Creative Loafing Tampa — June 1, 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, Arielle Stevenson

PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Decker

Story

SUMMER INTERN Gracey Davis

Apply for fall via rroa@cltampa.com

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CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jack Spatafora

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Joe Frontel

ILLUSTRATORS Dan Perkins, Cory Robinson, Bob Whitmore

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Anthony Carbone, Scott Zepeda

SeaWorld in February, animal rights claiming the practice of keeping wild dangerous. But even though public many don’t see a parallel between the kind and the practice of displaying animals asking for too much? Or is it time for a “entertainment” animals?

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS DIRECTOR

Alexis Quinn Chamberlain

at SeaWorld in February, animal rights claiming the practice of keeping wild and dangerous. But even though public widespread, many don’t see a parallel between the kind Vick and the practice of displaying animals activists asking for too much? Or is it time for a “entertainment” animals?

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

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Sarah Fenske

Music: Tampa Bay Blues Fest 40 Music Week ...................................................42

VP OF DIGITAL SERVICES Stacy Volhein

Concert review: Artic Monkeys 42

REGIONAL OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Hollie Mahadeo

DIGITAL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Jaime Monzon euclidmediagroup.com

cltampa.com

cldeals.com

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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Rico Gaston: Visible Time At the 167th Street B/D subway station in New York City there are glass mosaics features some of the most influential figures from Bronx history including James Baldwin, Gil ScottHeron, Maya Angelou, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The “Beacons” series is the work of Brooklyn-based artist Rico Gaston, who’ll unveil a new set of work, “Visible Time,” at the University of South Florida. At the school’s Contemporary Art Museum, the 57-year-old has installed a kaleidoscopic, life-size image of author, anthropologist, filmmaker, and former Florida resident Zora Neale Hurston, plus important paintings and works on paper, as well as a mini-survey of videos from 2001 to the present. The exhibit will be on display until July 29. Opens Friday, June 2, 6:30 p.m. No cover. Contemporary Art Museum at University of South Florida, 3821 USF Holly Dr., Tampa. usfcam.usf.edu—Ray Roa

Tampa Bay's best things to do from June 01 - 08

Summer Saigon night market Fingers crossed that Florida’s impending hurricane season won’t affect a brand new night market that’s popping up in Clearwater this summer. From milk teas, spring rolls and barbecued meats to mango sticky rice, rice wraps,stir fry noodles and Vietnamese-style crawfish—the newly-launched Saigon Summer Night Market is a great place to sample a variety of made-to-order Southeast Asian street foods. This kid-friendly night market is free to attend, but make sure to bring a decent amount of cash for the dozens of food vendors like Thuy Cafe, Bambu, Juju Taiyaki and T & T’s Pho among many, many more. Market organizer Lew Nguyen emphasizes that although a majority of his vendors specialize in Asian cuisines, he accepts folks from all backgrounds at his weekly market. Saturday-Sunday, June 3-4. 6 p.m.-11 p.m. Free to attend. Little Saigon Plaza, 14100 US Hwy. 19 N, Clearwater. Summer Saigon Night Market on Facebook—Kyla Fields

Lovesong Tampa Bay’s got less than a month until mascara runs down its face while Robert Smith and The Cure play Amalie Arena. Until then, Lovesong has a warm-up ready to go. The Orlando tribute act finds Rusty Wilmot and his big rock and roll personality (Prince, Tom Petty, Backstreet Boys, Depeche Mode, Motley Crue, Alice In Chains, Ed Sheeran, Poison and even Post Malone are in his repertoire) backed by a band that runs through the U.K. goth-pop pioneer’s biggest hits and deep cuts. A Ticketmaster-shaming station won’t be necessary either since the most expensive ticket costs just as much as the cheapest one to the Tampa show. Friday, June 2, 8 p.m. $18-$25. The Floridian Social, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. thefloridiansocial.com—Ray Roa

RICO GATSON, ‘SIDNEY,’ 2022. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND MILES MCENERY GALLERY

Gulfport Pride St. Petersburg kicks off a full month of celebration this weekend, but if you need a side of gecko with your gay pride, then head south to Gulfport where the third annual pride festival goes down, complete with live music on two stages, an ArtOUT Exhibit, more than 130 vendors and small businesses, and even the Gulfport Gecko Amalgamated Marching Band. The organization says the funds raised at Gulfport Florida Pride benefit “Gulfport Library’s award-winning LGBTQ Resource Center, which is committed to promoting awareness of the diversity of experiences, contributions and needs of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer.” Saturday, June 3. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Beach Boulevard S, Gulfport. No cover. gulfportprideflorida.com—Ray Roa

Meet of the Chefs Tampa Bay Restaurant Week happens June 15-25 this year, and Creative Loafing Tampa Bay—alongside a handful of other local organizations like Feeding Tampa Bay—celebrates some of the most exciting concepts in our area. To help kick off the 17th rendition of Tampa Bay Restaurant Week, Creative Loafing is hosting its annual Meet the Chefs party, where dozens of eateries across the Bay sling samples of their most prized dishes. Guests can enjoy small plates and drink samples while rubbing elbows with chefs from restaurants like CW’s Gin Joint, Rome + Fig, The Black Pearl, Mighty Quinn’s BBQ, Bouzy, Cru Cellars and The Living Room, alongside several other local concepts. A portion of proceeds from 2023’s Tampa Bay Restaurant Week and Meet the Chefs will benefit local nonprofit Feeding Tampa Bay, which is committed to ending hunger across a 10-county region in Central Florida. Thursday, June 8. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $80-$120. The Vault, 611 N Franklin St., Tampa. meetthechefstampabay.com—Kyla Fields

Juneteenth jam brunch This panel and community conversation, hosted by St. Pete-based non profit The Modern Griot Corporation, kicks off a variety of Juneteenth celebrations happening throughout Tampa Bay this month. The MGC aims to connect South St. Pete residents with BIPOC community leaders to provide “equitable resources through celebration and resiliency by lessening the risk of mental health challenges and racial, economic, and social disparities.” In addition to creating a community-focused dialogue and hosting a safe space for empowerment and liberation, this weekend’s Juneteenth kickoff will also be a laid-back gathering where families can enjoy brunch bites and exchange ancestral stories. This family-friendly event will also have a “Creative Corner” for all the kiddos out there. For more local Juneteenth events, head to cltampa.com. Saturday, June 3 11:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. Free (registration required.) Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, 2333 34th St. S, St. Petersburg. moderngriotcorporation.org—Kyla Fields

Celebrate Pride with art on the side. The Dalí Museum congratulates St. Pete Pride on 20 years of success.

Advanced timed tickets at TheDali.org

Letter from Executive Director

One year ago on June 1st, I stood at City Hall to raise the Pride flag for the first time as the Executive Director of St Pete Pride. I was excited and full of hope for the season.

While that sentiment still remains, I cannot welcome the 2023 Pride season without acknowledging the challenges that it brings. This year the LGBTQIA+ community, my community, has faced countless, cowardly attacks in an attempt to silence our voices, restrict our rights, and erase our presence. Well, I hate to break it to those who think our community does not belong in Florida, but you can’t cancel Pride. The LGBTQIA+ community is here, is freaking fabulous, and we are not going anywhere. To quote St. Petersburg’s Mayor Welch, “We are St Pete and the ‘we’ means all of us “. As an organization, the commitment of the City of St Petersburg to inclusivity and the St Pete Pride celebration is something to take pride in.

People don’t always realize how important Pride is or why it matters so much. It’s so much more than just an event or another festival. It is both the best party ever and so much more than just a party. I remember my first Pride and how it felt to look up and be surrounded by people who were like me. To feel normal, to feel accepted, to feel amongst family and to feel like for the first time ever I could be exactly who I was. That is an experience that St Pete Pride and the City of St. Petersburg hopes to provide for every single LGBTQIA+ person in and around the Tampa Bay area. No matter what the outside world is telling you, you are beautiful, you belong, you belong with us, not only in June but all year long. St Pete Pride will continue to work alongside a collection of outstanding community partners to ensure that the visibility afforded to us during Pride month lasts long after the glitter is swept off the parade route. We will fight with and for you for Trans Rights, for Black Lives, for your safety and your authenticity in Florida and beyond.

2023 is St Pete Pride’s 21st first season and is arguably one of the most important. This year we are asking you, the LGBTQIA+ community and our allies, to show up, stand up, and celebrate with us. We are endlessly grateful to our trans and drag communities and will continue to support them through our event programming and engagement with advocacy and activist groups. The Pride movement began on the backs of Black and Brown Trans women and they continue to lead the fight for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. Without them there would be no Pride, and St Pete Pride will not leave them behind. At St Pete Pride we celebrate Trans Joy, Black Joy, Queer Joy, and the collective experiences of our community. The LGBTQIA+ community is a vibrant and incredible reminder that we are all worthy of love, a full life, and a long one at that.

Without question, St Pete Pride knows that Trans Rights are Human Rights, Black Lives and Black History Matters, all people deserve the right to full bodily autonomy and to make healthcare decisions that best suit them, Drag is Art and is Not A Crime, that young people deserve to share their individual experiences and learn about others, that we should be able to live our lives authentically without government intervention, and that being queer is, quite possibly, the coolest thing you can be.

Creating St Pete Pride events is a labor of love that our team puts its blood, sweat, and tears into. We are not going to back down, be quiet, or be shoved back into the closet. St Pete Pride looks forward to celebrating Pride with each and every one of you. If you’re at any of our events and see me looking frazzled or typing frantically on my phone, please say hi, share your Pride experience, and know YOU are what makes everything we do worth it.

In Pride, Nicole Berman Executive Director • St Pete Pride

soon to Land o’ Lakes) sausages to desserts, the best food served Eat indoors or out,

February 28, 2024

In the wake of the current political climate in Florida, it's critical that we acknowledge, embrace, and bring to the forefront the deep diversity within our community. Despite Pride being born from a riot spearheaded by Black and Brown trans women, we have watched those very communities become increasingly excluded from the visual narrative of Pride celebrations. With violence against the trans community on the rise, it is imperative that Pride recommit to creating safe and equitable spaces that lift every person represented by the Pride flag!

In our twenty years of existence, St Pete Pride has worked hard to be inclusive, our umbrella ever more expansive. But we also recognize our shortcomings in that pursuit. Moving forward, we will refocus our efforts to bring more voices to the table, reimagining how we celebrate pride, and truly honoring the rich diversity that makes our community great.

As a result, and in response to requests from within our community, the annual Miss St Pete Pride pageant has been reimagined. In celebration of our city’s rich diversity, St Pete Pride is proud to introduce the Mx St Pete Pride Pageant. The 2023 Mx St Pete Pride Pageant will take place on April 30, 2023, and will be open to all contestants, regardless of gender.

St Pete Pride is excited to celebrate the incredible talent of our local LGBTQ2SIA+ community, and we look forward to honoring their artistry and beauty. We look forward to you joining us!

ph: 727.895.5515

813.524.5226

ph: TBD every weekend.

ST PETE PRIDE

LGBTQ+ siblings. Join us to learn more about the deep impact of Black and Brown qulture on the LGBTQ+ community as a whole and its deep roots in the evolution of Pride. The Shades of Pride Festival, with special guest TS Madison, will host the King Jives Show Live, Ballroom Extravaganza with host Yummy, BlaqueOUT Magazine writer Javannah Davis interview with TS Madison, Poetry Slam with the Blunt Space, Legendary Trans Panel, and the Pride Afterdark Party. This event purposefully centers the voices of the Black and Brown LGBTQ+ community by uplifting their experiences through collaboration, local entertainment, and vendors from within the community. This is an 18+ event.

STONEWALL RECEPTION

WED. 6/21/2023 • 6PM-9PM • $75

Location: The James Museum, 150 Central Ave.

KICK-OFF PARTY

Presented by Metro Inclusive Health

FRI. 6/2/2023 • 7-10PM • FREE

Location: 22nd & 23rd Blocks of Central Avenue

This key Pride event will bring hundreds of attendees together to celebrate the start of Pride season. The 2023 Kickoff Party will be getting a face-lift, returning to St. Petersburg, celebrating what makes being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in this city great! Attendees will enjoy a DJ, entertainment, and cocktails from within the local community.

LGBTQ+ YOUTH & FAMILY DAY

SAT. 6/10/2023 • 10AM-2PM • FREE

Location: St. Pete Waterfront Downtown, 400 Bayshore Dr. NE

This joy-filled event will bring thousands of LGBTQ+ youth, queer families and allies to North Straub Park for this one-of-a-kind Pride event. Last year’s event was a remarkable reflection of St. Pete’s diverse and open-minded community, with many of the attendees being ally families. Guests will enjoy family-focused activities, vendors, and main stage performances.

GET NUDE: DRIPPIN’ IN MELANIN

SAT. 6/10/2023 • 9PM-1AM • $15

Location: Savant on Second, 634 2nd Ave. S

If you missed last year's TBBL GET NUDE party, you DEFINITELY don't want to miss this year. Join us at Savant on Second from 9pm-1am for a room full of the most beautiful, flyest Black Queer Women in all of Florida dressed in their grown & sexy shades of melanin.

SHADES OF PRIDE

SAT. 6/17/2023 • 6PM-2AM • FREE

Location: The Factory, 2622 Fairfield Ave. S

Shades of Pride Festival will celebrate the history of Juneteenth while showcasing the Art and Qulture of our Black and Brown

52 stpetepride.org

The iconic Stonewall Reception will allow us to honor those brave individuals who have fought for the recognition of civil rights and given hope to so many. Join us and gain inspiration from members of the LGBTQ+ community who will continue fighting for a better tomorrow. Share light bites, drinks, and entertainment with powerful luminaries including St Pete Pride sponsors, community partners, and government officials as we celebrate our progress in the beautiful James Museum and give credit to those who have made LGBTQ+ Pride possible. This is a ticketed event.

FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERT

Presented by the Aids Health Foundation

FRI. 6/23/2023 • 6-10PM • $35

Location: Jannus Live, 200 1st Ave. N

The Friday Night Concert is back and bigger than ever! This year’s concert will be ticketed and feature high-profile national artists paired with the region’s top LGBTQ+ artists.

EVENTS

ST PETE PRIDE TRANSMARCH, PARADE AND FESTIVAL

presented by Visit St Pete Clearwater

SAT 6/24/2023 • 2-10PM • FREE

Location: St. Pete Waterfront Downtown, 400 Bayshore Dr. NE

The parade marches again! One of the country’s largest pride parades will bring tens of thousands of marchers and attendees to the St. Pete waterfront to celebrate our community. The largest of St Pete Pride’s signature events, the parade brings together members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies to enjoy the parade at a large-scale event. National musical artists will anchor a dynamic mainstage lineup that also features Florida’s most-beloved LGBTQ+ talent. Along with music, attendees will enjoy food, drink, and interaction with hundreds of participating vendors and organizations.

‘PRIDE IN GRAND CENTRAL’

presented by CAN Community Health

SUN 6/25/2023 • 11AM-5PM • FREE

Street Carnival Location: Grant Central District

– The area of Central Ave between 28th St. and 20th St.

St Pete Pride’s popular Sunday Street Festival will be reimagined as a carnival, bringing tens of thousands of all ages to the Grand Central District to enjoy block after block of entertainment, vendors, food, and community partners. With multiple performance stages, roaming street performers, and hundreds of participating businesses and organizations, there will be something for everyone!

TRANSTASTIC

presented by The Fitzlane Project

WED 6/28/2023 • 6-9PM • $TBD

Location: The Museum Of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Dr. NE

Join us as we celebrate Tampa Bay’s Trans and Non-Binary community. A welcoming evening showcasing a variety of talent, artistry, and more from our community. Guests will meander through both indoor and outdoor spaces enjoying appetizers and a cash bar.

QUEER-E-OKEE

FRI 6/30/2023 • 7PM • $20-75

Location: The Palladium (Hough Hall), 253 5th Ave. N

Join us for the best big gay sing -a-long in town. Celebrity host Carson Kressley will introduce a roster of local queer musicians who will perform some of the LGBTQIA+ community’s most-beloved songs while the audience sings along with the help of karaoke-style lyrics projected onto a large screen. This will be an unforgettable evening!

VOLUNTEER!

Our volunteers are an integral part of St Pete Pride (SPP). An executive board of volunteers with our Executive Director, Nicole Berman, leads St Pete Pride. Volunteers staff every event. In 2023, we will have three volunteers dedicated to supporting and coordinating our volunteers. I am the Director of Volunteer Management, Duncan Kennedy is the Volunteer Coordinator, and Mickey Collins is the Volunteer Administrator. We pride ourselves on communicating, supporting, and informing our volunteers. We want everyone to feel supported and, most importantly, have a great time.

How to Volunteer

Eventeny is the event platform we use for volunteer management. The platform lists all Pride season events, shifts, and volunteer roles. We have over ten events in June. The primary source of our programming comes from our Tampa Bay community engagement. Our organization finances the events through donations and grants. The events range in experiences and venues. The roles vary based on the event but may involve checking people in, selling merchandise, setting up and breaking down, vendor coordinating, and many more. Our most significant need for setting up and breaking down volunteers is typically on Parade and Street Carnival Day. You can sign up on stpetepride.org.

Thank you!

If you volunteer or have volunteered, we are grateful! Our organization wouldn’t exist without your support. We give back to our volunteers by providing a t-shirt, access to whatever event they are volunteering at, snacks, water, a post-pride volunteer event, volunteer mixers, and many other ways! We love getting to know our SPP community. Thank you for supporting SPP and our St. Pete community.

I look forward to seeing you this Pride season, whether it is volunteering or attending one of the many events!

Dr. Kyle Williams, DAOM Director of Volunteer Management

KNOW YOUR

LGBTQ/Gay

The iconic rainbow pride flag was designed by Gilbert Baker for the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day celebration. He wanted the flag to be a symbol of hope and liberation, and an alternative to the symbolism of the pink triangle. In the original eight-color version, pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit.

Agender

The agender pride flag, created by Salem X in 2014, has seven horizontal stripes. The black and white stripes represent an absence of gender, the gray represents semi-genderlessness, and the central green stripe represents nonbinary genders.

Aromantic

The aromantic pride flag consists of five horizontal stripes: green, light green, white, gray, and black. In this order, the stripes represent aromanticism, the aromantic spectrum, aesthetic attraction, gray-aromantic and demiromantic people, and the sexuality spectrum.

Bisexual

The bisexual pride flag, designed by Michael Page, was first unveiled on December 5, 1998. Its aim was to represent and increase visibility of bisexuals in the LGBT community and society as a whole. This rectangular flag consists of a broad magenta stripe at the top, a broad blue stripe at the bottom, and a narrower, deep lavender band occupying the central fifth. Page stated, “The pink color represents sexual attraction to the same sex only (gay and lesbian). The blue represents sexual attraction to the opposite sex only (straight) and the resultant overlap color purple represents sexual attraction to both sexes (bi).”

Asexual

The asexual pride flag was created in 2010 by an Asexual Visibility and Education Network user. It consists of four horizontal stripes; the black stripe represents asexuality, the gray stripe represents gray-asexuals and demisexuals, the white stripe represents allies, and the purple stripe represents community.

Demisexual

The term demisexuality was coined in 2008 by Asexual Visibility and Education Network. The prefix “demi” is derived from the Latin term dimidium meaning “divided in half.” The term demisexual refers to being halfway between sexual and asexual. A demisexual person is someone who can only experience sexual attraction or desire after an emotional bond has been formed. In the demisexual flag, the black chevron represents asexuality, gray represents gray asexuality and demisexuality, white represents sexuality, and purple represents community.

Genderfluid

JJ Poole created the genderfluid pride flag in 2012. It has five horizontal stripes: pink for femininity, blue for masculinity, purple for both masculinity and femininity, black for lack of gender, and white for all genders.

Genderqueer

Marilyn Roxie, a genderqueer writer and advocate, created the genderqueer pride flag in 2011. The lavender stripe is a mix of blue and pink—colors traditionally associated with men and women—and represents androgyny as well as queer identities. The white stripe, like in the transgender pride flag, represent agender or gender-neutral identities. The chartreuse stripe is the inverse of lavender and represents third gender identities and identities outside the gender binary.

YOUR FLAGS

Intersex

The intersex flag was created in July 2013 by Morgan Carpenter of Intersex Human Rights Australia. Interex people do not exhibit all the biological characteristics of male or female, or they exhibit a combination of male and female characteristics, at birth. The purple circle symbolizes wholeness and completeness and is a reference to the intersex community’s fight for bodily autonomy and integrity.

Lesbian (labrys design)

The labrys lesbian flag was created in 1999 by graphic designer Sean Campbell, and published in June 2000 in the Palm Springs edition of the Gay and Lesbian Times Pride issue.The design involves a labrys, a type of double-headed axe, superimposed on the downward-pointing black triangle, set against a violet background. The labrys was associated with the mythological Amazons and was adopted as a symbol of empowerment by the lesbian feminist community in the 1970s. The black triangle is a reference to the downward-pointing black triangle lesbians were made to wear in Nazi Germany. The color violet is associated with lesbians due to the poetry of Sappho.

Lesbian

This version of the lesbian flag is a derivative of an earlier “lipstick lesbian” flag that had shades of pink with a red lipstick mark. It was introduced on Tumblr in 2018, with the color dark orange representing gender nonconformity, orange for independence, light orange for community, white for unique relationships to womanhood, pink for serenity and peace, dusty pink for love and sex, and dark rose for femininity.

Non-binary

Kye Rowan created the non-binary flag in 2014. Each stripe’s color represents a different type of non-binary identity: yellow for people who identify outside of the gender binary, white for non-binary people with multiple genders, purple for those with a mixture of both male and female genders, and black for agender individuals.

Pansexual

The pansexual pride flag was introduced in October 2010 in a Tumblr blog. It has three horizontal stripes: the pink represents attraction to women, the blue represents attraction to men, and the yellow represents attraction to everyone else, such as non-binary, agender, bigender, or genderfluid people.

Polysexual

The colors and design of the polysexual flag are based on the pansexual and bisexual pride flags, borrowing the pink and blue stripes and replacing the yellow and purple stripes with a single green stripe. Polysexuality is a self-identifying term that is somewhat amorphous. Polysexual identity is often related to gender identity and is used by some people who identify outside the gender binary. People who refer to themselves as polysexual may be attracted to third gender people, two-spirit people, genderqueer people, or people who are intersex. Polysexuality can be the exclusive attraction towards non-binary genders or sexes, or polysexual people l may be attracted to one or both binary genders or sexes.

Transgender

A transgender woman, Monica Helms, designed the transgender pride flag in 1999. The flag represents the transgender community and consists of five horizontal stripes: two light blue, two pink, with a white stripe in the center. Helms described the meaning of the flag as follows:

“The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional color for baby boys. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are intersex, transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender. The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives.”

Pride is more than just rainbows and parades

We walked into the doctor’s office and in the sterile atmosphere of white walls and blue medical beds with paper linings, I was surprised to see the PA walk into the room wearing a rainbow name badge. It was a normal medical ID badge but hers had a rainbow flag around her photo and name as well as her preferred pronouns, “she/her” and the word “Ally” on the bottom. I thought to myself, It’s a little early for the typical, “It’s Pride month so let’s capitalize on the Gays,” propaganda we have become so used to seeing. I watched as she cared for my sister, attentive, listening and responding, answering questions, and offering sound advice and reassurance. As she started to leave the room, I had to ask her, “Excuse me, does everyone wear those Pride name tags for June?” She was professional and respectful and politely responded, “No, I am a ‘Safe Place’ trained, LGBTQI Ally. There are 4 of us here in this office. We know it’s already difficult for a person to come seek medical help and it’s compounded when you don’t feel seen. We want to make sure every patient feels comfortable here.” I was shocked and impressed at the same time but the only thing that I felt more was gratefulness! I thanked her for that. I told her how much I appreciated her for being that person.

As we left the doctor’s office, I thought more about why I was so surprised. I had become so used to big corporations only supporting Pride in June. It’s not uncommon to see banks, grocery stores, gas stations, fast food restaurants, and especially large chain stores suddenly all have rainbow flags and claim to be “Proud supporters” of the LGBTQI community. At least for the month of June, then suddenly, come July, they are super patriotic and no sign of the rainbow anywhere, until the next year of course. It hadn’t crossed my mind that there were some who not only believed in supporting our community year-round but actually provided training on HOW to be supportive to us. There are websites like The Trevor Project and The Safe Zone Project that offer curriculum and tools to help individuals to be better educated on the correct terms to use, the proper use of pronouns, and other things that may seem small but mean a lot to a queer person that struggles to be recognized and acknowledged. It’s an unspoken challenge that thankfully is getting addressed more often these days but there’s still a long way to go, even within the LGBTQI community. I have to admit that even I have been guilty of assuming a pronoun or forgetting to simply ASK how someone prefers to be addressed. In those instances, I would advise anyone to be humble enough to first, apologize, then proceed to make a conscious effort to remember and use the correct identifier. It doesn’t take much effort on your part but means a lot. It’s a matter of respect.

We look forward to June and all of the festivities it brings. We invite you to join us. We want you to go to that Pride parade, buy that super cute rainbow outfit with matching shoes, get that fabulous rainbow makeup with as much glitter as you can stand! We love it! We want you to “come

out” and have a fantastic time celebrating with us. All that we ask is that you please remember that Pride was, and still is, a protest. It’s an opportunity to educate our families, friends, and loved ones. Although we don’t have to throw bricks through windows or get arrested for protesting anymore (we hope,) we are still fighting. We are fighting for fair legislation, fighting against discrimination in the workplace, and trying to protect our youth who are literally killing themselves to be seen. We want you to join us because we as a community need you… not only for all of the month of June but for every day after that. <steps down from soapbox and throws rainbow glitter in the air>

by Immani Love She/ Her • @immanilove

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Say It Loud Say It Proud and Then Say It One More Time

The Britannica Dictionary defines pride as: a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people. When I was a kid, this type of belief was very important to my father. He taught me to be proud of who I was and I’ve never forgotten that lesson. Although we are in a time where some would like to tell me I shouldn’t have pride in being me, that being black and Trans is nothing to be proud of, I beg to differ. I cannot listen to the hate that would try to erase me from the world. Everyday I get out of bed with my chest out and my head up which is no small feat, but I do it. I do it even though this year has felt like a battle. A battle to be seen and a battle to be respected in a world that is not designed for me to be free. At every turn, it feels like I have been screaming from the top of my lungs, “I’m Here”!!!!

So many of us are here. Here during a time where King Social Media battles for the likes instead of real change. Doesn’t it mean we (the elders) must continue to contribute to the changing of the narrative? We are lacking in passing down the knowledge of the struggles and the successes. Historically, this is how we impressed upon our young people the richness of history and heritage. Our community is being attacked, our rights and liberties being stripped away, and our culture is being ignored. It is vital that we pass on to the youth that there was a time when living as your true self from our community was unheard of and that in order for us to not slide back into that closet, we must meet our adversaries in the very places that they don’t want us. We must be present in the voting booths, the judges’ benches, the political offices, and anywhere else where we can directly impact the change we want to see. To have a say in what happens to us we must be in places of power.

I can remember going to my first Pride event, filled with so much emotion to know that I wasn’t alone and I didn’t have to be afraid. Moments like that are the bricks that built my self confidence, connected me with lifelong friends, and ignited my activism. Can you believe it’s been 53 years since the Stonewall Riots? It feels like the road that was paved for us is looking rockier by the moment. This is why we need to keep standing. We need to keep showing up for those who will come behind us and let them know there is pride in our history.We should never stop sharing the history of the struggles, the successes, and the culture of community. We must handle the treasure correctly. We should be proud of who we are. Here’s to the next 53 years!

May we stand and be heard. May we be respected for who we are and if not may we have the courage to continue to demand our respect in every place and space that we occupy with PRIDE.

by E. L. Winston

Proud Sponsor of Tampa Pride 2023

"Celebrating

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CHOOSE MOFFITT FIRST

Said what?

USF accused of censoring antisemitism comments over fear of DeSantis.

By Arielle Stevenson

After 35 years as an investigative reporter for Tampa’s Channel 10, Mike Deeson knows editing when he hears it. He also knows when an edit has changed the meaning of someone’s words. That’s exactly what Deeson says happened to his comments about antisemitism after he appeared on a recent episode of the University of South Florida’a “Advocation: Change it Up!” podcast. The longtime local journalist, who has won 12 Emmys, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that his comments on the show were extensively censored.

The episode was released last February as part of USF’s Activism Lab and hosted by Activism Lab director and USF College of Public Health professor Dr. Karen Liller. The lab “prepares students to be exemplary advocates and leaders in public health,” according to its podcast page.

Deeson, who is Jewish and spent over 35 years as a reporter for Tampa Bay CBS affiliate WTSP said he could hear the edits and knew his comments had been changed upon broadcast. Deeson currently hosts “Third Opinion,” a weekly radio show on Jewish affairs for the Tampa Bay Jewish Federation that used to air on WMNF Community Radio’s 88.5 FM. He says Liller invited him on to talk about the rise of antisemitism.

“I gave my true feelings on why antisemitism is on the rise and they edited it to take out and change the context of what I said,” Deeson told CL. “In my opinion, that’s because they are afraid of censorship from the DeSantis administration. The school is living in a panic because of the current environment and thinks it will cost them funds.”

In the original audio obtained by CL through a public records request, it appears that roughly 18 minutes were cut for broadcast. A portion of the audio was cut due to technical difficulties. Overall, at least 27 cuts were made to alter or delete comments. CL compared the transcripts and found almost half of the cuts, 12 in total, were made to Deeson’s comments.

“Editing was done only to conform to the mission of this podcast,” Liller told CL via email. “This is an educational podcast, and this episode is focused on injustices against marginalized groups. The focus of the episode is not politics,

therefore references to the actions of political figures did not fit the purpose.”

Editing is also done for time, to keep the show’s episodes around 45-minutes to an hour long. But in one portion, Deeson’s comments were edited mid-sentence to create different statements.

“I think that the anti-semitism has increased in geometric proportions since Donald Trump started his birther and MAGA movement, which was totally antisemitic,” Deeson said in the original recording. “Anti-Black, anti-LGBTQ, and that’s where I think the genesis of it is, because it is pervasive.”

an explanation and I gave it, and it involved political figures. You cannot give an honest explanation of the rise of antisemitism without talking about political figures. And she did not try to redirect if you listened to the whole show.”

In the comparison of audio, a case could be made that Deeson has a point. In the original recording, he spoke about the neo-nazis marching in downtown Tampa last summer (which was also deleted).

LOCAL NEWS

“There were swastikas put over I-4 and every politician in the state, except Ron DeSantis, criticized them,” Deeson said in the original recording. “I think it started with Trump and there were politicians who were right on board with that. I point the finger of blame at all of them. They should be ashamed.”

counselor in Philadelphia. At one point, Liller asks Deeson and other guests to give solutions and Deeson suggests voting. Liller responded, “we voted them in, we can vote them out,” which was also deleted. Powell Jackson told CL via email that she was aware Deeson was upset about edits to his comments but wasn’t aware her comments had been edited as well. She declined to comment further. In the original audio, she talked about the dangers of self-censorship and the recent banning of “The Bluest Eye” in Pinellas County (Toni Morrison’s award-winning book was unbanned last month).

“If we are just all silent, what is happening in Florida right now will continue to happen,” Powell Jackson said in the un-edited audio that did not make the final cut. “What is happening to Florida with the whole push to end diversity and inclusion and equality means that there’s self-censorship happening because people are afraid.”

Powell Jackson’s references made to the Pinellas County School Board were cut. Edits were also made to guests’ mentions of Barack Obama, Donald Trump, DeSantis, Republicans, Democrats, Dianne Feinstein, and Louis Farrakhan. Portions of Glickman’s statements about Florida legislation banning gender-affirming care for youth were also removed.

“I think especially when younger generations are looking at, for instance, like the Florida Board of Medicine, and seeing this hatred coming from them,” Glickman said in the original recording. “I think of course younger generations are looking at that and saying OK, yes, this is the condoning of hatred.” An edited version of Glickman’s comments appeared in the published show. Even the word “Florida,” was edited out in one part of his comments.

Glickman (who’s father is married to Liller) sent this statement to CL via email in response:

That became, “I think that antisemitism has increased in geometric proportions, it is pervasive.”

Liller also told CL that “while recording the podcast, the guest [Deeson] continued to reference political figures. Attempts were made to redirect the focus back to the topic of this episode.”

But Deeson told CL that Liller’s statement is “utter crap.” “I totally refute what she’s saying,” Deeson said. “She was asking for

Liller responded, “So is the problem greater now, I mean do you think it’s greater now? And I see what you’re saying with your reasons. But do you think we’re just seeing it more now because of social media exposure? As you said, it was always there, probably. But is there truly more or is it? Or are we just seeing it?”

Other guests on the podcast included Rev. Dr. Bernice Powell Jackson, pastor of the First United Church of Tampa, and Dr. Jacob Glickman, a clinical psychologist and

“One of the biggest challenges for activist organizations is striking a balance between speaking the truth and preserving their platform so they can continue providing information for as long as possible. I trust the Activist Lab to know that balance for itself as a program within one of Florida’s public universities. Now is the time for any person or organization to speak out against bigotry as much as they are able, in any capacity they are able.”

Liller’s background is in injury prevention. Near the end of the episode, USF graduate continued on page 36

“They are afraid of censorship from the DeSantis administration.”

DAVE DECKER

TURNING POINT: Neo-nazi group outside Tampa Convention Center in July 2023.

researcher and student advisory board member Jacqueline Zalizniak talked about gun violence and the lack of research on the topic.

“With the issue of gun violence in this country, I mean we weren’t allowed to do research about it,” Zalizniak said in the original recording. “For many years we were not allowed to research anything.”

LOCAL NEWS

Liller responded with background information on the lack of research on gun violence, a too-common injury that definitely needs more prevention.

“Their funding has been lifted somewhat, but we are years behind where we should be in terms of that,” Liller said in the un-edited recording. “I couldn’t do it, if you had any kind of reference to gun advocacy. What happened is the CDC and NIH years ago said, ‘OK, then we’re not really going to fund much of anything then.’”

The entirety of that exchange was removed from the conversation as well. When CL asked Liller if there’s a university policy requiring this, she responded, “It is really the podcast parameters. I have cc’d our legal counsel to see if there is a policy statement on this for USF.”

Althea Johnson, USF’s director of media relations, responded on the matter via email, “There is no university policy. A faculty member produces the podcast and they determine the content of each episode.”

And maybe that’s the way things are at Florida’s public universities after the recent DeSantis’ shakedown at New College. No policy required beyond that of fear. All of this comes after USF President Rhea Law sided with USF police in the March arrest of five students who were protesting for diversity and inclusion on campus. Law told staff during a meeting last month that the protests made other staff fear an “active shooter,” situation was occuring. USF already fired one student, and all five face felony charges for battery on law enforcement (one student was retroactively charged this month). Last month USF blocked Tiktok and WeChat apps, citing the Florida Board of Governors emergency regulation on social media as the reason; DeSantis signed legislation banning the social network from college campuses this week.

Deeson says he believes what happened to him was USF self-censoring to avoid trouble with the DeSantis administration. In the end,

Deeson says the real issue is that the edits to his comments changed the content of his meaning.

“It’s offensive as someone who does podcasts and radio shows, to change the context of the statement,” Deeson told CL. “I understand editing for time to do it sometimes, when I do interviews and when I run my podcast and radio show, but I am very careful not to change the content of what’s being saved. And that said, that’s what they did.”

“It’s offensive as someone who does podcasts and radio shows, to change the context of the statement.”

THE SHADE: Deeson said USF is scared of the DeSantis administration.

USOUTHFLORIDA/TWITTER

continued from page 33

TOM JONES

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REVIEWS PROFILES MUSIC WEEK

Weird Florida

Bands and supporters have made Emo Night Tampa one of the most special things about the Sunshine State.

By Ray Roa

Soon after the eight-year anniversary weekend for Emo Night Tampa, Theo Severson and Chris Wood are taking a break. “July 1 will be our last show,” Severson, 45, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

The plan is to come back on Halloween at Crowbar, the same place where, on Saturday, he and Wood—collectively known as the Crate Brothers—welcome an entire scene to sing along to songs that represent the very best of Florida’s punk-rock palette. But after the last beers and tears following two nights of anniversary getdowns (there’s a pre-show on Friday at Coppertail, just a mile away from Crowbar), a vacation is in order.

and its disciples went online (“Streamo Night Tampa,” said one flyer) and staged t-shirt fundraisers for the bartenders who kept the party going in pre-COVID times.

sounds corny, but they’re really just there for the music. No one’s really looking at their phones, they’re just wiling out, they’re not drunk or anything else—they’re just popping and rocking.”

INTERVIEW

Emo Night Tampa

8-year anniversary party

Camp Trash w/Gilt/Pohgoh/Snacking

Saturday, June 3. 8 p.m. No cover Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City @emo_night_tampa on Instagram

Severson and Wood found another place to play new and local music by picking up a late-night show on community radio station WMNF Tampa 88.5-FM, then returned to throwing in-person events in September 2021. Live performances sandwiched between DJs played heavily into each post-pandemic show, and Emo Night Tampa developed into a tastemaking incubator for the local scene’s brightest new bands—all backed by some of the most loyal, and liveliest, crowds in Tampa Bay.

Venues across Tampa have taken notice, trusting Wood and Severson to stage no-cover shows, and listening to them when they say that a 19-year-old shouldn’t have to pay a cover to see their friend’s band just because they’re not gonna buy a beer. “I was straight edge for 10 years, but I was still at shows,” Severson said.

As a result, a new crop of live music lovers get to grow comfortable in venues and hopefully continues to support the rooms as they start to make a life for themselves in Tampa. And as artist Cory Robinson, told Wood at one of the first post-pandemic shows, many of the kids that walk through the doors are experiencing their first unchaperoned club shows ever.

“They could be doing a million other things. And they chose to spend their time with us. So it’s very cool and very humbling,” Severson said. “If it wasn’t for them, the night would have probably fallen off after COVID.”

And when they come back from summer break, Emo Night Tampa fans can rest assured that the Crate Brothers will keep working to give fans a place to let loose.

Like so many others, Wood and Severson travel and have felt the cyclical urge to skip town forever—but the rooms, and the people inside, keep them coming back.

“It’s just a lot; eight years doing this, on top of full-time jobs. Chris has ‘Rock and Soul’ (a monthly at The Hub in downtown Tampa), and we have the radio show,” he added. “It’ll be nice to have a summer break.”

The hiatus is well-deserved. Founded in 2015 as a DJ night built around the Crate Brothers’ affection for the rock subgenre’s many generations (emo is in a fifth wave now, after being born from the mid-’80s primordial ooze of bands like Jawbreaker and Cap’n Jazz), Emo Night Tampa very quickly grew in popularity attracting guest DJs (Tanner Jones of fourth-wave emo band, Orlando’s You Blew It!, played selector at the first anniversary) and tattoo-on-your-body levels of devotion. National bands quickly started joining in (Connor Murphy of Foxing spun in 2017), and Emo Night Tampa first incorporated live performances into the night with a second anniversary party featuring Chicago fourthwave heavyweight Dikembe.

The good times kept rolling with more nationals coming to not only play their own music live, but DJ and hangout, too (during a two-month span in 2018, Polyvinyl icon Caithlin De Marrais of Rainer Maria and godfather emo band American Football hit the stage). Then the pandemic arrived, and Emo Night Tampa fans had to heed advice from American Football’s 1999 debut LP and “Stay Home.” In the absence of their regular communion, Emo Night Tampa

Citing the audience’s energy, CL photographer Dave Decker—whose bands have toured the country and been signed to national labels like No Idea—said that the Emo Night Tampa his band Big Sad played at the American Legion in Seminole Heights was the best gig he’s ever played. Newish outfit My Cat Umi said there’s no other party that brings the local scene together in the same way; its members have felt the support from friends old and new, then given right back as spectators.

Pet Lizard—which has gone on to play local alt-rock Cox Media station 97X’s Next Big Thing Festival alongside Jack White—told CL that there’s a cathartic energy to every Emo Night Tampa. “It’s a safe space to go let loose and get lost in the crowd and the people that go are the type of people you wanna be around… As a band, it’s a special gift to play shows like these,” the band added.

The Crate Brothers—almost icons in themselves during the mid-to-late 2000s at since-shuttered legendary clubs like Czar— concur that in all their years, they’ve never seen audiences like the ones that come to Emo Night Tampa.

“They are definitely better behaved than the crowds were at Czar,” Wood, 47, said with a laugh, adding that the purity kind of caught him off guard. “It’s kind of an unexpected phenomenon. I don’t know if it’s generational, and this

“They don’t seem that young, but it makes sense. Maybe this is their first actual show,” Wood added. “I think the venues recognize that.”

Wood said that whenever he starts to get serious about leaving, Tampa reminds him of why he loves the city in the first place. Even a drive down the blight-iest stretches of Nebraska Avenue ends up looking beautiful. “There was a mural of three guys in cars and one was the ‘Back To the Future’ car—and the other one’s Stan Lee. I was like, ‘Man, what a great city,” Wood said, sending Severson into a laugh.

Like the Czar regulars before them, the Emo Night Tampa faithful follow the Crate Brothers everywhere from the night’s acoustic “Emo Lite” events, to old-school DJ nights, and even movie screenings (last February they presented “High Fidelity” at Ybor’s Screen Door microcinema).

“It’s like fighting for something. We’re a little like the underdog. Everyone puts us down, sometimes for good reason, but they also don’t know because they’re not here,” Wood, who's in his own bands, added. “So you want to stay and represent.”

DAVE DECKER

“It’s kind of an unexpected phenomenon.”

CITY BOYS: Crowds have followed Severson (L) and Wood since their early days at Czar.

things. us. So said. probsummer assured working to Severson skip people to get him of Even a Nebraska was was the one’s city,” laugh. a litdown, don’t who's stay

Czar.

MIND YR OWN: Without the support of the scene, Emo Night Tampa would’ve died after COVID.

By Josh Bradley & Ray Roa

C CL Recommends

THU 01

Eli Young Band A few weeks ago, Young’s daughter Kline joined her dad’s band onstage to perform “Saltwater Gospel,” a fairly recent collaboration with Jimmy Buffett. It’s pretty unlikely that either special guest will appear on tour with the country quartet from Denton, Texas—on its current “Break Up in a Bar” tour—but it’s good to know that Young’s girls are always on his mind, and that Mr. “Crazy Girl” has made it big enough to make the lord and savior of Parrotheads notice him. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Moxie w/The Doozers/Turkey Boy/ Quail Hollow Indie-pop bands are a dime a dozen. Few combine mathy-guitar licks, bouncy melodies and singalong choruses with the effectiveness of Moxie on its video for “Hard To Be.” The Vermont outfit’s been at it since the release of an equally catchy 2018 debut, The Fall , and continues its tradition of letting Rei Kimura’s soulful vocals captivate listeners as it supports its 2020 outing Flow Of Color. (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)

Summer Salt w/The Rare Occasions/ Addison Grace Self-described “trop-pop” duo Summer Salt spent last summer opening for The Driver Era, and is now out on a headlining tour promoting one of what feels like a million albums that dropped on May 19. Campanita is a sentimental, 41-minute eulogy for Matthew Terry’s sister Madeleine, and their cousin, Angelina—both of whom passed away within a year of each other—where he expresses his will to carry on, and remembers nothing but the best times with two of his closest family members. (Orpheum, Tampa)

Rock the Park Tampa: Trace Zacur w/ Fantastical Tigers/Tone I.E There are not many more captivating Tampa Bay-based singer-songwriters than Tone I.E., who says, “I like to write songs about mfs who break my heart so I’m like Taylor Swift except I’m Black and Better.” Her powerhouse single “Distraction” just got the music video treatment and is even more earth-shaking in person. The prolific performer opens this free, family-and-pet-friendly long-running downtown concert series where she’ll be joined by electro-pop duo Fantastical Tigers and Berklee College of Music grad, saxophonist Trace Zacur. Be sure to take the Tampa Downtown Partnership feedback survey, too. (Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa

FRI 02

Parrotfish w/Visit Neptune/Gary Lazer Eyes Though the band is technically full of Tampa natives, seeing Parrotfish at the 2022 iteration of Gasparilla Music Festival was a great surprise. The boys reside in Nashville,

and have been dropping EP after EP in the last year. The most recent one, dropped two weeks ago, is built around “The Implication,” a nearly four-minute, contemporary-composed rant about how hard it is to keep your shit together. (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)

SAT 03

Allen Ginsberg’s Birthday Party In November 2020, Gina and Ken Burchenal— the latter being a retired University of Texas literature professor—purchased Jack Kerouac’s Disston Heights house where the now-dead beat icon spent the final two years of his life. This weekend, the address hosts a 97th birthday party for Kerouac’s also-dead beat friend and early LGBTQ+ advocate Allen Ginsberg, whose poem “Howl” was banned because of references to sex and drugs. The poem’s publisher was arrested, and evidently won an obscenity trial, which later turned into a James Franco movie. The Saturday night soiree promises live music, poetry, and footage of the late birthday boy. (Jack Kerouac House, St. Petersburg)

Apprehend w/Joyboy/Vacancy/Cold Steel/Cursed Birth/Jar Hardcore band Apprehend brings its wild stage presence and high-energy tunes across the Gulf Coast to Tampa Bay. The Alabamabased act is sure to play popular singles like “Pain,” “God Watched Me Do This” and “Consumer Whore” after opening sets by rock and hardcore band Joyboy. Local acts Vacancy, Cold Steel, Cursed Birth and

Jar will give these out-of-towners a warm welcome at this stacked weekend gig. Don’t forget those earplugs. (Born Free Pub & Grill, Clearwater)—Kyla Fields

Punks with Pride: Arcane Arcade w/ Human Error/Send and Delete/Kick

Veronica St. Pete Pride has a full list of official concerts and events (see p. 16), but other entities in the city are showing their support this month, too. This brewery show features Bay area bands from across the rock spectrum raising money for the nonprofit Equality Florida, one of the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy groups on the forefront of the pushback against legislation that’s slowly snuffing out the existence of queer folks across the state. (Cage Brewing, St. Petersburg)

Sean Chambers w/Savoy Brown Rhythm Section You’d think that following the death of Kim Simmonds last year, surviving members of the current iteration of Savoy Brown might struggle to find a new gig. Luckily, Floridian bluesman Sean Chambers recently invited the English blues-rock outfit’s final rhythm section—made up of bassist Pat DeSalvo and drummer Garnet Grimm—to back him up. Ahead of a yet-to-be-announced fall European tour, the power trio performs at Skipper’s. Don’t be too shocked if there are any salutes to Simmonds, or Chicago guitar great Hubert Sumlin (former right-hand man to Howlin’ Wolf) who initially gave Chambers his big break as part of his touring band in 1998. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)

Waterparks w/Hunny In the alt-rock world, you know you’ve made it when Fueled By Ramen picks you up. Houston-based poppunk trio Waterparks already had a pretty solid following—with over a million monthly listeners on Spotify and a few years of experience on the dearly beloved Vans Warped Tour—before signing to the home of Fall Out Boy and Meet Me @ The Altar last year, and its hyper new album Intellectual Property actually peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard 200 in April. We’re still a little bitter that the band promoted its greatest hits album with an acoustic set at Orlando’s Park Avenue CDs instead of, God forbid, St. Pete’s Daddy Kool Records or Tampa’s Microgroove, but in the hours leading up to Waterparks’ stop at Jannus Live this Saturday, nothing is off the table in terms of pre-show shenanigans. California indie rock band Hunny and indiepop singer-slash-fashion designer Sophie Powers open. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

SUN 04

Brad Miller w/Brandon ‘Taz’ Niederauer/Nikki Glaspie I can’t think of many 20-year-olds who already have a signature guitar for sale. Brandon “Taz” Niederauer—whose model is sold by D’Angelico guitars—can’t even drink yet, and he has already accomplished more than most shredders three times his age. He has performed in “School of Rock” on Broadway and the televised “Jesus Christ Superstar” featuring Alice Cooper’s portrayal of King Herod, and ripped in front of Slash, Jon Batiste, Buddy Guy, and even Stevie Nicks. On a darker note, Niederauer was onstage with Col. Bruce Hampton when he collapsed and died at his own birthday party in 2017. He is currently enrolled at Yale University, and kicks off his summer vacation with a free show alongside New York-based bassist Brad Miller, and ex-Dumpstaphunk drummer Nikki Glaspie. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)

Pass It On: A Benefit for Recycled Tunes feat. Ayam/Boycott/Dead Mirrors/ Deb Ruby/Ernestine Black/Holy Terror/ KIII/Rototiller/Same Day Delivery Orchestra/more Local cellist and music teacher Melissa Grady celebrates her birthday in a big way by hosting an incredibly-stacked charity gig. Almost a dozen multi-genre acts—from JT Brown, Boycott and Dead Mirrors to Kay Three and Same Day Delivery Orchestra—will take the stage in an effort to raise funds for Recycled Tunes, a local nonprofit that provides new and refurbished instruments to students across Tampa Bay. Folks that bring a gently-used instrument to the show (in addition to its suggested donation) will receive a ticket to 2024’s Gasparilla Music Festival, too. (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)—KF

State Theatre Sundays: Geri X w/ Emily Turnage/Proud Miranda Floridian Social’s recurring tip of the cap to the shuttered State Theatre continues with a set by Geri X. In the summer of 2011—the same year We The Kings, Clutch and the late Mac Miller played State—she was featured inside a Bulgarian edition of Rolling Stone as part of the “Best of Rock” package (Adele was on the cover). The 34-year-old with a siren of a vocal to go with hypnotically-melodic folk is

back at 687 Central Ave. and says she may play a few new songs at the no-cover gig.

(Floridian Social, St. Petersburg)

Ugly Kid Joe w/Fozzy California-based alt-metal outfit Ugly Kid Joe holds the honor of having composed the first EP to ever go platinum, back in the early-‘90s. Thirty years and one breakup later, the band wraps its first U.S. tour since 1995. That tour stopped at St. Pete’s Club Detroit and on Sunday, this fifth-to-last show on the tour returns to First Block. Expect to hear a handful of tracks from Ugly Kid Joe’s latest album Rad Wings of Destiny, and half of its debut America’s Least Wanted album. Chris Jericho-fronted metal band Fozzy opens. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

TUE 06

Bones w/Xavier Wulf/Eddy Baker

Between now and when COVID-19 shut the world down, Elmo Kennedy O’Connor— better known to his fans as Bones—has dropped 14 full-length studio albums. And it has nothing to do with somehow having a

never-ending creative burst that started during lockdown. He has 44 albums on Apple Music alone, and we haven’t even counted EPs and guest appearances. Case in point, if you were lucky enough to score tickets to this heavily sold-out stop on the 29-yearold’s “InLovingMemory” tour, you had better do your homework. Fellow emcees Xavier Wulf and Eddy Baker open. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Iamx w/Speak Machine Chris Corner is known for co-founding English electric act Sneaker Pimps, but heads to the Sunshine State with his sultry solo project Iamx, which tends to bend genres a bit more than its predecessor. Iamx released its latest album Fault Lines earlier this month and is currently on a nationwide tour of the same name, bringing popular singles like “In Bondage” and “The X ID” to Tampa this week. (Orpheum, Tampa)

Ruel Last April, after a few years of breaking into the music business by opening for Khalid and Shawn Mendes, Ruel Vincent van Dijk finally released his years-in-themaking debut album 4th Wall . The record was inspired by three separate ideas the

20-year-old Aussie had during COVID lockdowns: A concept album based on “The Truman Show,” a collection of depressing folk songs, and a collection of upbeat pop songs. The album displays both genres mentioned, and even gives a nod to the 1998 Jim Carrey flick on album closer “End Scene.” Ruel fulfills the, err, fourth date of his 4th Wall tour at The Ritz on Tuesday night as part of his first full U.S. outing. (The Ritz, Ybor City)

THU 08

Suddenly w/Jordan Burchel/Jordan Esker & the 100 Percent A local soulful rock favorite heads to Ybor City with the help of two support acts from Gainesville. Acoustic duo Suddenly and Tik Tok-viral singer-songwriter Jordan Burchel will join “Florida’s soft-rock staple” Jordan Esker & The 100 Percent at The Attic for a night of original indie tunes where acoustic-indie band Suddenly also celebrates its recentlyreleased debut album Be That As It May. (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City.)

DAVE DECKER

Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his all-Starr Band recently announced a string of fall dates, which include a stop at Coachman Park’s brand new amphitheater. Tickets to see him and the all-Starr Band at The Sound on Tuesday, September 26 have already gone on sale, and lawn tickets start at $39.50.

This iteration of the All-Starr Band—the 15th since 1989—features Toto’s Steve Lukather, Men At Work’s Colin Hay, Average White Band’s Hamish Stuart, and Woodstock keyboard whiz Edgar Winter, as well as a little help from saxophonist Warren Ham, and drummer Gregg Bissonette. This show comes just over a year after Ringo and the exact same lineup of the All-Starrs finally staged a heavily-postponed show at Ruth Eckerd Hall, originally announced in November 2019. And it looks like Colin Hay is still up for belting out the chorus on the band’s version of Toto’s “Africa,” too.

“That was one of the challenges,” Hay told Creative Loafing Tampa during a press conference. “I can still get there, and to do that, I make sure that I warm up as much as I can, because if I don’t, it’s challenging.”

The Sound—under the same umbrella as Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre—is the 9,000-capacity heart of a five-year long, $84 million renovation to downtown Clearwater’s beloved waterfront Coachman Park. And a plethora of nationally-renowned bands and artists are already scheduled to perform this summer alone.

It all starts on Wednesday, June 28, when a ribbon-cutting ceremony takes place at 5 p.m., followed by a free concert from Cheap Trick, featuring Safety Harbor resident Robin Zander. Free tickets sold out in an afternoon, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a chance and sign up for the waitlist.

During opening week celebrations alone— centered around wellness, community,

music, and diversity (don’t tell DeSantis), and including all kinds of local entertainment and vendors—Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillat (June 30), Dave Koz with Candy Dulfer and Eric Darius (July 1), and even a fresh-outtaretirement Peter Frampton (July 2) are all booked, and lawn tickets to see all of them start at a whopping $9.

Even The Florida Orchestra is getting in on the action, as it is set to perform in front of a July 4th fireworks display on the last day of opening week. It doesn’t end there, either. Barefoot king Michael Franti and Spearhead roll into The Sound on July 21. John Fogerty—who finally reacquired publishing rights to his Creedence Clearwater Revival material earlier this year—is set for July 29, and Innings Fest alum Goo Goo Dolls with O.A.R. co-headline a gig on July 24.

In the fall, Kenny Loggins’ farewell tour— with special guest Pablo Cruise—arrives on Sept. 16. While dates and a lineup have yet to be announced, Clearwater Jazz Holiday has also been confirmed to return to its original home base after a few years at BayCare Ballpark. And Hooters is having a 40th birthday party at The Sound on October 7, with a performance from Chicago. That’s probably not your weird uncle’s favorite band, but Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Fest stop at the ol’ Gary on the same night may be the only excuse to pass up spending $9 to sit on a lawn and listen to “Saturday In The Park” on an actual Saturday in the park (no apologies).

Even with the thought that it seemingly took no time at all to book a Beatle, the debut concert series at The Sound—with many more unconfirmed shows on the horizon—will undoubtedly go down as small potatoes, compared to what’s to come.

Come back next week for my full new concert rundown.—Josh Bradley

SCOTT ROBERT RITCHIE

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Lost in love

By Caroline DeBruhl

Dear Oracle, a good buddy of mine from college has been dating his girlfriend on/off for a long time, and I’ve always thought he seemed unhappy in the relationship. Three weeks ago, he and his girlfriend were supposed to come into town to visit but canceled last minute, with him saying he “didn’t want to talk about it right now,” but he’d probably see me “without GF soon.” I told him I was here to talk whenever, assuming they broke up. Yesterday, the GF posted a photo: they’re engaged. I know some friends have told him for over a year that he needed to propose to her, that he wouldn’t find better, etc. I’m torn. Do the cards have any advice on how to tell someone “congratulations!” and ask, “Are you OK with this?” at the same time?—Questioning Groomsman

Cards: Four of Swords (reversed), Knight of Pentacles (reversed), Knight of Cups

Dear QG, I’ve been a wedding officiate since 2015, marrying plenty of couples, and I can tell you this: some people get married because they think they’re supposed to. They might have been dating for a long time, or they might be “of a certain age,” or they know it’s what their partner wants—even if they don’t. They get married out of duty, not desire.

I don’t know if this is your friend or not. He could be SUPER stoked to marry his girlfriend. But, if he may have popped the question for less-than-ideal reasons, he will need a nonjudgmental friend to confide in.

If you think he got peer pressured into getting engaged, he’ll undoubtedly feel pressure to go through with the marriage. Weddings are a financial and emotional investment. Nonrefundable deposits are being paid, wedding dresses are being bought, and everyone is saying how excited they are for the happy couple. If he genuinely doesn’t want that, it’ll take a lot of strength to call it off because it involves disappointing a lot of people (including someone he loves).

With the Four of Swords reversed, I urge you to approach this situation cautiously. Timing is everything. Don’t corner him at the engagement party and ask, “Dude, really?”

Keep your conversations free of judgment and free of expectations. Don’t try to guide it. You’re the Knight of Pentacles now, bucko, and he is one calm motherfucker. You gotta be grounded and zen and the voice of reason when everything else feels chaotic.

Your friend is now the Knight of Cups. He is dealing with the world of emotions and relationships and, yes, possibly duty. He may have proposed to his girlfriend because he felt pressure to. He may have proposed to her because he realized, after a near breakup, that he loves

her and wants to be her husband for the rest of his life. I don’t know, and you don’t know. So let him tell you.

Again, you’re going to approach this calmly and without an agenda. Start with some easy catch-up phone calls. Let the conversation flow naturally. If something sounds concerning, bring it up gently, like a hippie therapist would. Remember: if he wants to jump ship, you’ll be that life raft. And if he’s thrilled to get married, you don’t want to be the guy yucking his matrimonial yum. (You still have to show your face at this wedding!) Proceed with tact, my dear.

Dear Oracle, after another bad breakup, I’m feeling disappointed. Again. I’m starting to feel burnt out on

dating. Should I take some time for myself, or should I “get back out there” and keep putting my energy into looking for a new relationship?—Burned

Bae

Cards for Personal Time: Ten of Cups, Knight of Cups, Queen of Swords

Cards for The Dating Game: Two of Cups, The Sun, The Empress

Dear BB, in my personal philosophy, it can be healthy to take some time for yourself after a relationship ends to just be single and get in touch with yourself. How much time, of course, is up to you. When it comes to taking a dating sabbatical, the cards do show that that’s a perfectly fine choice. It looks like it might be a time for some great self-love.

The Ten of Cups is often a card of marriage, but for this situation, it can be a time to evaluate what you want out of a relationship and what does

an “end goal” look like? Similarly, the Knight of Cups might be read as a romantic pursuer, but in this kingdom of singlehood, it suggests you’re romancing yourself. Practice that selflove (both in the sexy way and the wine-and-dine way). It can lead to the Queen of Swords, who has a sharp mind and knows what she wants… though be mindful not to become cynical. Overall, these are perfectly fine cards if you decide that you just want to stay single for a bit.

ORACLE OF YBOR

“get back out there” set. First, we have the Two of Cups, the fun and fresh energy of a new relationship. It’s all the exciting bits of meeting someone you like and feeling that balloon of optimism.

Send

However.

It’s hard to not be blinded by the radiating, pulsing, Major Arcana energy of the

Then, we move on to the white noon of The Sun: a card of joy, of celebration, without a shadow of suspicion lurking. It’s the ultimate card of celebration. Finally, we round out the spread with The Empress, that pinnacle of feminine power and loving energy, the earthy mama who embraces earthly desires. I think it’ll do you well to give dating another go. This doesn’t mean that you need to start swiping right on everyone (or even be on the apps!) or say yes to every date that comes your way. Likewise, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still romance yourself or take care of your current heartbreak. But, you know, maybe get back out there sooner than later. Who knows? It might be what you’ve been looking for.

Appetite for destruction

By Dan Savage

I’ve had a successful career as an artist and thousands follow my professional accounts on social media. My followers think they know me, but I am living a secret double life. What I’ve kept hidden is that I’m bisexual. I have hidden this fact from everyone: from my followers, from my family, and from the three ladies who married me believing I was the straight guy I pretended to be. All my marriages failed, ending in divorce with no children produced, thank God, and my ex-wives all went on to find real men who could father their children.

In 2016, knowing my success and investments meant I could live comfortably for the rest of my life, I quit my career in the arts and fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a hardcore gay porn slut. (“Slut” fits me much more closely than does “actor,” since as what I do on camera is not an “act.”) I truly love the hot sex I’ve had with Alpha Males in the 250ish videos I’ve starred in so far. Truly, my only regret is not doing porn much sooner in my life, as I’m happier now than I’ve ever been.

the same name you used as an artist—your legal name, your professional name, your porn name—because the thought of being exposed and ruined turns you on. Almost as much as the thought of ruining someone else’s day by tricking them into taking a look at your work. (I only saw the titles, FLNR, but that was enough.) But what you want most is to be exposed and destroyed—that’s your ultimate fantasy—and you’ve been fantasizing about the moment you’re found out and destroyed since you posted your first video.

SAVAGE LOVE

P.S. Your kinks are just as vile and disgusting and grotesque and offensive as advertised—but I’m not going to give you hell about them. First, because no one chooses their kinks and, second, because the disgust is obviously part of the turn-on for you and I’m not here to cup your balls. (And to be clear, bisexuality isn’t the kink we’re talking about.) If you want to warn people to unfollow and/or de-acquisition your work to avoid being smeared by association, you can do that without suggesting they Google your name + porn. You pretend to be motivated by concern for your followers, FLNR, but I’m not swallowing that shit.

How did this arrangement go from a massage deal to sex work? How’d that happen? Your “massage guy” did it.

Question: Should I continue pretending to be straight and keep the people who still follow me on Facebook and Instagram in the dark? Or should they be advised to Google my full and actual birth name and the word “porn” so they can see the real me? (My full legal name and my professional name—as both an artist and porn slut—are the same.) I don’t want anyone’s life to be negatively impacted should it become known they follow a person who appears in hardcore porn and does things most people would regard as offensive and grotesque. It seems best that followers who are interested in my art be advised to Google me so they are aware of what I am doing now and can unfollow me if they wish.

If you want to include my full legal name in your column, I’ll most likely say yes. And please feel free to give me hell because I understand the things I let men do to me are vile and disgusting.—[Full Legal Name Redacted]

I have no desire to publish your name. But rest assured, FLNR, that I fell for it. I Googled your name and the word “porn,” I was negatively impacted, and I will always regret it. (Gotta work on my impulse control.) The porn you’re making is, as confessed/boasted, vile and disgusting and grotesque and offensive. It’s also not illegal and can be enjoyed by consenting adults… who hopefully floss, brush their teeth, use mouthwash, and don’t kiss their mothers with those mouths. (Relieved I don’t have to alert the authorities. The health department, on the other hand…) Look, I know what you’re trying to do here. You choose to porn under your own name,

And here you are, 250 videos later, and no one who follows you—no one who has admired or collected your work—has stumbled over your vast archive of vile and disgusting and grotesque and offensive porn. Maybe if your pornographic output was a little more mainstream, maybe if yours was a taste shared by more than a tiny handful of people, you would’ve been found out and destroyed already. But the porn you make is so niche—and so vile and so disgusting, etc., etc.—that not one of your followers has stumbled over it. Or stepped in it. And even if one had, FLNR, he couldn’t jump into a comments thread on your Instagram to tell on you without also telling on himself.

So, now you want me to do your dirty work for you… you want me to inflict you on my readers in the hope it’ll get back to your followers… and I’m not gonna do that to my readers. Or to you.

And I don’t think you would want me to, FLNR, if you thought about it more during your refractory periods. As things stand now, FLNR, you get to enjoy the dread of discovery and destruction every day. You get to enjoy your perfect fantasies about how the shitstorm coming for you when the inevitable happens—or what you thought was inevitable, 250 videos ago—and your life and reputation and artistic legacy are all destroyed in a moment. But like Bernd Brandes, a German man whose ultimate fantasy was to be murdered by a cannibal after first having his own penis cut off, cooked, and served to him, you may find reality falls short of your fantasies. In Brandes’ case, the cannibal he met online, Armin Meiwes, wasn’t a very good cook. Meiwes overcooked Brandes’ penis, which wound up being too tough to eat, and since Brandes didn’t have another penis, a do-over wasn’t possible. He died disappointed. Just like Brandes had only one dick, you have only one life. There will be no do-overs for you either. So, you’re better off as you are now—enjoying your perfect fantasy of your destruction rather than enduring the sure-tobe-a-letdown reality.

Etiquette question. I started seeing a massage guy about a year ago after connecting with him on Scruff (“not here for sex but if you want a great massage…”). He turned out to be terrific at it. First couple times I got incredible deep and thorough massages; paid him for the time; and added a tip, all good. Then—and with no words exchanged—the massages started getting sexual. Now I get about a brief massage

Your massage guy is a sex worker but a choosy one. He looks for prospective clients on hookup apps, offers “massage-only” meetups at first, and once he has a good feeling about someone—someone who respects his initial “massage-only” boundary, shows up freshly showered, and tips well (20-25%), e.g., someone like you—your massage guy “upgrades” his newish client from massage (not what most guys are seeking on Scruff) to dick (what all guys are seeking on Scruff). If you miss his massages, LHDMHH, book an extra hour and use your words. (“Love your excellent dick, miss your amazing massages!”) Then you can have it all… with “all,” in this instance, being defined as “good massage + expert dicking.”

I’ve been with my boyfriend since COVID. We were sexually incompatible from the start (both bottoms), but made it work due to the pandemic. Then I blinked and three years passed. We live together and I love him. But it just feels like a comfortable, nice life as opposed to being “in love.” And we never had that hot passionate stage start to fall back on or feel nostalgic about. I wonder if the end of the pandemic means it’s time to move on. I’m 41 years old and feel life can offer more. Am I being short-sighted in wanting more?—

Somewhat Unfulfilled Bottom

Two bottoms can have hot and passionate sex. I mean, are there no double-ended dildos in Gilead? Are there no tops in your vicinity, single and coupled, willing to guest star? Are oral sex and/or mutual masturbation not a good time?

and then his fingers start tickling butt and we end up fucking. He’s totally hot and great at it, always gets me off within the hour session. (He never gets off but is totally hard and enthusiastic the entire time.) We don’t have any interaction outside the sessions, aside from texts setting up the next time. No complaints about the sex at all, it’s great, but I miss the massages! Somehow this relationship went from a massage deal to sex work. (HTH?!?) So, my question: I’ve never hired a sex worker before. How much does a person tip a sex worker? And any ideas how can I steer the relationship back to more pounding of muscles without giving up the pounding of butt? Thanks!—Loving His Dick, Missing His Hands

Look, finding someone you love and enjoy living with isn’t easy, SUB, so you owe it to yourself to give this relationship a chance. I get it, I get it: you’ve been together for three years, you’ve already given this relationship a chance. But it doesn’t sound like you’ve given radical honesty a chance. (“We have to fix this or it’s over.”) You don’t wanna wake up five years from now in a no-longer-new relationship with someone you don’t love. Even if you had managed to have a lot of hot sex with that person at the start, SUB, nostalgia for great sex with someone you don’t love (as much or at all) is unlikely to sustain you through the decades between the NRE wearing off and death. Whereas making space in the loving relationship you’re already in—space for passionate sexual experiences together and/or with others (on your own or both)—could be all the sustenance you need.

It’s fine to want more, SUB, but before seeking more from someone else, ask for more from the someone you’ve already got.

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

ACROSS

1 Voodoo charm

5 “___ directed” (medicine

11 Dramatist William

13 Actors John and Sean

15 Fool 16 U.S. booster rockets

17 Cold ___

18 Treated, as skis

21 WWII movie of 1981

24 March-date celebrants

29 Nebulous

32 Washing site

33 “... ___ of cherries”

35 It means “within”

37 Health-store offerings

38 In the past

39 Beatles tune, “___ Leaving Home”

40 Have an ___ (appreciate)

42 Card-game pass of a sort

43 A Muse

44 Map blowup, often

45 Louis Quatorze, for example

46 Lizard starter

48 Great Basin tribe

49 Compass pt.

53 Turner et al.

4

7

2

1

56 Comeback of a sort

57 Belgian treaty city

58 Comical Dame of Broadway fame

60 Timor- ____ (Asian country)

63 Airport tower person: abbr.

65 Psychoanalysis concerns

66 1970s series with John Candy and Catherine O’Hara