Creative Loafing Tampa — April 6, 2023

PUBLISHER James Howard

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ray Roa

DIGITAL EDITOR Colin Wolf

MANAGING EDITOR Kyla Fields

FOOD and THEATER CRITIC

Jon Palmer Claridge

FILM & TV CRITIC John W. Allman

IN-HOUSE WITCH Caroline DeBruhl

CONTRIBUTORS Josh Bradley, Justin Garcia, Jennifer Ring, Arielle Stevenson

PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Decker, Jennifer Ring

Story

SPRING INTERN Tyana Rodgers

Apply for summer via rroa@cltampa.com

question

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jack Spatafora

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Joe Frontel

ILLUSTRATORS Dan Perkins, Cory Robinson, Bob Whitmore

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SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Anthony Carbone, Scott Zepeda

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS DIRECTOR

Alexis Quinn Chamberlain

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Lauren Caplinger

EUCLID MEDIA GROUP

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Music: Tampa Bay Blues Fest

Andrew Zelman

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERS

Chris Keating, Michael Wagner

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Tampa Bay Blues Fest 40

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Sarah Fenske

VP OF DIGITAL SERVICES Stacy Volhein

REGIONAL OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Hollie Mahadeo

DIGITAL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Jaime Monzon

euclidmediagroup.com

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

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ON THE COVER: Photo c/o Michelle Wojciechowski. Design by Joe Frontel.

Now there’s a glue that holds things together, and those are the songs. John Cecil’s zombies are in Ybor City this weekend, p. 45.

Call of the wild

Photos by Dave Decker

The Tampa Bay punk and hard-rock scene is active pretty much each and every weekend, and Dave Decker was on both sides of the Bay last Friday and Saturday to catch a heavy-hitting hardcore gig (Spy, Colonial Wound, Pez, Horsewhip, Shining Wizard) at Tampa’s Born Free Pub & Grill, plus a punk show at Dunedin Brewery (Wolf-Face, My Cat Umi). See more photos via cltampa.com/slideshow.—Ray Roa

THE COMPETITORS

AMERICAN SOCIAL “Tiki Rita”

El Tesoro Reposado, Aperol, passion fruit, lime, pineapple, & tropical salt

BOOZE & BUBBLES

“Spicy Cucumber Margarita”

El Tesoro Blanco, fresh pressed cucumber juice, triple sec, lime juice, & simple syrup, garnished with a candied jalapeño

CHICKEN AND TACO LOCO BAR AND GRILL

“Cempasúchitl’s (Sehm-pah-sue-chi) Nectar”

Tres Generaciones Añejo, marigold simple syrup, orange juice, sweet & sour, triple sec, & Grand Mariner

COCKTAIL ST. PETE “Cock-O-Nut Margarita”

Tres Generaciones Plata, Coco Réal, Natalie’s lime juice, freshly squeezed OJ, & Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur

DATZ

“Un Poco Loco”

Tres Generaciones Plata, mango nectar, lime juice, chamoy, & triple sec with a Tajin rim, topped with Mango Sip Margs & garnished with mango sprinkled with mango chili salt

GOOD INTENTIONS

“Street Corn Margarita”

El Tesoro Reposado, elote liqueur, grilled sweet corn, lime, agave, & a vegan spicy cheese rim

HOTEL TAMPA RIVERWALK

“Smokin’ Rita”

Tres Generaciones Añejo, Grand Marnier, agave nectar, fresh lime, & orange & lemon juice, infused with pecan hickory smoke with a black salt rim & garnished with a candy orange

JAKE’S COASTAL CANTINA

“Guava Nice Day”

Tres Generaciones Reposado, triple sec, lime juice, lemon juice, guava nectar, & agave with a Tajin rim and guava garnish

JOTORO

“Cloud 9”

El Tesoro Reposado, fresh lime juice, fresh orange, & cream soda poured over cotton candy with a dragon fruit dust rim

LUNA LUX

“Cubano-rita”

Tres Generaciones Plata, sour orange juice, lime juice, German dill pickle juice, Cubano jus, agave syrup, orange liqueur, Swiss cheese foam, & a mustard seasoned salt rim

PINEIRO HOSPITALITY

“Pretty In Pink”

Hornitos Plata, pineberries, basil, pink lemon, Peychaud’s, & pineberry salt foam

RED MESA MERCADO

“Acapulco Heat”

Hornitos Plata, pineapple juice, Red Mesa Veneno Oscuro with sage & lime juice

RIVETERS

“Blackberry Margarita”

Tres Generaciones Reposado housemade margarita with fresh blackberry

SHOWBAR

“Buzzy Bee”

El Tesoro Reposado, Limoncello, Cointreau, fresh squeezed lemon, granulated honey, lemon zest, black lava salt, locally-sourced orange blossom or wildflower honey by Tampa Bees on a honey dipper (customer’s choice), & dried wild flowers

SONDER SOCIAL CLUB

“It Was All Yellow”

Tres Generaciones Añejo, fresh lime juice, mango syrup, Madagascar vanilla agave, Bittermens Hellfire

Habanero Shrub Bitters, & saline topped with fresh turmeric juice, organic Madagascar vanilla bean agave, mango, curry & kaffir lime leaf infusion foam with bursting popping mango boba & fresh curry leaves

THE FENWAY

“Cucumbarita”

El Tesoro Blanco, cucumber juice, lime juice, simple, & fresh mint

THE LIBRARY

“El Pastorita”

El Tesoro Reposado, fried ham infused clement creole shrubb, charred pineapple, house-infused agave, & lime

THE LIVING ROOM ON MAIN

“Taste the Rainbow-Rita”

El Tesoro Blanco, mint, habanero tincture, Skittles & pink peppercorn syrup, fresh citrus, watermelon, ginger liqueur, & Amaro Montenegro

THE LIVING ROOM

WESLEY CHAPEL

“Mole Tropical”

Hornitos Añejo, Bitter Truth Pimento

Dram, pink grape, house citrus, tamarind syrup, Angostura Bitters, & habanero tincture with a mole rim of tamarind powder, chili powder, cacao nibs, & Allspice

THE SAINT

“Devil’s Kiss”

Tres Generaciones Plata, Ilegal Joven Mezcal, lime juice, & strawberry jalapeño shrub agave

WORLD OF BEER

“Mango Tango”

Hornitos Plata, mango syrup, agave, fresh lime juice, & raspberries with a Chamoy & Tajin rim

do this

Tampa Bay's best things to do from April 06 - 24

Rock the Park Tampa Not a lot of rock bands use an autoharp. Not a lot of rock bands are Gringo Star either. The Atlanta outfit recently returned with a ‘70s-flavored ballad, “Told Me Once Before” one of the group's most minimalist offerings to date, but one still rooted in Gringo Star’s penchant for turning garage-rock into pop. Tampa rapper Nico Sweet and Orlando expat songwriter Austin Miller open the show. Thursday, April 6, 6:30 p.m. No cover. Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N Ashley Dr., Tampa. @rockthepark on Facebook —Ray Roa

Margarita Wars Get your go-to hangover cures ready because Creative Loafing Tampa Bay is ready for another year of exciting cocktail samples, Mexican-inspired eats, entertainment and annual “Ultimate Margarita” competition. In addition to a slew of sampling from some of Tampa Bay’s hottest bars and restaurants, guests can fulfill their Food Network fantasies by voting for their favorite margarita of the night. A few local hotspots that will sling their best cocktails at this Friday’s event include vegan restaurant Good Intentions, Hotel Tampa Riverwalk, JoToro, Sonder Social Club and The Library among many more. VIP ticket holders can access this boozy party starting at 6 p.m., two hours before general admission, in addition to other perks like appetizers, complimentary parking and entry into a VIP-only raffle. Friday, April 7. 6 p.m.-10 p.m. $65-$85. 121 N 50th St., Tampa. margaritawarstampabay.com.—Kyla Fields

Red Bull Dance Your Style Red Bull, it gives you wings, but also relentlessly books live events across the Bay area. A month after staging one hell of a dirtbike race in Dade City, the brand switches gears and heads to Sparkman Wharf where competitors will square off in 1-on-1 dance battles—all judged by the audience itself. On the line: one trip to the national finals in Chicago next month. Admission is free, but reservations are recommended. Red Bull Dance Your Style. Saturday, April 8. 5 p.m. Free with registration. Sparkman Wharf, 615 Channelside Dr, Tampa. redbull.com—Ray Roa

CHRIS HERSHMAN RED BULL CONTENT POOL SOLOMON MILLS

Ratical! Brandy Stark has organized an art exhibition showcasing work that features a certain furry friend. “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...” In this show, 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.

Saturday, April 8. ArtLofts, 10 5th St N, St. Petersburg. 727- 481-6612.—Jennifer Ring

Sugar Sand Festival

Try not to sneeze when you get there. Clearwater Beach welcomes back the Sugar Sand Festival where 14 world-class sculptors will turn the neighborhood’s hottest commodity (the sand, guys) into work that fits within this year’s theme: “SANDimals, An Animal Adventure.” The festival kicks off Saturday, and runs 17 days. While you must buy tickets, there are free beach concerts, live music bars, cornhole, demonstrations and classes, fireworks, and more. April 8-24, Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. $14-$7- (children three and under free). 1 Causeway Blvd., Clearwater Beach. sugarsandfestival.com—Ray Roa

This multi-day foodie fest features a wide variety of sampling events and activities—from culinary competitions and demonstrations to wine tastings and exclusive dinners. The festival kicks off Wednesday with an invite-only event called “An Evening at The Tampa Club” and continues the next day throughout Hyde Park, where folks can enjoy a variety of specialty pre-fixe dinners from restaurants like Meat Market, Forbici, Sur la Table and Timpano. Perhaps the most exciting facet of the inaugural festival is its “Chef Throwdown” competition on Friday, April 14 where over a dozen of Tampa Bay’s best chefs battle it out in front of a live audience. Attendees can sample their dishes, cast votes and live their best “Chopped” fantasy. Wednesday-Saturday, April 12-15. Various times and locations throughout Tampa. $100-$250. tampabaywff.com—Kyla Fields

Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival

C/O BRANDY STARK LALANI MEDIA

POLITICS ISSUES OPINION

Leave by the code

How a Florida city targets unwanted residents using police and code enforcement.

By Justin Garcia

After living in Florida for just two years, Michelle Wojciechowski fled the state last July, for the sake of her health and sanity. She had moved south from New York with the hopes of establishing a quiet life in the quaint city of New Port Richey, located almost 40 miles northwest of Tampa. The healthcare professional bought some property and planned to open a nurse practitioner office near downtown.

But sustained harassment from the police department and code enforcement pushed the 33-year-old to the limits of what she could bear.

In between, he worked for the UPS Store and Shooters World, according to a job application obtained by CL. In 2017, he was removed from his role as code enforcement inspector at the City of St. Petersburg for violating information privacy policies, documents show. But before he was fired from that job, he was suspended for four days for lying to his superiors about doing an inspection on property when he hadn’t.

LOCAL NEWS

Last March, the cops broke into her home when she wasn’t there to inspect alleged code violations, using an illegal search warrant. Body camera video obtained by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay revealed them making jokes about Anne Frank, a prominent victim of the Holocaust. Her home security camera system showed the police going through her personal belongings and code enforcement personnel looking through her garbage.

Wojciechowski, who is Jewish and an advocate for progressive causes, faced criminal charges for the alleged violations—an uncommon practice in the state. Usually, those types of violations are civil matters that are resolved via fines. She was terrified, but didn’t back down. She started looking into the officers involved.

Public records told her that that code enforcement officer Charles Morgan regularly spied on her water use levels to see when she was and wasn’t home. He also ran her license plate through a police scanner 22 times from November of 2021 to May of 2022.

Unqualified

Wojciechowski dug up communications with city officials showing that Morgan had not yet completed his certification with the Florida Association of Code Enforcement at the time that he issued the charges against her, even though he had served in the role since 2017.

Morgan, who the city says is still a code inspector, had been terminated from his past two municipal jobs. In 2013, he was released from his job at the Pinellas County Clerk of Court while still in his probationary period.

Morgan’s next stop was as a code enforcement officer for New Port Richey, a role he began in September of 2017. CL reached Morgan on his cell, but he declined to answer any questions and then hung up.

Last September, Wojciechowski went to a city council meeting to talk about the harassment she was reckoning with from Morgan, other members of the code enforcement, and police. When she came back home, the word “whore” had been spray painted on the tire of a tractor that she had parked in her yard, which she was about to transport out of state to her new property to develop it before moving there. That was the last straw.

She put her New Port Richey property up for sale and leased some property in another state, where she’s setting up a new life.

“I never thought for a day that I would be having two master’s degrees in public health and be living in a camper,” she said. “You know, it’s like the bottom of the barrel. I think I’m at the lowest point of my life.”

But after upending her life, the city suddenly dropped all of the charges against her rather than let her take it to court, leaving her distraught and confused.

Wojciechowski is just one of several people who have left the city of New Port Richey due to continued harassment from police and code enforcement, which merged into the same department back in 2004, according to city officials.

Currently, at least five lawsuits are being waged by current and former residents of the area. Two are against New Port Richey Police Department (NPRPD) for false arrest and abuse while in custody. Three lawsuits are aimed at code enforcement and allege harassment of tenants, as well as business owners.

Across the country, it’s an uncommon practice for code enforcement and police to be in one department, but it’s not unheard of. In New Port Richey, a city with an estimated 16,966 residents as of the last reported census, code enforcement has led to large profits. Financial reports from 2021 show that fines and property forfeitures totaled $2,231,800 in revenue for the city. The year before that, the city raked in just over $2 million, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Numbers from 2022 have not been released yet on the city’s website.

For more than four years, Jennifer Hebert and her husband Joseph felt the pressure from code enforcement and police as they operated their plant nursery Farmer Joe Plants. The business was on the side of U.S. Highway 19, often referred to by locals as the “gateway” to New Port Richey.

The prime location of U.S. 19 leading into New Port Richey has received heavy investment by city officials. In 2019, the city spent $1.7 million of Community Redevelopment Agency funds buying up property on U.S. 19 in order to “revitalize” what they referred to as a “troubled gateway to the city” near where the Heberts’ business operated. After repeated visits by code enforcement, several false charges and threats of arrest if they didn’t sign off on citations, the Heberts were forced to abandon their business last year and move to the nearby city of Hudson, which Hebert refers to as “the middle of nowhere.”

Hebert and her husband, both 53, believe that they were targeted because the business was unappealing to local officials. Because of the nature of the business, there was often warehouse work going on and supplies were loaded in

continued on page 18

TARGETED: After upending her life, New Port Richey suddenly dropped charges against Michelle Wojciechowski.

C/O MICHELLE WOJCIECHOWSKI

“I think I’m at the lowest point of my life.”

and out of the building. There were also greenhouses on the back of the property and gardening work was a big part of the daily operations.

Code enforcement, police and fire marshals showed up dozens of times over the course of four years to find new reasons why the business should be fined. At one point, the city even changed the classification of the property from commercial to retail, records show—which suddenly changed the code rules that must be followed. Morgan was once again the ringleader of the visits. He would come to their property around once a month to try and find something to fine them for, Hebert said.

Years into the visits, code inspectors realized that part of the property they were inspecting and fining the owners for was actually county property, not the city’s. Still, the Heberts were told to go along with the citations.

“During one visit they told us, ‘If you don’t sign off on the citations, we’re taking you to jail,’”

Hebert said. They fought some of the fines in court and partially paid others to avoid the hassle. Eventually, they knew they had to get out.

It cost them hundreds of thousands to move their business, and the traffic at their new location isn’t what it used to be. They’re currently suing the city for harassment and intimidation. While the case is still working its way through court, they believe they are eligible for millions in damages. Hebert says that beyond the monetary aspect of it all, her health has been affected.

LOCAL NEWS

which have been exposed in recent years by CL’s reporting on the city. Over the past four years, NPRPD has been caught in a laundry list of scandalous behavior, including praying with Proud Boys during a BLM march in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. One officer was caught sharing department intel with an armed right-wing vigilante who was threatening BLM protesters online. Another was caught posing in front of a confederate flag on a boat.

retired suddenly shortly after publicly defending the slew of bigoted incidents from his officers.

Erik Jay, the city’s current code enforcement manager, who supervised Morgan as he spied on and harassed Wojciechowski, moved to his position after he retired from Bogart’s troubled police force.

“The stress has been horrible, I’ve been in and out of the hospital,” Hebert said. “You know, before we were in that property, I didn’t have these issues.”

Troubled leadership

Hebert and Wojciechowski are just two examples of disturbing behavior from local enforcement

The department also tried to pin a false felony charge on Marlowe Jones—a BLM activist who faced five years in prison after being charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, with zero evidence. He was found not guilty by a jury of his peers, and Jones is now also in the process of suing the city.

continued from page 17 continued on page 21

In January, Kim Bogart, the city’s former police chief who also oversaw code enforcement,

Wojciechowski is a staunch BLM supporter, and had signs in her yard during the 2020 protests in New Port Richey. She also received now-dropped violations for practicing her First Amendment right to display those signs on her property. She’s in the process of suing the city, but her legal team is meeting obstacles with obtaining public records as part of the legal discovery process.

In February Wojciechowski’s lawyer Kevin K. Ross-Andino sent an email to city attorney Timothy Driscoll, who was recently caught driving while very drunk and misleading St. Petersburg

EXODUS: Kim Bogart (R), the city’s former police chief who also oversaw code enforcement, retired after publicly defending bigoted incidents from his officers.

DAVE DECKER

continued from page 18

police officers about which city he actually represents as an attorney. Ross-Andino sent his letter to Driscoll after months of trying to pry public records about Wojciechowski from the city.

“The easiest way, in my view, to resolve our issues is for your client to simply provide me with the documents that have been requested without any further delay or the unreasonable and unconstitutional costs that have been proposed,” wrote Ross-Andino.

Over the course of a six-month investigation, CL ran into similar obstacles with New Port Richey’s public records. For some records obtained, Driscoll chose to impose his attorney fee of $150 an hour for city business-related text messages on his cellphone. When CL caught him not providing several texts in that request by comparing it to records provided in response to another made by a citizen, he then provided more messages, several days later.

One of them was a message containing a video that Wojciechowski had posted on TikTok, in which she was distraught about the cops illegally breaking into her property. It was sent to Driscoll by NPRPD Deputy Chief Lauren Letona. “Morning. It’s Lauren at the PD,” the text read. “Thought you may enjoy this.”

Any response from Driscoll to Letona was not included in the public records provided.

Driscoll is just one of several city leaders who have made the news in recent months for problems regarding transparency and fairness.

Mayor Rob Marlowe publicly said last November that citizens who are upset about the code enforcement and police issues and are making public records requests about it should “just go away.”

After the acquittal of the BLM protestor Jones, City Manager Debbie Manns sent a text to a former councilman saying that she was “not happy” when he was found innocent.

Fighting back

Despite facing antagonism from city leaders, some New Port Richey residents are staying to oppose what they see as a corrupt government bent on subjugation of those who speak up for their rights, in order to make room for development and profit.

Judith Allen has lived in New Port Richey for 20 years. She’s one of the people that Mayor Marlowe was referencing when he said he’d like people making records requests to go away. She first started speaking up when she saw an immigrant couple near her home being harassed by NPRPD and code enforcement a few years ago, she told CL. They’ve since moved away. She claims she’s also been surveilled by local police, including the K-9 unit. In a video from last year, Allen is seen confronting the city’s code manager, Jay, about entering someone’s property without being able to present a search warrant, thus violating the fourth

amendment. “There’s a total abuse of code violations,” Allen told CL.

She’s made dogged public records requests to try to get to the bottom of the city’s reasoning for the behavior. As part of CL’s investigation, several more records requests were made of city leaders. On several occasions, the requests seemed to be only partially complete or improperly redacted.

Another text exchange from 2021 shows Starkey messaging Manns to ask if “we” have a planning director yet.

Manns, the mayor and most city council members have not yet responded to multiple requests for comment on this story.

LOCAL NEWS

Nevertheless, what can be seen through the requests and several interviews is antagonism toward citizens and businesses that leadership deems undesirable, along with regular communications with local developers about properties they’re interested in.

City council member Peter Altman has spoken up at several meetings about the need for more transparency in New Port Richey’s government.

“I am disappointed to hear of the problems that Creative Loafing has encountered and also disappointed in the lack of empathy for our property owners uncovered by your research,” Altman said. He said that the city’s

members should be more involved in the process, because their job is to hold management accountable. For months, he’s been asking how many lawsuits total are currently being waged against the city, but can’t get a straight answer. “We keep running into issues with honesty, and that has to change,” Altman said.

While other current city officials didn’t respond to CL, a current candidate for mayor did weigh in on the matter. Kate Connolly is running for mayor on a platform that says New Port Richey residents deserve “an open door” to the city government and a more collaborative approach to working with residents to fix problems.

“The city continues to have these lack of clear communications and delineations of power, and a lack of transparency,” Connolly said of the ongoing issues with NPRPD and code enforcement. “I would say that there’s a process issue in a lot of different departments and a lot of different places within the administration. And it’s just kind of rearing its ugly head.”

Connolly said that the city administration doesn’t do a good job at explaining to residents the workings of city government, especially in regard to the code and police situation. She estimated that she’s been hearing people in the community complain about the departments being combined into one entity for about five years now.

Among the people who’ve complained to city officials of unwarranted scrutiny are a couple that owned a beloved bar in the area.

Stephanie and Derek Pontlitz owned a bar called Pete’s Grand Central that they poured their life into, but said that once local leaders decided they didn’t want them there anymore, they were targeted by the city and had to shut down in 2020.

Before the pandemic, in 2019, a city councilmember requested that they build a small fence to prevent overflow from their bar into a public area, and they were given two $500 code citations for constructing it.

The scrutiny continued, Pontlitz claims, with their business being denigrated by local leadership until it could no longer function. According to a city memo, the couple is asking for $1 million in damages.

Several text messages from Manns’ cell phone obtained by CL’s public records requests show her chatting with powerful players who are interested in properties around New Port Richey, and doing legwork for them.

Manns and a prominent developer named Frank Starkey stay in close contact, messages show, and hold several phone calls and in-person meetings. Texts shows Starkey messaging Manns about a city property he was interested in and Manns offering to do the leg work on it. “I will look it up and track history,” she said.

code enforcement process needs to be more open and clear and provide guidance to its residents. He added that the public records problems with the city need to be addressed, and he suggested ending the merger between code enforcement and police—something he says he’s been requesting for years. “I haven’t heard any real defense of keeping it there,” Altman said.

He added that a major problem is that a lot of city management decision-making is done behind closed doors, and that city council

For the Pontlitz family, Wojciechowski, and others who are seeking compensation from the city, a common theme is that they mainly just want the shadowy politics of city leadership to come to an end.

Even those who have moved away still want New Port Richey to be a better place for everyone who lives there.

“It’s not even just about me and what I suffered through at this point,” said Wojciechowski. “This is about the bigger picture and the long term health of the city. What kind of place will New Port Richey become if this is allowed to continue?”

FOR PETE’S SAKE: City council member Peter Altman has spoken up about the need for more transparency.

PETERALTMANNPRCOUNCIL/FACEBOOK

Ban land

Activist denied re-entry to school board workshop about ‘This Book Is Gay.’

By Arielle Stevenson

Last Tuesday, law enforcement prevented an activist from returning to a Hillsborough County School Board special work session. The session concerned the possible removal of Juno Dawson’s book, “This Book Is Gay,” a nonfiction young adult book about sexuality and gender, with a focus on the queer and LGBTQ+ community experience. The workshop ended with the board voting 4-3 to remove the book.

During public comment, Karla Correa, an activist with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, spoke to the board in support of the decision made by a Pierce Middle School committee which allowed the book to appear on shelves. “We need to protect our LGBTQ students. We need to make sure that you know they have safe places to learn about what they need to learn about because the outside you know, the outside world doesn’t always offer that,” Correa said.

“As we can see here, there’s people with a really hateful agenda who don’t want gay people to be able to exist or trans people to be able to exist freely. They want to send them back back in the closet,” Correa added. “But we as a community as a society, we have to make sure that we’re not complicit in that, that we’re not complicit.”

Correa said that Gov. Ron DeSantis has “a plan to genocide trans people and gay people,” adding that “this is part of the larger attacks on workers, on Black people on immigrants…” She was then interrupted by Nadia Combs, Chair of the Hillsborough County School Board, who asked Correa to “make sure we just talk about the book, OK?” Correa pointed out that the discussion “isn’t just about the book, this is part of a much larger agenda to divide workers and to make sure that the state is a white supremacist, hateful state.”

That comment riled up the room, and Correa closed by saying she hoped, “This book is kept in schools and that no more books in Hillsborough County Schools are banned and we’re not capitulating to. Ron DeSantis says white supremacist agenda,” before thanking the board.

Correa told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that she left to use the restroom, but was prevented from returning to the room by security and law enforcement. Video obtained by CL shows security refusing to give their names and tell Correa she was being denied re-entry “because of your outburst.” Security then forces her to leave the building.

“Don’t touch me, don’t touch me,” Correa can be heard saying, “What outburst?”

“The board members don’t want me back in there because of some outburst I made in my speech,” Correa said in the video. “It was recorded, there was no outburst.”

“You can’t come back in, you just can’t come back in,” law enforcement told Correa in a second video from the incident.

“By who? Why?” Correa asked. “Isn’t this a public meeting?”

“We were told to have you removed by the board members,” another officer told Correa.

Michael G. McAuley, Chief of Staff at Hillsborough County Schools told CL that the board did not direct that any individual be removed from the building during the meeting. “There was a miscommunication during the meeting. The School Board welcomes public comment and will always allow access to public meetings. Ms. Correa is welcome to attend any future board meeting,” he added.

Dave Coleman, an Extinction Rebellion activist who also spoke at the meeting, was outside when Correa was dragged out. “Was there an outburst?” Correa asked Coleman in the video?

“There was definitely no outburst on your part, but there was on the other side,” Coleman said in the video. Coleman was referring to Brian Parris who spoke earlier, the only other speaker to have his mic muted. Parris opposed the book being in schools.

“This is breaking the law, everybody said it earlier,” Parris said. “China said they’d take over our country without firing one bullet, with indoctrination and Marxism.”

continued, engaging with Combs, despite being given additional time to speak before finally finishing his comments.

“As a veteran who has a degree too, this is not good material. This is pornographic, this is indoctrination, it’s sickening,” Parris said. “This shouldn’t be publicly funded. Just like abortions shouldn’t be publicly funded but that’s not the case today, I’m just saying.”

LOCAL NEWS

“Sir, please stick to the book, we’re talking about the book,” chair Combs said.

“This is about the book,” Paris screamed as his mic was shut off.

“Why are you muting me?”

“We’ll restart your time,” Combs said.

“This is about a book in the library,” Jim Porter, school board attorney told Parris. “You need to focus your remarks on this specific book.”

“Well I have degrees too, I’m an expert, since everyone said they have degrees and they’re an expert. I have degrees, too. I’m a United States military veteran,” Parris

He was not removed from the meeting or prevented from returning.

After hearing public comments, Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Addison Davis recommended removal of “This Book is Gay” from all middle schools.

“It is my recommendation after reviewing this book, reading this book, review chapter nine of this book and the requirements that are statutorily required it is my recommendation to remove ‘This Book is Gay,’ from all middle schools in Hillsborough County,” Davis said.

Attorney Jim Porter initially recommended the board vote only to remove the book from Pierce Middle School. “You can vote as you like, but there’s a risk, not a great risk, that someone will challenge this decision,” Porter said. “Because it’s not in any other middle schools in the districts.”

Ultimately, the board voted 4-3 to remove “This Book is Gay,” from all middle schools despite Smith amending his motion to limit removal to only Pierce at the recommendation of legal counsel. Smith had wanted to bring it back for another meeting but the board voted against his amended recommendations. Nadia Combs, Jessica Vaughn and Karen Perez voted against removing the book from all schools.

According to a study by Vanderbilt University last year, “This Book is Gay” was the ninth most banned book in the country. Last week, Dawson posted a video on their Instagram in response to the current trend of book banning. Dawson also noted that the book is over 10 years old and includes a warning for explicit content.

“I felt as former teachers that sex education for LGBTQ teenagers wasn’t very good, they weren’t learning what they needed to keep them safe and healthy when they were in adult relationships,” Dawson said in the video. “What we’re seeing now is a really organized attack on books because the far right is out of ideas. What else can you attack but trans health care, drag queens, and books? So I just want to thank the librarians and educators who are defending freedom of speech and the right for LGBTQ people to see themselves in books.”

Quittin’ Times

Reporter Charlie Frago quits the Tampa Bay Times.

By Ray Roa

Ten years after his arrival at the Tampa Bay Times, city hall reporter Charlie Frago has left the building. Frago confirmed the news to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay on Monday.

“Philosophical differences arose between myself and the Times. I did not see a path for ward,” Frago told CL, adding that he resigned effectively this morning. “I think I sent the email about 10:30 a.m.”

In a statement to CL, the Times said it “does not comment on personnel matters.”

Frago arrived at the Times on April 13, 2013 after a decade at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Before that, he reported out of North Carolina for the Greensboro News & Record and the City News Bureau of Chicago. At the Times, he initially covered Clearwater City Hall before moving to the St. Pete City Hall beat in 2014 and then Tampa’s City Hall in 2018.

“I enjoyed working for the Times and serving Tampa, St. Pete and Clearwater,” Frago said. “It’s been my life’s work.”

He’s been a dutiful servant to the beat, and last year he broke a story about how it was actually lob byists from the City of Tampa who helped craft Florida’s SB64, which is now forcing the city to find something to do with approximately 50 mil lion gallons a day of highly treated reclaimed water it now dumps into Tampa Bay.

Mayor Jane Castor’s recent solution to the bill is to implement her “PURE” wastewater plan, which has been rejected by much of the community, city council and most of the candi dates still on the ballot in this month’s runoff. Last April during a press conference, Frago sparred with the mayor and City of Tampa

THURSDAY 30

Shit Happened

concealed-weapons licenses. For some reason, he did the signing without a big fancy antiwoke press conference.

A Florida Senate committee approves measures where transgender men and women could be jailed for using bathrooms that don’t line up with their sex assigned at birth. Meanwhile, I still need help with bills, Ron.

FRIDAY 31

History Channel reality show ‘Pawn Stars’ shared details about how fans can attend a live taping in St. Pete starting this weekend. There’s no guarantee your feelings won’t get hurt when Rick tells you your grandma’s earrings are worth practically nothing.

MONDAY 03

Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a measure that will allow Floridians to carry guns without

Three Tampa restaurants get added to the Michelin Guide. I’m still trying to make sure I pay my bills, so I’ve been cheering for my friends with a mouth full of Checker’s fry burgers.

THURSDAY 06

Tampa is set to see record temperatures. Shit better cool down by Easter because we don’t want a bunch of dads in bunny suits falling out.

More shit, making our kids watch “Passion of the Christ,” via cltampa. com/news.

RESTAURANTS RECIPES DINING GUIDES

Pinkies up

Tampa’s Lilac, Ponte and Noble Rice added to Michelin Guide, and more local food news

By Kyla Fields and Ray Roa

Tampa is now home to three more restaurants good enough for the Michelin Guide.

Earlier this week, the tire and travel company announced that Lilac at the Tampa Edition (stylized “EDITION”), Ponte and Noble Rice have been added to the guide as “recommended” restaurants. A rep for the Michelin guide told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the restaurants will learn if they’ve been awarded specific distinctions like a Michelin Star or Bib Gourmand at a May 11 ceremony in Miami.

Last summer, the guide launched its first Florida edition, with no local restaurants earning the coveted, and controversial, star designation. Three Tampa spots—Rocca, Rooster & the Till and Ichicoro—earned Bib Gourmands, deeming them a great value, with 16 more being marked as “recommended” by the Michelin guide (Bern’s, Timpano, Yummy House, Columbia, Cena and Mise en Place among them). Some Tampa restaurants may also be upgraded to Stars or Bibs at the May 11 ceremony, while others could be removed from the guide as well, the Michelin rep told CL.

Lilac, helmed by previouslyMichelin-starred chef John Fraser seems most likely to earn a star this summer, but Ponte— led by James Beard semifinalist Chef Chris Ponte—and minimalist Japanese concept Noble Rice could very well earn the designation, too. As previously reported, restaurants in Pinellas were not visited by Michelin inspectors because Visit St. Pete Clearwater (VSPC) was not included in the collective which lobbied to have the guide make its initial foray into Florida last year. As the Bradenton Herald pointed out, Michelin stands to make as much as $1.5 million from state tourism bureaus as part of the agreement.

Downtown Tampa’s Fly bar and restaurant is closed

A staple of the Tampa cocktail scene is no more. Pioneering Fly Bar & Restaurant, located at 442 W Kennedy Blvd. near the University of Tampa, has closed. A call and text message to Fly ownership has yet to be returned, so it’s unclear when the longtime local hotspot shuttered, but a security guard outside the concept told CL that workers had recently moved its furniture out.

were hip and pumped exciting tapas-style plates out of its kitchen on the ground floor of a rehabbed old 1923 bunker. It was a beacon of nightlife when downtown Tampa’s now bustling social scene was still in its finding its way.

In 2018, Fly announced plans to close its original location after 13 years on the block. The ill-fated Mole y Abuela soon took its place, but remains shuttered to this day. Fly’s new location opened near UT in the summer of 2020 in

Fly owner Leslie Shirah Culbreath, and located at 200 N Tampa St.—where bartenders still make some of the most exciting cocktails in Tampa Bay.

Tampa’s second Sweetgreen is now open in Hyde Park

The “Starbucks of salad” opened its second Tampa Bay location last week, just a few months after debuting its first storefront. Tampa’s latest Sweetgreen celebrated its grand opening last week. The 2,300 square-foot restaurant is located at 722 S Village Cir., adjacent to other Hyde Park Village hotspots like Meat Market, Forbici Modern Italian and newly-opened bubbly bar Bouzy. A press release said that Sweetgreen donated a meal to Feeding Tampa Bay—a local nonprofit dedicated to stopping hunger across 10 counties—for every meal sold on its opening day.

Fly’s website and social media pages are also no more.

Originally opened in 2006 on the corner of N Franklin and Royal Streets, Fly Bar & Restaurant arguably taught downtown Tampa how to drink. It did craft cocktails before they

the historic Lafayette Arcade, the same block as Mise en Place, Oxford Exchange and The Retreat. It’s unclear if Fly plans to give it a go elsewhere, so for now, denizens of the culture it built can still get something of a taste just a half-mile away inside Hotel Bar—also owned by

The Los Angeles-based fast casual chain boasts a menu of loaded bowls, protein-packed salads and seasonal, rotating offerings. Popular dishes include a bowl packed with miso root vegetables, blackened chicken and warm wild rice, alongside its beloved “Super Green Goddess” salad with kale, spinach, black lentils and roasted almonds. Many options on Sweetgreen’s customizable menu are vegan and gluten-free friendly, too. Tampa Bay’s debut Sweetgreen opened in Tampa Heights last year, while a third location is planned for St. Pete’s Edge District at 1114 Central Ave., although there’s no official opening timeline.

Crumb Factory launches dinner service

One of the best bakeries in The Burg’ has finally ventured into the world of dinner service.

continued on page 36

MICHELIN MADNESS: The Michelin Guide announces its 2023 Florida recipients on May 11.

continued from page 33

The Crumb Factory—located at 5701 Central Ave.—recently started serving a small, straightforward dinner menu from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. every Thursday-Saturday. Crumb Factory employee Jenesee Borges told CL that reservations will not be accepted during its soft launch; folks can snag tables on a first come-first serve basis.

The first iteration of its dinner menu boasts a small selection of flatbread pizzas, salads, and a few desserts alongside a variety of beer, wine, soda and coffee. Patrons can choose between its Reuben, roasted tomato or lemon ricotta flatbread pizzas, or opt for small plates from its tapas selection, which include dishes like baked brie-stuffed pastries, a loaded charcuterie board or ground beef empanadas. Desserts include baked goods like cookies and biscottis, in addition to treats like creme brulée and key lime pie tarts.

Its dinner menu will change throughout the next few weeks as The Crumb Factory works through its “trial and error” phase as Borges describes. Eventually, the St. Pete bakery plans to expand both its dinner offerings and nighttime operating hours. Pablo Mardones and Felipe Zavala opened their beloved St. Pete bakery in the fall of 2021, and their fresh sourdough loaves and standout pastries still garner steady lunch rushes just about every day. CL gave The Crumb Factory a Best of the Bay award in 2021 for its cruffin, which we confidently deemed “The Best Invention Since the Cronut.” In addition to its cafe that’s open from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, you can also find The Crumb Factory’s beloved pastries at a variety of local businesses throughout The Burg,’ including spots like Paradeco, 2D Cafe, Dirty Laundry, and Blush Tea.

Its team is quickly remodeling its bathrooms, doing some light electric and plumbing work, building a new bar and giving their Florida Avenue space a colorful facelift. A new mural will soon appear on the building’s south-facing wall, while bright paint will cover Blind Tiger’s old orange and gray accents.

“We’re going to update our look a bit— grayscale was very cool eight years ago in my defense,” Barnett joked. “Folks can expect a little bit more color, more brightness—we want it to fit in with the rest of Seminole Heights.”

FOOD NEWS

In addition to locally-roasted coffee from Zeal Roasters, The Lab slings Cuban toasts, breakfast sandwiches, homemade pastries and chorizo burritos in collaboration with local butcher The Boozy Pig.While Barnett tells CL that the drink menu of its upcoming Seminole Heights spot will mirror that of its Hyde Park predecessor, it will feature a new grab n’ go section of freshlybaked bagels and tortillas. Davidson’s mother has been baking for The Lab’s Hyde Park cafe, and will soon have a retail outlet for her from-scratch bagels, tortillas and other baked goods—all sold under the same business umbrella. “We’re going to take her recipes and sort of replicate them for our production facility. People can come in and get a six pack of bagels if they want,” Barnett says.

Florida Avenue’s former Blind Tiger suffered from a fire last summer, which also flooded out its neighbor Labyrinth Studios. The cafe stated that it would reopen shortly after the fire, although Barnett recalls it never reopening. A barista from Blind Tiger’s SOHO location confirmed that its Seminole Heights cafe never reopened its doors, although its newest location just debuted inside of Tampa’s International Plaza and Bay Street mall.

The Lab Coffee will open a second location out of Seminole Heights’ former Blind Tiger Seminole Heights is about to gain another locally-owned specialty cafe. The Lab took to Instagram last month to announce the opening of its second full-service Tampa cafe, which will soon take over the former Blind Tiger at 4304 N Florida Ave. It will technically be The Lab’s third Tampa location, since the specialty cafe and breakfast spot just launched a small kiosk inside of St. Joseph’s Hospital a few weeks ago. Co-owner Jason Barnett tells CL that The Lab’s upcoming location is slated to open its doors sometime in April.

“We’ve been eyeing a second location for years, and I’ve always wanted to open a cafe in Seminole Heights, since I’ve lived here for over a decade. Especially on Florida Avenue... as corny as that is,” Barnett says with a laugh.

He and his business partner Peter Davidson signed their Seminole Heights just a few weeks ago and aim to open The Lab’s doors sometime this month. Needless to say, things are moving quite fast.

The Lab’s flagship location has been at 1703 W State St. in Hyde Park for seven years, and will continue to roast Zeal coffee for its soon-to-open Seminole Heights location, too. For the latest information on The Lab’s upcoming Seminole Heights storefront, head to its Instagram at @ thelabcoffeetampa and not its website, because Barnett says “it’s kind of embarrassing.”

Tampa’s Sweetwater Organic Farm hosts 29th annual ‘Pesto Festo’ fundraiser next weekend

Sweetwater Organic Farm is a local hub for fresh produce, educational seminars, and the occasional live band. But on Saturday, April 15 from 6 p.m.-9 p.m., the local farm—located at 6942 W Comanche Ave. outside of Town ‘N Country— will transform into a party venue for its 29th annual Pesto Festo fundraiser. Pesto Festo is Sweetwater’s yearly celebration of agriculture and community that happens each spring to honor the end of Florida’s planting season (which typically runs from September-March .)

This “end of season” party will feature Sweetwater’s “famous farm-fresh organic pesto

pasta” alongside zoodles for the gluten-free folks, pizza, salad, desserts, juice, coffee and locallybrewed kombucha. Adults are also encouraged to BYOB, too. Admission to next month’s celebration costs $5 for children and $50 for adults—but all proceeds will benefit the organic farm and the various programs it hosts throughout the year. Tickets for 2023’s installation of Pesto Festo can be purchased at eventbrite.com.

In addition to the wide spread of organic, local eats, 2023’s Pesto Festo will also feature family-friendly activities, raffles, a silent auction and local music from acts like Noan

According to Sweetwater’s website, all of the basil used for its massive pesto pasta offering is harvested by volunteers and farmers the morning before the big party. Each year, dozens of volunteers make this large celebration possible. “Once again our community comes together to work toward the simple, common goal of sharing a meal and supporting this local farm that provides us with fresh and healthy food and a place to learn and to be. We think that’s reason enough to have a Festo, don’t you?” its website reads.

Partly Band, Farmers Ransom and The Florida Urban Gypsies.

NEW BREWS: The Lab’s Seminole Heights cafe debuts sometime this month.

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To dye for

A dozen-plus Tampa Bay restaurants offering Easter specials.

By Kyla Fields

It’s Easter in Tampa Bay once again, and whether you’re a church-goer or not, chances are you’ll still eat some holiday grub with your loved ones. From Sunday brunches and loaded buffets to adults-only parties and fancy pre-fixe dinners—here are almost 20 Tampa Bay restaurants offering Easter specials this weekend. All events take place on Sunday, April 9 unless marked otherwise.

And if you’d rather participate in an egg hunt than a brunch buffet, there are tons of nonfood Easter events, too—including Boyd Hill’s adult egg hunt, the Humane Society’s Easter Extravaganza and St. Pete Pier’s Spring Fest, taking place next weekend.

Al Lopez Park A local, community-focused organization hosts its annual Easter-themed picnic, featuring an egg hunt and face painting for the kiddos, bingo, potluck-style food offerings and other family-friendly activities. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. 4810 N Himes Ave., Tampa. Thanh Nien Thien Nguyen Tampa Bay on Facebook

Azure at Tampa Edition

a.m.-2 p.m. $16-$52. 4400 W Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa. eddiev.com

Epicurean Hotel Alongside Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar’s typical lunch and dinner menus, the hotel’s signature restaurant will also offer a few spring-themed specials, like its spring pea tortellini and upside down carrot cake. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Various prices. 1207 S Howard Ave., Tampa. epicureanhotel.com

Fenway Hotel The Hew Chophouse (stylized “HEW”), located inside this charming Dunedin hotel, offers a post-church brunch of prime rib, smoked ham and baked salmon. Tasty views of the gulf are included in its brunch price, too. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. $75. 453 Edgewater Dr., Dunedin. fenwayhotel.com

DINING GUIDE

This Tampa hotel’s rooftop restaurant offers a family-friendly brunch with live entertainment, artisanal cheeses and charcuterie boards, a meat carving station and made-to-order breakfast favorites. 11 a.m. $50-$150. 500 Channelside Dr., Tampa. editionhotels.com

Bon Appetit In addition to tasty waterfront views, this Dunedin favorite offers an Easter buffet for brunch and a pre-fixe dinner—with dishes like oven-roasted lamb and seared duck breast—in the afternoon. 11 a.m.- 9p.m. $99. 148 Marina Plaza, Dunedin. bonappetitrestaurant.com

Boulon Brasserie This new Water Street Tampa concept offers a few lunch and dinner specials on Easter Sunday, including a braised rabbit and dumplings dish and crispy octopus entree with eggplant and arugula entree. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. & 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Prices vary. 1001 Water St., Tampa. boulontampa.com

The Don CeSar With festivities taking place in its King Charles Grand Ballroom, this waterfront hotel offers an extravagant Easter brunch chock full of made-to-order omelets, carving stations and proteins like roasted salmon and herb-crusted beef tenderloin. 2:30 p.m. $50-$125. 3400 Gulf Blvd., St Pete Beach. doncesar.com

Eddie V’s Prime Seafood Guests can expect a “dazzling” three course pre-fixe menu from this Tampa favorite, which includes brunch dishes like butter-poached lobster and steak and eggs. Its regular menu will be offered, too. 10

German American Society of Pinellas County This might not be the bougiest Easter dinner around, but for $10 non-members can indulge in classic German dishes while enjoying live music and dancing. Saturday, April 8. 6 p.m.-11 p.m. $7-$10. 8098 66th St. N, Pinellas Park. germantampa.com

The Hangar This airportadjacent restaurant hosts a casual Easter Sunday brunch of savory frittatas, grilled salmon and chicken entrees, and a variety of sides and sweet treats. Give The Hangar a call to reserve your table. 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Various prices. 540 1st St. SE, St. Petersburg. thehangarstpete.com

Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe This St. Pete bottle shop and bar is making one thing about its Easter party clear: no kids allowed.This daytime event features an adults-only egg hunt, a costume contest and Easter-themed drink specials. 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Free. 2927 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. hbsforlife.com

Rusty Pelican A Tampa favorite hosts a three-course, pre-fixe brunch chock full of innovative dishes and shareable plates. But perhaps the most exciting thing is its “showstopper dessert platter” loaded with crème brûlée, Easter eggs, carrot cake and much more. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $35-$82. 2425 N Rocky Point Dr., Tampa. opentable.com

The Straz Center for Performing Arts New American restaurant Maestro’s hosts a family-friendly, waterfront brunch this Sunday. Guests can expect dishes like omelets and blackened tuna salads, in addition to a special visit from the Easter bunny himself. 11 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. $19.95-$55.50. 1010 N Macinnes Pl., Tampa. strazcenter.org

TradeWinds Island Resorts While this waterfront resort’s Easter brunch is sold out, tables for Sunday night dinner at both of its

restaurants are still available. It also hosts a slew of kid-friendly Easter activities all weekend-long. RumFish Grill, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Palm Court Italian Grill, 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. 5500 Gulf Blvd., St Pete Beach. tradewindsresort.com

Whiskey Joe’s Bar and Grill While the main event of the evening will probably be the Easter egg hunt (with a $100 prize), this beachside restaurant also offers a “Floribbean’inspired menu” of seafood favorites. 10 a.m. Various prices. 7720 W Courtney Campbell Cswy., Tampa. thewhiskeyjoes.com

Willa’s This Hyde Park gem offers a few exclusive Easter specials alongside its regular menu this weekend. Guests can expect decadent entrees like crab cakes and lamb risotto, in addition to a variety of wine, beer, cocktails and

champagne. April 8-9. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. & 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 1700 W Fig St., Tampa. willastampa.com

Vista at the Top This waterfront hotel describes its holiday spread as “a brunch buffet fit for a king.” This event also features an egg hunt for the kiddos, Easter-themed games, live music and bottomless mimosas and a build-yourown bloody mary bar for the parents. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. $22.95-$75. 214 Madonna Blvd., Tierra Verde. eventbrite.com

Yacht Starship Nothing impresses your out-of-town relatives like enjoying a holiday dinner on the water. Yacht Starship’s two-hour cruise features a buffet dinner, live entertainment and a visit from the Easter bunny. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. $79.95-$129.95. 603 Channelside Dr., Tampa. yachtstarship.com

LAMB, OH GOD: The Easter lamb from the 2022 offerings at Willa’s.

C/O WILLA’S

MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE

Singing dead At

‘Zombie Beach,’ ‘Beach Blanket Bingo’

By Jennifer Ring

New York-based playwright John Cecil spent his teenage years studying theater at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts, playing in bands, and sneaking into the Don Cesar to meet girls by the pool. It was the late-1980s. But thanks to Nick at Nite—the nighttime block of programming on then-fledgling cable station Nickelodeon—the ‘80s turned into the ‘60s around 8 p.m. After the kids watched “Double Dare” and “You Can’t Do That on Television” and went to bed, their parents watched “Mr. Ed,” “My Three Sons” and “The Patty Duke Show.”

“If you were a teenager, you stayed up too late, stealing your mom’s vodka and replacing it with water…” Cecil told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay in a phone interview. “And we would watch Nick at Nite. So it’s the era when MC Hammer and Milli Vanilli are ruling the airwaves, and I have opinions on ‘The Patty Duke Show’… The past is happening at the same time as the present.”

Despite growing up in the ‘80s, Cecil grew up watching 1960s television and films on basic cable. Two of his favorite films from this era are William Asher’s comedy “Beach Blanket Bingo” and Ed Wood’s sci-fi classic “Plan Nine from Outer Space.” Both movies were filmed in Los Angeles—“Plan Nine from Outer Space” in the late 1950s and “Beach Blanket Bingo” in the early 1960s. And both are B movies turned cult classics, but that’s where the similarities end. “Beach Blanket Bingo” is a California beach vacation where happy teenagers dance and fall in love. “Plan Nine from Outer Space” is a dystopian nightmare where aliens come to Earth and raise the dead.

And that is how zombies ended up on a beach in California in the 1960s in John Cecil’s “Zombie Beach: The Musical.” In real life, “Zombie Beach” began in a New York City tiki bar called Otto’s Shrunken Head on E 14th Street.

“It was October 2012, and we were putting these shows on in a bar, and we were getting press,” Cecil told CL. “The Village Voice wrote about us, people were coming to see it, and we were going to have an industry night on Halloween 2012. So we were gearing up, we’d sent out the invitations, and we were starting to get RSVPs. And then, that weekend, Hurricane Sandy hit New York City...”

meets

‘Plan Nine from Outer Space.’

“There’s a Con Edison power plant very close to the venue,” Cecil continues. “14th Street was the line where the electricity went off. Everything south of 14th Street was the wild west for maybe two weeks. Everything north of 14th Street was business as usual by the next day. The venue where we had the play was on the south side of 14th Street, facing north. So literally eight feet away would have been fine, but the venue was flooded and was without power, so we had to call that show off.”

Then Cecil had a kid, and “Zombie Beach” was, for many years, forgotten.

of all things retro. “Now, when I say ‘Beach Blanket Bingo’ meets ‘Plan Nine from Outer Space,’ everyone seems to know what I’m talking about,” Cecil told CL.

deep-fried wonton wrappers, and I’m going to put cream cheese in there too.’ These three things— it’s weird that someone put them together, but it works really well.”

THEATER

Zombie Beach: The Musical.

When Cecil told Tampa actor Mike McGreevy—a friend from PCCA who’d never moved away—about “Zombie Beach,” McGreevy passed the info along to LAB Theatre’s founding producer, Owen Robertson. He was looking to do a musical, and McGreevy told him, “I know a guy who has one.”

Thursday-Saturday, April 6-8, 7 p.m. (Additional 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday), $20. Mainstage Theatre at Hillsborough Community College, 1411 E 11th Ave., Ybor City. hccfl.edu/theatre

“I’d struggled with pitching it, too,” says Cecil, who’d become discouraged by the confused look on producers’ faces whenever he said, “It’s ‘Beach Blanket Bingo’ meets ‘Plan Nine from Outer Space.’”

Ten years later, somehow, things had changed. Cecil has a few ideas about why “Zombie Beach” is better received now than a decade ago. Among them, he cites Gen Z’s love

And that is how Tampa gets to experience zombies singing in a cemetery on a California Beach. Taking it back to the tiki bar, Cecil describes his musical as much like the tiki bar menu classic, crab rangoon.

“Crab rangoon is not an actual thing,” Cecil reminds me. “Victor Bergeron aka Trader Vic, one of the first tiki bar owners, created this dish, and it’s cream cheese, fried wonton and crabmeat…So at some point, he thinks, ‘What I want to do is take crab meat and sell it in these

“I had the crab meat of ‘Beach Blanket Bingo’ and the cream cheese of ‘Plan Nine from Outer Space’ and ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ but I didn’t have the wonton shell yet,” Cecil continues. “And the wonton shell was ‘It’s a musical.’”

“Now there’s a glue that holds things together, and those are the songs,” Cecil told CL. “It didn’t take any time at all to think to myself, ‘The songs should be [like] The Cramps, The Misfits, The Ramones, Alice Cooper, Link Wray, Dick Dale, The Beach Boys.”

Cecil’s musical inspirations range from horror-inspired punk rock to California-style surf rock.

When I asked him, “If a zombie could sing, what sort of songs would a zombie sing?” he hesitated momentarily. Then he replied, “If a zombie could sing, I have a very strong suspicion that they would sing similar to the mid-60s Elvis comeback era—‘Blue Hawaii’ era Elvis.” This should be interesting.

JENNIFER RING

‘The songs should be [like] The Cramps, The Misfits, The Ramones…”

BEACH EMBALM: Tampa is now home to singing zombies.

Kusakabe Kimbei, Umbrella Maker, c.1880, Albumen print, Gift of Ludmila and Bruce Dandrew from The Ludmila Dandrew and Chitranee Drapkin Collection

REVIEWS PROFILES MUSIC WEEK

Out of sight

Run the Jewels, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead coming to Tampa in April.

By Ray Roa

With 30 days until gates open, Tampa’s Gasparilla Music Festival (GMF) has announced that a giant of the modern rap game will headline the 2023 edition of its party. Run The Jewels, the duo featuring Killer Mike and El-P, leads GMF’s initial lineup announcement made public last week. While a daily lineup has yet to be announced, Run the Jewels, which just announced a 10th anniversary tour, and will presumably headline night one of GMF on Saturday, April 29 in downtown Tampa.

Newport Jazz Festival headliner Joe Russo’s Almost Dead—which features members of Furthur and Ween—is also on the lineup and will likely headline GMF’s offering on day two, Sunday, April 30.

Canadian electro-funk party starter Chromeo, Colorado rock band Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Los Angeles indie-rock darling Local Natives, rising L.A. pop outfit Cannons, and folk duo Rising Appalachia are also part of the lineup announced today. Florida favorite and GMF alum Flipturn, which has sold-out multiple tours since playing the festival in 2019, leads the charge for Sunshine State artists playing the festival alongside Maitland Americana-pop band The 502s plus homegrown Tampa talent like songwriter-singer Shelby Sol, rapper Pusha Preme, pop songwriter Summer Hoop, rock band Shevonne & the Force, blues virtuoso George Pennington and more (see the full lineup at cltampa.com/ music).

GMF lineup staple Mt. Zion Gospel Choir is also in the mix, but it’s been a year of change for the grassroots festival which launched in 2012. GMF didn’t announce dates a 2023 festival until March 9, after fans worried that conditions at one of its venues, Kiley Garden, would force the festival to take a break this year.

What’s more is that GMF’s longtime talent buyer, program director, and co-founder Phil Benito is no longer booking bands for the nonprofit festival which advocates for local music education and places refurbished instruments into the hands of local school kids.

For 10 years, Tampa native Benito, together with his band of volunteers running backstage hospitality, was a hallmark of GMF’s behind

the scenes success, having booked bands like Deer Tick, Ra Ra Riot and Lee Fields for the inaugural year, then bringing in big acts before they broke, including Margo Price, Phoebe Bridgers, Hiss Golden Messenger, Jason Isbell and so many more.

Both GMF and Benito would not get into the details of his departure.

“GMF has been some of the best years of my life and I’ve met some incredible people and made amazing friends/memories. It means a lot to me and I hope we’re able to find a way to work together again in the near future,” Benito told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

GMF’s Executive Director, David Cox, also a co-founder of the festival, told CL that 2023 is certainly a transitional year for the festival as it adapts to Tampa’s growing downtown and the absence of Benito.

“Phil has been such an integral part of GMF and the Tampa music scene, he will be sorely missed this year but we’re happy for him in his decision to pursue a great opportunity and we’re looking forward to Phil remaining part of the GMF family for years to come,” said Cox, told CL, adding that the festival is still doing its programming in-house.

that GMF has started working with talent buyer Vaughn Carrick the owner of LiveNite Events and Reggae Rise Up as a talent buyer. “Our festivals have always been back to back weekends so there has always been a lot of mutual respect as independent music festivals,” Cox added.

SHOW PREVIEW

Gasparilla Music Festival

Saturday-Sunday, April 28-29, $50 & up Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N Ashley Dr., Tampa. gasparillamusic.com

He said that Julia Stewart, founder of Tampa promotions company MoonGoddess Entertainment, is on as in-house talent buyer and

Stewart and Carrick are also presumably already working on GMF’s 2024 lineup, set to happen Friday-Sunday, Feb. 18-20 at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.

“We’re looking forward to celebrating one last year in Curtis Hixon with a sensational lineup. We’re very excited to establish our new home at Julian B. Lane Park in 2024 where we can grow for years to come and remain an integral part of the downtown landscape,” Cox said.

“It’s been a year of change for the grassroots festival which launched in 2012.”

CLOSE YOUR EYES: Killer Mike (L) and El-P are on a 10th anniversary tour.

By Josh Bradley & Ray Roa

FRI 07

Crooked Piece of Time: The Songs Of John Prine Friday marks three-years since the death of fabled songwriter John Prine, who was a part-time resident of Gulfport. His son, Tommy, is headed to St. Pete later this month, but a Safety Harbor paradise for the Americana scene hosts its annual Prine tribute show this weekend, featuring sets from all the best local songwriters including Rebekah Pulley, Adam Randall, Sam Farmer and even Crooked Thumb owner Kip Kelly. Beloved Bay area band Have Gun, Will Travel will play a full set after the tribute wraps.

(Crooked Thumb Brewery, Safety Harbor)

Jimmie Vaughan and the Tilt-A-Whirl Band The 72-year-old Dallas boy—the brother of the late Stevie Ray—was in town for last year’s Blues Festival, but he also made his guitar cluck like a chicken while opening for Eric Clapton’s stop at Amalie Arena in 2021, and also at Lynyrd Skynyrd’s farewell tour stop at the ol’ Gary in 2018. Before doing a string of dates with Slowhand this fall, Vaughan performs his first downtown Clearwater show ever, with his Tilt-A-Whirl Band. Oh, and just a headsup for those attending Tampa Bay Blues Festival next weekend: When The Fabulous Thunderbirds take the stage, Vaughan, who co-founded the blues outfit will not be present. (Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)

Lightning Bolt w/Cabo Boing Lightning Bolt—made up of virtuosic bassist Brian Gibson and drummer Brian Chippendale— recently re-released albums from 2012 (Oblivion Hunter ) and 2009 (Earthly Delights ), and is known for playing on the ground in clubs, and even in kitchens and parking lots. Born at an art school in Rhode Island, chaos is the order of the day for Lightning Bolt which still gets together more than 25 years after the release of its self-titled debut. Its latest album, Sonic Citadel (2019), is the band’s seventh. It goes without saying that ear protection is highly recommended for this one.

(Crowbar, Ybor City)

Masego Jazz and hip-hop should work as bedfellows, but the mashup so often goes sour. That’s not the case with Micah Davis. The 29-year-old multi-instrumentalist and songwriter better known as Masego released his self-titled sophomore album last month, and updated the “traphousejazz” that made him famous with pop music that’s not showboaty, but buoyed by effervescent rhythms and fun harmonies fit for the bedroom and club alike. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Solar Fake w/Obsidian/Gulf Blvd/DJ Maus

It’s possible that German techno outfit Solar Fake was trying to sound like a more experimental Depeche Mode on its latest album Enjoy Dystopia. Before heading home to Germany, the gang is wrapping a brief U.S. run with Wilton Manors-based post-punk band Obsidian, local darkwave group Gulf Blvd., and DJ Maus. (Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)

Tuff Turf w/Ortrotasce/Sleeping Pills Tuff Turf—the self-described “Nihilist new wave”

project of former New Jersey punk-rapper Jeff Richie—recently released an 11-track, 28-minute album of synthed-up anthems, entitled Dead Heat , sounding like there’s more A-ha influence, and less flows to spit. Ahead of a run of east coast gigs this spring, Tuff Turf spends a week touring its adopted home state of Florida. (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)

SAT 08

Celebrating David Bowie: Peter Murphy w/Adrian Belew/Scrote/Royston

Langdon/Eric Schermerhorn/Ron

Dzuibla/more It comes as no surprise that 73-year-old rock everyman Adrian Belew— famous for his work with King Crimson, Talking Heads, and Frank Zappa—actually toured and recorded with post-Thin White Duke-era David Bowie on Stage and Lodger. He’ll be in town to perform his own material this summer, but in the meantime, Belew appears with other Bowie alum—and fans like Bauhaus’ Peter Murphy—on the semi-annual Celebrating David Bowie tour, going ever since the chameleon’s 2016 death, and previously featuring the likes of Todd Rundgren, and members of Bowie’s Reality tour backing band. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)

Skerryvore w/The Byrne Brothers We just had the Highlander Games & Festival in Dunedin, so who’s gonna complain about an entertainment encore? In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Scottish American Society of Dunedin this year, Scottish Celtic-rock group Skerryvore, which releases Tempus

C CL Recommends

Lightning Bolt

continued

studio album in five years—this month, performs at Weaver Park. Joining in are The Byrne Brothers, whose resume consists of performing regularly at Disney Springs’ Raglan Road, alongside their dad, Tommy. Members of the Suncoast Pipes & Drums, and the Isle of Skye Highland Dancers—in true Raglan Road form— open. (Weaver Park, Dunedin)

SUN 09

Escuela Grind w/Bonginator Before opening for The Acacia Strain’s album release shows in New England come May, Escuela Grind—a metalcore quartet from the same area—is out promoting new material of its own. Memory Theater, released last fall, was given a number of vinyl release variants, one of which was literally made from reused Coke bottles. You won’t be able to buy one at Orpheum this weekend (they sold-out), but there might still be some orange pressings left. (Orpheum, Tampa)

Onyx: 30 Year Anniversary of ‘Bacdafucup’ Tour w/ R.A. The Rugged Man Thirty years ago on March 30, the late Big DS and Suavé (aka Sonny Seeza) released the rap classic Bacdafucup , attaching themselves, along with emcees Fredro and Sticky Fingaz, with an album that more or less invented heavy-metal rap. It might as well have been pop music, too, and you’ll see how wide of an audience the album reached when surviving members land in Tampa with R.A. The Rugged Man set to open the show where there’ll be a lot of mad faces dressed in allblack. (Brass Mug, Tampa)

State Theatre Sundays: Witch Hiatus w/Bill./The Pilot Waves/Movie Props

Floridian Social’s throwback State Theatre Sundays took a break for some Reggae Rise Up afterparties and one-off shows, but returned last weekend. For this round, it taps some Tampa bands to bring rock back to the room that was once a cradle for all things punk and heavy metal on Central Avenue. Witch Hiatus— student of The Stooges, The Kingsmen and even The Kinks and The Doors—headlines and is joined by grunge-pop band Bill. for the nocover gig. (Floridian Social, St. Petersburg)

MON 10

Rosegarden Funeral Party w/FjshWjfe/ DJ Dave After opening for Jesus and Mary Chain in its hometown Dallas, Rosegarden Funeral Party is out on the road by itself where it’ll be face to face with fans of goth who’ve grown attached to vocalist Leah Lane’s painful, heartbreaking lyrics and bombastic stage presence. Self-styled as the indigo child of Peter Murphy and Siouxsie Sioux, Lane will be in good company thanks to local opener Kate Swan, aka FjshWjfe. (Music Hall at New World Tampa, Tampa)

TUE 11

Skinny Puppy w/Lead into Gold If this really is the end for Canadian industrial-dance group Skinny Puppy—in the midst of a late 40th anniversary celebration—it’s going out with a bang. The group has had to relocate

from

a few shows across North America to larger venues, like when Lizzo had to move her “Cuz I Love You” tour from Jannus Live to the freakin’ Yuengling Center in 2019. No telling if that’ll be the case on Tuesday—or why exactly Skinny Puppy is calling it a day after this tour—but who wouldn’t want to hear “Warlock” one last time? Lead into Gold, featuring Ministry’s Paul Barker, opens. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

WED 12

Mile-End Trio It warms our hearts that violinist Jeffrey Multer, cellist Julian Schwarz, and pianist Marika Bournaki—aka The Mile-End Trio—will be at the more spacious Hough Hall Wednesday night, as opposed to the glorious venue’s compact, Side Door Cabaret. The trio, which is part of the Palladium’s Chamber Players, will knock out three arrangements by Debussy, as well as Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50.” (Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)

THU 13

Taylor Swift w/beabadoobee/Gracie

Abrams No one is refraining from cursing Ticketmaster out until they’re blue in the face, but to say that Tay Tay is giving Swifties their money’s worth is an understatement. Her “Eras” tour touches on pretty much her entire discography and there are approximately 45 songs performed per show. Swift also had to book extra shows in the cities she’s stopping in, including two additional ones in Tampa that will have beabadoobee on the bill along with “abcdefu” star Gayle performing on opening night, then singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams on nights two and three. By the way, we know how you feel about Elon Musk, but the @ErasTicketResell Twitter account is an oasis where Swifties who can no longer make a show can sell tickets for face value or less, so if you didn’t score a ticket—like most of us—you might want to pop your head in.

(Raymond James Stadium, Tampa)

Tim Barry w/Rancho La Chua Avail frontman Tim Barry is still part of the punkrock outfit, but stays exclusive to whatever bill he performs on. Essentially, solo gigs see the Virginia boy maintain his folk state of mind, and completely ignore Avail material. He does have some new music to push, though. For all we know, Spring Hill , which released last year, may have taken lyrical inspiration from his time hanging out with his old bandmates again. Just a thought.

(Crowbar, Ybor City)

Umphrey’s McGee This year, progressivejam band Umphrey’s McGee celebrates 25 years of existence, and while we didn’t get one of its live “Hall of Fame” albums last year—a series of compilations featuring the most popular live performances among fans—its latest studio album Asking For a Friend is loaded with exemplary guitar and keyboard work and sounds like something airy enough for Trey Anastasio to consider rocking Madison Square Garden with on New Year’s Eve. Hopefully, the band’s first local, post-COVID stop will be memorable enough that enough fans will nominate our neck of the woods for Hall of Fame Class of 2023 next year.

BETH

GARRABRANT

THURSDAY APRIL 6 BAR LAUGH LAB COMEDY OPEN MIC 8:30-10:30 | FREE

FRIDAY APRIL 7

MUSIC HALL

ENDOXA BOOKING & COMMUNION AFTER DARK PRESENT

SOLAR FAKE

+ OBSIDIAN / GULF BLVD / DJ MAUS DOORS 7 | SHOW 8 | $18 ADV | $24 DOS | 18+

SATURDAY APRIL 8

MUSIC HALL

¡GOZADERA! LATIN DANCE

DOORS 7 | WORKSHOP 8 | DANCE 9 | $12 GA | $10 TONOS DANCE STUDENTS

SUNDAY APRIL 9

BIERGARTEN

SAM FARMER AMERICANA / ROCK 6:30-8:30 | FREE

MONDAY APRIL 10

MUSIC HALL

ENDOXA BOOKING & COMMUNION AFTER DARK PRESENT

ROSEGARDEN FUNERAL PARTY

+ FJSHWJFE / DJ DAVE DOORS 7 | SHOW 8 | $15 ADV | $20 DOS | 18+

TUESDAY APRIL 11

BIERGARTEN

ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC W/ FRED CHANDLER 7-9:30 | FREE

WEDNESDAY APRIL 12

BIERGARTEN

BBQUSTIC! JUNE STAR

AMERICANA / ROCK 6:30-8:30 | FREE

THURSDAY APRIL 6

AVE / QUAINT DELUSIONS

F 4.21 JEREMY GLOFF

Sa 4.22 AVALON '70s DISCO PARTY DJ JET

Sa 4.22

EARTH DAY: DEB RUBY & MELISSA GRADY NOAN PARTLY JUNE BUNCH RACHEL LYNN

Su 4.23 THE LUNCH BOAT 12-3PM W/ CAP'N VJ HURAL

W 4.26 RENÉ SCHLEGEL

BOLD shows are in the Music Hall

David Dondero is no stranger to Tampa Bay. In fact, his shows here are calendar staples, and he even immortalized this neck of the woods on the title track of his 2005 album South of the South .

On the classic Florida track, the Sunshine State songwriter sings about tender chickens in Florida rotisseries, lightning bolts, thick humidity, CSX trains and Ybor City “where they burned up a couple blocks, and to me seemed like a pity.”

“That was once a Cuban district and a center for the arts, was now a mall like atmosphere, homogeneous and insincere,” he sings of the historic district. “They burned it’s heart right out. Down south of the south.”

Next weekend, Dondero and a forthcoming new art compound of folkloric proportions come together when the 53-year-old plays Crab Devil in Ybor Heights—just two miles from that mall-like entity he sang about nearly two decades ago. The show is the kickoff for Crab Devil’s live music series and will see parts of the immersive art experience open to attendees (if you’re into weird, mythological Florida, then you’re gonna wanna see it).

What’s more is that Tim Ogden’s recentlyopened Deviant Libation will supply the juice, with all donations to Crab Devil going to Dondero as he criss-crosses the country on yet another tour.

He Kindly w/Sungrazer/Hijas de la Muerte Saturday, April 8. 7 p.m. $10. BattleBuds, Tampa

Animal Prince w/Dionysus/Anemoia

Friday, April 14. 7 p.m. $10. Shuffle, Tampa

Lost in St. Pete: Strike Anywhere/ War on Women/Zulu/Zeta/Famous Kid Brick/Big Baby Scumbag/OnlyOneTwo/ Codefendants/Gilt/more ThursdaySunday, April 27-30. $20 & up. See locations at lostinstpete.org

The Spring Breakaway: Manna/Area52/ Ellipsis/Til Now/Endurus/The Pop Off/ Social Infants/The Bryn Rietz Vision/

The Michael Jamsmith Band Friday, April 28. 6 p.m. $12. Orpheum, Tampa

Tommie Sunshine w/Monk/Sherif/ Tony Puccio/Drskoot Saturday, April 29. 9 p.m. $10 & up. Emperors Gentlemen’s Club, Tampa

The Mingus Centennial w/The Michael Ross 5 Sunday, April 30. 3 p.m. $10-$20, free for HCC students with ID. HCC Ybor Mainstage Theatre, Ybor City

Midnight w/Spirit Adrift/Spitter Saturday, May 6. 7 p.m. $20. Orpheum, Tampa

The Beths w/TBA Wednesday, June 21. 8 p.m. $22. Crowbar, Ybor City

Crab Devil—located at 3800 N Nebraska Ave in Tampa—will collect $20 donations (cash or Venmo) when Dondero plays there on Saturday, April 15. Doors are at 7 p.m., with music starting at 8 p.m. More information is at crabdevil.com, and you can see Josh Bradley’s weekly roundup of new concert announcements below.

Pool Kids w/Sydney Sprague/Chase Petra Saturday, July 22. 7 p.m. $16. Hooch and Hive, Tampa

Jesse & Joy Friday, Aug. 11. 8 p.m. $48.50 & up. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg

The Smashing Pumpkins w/Interpol/ Rival Sons Sunday, Aug. 20. 6:30 p.m. $39.50 & up. Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Slightly Stoopid w/Sublime with Rome/ Atmosphere/The Movement Saturday, September 2. 5 p.m. $29.50 & up. Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Odesza w/Bob Moses/Tokimonsta/Qrtr & Olan Friday, Sept. 8. 6:30 p.m. $49.50 & up. Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Billy Currington w/Jessie James Decker Saturday, Sept. 9. 7:30 p.m. $35 & up. The Sound, Clearwater

The Nude Party w/TBA Tuesday, September 19. 7 p.m. $20. Crowbar, Ybor City

John Mayer w/JP Saxe Friday, Oct. 13. 8 p.m. $55.75 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa

A.J. Croce Tuesday, Nov. 28. 8 p.m. $49.50 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Empress of

By Caroline DeBruhl

Dear Oracle, I’m an educated, reasonably attractive, fit, funny, smart, straight single woman in my 50s looking for a life partner. Over the years, I’ve had several healthy LTRs, but I’ve never been married. Kids and marriage never mattered to me, but I always thought I’d have met “my person” by now. I have great friends, a great job, hobbies—I’m pretty happy. But I’m also more than ready to find a partner in crime, a best friend and lover. Yes, I’ve tried dating apps as well as joining meetups, clubs, taking classes, getting involved, volunteering, being friendly at the grocery, etc. etc. etc.—and nothing. So, tell me. What do the cards say? Will I ever find “my person,” or will I die alone, having never known the joys of romantic love and committed partnership?—Disappointed Dater

Initial Cards: The Empress, King of Cups, Four of Swords, Ten of Cups

What Else to Know: Seven of Wands, Four of Wands (both reversed)

Dear DD, sometimes when I draw cards for a question, they seem so far removed that I have to double-check with a pendulum to ensure they are the correct cards. Other times, the cards come up, and they are so obvious that I worry people will think I’m lying or somehow “stacked the deck.” These cards are the latter.

We start with The Empress, the earthly woman ruler of the world. As you describe it, you are the Empress of your own life: you have great friends, a great job, hobbies—you have a fulfilling life. What you want to add to it (and what you will) is a King of Cups: you’re leading man. A King of Cups is loving, giving, imaginative, and romantic. This person is out there. You two will meet eventually. You two will fall in love. And since the Ten of Cups is the end of the love story (aka marriage), I will venture to say that you two will commit to each in a meaningful way—legally or spiritually or however you want to go about it.

what those swords are all about and pulled the Seven of Wands and Four of Wands.

The Seven of Wands is a card of a battle but also of changing strategies. Paired with the Four of Swords, I think you need to “pick your battles” when it comes to dating. If you are going on dates plus joining clubs and classes and being affable as can be at the grocery store, that means that you’re “on” all the time. And that’s got to be exhausting.

Sure, you never know where you will meet your partner, but it’s hard to be your brightest self if you’re run down from dealing with a bunch of scrubs over Hinge.

So, if you have not already, you should involve your community more. The Four of Wands is a card of celebration and love (the wands in the picture make a wedding chuppah), but it’s also a card of family and community. So start letting your community (your friends, family, trivia teammates, whoever) do some vetting for you. They might know a great guy whose divorce got finalized last year or someone who just moved into town.

There is an element of spirituality to both the Seven of Wands and Four of Wands, so if you’re part of a community of faith, that might be a place to look as well. And if you’re not part of a spiritual community…it might not hurt to turn to one for a love spell.

ORACLE OF YBOR

Send your questions to oracle@cltampa.com or DM @theyboracle on Instagram

I know how that sounds, but hear me out! Any reputable botanica will sell you a predressed love candle (look for ones to “draw love” not to “keep”), and once home, you’ll place it in a big bowl of water, light it on a Friday, and talk to it about what you’re looking for and thanking it every morning until it burns out. The whole thing will cost you less than a dozen eggs—just make sure you bring a couple of bucks to leave on the store altar as an offering.

But what happens between now and the happily ever after is a little more complicated. While Tarot can be awfully specific when it comes to emotions, it’s not very specific when it comes to, say, naming places to meet your future beau.

What I can tell you is that you do need to reconsider your approach and how you spend your energy. For the initial pull, I drew the Four of Swords, which is a complex card for this situation. It can be a card of feeling lonely or needing to be alone. It’s also about atonement, ego, picking your battles, or needing silence to come to an answer. With a card that complicated (and whose advice could be read one way or another), I drew two more to help explain

(If you have a DIY spirit, you can make your own love spell by getting a pink candle, carving it with symbols for love, and making an infused oil with cardamom, rose, lavender, jasmine, and damiana. Rub oil over candle while chanting intention. Follow the rest of the steps above.)

Some people might roll their eyes at the advice above, but is lighting a candle any more “out there” than trusting an algorithm to find love? To be a Romantic is to believe in Fate—at least a little bit—and if there is a force controlling us, why not try to petition it for favor?

Whether you go the love spell route or not, letting your community know you’re looking for someone and asking for their help can open doors to your King of Cups. He is out there, and you two will find each other eventually. I sincerely hope it’s sooner than later. Have faith, my dear.

Asked and answered

By Dan Savage

Dear Readers: I hosted an “Ask Me Anything” session on my website—Savage.Love—last week, where I answered as many reader/listener questions as I could get to in 90 minutes. Here are some of the questions I didn’t get to before the buzzer sounded…

30s lesbian in a non-monogamous sexless marriage here. Do you think it’s ever possible to re-spark a sexual connection if both partners are open to it? The context: I love good sex and have had incredibly hot sexual connections with other partners, but sex in my 10-year relationship with my wife has always been infrequent, i.e., two to three times a year. She’s generally a very tired, low-energy person, and she’s so low-energy during sex that she’s literally fallen asleep mid-sex on a lot of occasions. This has done a number on my selfesteem, and the last decade of my life has been characterized by loneliness, yearning, and dissatisfaction. And lately, resentment has creeped in. You might tell me to go have amazing sex with other partners, but my wife is verrrry controlling of those connections and tends to treat me with a cold shoulder when I get involved with someone else. I’ve come to embrace the truth that this is not enough for me for the rest of my lifetime. I’m not sure how to dig my relationship out of this dynamic. We’ve been in therapy together for four years and although she says she wants the same exciting sex life that I want, nothing has changed.—Help A Lesbian Out

elsewhere after giving you permission to get sex elsewhere—that’s something you should bring up with your therapist.

SAVAGE LOVE

Zooming out for a second: you can’t re-spark something that never sparked in the first place. Whatever your relationship is, whatever happiness it brought and still brings you, it has never been defined by a strong sexual connection. You need to stop feeling guilty and/or being made to feel guilty about the accommodation your wife made (permission to get it elsewhere) that made it possible for you to stay in this marriage as long as you already have. And if your wife can’t stop trying to make you feel guilty—by punishing you with that cold shoulder—you’ll have to make up your mind not to feel guilty.

I think it’s time to issue the dreaded ultimatum: “It’s open on my terms—it’s open and joyful—or it’s over.” Your wife may pick “over,” and that may be the best outcome for both of you. But she may decide… once she realizes she can’t control you with her moods and/or run out the life-expectancy-clock in therapy… to be happy for you when you get it elsewhere.

correct pronouns, but we know with practice we’ll get it. My child’s partner is a trans man. My child previously identified as a gay man. Does this change in their gender identity impact their sexual orientation at all? Can you help this loving and open-minded 55-year-old mom navigate this new territory?!?—Mom On Mission

You shouldn’t have to navigate this territory unassisted, MOM, because your child should be your guide. If you have a question about how their new non-binary gender identity might impact how they label or understand their sexual orientation, you should ask them. There are non-binary folks out there who identify as gay and lesbian—which can be confusing, as those categories can seem pretty binary on their face. It’s also possible that your kid now identifies as androsexual, i.e., someone who is attracted to men or masculinity, instead of gay or that your kid is workshopping a brand-new term for their sexual orientation. They’ve surely given this some thought—until recently young queers rarely seemed to think about anything else—but on the off chance they haven’t thought about how their new gender identity intersectionality intersects—in an intersectional way—with their old sexual orientation, a well-intentioned question from mom (“Do you still identify as gay?”) should inspire them to give it some thought.

35-year-old gay man. Any thoughts you could share?—Tired Of Going Out

When my husband was in his 20s… he didn’t wanna go out so much, and neither did I. But when he turned 30, he suddenly wanted to go out. So, I let him go out, and I even went out with him once in a while. And now that he’s in his 50s… my husband still wants to go out. Not as often, TOGO, but it’s clear going out wasn’t a midlife crisis or something he would get out of his system in a year or two. It’s something he enjoys, and something he needs. The secret to our success as a mixed introvert/extrovert couple: I don’t force him to stay home, he doesn’t force me to go out. So long as he’s considerate, so long as he’s there when I need him, so long as he doesn’t wake me up when he gets home, it’s not a problem… because we don’t make it a problem. If you don’t need your husband by your side at all times and/or he doesn’t need you by his side at all times—if the idea of staying home and reading while your husband, say, hosts a fetish party at a leather bar doesn’t make you miserable—you can make this work.

One of the superstar commenters at Savage. Love — BiDanFan—got to your question before I did, HALO, and I liked her response: “She says she wants the same exciting sex life that you want but her actions say the opposite. She only wants sex once or twice a YEAR, and doesn’t want you to have sex with anyone else. This isn’t fair. Four years of therapy haven’t solved anything. Your wife is paying lip service to wanting to re-spark your sexual connection so you won’t leave her. But how many decades of your life will you spend like this? But don’t go have amazing sex with other people yet! Divorce your wife, then go have amazing sex with other people.”

That’s good advice—BiDanFan always gives good advice—but personally, HALO, I don’t think you have to wait until your divorce is final before you go have amazing sex with someone else. Hell, I don’t think you have to wait until you’ve even initiated a divorce. Your marriage is open and non-monogamous, which means you’re already allowed to get sex elsewhere. So, why wait? And if your wife gives you the cold shoulder — if she punishes you for getting sex

My partner of four years—he’s male, age 59—recently started having trouble maintaining an erection. He and I have discussed it, we’re both still having a great time, and he’s going to bring it up with his doctor soon. Any tips for being a supportive and enthusiastic partner when he goes soft? Do I switch up whatever activity I’m doing when it happens? Or do I carry on? How can I be a better partner in these moments?—Having

Anxieties

Regarding Dick

If your partner goes soft while he’s fucking you, HARD, you obviously can’t carry on. And if he goes soft while you’re sucking him, well, blowjobs are a lot of work and sucking a soft cock is (usually, not always) wasted labor. The better idea would be for you to pivot—I mean the plural you, the two of you together, without sighs or apologies—to an activity that takes the focus off his dick and that relieves him of the pressure to get hard again right away or at all. He goes down on you, mutual masturbation, you bust out a vibrator, you could even borrow a page from the lesbians and get a strap-on dildo.

My oldest child, age 23, just came out as non-binary. Their dad and I are happy for them and happy to see them live their truth. We are struggling a little with remembering to use the

Have you/anyone you know had a mid-life crisis? How did you/they handle it? How long did it last? Only asking as I’m slightly worried that my hubby (40-year-old gay man) might be having one and there are only so many saunas, bathhouses, threesomes, etc., I can indulge him in before I just get bored. Also, moving to a U.K. city-centre flat and going clubbing has zero appeal for me, a

I’ve learned recently that I’m sort of a demisexual: I like to have a more or less personal connection with someone before having sex. There’s a friend I’ve had sex with before but haven’t again since becoming closer friends. We have lots of sexual tension and there’s clear interest from both ends in having sex again. But for some reason he avoids it, and doesn’t seem all that interested, and he sort of strings me along. I’ve told him in no uncertain terms that I want to fuck, so the ball is in his court. How do I get him to cut through the sexual tension and fuck me already? I think it’d be fun to be his local trade.—Fuck Me

There’s a lot of tension here—but it’s not mutual sexual tension. You’re feeling sexual tension because you wanna fuck this guy again. And he’s feeling tense… because he knows you wanna fuck him… because you told him you wanna fuck him… but he doesn’t wanna fuck you. And he’s a nice guy, the kind of guy who doesn’t want to be unkind if he can avoid it, and so he’s allowed you to think he’s interested. He smiles, he laughs, he flirts, and he gently deflects… too gently, FM, in fact so gently you don’t realize he’s not interested in fucking you again. He thinks he’s being kind but this particular kind of kindness—never saying no, never saying yes—isn’t actually very kind, FM, because living in false hope is torture.

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ACROSS

1 Per diem teachers

5 Doters on daughters, often

10 Beat in a board game

20 Mash the molars

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