Creative Loafing Tampa — March 30, 2023

MARCH 30-APRIL 05, 2023 (VOL.36, NO.13) $FREE • CREATIVE LOAFING - CLTAMPA.COM

PUBLISHER James Howard

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ray Roa

DIGITAL EDITOR Colin Wolf

MANAGING EDITOR Kyla Fields

STAFF WRITER Justin Garcia

FOOD and THEATER CRITIC

Jon Palmer Claridge

FILM & TV CRITIC John W. Allman

IN-HOUSE WITCH Caroline DeBruhl

CONTRIBUTORS Josh Bradley, Carter Brantley, Jennifer Ring, Arielle Stevenson

PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Decker, Phil DeSimone

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SPRING INTERN Tyana Rodgers

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CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jack Spatafora

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MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS DIRECTOR

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Music: Tampa Bay Blues Fest 40

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Week ...................................................42 Concert review: Artic Monkeys 42

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Music Week ...................................................42 Concert review: Artic Monkeys 42 The List ..........................................................46

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EDITORIAL POLICY — Creative Loafing Tampa

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COURTESY

Photo by Ivana Cajina. Design by Joe Frontel.

‘Misery’ is a rollicking production. Jobsite’s latest is a must-see, p. 45.

Loudand proud

Photos by Dave Decker

In every way, Tampa Pride 2023 was a hot one thanks to temperatures in the mid-to-high-80s. Not to mention there was also a big ol’ Love Is Love community wedding, and beautiful people from all walks of life flocking to Seventh Avenue in Ybor City for a celebration of Tampa’s LGBTQ+ community. Read more and see all the photos via cltampa.com/slideshows.—Ray Roa

do this

Old Seminole Heights Home Tour

Tampa’s Old Seminole Heights is one of the Bay area’s most sought-after places to call home—and we don’t need to tell you how the current market has more or less made home ownership there, and pretty much everywhere else in the city, impossible to attain. Still, the houses are historic, quaint and just overall fun to look at. This guided tour organized by one of the city’s most active neighborhood associations lets you into some of the houses, businesses and a couple of secret pocket parks. There are three time slots and they fill up quickly.

Sunday, April 2, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. $25. Start at McDugald Park at 1211 E Sligh Ave., Tampa. oldseminoleheights.org—Ray Roa

Tampa Bay's best things to do from March 23 - 30

Kirk Ke Wang: Snow In September

For this new body of work, Wang took inspiration from 9/11 and the classic Chinese play “The Injustice to Dou Yi That Moved Heaven and Earth.” For Wang, who’s developed a habit of processing past tragedies through his work, the two ideas came together on a recent trip to The National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. Wang describes the memorial as a place where people can go to ponder the sacrifice and loss that go along with being human. Through May 11. Monday-Wednesday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Gallery 221 (2nd Floor Learning Resources Center (DLRC)) at Hillsborough Community College, 4001 W Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa. hccfl.edu—Jennifer Ring

Taste at the Straz

One of the best ways to discover your new favorite Tampa Bay restaurant is this all-youcan-eat-and-drink party that ends whenever you’re too full or drunk. Best of all is that much of it takes place right on the Riverwalk in downtown Tampa. A few popular concepts returning for another year include The Brunchery, Bavaro’s, Noble Crust, Bulla Gastrobar, Sal y Mar, Portillo’s and Butter’s Burgers—alongside many, many more. In addition to a wide spread of local eats, wine, cocktails and craft beer, live music will take place on four different outdoor stages. Funds raised from next year’s Taste at the Straz supports the theater’s various programs. As the Straz team says, “supporting the arts never tasted so good.”

Saturday, April 1. 7 p.m. $95-$175. The Straz Center,1010 N Macinnes Pl., Tampa. strazcenter. org—Kyla Fields

CENTER

Pinellas Pepper Fest

Another year, another rendition of this free, spicy, child and pet-friendly festival. In addition to a variety of local vendors slinging hot sauces, jams, seasonings and rubs, food trucks and other small businesses will also dish out their best (and spiciest) eats. Local bands 727band, Tommy & Mimi, Infinity Tilt and The Band Grounded will take over the England Brothers Park bandshell while the festival’s guests enjoy a wide spread of eats, family-friendly activities, eating contests and local vendors. An organizer told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that there will be over 30 food options at this weekend’s event. Saturday-Sunday, April 1-2. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Park’s England Brothers Park, 5010 81st Ave. N, Pinellas Park. pinellaspepperfest. com—Kyla

Fields

Philfest 2023

It’s that time of the year where Filipinos from all corners of Florida flock to Tampa for this annual Pinoy celebration. As always, Philfest is organized by Tampa’s Philippine Cultural Foundation and will take place at its Bayanihan Arts and Events Center, located on the western edge of Hillsborough County. According to the foundation’s website, this year’s Philfest will boast all of the expected festivities—from traditional dances and cultural exhibitions to talent shows, singing competitions, and of course, a full spread of Filipino eats. Attendees can expect all of the Filipino fiesta favorites at Philfest, from lechon kawali and lumpia to pancit, halo-halo, barbecue skewers and kwek-kwek. Non-food vendors will also be present slinging their best apparel, arts and crafts, and other wares.

Friday-Sunday, March 31-April 2. 5 p.m.11p.m.,10 a.m.-11 p.m, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. $8-$10. Bayanihan Arts and Events Center, 14301 Nine Eagles Dr., Tampa. pcfitampa.org —Kyla Fields

Women’s History Month: Commemorating the 1937 antifascist women’s march

The Cuban ambassador’s recent trip to Tampa has made headlines over the last few weeks, but Sarah McNamara’s new book, “Ybor City: Crucible of the Latina South” looks even further back than the Castro-era to chronicle a wave of leftist, radical antifascist women from pre-revolutionary Cuba who fought for their lives—and the well being of future generations—in the reconstructionist South.

To start the release cycle, McNamara will be in Ybor to help unveil a new mural from Tampa artist Michelle Sawyer who commemorated the district’s 1937 antifascist women’s march. The celebration happens that night with a free party featuring the author, artist and Florida historian Gary Mormino.

Thursday, March 30, 5:30 p.m. Free with registration. Cuban Club, 2010 N Avenida Republica de Cuba, Ybor City. @Dr_ SarahMac on Twitter—Ray Roa

CHOUK/ADOBE

POLITICS ISSUES OPINION

Work it

Young, St. Petersburg unionist teachers use a podcast to open labor dialogue.

By Arielle Stevenson

The year was 1968. It was springtime in Florida and teachers were fed up with Florida’s First Republican governor since Reconstruction, Claude Kirk. Negotiations between the Florida Education Association or FEA and state leadership had failed. Soon, 27,000 teachers left their job in one of the nation’s first statewide teacher’s strikes.

“Teachers from Florida didn’t just walk off the job. They resigned,” Mike Gandolfo, teacher, and former Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association (PCTA) president, said. “They were so incensed by the conditions in the schools and they were grossly underfunded. It’s pretty much similar to what we’re going through now.”

The strike lasted three weeks, with 40% of teachers walking off. Some never got their jobs back. By 1974, collective bargaining was ratified into the state constitution, but at a cost—no striking without risking their pension. Fiftyfive years later, teachers are trying to survive under another far-right Republican, Governor Ron DeSantis.

A local cohort of young educators decided to speak out. St. Petersburg High School teachers Philip Belcastro and Brennen Pickett debuted the PCTA’s FYRE podcast in January. The show is part of PCTA, Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, and FYRE, Florida’s Remarkable Young Educators. Pickett also serves as a county rep on the Florida Education Association’s governance board. He chairs FYRE, along with Belcastro, a co-chair. They talk to other union members weekly about why the union matters and what teachers face.

“Phil and I started going to the school board meetings last semester. We were up there screaming about raises,” Pickett told CL. “We noticed that no one was going out to these things.”

Pickett’s wife, an educator, suggested he start a podcast with Belcastro to bring more people into the union.

“So trying to get people out to these things has kind of been like our initiative because we’re trying to get outside the echo chamber,” Belcastro said. “But it’s not just unions anymore. It’s the voucher thing. It’s the pay. It’s the inevitable bottoming out.”

Creative Loafing Tampa Bay sat in on their

weekly taping just before Spring Break at the PCTA and PESPA (Pinellas Education Support Professionals Association) union hall. Pickett, Belcastro, and first-year teacher Ramsey Aziz spoke with Gandolfo for the show. “What are the benefits of having union representation, such as PCTA, negotiating for us rather than just having the district do it for us?” Pickett said.

Gandolfo said that not having representation means the district will likely do what’s fiscally responsible. He points to Wisconsin, which gutted its teacher’s unions in 2011. Within two years, educators lost over $10,000 through cuts to healthcare and retirement. And in Florida, the district can’t lobby the public to support referendums that come from local taxes.

“The district can’t say, ‘Hey voters, vote for this because they’re the recipient,’” Gandolfo said. “They can’t do that. We do it.”

LOCAL NEWS

The focus of this episode was on collective bargaining. That’s in light of the Desantis-requested SB 256 that seeks to dismantle the teachers union through strict membership requirements, among

Hillsborough’s educational referendum failed last year—with the Tampa Bay Times recommending voters go against the measure—leaving a $150 million gap for the district. Meanwhile, SB 256 seeks to undermine what power teacher’s unions still have. Stuff like preventing dues from being collected from their paychecks and limiting

cut that out,” Gandolfo said. “Just give everyone $8,000 a year and say we’re gonna throw it into the free market economy.”

Public schools have to provide education for students with disabilities under federal law. Private schools don’t have to follow the same rules. Many teachers and parents warn that defunding public education leaves the most vulnerable students with the fewest resources. In 1968, when 40% of teachers left the job due to poor working conditions, Florida was 37th in public education funding. As of 2019, Florida ranks 45th in the country for student funding from the state. “Ron DeSantis keeps talking about teachers and education, but he’s not talking to teachers,” Ramsey Aziz told CL.

And the fight has made its way to the Pinellas County School Board thanks to recently elected Moms for Liberty-endorsed and Desantis-backed school board members Dawn Peters and Stephanie Meyer—complete with attacks on the LGBTQ community, curriculum censorship, and now banned books.

“The school board is making many mistakes right now,” Aziz said. “We’ve got a loud minority trying to attack educators and education.”

The onslaught of legislative intervention in public education is one thing. And Florida teachers may not be able to strike legally without risking their pensions. But for some young educators, the promise of retirement can feel hazy.

“I think it’s a legislative conspiracy to make this atmosphere so toxic that you guys are thinking about leaving,” Gandolfo said. “And we’re losing our best and our brightest.”

So what keeps them in the profession that remains under daily attacks by the current administration? The students, the podcast, the union. Each week the FYRE podcast does its “based awards” to end the show on a high note. They talk about what brought them joy each week, in or out of the classroom.

other rules. Or SB 244, dubbed the “teacher’s bill of rights,” which seeks to supplant wage negotiations outside a teacher’s union. Gandolfo was PCTA president from 2014-2020 and continues working to bring in more members.

“The district is going to do what’s best for the district, and you hope that they want to do what’s best for students,” Gandolfo said. “But sometimes they need reminding.”

the distribution of union materials. “It’s a kill union bill, and when you kill the union, you kill the collective,” Pickett said. He dropped off union literature at a local middle school recently, where they didn’t even know a union existed. And under the pending legislation, that could get even worse.

“Education is one of the biggest parts of the budget in the state, so the state would love to

“Doing the podcast and the camaraderie between us motivates me, too,” Aziz told CL. “With all of this Doomer stuff, if I was alone in a vacuum and maybe rougher school, I’d already been out.”

Regarding getting people involved, Pickett and Belcastro’s approach seems to be working based on last month’s five-hour-long school board meeting with 56 speakers. For now, PCTA’s FYRE podcast is creating space for educators to talk about the challenges of each day in hopes others might tune in.

FYRESIDE CHAT: The PCTA’s FYRE podcast debuted in January.

“DeSantis keeps talking about teachers and education, but he’s not talking to teachers.”

Face off

By Colin Wolf

Aboard member of the Italian Club in Ybor City, and a prominent supporter of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s re-election campaign and other local politicians, was arrested this month after he failed to update information with authorities related to a previous sex offender charge.

John Robert Ring, who goes by Giovani “Gio” Fucarino, was arrested on March 17 for failing to “register electronic mail address or internet identifiers” and was later released on a $5,000 bond, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

for sex and pornographic photo, adding that the victim was never a student at Memorial Middle, and that Ring met the girl through her mother.

LOCAL NEWS

Fucarino currently serves as the board chairperson for the Italian Club, and is a known fixture in local politics. The 52-year-old has hosted multiple events with prominent city officials, and previously supported local campaigns for council members Joe Citro, as well as Lynn Hurtak.

Notably, Fucarino was listed as a host for Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s re-election campaign launch on Dec. 7.

Castor introduced me to Gio after her state of the city speech on May 11th, shortly after I was appointed to city council,” said Hurtak in a statement.

“Mayor Castor told me he was a good friend of hers and a valuable resource to get input from Ybor City residents and business owners, and I took her advice. He has had no role in my campaign other than being a host for a single event; similarly, he was a host for Mayor Castor’s reelection launch event. Mayor Castor regularly talks about how people deserve second chances, and I applaud her for living out those words.”

Adam Smith, the Communications Director for the City of Tampa, told CL that “the mayor was unaware of his record, and there are no ties to sever.” Smith also added that Castor denies introducing Hurtak to Fucarino.

In District 1, Alan Clendenin (40.33%) and Sonja P. Brookins (22.47%) will face off, with incumbent Joe Citro sitting out after earning just 20.10% of the vote.

District 2 sees Guido Maniscalco (46.98%) and Robin Lockett (24.77%) going head-to-head.

Tampa City Council’s District 3 race was easily the most watched and saw incumbent Lynn Hurtak take 45.52% of the vote compared to the 38.75% earned by her challenger Janet Cruz, the ousted State Senator who was voted out of Tallahassee last fall.

While forever Tampa City Councilman Charlie Miranda (49.39%) hovered above the threshold to require a runoff in his District 6 race, challenger Hoyt Prindle earned 21.59% to set up the runoff.

In 2010, Fucarino was convicted of “unlawful sexual activity with certain minors 16/17 years old,” according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Reports from his 2018 arrest said Ring was a Memorial Middle School teacher’s assistant when he contacted a 17-year-old girl via text message and asked

Multiple attempts to reach Fucarino for comment from Creative Loafing Tampa Bay were unsuccessful.

Hurtak told CL she was unaware of Fucarino’s past, and says she was introduced to him through the mayor.

“I was unaware of Gio Fucarino’s alias or criminal history until yesterday. Mayor

“Mayor Castor has zero recollection of introducing this person to Lynn Hurtak and certainly never encouraged her to make him an advisor,” said Smith.

Castor won-reelection this month, and Hurtak faces Janet Cruz—the mother of the mayor’s partner, Ana Cruz—in a runoff election on April 25.

District 4’s race was easily won by incumbent Bill Carlson.

Sadly, only 13.64% of eligible voters turned out for the election.

Early voting for the 2023 City of Tampa Municipal Election Runoff happens April 17-23 at select sites from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The deadline to register to vote in the runoff (if not already registered) is March 27.

WHAT THE FUC: Giovani Fucarino made himself something of a fixture at local political events.

“Mayor Castor told me he was a good friend of hers...”

Italian Club board chair arrested for failing to update sex offender information.

JANECASTORFL/FACEBOOK

HAPPY HOUR AT AMSO

Twilight re-zone

St. Pete council approves neighborhood rezoning amendment.

By Arielle Stevenson

St. Petersburg City Council approved a controversial rezoning amendment in a 7-1 vote last Thursday night, after the amendment had its second public hearing. The rezoning amendment allows certain single family home parcels to increase density development from one to four units. The new rules impact 2,844 parcels throughout the city, including 169 historic homes in the local or national register.

Council member Ed Montanari was the lone vote against the measure. “I can’t support this,” Montanari said. “I could damage neighborhoods when we have all this space we can build on now.”

Montanari said parcels already zoned for multifamily housing are still vacant and undeveloped. The over four-hour meeting was filled with residents from many of the 40-impacted neighborhoods pleading with council to reconsider. Some 70 residents spoke in opposition to the rezoning and roughly 20 in favor of the plan.

Dina and Damian Collum, owners of Crescent Lake Family Dentistry, started a change.org petition against the amendment, which now has over 3,600 signatures. The Collums don’t feel the city has been forthcoming about the project.

“This is a strategic form of eminent domain, which is government land takeover,” Dina Collum told the council. “This rezoning is a virus that’ll spread for miles, choking out those who live and work around these parcels. Your plan contradicts your mission statement.”

A day before the final hearing and vote, the Tampa Bay Times editorial board endorsed the amendment. Other supporters include the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce and the St. Pete Downtown Partnership. YIMBY St. Pete president Jillian Bandes—a project manager at a construction

company that’s worked on multifamily developments—has been a vocal proponent of the changes.

“I think the creation of supply is a key element of how to create housing affordability in our city,” Bandes told council. “What this will do is allow us to be pioneers with housing policy that’s equitable.”

The St. Pete Tenants Union (SPTU) disagrees with that assessment. In 2021, SPTU said they were approached by YIMBY St. Pete to partner in support of the rezoning. SPTU declined that partnership.

“This is all predicated on this lie that there’s a housing shortage,” Karla Correa with the STPU told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “It’s just more de-regulation for developers.”

Council member Richie Floyd’s motion to increase parcel setbacks from three feet to five feet passed with council members Gabbard and Driscoll opposed. And the city did take recommendations to increase required parking to one space per unit, make alleyway improvements to the street, and have dedicated solid waste collection.

Recommendations to exclude historic homes from the rezoning by CPPC or Community Planning and Preservation Commission failed again 4-4, with council members Brandi Gabbard, Gina Driscoll, Deborah Figgs-Sanders and Brother John Muhammad voting against.

Stephanie Pitts of Crescent Heights says residents brought the council reasonable alternatives to the proposed changes that were ignored.

“There’s a lot of anger in this room because we brought alternatives to this board and you basically decided you don’t care,” Pitts said. “These people up here talking are the backbone of this city.”

HEIGHTS TIME: Crescent Heights is one neighborhoods affected by rezoning.

CITYOFSTPETE/FLICKR

Stand your ground

LGBTQ+ fight heads to the courts.

By Jim Saunders/News Service of Florida

Achallenge to a 2022 law restricting classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation has gone to a federal appeals court, as state lawmakers and education officials look to expand the restrictions.

Attorneys for students, parents and teachers filed a notice of appeal at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal after U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor last month dismissed—for the second time—a lawsuit arguing the law is unconstitutional. Winsor on Feb. 15 ruled that the plaintiffs had not “alleged sufficient facts” to show they had legal standing to challenge the law.

The challenge to the 2022 law contends that it violated constitutional due-process, equalprotection and First Amendment rights, along with a federal law known as Title IX, which bars sex-based discrimination in education programs.

LGBTQ+ RIGHTS

As is common, the notice of appeal does not detail arguments that the plaintiffs will make at the Atlanta-based appeals court. But the notice, filed this month, indicated the plaintiffs will challenge Winsor’s Feb. 15 ruling and a Sept. 29 ruling to dismiss the case. Winsor allowed the plaintiffs to file a revised case after the September ruling.

The law, which has drawn national attention, prevents instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade and requires that such instruction be “age-appropriate … in accordance with state academic standards” in older grades.

Republican lawmakers titled the measure the “Parental Rights in Education” bill. Opponents labeled it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

The legal battle is continuing as the Republican-controlled Legislature moves ahead with bills that would expand through eighth grade the prohibition on instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation. The House Education & Employment Committee on Thursday approved one of the bills (HB 1069), which is ready to go before the full House.

Also, on April 19, the State Board of Education is scheduled to take up a proposed rule change that says teachers shall “not intentionally provide classroom instruction to students in grades 4 through 12 on sexual orientation or gender identity unless such instruction is either expressly required by state academic standards … or is part of a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student’s parent has the option to have his or her student not attend.”

Such rule changes do not require legislative approval.

Plaintiffs in the revised version of the case, filed in October, are two students in MiamiDade County and Manatee County schools, two lesbian couples with children in MiamiDade County schools, a woman with children in Orange County schools and two teachers in Broward County and Pasco County schools. The defendants are the State Board of Education, the Florida Department of Education and the school boards in Broward, Manatee, MiamiDade, Orange and Pasco counties.

The lawsuit alleged the plaintiffs have suffered “concrete harms” from the 2022 law.

“They have been denied equal educational opportunities they would like to receive, in the curriculum and beyond, and they have been subjected to a discriminatory educational environment that treats LGBTQ people and issues as something to be shunned and avoided, on pain of discipline and liability,” the lawsuit said. “This type of overtly discriminatory treatment has no place in a free democratic society and should not be permitted to stand.”

But Winsor rejected the case because of standing issues.

“Plaintiffs have shown a strident disagreement with the new law, and they have alleged facts to show its very existence causes them deep hurt and disappointment,” Winsor wrote. “But to invoke a federal court’s jurisdiction, they must allege more. Their failure to do so requires dismissal.”

The law also has drawn a separate constitutional challenge in federal court in Orlando. U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger on Oct. 20 dismissed that case but, like Winsor, gave the plaintiffs an opportunity to file a revised version. The revised lawsuit remains pending.

Florida parents file federal lawsuit against state’s transgender youth care ban

Four families filed a federal lawsuit last Thursday challenging rules adopted by Florida medical boards that prohibit doctors from providing

gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender children, arguing the rules intrude on “parents’ fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their adolescent children.”

The lawsuit alleged the rules unconstitutionally “violate the rights of parents to make medical decisions to ensure the health and wellbeing of their adolescent children” and are discriminatory.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration filed a petition last summer asking the medical boards to adopt the rules, arguing that gender-affirming care is experimental and not backed by rigorous research. The Florida Board of Medicine’s rule went into effect on March 16 and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine’s rule will go into effect Tuesday.

“The transgender medical bans do nothing to protect the health or well-being of minors. To the contrary, the transgender medical bans undermine the health and well-being of transgender minors by denying them essential medical care,” lawyers for the plaintiffs argued in the 26-page complaint filed in the federal Northern District of Florida.

Under the rules, children diagnosed with gender dysphoria will be allowed to continue taking the drugs if they were receiving the treatments when the regulations took effect. But trans children who hadn’t begun taking the drugs are ineligible. The federal government clinically defines gender dysphoria as “significant distress that a person may feel when sex or gender assigned at birth is not the same as their identity,”

Attorneys from a number of LGBTQadvocacy groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of parents identified as Jane Doe, Brenda Boe, Carla Coe and Fiona Foe and their children, Susan Doe, Bennett Boe, Christina Coe and Freya Foe. The families, who are using pseudonyms to protect the children’s privacy, live in Alachua, Duval, Orange and St. Johns counties, and the children range in age from 9 to 14. The named defendants are Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and the 12 members of the medical boards.

Florida is among a number of Republican-led states enacting policies targeting transgender youths and adults. DeSantis, widely seen as a

continued on page 29

MARCHING ON: Southern Legal Counsel said they’ll keep challenging and dismantling barriers.

“This type of overtly discriminatory treatment has no place in a free democratic society.”

“We are fighting for families, and we will not give up.”

top contender in the 2024 Republican presidential race, has made the issue one of his top priorities, frequently calling gender-affirming care “child

The lawsuit also alleged that the rules violate equal-protection rights by banning “essential medical treatments” for the adolescent plaintiffs “because they are transgender.” Under the rules,

them,” plaintiffs’ lawyer Simone Chriss, director of the Transgender Rights Initiative at Southern Legal Counsel, told The News Service of Florida after the lawsuit was filed.

The families also are represented by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Human Rights Campaign.

LGBTQ+ RIGHTS

to children diagnosed with conditions other than

The challenge said the treatment restrictions contradict research supporting care for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, who have higher rates of depression and suicidal ideation.

“The transgender medical bans ignore the established medical and scientific consensus that these treatments are medically necessary, safe, and effective for the treatment of gender dysphoria,” the lawsuit said. “The defendants have no compelling justification for preventing parents from ensuring their adolescent children can receive essential medical care. The transgender medical bans do not advance any legitimate interest, much less a

According to the lawsuit, the rules will have a negative effect on the young plaintiffs by interrupting various phases of transitioning.

As an example, Susan Doe, 11, has been “living fully as a girl” since kindergarten but has not started taking medical treatment because she hasn’t reached puberty.

The Does, who moved to Florida when Susan Doe’s father was stationed in the state, said military doctors who worked with their family “understand the importance of providing … evidence-based, individualized care” to

“We’re proud to serve our country, but we are being treated differently than other military families because of a decision by politicians in the state where we are stationed. We have no choice but to fight this ban to protect our daughter’s physical and mental health,” Jane Doe said in a news release Thursday.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they intend to seek a preliminary injunction to block health officials from enforcing the rules while the litiga-

“We are fighting for families, and we will not give up. They can keep erecting barriers, and we’re going to keep challenging them and dismantling

Last Thursday’s challenge follows another federal lawsuit seeking to reverse action taken by DeSantis’ administration to restrict medical treatment for trans children and adults. A group of plaintiffs are challenging a state Agency for Health Care Administration rule banning Medicaid from reimbursing providers for treatment of transgender patients of all ages.

Also on last Thursday, a Senate committee gave initial approval to a measure that would enshrine in state law the medical boards’ transgender treatment bans for children. The measure (SB 254) also would prohibit telehealth appointments for transgender adults and make it so that only doctors — not nurse practitioners — could write prescriptions for adults’ hormone-replacement treatments.

Sen. Victor Torres, an Orlando Democrat who said his granddaughter is trans, urged other members of the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee to oppose the bill.

“I hear this and I wonder, why are we doing this again? Why are we going after children? When you see a child grow … and develop and you support that child. You give that love to that child 100 percent. And does my love change because the child is transgender? Not one bit. It goes more. Why? Because you want to show support. You want to encourage a child, what they dream of, what they want to do,” Torres said.

But bill sponsor Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, said the measure is intended to protect children and parents.

“Every single person was created with extraordinary, incredible value and has a unique purpose, and this has been true about you since before you were born and you can’t change it,” Yarborough said.

The committee voted 13-6 along party lines to approve the measure. A House committee on Wednesday advanced a more far-reaching measure (HB 1421) that would, among other things, ban health-insurance companies from covering gender-reassignment surgeries for adults.

—Dara Kam/News Service of Florida

OF THE

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY BOB WHITMORE

Shit Happened

WEDNESDAY 22

Video shared by @ OnlyInFloridaa appears to show a large pink man stupidly handfeeding a sandwich to an alligator, while listening to Steve Miller Band’s “Space Cowboy” and sitting in a creek. It was pork, so everything is OK.

SUNDAY 26

MONDAY 27

HOLYNAMESTPA/FACEBOOK

Tampa private school Academy of the Holy Names announces a $1 million gift. And no, it didn’t come in the form of school vouchers from DeSantis.

RONDESANTISFL/TWITTER

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a controversial school voucher law that will open up the gates for millionaires to use public money to pay for their kids’ private school education. Because the tax cuts weren’t enough.

Clearwater City Council members appoint a new mayor a week following former Mayor Frank Hibbard’s abrupt resignation. And no, it’s not Xenu.

WFTS says there’s a St. Petersburg’s Free Blockbuster little free library that looks like the old video stores. No adult movies section though.

More shit, trying to spend school vouchers on beer at the bodega, via cltampa.com/news.

RESTAURANTS RECIPES DINING GUIDES

Flour power

Gabriella Duncan is the one-woman-show behind vegan powerhouse Gabby Bakes.

By Kyla Fields

The first time you lay eyes on a Gabby Bakes cake, you do a double take. Its sheer cuteness initially catches the eye, but on second glance you notice its intricately-piped buttercream, unique blend of pastel colors and painstaking attention to detail. And if you’re lucky enough to take a bite, there’s a third revelation: unique flavors weaved in between layers of brightly-colored buttercream.

Offering treats like carrot brown sugar cupcakes, banana-cardamom sponge cakes with salted caramel and vegan milk chocolate buttercream, and sweetsalty cornflake cookies, Tampa pop-up bakery Gabby Bakes specializes in masterfully-crafted treats with flavors that ebb and flow through the seasons. The tastes are more dynamic than Florida’s actual weather—and always ethicallysourced and cruelty-free, too.

INTERVIEW

secured, Gabby Bakes will remain a one-womanshow (with assistance from friends who help with long market days.) Although Duncan’s face rarely makes an appearance on her business’ Instagram, she still maintains a transparent and personable approach to her wildly-popular bakery pop-up. She launched a Gabby Bakes website in late 2022, giving her patrons a taste of her personality and background, while “remaining conscious about not monetizing personal moments of life.”

With a creative style as bright as her clothes, Duncan’s painstakinglypiped flowers, hearts, smiley faces and cartoon characters have helped her build a truly recognizable brand.

Thirty-one year-old Tampa resident Gabriella 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 swiftly evolved into one of the most popular food pop-ups in all of Tampa Bay.

If you’ve attended an Indie Flea market recently, you’ve probably seen a line of 20 or so tattooed St. Petians patiently waiting for a taste of Gabby Bakes’ precious cake slices, artisan cookies and whatever else Duncan has dreamed up of that month. With a loyal audience of vegans and nonvegans alike, a found niche in the baking world, and a steady calendar of events and custom cake orders, the last thing that Duncan is missing is a storefront of her own—a possibility that isn’t too far off.

“I’m trying to see if I’m currently able to afford that move up to my own space—it would be a dream but I’m also being mindful to scale up comfortably and smartly,” Duncan tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “I’m very excited at the prospect and am committed to finding the cutest storefront possible."

She would prefer to open a brick and mortar in Seminole Heights, the neighborhood where she planted the seeds for Gabby Bakes many years ago.

But until the cutest storefront in Tampa is

Duncan pops up Indie Flea and Seminole Heights’ 3 Dot Dash once a month, in addition to regularly stocking treats at Tampa’s Black Radish Grocery, Pure Kitchen and Vegan International Co. While popular plant-based eateries have made waves in Tampa Bay within the last few years, Duncan has been vegan since she was a toddler. Growing up in Kansas in the ‘90s, Duncan lived through what she describes as the “from-scratch era of veganism,” which naturally peaked her interest in cooking. She started preparing meals by the age of four or five. Her mother—a Jamaican immigrant—retired to Florida about a decade ago, and Duncan followed in pursuit of warmer weather.

But her interest in baking specifically didn’t form until a few years ago, when she started whipping up desserts for friends.

“Baking was something I played around with throughout my life but it wasn’t until 2018 I started devoting more of my time to the endeavor,” Duncan explains. “I gambled with the idea of going to culinary school, but sadly realized there weren’t any schools at the time that could teach me with ingredients I could eat, and so abandoned the idea.”

Duncan has absolutely no experience baking with eggs or dairy, since the plant-based lifestyle is all she’s ever known. She still cannot recall the smell or taste of any animal products. And while some folks adopt veganism for health reasons, Duncan says her approach to the plant-based lifestyle is more ethical and downright political than

anything. Veganism can now be considered “cool and trendy” and a more accessible lifestyle in 2023, but Duncan says that its increase in popularity isn’t a good thing 100% of the time.

“The weird/bad things would be big agricultural businesses capitalizing on this newer market without commitment to the ethical standards I believe are inherent in the vegan ethos,” Duncan explains. “Another thing would be the mis-marketing of veganism as a health fad when it (to me) is an anti-capitalist and abolitionist stance against the oppression of all living beings, and that’s gotta include non-human animals.”

While Gabby Bakes’ Instagram feed is full of colorful and heartwarming cakes, Duncan’s stance on political topics like LGBTBQ+ rights (in addition to veganism) are made loud and clear. Last year, Duncan—a queer woman herself—hosted cake raffles to raise funds for grassroots organizations like the Black and trans-led collective For the Gworls and the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective (stylized as “BTFA”). She’s also made it clear that she has no interest in baking blue or pink gender reveal cakes, encouraging her customers to commision bakes honoring hormone replacement therapy and gender affirming surgeries instead.

More key pieces to Duncan’s principled approach to baking is a dedication to using ethically-grown and traded spices, purchasing seasonal produce when possible, composting fruit scraps and investing in biodegradable piping bags and to-go boxes. And as Gabby Bakes grows, the audience

for her strongly-held beliefs does, too. What started out as a part-time cottage kitchen business has evolved into baking custom cake orders and popup products out of a Brandon-based commissary kitchen full-time.

In just under three years, Duncan’s cakes have transformed from simple designs to miniature pieces of art. Although she loves many artistic mediums, she says that almost all of her creative energy is conserved for cakes. “I think lil’ intricacies of mine are expressed through my decorating style; I’m currently loving vintage-themed cakes in the Lambeth style,” Duncan says about the 200 year-old style of cake decoration.

Duncan is spreading joy with her beautiful creations and unique flavors, but also setting an example of a personable, yet ethical approach to small business—with her belief system always at the forefront.

“I just don’t see veganism as a healthy thing. There’s documented findings to support the benefits of a well-rounded vegan diet which are great, but it feels secondary to the environmental and ethical importance of it,” Duncan tells CL.

For the latest updates on Gabby Bakes and its pop-up schedule , follow @gabbybakesllc on Instagram or head to gabbybakes.com. The next Gabby Bakes pop-up happens this weekend at St. Pete’s Indie Flea on Sunday, April 2, in addition to Seminole Heights’ 3 Dot Dash on Saturday, April 15. Custom cake orders typically open a month in advance.

PIPIN’ HOT: Gabby Bakes is known for intricately-piped cake designs, loud colors and overall cutesy vibe.

“To me, veganism is an anti-capitalist and abolitionist stance against the oppression of all living beings.”

Gabby Bakes at Indie Flea Sunday, April 2, noon-4 p.m. Free 14 18th St. S, St. Petersburg theindieflea.com

IVANA CAJINA

Slipped away

St. Pete’s Crislip Cafe closes, and more Tampa Bay foodie news.

By Kyla Fields

St. Petersburg is down one specialty cafe. Crislip Cafe, located at 645 Central Ave., took to social media last week to announce its immediate closure. “It is with heavy hearts that Kevin and I have made the decision to close the cafe. Due to rising prices, staffing shortages, and other myriad reasons we have had to make this difficult decision,” co-owner Jennifer Schultz wrote on Instagram. Its last day open was Sunday, March 19.

OPENINGS & CLOSINGS

business has created a reputation for some of Tampa Bay’s tastiest vegan treats and ice cream. Matthew unexpectedly passed away in September of 2020, but JoAnn—also known as Mama Jo—kept her and her son’s business alive and thriving.

Crislip’s owners state that its former cafe space will be used to expand their retail store The Merchant, open out of the same Central Avenue parcel. “Financially, we will be better off supporting local artists and making it the best gift shop,” Crislip commented on Facebook. “High rents and so many things factored into this swift decision we made.”

Crislip Cafe—named after the 101 yearold open-air arcade it’s located inside of—was known for its menu of specialty coffees, lattes, and teas in addition to a variety of locallybaked pastries and handheld treats. The Crislip Arcade is one of the last open-air shopping corridors in St. Pete, and faced the possibility of being demolished before earning a historical marker and protection from Preserve the Burg’ in 2008. The Schultzs opened Crislip Cafe out of their local goods shop in 2020, while The Merchant itself has been at 645 Central Ave. since 2018.

St. Pete’s Plant Love Ice Cream will open a second location in Gulfport

Vegan favorite Plant Love Ice Cream opened its flagship location on Central Avenue in 2019, and now it’s expanding with a second shop just a few miles away. St. Pete Rising says Plant Love will open its second location at 2901 Beach Blvd. S, Unit 105 in Gulfport sometime this May. Plant Love 2.0 will open out of the space that formerly housed another local business called A Friend Who Bakes. Brittney and Travis Sherley, co-owners of A Friend Who Bakes, recently told their customers on Facebook that they sold their intimate, 500 square-foot bakery to a new owner, aka JoAnn Matchin of Plant Love. When Plant Love’s second shop debuts, it will be neighbors with Gulfport favorites like Stella’s, Golden Dinosaurs and SumitrA Espresso Lounge. Co-owners and mother-son duo JoAnn and Matthew Matchin debuted Plant Love at 953 Central Ave. in St. Pete’s Edge District in early 2019. Since then, the plant-based

All of its artisan flavors, which range from cookie butter and toasted coconut to matcha and birthday cake, start with a base of organic coconut milk. Plant Love also offers a few candy-inspired flavors, like veganized versions of Snickers, Almond Joy, Moon Pie and Cookies and Cream.

In addition to scoops and cones, Plant Love also sells ice cream flights, ice cream sandwiches, to-go pints and CBD-infused flavors, like its turmeric-based “Golden Mylk.” Gulfport’s shop will offer 12 flavors of plantbased ice cream—half will remain permanent, while the remaining six will rotate throughout seasons. For the latest information on Plant Love’s second location, head to its Instagram at @plantloveicecream.

Foodie festival and charity event ‘Taste at the Straz’ returns to downtown Tampa this weekend

This all-you-can-eat-and-drink party happens on Saturday, April 1— starting at 7 p.m. and ending whenever you’re too full or drunk. Best of all is that much of it takes place in downtown Tampa, right there on the Riverwalk. A full restaurant list for 2023’s installment of Taste at the Straz (stylized “TASTE”) can be found on its website and includes popular Tampa Bay eateries like The Brunchery, Bavaro’s, Noble Crust, Sal y Mar, Bulla Gastrobar, Portillo’s and Butter’s Burgers—alongside many, many more.

Tickets for Taste at the Straz, happening next weekend, are on sale now, starting at $95 for general admission. VIP tickets go for $175 each, but come with a variety of perks like early entry and access to all VIP lounges, plus all you can eat and drink. In addition to a wide spread of local eats, wine, cocktails and craft beer, live music will take place on four different outdoor stages throughout the event. Funds raised from this year’s Taste at the Straz supports the theater’s various programs. As the Straz team says, “supporting the arts never tasted so good.” According to its website, the Straz Center has raised upwards of $3 million for its art initiatives and programs since the inception of Taste many years ago.

Popular beer bar chain Yard House opens its new Sarasota location this week

Tampeños will soon be able to get a sneak peek of Water Street’s upcoming Yard House location, when the popular Florida-based beer bar chain opens its new Sarasota location this week. The new location at 115 University Town Center Dr, will open on Sunday, April 2. Guests can expect menu favorites like poke nachos, Nashville hot chicken, and street tacos, as well as vegan, vegetarian and gluten-sensitive options. But the main event at Yard House is the 110 beers on draft, that all come from a glass-enclosed keg room, featuring a variety of steel barrels that flow to the bar to pour each beer at an exact 34-37 degrees, according to a press release.

Yard House is open daily and offers a happy hour Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m., with halfprice appetizers and discounted beer, wine

and cocktails. The chain is owned by Da rden Restaurant Group, which also owns Olive Garden and has plans for a new Yard House downtown Tampa location but the opening date has yet to be released. The new Sarasota location marks Yard House’s 87th location nationwide. The Tampa location is set to be located at 450 Channelside Dr., across the street from Amalie Arena.—Tyana Rodgers

Bern’s Steak House hosts its 26th annual Winefest next month

Bern’s Steak House’s annual Winefest is the best foodie event to attend if you have an extra $1,000 bucks lying around. This year’s Winefest runs from Saturday, April 15-Sunday, April 23, and kicks off with a blending seminar and wine country picnic, then ends with its “Grand Tasting Experience” finale.

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AW, SHULTZ: Kevin and Jennifer cite high rents and other factors in the closing of their cafe.

CRISLIPCAFE/FACEBOOK

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While the entire food and wine festival runs for a little over a week, there are different events happening each day at various locations. Just a few of the festival’s different happenings include a Krug and Shellfish Tasting Experience at The Epicurean, Bern’s Legacy Dinner at the iconic steak house itself, and a Florida Chefs Dinner at its sibling restaurant Haven.

Each day of the festival will feature fine dining dishes accompanied by wines from “acclaimed wineries around the world that represent that brand’s continued dedication to procuring one of the country’s largest, privately-owned wine collections,” a press release states.

Tickets for individual events range from $200-$1,500 and are on sale now at laxerfamilyfoundation.org. Tickets to a few of Winefest’s dinners have to be purchased in pairs, according to its website. The most expensive event is the Bern’s Legacy dinner, and its $1,500 price tag comes with a luxurious five-course meal at the steak house followed by a dessert of apricot mousse, cardamom mascarpone, spiced crumble and honey apricot sorbet enjoyed at the Harry Waugh Dessert Room. Bern’s describes it as an “over-the-top, once-in-alifetime experience.”

This annual celebration of fine dining and great wine benefits the Laxer Family Foundation and the Bern Laxer Memorial Scholarship, in collaboration with the James Beard Foundation. For the latest news on next month’s Winefest, follow its Facebook and Instagram at @bernswinefest.

Florida’s first Caribou Coffee will open out of St. Pete’s former Banyan Cafe space

The Tampa Bay Business Journal announced that Caribou Coffee was making its way to the Gulf Coast last spring, and its first Tampa Bay location will soon have a home on Central Avenue. ILovetheBurg says that St. Pete resident Michelle Mathis—who has owned several Subway franchises with husband Bill Mathis— recently secured the former Banyan Cafe space for Tampa Bay’s debut Caribou Coffee.

St. Pete’s Caribou Coffee will open at 701 Central Ave. sometime this summer, but Mathis plans to open several more throughout the greater Tampa Bay area. Its menu consists of expected coffees and lattes with various flavors, in addition to breakfast and lunch sandwiches, bagels, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits and baked goods.While the Bay hasn’t had a standalone Caribou Coffee location yet, folks might remember a few of its caffeinated beverages as Einstein Bros. Bagels locations used to carry its products.

Banyan Cafe used to have two locations in downtown St. Pete—its MLK cafe closed in early 2020 while its Central Avenue spot,

aka the future home of Caribou Coffee, shuttered its doors just a few weeks ago. On social media, many locals expressed their continuous worry about national chains taking over The Burg’s beloved 600 Block. Dozens of comments called for more locally-owned businesses, while reminiscing on the communal charm of the now-closed Banyan Cafe. Caribou Coffee was founded in Minnesota back in 1992, and now boasts over 400 locations across the U.S., most of which are still in the midwest.

St. Pete’s annual French Fry Fest returns to Albert Whitted Park next month

The Burg’s favorite carbo-loading fest is back for another year. The 2023 rendition of the French Fry Fest takes place at Albert Whitted Park, located at 480 Bayshore Dr. SE. This free-to-attend foodie

event runs from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. on Friday, April 7. Dozens of food trucks from all corners of Tampa Bay will offer their best takes on the beloved french fry, in addition to dishes that are on their regular menus. While potatoes might be the star of the festival, a wide range of cuisines—from BBQ to Asian-fusion—will also be featured.

OPENINGS & CLOSINGS

spot I Wanna Wok, Westchase BBQ, Funnel Vision, The Melt Machine, Crabdaddy’s Surf & Turf and Chief’s Cantina. I Wanna Wok already sells a stacked french fry platter loaded with bulgogi steak or orange chicken, fried rice, grilled onions, cheese and sweet chili sauce.

In addition to being free-to-attend, April’s festival is also pet and child-friendly. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnic blankets and chairs, too. A DJ will also keep the music bumpin’ while parents sip on craft brews from a variety of local and national breweries.

A few food trucks that will sling their best french fry-infused dishes include Asian-fusion

Once again, The Gulf to Bay Food Truck Association hosts this year’s celebration of carbs, but it’s unsure if the organization’s French Fry Fest is the same potato-centric event that 3 Daughters Brewing also hosts each year. The local brewery’s french fry party doesn’t seem to be on its calendar just yet, but it did host one last summer. For more information, head to French Fry Fest’s Facebook event page.

WINE’D UP: Bern’s Winefest will be here in no time.

Help CL with this evolvinglisting. Did we miss a brewery or leave out an important detail? Email rroa@cltampa.com. Include brewery name, address, phone number and website, plus a short description of the unique offerings.

3 CAR GARAGE 8405 Heritage Green Way, Bradenton. 941-741-8877, 3cargaragebrewing.com

3 DAUGHTERS BREWING 222 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg. 727-495-6002, 3dbrewing.com

3 KEYS BREWING 2505 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton. 951-218-0396, 3keysbrewing.com

5 BRANCHES BREWING 531 Athens St., Tarpon Springs. fivebranchesbrewing.com

7VENTH SUN BREWING 1012 Broadway, Dunedin. 727-733-3013/6809 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa. 813-231-5900, 7venthsun.com

81BAY BREWING CO. 4465 W. Gandy Blvd., Tampa. 813-837-BREW, 81baybrewco.com

ANECDOTE BREWING CO. 321 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach. anecdotebrewing.com

ANGRY CHAIR 6401 N. Florida Ave., Seminole Heights. 813-238-1122, angrychairbrewing.com

ARKANE ALEWORKS 2480 E. Bay Dr., #23, Largo. 727-270-7117, arkanebeer.com

AVID BREWING 1745 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-388-6756, avidbrew.com

BARRIEHAUS BEER CO. 1403 E 5th Ave., Ybor City. barriehaus.com

BASTET 1951 E Adamo Dr. Suite B, Tampa. bastetbrewing.com

BAY CANNON BEER CO. 2106 W Main St., Tampa. 813-442-5615, baycannon.com

BAYBORO BREWING CO. 2390 5th Ave. S, St. Petersburg. 727-767-9666, bayborobrewing.com

BEACH ISLAND BREWERY 2058 Bayshore Blvd. Suite 5, Dunedin. 352-541-0616

BIG STORM BREWING CO. Multiple locations, bigstormbrewery.com

BIG TOP BREWING 6111 Porter Way, Sarasota. 941-371-2939, bigtopbrewing.com

BOOTLEGGERS BREWING CO. 652 Oakfield Dr., Brandon. 813-643-9463, bootleggersbrewco.com

BREW HUB 3900 Frontage Rd. S., Lakeland. 863-698-7600, brewhub.com

BREW LIFE BREWING 5765 S. Beneva Rd., Sarasota. 941-952-3831, brewlifebrewing.com

BRIGHTER DAYS BREW CO. 311 N Safford Ave., Tarpon Springs. 7272-940-2350

BULLFROG CREEK BREWING CO. 3632

Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Valrico. 813-703-8835, bullfrogcreekbrewing.com

CAGE BREWING 2001 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-201-4278

CALEDONIA BREWING 587 Main St., Dunedin. 727-351-5105, caledoniabrewing.com

CALUSA BREWING 5701 Derek Ave., Sarasota. 941-922-8150, calusabrewing.com

CARROLLWOOD BREWING CO. 10047 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 23, Tampa. 813-969-2337

CIGAR CITY BREWING 3924 W. Spruce St., Tampa. 813-348-6363, cigarcitybrewing.com

CLEARWATER BREWING CO. 1700 N. Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater. clearwaterbrewingcompany.com

COMMERCE BREWING 521 Commerce Drive S, Largo. commercebrewing@gmail.com

COPP WINERY & BREWERY 7855 W Gulf Lake Highway, Crystal River. 352-228-8103, coppbrewery.com

COPPERTAIL BREWING CO. 2601 E. 2nd Ave., Tampa. 813-247-1500, coppertailbrewing.com

CORPORATE LADDER BREWING

COMPANY 4935 96th St. E, Palmetto. 941-4794799, corporateladderbrewing.square.site

COTEE RIVER BREWING 5760 Main St., New Port Richey. 727-807-6806, coteeriverbrewing.com

CRAFT LIFE BREWING 4624 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes. 813-575-8440. facebook. com/CraftLifeBrewing

CROOKED THUMB BREWERY 555 10th Ave. S., Safety Harbor. 727-724-5953, crookedthumbbrew.com

CUENI BREWING CO. 945 Huntley Ave., Dunedin. 727-266-4102, cuenibrewing.com

CYCLE BREWING 534 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-320-7954. cyclebrewing.com

DADE CITY BREW HOUSE 14323 7th St., Dade City. 352-218-3122, dadecitybrewhouse.com

DARWIN BREWING CO. 803 17th Ave. W., Bradenton. 941-747-1970, darwinbrewingco.com

DE BINE BREWING CO. 933 Florida Ave., Palm Harbor. 727-233-7964.

DENTED KEG ALE WORKS 5500 Main St., New Port Richey. 727-232-2582, dentedkegaleworks.com

DEVIANT LIBATION 3800 N Nebraska Ave., 727-379-4677, deviantlibation.com

DISSENT CRAFT BREWING

CO. 5518 Haines Rd. N., St. Petersburg. 727-3420255. facebook.com/ dissentcraftbrewing

DUNEDIN BREWERY

937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. 727-736-0606, dunedinbrewery.com

DUNEDIN HOUSE OF BEER 927 Broadway, Dunedin. 727 216-6318, dunedinhob.com

EIGHT-FOOT BREWING

4417 SE 16th Place, Cape Coral. 239-984-2655, eightfootbrewing.com

ESCAPE BREWING

CO. 9945 Trinity Blvd., Suite 108, Trinity. 727-807-6092, escapebrewingcompany.com

FLORIDA AVENUE BREWING CO. 2029

Arrowgrass Dr., Wesley Chapel. 813-452-6333, floridaavebrewing.com

FLORIDA BREWERY 202

Gandy Rd., Auburndale. 863-965-1825

FOUR STACKS BREWING

5469 N. US HWY 41, Apollo Beach. 813-641-2036, fourstacksbrewing.com

FRONT PAGE BREWING CO. 190 S Florida Ave., Bartow. 863-537-7249, frontpagebrewing.com

GRAND CENTRAL BREWHOUSE 2340 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-202-6071, grandcentralbrew.com

GREEN BENCH BREWING COMPANY 1133 Baum Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-800-9836, greenbenchbrewing.com

GOOD LIQUID BREWING CO. 4824 14th St. W., Bradenton. 941-896-6381, thegoodliquidbrewing.com

GRINDHAUS BREW LAB 1650 N. Hercules Ave., Clearwater. 727-240-0804, grindhausbrewlab.com

GULFPORT BREWERY + EATERY 3007 Beach Blvd., Tampa. facebook.com/GulfportBrewery

HIDDEN SPRINGS ALE WORKS 1631 N. Franklin St., Tampa, 813-226-2739, hiddenspringsaleworks.com

HOB BREWING CO. 931 Huntley Ave., Dunedin. hob.beer

IF I BREWED THE WORLD 2200 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-201-4484, ifibrewedtheworld.com

IN THE LOOP BREWING 3338 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes. 813-997-9189, intheloopbrewingcompany.com

INFUSION BREWING CO. 6345 Grand Blvd., New Port Richey. 7272-484-4757

KEEL FARMS AGRARIAN ALE + CIDER 5210 W. Thonotosassa Rd., Plant City. 813-7529100, keelandcurleywinery.com

KING STATE 520 E Floribraska Ave., Tampa. 813-221-2100, king-state.com

LAGERHAUS BREWERY & GRILL 3438 East Lake Business, Palm Harbor. 727-216-9682, lagerhausbrewery.com

LATE START BREWING 1018 E Cass St., Tampa, latestartbrewing.com

LEAVEN BREWING 11238 Boyette Rd., Riverview. 813-677-7023, leavenbrewing.com

LIQUID GARAGE CO. 1306 Seven Springs Blvd., New Port Richey. 727-645-5885. theliquidgarage.com

MAD BEACH CRAFT BREWING 12945 Village Boulevard, Madeira Beach. 727-362-0008, madbeachbrewing.com

MAGNANIMOUS BREWING 1410 Florida Ave., Tampa. 813-415-3671, magnanimousbrewing.com

MARKER 48 12147 Cortez Blvd, Weeki Wachee. 352-606-2509, marker48.com

MASTRY’S BREWING CO. 7701 Blind Pass Rd., St. Pete Beach. 727-202-8045, mastrysbrewingco.com

MOTORWORKS BREWING 1014 9th Street West, Bradenton. 941-567-6218, motorworksbrewing.com

MR. DUNDERBAK’S

14929 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa. 813-9774104, dunderbaks.com

OFF THE WAGON

BREWERY 2107 S Tamiami Trail, Venice. 941-497-2048, otwbar.com

OLDE FLORIDA BREWING 1158 7th St. NW, Largo. 727-2298010, facebook.com/oldefloridabrew

OVERFLOW BREWING 70 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-914-0665, facebook.com/ overflowbrewingco

OZONA BREWING COMPANY 315 Orange St., Palm Harbor. 920-392-9390, ozonabrewing.com

PEPPER BREWING 9366 Oakhurst Rd., Seminole. 727-596-5766, angrypeppertaphouse.com

PESKY PELICAN BREW PUB 923 72nd. St. N., St. Petersburg. 727-302-9600, peskypelicanbrewpub.com

PINELLAS ALE WORKS 1962 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-235-0970, pawbeer.com

POUR HOUSE 1208 E Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. 813-402-2923, pourhousetampa.com

PYE ROAD MEADWORKS 8533 Gunn Hwy., Odessa. 813-510-3500, pyeroad.com

RAPP BREWING COMPANY 10930

Endeavor Way, Seminole. 727-544-1752, rappbrewing.com

RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER 2244 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-360-0766, stpetearcadebar.com

ROCK BROTHERS BREWING 1901 N. 15th St., Ybor City. 813-241-0110, rockbrothersbrewing.com

SARASOTA BREWING COMPANY 6607 Gateway Ave., Sarasota. 941-925-2337, sarasotabrewing.com

SCOTTY’S BIERWORKS 901 East Industrial Circle, Cape Coral. 239-888-5482, scottysbierworks.net

SEA DOG BREWING 9610 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island/ 26200 US Highway 19 N, Clearwater. 727-954-7805, seadogbrewing.com

SILVERKING BREWING CO. 325 E Lemon St., Tarpon Springs. 727-422-7598, silverkingbrewing.com

SIX TEN BREWING 7052 Benjamin Rd., Tampa. 813-886-0610, sixtenbrewing.com

SOGGY BOTTOM BREWING 660 Main St., Dunedin. 727-601-1698, soggybottombrewing.com

SOUTHERN BREWING & WINEMAKING 4500 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa. 813-238-7800, southernbrewingwinemaking.com

SOUTHERN LIGHTS BREWING CO. 2075 Sunnydale Blvd., Clearwater. 727-648-4314, southernlightsbrewing.com

ST. PETE BREWING COMPANY 544 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-692-8809, stpetebrewingcompany.com

STILT HOUSE BREWERY 625 U.S. Hwy Alt. 19, Palm Harbor. 727-270-7373, stilthousebrewery.com

SWAN BREWING 15 W Pine St., Lakeland. 863-703-0472, swanbrewing.com

TAP THIS! BAR AND BREWING CO. 10730

US-19, Port Richey. 727-378-4358, tapthisbar.com

TBBC 1600 E 8th Ave., Ybor City/13933 Monroe’s Business Park, Westchase. 813-2471422, tbbc.beer

TEMPLE OF BEER 1776 11th Ave. N, St. Petersburg. 727-350-3055, templeofbeer.com

THREE BULLS TAVERN & BREWERY 4330 Bell Shoals Road, Valrico. 813-381-3853, threebullstavern.com

TIDAL BREWING COMPANY 14311 Spring Hill Dr., Spring Hill. 352-701-1602, tidalbrewingfl.com

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By Jon Palmer Claridge

Idon’t know what impelled farceur playwright

Ken Ludwig to use Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Sherlock Holmes” as a springboard for his delightful brand of silliness, but it’s an inspired choice. And in the hands of the breathtaking five-member ensemble portraying 40-plus characters on view at freeFall Theatre through April 23, the collision of cerebral murder mystery and delicious farce makes Baskerville a must see. Elementary, dear reader. Elementary.

Ludwig calls Baskerville “a vessel into which you can pour any kind of liquid.” And director Eric Davis shows us with madcap skill that theater at its best, unlike film, is not a realistic medium. The excitement here is drawing the audience in with scenic fragments, lightning fast costume changes, an staggering array of spot-on accents, and—wink, wink—actors running offstage and re-emerging seconds later with a different hat, posture, prop, mustache, hunchback or ridiculous fake beard held on with visible elastic.

Half the uproarious fun is that we’re in on the joke, even as the parade of suspects keeps us guessing who is responsible for the death of Charles Baskerville and is the wild hellhound with “glowing eyes, and dripping jaws” who prowls the Devonshire moors even real. Ludwig has great fun by transforming Sir Henry, the Baskerville heir, from a stuffy British gentleman into, horrors, a garish American cowboy complete with 10-gallon hat.

Two simple turned wooden benches and a few chairs serve as a Hansom cab, a train compartment, a hotel counter, a rock formation on the Devonshire moors, and even Holmes’ beloved box at the Royal Opera House. The theater is configured as an “aisle” stage with banks of seats facing each other and Tom Hansen’s elegant Victorian entrances anchoring each end. Both sides highlight 19th century wooden details with chair rails, corbels and lattice; one features an open frame flanked by simple leather chairs, the other a door with glass panels above a landing with two steps, the bottom curved like the apron of a stage.

A plane of a dozen plus incandescent iron lanterns hovers over the stage like a sparkle of fireflies. It’s a splendid canvas on which to spin this tale.

freeFall’s supremely talented anchors are in top form. Artistic Director Davis is a theatrical polymath. Embodying the supremely cool and cerebral Sherlock Holmes, Davis returns to the stage while also directing the madcap action with perfect panache. Additionally, he provides plenty of dramatic, cinematic underscoring, frightening snarls from the terrifying hound, flourishes that announce that something shocking is sure to follow, and any manner of pulse-quickening orchestral snippets à la Mahler. As with Conan Doyle’s serialized novel, Dr. Watson is the narrator and heart and soul of the play.

THEATER

Baskerville: A Sherlock Hollmes Adventure

Select dates through April 23, $25-$45 freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg freefalltheatre.com

The inimitable Matthew McGee brings his usual intelligence and charm to the role of sidekick—the perfect foil for Holmes’s super human powers of deduction. The three other actors (Kelly Pekar, James Putnam, and Robert Teasdale) are simply astonishingly versatile. Each plays multiple characters with hilarious specificity employing estimable comic timing. And what makes it all so delightful is spoofing known cultural references. There are shades of the lunatic best from popular culture touchstones—as if Conan Doyle’s prose somehow had a ménage a trois with the “Carol Burnett Show” and the insane, inane world of Mel Brooks.

Pekar, as the lone female, is a singular presence. She gets to run the gamut from spit and snarl through a series of delicious accents to a scarlet-gowned love interest who indeed stops our cowboy at first sight as he dissolves midsentence with “my lord, you have beautiful eyes.”

The fast-paced evening is full of surprises, which includes the superb design work by Deborah Lastinger (costumes) and Jo AverillSnell (lights). The madcap style with dozens of characters and myriad settings lets these artists reach deep into their bag of theatrical tricks unleashed. With so many choices and few stylistic restraints, they rise to the occasion with riveting results.

All told, it’s a complete triumph from concept to execution on par with freeFall’s best.

I feel compelled to share that this has been a grand week for local, professional theater across Tampa Bay. I was away earlier and missed several openings, so I just saw four plays and an opera in five days. Some are now gone, but I heartily recommend that you get away from your TV to experience the unique thrill of these live performances. Stageworks’s chilling world premiere of Mark Leib’s “When the Righteous Triumph” (through April 2), and Jobsite’s “Misery” with a career performance by Summer Bohnenkamp torturing real life spouse, David Jenkins (thru April 9, read more on p. 45).

MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE

MADCAPPIN’: Artistic Director Davis is a theatrical polymath.

THEE PHOTO NINJA

“This has been a grand week for local, professional theater across Tampa Bay.”

‘Baskerville’ is a complete triumph on par with freeFall’s best.

King maker

‘Misery’ is a sparse and electrifying new production at Jobsite Theater.

By John W. Allman

Summer Bohnenkamp and David Jenkins are a Tampa power couple. As Chief Programming and Marketing Officer at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, and co-Founder/Producing Artistic Director for Jobsite Theater, respectively, they are well-known across the Bay area as artists and artistic advocates.

They’re also longtime, personal friends. Both of these facts have had no influence over the following critical analysis of “Misery,” the wonderfully minimalist stage production of the Stephen King classic novel, based on William Goldman’s stage adaptation of the script he wrote for the 1990 film by Rob Reiner, which stars Jenkins as author Paul Sheldon and Bohnenkamp as Annie Wilkes, his number one fan.

caustically funny examination of celebrity, creativity and the deep impact that fictional characters can have on real people struggling to keep the lines from blurring.

This is just a standout performance that deserves more than critical raves. It’s a template for young, aspiring thespians to study and absorb.

THEATER

Misery

Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Sundays, 4 p.m. through April 9. $39.50. jobsitetheater.org

There’s a reason Kathy Bates won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Wilkes way back in 1991. The character is just too good, too well-written, which could prove intimidating to any actor unsure about inhabiting Wilkes’ unpredictable storm of childlike wonder and malicious violence.

Running a lean, spirited 90 minutes, “Misery” is a delight, a wonderfully dark and

Thank goodness that Bohnenkamp displays zero hesitation, even when her character is essentially torturing her real-life husband. It is exhilarating to watch, and to marvel at each subtle shift in her demeanor and facial expressions that gives way to a torrent of emotion, sometimes jubilant and other times terrifying.

Not that Jenkins isn’t equally as good as the hobbled author. His curmudgeonly gruffand-huff exterior is spot-on, which makes the occasional moments of charm equally effective. And don’t let the fact that Jenkins spends a majority of his time either confined to a bed, or navigating a wheelchair with both of his legs in braces, fool you into thinking he’s not exerting plenty of energy. He deftly maneuvers through such restrictive settings with ease.

The physical horror of “Misery,” by now, is well-documented and iconic. Hell, even the sledgehammer appears in promotional materials, looming large. And the build-up to that

moment is thick with anticipation. What I wasn’t expecting was an equally impressive, and surprisingly bloody, practical effect that happens late in the play. It’s so unexpected that I felt pinned to my seat for a good 15-to20 seconds afterward.

If there’s a complaint, it’s simply that the finale culminates with a sequence that will be familiar to anyone who has seen the film, but also that feels rushed and almost in stark contrast to the meticulously calibrated 80 minutes that preceded it. Even writing that feels like nitpicking.

“Misery” is a rollicking production that welcomes your nostalgia and then upends your expectations, making the familiar feel fresh and new, thanks in large part to Bohnenkamp and Jenkins’ enormous talent and their total commitment to these characters that we know and love.

SUMMER REIGNS: Onstage, Bohnenkamp (L) is essentially torturing her real-life husband.

“This is just a standout performance that deserves more than critical raves.”

Ratical, dude

An upcoming St. Petersburg art show benefits Florida Rat Rescue.

By Jennifer Ring

Do you have what it takes to make rats beautiful? If so, consider submitting your ratthemed artwork to Brandy Stark’s “Ratical!” art show. Ratical! brings two of Stark’s passions— rats and art—together at St. Pete’s ArtLofts this April. But, why rats?

“I wanted to raise awareness,” Stark told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “In part, I feel bad for rats…Some of the stories I’ve heard are kind of sad — people just abandoning them or putting them out in nature. There are just a lot of misconceptions. So Florida Rat Rescue, as well as World Rat Day, is all about teaching, and removing, some of the stigma against pet rats...”

“They are good eaters. I am always amazed because they look so small, yet they get all this food. And it’s gone. And I’m like, ‘How are you eating all this?’”

LOCAL ART

Rats also played an interesting role in art history. As a part-time professor, currently at State College of Florida, Stark often speaks about the role of animals in art. When I ask her about depictions of rats, she begins with the elephantheaded Hindu God Ganesh.

‘Ratical’ art show

Tuesday, April 4 & Saturday, April 8. Free ArtLofts, 10 5th St. N, St. Petersburg bstarkart.com

According to Stark, the maligned rodents make good pets. She quickly points out that she’s not talking about street rats or wild rats. She’s talking about rats bred to be human companions—rats sold in pet stores.

Stark bought her first rat at PetSmart about 20 years ago.

“We went in and they had a set of hairless rats, and they were both boys,” Stark told CL. “I had never seen hairless rats. They didn’t look like rats to me. They were really different looking. I remember my mother was with me. This was back in the day when I was a young adult. I talked to her about this, and she said, ‘I think you should get them.’ And I’m like, ‘No, they’re rats…’”

But Stark brought them home with her. She named her boys Khufu and Khafre after the Ancient Egyptian pyramid builders. “They were so alien looking; they kind of reminded me of the Egyptian Anubis with its long, pointed face,” says Stark, who studied ancient history in college.

Khufu and Khafre are long gone—rats only live for about two years—but others have taken their place. Stark now has two rat colonies (called “mischiefs”), including one with five rats and the other with four rats. She describes them as super intelligent, joyful creatures who love to eat.

“In the morning, if I don’t move fast enough, the girls will start chewing on the wires of their cages, making all this horrible racket because they want to eat,” Stark told CL.

“His vehicle is a rat,” says Stark.

“In cartoons in the west, you see elephants looking like they’re afraid of rats,” Stark continues. “But in India, it can represent a couple of different things, like Ganesh can make all things possible.”

Things like turning a demon into a rat and then riding it around town.

“Even though he’s a gigantic figure, he can ride upon a rat because he’s a God figure. Sometimes people will say that rats represent that voracious appetite. On a spiritual and metaphysical level, [they represent] the need to acquire rather than renunciate, which is Shiva’s path. So when Ganesh rides upon the rat, it’s also a symbol of renunciation, of controlling that urge to acquire.”

“The rat was seen as humble for the Chinese calendar,” Stark continues. “In the Middle Ages, unfortunately, the rat does become seen as a symbol of illness and the devil….”

So, hungry and greedy in India, humble in China, and the devil in Europe during the bubonic plague. “That’s always kind of an interesting mix,” says Stark.

But for this art show, rats are cute. They beg like dogs, eat Cheerios and mac and cheese like toddlers, feature in animated films, and do a little dance when they’re happy. So think “Ratatouille” and get rat-a-crafty. If you need some inspiration, Stark suggests watching a WEDU PBS interview with fellow pet rat owner and Florida artist Alexis Ellis, who’s participating in the show.

The deadline to submit artwork to ArtLofts “RATical!” is March 31. The show is free to enter, but ArtLofts requests artists donate 20% of their sales to Florida Rat Rescue.

C/O BRANDY STARK

BE MICE, ALRIGHT? Allison Roger's 'Suppertime.'

Have spirit

Sarah Penner will discuss new book in St. Pete.

By Caroline DeBruhl

Sarah Penner doesn’t know if she believes in ghosts. “I’m a skeptic,” she told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “I’ve never had a personal experience with the paranormal. That said, many of my friends and family members—who I greatly respect and aren’t the sort to tell tall tales—insist they’ve seen or experienced ghosts, and I believe them.”

BOOKS

The London Séance Society: An Evening with Sarah Penner

Wednesday, April 5, 7 p.m. $30 & up Coastal Creative, 2201 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg tombolobooks.com

Her new novel, ”The London Séance Society,” delves into the divide between skepticism and spooky acceptance. Set in 1873, the book follows a cast of characters through the world of the occult. First, there is Lenna Wickes, scientific-minded and skeptical of the whole Spiritualism business—that is, until her séancestudying sister, Evie, is murdered. Lenna travels to France to study under Evie’s old mentor, Vaudeline D’Allaire. Back in London, there is Mr. Morley, the vice-president of the Department of Spiritualism at the London Séance Society, whose mentor was killed in a séance gone rouge. When Mr. Morley calls upon Vaudeline (and her now appetence, Lenna) to help discover what happened, the women return to England, where mysteries deepen, love blooms, and danger lurks in the shadows.

It might surprise readers to learn that much of the world of “The London Séance Society” is based on fact, not fantasy. Spiritualism was all the rage in the

Victorian Era, with the Queen herself being an active practitioner. There were exclusive clubs for gentlemen magicians (the demonsummoning kind) and lady mediums who worked out of their homes. By the late 1800s, it’s estimated that 1 in 3 people in the US were Spiritualists, with a huge community right here in Florida in the village of Cassadega—a spiritualist village still active today.

It was actually a trip to Cassadaga that helped Penner capture the feeling of séances. While she was disappointed that her séance didn’t produce any ghosts, she noticed an older couple attending to connect to their grandchild, who died as an infant. Penner said, “I realized this séance was not about seeking proof of ghosts at all. Instead, it was about respecting another person’s grief and their desire to connect with those they’ve lost. Grief is a universal human experience, and there is no right or wrong way to find peace.”

The novel does deal with characters trying to process their grief—especially in the rigid world of Victorian society. But the book isn’t just a study of the dead. It has elements of mystery and a lesbian romance at the heart of the story. Those eagle-eyed readers of the genre may notice some familiar tropes with the characters or the plot, but the pacing is quick, which keeps the pages turning. There is also that universal pull of magic that even the most skeptical among us can be drawn to.

OCCULT WORLD PROBLEMS: Sarah Penner hasn’t personally experienced a ghost, but her friends have.

Baker man

At least the Bucs aren’t tanking for Caleb Williams.

By Carter Brantley

In the last few weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed, traded, cut, and restructured a bunch of guys. But let’s start with arguably the biggest news which is…

Bucs Sign Baker Mayfield to 1-year, $8.5-million deal So much for the Kyle Trask train. This signing doesn’t mean that the Bucs aren’t moving forward with Trask as their starting quarterback, but it does call into question his job security. Mayfield is a former No. 1 pick and likely didn’t sign with the Bucs to hold a clipboard. Plus, $8.5 million is a lot of money for a backup when you have a roster with countless other holes.

Jamel Dean resigns for four years, $52 million While the Baker signing is bigger and flashier, the Dean resigning is far more important. The cornerback allows the Bucs to use their draft choices on other positions of need and for them to solidify what is still an area of the roster that is very much in flux. Without this signing, the Bucs likely have to spend multiple picks (including their first) on the cornerback position. Now they can use a mid-to-late round pick on the position, or seek an undrafted free agent.

Bucs re-sign Lavonte David to one-year deal Lavonte David is a Buc. He’s been a team captain for close to a decade, he’s one of the best linebackers in football, and he just seems to fit

like a glove with this team. Bringing him back is great news and another big step towards the Bucs being a (surprisingly) competitive team this year.

Shaq Mason traded to Houston Texans in pick swap In a bit of a surprising move, the Bucs take an offensive line that was already going to struggle and make things even more difficult. But, they do save a substantial amount of cap space in the process. Without this deal, I’m not sure the Dean signing goes through.

Vita Vea, Chris Godwin, Carlton Davis restructure deals to create cap space In expected moves, three veterans on the roster restructured their deals to help ease the cap burden the Bucs are dealing with this offseason. Of course, these deals do continue to kick the can down the road, as Tampa Bay’s cap problems have simply been pushed down to later years.

Chase Edmonds signs one-year veteran’s minimum Edmonds is known more as a third-down, pass catching back, so unless the Bucs have higher expectations for Ke’Shawn Vaughn as a power, between the tackles, back, look for the Bucs to either draft or sign another guy of that ilk to fill out this running back room.

All of these moves signal that while the Bucs aren’t Super Bowl contenders, they’re not exactly tanking for Caleb Williams. We’ll see what other moves they make moving forward.

TRASK THAT ASS UP: Kyle Trask gets to compete with this guy for the QB job.

“$8.5 million is a lot of money for a backup.”

THU 30

Big Wild w/Bay Ledges We’re a bit surprised that EDM producer Big Wild didn’t promote his latest record, The Efferusphere, at Okeechobee Music Festival this year. Perhaps it was all with good reason, because the 32-year-old finally arrives back in the area with folksy dream-pop duo Bay Ledges opening up shop. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

North Star Boys The North Star Boys are undoubtedly on their way to breaking barriers in the music industry. According to a press release, the Asian-American septet is looking to “inspire the younger generation of minorities and dreamers by filling the void of Asian-American representation in the media.” Following a massively successful run in Asia last fall—and ahead of a number of collaborations being worked on for release later this year—the band recently kicked off a U.S. headlining tour. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

FRI 31

Crunk Witch w/Swell Rell/Psych

Montano Nerds are all the rage anymore, and bass music’s not exempt from the obsession. Self-styled “nerdy bass-music duo” is driven by Maine-based composers Brandon Miles and Hannah Collen who’ve not only written the score for Nintendo Switch game “Battlesloths” but released a self-titled 2018 album that plays like a kitschy-sexy, 36-minute collection of hyperactive bit-pop that could also please fans of Scissor Sisters, The Killers and and even Prince. Nerdcore rapper Swell Rell opens alongside Tampa’s own Psych Montano.

(Hooch and Hive, Tampa)

David Nail w/Drake Milligan Babyface country singer David Nail spent the latter half of last year on the road with Tyler Braden, a fellow country singer and exfirefighter. It’s been said that the 43-year-old really wants to have a fourth child, so if fatherhood has any chance of completely taking over his life, Friday might be a good

time to catch Mr. “Night’s On Fire” as a part of the nine-day Chasco Fiesta. (Sims Park, New Port Richey)

Marco Antonio Solís Latin rock band Los Bukis—co-founded by Marco Antonio Solís 50 odd years ago—recently got back together for a string of live performances in the U.S. and Mexico. After closing it out in Mexico City last December, 63-year-old Solís is now playing it solo with a career retrospective tour. (Amalie Arena, Tampa)

Phoneboy w/Cannibal Kids Phoneboy’s latest single “Your Apartment” feels like the innocence of singing songs by Motion City Soundtrack at the top of your lungs in your significant other’s Honda accord. Other stuff from the New Jersey band (“Ferrari,” “What A Coward”) is just as catchy, and the band will be in equally sunny company thanks to Miami indie-pop band Cannibal Kids which does a hell of a cover of America’s “Ventura Highway,” too. (Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)

North Star Boys

continued from page 53

Spy w/Pez/Colonial Wound/Horsewhip/ Shining Wizard The westside meets the Gulf Coast when Pez lands at Tampa biker bar

Born Free—and bodies will fly. The California quintet is a sleeping giant of hardcore and joined by Gainesville cyberpunk favorite Pez, plus north Florida noise behemoth Colonial Wound, and Bay area heavy hitter Horsewhip, which just announced a new album. Trashy grindcore local Shining Wizard opens the show, which will probably sell-out. (Born Free Pub & Grill, Tampa)

SAT 01

April Fool’s Burlesque: Alistair Graves w/DaneGer Spice/Ktwo LeMew/Mary

Strawberry/Ruby Vesper In an era that sees people demonizing drag queens, Alistair Graves—self-described as the “source of fantasy and occasional complex—is keeping the love of cabaret alive in Florida. Along with DaneGer Spice, Ktwo LeMew, and more, Graves will partake in an April Fool’s burlesque that’s half rehearsed, and half improv, while also including audience suggested songs. (Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)

Corner Club Two-Year Anniversary Party: Same Day Delivery Orchestra Old Seminole Heights old-dive-bar-turned-cozycafe has completed two turns around the sun, and to celebrate it welcomes a stalwart scene staple, Same Day Delivery, orchestra where bandleader Melissa Grady taps friends to faithfully re-create the best local music in an orchestral fashion. (Corner Club, Tampa)

Paul Anka Don’t be too surprised if Paul Anka attracts an age-diverse crowd come Saturday night. The 81-year-old has had “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” and “My Way” (yes, Sinatra’s “My Way”) pop up all over TikTok in the last few years, and if you’re over the age of 50, how could you not have heard either of those easy-listening hits—and then some—at some point in your life?

(Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

Rachel Baiman w/Nicholas Jamerson

Nashville fiddler-slash-singer-songwriter

Rachel Baiman is celebrating the release of her new album Common Nation of Sorrow by spending a long weekend in the Sunshine State. From what we’ve heard so far, the album tackles topics ranging from feeling imprisoned by some sort of debt, to how self-made men might not be as tough as they make themselves out to be. Considering the latter topic, perhaps it’s fitting to hold album release weekend in a state where an expresident lurks in his Palm Beach mansion, partially thanks to a small loan of $1 million. (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City)

Starship feat. Mickey Thomas w/John Waite The last time John Waite was in town— opening for Men at Work circa 2022—he told a story about how him and Alison Krauss once performed a Vince Gill song at Grand Ole Opry, just to later learn that the country legend was actually in the crowd when that happened. No telling if Waite caught the Eagles with Gill in Jacksonville or Tampa last

week, but he will be opening for Starship featuring Mickey Thomas. By the way, while Starship definitely doesn’t live up to Jefferson Starship before it—or Jefferson Airplane before that—I disagree: “We Built This City” is definitely not on the same “worst ‘80s songs ever” shitlist as “Kokomo.” (Sims Park, New Port Richey)

The Venus w/Johnny Mile & the Kilometers/The Tilt Some bands are live music calendar staples, and others are more like local sasquatches only to be seen on the blood moon. The Venus, one of Tampa Bay’s foremost purveyors of psych-rock, falls into the latter. For its first St. Pete show in more than a year, the band, led by Alexander Charos, plays a free gig at The Bends alongside insane rock and roll trio Johnny Mile & the Kilometers and art-rock unit The Tilt. (The Bends, St. Petersburg)

SUN 02

Micky Dolenz Some of us still cry over Davy Jones being gone, while others are still shocked that Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork are no longer on this earth. But no one can believe it more than sole-surviving Monkee Micky Dolenz. The 78-year-old cheeky singerdrummer is still in pretty good shape—vocally and physically—and is on the road, saluting his fallen brothers with their hits, and performing a handful of never-before-playedlive cuts from The Monkees’ Headquarters. Considering the fact that this is Micky’s first time back in Clearwater since Papa Nez’ death less than a month after their farewell tour came to an end, consider this Sunday evening affair an encore you shouldn’t take for granted. (Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)

Ricardo Montaner This week, Argentinaborn Ricardo Montaner announced a new single with Mexican singer Carlos Rivera, formerly the star of a Latin American stage adaption of “The Lion King.” It’s anyone’s

guess if Rivera is going to join the 65-year-old at his Hard Rock gig on Sunday, but it appears that Montaner has never been to Tampa before, so if he’s the kind of person to extravagantly mark a city debut, the odds might not be that bad. (Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa)

MON 03

jxdn w/Beauty School Dropout My heart kinda sank when I learned that one of the newest faces of pop-punk—if you want to call it that—is only a few months older than me. TikTok sensation Jxdn (pronounced “jayden”) clearly takes inspiration from his buddy Machine Gun Kelly—who he actually opened for in 2021—and his only album Tell Me About It Tomorrow features songwriting credits from MGK, as well as members of blink-182 and The Used. The 21-year-old makes his Tampa Bay debut with support from Beauty School Dropout (the alt-rock band, not the “Grease” song). (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Meet Me @ The Altar w/Young Culture/ Daisy Grenade Ever since Internet-formed band Meet Me @ The Altar opened for Glass Animals and Twenty One Pilots at 97X Next Big Thing in 2021, uphill has been the only direction Edith Victoria and friends have gone. Earlier in the year, the all-female altrock outfit finally released its debut album, Past // Present // Future, and even promoted it on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” just before release. Young Culture and Daisy Grenade open the group’s first show at the new Orpheum on Monday night. (Orpheum, Tampa)

TUE 04

Simon Lasky Group British jazz composer—and former host on WUSF’s”All Night

Jazz” before the station unceremoniously pulle dthe plug on jazz—Simon Lasky heads into the studio soon, and this is the last gig before his band unveils their work at an album release show this fall. Joining Lasky in the intimate Studio@620 space is trumpeter James Suggs, saxophonists Aaron West and Jack Wilkins, vocalist-songwriter Ona Kirei, plus Peter Mongaya on guitar, bassist Elias Ton and drummer Jonathan Thomas. (Studio@620, St. Petersburg)

WED 05

Lorna Shore w/Shadow of Intent/Brand of Sacrifice/Bodysnatcher/Boundaries

Wednesday night will mark the third time in a year that deathcore outfit Lorna Shore will rock a corner of Tampa Bay. This time around though, the guys are taking it outdoors to Jannus Live, before it gets stupid hot outside (well…anyway.) And if Wednesday night’s St. Pete gig is anywhere near as explosive as the band’s Orpheum gig in October, let’s just say that pain won’t remain. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

THU 06

Gringo Star w/Nico Sweet/Austin

Miller Duo Not a lot of rock bands use an autoharp. Not a lot of rock bands are Gringo Star either. The Atlanda band recently returned with a ‘70s-flavored ballad, “Told Me Once Before” one of the band’s most minimalist offerings to date, but one still rooted in Gringo Star’s penchant for turning garagerock into pop. The band plays a free, outdoor and family-friendly show as part of downtown Tampa’s Rock the Park series. Tampa rapper Nico Sweet and Orlando expat songwriter Austin Miller open the show. (Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa)

Gringo Star SOLOMON MILLS

John Mayer cut his teeth in coffee shops near the Berklee School of Music and in small venues like Eddie’s Attic—and he wants to give Tampa a little of that smallroom feel. As expected, Mayer has added dates to his solo tour of arenas and is headed to Tampa Bay this fall. Canadian songwriter JP Saxe opens the show.

Tickets to see Mayer’s solo tour at Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Friday, Oct. 13 go on sale to the public on Friday, March 31 at 9 a.m. EDT and start at $55.75. The Tampa date—Mayer’s first at Amalie since April of last year—is the only new Florida stop, but there are a pair of one-off September dates in Hollywood already on the books.

The 45-year-old announced his solo tour back in January and will take it across the U.S. and even into Canada. In his initial announcement of the tour, Mayer said he knew he’d get an inkling to hit the road with just a microphone and a guitar again, but he ended up bringing a bunch of guitars, plus a piano for the run featuring songs old, new and unheard.

See Josh Bradley’s weekly roundup of new concerts below.—Ray Roa

Derrick Carter w/Brian Busto/AVBleek

Friday, March 31. 7 p.m. $15 & up. Floridian Social, St. Petersburg

Chuchito Valdes Sunday, April 2. 4 p.m. $30 & up. Side Door at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg

Nogu Svelo! Thursday, April 6. 8 p.m. $38.80. Brass Mug, Tampa

Mile-End Trio Wednesday, April 12. 7:30 p.m. $15 & up. Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg

Warped Winter Spring Break: Blink180 Deux w/Felicity/Discord Theory/ Neverless/The Easy Button/Deserted Will/Keep It A Secret Saturday, April 22. 6 p.m. $15. Crowbar, Ybor City

Dropout Kings Thursday, April 27. 7 p.m. $15. Crowbar, Ybor City

Nightbreakers w/Crøwnz/Night Winds Friday, April 28. 7 p.m. $10. Brass Mug, Tampa

Moxie Thursday, June 1. 8 p.m. $15. Hooch and Hive, Tampa

Heart Attack Man w/Super American/ Arm’s Length/Photocopy Wednesday, June 7. 6 p.m. $19. Orpheum, Tampa

Tampa Indie Night: Rohna w/Cannibal Kids/Summer Hoop/Mirox/DJ Mirror Ball Friday, June 16. 6 p.m. $14. Crowbar, Ybor City

The Original Misfits w/Megadeth/ Fear Saturday, June 24. 7 p.m. $49.50 & up. Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Chest Fever Friday, July 14. 8 p.m. $20. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

The Ries Brothers w/Ajeva/Matt Walden Friday, July 14. 7 p.m. $20 & up. Floridian Social, St. Petersburg

Mudvayne w/Coal Chamber/GWAR/ Nonpoint/Butcher Babies Friday, July 21. 5:30 p.m. $35 & up. Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Jackson Browne Wednesday, Aug. 2. 7:30 p.m. $53.25 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

The Offspring w/Simple Plan/Sum 41 Wednesday, Aug. 16. 7 p.m. $29.50 & up. Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

3 Doors Down w/Candlebox Friday, Sept. 15. 8 p.m. $29.50 & up. Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Size peace

By Dan Savage

I’m a 41-year-old lesbian. Back when I was 26, I weighed 125 pounds and had a girlfriend. Sex with “Amy” was mind-blowing. Amy was exactly my type from head to toe, and she had more experience than me, so she really opened me up sexually. Our physical chemistry was off the charts.

Unfortunately, Amy and I broke up (dysfunctional relationship issues), and then I moved to the West Coast. Fast-forward to age 31. I weighed 165 pounds, but I carried it well. Then I fell into a severe depression and had to live with my parents for a while. Amy lived about two hours away from me at that time. She’d seen me at my new weight and was still interested in me. Amy called me every night for months. After months of talking, we decided to meet up in person. However, because of depression meds and “mom’s cooking” and whatever else, I was approximately 200 pounds when we finally met up. Amy and I started sleeping together again, but it was obvious that she wasn’t into me physically anymore. The insanely good sex we once had together never returned. Within a few months she told me she was attracted to other people, and we ended things.

shame about my body?—Fat Middle-Aged Celibate Lesbo

“To begin to work on accepting our bodies it’s essential to get to the core of the issue,” said Elle Chase, a certified sexologist, sex, relationship, and body-image coach, and the author of “Curvy Girl Sex: 101 Body-Positive Sex Positions to Empower Your Sex Life.”

SAVAGE LOVE

And at the core of your issue, FMACL, you’re not going to find your weight gain or the trauma of being dumped by hot girl Amy. No, according to Chase, your issues go much deeper, FMACL, and they’re cultural, not individual.

“From the day we are born, we are inundated with made-up, ever-changing standards for beauty and our bodies,” said Chase. “These standards are rooted in systems of oppression like patriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism. These man-made ideas of attractiveness and desirability distort, skew, and infect our perception and opinion of ourselves—and others—convincing us that we must look a certain way in order to be sexually desirable or deserving. But that’s a lie!”

personally when a friend—or a stranger on a dating app—disagrees with us about pointillism or surrealism or cubism. The stakes are higher when we’re the painting someone else thinks is beautiful (when we don’t feel beautiful) or doesn’t feel is beautiful (when we wish they would).

“When what you see in the mirror doesn’t match that artificial standard it’s hard for your brain to see you as the inherently sexually desirable human that you are,” said Chase. “Your brain becomes an unreliable narrator trying to protect you from the pain of rejection by telling you that you aren’t attractive or sexually desirable enough to deserve a sex life.”

So, how does one—how do you—dismantle this, er, system of self-oppression?

her own joy, comfort, and desires over all else right now—she deserves nothing less.”

To learn more about Elle Chase, her work, and the services she provides, visit ellechase. com. Chase is offering readers of Savage Love 15% off a session or package if you use the code SAVAGE.

I want to be very, very clear when I say that I do not blame Amy at all for losing attraction to me due to my weight gain. Going from 125 to 200 within five years is an extreme amount of weight gain. But the experience broke my heart and I have not had sex or even kissed anyone since. That’s nine years of celibacy. I was (and am) deeply ashamed of my body. I continued to receive treatment for depression—lots of different psych meds, lots of group and individual therapy, etc., and my mental health has slowly but steadily improved—but I also gained more weight—and I lost every last drop of self-acceptance about my body. I went from loving my body, to being OK with it, to being dumped for it, to becoming severely obese. I finally started seeing a weight loss doctor last year and have begun to slowly lose some of the weight — I’m down to 230 pounds from my 275 max—and I REALLY want to have sex again, but I can’t even stay on dating sites for more than a few days before deleting my profile, because I’m so horribly ashamed of how I look. I used to be young! And hot! And pretty! And hot girl Amy wanted to fuck me! Constantly! I don’t want to get back together with Amy, not at all, but I miss the kind of life-altering sex she and I used to have when my body was at its best.

How do I even begin trying to start dating and having sex again when I was dumped for getting fat and have such self-loathing and

Because sexual attraction is highly subjective—there are lots of different people out there, FMACL, and

“Here’s a ‘Cliffs Notes’ version with some hopefully useful tips,” said Chase. “FMACL needs to rewire her brain by disrupting negative self-talk patterns. If she hates what she looks like and her inner dialog is endorsing [that self-hatred], she should acknowledge her feelings—if you feel like crap, you feel like crap, and it’s important to validate that— and then say something true but neutral to herself. Something like, ‘This is what my body looks like today,’ or, ‘I feel ugly, but feelings aren’t facts.’ My favorite mantra: ‘What I think of my body is none of my business.’ Don’t be dis -

This is a question I should have asked you 10 years ago! I’m a 68-year-old GWM, who was sexually assaulted by my (also gay) medical provider, multiple times, until I finally distanced myself from him both socially and professionally. I vacillated for several years whether or not I should report him, but never did. Recently, I discovered that he apparently committed suicide after another patient accused him of multiple sexual assaults. I contacted this man’s attorneys, and they are moving forward with a lawsuit against the clinic and the provider’s estate. At their request, I have agreed to provide a deposition. They have also suggested that I consider filing a suit. I am a happily married man, retired, and living in Europe. Should I just let all this go? Or should I jump into the fire with a lawsuit?—Decline Or Challenge

different people find different bodies and different body types and different personalities attractive.

“It’s just like art,” said Chase. “We could be looking at the same painting and have two very different feelings or opinions about it. And neither of us is wrong.”

Differing tastes in art may be easy for us to wrap our heads around. We’re not going to take it

couraged. I know it’s challenging but it’s a lifelong practice that I myself continue to do daily.”

As for dating—as for putting yourself out there on a dating app and staying out there—Chase advises lowering the stakes for now.

“FMACL can take the pressure off herself for now by just dating for practice,” said Chase. “The goal is not to get laid or find a new partner, but to grow more at ease and confident with herself. Notice how it feels to go out with people and have conversations, share experiences, even flirt. She should pay attention to how she’s feeling rather than what she assumes her date is feeling. Prioritize

Agreeing to be deposed—or agreeing to file an affidavit—in support of the other patient known to have been assaulted by your former medical provider… that’s no small thing. So, even if you decide not to file a lawsuit yourself, DOC, you aren’t just letting this go. You’re doing something meaningful and significant; you’re helping another victim get the justice and restitution he feels he needs and help - ing to hold the clinic where you, this man, and most likely other men were sexually assaulted.

So, the question isn’t, “Am I going to sit this out?.” as you aren’t sitting this out. The question instead is, “Am I going to file a lawsuit of my own?” And the answer to that question… well, that’s not an answer I can provide you with, DOC. Because the answer depends on what you need, DOC, to feel whole. If you don’t want the hassle and don’t need a settlement, you aren’t obligated to get more involved than you have already—and, again, agreeing to be deposed (by both sides) in a case like this is no small thing. Justice is being done, institutions are being held accountable, and you’re helping. If you want to file a lawsuit of your own, you should. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.

Send your burning questions to mailbox@ savage.love. Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love!

creative loafing puzzler

by Merl Reagle