is like Osmonds or in seventh grade. Jacksons in its musicality. His father was in “I was getting theory and musical knowledge a military band; his late grandfather, Carlton from piano but then listening to Gucci Mane Lattimore Sr., was in “The President's Own” and Lil Wayne to pick up production,” he said. United States Marine Band and had an aunt At Blake, more piano class got his chops up, and who sang at Carnegie Hall. Grandpa also he sharpened them even more of it at Berklee. played organ in The Starliters, a ‘60s group continued on page 42

INTERVIEW

DAVE DECKER

ou only get one first time to do anything. Whataboutmomma and Gasparilla Music Festival (GMF) are about to experience that together in a big way. The band plays a primetime, 5 p.m. set on Saturday, day two of the festival. Michigan songwriter Jenn Marsh and storied New Orleans outfit Rebirth Brass Band will be on other stages at the same time, but the set is actually the first live gig that indie-rock band Whataboutmomma ever booked. GMF, for its part, is making its debut at downtown Tampa’s Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park after spending the last 12 years executing the blueprint for how music festivals should be staged at Curtis Hixon and Kiley Garden, less than half-a-mile south on the Hillsborough River. Still, both the band and festival have the tools to tackle the task at hand.

MOMMA, I MADE IT: (L-R) Donnell Alexander, Jalen Lattimore, and Stephen Stewart of Whataboutmomma.

cltampabay.com | FEBRUARY 15-21, 2024 | 41

DYLAN MELCHER C/O GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Deer Tick (2012)

BRIAN SCHANCK C/O GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Tom DeGeorge & Andre Jones (2015)

ANTHONY MARTINO C/O GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Phoebe Bridgers (2017)

42 | FEBRUARY 15-21, 2024 | cltampabay.com

continued from page 41 Stewart is deeply into lo-fi hip-hop producer Knxwledge, Pete Rock, underground East coast rap icon Westside Gunn; he even speaks the language of more contemporary emcees from Odd Future’s Earl Sweatshirt to Billboard poster boy Drake. Stewart studies Berklee alum and fellow drummer Justin Tyson, plus new school jazz giant Thundercat. “And don’t get us started on Stephen’s jazz background. He will out converse us there on any day,” Lattimore added. The band's influences include those ‘60s sounds, hip-hop, and jazz, but there’s also a lot of pop music in the mix (Now That’s What I Call Music CDs were a commodity), plus gospel for church, Brazilian hitmaker Sergio Mendes, late Clearwater-based jazz great Chick Corea, Chicago, Queen and The Police. Whataboutmomma’s songs (the band has about 20 demos)—wear all of those influences, and Alexander’s favorite thing about the band is how the core members all share that same, eclectic, musical upbringing. It’s not common to find a band where all of its members were listening to Return To Forever at age five, after all. AJ Denhoff, who studied upright bass at Blake and started the schools composers collective club, will help Whataboutmomma pull off the music, which is indie to core, with touches of the guys’ upbringing. “You’ll get some pop, some folk, hip-hop, even trap. It’s not mainstream at all, but it’s not what you’d typically hear,” Alexander said before Lattimore added, “And not typical indie.” Whataboutmomma’s arrival at GMF is not typical either. Lattimore had no plans to play the festival. But he is an intern for the nonprofit, and one of the talent buyers, longtime Tampa promoter Julia Stewart, invited him to play after hearing a demo. He was hesitant. There was no way the band was ready to play. But she asked Alexander to play a few week’s later and he immediately said, “Yes.” “Thank god he was there,” Lattimore said, laughing. “He lit a fire under my butt. It was inspiring. He had that dog in him. And Julia had that dog in here to let us do it. I was the only one without a dog.” So for the last four months, Whataboutmomma has been practicing twice a week to get ready for the show. The band even snuck in a warm up gig at GMF’s VIP Soundcheck party in Ybor City last week. After the festival debut, Whataboutmomma will work on its album, for which it already has nine songs ready. And if the project takes off, the boys won’t forget where they came from—a sentiment baked right into the band’s very name. “‘What about mama,’” Alexander explained, is a reminder that it’s your mom that births you. It's kind of like, ‘That's where you came from.’

But it’s also your influences, the experiences in your life, those things that just birth you as a person—we’re saying, ‘Don't forget those things.’” GMF looks ahead, too Whataboutmomma won’t be the only group watching the past move into the rearview this weekend. Organizers at GMF—a nonprofit led by volunteers along with less than a fistful of paid staffers—have a gargantuan task ahead of them, too, as they prepare to make a home at a new venue. The festival—which launched on a prayer and with the backing of core "Ring of Fire" members— debuted at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and Kiley Garden in 2012. It was bold in its audacity to compete with others in the festival space, but clear-eyed in its simple mission to celebration everything supporters loved about Tampa. The profile of headlining acts has only grown over the years from Ra Ra Riot in the inaugural outing, to bands like Dr. Dog, The Meter Men, Flaming Lips, Trombone Shorty, Modest Mouse, Gogol Bordello, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Brandi Carlile, Stephen Marley, Avett Brothers, Gary Clark Jr., Cage The Elephant, Father John Misty and countless others. The festival even expanded to three days in 2021. But as previously reported, the City of Tampa cited “water intrusion issues” in a 2021 evaluation by Walter P Moore engineering firm when it did not issue permits for GMF to use Kiley. Not including retrofitting for a new drainage system, the firm estimated the probable cost of the base repair recommendations for Kiley at $9 million-$11 million. Barring some kind of miracle, it does not look like GMF will return to that part of downtown anytime soon. Even if a philanthropist footed the bill to repair Kiley, there is a movement to turn it back into a space for sitting, not a greenspace that’s used for a music festival Last spring, without Kiley in its quiver, GMF staged a two-day party across a stretched-out festival footprint, The lineup of more than 40 bands were spread out on stages at Curtis Hixon but also the Straz Center, Sparkman Wharf and Tampa Convention Center. The adaptation marked the first time the festival left park grounds since 2016, when it used MacDill Park, also just a short walk from Kiley. But 2024’s day one headliners, including Run the Jewels and Chromeo, got rained out. The 2024 edition offers a chance to bring GMF back to one address. And while you could almost use a slingshot to hit Julian B. Lane from GMF’s longtime home at Curtis Hixon, so much will look different. The University of Tampa’s minarets aren't the backdrop for the mainstage; instead 2024 GMF festival goers will get the Straz Center and downtown Tampa skyline.

“Our primary focus is to showcase the best of Tampa.”

INTERVIEW

YSANNE TAYLOR C/O GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Avett Brothers (2019)

DARYL BOWEN C/O GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL

the many stages (Pet Lizard, Pusha Preme, Alien House, Shelby Sol, and more) are also a throwback to a core GMF value. Local hip-hop also gets to shine thanks to the long overdue GMF booking for Aych (who plays on Friday). Per tradition, a gospel choir kicks things off on Saturday morning—that set is always an emotional highlight. Rock bands like Surf Mesa are there, too, but so are more reggae-rock oriented acts like Trevor Hall. And more than ever, the heavyweights on GMFs slate of headliners include polished indie-pop adored by late-millennials and Gen Z, including bands like Young The Giant, Coin, and Jesuit alum Aidan Bisset. Friday night’s headlining activities also have a strong dance vibe thanks to a “playground” DJ set by Louis the Child, plus livetronica from Big Gigantic. The lineup also doesn’t have many obvious superstars in the making, which is something of a deviation for a festival that’s hosted Grammynominated Margo Price (a two-time GMF alum). Hell, Boygenius’ Phoebe Bridgers—who won more Grammys than anyone including Taylor Swift this month—played to about 100 people in 2017. “The park was hallowed ground, and a spot for Tampa music for decades, and it fit into what we do, ” Cox said about his nonprofit festival that has spent the last 13 years putting refurbished instruments into the hands of local school kids. And while it’s sad to leave the legacy of Curtis Hixon behind—the long-demolished Curtis Hixon Hall once played host to Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, The Who, Bob Marley, U2 and more—the move opens a lot of doors that just weren’t going to budge at GMF’s old home. And if time is any indication, GMF knows how to build from the ground up and survive. This is the festival that outlasted so many big money festivals including Innings, Big Guava and Langerado down south, after all. By the looks of it, GMF is ready to take on the next chapter. Cox said he's excited to see crowds take in the music, especially the locals, and he’s proud about the expansion of free tickets for music educators. “It's a big part of what we do and a lot of these these kids that play came up under these teachers 10 years ago when they were in middle school, or elementary school,” he added. “Our primary focus is to showcase the best of Tampa,” he added. “So yeah, it’s a little bittersweet. But for what Curtis Hixon is and what GMF has grown into, it’s hit the point that we need to grow out of it, and bring new history to a new location.” Full disclosure: This writer assisted GMF with social media between March 2013-August 2016. — Visit cltampa.com/slideshows to see a gallery featuring some of our favorite memories from Gasparilla Music Festival's time at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and Kiley Garden. Check cltampa. com/music for coverage of the 2024 fest, too.

Cimafunk (2022)

YSANNE TAYLOR C/O GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL

GMF’s Executive Director David Cox also told CL that Julian B. Lane mainstage can accommodate closer to 10,000 people versus the 8,000 or so that could pack into The Curt. That creates more room for people, and it means an expanded ticket capacity, too. “There's a pretty significant size difference there. But we think it's great; in the big picture, that gives us a lot more space for more activations, and more bars, and just lots more fun things,” Cox added. “We were really constrained with the amount of space we had at Curtis Hixon.” GMF’s new map also takes advantage of Tampa’s largest downtown park, which has already played host to large events like the NFL Experience before Super Bowl LV in 2021, Tampa Pig Jig, Margarita Festival and the beloved Gasparilla Arts Festival. This will, however, be the first serious music festival to activate the 25-acre space that reopened six years ago after serious renovations. Julian B. Lane is home to four stages for GMF 2024, including a mainstage in the southeast corner of the park closest to the river. There are also stages near the park’s state of the art boathouse, a “Fortune” stage on the football field, and a stage near the park’s south west entrance near N Boulevard. The festival’s popular silent disco, happening Friday and Saturday, is also back on the schedule along with a Kids Fest on Sunday complete with family friendly activities like face painting, free tye dye shirt-making, an instrument petting zoo, the Tampa Bay Rays’ DJ Kitty, and more. As usual, each day will see GMF babies on the grounds in the daytime before sitters come to pick them up so that parents can party at night. GMF’s outdoor food hall—Calle Cocina, which has traditionally featured the best of Tampa’s culinary palette—is set to take over the southern strip of the park, too. CL will miss the simple joy of eating a Clam Master Jay shrimp roll this year, but some highlights on the 2024 culinary lineup at GMF include Filipino restaurant Lucky Tigré, longtime Seminole Heights favorite Nebraska Mini-Mart, Big Rays Fish Camp and Loli’s Mexican Cravings. It's also wild to think that downtown Tampa dive bar The Hub—thee spot for an unofficial GMF afterparty, complete with cameos from bands like Spoon and even Father John Misty—is just a little bit further away in 2024. (Hooch and Hive, just a block from Julian B. Lane, is a mighty fine plan B.) Even the music lineup has something of a different flavor this year. The 2024 slate of artists, like in the past, definitely features GMF must-haves like old school hip-hop with Digable Planets and Goodie Mob. There’s big name Americana with Lake Street Dive, plus roots with Yonder Mountain String Band and blues with Roosevelt Collier and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram. Great tribute acts (Steeln’ Peaches) and a strong local presence up and down

Dr. Kevin B. Parrott (2023)

cltampabay.com | FEBRUARY 15-21, 2024 | 43

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Evan Dando w/Willy Mason Nearly 40 years after their studio debut, Hate Your Friends, The Lemonheads released a new single, “Fear Of The Living,” last November. Evan Dando, 56-year-old frontman of the seminal alt-rock band from Boston, played all the instruments on the track, which is part of The Lemonheads’ first new album of original songs since 2006. No telling if Dando, who kicks this tour off on Feb. 7, will play any new stuff, but oddball New York songwriter Willy Mason opens the show. (Crowbar, Ybor City Teenage Bottlerocket w/Broadway Calls/ Drawn Out/Right On Time It’s been 11 years since Oregon punk-rock band Broadway Calls has been able to come to Tampa Bay, but the group is happy to be coming back as part of this bill. “Being from Oregon, touring through Florida seems like a foreign land: politically, culturally, and environmentally, and that’s why we’re so happy to be coming back! We’ve missed Ybor City, and finally have a reason to wander your streets again!,” vocalist-guitarist Ty Vaughn told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. (Brass Mug, Tampa)

FRI 16

C Bryan Hughes and The Crew (album release) Hughes’ Crew usually holds down a residency at Floridian Social, but after helping local legend John Lamb celebrate his 90th birthday in the same room last month, the singer returns to Palladium to unveil a new album recorded in Nashville. He's backed by a who’s-who of Tampa Bay jazz royalty including drummer Jean Bolduc and trumpeter James Suggs. As per usual, expect to indulge in jazz, pop, and Great American Songbook selections coming out of Hughes’ super-quintet. (Side Door Cabaret at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) C Diana Krall The last time Krall graced Ruth Eckerd, she had plenty to share regarding the lore behind her Great American Songbook-anchored setlist, while also accidentally revealing that her husband Elvis Costello (who graced the same stage last month) was working on something with Burt Bacharach at that time. There’s no new material for the 59-year-old singer/pianist to lean on, but it looks like she’s been throwing in a few rock songs into her gigs, so don’t get thrown off guard if you hear her hubby’s “Almost Blue.” (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) C Dunedin Is For Lovers: Wolf-Face w/ Permanent Makeup/Rutterkin While this free gig is technically for lovers, don’t be afraid to head down to Florida’s oldest microbrewery as a single pringle anyway. Michael J. Wolf and his hairy Wolf-Face brethren (all

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Hannah Wicklund of whom make a kickass Halloween costume) hasn’t played Dunedin in almost a year, so even though you’ll have to miss out on dunking the brewery’s divine-AF beerfried chicken and fries into the boys’ Hot Butt Stuff hot sauce (Wolf’s pepper plants didn’t produce at all last year), get to this post-Valentine’s Day gig early anyway, so you can take a good gander at those nose hairs (and pubes) up close. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) C Gasparilla Music Festival: Young The Giant w/Louis The Child/Big Gigantic/ Lake Street Dive/Coin/Trevor Hall/ Digable Planets/Beach Weather/Surf Mesa/more As organizers told CL last March, Tampa’s Gasparilla Music Festival (GMF) moves to a new venue this spring. Friday, the 13th annual iteration of the festival commences at Julian B. Lane. Indie-pop favorite Young The Giant, soulful Americana roots act Lake Street Dive, and livetronic hiphop and jazz duo Big Gigantic toped the initial lineup. Also included are Grammy-winning Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, a Mississippibased guitarist (who’s been called the future of the blues), masked, melodic Tampa rapper Pusha Preme (whose 2023 GMF appearance got rained out), plus Bay area rap scene staple Aych, party-ready punk-rock band Pet Lizard, Tampa’s godfather of hip-hop DJ Sandman, saxophonist Zeta the Babe and more. (Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, Tampa) Hannah Wicklund & The Steppin’ Stones Perhaps the youngest industry vet in the blues-rock game, Wicklund has been touring through the Bay area since at least 2018. Songs on the 26-year-old’s latest album, The Prize, finds the guitarist and songwriter are more melodic, fleshed out and polished than anything Wicklund’s released since first hitting the stage at age nine. The record is bombastic, too, which makes sense since she spent part of 2022 on the road supporting Greta van Fleet. (Crowbar, Ybor City) Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Every the quadruple-P rolls into town, audiences walk away with something new, whether it’s an unexpected Disney song dusted off mid-set,

or a jam sesh from a Berklee College of Music professor. This time around, the Baltimore jam band is testing the waters on some tracks from its synthy seventh album Day In Time, due in late April. Frontman “Scrambled Greg” Ormont describes the record as a reminder that every moment is precious, and how hard it is to believe that it’s already been 15 years since coming together. “That said, we still feel like kids when we’re getting wild on stage and know we always will,” he added. There’s currently no support act on the board, so don’t hold back on doing your homework. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) C Rod Stewart Rod the Bod keeps on talking about how he’s done playing his rock material and wants to spend the rest of his touring career focusing on his big band material (which Judy Collins praised at a downtown Clearwater gig last month), but despite a new swing album with Jools Hollis due later this month, the 79-year-old is having a hard time letting it go. Stewart is currently fresh off of a Las Vegas residency, and is even set to co-headline a gig or two with Billy Joel later this year, so while part of me doubts we’ll ever get those big-band-focused shows, you can’t hate on the hits. He wears it well, you know. (Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa) C Softcult w/Glixen Canadian rock duo Softcult—one of Stereogum’s 2023 Bands To Watch—just released a new song, “Shortest Fuse,” where twins Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn roast capitalism over a bed of dreamy shoegaze. “The benefits of capitalism are rarely equally distributed, accruing wealth to a very small percentage of the population. Built on the notion of greed, benefitting only by paying workers less than what their labor is worth, it’s difficult to not become disenfranchised with capitalism when you exist in this reality and see no end in sight,” the band wrote in a statement. Arizonian outfit Glixen opens the show fresh off the release of its heavy new single “Foreversoon.” (Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)

continued on page 46

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Yvie Oddly The Denver-based drag queen— once a contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race”—hasn’t held back on the handful of singles and EPs she has under her belt, but Oddly’s most scathing material is featured on her 2020 debut album Drag Trap. The record has references to Grindr and gigging, but most notably, on “Karen,” the 30-year-old gives a major middle finger to the entitled, and can almost certainly apply to the antidrag politicians that walk among us. This gig promises a “wild journey of love, strangeness, and pure entertainment,” and, like a good chunk of Orpheum events, is an 18-andup affair. (Orpheum, Tampa)

SAT 17

Broken Hearts Fest: Red Jumpsuit Apparatus w/The Funeral Portrait/ Glimmers/Stoned Mary/Up From Here Before heading to Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival this fall—performing its debut album Don’t You Fake It cover to cover— Middleburg, Florida-based pop-punk outfit Red Jumpsuit Apparatus headlines a “broken hearts fest” in Bradenton, alongside a fistful of fellow southern emo bands that don’t swing into the area very often. (Oscura, Bradenton) Cloonee No stranger to the glossy Miami Beach scene, tech house producer Cloonee brings new collaborations (like his latest with Sosa, “Weeping Willow”) to Tampa’s historic district, but in a different kind of club. Instead of the traditional venue, promoter Pied Piper, which has recently brought EDM to Armature Works, begins its entrance to the Ybor City scene with a gig at one of the neighborhood’s oldest institutions. (The Cuban Club, Ybor City) C The Eradicator w/Caught Fire The Eradicator’s devotion to the 1989 "Kids In the Hall" skit is impressive, disconcerting and wholly entertaining all at once. Clad is a full face ski mask and squash-court-ready attire, the locallybased, nationally infamous, project serves up straight ahead punk-rock, and most recently put out a 2022 outing (Forever The Eradicator) that plays well with a discography that goes all the way back to 2015. Usually in action on club stages, this gig on the back patio of a beloved Seminole Heights bottle features almost lockerroom-level intimacy. (Jug & Bottle Dept., Tampa) C James McMurtry w/Betty Soo Don’t get me wrong: James McMurtry’s latest album The Horses and the Hounds is one of the finest singer-songwriter albums of 2021, and provides a fascinating closer glimpse at the 61-year-old’s process of world creation and character development. But supergroup junkies should never forget his time in Buzzin’ Cousins—featuring John Mellencamp, John Prine, Dwight Yoakam, and Joe Ely—which only released one single, “Sweet Suzanne,” and could have easily left a mark far more

major on the country scene. You probably won’t hear that stuff at the Skipperdome this weekend, but at the very least, up-and-coming Texan singer-songwriter Betty Soo plays opener. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) Judy Kuhn “Les Miserables” is set to close the Straz Center’s 2023-24 Broadway series in June, but before that happens, the Broadway version’s original Cosette (one of two main characters that survives to the end of the show) is set to perform the showtunes that earned her four Tony Award nominations. Not to mention how her performance of “Colors Of The Wind” in Disney’s “Pocahontas” earned composer Alan Menken both a Grammy and an Oscar. (Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo)

Meth

VANESSA VALADEZ

C Sundé Tampa Bay doesn’t get many chances to see Sundé, but singer-songwriter Dé Christianne (who’s not unafraid to break out into rap) and Cameron Dorsey play a no-cover Seminole Heights gig to showcase a mix of originals and covers all in a patina of jazz, R&B and funk-soul that is one of the more unique sounds in Tampa Bay. (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa)

C Pink It Up: Saganaki Bomb Squad w/Victims of Circumstance/Bargain Bin Heroes/Chilled Monkey Brains/ more Skank to the sounds of nearly a dozen Bay area ska bands for Pink it Up no. 15. All proceeds go to the Morton Plant Mease Healthcare Foundation to support the education, screening and treatment of breast cancer, including the Mammography Voucher Program, Cancer Support Services and Susan Cheek Needler Breast Center at Morton Plant Hospital. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —Suz Townsend

SUN 18

deadmau5 Before celebrating 20 years of his debut studio album, the Deadmau5— whose merchandise felt inescapable if you were in middle school a decade ago—brings a career retrospective, along with some new tracks made with Kaskade, to one of the matinee pool party capitals of Tampa Bay. The 41-year-old EDM legend might plug his Twitch streaming ventures, and believe me, you don’t want to piss him off. (Hard Rock Event Center Pool at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa) C Jess Jocoy w/Will Quinlan New powerpop single “Radio Life” aside, Will Quinlan is very much Tampa Bay’s king of the melancholy folk song, and he might have met his match in Jess Jocoy. The title track of the Nashville songwriter’s 2022 album Let There Be No Despair features a forlorn, crystalline vocal that channels the earnest of Gillian Welch while also wearing polish and power of Brandi Carlile. (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)

TUE 20

C Great Lake Swimmers w/Clem Snide If you’re up for some folkin’ around, Canadian band Great Lake Swimmers finds itself in uncertain country–or rather, on the "Uncertain Country" tour following the release of its album of the same name. Supporting band Clem Snide has an album in the works as well. Clem Snide, the project of of songwriter Eef Barzelay, knows that everyone has a story to tell, and each episode of its new podcast project, "A Life In Song," begins with just that—an ordinary person’s life-changing or heart-breaking story which the band then turns into a song to be on their upcoming album. (Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)—Suz Townsend

46 | FEBRUARY 15-21, 2024 | cltampabay.com

C William Elliott Whitmore w/Noan Partly Fourteen years after a legendary set at New World Brewery’s Ybor City location, Whitmore returns to Tampa Bay. The 45-year-old Iowan supports his 11th studio album, Silently, The Mind Breaks, and Noan Partly, a firebrand Bay area songwriter, and truly the most appropriate act to open for Whitmore, is also on the bill. In her review of Whitmore’s Best Of The Bay-winning 2012 set in Ybor City, songwriter Shae Krispinsky wrote, “Though Whitmore’s songs address themes of revenge, redemption, back-breaking labor and hard living, his performance was lively and full of spirit; he strummed, shook, and knocked over the microphone.” That echoed a familiar sentiment in a recollection of Whitmore’s 2005 Bay area show when he opened for Against Me! (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)

WED 21

C Meth w/The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir/Star of Khorala/Plague Spitter As Born Free Pub & Grill searches for a new location after its sudden closure, Deviant Libation—helmed by beloved brewer and local music scene champ Tim Ogden—has emerged as Tampa’s haven for hardcore. Meth, a heavy and experimental band from Chicago, brings a new album, Shame, released this month, to the Ybor Heights brewery where the walls might melt an account of the guttural, sometimes droning assault and pain pouring out of vocalist Seb Alvarez who grapples with his then-undiagnosed bi-polar and unchecked addiction issues across 42 intense minutes. Chaotic Georgia mathcore outfit The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir opens the show along with a pair of local heavy hitters, Star of Khorala and Plague Spitter. (Deviant Libation, Tampa)

C Timeless Hip Hop: The Beatnuts w/Craig G/Mr. Cheeks/MC Serch/DJ Sandman It’s been a quarter century since The Beatnuts brought Enoch Light’s shopping mall disco-pop out of Sears and into hip-hop via “Watch Out Now.” The Queens crew of Latino rappers and producers is the latest headliner for MC Serch and Sandman’s “Timeless Hip Hop” series and is joined by another Queens MC (Mr. Cheeks), plus Craig G, who spent the ‘80s and ‘90s running with Marley Marl and his Juice Crew. Different from a traditional rap show, the series lets legends of the game share hits in a free-flowing form, complete with storytelling. (Hard Rock Cafe at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa) C Thelma and the Sleaze w/Lesa Silvermore Band/Beach Terror Hailing from Nashville, Thelma and the Sleaze is no stranger to Tampa Bay, having played several shows here in the past couple years. The independent all-woman rock band is on tour behind its latest album Holey Water, but needs fans’ support to fund a new tour van so frontwoman Lauren “LG” Gilbert can stay on the road spreading the sapphic southern sleaze-rock gospel. (Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)—Suz Townsend

THU 22

Drake White w/Adam Hood Drake White has bounced back from a 2019 onstage stroke, and the 40-year-old country singersongwriter proves it on his latest EP The Bridge. This latest addition to White’s discography features a contribution from Colbie Caillat, and is described as a journey of “self rediscovery and purpose.” Singer-songwriter Adam Hood, whose previous credits include collaborating with Chris Stapleton and opening for Leon Russell, opens this St. Pete gig. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

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No comps: New concerts coming to Tampa Bay A guy that calls himself Jeffrey Paradise most certainly should have a project called Poolside, and the L.A. producer has plans to bring his brand of “daytime disco” to the Sunshine State next month. Tickets to see Poolside play Crowbar in Ybor City, Florida on Tuesday, March 12 are on sale now and start at $35. The Tampa show is one of three Florida dates for Poolside which also stops in Orlando (March 13) and Miami (March 14) before a run through Central America. Paradise is on the road in support of a new album, Blame It All On Love, which he’s described as a two-year labor of love that is made to be played live (he plays piano, guitar, bass and sings). A rep for the band told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Poolside's

lineup on the tour includes The Rapture’s Vito Roccoforte and Mattie Safer, plus Casey Butler (Pharaohs), and guitarist Alton Allen. When Poolside was born in the hills of Los Feliz, dubstep was on the rise, and the laid-back aesthetic of the project played a welcome foil. The band has released five albums, six mixtapes and more than a dozen EPs and singles since its inception in 2011. Look below to see more of Josh Bradley’s weekly roundup of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay. "The Show," CL's big ol' listing of every concert in Tampa Bay continues to be updated at cltampa.com and returns to print periodically.—Ray Roa Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra Saturday,

23. 7 p.m. No cover. Crowbar, Ybor City

April 20. 8 p.m. $39.50 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Dirtbike w/MTVH1N1/Spoiled Rat/Story Mode Saturday, March 2. 8 p.m. $10. American

Heart w/Cheap Trick Friday, April 26. 8 p.m.

Legion 111, Tampa

$31.25 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa

Bret Michaels Saturday, March 9. Time TBA. $25 & up. Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg

Das Ich w/Astari Nite/Oberer Totpunkt/ DJ Dave Saturday, April 27. 8 p.m. $20. Music

Poolside w/TBA Tuesday, March 12. 7 p.m.

Panter Belico Saturday, April 27. 8 p.m. $55.75

Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa

$35. Crowbar, Ybor City

& up. Yuengling Center, Tampa

CAMPGround24 Thursday-Saturday, March

Erra w/Make Them Suffer/Void of Vision/ Novelists Wednesday, May 1. 7 p.m. $22.50.

14-16.

Save Born Free: Dead Mirrors w/ The Path of Increased Indifference/ Low Season/Prescribed Fire/Same Day Delivery Orchestra/Tension Electric/This Is Goodbye/Boycott/more Saturday, March 16. 2 p.m. $15. Crowbar, Ybor City

Emery w/The Almost Sunday, March 17. 6 p.m. $30. Orpheum, Tampa

Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Spanish Love Songs w/Oso Oso/Sydney Sprague/Worry Club Friday, May 3. 6 p.m. $24. Orpheum, Tampa

Alpha Wolf w/Emmure/UnityTX/Chamber Saturday, May 4. 6 p.m. $20. Orpheum, Tampa

Thy Art Is Murder w/Angelmaker/Signs of the Swarm/Snuffed On Sight Sunday,

Crash Test Dummies Wednesday, March

May 5. 7 p.m. $30 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

20. 8 p.m. $29 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Kurt Vile and the Violators Wednesday, May 8. 8 p.m. $29.50. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Smoking Popes w/Rodeo Boys/more TBA Wednesday, March 20. 7 p.m. $20. Orpheum, Tampa

Brent Cobb Thursday, March 28. 7 p.m. $20. Orpheum, Tampa

Jeanie w/Tinykvt/Neave$ Friday, March 29. 10 p.m. No cover. The Ritz, Ybor City

Silverada w/Tony Logue Saturday, March 30. 8 p.m. $20. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa

Diamond Rio (opening for Alabama) Friday, April 5. 7 p.m. $49.50 & up. The Sound, Clearwater

Lords Of Acid w/Praga Khan Friday, May 10. 6:30 p.m. $25. Orpheum, Tampa

Reverend Horton Heat w/The Suffrajettes Friday, May 17. 7 p.m. $28. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Dave Matthews Band Wednesday, May 22. 7:30 p.m. Prices TBA. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Kamelot w/HammerFall/Ad Infinitum Saturday, May 25. 7:30 p.m. $34.50. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Todd Rundgren Saturday and Sunday, May

April 6. 7 p.m. $25. Hooch and Hive, Tampa

25 & 26. 8 p.m. $49.50 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Wind Rose w/Xandria Tuesday, April 9. 7

The Allman Betts Band Monday, May 27.

Vs Self w/Party Hats/Knumears Saturday,

p.m. $27. Orpheum, Tampa

Benny The Butcher Wednesday, April 17. 7 p.m. $27. The Ritz, Ybor City Beach Fossils w/Nation of Language Friday, April 19. 7 p.m. $29.50 & up. Orpheum, Tampa

Jesse McCartney Friday, April 19. 6 p.m. $25.50 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City Shrek Rave Saturday, April 20. 9 p.m. $20. The Ritz, Ybor City

JASMINE SAFAEIN

Shelby Sol (EP Release party) Friday, Feb.

7:30 p.m. $49.60 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie w/NLE Choppa/ Dess Dior/Luh Tyler Thursday, June 6. 8 p.m. $54.35 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Knocked Loose w/Loathe/Show Me The Body/Speed Sunday, June 9. 6 p.m. Sold out. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Monsieur Periné Sunday, June 9. 7 p.m. $30. Orpheum, Tampa

John Hiatt Friday, June 14. 8 p.m. $49.50 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Train w/REO Speedwagon/Yacht Rock Revue Tuesday, Aug. 20. 6:25 p.m. $48.65 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Justin Timberlake Friday, June 14. 7:30 p.m. $55 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa

Incubus w/Coheed and Cambria Tuesday,

Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls w/ Amigo The Devil/Bridge City Sinners/ Micah Schnabel/Vanessa Jean Speckman Tuesday, June 18. 5:30 p.m. $35.25.

Sept. 3. 7:30 p.m. $35.75 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa

Powerwolf w/Unleash the Archers

Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Saturday, Sept. 7. 7 p.m. $39.50. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Violent Vira w/Alexis Munroe/Max Diaz/ Brayton Thursday, June 20. 6 p.m. $25 & up.

Luke Bryan w/George Birge/Dillon Carmichael/Larry Fleet/DJ Rock Saturday,

Orpheum, Tampa

The Spill Canvas w/Have Mercy Saturday, July 6. 8 p.m. $25. Orpheum, Tampa

Sept. 14. 7 p.m. $89.25 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Melissa Etheridge w/Jewel Thursday, Sept. 26. 6:30 p.m. $51 & up. The Sound, Clearwater

The Doobie Brothers w/Robert Cray Thursday, July 11. 7 p.m. $48.65 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Lawrence Friday, Sept. 27. 7 p.m. $28. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

8 p.m. $54.80 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Kidz Bop Live Saturday, Oct. 5. 6 p.m. $43 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

UB40 w/The English Beat/Maxi Priest

Bonnie Raitt w/James Hunter Saturday,

Janet Jackson w/Nelly Tuesday, July 16.

Thursday, Aug. 8. 6 p.m. $49.50 & up. The Sound, Clearwater

Nov. 23. 8 p.m. $63.25 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

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Obsessed By Dan Savage

A therapist suggested I might have “Relationship OCD,” which is OCD with the obsessions and compulsions focusing on romantic relationships. While I haven’t been formally diagnosed, it rings true to me. As soon as I get close to someone, I experience so much anxiety. If I kissed a partner and they kissed me in a way I didn’t like, I would think, “Why didn’t you like that? Maybe you don’t really love them. Maybe you don’t even like people of this gender. Maybe you’re lying to yourself.” And before I know it, I’m spinning out of control and panicking. When I’m single, I never have thoughts like this. I was in a four-year relationship that just ended. While I’m sad it ended, I understand why it needed to and I’m trying to move forward. However, I’m stuck on the impact my obsessions had on our sex life. In the first two-to-three years I didn’t have these obsessions, but during the last one I started to experience such bad anxiety that I couldn’t enjoy sex. It was devastating. Perhaps foolishly, I viewed this person as the exception to my obsessive thinking, but it seems like as the stakes in the relationship heightened, so did my obsessive thoughts. I’m single again now, and I learned a valuable lesson from this relationship: no matter what relationship I’m in or how much I love my partner, I will have these obsessive thoughts. I’m in therapy, and I would like to have a long-term relationship with someone that includes living together, traveling together, and maybe even having kids together. But I find it hard to work on my issue when I’m NOT in a relationship. Is there anything I can do right now, while I’m single, that will help me in my next relationship? —Sad That Relationship Elevates Stress Symptoms

fall in love with—the moment you start picturing a future that includes marriage and kids—the stakes shoot through the roof. “When the love ‘risk’ is higher, the greater the chance the psychological defenses of someone suffering from ROCD will try to keep them safe by pointing out perceived flaws and incompatibilities,” said Rajaee. “ROCD is a misguided attempt to keep you safe by keeping you separate and what STRESS describes—what she just went through—is a textbook example of relationship OCD. It’s the spiraling nature of worries that take small imperfections or incompatibilities (‘I don’t love the way they kiss’) and blows them up to worst-case outcomes (‘I’m lying to myself and to them’).” So, can a person work on their ROCD when they’re not in a relationship and/or they’re enjoying the kind of casual connection—summer flings, vacation fucks, sex friends—that don’t trigger their ROCD? “Yes and no,” said Rajaee. “STRESS can work on anxiety in general, practicing riding waves of discomfort and even panic without getting caught up in the scare stories. She can examine her expectations of love and relationships and practice exposure therapy, so that when these thoughts surface in her next good relationship—as they likely will—she’ll have a solid strategy to address them.” But the most important work—the work that will help you contain and control your ROCD— can only be done during one of those high-stakes relationships. “In STRESS’s case, this means opening herself to sex, love, and connection and then working through near-crippling anxiety while trying to maintain a healthy relationship,” Rajaee, “and that’s guaranteed to introduce some conflict into her next partnership. But I want her to know that it’s possible to do this and that I see it done—and done successfully—all the time. In fact, for many of my clients, doing this work brings them closer together.” The Center for Anxiety and OCD’s website is caocd.com. The Center is on Instagram and Threads (@theshrinkwrap).

I shared your question with Sheva Rajaee, a licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and public speaker. The founder and director of the Center for Anxiety and OCD, Rajaee wrote the book—the literal book—on relationship OCD: “Relationship OCD: A CBT-Based Guide to Move Beyond Obsessive Doubt, Anxiety & Fear of Commitment in Romantic Relationships.” “Part of what makes relationship OCD (ROCD) so painful and damaging is that these incessant doubts seep into every corner of our relationships,” said Rajaee. “And cruelly, it’s loudest in our most viable relationships. ROCD doesn’t care about your summer fling with an expiration date. Nope! ROCD is coming for the relationship with actual legs.” Basically, STRESS, your ROCD is going to lay more or less dormant when you’re seeing someone you can’t see yourself with long-term. That summer fling is gonna end with the summer, and the potential downside of picking the wrong person for that summer fling are minimal. But the moment you realize you’re seeing someone you might actually

PATHDOC/ADOBE

SAVAGE LOVE

I have a partner of sorts and it’s complicated. He’s married. From the sound of things, they tried marriage counseling, it didn’t work, and it sounds like they’re just companionate. So, no sex for him at home anymore. Lots of other issues. It sounds like they’re waiting for kids to grow up before they divorce. We have an anniversary of sorts coming up, and I’d like him to celebrate it with me in some way. But it’s tricky because it falls on Valentine’s Day. Even if he and his wife are not close anymore, I’m sure she’s going to expect him to spend that continued on page 53

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continued from page 51 day with her. I don’t expect him to spend that time with me, but what can we do to celebrate without making it awkward? And how should I view it if he doesn’t remember/doesn’t acknowledge the anniversary? I mean, do anniversaries even matter? —Complicated Partner Of Sorts

PATHDOC/ADOBE

It may sound like their marriage is companionate and it may sound like they’re not fucking and it may sound like they’re gonna divorce when their kids are grown because all of those things are true. Or those are the sounds your partner of sorts (POS) thinks you wanna hear and that’s why he’s making them. Look, cheaters aren’t the most reliable narrators; and while cheaters are often honest with their affair partners—or more honest with their affair partners than they are with their spouses— there’s no way to verify whether the sounds your POS is making without talking to his wife, CPOS, which you can’t do. (Of course, you can talk to his wife; lots of affair partners have talked to the wronged spouse. But to do that you would have to betray your affair partner—ironically—and that betrayal is guaranteed to end your relationship but not their marriage. Ending an affair is easier than ending a marriage.) Anyway, CPOS, you know what you signed up for. Your POS can’t slip out on Valentine’s Day without raising questions he and his wife aren’t ready to confront. Even if they’re not doing anything special on the day, even if they’re not gonna fuck for old time’s sake, even if she drinks her morning coffee out of a “Toly AF” mug (coming soon!), expecting to spend time with your married POS on Valentine’s Day doesn’t fall into the “reasonable expectation” category. So, how about you celebrate your anniversary-of-sorts a week early or celebrate your anniversary-of-sorts a week late or celebrate your half-anniversary-of-sorts on the 14th of August. St. Maximilian, whose feast day is Aug. 14, isn’t as sexy as St. Valentine—Maximilian is the patron saint of drug addicts, journalists, and prisoners; Valentine is the patron saint of lovers, epileptics, and beekeepers—but Maximilian can tide you over until Valentine is all yours. Straight guy here. My wife and I have always been on the same page about necessary conversations and we both believe that disclosing information beyond what’s required should be undertaken with care. My wife is fairly guarded about her past, and I respect that. The truth is, I don’t know a whole lot about her sexual history. But you know who does? Her best friend’s asshole boyfriend. I know it’s healthy and normal to disclose intimate details to a close friend—including things you might never say to a partner—but my wife’s best friend shares whatever my wife confides in her with her asshole boyfriend. This man takes delight in revealing personal information about others. Because of this guy, I know things about my wife that she and I agreed weren’t important for

me to know: her body count, men she dated I knew nothing about, and some very specific details of her sexual history. At first, I would flinch and bear it but the total weight of everything I now know is hard to bear. It turns out my wife has lived a lot of the fantasies I’ve shared with her with other men, all things she declined to partake in with me. And these things are known to our entire close friend group thanks to her best friend’s asshole boyfriend. Do I ask my wife not to confide in her best friend? That doesn’t sound right. Asking the asshole boyfriend to shut up hasn’t worked because he’s an asshole. Am I supposed to pretend not to know the things I now know? —Normally Open Troubled Dude Enervated And Frustrated So, your wife knows she can’t confide in her best friend without her best friend repeating everything to her asshole boyfriend. Furthermore, your wife knows this asshole boyfriend delights in repeating whatever he learns about anyone to implicated third parties—like their husbands—and your wife knows her best friend’s asshole boyfriend has gone out of his way to embarrass and humiliate her husband more than once. The fix here is obvious: your wife either convinces her dumbfuck best friend to stop repeating things to her asshole boyfriend or your wife stops confiding in her dumbfuck best friend. That doesn’t mean your wife can’t confide in anyone— you aren’t trying to isolate her—you’re merely asking her to stop investing her trust in someone who has demonstrated that she can’t be trusted. She can confide in her best friend about Feud, she can confide in best friend about Finn Bennett (swoon), she can confide in her best friend about politics and religion. But it’s obvious your wife can’t confide in her best friend about her sexual history without it getting back to you. And if your wife refuses to do that—if she refuses to stop confiding in her dumbfuck best friend despite knowing it sets off a chain of events that ends with her dumbfuck best friend’s asshole boyfriend hurting her husband—then your wife is an asshole, too. P.S. Some people can’t do crazy kinky sex things with someone they love. For some, feelings of intimacy short circuit the kinky wiring. If there things you wanna experience that your wife can’t do with you (because she cares about you too much) and your wife still wants to experience those things with someone (just not with someone she cares about), well, we’ve got another obvious fix on our hands: you both get to do some crazy kinky sex things with other people. And if that happens—if you wind up getting to live out some of your fantasies as a result of the conversations you’re having with your wife right now—then you’ll have to send a thank-you card to the asshole boyfriend of your wife’s dumbfuck best friend. Got problems? Yes, you do. Send your question to mailbox@savage.love! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

cltampabay.com | FEBRUARY 15-21, 2024 | 53

creative loafing puzzler

Buying Old Guitars & Old Musical Instruments I buy old musical instruments. ANY CONDITION THE OLDER, THE BETTER ! CALL OR TEXT (937) 767-2326

ADVERTISE

HERE! Contact Anthony Carbone:

acarbone@cltampa.com 813.956.4429

71 “Mein ___” (song from Cabaret) by Merl Reagle 72 Grape Nuts, NOTE: All of the to a GI theme answers in this 76 After 7, in ads puzzle are from The 79 Bivouac shelter American Thesaurus 82 Tow truck letters of Slang (1961). 83 “Je t’___” 84 Coffee, to a GI ACROSS 88 Bread, to a GI 1 Word after ages 92 Florida key 4 Old TV western 93 Sugar source 10 Sea, si? 94 Word after Los 13 Former Middle 95 Hash, to a GI East org. 98 Wine province 16 Salt and pepper, 99 Cinderella’s to a GI horses, after 19 Alfresco midnight 21 Meatloaf, to a GI 101 Martinique 23 Toast, to a GI volcano 24 Gretzky was one 102 Old fourpence 25 Service type coin 26 Syrup, to a GI 105 Vow taker 28 OR VIPs 108 Asian holiday 29 Wilderness prefix 109 Sales add-on 32 Ringo’s john 112 Beans, to a GI 34 Doesn’t ignore 117 Fish eggs 35 WWII plane, the 119 Picture ___ Gay 121 Coffee, to a GI 37 Chinny chatter? 122 Pancakes, 39 Sky bear to a GI 43 Coffee, to a GI 126 On the loose 48 Fighting 127 Ketchup, to a GI 51 Author Ferber 128 Ulalume penner 52 Queen of Thebes 129 Soviet abbr. 53 Canned milk, 130 Batting next to a GI 131 Solver to whom 56 Crackers, to a GI this puzzle 59 Swiss river is dedicated 60 Actress Charlotte 61 Salon DOWN preparations 1 Reacting to 62 Hungarian-born reveille, maybe chess whiz 2 Glasgow’s Richard hoosegows 63 Soup, to a GI 3 “Drinks are ___” 66 Word after or 4 Love Story 69 Tokyo, once composer

WWII MESS HALL SLANG

57 Mallorca, e.g. 104 Playful sea 5 ___ Arbor animal 58 LP surface 6 Wilmington 106 City 64 Pretentious Republican’s 107 Constantly designation: abbr. 65 Sweet stuff 7 Ex-Ford chief 67 Bogart gumshoe 109 Slots spot 110 Smart, for one 8 “Make it two” 68 Bagnold and 111 Crosses (out) 9 The cargo in Markey 112 Lickety-split Alien 70 Racetracks 113 Marquand sleuth 10 Mr. Dayan 72 Type of bath 11 Plant louse 73 Sits on a wall 114 Fr. miss 12 Give a second 74 Old record label 115 Tanning abbr. chance to, 75 Author Deighton 116 Devotee 118 Gaelic policy-wise 77 Utah, par 120 12th cent. date 13 Half an island city exemple 14 Leslie Caron role 78 Throat threat 123 Kin of mac 15 City on the Oka 80 Basketball org. 124 Army rank, familiarly 17 “We ___ go 81 Slight color 125 Diving bird a-hunting for 82 Turkish title fear of little men” 85 Okeechobee (W. Allingham) bird 18 Kilt accessory 86 Actress Selena 20 Hoboken to 87 Actress Ruby Teaneck dir. 89 Soaked 21 Pea jacket 90 Chiropractors, 22 Blazing Saddles in a way co-star 91 Truck co. 27 Iacocca was one 96 Hankering PUZZLE FANS ! 30 Tootsie woes 97 Small cakes, For info on Merl's 31 Of oil ___ fours Sunday crossword 33 Rose-tossing cry 99 Avril follower anthologies, visit 35 Addict’s helper 100 “Like ___ not” www.sunday 36 Love affair crosswords.com. 103 Saturn features 38 Part of B.C.E. 40 Mayberry ___ Solution to If I Wrote the Dictionary (4) 41 Bleu preceder A R B Y B A I T I CHOR H I C K 42 Bellowing MA R E B A L S A MOOR E UG L I 43 Walker, on signs E Q U A T O R I A L P O L Y G A M O U S NU T C A N T A L OU P E AGA T E S 44 Lad? R E A L M A T C P R S G L E N A L L O UR L OR E CR E D I T OR 45 Cockney’s door V E ND E T T A VO I D T E R I part C A V E A T A T H E I SM C A N A L UR I ROD A N N E T MOR A L E 46 Dustin won one F I ND S OSGOOD B A S I C in 1966 F A D E U P HO L S T E R E R A I R S I L I K E I S O L D E S NOOP 47 Classic Chevy, R A C I N E L I V I S S U E UMA briefly A R A B S C E L E B E S S A L S A S K A T E T A N K E X E C R A T E 48 Value EME R SON S F L O OA F NOP E 49 “___ there yet?” A L MS D E E T A C YOUR S A C E T I C T R AMPO L I N E T O T 50 Lamb tender V I V I P A ROU S I N T E R S T A T E 54 Bleachers sound O R E O T O W I T N Y A S A I G O R P E N S 55 Red Army leader W O R N S E N D S T A R T 8

Fostering is free: all supplies provided!

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Raise kittens and puppies in a safe home environment Earn 4 volunteer hours per day

35 43

Help cats and dogs get a break from the shelter

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