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We’re marking the halfway point to St. Patrick's Day with the whiskey with over 150 awards since launching in 2021, Keeper's Heart—a unique blend that marries the best of Irish and American whiskey-making traditions.
Keeper's Heart has partnered with some of the fi nest pubs and restaurants across the Tampa Bay area to celebrate this milestone. Indulge in special drink offerings like the classic Irish Mule and the refreshing Celtic Lemonade. Now is the perfect time to gather your friends and join us at these outstanding venues during this halfway celebration weekend! Discover the top spots below:
The Horse & Jockey
1155 Pasadena Ave S, South Pasadena, FL
33707 From Friday, September 13th to Tuesday, September 17th, make your way to The Horse & Jockey, a beloved South Pasadena pub known
for its inviting atmosphere. Sip on an Espresso Martini crafted with Keeper’s Heart Irish + American whiskey or enjoy a Paper Plane made with Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon.
Molly's Pub
1562 Main St, Sarasota, FL
34236 Celebrate halfway to St. Patrick’s Day at Molly's Pub, a Sarasota favorite with a cozy setting and great vibes. Throughout the month, Molly’s will be featuring a Blackberry Smash made with Keeper’s Heart Irish + American and an Old Fashioned with Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon.
McGrath's Kitchen & Cocktails
can enjoy a Smoked Old Fashioned made with their single barrel pick - Keeper’s Heart Irish + American fi nished in PX Sherry barrels.
Ed's Tavern
1305 108th St E, Bradenton, FL 34212 For a lively atmosphere, visit Ed's Tavern in Bradenton. From Friday, September 13th to Tuesday, September 17th, Ed’s will feature a Smoked Old Fashioned made with their Keeper’s Heart PX Sherry fi nish single barrel pick.
8110 Lakewood Main St, Bradenton, FL
34202 Visit McGrath's from Friday, September 13th to Tuesday, September 17th, where you
Irish 1916
Locations in Brandon and Plant City, FL Immerse yourself in Irish culture at Irish 1916. From Friday, September 13th to Tuesday, September 17th, they’ll be serving up delicious Keeper’s Heart Irish Mules and Black Cherry Celtic Lemonades.
Hattricks
107 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602 Hattricks is the place to be in downtown Tampa for great food, drinks, and live sports. All month long, they’ll be featuring Keeper’s Heart Irish Mules and Celtic Lemonades.
Keeper’s Heart is a whiskey that masterfully blends the rich traditions of Irish and American whiskey-making by bringing together the smoothness of Irish whiskey with the boldness of American whiskey. Crafted by legendary Master Distiller Brian Nation, renowned for his work with Jameson, Midleton, and Redbreast, Keeper’s Heart has already won over 150 awards since its launch in 2021, including World’s Best Irish whiskey at SFWSC in 2023. Whether savored neat, on the rocks, or in your favorite cocktail, this award-winning whiskey is the perfect companion for celebrating the halfway mark to St. Patrick's Day. Cheers and Sláinte!
I gotta wear shades
Photos by Ryan Kern
The Bay area’s new professional women’s soccer team kicked off its historic inaugural season last Sunday in Tampa Heights, and while it salvaged just one point in a tie with Dallas Trinity FC, Tampa Bay Sun FC set fire to a fanbase that sold-out a revamped stadium at Blake High School. The team’s next home game is on Saturday, Aug. 24 against DC Power. Get more information and see all the photos from the game via cltampa.com/slideshows.—Ray Roa
do this
Tampa Bay's best things to do from August 22 - 28
All for 4
The latest financial reports show that a political committee leading efforts to pass Amendment 4 raised $7.26 million from Aug. 3 through last Thursday. With anti-abortion PACs lining up to defeat the effort to enshrine abortion rights into Florida’s constitution, folks who don’t want the government to tell child-carrying people what to do with their bodies are gonna need all the help they can get. This weekend, as part of a statewide day of action, the St. Pete League of Women Voters is going door-to-door to talk to locals about voting “Yes On 4.” No experience is necessary, and the group will provide volunteers with all the training and material they need.
Yes On 4 Super Saturday: Saturday, Aug. 24. 3 p.m. Registration required. Allendale United Methodist Church, 3803 Haines Rd. N, St. Petersburg. lwvspa.org—Ray Roa
I got sol
Many would argue that politically, and historically, Tampa is a lot closer to Cuba than Key West. At least one group wishes the relationship was a little warmer. “We are a non-profit organization doing work locally to raise awareness about US-Cuba relations and advocating for policies that pursue respectful engagement and normalized relations between the two countries,” Manny Ramirez of La voz de Tampa Bay, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. At a new cafe that celebrates Afro-Cuban culture, the group hosts a raffle and karaoke battle to help send food and medical aid to the country. Ramirez said some competitors have already signed up to do Bad Bunny and J. Lo, but he’s partial to anyone who can belt out late-’90s or early-2000s R&B.
La voz de Tampa Bay karaoke fundraiser: Sunday, Aug. 25. 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m. No cover. Soul de Cuba, 6428 N Florida Ave., Tampa. @lavozdetampabay—Ray Roa
Food fight
Is this technically playing with your food? The Gathering at Armature Works will transform into a battleground where strength, skill and tradition come together during bouts between top sumo champions from Japan. A press release says attendees will not only enjoy the thrilling matches, but also have the opportunity to delve into the rich history and customs of this ancient sport in an evening designed to celebrate the artistry and culture of sumo wrestling in a captivating atmosphere. To elevate the experience, fans can purchase tickets that include an omakase sushi box. Crafted by the talented chefs at Zukku Sushi and Han Hand Roll Bar, this gourmet sushi selection will provide a delicious accompaniment to the intense sumo matches. “Omakase” translates to “I leave it up to you,” where the customer leaves it up to the chef to serve seasonal specialties.
Sushi and Sumo Battle: Saturday, Aug. 24. 6:30 p.m. $50 & up. The Gathering at Armature Works, 1910 N Ola Ave., Tampa. sushisumobattle.com—Sofía García Vargas
TAKASHI IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK
Wear the wild things are
Last summer Wearable Art happened as Hurricane Idalia set its sights on Florida. Fingers crossed that all the action stays on stage this year for what’s easily one of the Bay area’s best art shows. In its 18th year, the reception and show will once again celebrate designers—10 of them in 2024, including Mark Castle, pictured—who dare to turn fashion into fine art. Expect the unexpected, but be prepared to become a fan for life if you’ve never been before. Get a link to more photos from 2023 via cltampa.com/arts.
Wearable Art 18: Saturday, Aug. 24. 6:30 p.m. $25 & up. Dunedin Fine Art Center, 1143 Michigan Blvd., Dunedin. dfac.org—Ray Roa
Meow-vie star
Feline fans of all ages can expect to marvel at a 75-minute compilation of adorable and amusing cat videos, ranging from submissions and sourced animations to internet classics. Director Will Braden has brought the festival to hundreds of theaters in both the United States and Europe, providing not just quality entertainment, but also raising money for feline friends in need through partnerships with local charities, animal welfare organizations, and shelters.
CatVideoFest: Friday-Tuesday, Aug. 23-27. $9-$12. Historic Duncan Auditorium at Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin St. Tampa. catvideofest.com—Devan Wilson-Harper
The BarrieHaus team plans celebrates its World Beer Cup win with an unveiling of an official banner in their Ybor City taproom and the release of Bub Light, a summertime light-bodied version of a Czech-style lager. At the World Beer Cup in Las Vegas last May, the brew took home a gold medal in the Bohemian-Style Pilsner category which included 152 entries (Massachusetts’ Bright Ideas Brewing got second place and Minoh Beer from Japan was third). The victory marks the brewery’s second World Beer Cup gold after it took home the top prize in 2022 for its Family Tradition Vienna Lager. Bublina Day: Saturday, Aug. 24. 3 p.m.-6 p.m. No cover. BarrieHaus Beer Co., 1403 E 5th Ave., St. Petersburg. barriehaus.com—Ray Roa
Bottle full of Bublina
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“Legal is confident that this would be the lightest touch possible.”
One small step
St. Pete City Council moves to help strengthen tenant rights for renters.
By McKenna Schueler
After Florida banned cities and counties last year from regulating the “landlord-tenant” relationship, gutting dozens of local tenants’ rights laws around the state, city leaders in St. Petersburg began brainstorming ideas to fight for more protections for residents who are being priced out of the city.
Last Thursday, St. Petersburg City Council approved a new resolution that they hope will help accomplish that without running afoul of state law. The citywide resolution, approved in a 7–1 vote—with term-limited Councilmember and Florida House candidate Ed Montanari dissenting—basically asks the city administration to “consider” negotiating pro-tenants’ rights language into agreements they enter into with affordable housing developers.
The resolution was drafted by the city’s legal team, and explicitly notes that it “is not intended to regulate landlord-tenant relationships in any manner that would be preempted by Florida law.”
“I don’t think it can get any clearer than that,” quipped Councilember Gina Driscoll, in response to complaints from Montanari, who said he feels this resolution is “clearly preempted.”
St. Pete City Councilmember Richie Floyd, who spearheaded the proposal, denied this, arguing that the intention is to encourage developers to adopt protective language for renters, not require it.
“We’re not allowed to regulate, we’re not allowed to require anything,” Floyd told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “This is asking the administration to seek this in negotiations, and report as to whether or not they were able to successfully get it.”
Staff on the city’s legal team also confirmed this, telling City Council, just ahead of Montanari’s complaint, that remaining in compliance with state law was prioritized in the resolution’s development from the “get-go.”
“It only speaks to essentially a policy pronouncement to just consider it [the language] when negotiating the city’s own resources, such as money or land, in these types of deals where, you know, nobody is forcing anybody to do anything,” said Michael Dema, one of the city’s attorneys. “Legal is confident that this would be the lightest touch possible,” Dema continued, adding that “it doesn’t veer into the regulatory realm where we’re clearly preempted.
What exactly will they be encouraging during negotiations? Under the resolution approved, the city administration will be encouraged to ask local affordable housing developers to adopt language in their agreements that come from the city’s now-defunct ‘Tenants’ Rights’ ordinance.
That ordinance, known as the city’s “Tenant Bill of Rights,” established basic rights for renters in the city, such as providing renters with a notice of a rent increase if that rent increase is greater than 5% (so, not a cap on rent increases— just a warning that a rent increase is coming). It also included an anti-discrimination policy for renters who use government vouchers (such as housing choice or housing vouchers for veterans) to pay a portion of their rent. Other disclosures from landlords for renters, such as providing
“Our ability to provide relief to tenants has been almost completely destroyed,” he admitted. Councilmember Floyd, in addition to state Democrats in the Florida Legislature, housing justice activists, and lobbyists for several county governments, publicly opposed the state ban, which they argued unfairly tied the hands of local government leaders. Supporters, like the politically influential Florida Realtors association, said the ban would get rid of “burdensome regulations.”
“I was looking for a way to continue some tenant protection work within the balance of state law, and that’s where this came up,” said Floyd.
a city that became a hotspot for double-digit percentage changes in rent prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2019, the asking median rent in the Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater metro area has increased nearly $500, according to Realtor. com market data—from a median rent of $1,256 for a studio to two-bedroom apartment in 2019 to $1,754 as of June.
HOUSING
Although the state law was strongly backed by the Florida Realtors and Florida Apartment Association—two major and deeppocketed industry groups that have complained of a “patchwork” of local regulations across the state—Floyd said that, so far, affordable housing developers he sought feedback from, and the city’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (which includes industry stakeholders), have
renters with a notice of late fees, were also required under the law, which has since been repealed due to the state ban.
This new resolution, however—which will be limited to new agreements with developers the city contracts with—aims to re-establish some of those protections for, admittedly, a smaller pool of the city’s renters. It, in effect, “came from that repeal,” Floyd confirmed, while adding that the process of navigating the preemptive state law has been “incredibly frustrating.”
been accepting of the idea.
“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback that said they’re OK with this language being included,” Floyd shared. “So we anticipate it being included in a lot of affordable housing developments, and housing developments that get city subsidies in the future.”
The resolution won’t retroactively alter or necessarily change agreements that the city already has with developers, who are aiming to help fill an affordable housing shortage in
Market data shows that rent price hikes in the Tampa Bay region have started to cool over the last year or two, but the immense spike in 2021 and 2022 has nonetheless left many working people who help run the community still trying to keep up—if they haven’t been forced to leave, bunk up with others, or been evicted due to their higher rents already.
The major spike in rents during the pandemic, Floyd said, came as a “shock” to the community, and today it’s settled into more of what he describes as a “depression.”
“It’s just very difficult to live here nowadays, and so that’s sort of the attitude that I’m hearing from around town,” he shared. “There’s still, like, a significant amount of people who want to see the city do everything we can to support tenants, and working-class people and even homeowners that are struggling.”
The city moved forward last year with a pilot eviction diversion program in South St. Pete, which aims to offer free legal aid for renters who are either facing or at risk for eviction. Floyd said an update on the results of that so far will be presented publicly in the near future; he couldn’t definitively tell CL when, but so far it appears to be going well.
There are a number of similar programs across the U.S. as well, ultimately aiming to bridge the substantial gap between the majority of landlords who have legal representation during eviction proceedings, and the majority of renters who don’t.
While Floyd admits that the new resolution, effective upon its imminent adoption, “won’t be as impactful” as the Tenant Bill of Rights law—which covered most all rental units in the city—he expects this focus on strengthening protections for tenants of the future affordable housing developments, focusing on those most strapped for rent money, will have an impact.
“Over the next, like, 10, 15 years, we can be looking at thousands of units that have tenant protections similar to what the Tenants Bill of Rights provided.”
NO, SIR: State house candidate Ed Montanari was the only no vote on a preliminary tenants-rights resolution.
Walk on Judge rules against Pinellas homeowners in beach access fight.
By Jim Saunders/News Service of Florida
Afederal judge last Monday sided with the Pinellas County town of Redington Beach in a long-running legal fight with waterfront property owners about public beach access.
U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington issued a 53-page ruling that said the town had adequately shown a history of “customary use” by the public of parts of the beach that are privately owned.
Covington upheld a 2018 ordinance that sought to protect customary use of what are known as “dry sand areas” of the beach for such activities as walking, sunbathing, fishing and building sand castles.
customary-use ordinances, including requiring them to receive judicial approval.
Redington Beach passed its ordinance in June 2018. If local governments adopted ordinances before July 1, 2018, the state law said they could raise customary use as what is known as an “affirmative defense” if the ordinances were challenged in court.
LOCAL NEWS
The waterfront property owners argued that the ordinance was an unconstitutional “taking” of their private property.
“The ordinance does not purport to ‘take’ the portion of dry sand beach in the town owned by plaintiffs,” Covington wrote. “Rather, it purports to recognize and protect the customary use rights of those residents who have gained, through custom, the right to make certain uses of that privately-owned beach.”
The Florida Constitution ensures public access to portions of beaches “below mean high water lines,” often described as wet areas of beaches. But Covington’s ruling, which came in two consolidated lawsuits filed by property owners, dealt with dry-sand portions of beaches closer to homes.
Covington wrote that, under the law, Redington Beach could “keep its ordinance in effect if the court finds that the town’s evidence establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the town’s residents and visitors have gained, by way of customary use, the right to use the privately-owned portions of the dry sand beach in the town.”
“The ordinance does not purport to ‘take’ the portion of dry sand beach in the town owned by plaintiffs.”
Florida lawmakers in 2018 made controversial changes to laws involving customary use. That included putting in place an extensive process for local governments that want to have
“The court finds that the evidence provided by the town at trial substantially surpassed the quantum of proof necessary to establish its affirmative defense,” she wrote in a conclusion. “Therefore, the court finds that the town has proven the customary use of the privatelyowned dry sand beach in the town, and that those uses are consistent with the limited permitted uses set out in the ordinance. Further, the town has proven that this customary use has been by both town residents and those who may visit the town either as vacation renters or guests of residents.”
In one of the cases, which were consolidated later, U.S. District Judge James S. Moody in 2020 ruled in favor of a group of waterfront property owners. But a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling in 2021, sending the case back to district court.
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Survey says
Nearly 30% of Florida women don’t know what the state’s abortion restrictions are.
By Jackie Llanos/Florida Phoenix
Florida’s six-week abortion ban went into effect three months ago, but 29% of women remain unsure about the legality of abortion in the state, according to a new survey from KFF, a health policy research and news organization.
Knowledge about Florida’s abortion restrictions is critical because voters will decide in November whether they want to protect access to the procedure up to viability (considered to be around 24 weeks). Women with lower incomes and those who identify as “pro-life” are less informed about abortion laws, according to a KFF survey of 512 Florida women between the ages of 18 and 49.
KFF surveyed the women from May 13-June 18, and the six-week abortion ban went into effect on May 1.
The findings don’t surprise Lynda Bell, president of Florida Right to Life, who hopes to turn voters against Amendment 4. The abortion-rights proposal needs 60% voter approval to protect access to the procedure through the state Constitution. She recognizes that people might not be as plugged into the changes in legislation if they’re concentrating on making ends meet.
A lot of work to do
“I can vouch for that, because this was me. Having had mine back in 2008, I didn’t know that [FAN] existed,” Carrasco said.
Finding clinics online that perform abortions has become increasingly difficult since Carrasco had her abortion, she said, citing the rise of “crisis pregnancy centers,” which offer pregnancy medical services but not abortions.
“So many CPCs, like crisis pregnancy centers, have popped up since then that it has made it that much more difficult for clients to be able to discern and differentiate between a real clinic and one of these crisis pregnancy centers that purposely mislead people,” she said.
For both FAN and Florida Right to Life, social media outreach and community engagement play an important role in educating people.
ELECTIONS
General Election Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 5 (early voting starts Oct. 26). Deadline to register to vote: Monday, Oct. 7. rockthevote.org
Bell said she’s visited churches and Republican clubs in cities such as Miami and Jacksonville to move voters against Amendment 4.
Despite the gaps in knowledge, 72% of women surveyed responded that they think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Even 51% of Republican women said abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
of abortion?’ That would flip. ‘Do you think that parents should not be able to consent for their children’s minor abortions?’ That would also flip towards our way.”
Late abortion rare
Abortions beyond 21 weeks of gestation accounted for 0.4% of total abortions in the state in 2021, according to the latest available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Florida covers abortions through Medicaid in cases of life endangerment, rape, and incest, as required under federal law. But opponents of Amendment 4 claim its passage would lead to legal challenges demanding Medicaid coverage for abortions; such a case is pending in Michigan. Additionally, the language of the amendment that seeks to limit government interference with abortion makes an exception for the statute that requires notification of the abortion to a minor’s
“Even 51% of Republican women said abortion should be legal in all or most cases.”
parent or guardian, although Florida now requires notification and consent unless a judge deems the minor mature enough to decide for themselves.
The survey and a recent poll from the University of North Florida showing that 69% of Floridians support Amendment 4 has made Carrasco optimistic about the outcome in November. However, another poll from Florida Atlantic University released on Wednesday shows Amendment 4 with 56% support, falling short of the 60% threshold.
“I feel like our generation is not going to let this happen, especially without a fight,” Carrasco said.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and X.
“This just shows me that we have a lot more work to do,” Bell said in a phone interview with Florida Phoenix. “Our educational aspect of Florida Right to Life, we are constantly trying to push out the news and expand our database, so that we can get to more and more people. We in the pro-life community, all the pro-life organizations, we need to continue working, and pushing, and telling women the truth about what’s happening in the state of Florida.”
As PACs stack cash on both sides of the abortion-rights amendment, the Florida Access Network is struggling to help people seek abortions inside and outside of Florida. The organization provides financial assistance including transportation, lodging, food, and other expenses.
FAN has a monthly cap of around $15,000 to help people pay for abortions, but just a week into August has already distributed $11,000, said Ginnely Carrasco, FAN’s director for client services, in a phone interview with the Phoenix.
Lack of education extends to women’s knowledge of abortion resources. One third of Florida women don’t know where to get an abortion or where to find information about it, according to the survey. The rate of uncertainty was higher (45%) for Hispanic women.
In Florida, someone can get an abortion up to 15 weeks if the pregnancy is a result of rape, incest, or human trafficking. However, the person seeking the abortion needs to provide documentation that they were victims of those crimes, such as police reports. Abortions can only happen beyond 15 weeks if the fetus has a fatal abnormality, to save the life of the pregnant person, or if the pregnancy could impair a major bodily function.
However, even with patients meet these exceptions, doctors might be reluctant to provide abortion services.
Abortion bans without exceptions are not popular with women in Florida. Among those who said they were pro-life, only 24% said abortion should be illegal in all cases.
Bell said the data from the KFF survey showing women support access to abortion concerned her a lot.
“If you take that same group of people and you say, ‘Do you believe in abortion to through birth?’ If you were to rephrase that question, ‘Do you believe that we should be able to be aborted in the seventh, eighth, and ninth month?’ You’re going to have a flip on that because we’ve seen that,” she said.
“If you were to flip that question, ‘Do you believe that there should be taxpayer funding
BODY MOVEMENT: Pro-choice activist in Tampa on May 5, 2022.
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“But we’re not here to New York anyone’s Florida either.
RESTAURANTS RECIPES DINING GUIDES
Sup, cuz
A popular Tampa sandwich shop comes o ine, plus more food news.
By Kyla Fields
Ayear after signing the lease, a popular Italian-American deli with a cult-like following is ready to come offline and open in Tampa’s NoHo district. Heading to 1331 W Cass St. directly next to Santoro’s Pizzeria, sandwich and chicken cutlet virtuoso Cousin Vinny’s is preparing for its soft opening.
Cousin Vinny’s—which operated a widelypopular to-go shop last year—specializes in “New York-inspired sandwiches” that are loaded with everything from the beloved, ItalianAmerican chicken cutlet to classic cold cuts and fresh mozzarella.
Executive Chef and partner Vincent “Vinny” Andriotti and Operating Partner and co-owner Russell Leone came to know their other business partners Jake Schmidt and AJ DeSimone while they all attended the nearby University of Tampa more than a decade ago. They launched Cousin Vinny’s in the spring 2023 out of a shared commercial kitchen space on Nebraska Avenue; it was no typical storefront as customers could only order sandwiches online and swing by to pick them up on Saturday or Sunday.
“We saw people driving from all over the Tampa Bay area and beyond to try these sandwiches on the weekend,” Andriotti tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Our customers were planning their weeks around picking up a sandwich on Saturday or Sunday—it was absolutely wild.”
After several months of success operating on a two-day service schedule, the ownership team decided that a proper storefront and standalone brick and mortar was in order. By summer 2023, they had signed the lease to the former Cass Street Deli space. Since Cass Street Deli was only open a short time between 2019-2022, there was no need to rebuild its kitchen or small ordering area. While the Cousin Vinny team was hoping their brick and mortar would be open by the end of 2023, zoning paperwork and permitting with the City of Tampa slowed down progress. While this year-long wait certainly wasn’t part of their opening timeline, both Leone and Andriotti say that they’ve used the time to develop their respective skills.
“It’s a blessing in disguise because it allowed us to literally hone in on everything from operation and output to food quality and
resourcing the highest quality products we can,” Leone explains. “ We’re now able to source ingredients from different parts of Italy and are able to create relationships with our vendors.”
Andriotti has used the time to build on his bread making skills, as well as perfecting recipes both for Cousin Vinny’s soft opening and for future specials. He’s perfected both his meatball and focaccia recipe—two new options that folks can expect when Cousin Vinny’s makes its
OPENINGS
kitchen menu—like a variety of chicken cutlet or shredded beef sammies loaded with vodka sauce, roasted red peppers, housemade “red sauce,” fresh mozzarella, pesto aioli or bruschetta.
According to Andriotti, sandwiches folks can definitely expect during its soft opening include the stacked “Mambo Italiano” with a fried eggplant cutlet, salami, prosciutto, capicola, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, pesto, lettuce and tomato, as well as the straightforward “Parmesan Don,” with a chicken cutlet, mozzarella, red sauce and parmesan cheese. Grab-and-go sides, a few desserts, cold sandwiches on Andriotti’s focaccia bread and a handful of non-sandwich, health-conscious items will eventually make their appearance on the Cousin Vinny menu, too.
restaurant’s open kitchen. He compares cooking and serving customers to performing, or entertaining in some sense.
“Now you’re gonna see the production, the assembly, the everything—which is going to allow people to walk inside and understand that Cousin Vinny’s is a friendly, neighborhood spot,” Andriotti says enthusiastically. “We want it to be a place where you know you can be appreciated and welcomed by the whole staff. We don’t have customers or guests—I like to say we have cousins.”
“We don’t want to be a part of the Tampa restaurant community for just a few years—we want to be around for a very long time,” he continues.
Since the soon-to-open Cousin Vinny’s only offers a handful of seats inside, most of its busi-
debut later this year. While neither owner can disclose an exact opening date—especially since previous delays had stalled things even further than expected—they tell CL that Cousin Vinny’s will definitely be open by the end of the year.
Noho’s soon-to-open deli and sandwich hotspot will feature all of the heavy hitters from its ghost
After graduating from UT, Andriotti went to earn an online culinary degree before starting his own private chef business while working at local fine dining restaurants.
The boisterous Andriotti, who was once hidden from his customers in a ghost kitchen, is excited to interact with patrons in the
ness will consist of take-out or to-go orders. During its soft opening phase, it will most likely offer operating hours of 11 a.m.-4 p.m. six days a week, with plans to extend them.
Since their previous customers have been patiently (or impatiently) waiting for Cousin continued on page 34
HEAVY HITTERS: Cousin Vinny’s fans can expect all the favorites at the shops brick-and-mortar.
From meeting rooms to cocktail and dinner gatherings, make your next event excellent with one of our venues. Did you know Oxford Exchange, Predalina, and The Library are also Tampa Bay’s Top Choices for Business and Social Events?
Call/text/email Carolina Hoaks at 813.418.2480 or carolina@oxfordexchange.com to learn more or for a personal tour
continued from page 31 Vinny’s to open, Leone says that their main goal during the soft opening is to not run out of food. Once things are up and running, they plan to launch catering service, too. “We definitely want to help create that Little Italy vibe here in Tampa—like where we grew up, there was a great deli on every corner,” Leone says.
“But we’re not here to New York anyone’s Florida either—we just want to be a part of this growing community and provide the best version of ourselves, which is great food and hospitality,” Andriotti continues.
Head to @cousinvinnyssandwichco on Instagram for the latest news on Cousin Vinny’s 2024 opening. Although its owners couldn’t share a specific opening week, Leone says it’s coming “very very very soon.”
Saddle Bags, a new country-themed bar and restaurant, is coming to Ybor City
A new place for honky tonk and Southern eats is getting ready to open on Ybor City’s historic 7th Avenue. Saddle Bags will open out of a 13,000-square-foot space at 2234 E 7th Ave., which is connected to an LLC affiliated with developer Darryl Shaw. The concept will specialize in Southern comfort food, live country music and a variety of affordable drinks. It’s located right around the corner from popular concepts Columbia, Al’s Finger Licking Good Soul Food and Casa Santo Stefano.
According to its website, Saddle Bags will be “where Southern charm meets city nights,” with recent photos depicting its large stage area, dance floor and of course, a mechanical bull.
Saddle Bags aims to soft open in November, but is still waiting on one last permit to be approved by the city of Tampa, Stephen Michelini, a Tampa-based consultant that’s assisting the new concept’s ownership team, told CL.
Approved construction plans obtained through public records show that Saddle Bags will boast two dance floors, three main dining areas, three separate bars, a singular kitchen, a few waiting areas, a few pool tables, a mechanical bull, a large stage area and accompanying green room. Its building plan also states that the massive bar and restaurant will have a total occupancy of 804 people.
and that its kitchen will be open during all operating hours, even during late-night performances.
While this soon-to-open hotspot shares the name of a popular country bar and venue in Savannah, Michelini says that Tampa’s location has no association with the Georgia concept— although the logos of both locations seem to be exactly the same (a depiction of a woman riding a mechanical bull.)
OPENINGS
While its menu has not been released yet, folks can soon expect hearty, Southern comfort food when Saddle Bags opens its doors later this year.
Saddle Bags is technically zoned as a restaurant, some are concerned that it may be more of a music venue and nightclub instead, Michelini noted. But he added added that local residents should be assured that Saddle Bags will definitely function as a restaurant, in accordance with its zoning. He added that it will be a “fun, but not raucous place.”
A restaurant zoning means that at least 51% of Saddle Bags’ profits will come from food sales,
A WTSP article from last year reported that Saddle Bags’ Ybor parcel caught fire, and while no one was injured, it may have stalled its construction process. Although Saddle Bags’ website doesn’t offer much information about its opening timeline, it states that its opening hours will eventually 5 p.m.-3 a.m. daily, but that’s subject to change.
Seminole Heights Korean restaurant Gangchu reopens under new ownership
Four months after going on the market, Gangchu has new owners. Josh Kang told CL that he signed a deal last month that gives him and his wife Jeanie control of the building and business.
The couple has owned and operated Brandon’s Bom Oriental Market for about four years. Josh also runs five franchise locations of Charleys Cheesesteaks between the Bay area, Georgia and Ohio. Jeanie is a lawyer by trade, and a great cook, too. The couple wanted to run an
independent Korean food restaurant before opening any of the Charleys locations. “We love to have fun, so this concept is a really perfect fit for us,” Josh added about the decision to move in. He’s excited to use his management skills, his wife’s food knowledge, and more help from Jeanie’s brother Sam who is also a great cook, to serve customers who’re already used to having Korean food at 6618 N Nebraska Ave.
Josh said that for now, Gangchu 2.0 will run a smaller menu than the previous iteration.
He mentioned a new Yangnyeom chicken wings with four sauces (original, soy garlic, sweet and spicy, and hot with Thai chili pepper) is on that menu ($14-$19), along with beef bulgogi ($18), tteokbokki ($13) and jaeyook ($18). A newly posted takeout menu also has kimchi fried rice ($17) and pancake ($14), boneless chicken ($12-$17), snack platters and fries ($6-$7), beef dumplings ($9) and even Korean ramen ($6).
“But as soon as we settle in the kitchen, we will keep developing more dishes,” he explained, adding that he and Jeanie will also bring in a more expansive soup menu.
The bar will operate as well, and the N/A beverage list includes fruit-flavored sodas (calamansi, watermelon, mango, melon, plum). Mostly everything on the menu can be sourced through distributors who service Bom Market, too.
Party people will be happy to know that Gangchu’s karaoke room will also stay the same.—Ray Roa
CHU-SE YOUR FIGHTER: Gangchu 2.0 has a new new Yangnyeom chicken wing recipe.
“It was a little bit confusing on both parts.”
MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE
In a pickle
Artists and new Factory owner
By David Warner
Wagree communication could be better.
hen the Dimmitt family sold The Factory to St. Petersburg real estate investor Tom Gaffney last June, the sale seemed like it would be a good thing for the artists occupying studios there. After all, Gaffney had bought the 600 block of Central Avenue in 2008 and leased spaces at below-market rates to artists and shops. Liz Dimmitt’s immersive funhouse, Fairgrounds, was to expand and become FloridaRama (stylized “FloridaRAMA”), which would become a tenant of The Factory, and Dimmitt would continue as The Factory’s art director.
Building 3, the site of that flea market, will be used for pickleball courts (along with Building 2 and an additional building yet to be constructed). The adjacent Building 4 is to become a restaurant and bar, so the artists renting studio spaces there will have to move.
LOCAL NEWS
But last month, when it was announced that the St. Pete Athletic, Paddle & Social Club was going to take up residence at The Factory, the mood among artists (and Facebook commenters) took a much darker turn.
Would pickleball push the artists out?
The answer is yes—and no.
“From a club perspective, we’re very happy we can co-exist with them,” said club founder Reuben Pressman.
“We want to keep an artist community here,” added Gaffney.
But there’s been one consistent problem: Communications between Gaffney’s team and the tenants have reputedly been lousy, according to many of the artists.
“I can’t tell you that wasn’t the case,” Gaffney conceded.
A quick overview
In 2018, the Dimmitt and Behar families (who parted ways on the project earlier this year) bought the 6.5-acre site of a former window-film manufacturer—90,000 square feet of warehouse space in eight buildings between the Pinellas Trail and Fairfield Avenue South. In 2020, The Factory opened, followed the next year by Fairgrounds, featuring work by 60-plus local artists in Building 6. Studio space was also leased to artists in buildings nearby. A recent expansion of FloridaRAMA allowed flow from its new lobby gallery into the studios and into a big open space which was used for events like July’s Punk Rock Flea Market.
That was then. Here’s what’s going to happen in the near future.
The artist tenants were told in May about the pickleball club coming in, and were assured that there would be opportunities to rent elsewhere in the complex. According to Gaffney, some artists chose to leave immediately upon the sale, but the majority (approximately 12 of 16) decided to stay and relocate to units in so-called “Gallery Row” at the far end of the property in Buildings 7 and 8.
Gaffney says that artists were given at least a month to choose their units, and that he finally had to give them a deadline for signing up in order to get renovations started on their future studios.
“We were trying to deal with 12 artists all having different interests,” he said. “Everyone was changing their mind all the time. It was a little bit confusing on both parts.”
The vision
From the artists’ point of view, the confusion was all the creation of ownership.
Painter Patricia Tierney Moses says she tried to work with Factory management, helping to put together a sketch of what she and other artists envisioned for studios. Then management told them that the spaces they wanted were no longer available. They’d have to go into a much smaller, darker area instead.
“Just the logistics, and how difficult it was being made, the lack of communication—they would say one thing and it would change. I don’t tolerate incompetence very well. So I decided to move on.”
But she’s not moving far. Moses is one of three artists who had studios in Building 4 who are headed down the street to Drew Marc. Owner
Andrew Trujillo is opening a high-end gallery in South Tampa and transitioning his Factory address into a space for studio rentals. Moses,
Judith Lavendar and Jeff Ryan will be subletting at Trujillo’s Drew Marc Studios starting in September.
Custom Candle Artworks St. Pete has occupied a space at The Factory since it opened, says Alden Kimbrough (aka Red “because of my hair”). In Building 4, passersby can watch Red craft his distinctive candle art, but he doesn’t think he’ll have the opportunity for those kinds of interactions (and sales) in the far end of the complex. He, like others, is frustrated with management. “They’ve shown zero consideration for an anchor tenant.”
Other artists are excited about the move into Buildings 7 and 8. LeRoy Gehres, an anchor tenant and a fan of Andy Warhol’s Factory, is thrilled about being part of St. Pete’s version. (His eye-popping installation “Florida Famous” is currently in FloridaRAMA’s gallery.) He will share a space (the former Bula Barua Gallery) with Martha Joy Rose’s equally eye-popping Museum of Motherhood. And while some think that Gallery Row will prove to be too far a walk for the pickleball crowd, printmaker Dawn Daisley is optimistic about relocating to that area. “I’m really excited because it’s going to be over there by the galleries.”
continued on page 42
BALL DON’T LIE: Will pickleball push the artists at The Factory out?
DAVID WARNER
Saturday, September 28
Ybor City Museum Garden 1818 East Ninth Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33605
MyEPICMasquerade.org
Join us for the 8th Annual Masquerade for an evening of whimsy and wonder amidst the lush greenery of our garden sanctuary. Proceeds benefit EPIC (Empath Partners in Care). The Masquerade is presented by Balance Tampa Bay in support of EPIC’s work to improve lives by addressing the social determinants of health, regardless of HIV status, gender or sexual identity.
continued from page 39
Staying and going
If the process of matching artists with spaces was comparable to herding cats, one particular cat has been vocal about treatment by management.
Dug Rus has been at the Factory since 2021 and began renting studio space for his clothing and design business, Felinious, in March of last year. (He describes his styles as “retro skatepunk with punk rock cats.”) He created a five-page spreadsheet of what he says are communications with property manager Jessica Wright showing delayed responses and broken promises. The final straw for him was the license-and-use agreement issued to artists on Aug. 2, an agreement that could be revoked by either party with just 30 days’ notice. Deadline: Sign by Aug. 6 or get out by Aug. 31. Since he had not yet been able to pick a space, he refused to sign.
Sabatini of Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails, and a craft beer concept from Green Bench Brewing Co.’s Nathan Stonecipher.
“I love Green Bench, it’s my third place,” said Dug Rus. “I don’t have any ill will with the pickleball guys, but my issue is how we’re being treated by ownership.”
Tricia Moses shared a similar sentiment.
“I have nothing against pickleball or whatever plans they have for the restaurant, but I just hope they’re being treated better than we are.”
For their part, “the pickleball guys” are pretty happy. Sign-ups for memberships have “by far blown away our numbers,” said Pressman. “We may be moving to a wait list soon.”
LOCAL NEWS
Plans are to open in early 2025. Interior demolition was to start in September, but work will not begin until the artists have moved into their new studios in Buildings 7 and 8.
“There’s no way,” he said. “I’d rather work out of a storage unit than give some guy money who’s going to kick me out in 30 days because he found somebody who wants that space.”
A longtime supporter of the arts in St. Pete, he says the presence of artists was a key reason The Factory site appealed to him and his team.
Q: Who is having thoughts of suicide?
For the remaining artists who want to stay as tenants, many questions persist. Liz Dimmitt held a marketing meeting with the artists on August 7. She invited property manager Jessica Wright as well, but she did not attend.
Asked about the status of artist spaces in the Factory, Dimmitt said via email, “FloridaRAMA is not privy to the movements of other tenants or construction timelines,” and directed inquiries to the owners. She added, “The artists and their studios are integral to the cultural fabric of The Factory, and as a tenant at The Factory, we hope they remain. Having working artists as our neighbors and the opportunity to collaborate with them is part of the magic of FloridaRAMA and our city.”
“If this group wasn’t going to buy The Factory with saving the artists in mind, it would have just gone to market and likely would have been torn down for apartments and condos, and the artists would have just been kicked out by now,” Pressman said.
And, he says, most of the artists are excited about the new developments. “They’re seeing the side of bringing foot traffic and other amenities.” Some have even inquired about memberships.
From Gaffney’s perspective, those amenities are going to make all the difference for The Factory as a whole.
He sees 7 and 8 becoming “a vibrant art colony” a year from now, with all the elements in The Factory creating a synergy that does not now exist.
At press time, Jessica Wright had not replied to questions from CL.
Dug Rus has posted this message on his Instagram—“SORRY FOLKS GREEDY OWNERSHIP SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU THIS FELINIOUS LOCATION HAS BEEN CLOSED DUE TO GENTRIFICATION.”
He doesn’t begrudge the arrival of the pickleball club. He’s OK with the ancillary businesses, too: the restaurant, which will be run by Jarrett
“What makes The Factory interesting to me is the artist aspect of it,” he said, “That panache clearly I don’t want to lose…I’m committed to making this as successful as the 600 block of Central.”
Manny Kool’s Daddy Kool Records moved to the Factory in 2019, an early recruit from the 600 block. He sees pros and cons in the latest developments. But the bottom line for him is a view likely shared by artists and developers alike: “I just hope that people come, for everybody’s sake.”
VICEROY: Artist LeRoy Gehres is thrilled about being part of St. Pete’s Factory.
DAVID WARNER
By Josh Bradley & Ray Roa
C CL Recommends
THU 22
C Pilot Jonezz w/Secondlady/Pet Lizard/Right on Time Pop-punk, ska, grunge, and melocore come together when Secondlady—made up of members from Japan and Florida—plays the middle of this stacked rock show. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
C Prescribed Fire w/Unruly Industry/Low Season Drummer and music instructor Shawn Watkins hates to admit it, but some of his playing for instru-metal polyrhythmic power trio Prescribed Fire is influenced by math-rock. It also takes cues from ‘70s stoner-rock, but also disco and swing. In front of him onstage and in the mix are guitarist Christa McHugh and bassist Kevin Coss who plays in punk band Down By Law. For Prescribed Fire, McHugh told CL they ditched the idea of auditioning a singer and threw out the notion of adhering to any typical song structures. “We started breaking the rules and things really clicked,” she added. Coss adds that his tastes for everything from jazz to classic-rock and post-punk make it into the arrangements—including new music the band is prepping ahead of a run of shows like this one. (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)
Six-String Social Club: Luis Giler w/Lesa Silvermore/Gabe Hernandez The Losing Game’s Dan Shafer hosts an happy hour in Bradenton for this monthly showcase featuring Discord Theory frontman Luis Giler, rock “gray Jedi” Lesa Silvermore, and folk singersongwriter/game-designer Gabe Hernandez, who was actually on the design team for “Call of Duty: Vanguard” earlier this decade. (Oscura, Bradenton)
FRI 23
C Jazz and the World: Diego Figueiredo w/Tito Puente Jr./Fred Johnson/Jose Valentino/Ona K/La Lucha If there’s anything we know about the consistency of Diego Figueiredo—one of the finest guitarists to come out of Brazil—it’s that his next album might already be in the can. Earlier in the summer, he backed Janet Evra up on a new single, “Tenderly,” and if he really wants to create an unforgettable moment, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to invite Ona Kirei—a homegrown talent who shares this stacked, global jazz bill with him—onstage for a quick live collaboration. The Sokolowski Trombone Project plays a Side Door set preshow at this gig organized by Clearwater Jazz Holiday. (Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
C Vibe Vault, Vol. 1: Leanne McGroary w/ April Showers/The Black Ace A new series borne from the mind of Perception takes flight this weekend. For the first installment of Vibe
Vault, the Tampa rapper has tapped countryleaning songwriter Leanne McGroary to join Gen Z-soul songwriter April Showers and rapperengineer The Black Ace on a bill that Perception hopes gives a platform to up-and-coming homegrown talent. “I could perform almost every night,” he told CL about his come up years ago. With venues being a scarcity, there’s less opportunity for that, so he plans to slow-grow the Vault over the next year to give local artists the same shot. (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)
SAT 24
Crown The Empire w/Dark Divine/ Capstan/Oni After a few years of building a reputation around its stomping grounds of Orlando, Dark Divine—which swears that darkness pulling people in is something the entire human race has in common—had the opportunity to tour with Black Veil Brides earlier this year. The metal outfit arrives with
its latest single “Burn The Witch” to support Crown The Empire’s annual headlining gig. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Femmes and Follies: Comic Book Burlesque Tampa Bay Comic Con is this weekend, and after a full day of being surrounded by star-studded panels, wicked cool cosplays, and Funko Pop vendors, some comic book-themed burlesque might just be what conventiongoers need. Seven minutes away from downtown Tampa is The Ritz Ybor, where the Best of the Bay-winning Femmes and Follies troupe stages a 10th anniversary “cosplay and nerlesque gala” starting right as the vendor hall closes at Tampa Convention Center. (The Ritz, Ybor City)
Hayden Coffman The freshest face in brocountry wasn’t signed to a label until earlier this year, and suince he finally got picked up by UTA Music, Coffman has amassed
THU AUGUST 22–THU AUGUST 29 continued
millions of hits on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram collectively. If upcoming single “Hard Stuff” is a precursor to a sophomore album of sorts, Coffman—who told TikTok how much he loved “Try That In A Small Town” last year—could very well find himself on the lineup for next year’s Rock The Country festival tour headlined by Jason Aldean. (Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg)
Rod Wave Wave is once again throwing a giant birthday party. The St. Petersburg-born superstar from Lakewood High School is known for an emotional style of rap and pop and has the unique pleasure of joining megapop star Taylor Swift as the only two artists to top the Billboard 200 for the past three years. (Amalie Arena, Tampa)—Colin Wolf
C Tinashe w/DJ Irie/Don Pablo Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish bow down to Tinashe—on United Kingdom TikTok at least.
Tinashe
The 31-year-old, Aquarian songwriter and singer’s single “Nasty,” was used for 10 million videos on the social network, more than any other pop star. The Los Angelesbased artist released a new album, Quantum Baby, this week and won’t be on the road to support it until October. Tampa Bay’s lucky though, since Tinashe will challenge fans to match her freak at this pool party appearance, which feels a little like a victory lap for a talent that saw her takeoff stalled by label bullshit. (WTR Pool, Tampa)
C Thirty Seconds To Mars w/AFI/ Poppy/KennyHoopla Jared and Shannon Leto have been on some pretty crazy bills in Tampa Bay. They headlined 97X Next Big Thing in 2013, which included the late Chester Bennington fronting Stone Temple Pilots, and The 1975. which played early that day In 2017, Thirty Seconds To Mars opened for Muse at the ol’ Gary. With “Tron: Ares” almost a year from release (in which Jared has been confirmed to play a major role), this scorcher of a show may be the last time you’ll be able to see the younger Leto’s face live without thinking of the Grid. But, then again, how many “Morbius” fans are gonna file in this weekend? (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
SUN 25
All That Remains w/Must Not Kill/ Fiends After six years without a new record, All That Remains released a single, “Divine,” to kick off the summer. The New England metalcore outfit saw its founding guitarist Oli Herbert pass away in 2018 at the age of 44, and he would be proud to see his bandmates back in action and 100% independent for the first time in their careers. “When we lost Oli in 2018 it was hard to envision a path forward,” frontman Philip Labonte said about the new music. “All That Remains has new life, and that is thanks to the fans for their years of support. We would not be here without them.” (Orpheum, Tampa)
Andy Warhol’s Birthday Pop Art Party
The king of pop art would have turned 96 years old on Aug. 6, but that bitch Tropical Storm Debby caused this birthday party to be postponed from the first Sunday in August to the very last. Still, a Warhol impersonator will be on site (though no one can beat Conan O’Brien’s version in “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”), along with local art inspired by the legend. Cocktails will be also served in soup cans, just like the ones on display at Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art. Don’t be shocked if you hear some Velvet Underground playing in the background, either. (Floridian Social, St. Petersburg)
Buju Banton w/Fridayy Banton spent a lot of time in Tampa thanks to court dates related to federal drug charges (the 51-yearold reggae and dancehall legend born Mark Myrie was freed from Georgia’s private McMcRae Correctional Institute in 2018).
The first-ever arena tour from Banton— who’s come under scrutiny for homophobic songs like “Boom Bye Bye”—is called “The Overcomer” tour and comes 15 years after shows at The Ritz and Jannus Landing were canceled because of the lyrics Banton wrote when he was a teenager. He ended up
playing The Cuban Club, which contractually-obligated the singer from playing the “Boom Bye Bye,” a track that was removed from the artist’s catalog in 2019. “I recognize that the song has caused much pain to listeners, as well as to my fans, my family and myself. After all the adversity we’ve been through I am determined to put this song in the past and continue moving forward as an artist and as a man,” he told Urban Islandz at the time. (Amalie Arena, Tampa)
C John Legend When Legend played the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino last fall, fans couldn’t shut the fuck up as he weaved stories about his songs into the setlist. Tampa Bay gets a re-do when the 45-year EGOT (that’s an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, folks) once again brings his very intimate evening to the same room. (Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa)
C Ol’ Dirty Sundays: DJ Ka5 w/DJ Sandman/DJ Casper/DJ Fader/Indy A little bit of Miami is in Ybor City this weekend for the second-to-last-installment of Crowbar’s legendary Ol’ Dirty Sundays, which wraps 13 years of parties on Sept. 1. DJ Ka5 (pronounced “Kaz”) is on the turntables along with the undisputed Godfather of Tampa Hip-Hop, DJ Sandman, whose tampahiphop.com parties were a precursor to the celebration of hip-hop culture that ODS has become. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
South of the Border Lord knows if Herb Alpert will ever play another gig in downtown Clearwater (the guy’s 89 years old and lives on the west coast, for shit’s sake), and you know deep down that no matter how many times you come across Whipped Cream and Other Delights in Bananas Records’ back bargain room, it would be a transformative experience to hear it live.
Alpert’s biggest local fan Basil Rodriguez— once the musical director at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay—cites the trumpet hero as his earliest influence (he’d often play along to the records). Rodriguez holds the baton for an eight-piece (just like Alpert’s Tijuana Brass) which performs recreations of the original arrangements during this matinee. (Side Door Cabaret at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
C Tampa Jazz Club: Carter Plays Coltrane w/Jeremy Carter Quintet
After backing James Suggs in the trumpeter’s Miles Davis tribute, revered Bay area saxophonist Jeremy Carter takes a turn as bandleader for the kickoff of Tampa Jazz Club’s eight-show season of Sunday afternoon concerts. Carter will celebrate the logical, challenging and timeless catalog of John Coltraine for this matinee where Suggs is part of a quintet that includes friends and local legends in themselves, including pianist John O’leary, bassist Mauricio Rodriguez, and drummer Paul Gavin. The show is free for students and staff of Hillsborough Community College. See a larger listing of local jazz gigs happening in Tampa Bay this weekend—including no cover gigs—by visting cltampa.com/music. (Mainstage Theatre at Hillsborough Community College, Ybor City)
TUE 27
C Charley Crockett After almost stealing the show from Dwight Yoakam in Clearwater last fall, Crockett is back in Tampa Bay for the third time in two years, this time headlining (and probably selling-out) St. Pete’s 2,000-capacity courtyard. The 40-year-old descendent of Davy released $10 Cowboy Chapter II: Visions of Dallas , his second album of the year, in July, and continues to grow his fanbase on the strength of triedand-true country western music, plus nearly 30-song headlining sets that showcase the strength of his band and a voice and charisma that’s unlike any other in country music right now. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
WED 28
Stone Temple Pilots w/+Live+/Soul Asylum The 1990s outfit that graced us with “Runaway Train”—despite a close-tototally different lineup—promises to have a new album entitled Slowly But Shirley out by the end of the year. Upbeat, rollicking first single, “High Road” hit the streets last month, and frankly, it would be borderline sinful if the song isn’t thrown into the Soul Asylum’s set opening for Stone Temple Pilots at the old Gary amphitheatre. Ahead of the humpday show, sole founding member and frontman Dave Pirner told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay about the effect a Butthole Surfers gig had on him in 1986. Read his full “Best Gig I Ever Saw” quote at cltampa.com/music. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
THU 29
C Jane’s Addiction w/Love and Rockets This ain’t the same band you saw with Smashing Pumpkins two years ago. A full reunion of the quintessential ‘90s altrock outfit has been in the works for years. But due to a struggle with long COVID, Dave Navarro needed a little more time to rest up before anything massive could happen. Now that the gang’s back together, a new single (its first with the original lineup in 34 years) “Imminent Redemption” lives up to its name, and shows zero signs of wear or tear in the original band, despite a few years away. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
C The Hub 75th anniversary: Florida Night Heat w/Night Child/The Beauvilles No celebration of The Hub would be complete without Florida Night Heat. The once-stalwart anchor of the Bay area instrumental-rock scene plays sporadically since two founding members—bassist Andre Jones, guitarist Jensen Kistler— relocated to New York City and Las Vegas, respectively, but will reconnect at the dive to cap-off a month-long 75th anniversary agenda. FNH last played for a Halloween show in 2020 to mark what we thought was the end of the pandemic. Drummer Chris Wood promises fan favorites for the reunion, which Kistler described as the last piece of a trifecta of shows for the band. “We got to play the old New World on its last night,” Kistler told CL. “I told Dre, and he agreed, that it’d be perfect to go down in a blaze of glory at The Hub.” Raucous rock-and-roll trio Night Child opens a perfect bill that includes a reunion gig from The Beauvilles. (The Hub, Tampa)
Charley Crockett
BOBBY
“When everything came to an end, it wasn’t because the party was done,” Steve McClure told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
The Tampa DJ—co-founder of the Hallucination Before Christmas, and alum of Rabbit in the Moon—is talking about a night in 2016 when he and a group of longtime friends closed the door on the infamous Filthy Richard weekly, which called Ybor City home for eight years.
The party was notorious for its cheap drinks (dollar drinks, PBR kill-the-keg, and hundreds of free shot tickets), and served as a conduit for pre-streaming partygoers to get their ears around the very best of indie music (Passion Pit, Gorillaz, before they were cool). Filthy Richard was also a feast for the eyes thanks to McClure—better known as Best of the Bay-winning DJ/VJ Monk—and a team that custom built infrastructure which complimented an array of lasers.
Now the Filthy Richard Party is coming back, this time to a bustling room on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. “We’ve been talking about it and shooting the idea around since the beginning of the year,” Monk said about the party’s debut at Floridian Social next Friday.
There’ll be a minimum of fi ve video screens, video mapping, and at least eight big lasers. Artist Bryan Nichols is working behind the scenes on creative elements, and VJs Moniker and Berkeley from the Filthy’s Ybor City days are among those on board, too. A pricetag fi t for the proletariat will also
return; cover is $10, but there’s free guest list for the first 100 people who come before 10:30 p.m. Broke ass booze specials are naturally part of the offering.
Monk also famously runs a request sheet (a rarity these days) and said he’s been itching for a place to play the new indie dance music he’s been digging lately (Bbno$, Hamdi, Nation of Language, Zhu, and Boys Noize are highlights on a playlist he shared with CL recently). “I love the challenge of finding the music video for the song, and if there isn’t one, we typically make one for the really good stuff,” he said.
“I think there’s magic in being social and dancing with like minded people. Filthy is a release and sharing of that energy,” Monk added. He’s calling on outcasts and the people who love a bit of the strange to come help usher in a new shift in the dance music scene. In a world where AI helps people discover new music, Monk wants partygoers to make new friends for life.
“Sitting at home is boring,” he noted.
Filthy Richard kicks off Friday, Aug. 30 at Floridian Social in St. Petersburg and happens weekly after that. Cover is $10, but there’s free guest list for the first 100 people who show up before 10:30 p.m. More information is at filthyrichardparty.com and via @filthyparty on Instagram.
Come back next week for Josh Bradley’s latest rundown of the best new concerts coming to Tampa Bay.—Ray Roa
FRIDAY 8/23
DJ Monk
Yes, queen
By Caroline DeBruhl
Dear Oracle, I dated “Becca” from 2016-2020. We had a super healthy relationship and very healthy breakup and remained friends this entire time. Becca had a best friend, “Marcy” from college, and we spent a lot of time together as a group of friends. Becca got married last year, and due to some not-really-dramatic drama from the bachelorette party, Becca told Marcy she didn’t want to be friends with her anymore. Due to this, I spend a lot more one-on-one time with Marcy (at least once a week), and it’s wonderful. I really value her friendship and we both get to slightly vent about Becca. The thing is…more than one person has pointed out that maybe Marcy and I should date… and I’m wondering if we should. She’s an incredible woman, beautiful, kind, and insanely intelligent, but I never assumed we COULD date because dating your ex’s BFF seemed uncouth? But now that they aren’t friends, it seems like that door is open. I’m not sure how I feel. If I allowed myself to have a crush, it would grow, but besides my high school girlfriend, I’ve never had a “friends-to-lovers” relationship, and I really value her friendship, so I wouldn’t want to jeopardize that. But, uh, can the cards tell me if me and my friend should date?—Like or Like-Like
Cards for what you think about her: Seven of Pentacles (reversed), Queen of Swords, King of Wands (reversed)
Cards for what she thinks about you: Three of Cups, The Emperor (reversed), Five of Cups
Dear Like-like, what a fascinating predicament to be in. Love certainly can sneak up on you, turning your heart inch-by-inch until you wake up one day and realize you’re in love. I don’t think y’all are there (yet?), but having a solid friendship is a great start to a relationship if it ever gets to that point.
Also, it’s so refreshing to read the opposite of a “friendzone” lament from a dude. It seems like sex and romance have never been on the table before and it’s only entering the conversation now because others are (I assume) noticing chemistry or compatibility or something.
Queen of Swords. If she accepts you, it’s as you are in the cold light of day.
And you would be the King of Wands: creative, courageous, true to his word, and warm with Papa Bear energy. With the Seven and the King reversed, I wonder if you would become more of yourself if you were in a relationship with a Queen of Swords, be it Marcy or someone else. How would it feel to be loved and accepted completely?
speak again. Or, maybe your date, fi nd out it’s not for you, and go back to being friends. (Or fi nd out that it does work!)
At this point, both of you seem to know the possibility of romance and put that possibility fi rmly in “thought experiment” territory. It’s in your heads right now, not your hearts. It might move there, it might not. At this point, you’re both sorting out your true feelings.
ORACLE OF YBOR
Send your questions to oracle@cltampa.com or DM @theyboracle on Instagram
For you, the cards do show you mulling this over. Pentacles are often the suit of work, but they’re also things that we value. The Seven of Pentacles, then, can be a reflection of all that came before but being open to a pivot. You clearly value Marcy’s friendship (you said so twice), but I think you’re OK if things evolved. The Queen of Swords is a whip-smart woman, which seems to be Marcy, and is someone who knows herself. She means what she says, and she would be an honest partner. There is no “I can fi x him,” with
For Marcy, it’s clear that she values your friendship just as much as you do. With the Three of Cups, she loves you as a friend and thinks highly of you as The Emperor. In Tarot, The Emperor is the second highest masculine card (the first being The Hierophant, which can be God, so…) and shares many similarities with the King of Wands. Both are natural-born leaders, both rule by respect rather than fear, both have hutzpah and are lion-hearted. It is a very flattering portrait.
I also think that Marcy has considered dating you—either people suggest it to her too, or she’s thought it herself—and after running the numbers, she landed on the Five of Cups. It’s a card of feeling overwhelmed with loss and despair, and I think Marcy would deeply grieve your friendship if it was ever lost.
Though, the Five of Cups is a bit of a trickster. It’s catastrophizing on the three fallen chalices while ignoring the two left that are fi ne. The worst-case scenario would be that you two date, and it ends disastrously, and you never
Typically, this would be where I tell you what the cards say about how to proceed. But, after drawing several nonsense cards and getting a “negative” from my pendulum, I think that’s a secret the deck is keeping.
So, keep doing what you’re doing. Hang out, spend time together, parse your feelings privately. If you want to broach a conversation, you might lightly bring up, “X said the other night that we should date” and gauge her reaction, or if you’re feeling really brave, put the thought experiment out there.
Or, you could just wait to see what happens. Maybe you’ll wake up one day in love. Maybe you won’t. But you two already have a deep well of love for each other. Emotionally intimate friendships are not second fiddle to romantic loves. They are equally important and worthy of attention.
Whatever this relationship may be in years—romantic or platonic—I hope that you and Marcy get to enjoy each other’s company and feel accepted and loved for who you are and who you become.
See more of Caroline DeBruhl and learn about her services via carolinedebruhl.com.
Quickies
By Dan Savage
1. I’m a neg boy who loves getting bred by mature poz men. I want their loads in me, no questions asked. I’m not on PrEP. Too deviant? Too stupid, too reckless—and old and tired too. The gay world was roiled by “bug chasers” (HIV-negative gay men who were trying to get themselves infected) and “gift givers” (HIVpositive men/sociopaths who were willing to infect other people) a couple of decades ago. The stakes were higher then—literally life and death—but you’re flying with a net: since you have access to HIV medications, you’ll be fine. But I wouldn’t take that net for granted. Religious conservatives don’t just want to make abortion illegal and ban birth control—they wanna ban the death control pills gay men have come to rely on, e.g., PrEP (protects neg guys from infection) and antiretroviral treatments (keeps poz guys alive). Taking loads from poz guys—immature men, regardless of age— may wind up having consequences you didn’t see coming.
gentle squeeze. And if that gentle squeeze elicits a positive response, use your words: “Do you like it when I hurt your balls?” If he asks for more, squeeze a little harder. But more extreme forms of ball play—slapping, punching, kicking—can’t be ventured without prior discussion and consent.
7. Why are hetero men embarrassed to be uncut while gay men are proud of it?
Because uncut gay men tend to get a positive response from other gay men (“Yay! More cock to suck!”) while uncut straight men tend to get a negative response from straight women (“Shit. More cuck to suck.”)
8. How common is it for someone to actually fuck a hot delivery driver?
SAVAGE LOVE
2. Best resources for newly self-discovered ace? I’m sex neutral.
I’m guessing you’ve already found your way to some online resources, seeing as you’re using ace-y jargon like “sex neutral.” But just in case: The Asexuality Visibility and Education Network (asexuality.org) remains an invaluable resource—but if you prefer something more informal, Cody Daigle-Orians, aka “Ace Dad Advice,” has built a supportive community on Instagram (@AceDadAdvice) and his Substack (acedadadvice.substack.com).
3. How much masturbation is too much masturbation?
If you’re beating holes in your dick and/or overtaxing the grid with your vibrators, you might need to dial it back a bit.
4. Do I qualify as gay if I’m not into oral or anal at all but I love absolutely everything else about men?
If you’re a man, yes. If not, no.
5. What are your thoughts on “Wicked” being two movies?
I’m a triple threat—I enjoy oral and anal and movie musicals—and the more movie musicals, the better. So, I’m fine with “Wicked” being not one movie, but two. But the Stephen Schwartz musical I’ve always wanted to see adapted for film is “Pippin.” Get on it, Hollywood!
6. As a female Dom, do I need verbal consent to slap/squeeze the balls of a new male sub?
You should bring up ball play/torture when you’re negotiating a scene with a new sub—if CBT is something you’re into—but it is possible to incorporate ball play into a scene that’s already underway by giving your sub’s balls a
Hot delivery drivers, hot stepmoms, hot coaches—it’s easy to dismiss all three scenarios as porn tropes. But just because something happens in porn doesn’t it never happens in real life. So, I’m sure there are people out there who’ve fucked a hot delivery driver and/or their dad’s hot new wife and/or their college wrestling coach. And since only the delivery driver is the only scenario that—if realized in real life—doesn’t involve an unforgivable betrayal and/or an abuse of power, here’s hoping it’s the one that happens most often.
9. Can I ask my husband to wear a condom for anal? I don’t like it when he comes in my bum.
You get to decide where, when, how and how long someone gets to fuck your ass—it’s your ass—and if you don’t enjoy the aftermath of taking your husband’s load in your ass, you can tell (not ask) your husband to wear a condom for anal and/or pull out.
10. I’ve read lots of letters in your column from cuckolds and their wives but none from a Bull. I am a Bull. I love fucking other men’s wives in front of them and I love humiliating a cuck in front of his wife. My best friend insists that makes me a little bit gay.
I don’t know if you’re a little bit gay—are you one of those Bulls who lets the cuck “clean up” (read: suck) your cock?—but it sounds like your best friend is a little bit jealous. (For the record: Bulls who let cucks suck their cocks are a little bit bi.)
11. What if I don’t like how someone smells or tastes? Can that change?
If the issue is poor personal hygiene—they don’t bathe regularly, use deodorant on demand, floss and brush their teeth on a daily basis— adopting good personal hygiene practices could make a difference. If someone is already doing all those things and you don’t like how they smell or taste, it’s a chemical clash that no amount of mouthwash or cologne can mask.
11. Why as I’ve gotten older has my cum gotten thicker?
The quality of sperm cells and the volume of ejaculate are both “negatively correlated with age,” according to this very depressing study from “The Journal of Assisted Reproductive Genetics.”
12. Is the rimjob/blowjob combo the closest a man ever comes to heaven?
Some men, sure. But not all men like having their asses eaten—hell, not all men like having their dicks sucked.
13. Couples that share douche bulbs are gross, right?
Sharing a douche with a partner is little like sharing a toothbrush with one, in as much as it grosses us out more than it probably should. If you’re already going down on each other and/ or eating each other’s asses, why so precious about a toothbrush or a douche bulb? (I say that as someone who is—for the record—extremely precious about toothbrushes and douche bulbs.)
14. How do I stop going back to an ex that I know isn’t a good long-term fit when the sex is so good?
If you can’t fuck that not-a-good-fit ex without fantasizing about getting back together again— or, worse still, actually getting back together again—you need stop fucking your ex. But if you pivot to FWBs, you might wanna revisit your assumptions. Great sexual chemistry isn’t everything, but it isn’t nothing either. Sometimes the sex is so good you find a way to make the rest of it fit.
15. What’s the likelihood of infection when going between cunnilingus and anilingus?
You don’t want to accidentally introduce fecal bacteria into the vaginal canal—so never go from anilingus to cunnilingus. If you want to finish with cunnilingus, you need to start with it and stick with it.
16. Is it possible to swallow too much of your own partner’s cum over time? Asking for a friend.
Dr. Josh Trebach, an emergency medicine physician and a toxicology expert, weighed in on this question in a column published in February of 2002.
17. If you had “word art” in your house—think signs that say “Eat/Pray/Love” or “It’s Always 5 O’clock Somewhere!”—what would your sign say?
Eat/Gay/Ass.
18. Why is my hole so tight yet I yearn for the fist?
Your hole is signaling that it’s ready to exit its tight era and enter its gape era.
19. How do you tell an emotionally immature and very stubborn man that he is emotionally immature and very stubborn and make him listen?
On your way out.
20. Is pegging just straight sex? My baby gay best friend thought it could refer to lesbian sex too and I was like, “Oh, honey…”
Not according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The OED (“the unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and usage of 500,000 words and phrases past and present, from across the English-speaking world”) defines “pegging” as “a sexual activity in which a person (typically a woman) penetrates the anus of a sexual partner (typically a man) using a strap-on dildo.” So, lesbians—so long as those lesbians are having anal sex with a strap-on dildo—can peg too.
21. I know you don’t always like going to the clubs and bars and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been to one. There is a high chance I’m going to one soon. Is there anything you recommend trying to feel more comfortable in that environment?
Half a pot lozenge and permission to leave at any time. Whether you need to give yourself permission to leave or you need to get permission from your partner and/or posse, knowing you’re free to go—without having to make the rounds to say goodbye—helps you stick around.
22. Are there any AI programs out there that are almost as good as cam girls on commercial websites, who can both talk in a friendly way to you and have enough video bandwidth to move in a sexy way?
No clue.
23. Settle a vocabulary debate: is it “splooge” or “spooge”? We defer to your expertise!
Both work, both mean the same thing—but sploshing means something else entirely. Asking for splosh when you wanted splooge/spooge or vice-versa is a messy mistake.
24. Is there a positive, constructive way to raise the topic of toys—dildos—to a loving partner of many, many years who is in denial about his erectile dysfunction? I am seeking a way to talk about this in a way that empowers, not diminishes him. Thank you for your attention to this request.
You could try incorporating hand-held toys into your play, e.g., dildos, plugs, vibrators. If he likes them you could suggest getting a harness— one he can wear on his thigh or his forehead or his crotch — in order to leave his hands free for other things (including his own).
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love.
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after “bug”
Word after “jug”
Lexus rival
Bartender’s stock
Kate in The African Queen
Reversible name
Like some booms
With 28 Across, a Kate Oscar film
Climbing vine
discovery?
See 22 Across
Kate’s birthplace
Boo follow-up
___ oil
Not objective
Surfer’s paradise?
Salon application
77 Real-life scientist played by David Bowie in The Prestige (2006)
78 Meet or open: abbr.
80 Kate, for one 83 See 55 Across 88 Modern opening 89 “Do I
With 70 and 83 Across, Spencer’s view of Kate in Pat and Mike
Nearly palindromic Tracy-Hepburn film in which the two actually talk about palindromes (!)
“___ swimming in mucilage” (Kate’s honest-as-usual reaction to the paisley design of Spencer’s pajamas in the film Without Love—and my favorite line from their movies)
