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THIS WEEK // 2.7.18-2.13.18 // VOL. 30 ISSUE 45 COVER STORY
ALL HAIL THE
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QUEEN BEBE DELUXE gives life to the night story by MADELEINE PECK WAGNER photos by MADISON GROSS
FEATURED ARTICLES FEATURED
ENTITLED TO CARE
BY CLAIRE GOFORTH When medicine is a PRIVILEGE
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WELCOME TO THE TERRORDOME
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BY A.G. GANCARSKI BLOODSPORT for all in #jaxpol 2018
EXPLOITATION BY THE BOOK [39] BY CHRIS GUERRERI Teacher says Florida UNDERFUNDS and UNDERVALUES public education
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FROM THE EDITOR
When medicine is A PRIVILEGE
ENTITLED TO CARE “DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE BOY WHO KISSED THE pig?” he asked, pausing for effect. “THE BASTARD KILLED US ALL!” It was a cold December night in 2009 and H1N1, better known as the Swine Flu, was nearing epidemic proportions, hence the punch line. The man, a stranger to me, was cutting up with colleagues at a work party. He had no way of knowing that 13 days prior, I’d been roused from slumber by a string of missed calls and an ominous text directing me to call home immediately, that there was an emergency. Actually, there was no emergency. There was only terrible news. My sister was dead. Just like that. Thirty-two years old, the night before she’d gone to sleep in her own bed with the flu. She never woke up. The person that I had been 14 days prior might have chuckled to humor him. But I did not laugh. I just walked away, knowing he meant no harm. But I will never forget that moment as long as I live. Nikki was not the person one expects the flu to kill. She had some health issues— asthma and epilepsy, both mild, both which had presented in recent years—and, while no health guru by any stretch of the imagination, wasn’t particularly unhealthful in her habits or lifestyle. She was also young, vibrant and engaged to be married. She was, however, a low-wage worker with no health insurance. Though skilled in computer programing, she had no degree and a job history that didn’t do her any favors in the Great Recession. To make ends meet, she had recently taken a job delivering pizzas. Hence, she was probably the sort of person whom many affluent people, consciously or subconsciously, consider undeserving of the ‘privilege’ of medical care. It is, after all, a meritocracy, no? It would be four long months after her death, months that brought some of the worst moments of my life, that the Affordable Care Act passed and, with it, an insurance mandate. That law did my sister no good when she went to bed on Dec. 5, 2009. It did my family no good when we woke to the news that we would never, ever see her alive again. In the years since, I’ve wondered what might have been, had our nation been Obamacared sooner; if the process hadn’t dragged on for months and months, would Nikki have gone to the doctor instead of to bed? Would that doctor have given her meds to keep her lungs from filling with fluid, suffocating her as she slept? Would she be alive today?
These are unproductive thoughts, I know, but when your entire life is punctuated by an event of this magnitude, wherein everything that happened prior is ‘before IT’ and everything subsequent is ‘after IT,’ these are the sorts of thoughts that will naturally torture you. I don’t tell you this to solicit pity. I tell you this to help you understand why I believe: 1) Obamacare was and is a pieceof-shit legislation; 2) piece-of-shit or not, it’s better than nothing; and 3) universal healthcare, aka socialized medicine, will save millions of families just like mine from grieving over unnecessary, avoidable deaths. I’ve heard all the arguments against universal healthcare. It’s expensive. It standardizes healthcare by giving everyone substandard care. The wait times are long. It lets the state make medical decisions for you. None of these arguments outweighs the value of a loved one’s life, or justifies people dying because they can’t afford healthcare. Even for some ‘blessed’ with insurance, the copays are so high they don’t go to the doctor unless it’s an emergency. This is at least partially to blame for Americans’ life expectancy declining in both 2016 and 2017. Do you know where the United States ranks in life expectancy, according to our own CIA? Forty-third. Not just first-world—second and third as well. What do the vast majority of the countries with longer life expectancies than ours have in common? Gold star if you guessed universal healthcare. I’m not going to lie to you: Socialized medicine is expensive. And I do understand that some people would rather keep more of their earnings than subsidize healthcare for others. But if you are unmoved to pay higher taxes, even to save strangers’ lives, if you are more moved by economics than empathy or sympathy, consider the cost of each unnecessary, avoidable death, of the contributions that a 32-year-old woman would have made to the economy in her remaining years—48 of them, on average (at least for now). If that doesn’t convince you, do me a favor and just own your selfishness. Don’t couch it in weasel words and entitlement nonsense, just admit it: You don’t care about the Nikkis of the world, not when there’s a Tesla on the line. The least you can be is honest.
Claire Goforth claire@folioweekly.com @ClaireNJax
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 5
ETHEREAL AND LUSH
ACOUSTIC EIDOLON The first Americans to play an Irish jig
in St. Paul’s Cathedral (or so they think—wink), Joe Scott and Hannah Alkire perform music largely influenced by flamenco and Celtic sounds. Of special interest is Scott’s “guitjo.” Nicknamed “Dos Neckeez” (spelled phonetically), it’s a 14-string guitar; one neck is strung like a regular guitar with an extra bass string; the other is strung like a banjo but with two extra treble strings. The stirring music it makes is similar to that of a harp. Part of Gamble Rogers Concert Series; Acoustic Eidolon play 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 at St. Augustine Art Association, 22 Marine St., $20, gamblerogersfest.org.
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LOVE AND COMEDY
PRAY ON IT DO WRONG TO NONE The Wrong Man, written by Shaun Powell (pictured), explores Jamie and Shelia Johnson’s marriage. He’s keen to know what she’s doing spending so much time away from home. Here’s a hint: deceit, betrayal, loyalty and redemption are all part of this family’s drama. Powell said she was inspired by God to write this in two days … and if the Bible is any measure, God (or at least the deity’s Earthly agents) is always down for a salty plot twist. Take note: November’s performance sold out, so get your tickets early to see what the excitement is about in this encore. 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 at The Ritz Theatre, $37-$47, ritzjacksonville.com. WED
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MONUMENTS MAN SAVING ANONYMOUS ART Brian Greif (pictured), executive producer of the documentary Saving Banksy and the dude (collector/curator) bringing Banksy’s Haight Street Rat to town, leads a Q&A session after the screening, on the process of removing the piece from the outside of the San Francisco bed & breakfast where it was painted, the implications of preserving the transitory and about the film itself. 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, Space 42, Riverside, $5 child, $10 adult, spacefortytwo.com.
WRIT LARGE RATS ON PARADE
When the international but secretive artist Banksy started painting rats, a friend pointed out that rat is an anagram for art. Meaningful, no? In street art, Blek le Rat is largely credited for bringing the rodent into visual language. He said he paints rats because “only rats will survive when the human race will have disappeared and died out.” Oof. Either way: art or extinction, a display of one of Banksy’s rats is certain to spark conversations. Banksy’s Haight Street Rat exhibits Feb. 14-April 14. An opening reception, in conjunction with the affiliated show Writing on the Walls, Visual Literacy Through Street Culture, is 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14 at Main Library, Makerspace, Downtown, jaxpubliclibrary.org.
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SAD CLOWNS I Pagliacci and The Stranger’s Tale are two plots combined into a one-act chamber opera. The stories are about a curious homeless man and the people he encounters from a bench in Central Park (Stranger’s Tale) and Canio’s Clown Show (pictured: Jamison Walker, who plays the clown), with elements from I Pagliacci. Blending the two into one story arc results in stirring music and a surprisingly moving narrative. Presented by First Coast Opera, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 & 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 at Flagler College’s Lewis Auditorium, $10 students, $40 general, firstcoastopera.com.
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THE MAIL CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY, PRESENT & FUTURE
FOR MORE THAN 90 YEARS, AMERICANS HAVE SEEN the month of February as a time to remember the rich, diverse history of African Americans as we celebrate Black History Month. The achievements of African Americans touch every community and are found in every field of study, including science and technology. This is a time to remember the sacrifices and hard work of individuals who helped build a better and more tolerant life, both past, present and future, for all of us. As we acknowledge the many African-American men and women who have helped the United States grow culturally, countless civil rights pioneers in Florida have been equally as important and should be reflected upon as agents of change in our own state. The appointments of Justice Peggy Ann Quince, the first African-American woman appointed to the Florida Supreme Court, and the late Leander Shaw Jr., the first African American to become Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, both helped to pave the way for countless young black lawyers who might not have had the chance to practice law and reach all levels of the state’s judiciary. For the last six years, the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame has honored individual Floridians who made great sacrifices and helped foster equality for all in our state. These heroes, including last year’s new inductees, Patricia Stephens Due, Dr. Arnett Elyus Girardeau Sr. and Willie H. Williams, were recognized for their unyielding commitment to equality, diversity and human dignity. Today’s African Americans have much to celebrate and build upon as they honor those who have gone before them. Black History Month gives us the opportunity to recognize the many ways these individuals who have enriched Florida’s communities, culture and history. Commissioner Latanya Peterson, Vice Chair Florida Commission on Human Relations via email
FIRST, BEAT THE REFS (THEN BEAT THE PATS)
RE.: “Salt: A Postmortem of the 2018 AFC Championship,” folioweekly.com, Jan. 30, by Paul Cordova THE REFS CAN’T HELP SOMEONE THROW AND CATCH the ball, but they can help give you more chances. It got suspicious at the end of the second half when New England was being dominated and magically marched
the entire length of the field on penalties for an easy punch-in at the end. The coverage leading up to the Super Bowl has been expected. They’re the “greatest.” Tom is still overwhelmed and humbled to be there. Gronk is wacky. We get it, Bill never smiles. Jax and their relatively unknown players would’ve been a ratings nightmare for the league. Ultimately, we should’ve just kept the offensive gas on to put it far enough out of reach where the refs wouldn’t have been a factor, but we didn’t. Beck Stein via Facebook
WE ARE?
RE.: “Kick a Woman When She’s Down: Tweeters Celebrate Corrine Brown Going to Prison,” Jan. 29 BEFORE I CONTINUE, I AM SADDENED THAT CORRINE Brown stole money and that it tarnished any good she did for her community and how that reflects on the Democratic Party in general but, ultimately, justice was served. But I mean, is this news? Usually I look to Folio Weekly for something insightful; this is like a very localized BuzzFeed clickbait. Kind of a bummer, Folio Weekly, you’re better than this. Brian Griffis via Facebook
BATTLE FOR THE BASEMENT
RE.: “Water Hogs: The Revival,” by Claire Goforth, Jan. 24 I WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT YOUR “WATER HOGS” awards. Because I would have nominated MidAmerica Apartments, specifically St. Augustine at the Lake in Mandarin. The lawn sprinklers are on every night, even if it’s raining. In fact, sprinklers were gushing out water during Hurricane Irma, which dumped 10 inches. As a result, residents pay higher rents for this water waste. I know—I live there! Paul Bunting via email
LEND YOUR VOICE If you’d like to respond to something you read in the pages of Folio Weekly, please send an email (with your name, address, and phone number for verification purposes only) to mail@folioweekly.com, visit us at folioweekly.com, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook (@folioweekly) and join the conversation.
BRICKBATS + BOUQUETS BOUQUETS TO ALLISON STOCKER The commercial litigator with the Akerman law firm was recently awarded the 2018 The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Service Award for her work to secure a settlement on behalf of Ability Housing, which brought action against the city of Jacksonville for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. Due to the 560-some pro bono hours Stocker put into the case, people with disabilities are more free to live in a neighborhood of their choosing. BRICKBATS TO GAMERS Relax, Folio Weekly’s not hatin’ on GAAM; we’re talking about the political gamers at a backslapping press conference designed to stab another in the back. Last week, Mayor Lenny Curry and new-to-you sidekicks City Councilors Reggie Brown, Reggie Gaffney and Katrina Brown and, lest he be forgotten, Sam Newby, hosted a presser about projects and improvements in Northwest Jax. The rub? They hosted it in District 9—represented by Garrett Dennis, who was not on the invite list. It was widely seen as a stunt to slight Dennis for having the audacity to think, and speak, for himself. BOUQUETS TO JEREMY MASON Confession: We previously recognized JSO K9 Officer Jeremy Mason with a bouquet. But we felt the officer, who continued pursuing a suspect in July 2017 even after being shot in the face, deserved to be thanked again. We’re not the only ones; for his heroics, Officer Mason was bestowed January’s Officer of the Month Award by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Officer Mason, we salute you (again)! DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO DESERVES A BOUQUET? HOW ABOUT A BRICKBAT? Send submissions to mail@folioweekly.com; 50 word maximum, concerning a person, place, or topic of local interest. 8 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
FOLIO VOICES : FIGHTIN’ WORDS
WELCOME TO THE
TERRORDOME BLOODSPORT for all in #jaxpol 2018
ATTENTION, LOCAL TV NEWS PRODUCERS: POLITICS may be interesting enough to warrant coverage again soon! We are about to embark on a year full of shit-talking, character assassination, opposition research and money from suspicious places. We’re going to see plastic smiles fade into the reality of politics; namely, that the people who go into the game and want power are necessarily driven by ego. It’s ego that provides protagonists and antagonists the conflicts that make these ballot box battles sizzle. This week, we look at three of these—any one of which could be a main event.
AL VS. AL: There is a certain irony in this, to
borrow a phrase from editor Claire Goforth, Battle of the Blands between Alvin Brown and Al Lawson. Brown, Jacksonville mayor from 2011-’15, positioned himself as a Rick Scott Democrat. Brown relished talking about his collaborations with Scott, still a Tea Party darling at that point. In fact, Brown even courted Tea Party support in his reelection bid against Lenny Curry and Bill Bishop … two Republicans. It got so bad, in fact, that Brown even denied being a delegate to a Democratic convention for Obama. “Yes, I’m a Republican. Yes, I was party chair. You are a Democrat. You were a delegate for Obama,” Lenny Curry said in a debate, reminding viewers that Brown was a delegate to the 2012 re-nomination convention. When asked about it after the debate, Brown told a reporter (probably me), “I don’t know what [Curry’s] referring to.” Brown might have a problem establishing Democratic bona fides, if he weren’t running against a man closer to Congressional Republicans than Democrats—Al Lawson. Lawson’s closest ally in Congress is Republican John Rutherford. When on the campaign stump, the two were already discussing how to work together. And, lest we forget, Republican powerbroker Susie Wiles, who went on to run the Florida Trump campaign, was the one introducing Lawson to local media during his quest to capsize Corrine Brown. Lawson has banked a meager $100K so far for his reelection bid for Congress, and doesn’t seem to have an actual campaign apparatus yet. So he has no vehicle to counterattack when Brown’s campaign pulls Lawson’s pants
down over things like, oh, IDK, being the only Congressional Black Caucus member to applaud Donald Trump at the State of the Union. Lawson did talk to media last week, saying Alvin Brown was Corrine Brown’s “protégé” and might be a cousin of Queen Corrine. But his 2016 campaign was amateur hour. He’ll have to do more this time than stand by and watch as his opponent gets indicted.
CURRY VS. DENNIS: Mayor Lenny Curry doesn’t have much use for Jacksonville City Councilman Garrett Dennis. Curry threw a press event last week at a restaurant in Dennis’ district to celebrate achievements in NW Jax, and didn’t invite Dennis. Dennis showed up anyway, and stole the show by telling media he’d gotten a concealed weapon permit recently, after a member of the mayor’s senior staff told him he was a “walking dead man.” That phrase probably was meant politically; Curry’s team likely will field a candidate in Dennis’ district. Dennis is all but being invited into the ring to run for mayor against Curry, yet Dennis somehow thinks a reelection bid against the mayor’s machine is his best bet. No, dude, no. Democrats are dying for someone, anyone, to talk shit about Mayor Curry. Yet most of the Democrats on City Council are in Curry’s hip pocket. Dennis is finance chair now, but expect that next term—when Curry ally Aaron Bowman is (probably) president—that Dennis will be marginalized on committees after a year of grandstanding. Dennis may not be able to beat Curry in an election. But he’s the only Democrat in town who has a puncher’s chance. AUDREY GIBSON VS. REGGIE BROWN: One of the Dems on council who works well with Mayor Curry, Reggie Brown said he’s running against state Senator Audrey Gibson. Brown has denied persistent rumors and accusations that Curry’s putting him up to it. Gibson, so far, isn’t willing to go on record and say the mayor is shivving her for opposing the pension reform referendum in 2016. Statewide Dems wonder what the hell is going on in Duval. Gibson will be Senate party leader after the election—if she wins. Losing this position of power won’t do the city any favors. Brown gives a great quote, is a charismatic candidate, and will be trouble for Gibson if she doesn’t figure it out quickly. You can bet money Republican ops will help Brown behind the scenes, and we know how useless the Democratic machine has been when it comes to fighting the dark arts practiced by GOP consultants and money.
A.G. Gancarski mail@folioweekly.com @AGGancarski
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NEWS AAND NOTES: STATES OF BEING TOP HEADLINES FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF ALTERNATIVE NEWSMEDIA PICTURE LETTERS
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In Japanese, the word ‘emoji’ literally translates to the above title. Another surprising fact, as related by our cheesy friends at Wisconsin Gazette: There is a single, nonprofit corporation tasked with deciding which emojis make it into our electronic lives. The Unicode Consortium performs various functions associated with maintaining a standardized set of characters with which we text our BFFs. That set is known as the Unicode Standard. (Also the name of our now-defunct rockabilly/throat singing band.) There were just 176 characters when it began; today, there are 136,690. The process to becoming a grinning screen turd is far longer and more complex than one might expect. As WG reported, adding a dumpling emoji “took almost two years, including research, many meetings and a written, illustrated proposal that reads a bit like an academic paper, complete with research on dumpling history and popularity.” It’s not easy to convince the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, a small group of “older, white male engineers,” most of whom work for big tech companies, that an emoji is worthy of inclusion. But, as the smiling poop emoji indicates, it’s not impossible.
< TREY CLIPS
Chalk another one up to the Trump Era Congressional Republican bloodletting: South Carolina’s Trey Gowdy announced Jan. 31 that he would not seek reelection. As those smiling faces at Charleston City Paper were quick to point out, the news was met with well wishes from near and afar. They couldn’t escape the sinking feeling something was missing, though. “But you know what went underexamined in all the tweets, stories and press releases?” asked CCP’s Sam Spence on Feb. 1. “Trey Gowdy’s hair’s departure from politics.” Just as Spence, who also wrote the tasty morsel, “Trey Clips,” was frantically assembling binders full of coifs, The Daily Show beat him to the quiff with an amazing grid of 16 distinctly different looks Gowdy had rocked over the years. (Their favorite: “The Benghazi Blowout.”) Not to be completely scooped, Spence unearthed a 17th: the “Windy Gap Look.” Trés chic!
< MONEY TO BURN
Stoners rejoiced when the grand state of Nevada legalized marijuana, rushing to the closest dispensary and buying up $3 million worth of smokables and edibles in the first four days of legal sales, according to Reno News & Review. But not all in the Silver State were happy with this turn of events, not even considering the 500K of tax dollars that poured into the state budget. So some counties are debating whether to opt out of legal sales of the demon weed. Suffice it to say, we won’t be vacationing wherever that is. (Please don’t be Vegas, please don’t be Vegas. Hear me, O Clark County!) Displeased with the teetotaler crowd’s gall, some in the Sagebrush State are floating plans to not-so-gently persuade everyone to keep the green flowing: Opt out of legal marijuana and you also opt out of tax proceeds from its sale. Another interesting point RN&R made: If taxes make legal marijuana unaffordable, the black market will persist.
CHINNING?
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Here in Altweekly World, we pride ourselves of staying right on the top of the razor’s edge. We also loved mixed metaphors. Those cool cats at Inland 360, which straddles the Gem and Evergreen States, have uncovered some new trends we’re just dying to try. First up: Chinning. This jewel of a trend involves squishing one’s head into their neck to form the biggest, meatiest double-chin possible, snapping a pic and posting it online for all the world to see. #BestGrindrProfileEver! Next and most delightfully morbid: Dostadning. This Swedish word literally translates to “death cleaning,” or getting rid of unnecessary possessions ’cause, as I360 writes, “There’s no U-Haul to heaven.” There isn’t one to the other place either, Nana. The last, and most awesome yet completely confusing if you don’t Internet, is the Milkshake Duck. This lovely term refers to people embracing someone/something new with incredible fervor then abandoning it with equal haste when it turns out that the person is a terrible being who sympathizes with Nazis or, worse, likes 98 Degrees. Oxford Dictionary apparently shortlisted “milkshake duck” as one of its 2017 words of the year. Hope that duck doesn’t turn out to be racist. Lookin’ at you, Atticus.
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 11
ALL HAIL
I
THE QUEEN
t is 11-somethingsomething on a Friday night inside Club Shadows at Metro Entertainment Complex, and BeBe Deluxe is here to host and tell jokes, not to put up with anyone’s asinine antics. Truly. There are two birthday groups in attendance at Deluxe Fridays, and the smaller and markedly drunker of the two collectively think they’re funny and pretty enough to be onstage alongside Ms. Deluxe. Or, at the very least, are eager to pay homage to her in hasty, awkward booty dances and excited flailing that isn’t actually funny or good. 12 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
It’s not even cute. Well, maybe it is, if on some planet matching gingham shirts and slim khakis are in any way more interesting than the striped black-and-white ensemble with candy-colored plastic jewelry and fedora, accented by a teal beard, which Deluxe wears while cracking jokes and running the show, simultaneously channeling Chanel and a Pulcinella. She introduces the first act and exits the stage, addressing the would-be back-up dancers out of the side of her mouth: “No, really, shut the fuck up.” It’s all in a night’s performance for the artist Alex Palmer (aka BeBe Deluxe), who is arguably Jacksonville’s most celebrated drag queen, and who, along with husband Hayden Palmer, regularly produces the monthly The Glitterbomb Show, the weekly Deluxe Friday,
and intermittent Glitterbomb Presents—drag shows that tread the line between fun and filth, with a lot of smart, relevant commentary sneaked in. That doesn’t make them any less funny or naughty; rather that, in their ability to tread closely to camp and commentary, they evince a kind of art house/club kid ethos that Deluxe explains actually takes cues from the drag troupe The Cockettes. “I found out about The Cockettes—a psychedelic counterculture drag troupe in SF in the late ’60s—I remember trying to explain that to the amateur drag night at The Metro. They’d be, like, ‘Oh, you’re a club kid,’ and I’m, like, ‘I’m actually doing a 1969 Cockettes reference—this is actual queer history—but I’m glad you watched Sally Jesse Raphael back in 1989.’”
Formed by George Edgerly Harris III (aka Hibiscus) in 1969 San Francisco, The Cockettes were quasi-anarchic, anti-capitalist, psychedelic performers (drag queens and hippies) who staged loose events that were fantastical, glittery, LSD-laced Dadaesque happenings. The events were wildly popular in SF, but failed spectacularly when The Cockettes attempted to export that success to NYC. That willingness to fail hugely and publicly, however, is part of the lineage upon which Deluxe draws. The group is also especially important to Deluxe’s personal performance lineage. “I didn’t think that drag was something that could ever belong to me because I was naturally covered in hair; I remember getting my first chest hairs in fourth grade. [Laughs] … I’m this big, hulking linebacker fag.”
BEBE DELUXE gives life to the night S TO R Y B Y M A D E L E I N E P E C K WAG N E R
The Cockettes, unlike more traditional, high-femme drag that takes cues primarily from ideas of “passing” and amplifying cis-woman-ness, performed original material that parodied American musicals, designed their own sets and made their own costumes. Those same get-ups are now considered important artifacts of the Wearable Art movement. And they had glitter in their beards. “I used to joke forever because I have a weak jawline,” Deluxe said, when asked how she arrived at the decision to put glitter in her beard (the practice has become something of a national trend). “But it wouldn’t make any sense for me to try to shave any of this stuff off,” she said, gesturing to her neatly trimmed—but certainly sumptuous—facial hair.
P H OTO S B Y M A D I S O N G R O S S
“When I first started drag, I caved to the pressure from older girls who felt like they were helping me and I just rememb er being so uncomfortable and I shaved my chest and I felt like that scene in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where they shave Aslan and he’s all ashamed … . It just didn’t feel right. [I said to myself], ‘Drag is not supposed to be something where I feel uncomfortable … and I’m already breaking the theoretical rule by being a man by wearing women’s clothes. So why not push it further?’ “After I let my hair grow back, I was wearing Under Armour and I was just mad and sweaty all the time. Then it just kind of turned into me making statements.” It is an understatement to say Deluxe is known and celebrated for her gloriously
sparkly pelt. What might get missed in the rapturous praise of her glittering hirsuteness is the exquisite way it frames her rosebud mouth, and how it’s all pulled together with makeup that looks like a ramped-up page from Kevyn Aucoin’s book. Her look is whimsy and beauty, with a healthy dose of pop culture commentary thrown in. She also doesn’t shave her legs— or anything else—and it’s not just a social statement within the specific and rarified world of drag, but an aesthetic choice that’s surprisingly successful. The juxtaposition of masculine and feminine is effective because it touches on the wider cultural implications of beauty ideals.
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ALL HAIL
THE QUEEN <<< FROM PREVIOUS
I
zzy A’Mon (aka Eric Conley), one of the artists who regularly appears with Glitterbomb and Deluxe, talks about performance in terms of duality and identity. “Fun fact about Izzy/Eric: Eric has terrible social anxiety and is an introvert; Izzy is a full-blown extrovert.” A’Mon, 23, has been performing for five years. She started when she was involved with JASMYN and since then, her participation has grown more absurd and more divine. In her Devil’s Night show (where she channeled the undead), she was eating an undisclosed, crumbly, greasy and moist substance out of a skull. When asked, she admitted it was Spam—and laughed that the smell of room-temperature Spam didn’t endear her to her sister queens. “We make sure this gets to the Dumpster!” Deluxe recalled with a screech of laughter about A’Mon trying to throw it away backstage. At another performance, A’Mon referenced The Ring to a mashup of “Put a Ring on It” and “Pretty Pretty” to an amazing, sneeringly hilarious effect. “I wanted to create something I’d never seen before,” she said of her early forays into drag. Hence, the A’Mon character was born and a backstory emerged: She’s an alien android political refugee who crash-landed in Japan and learned about humanity by watching anime. Technically, A’Mon is genderless; “she” is used here, because it’s traditional to use that pronoun for drag performers. “I don’t try to be overly feminine unless it’s a parody,” A’Mon said. A’Mon, who describes living with a “high-functioning form of autism” and limited financial resources, talked about how the Izzy character helps mitigate aspects of autism that can make moving through the world very hard, simply because the Izzy character is so fearless. “As a person with a disability trying to get through life, I’m still able to do something substantial and successful.” Fearless indeed. “Baked potato, but fashion!” she exclaims in one Facebook post that accompanies an image of her as an Japanese-inflected android swathed in gold lamé with huge, anime-style eyes. A’Mon paused to add, for the record, that she has been doing her eyes like this since before Trixie Mattel did them on season seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race. But there is a bigger point to the larger-than-life Izzy; she wants to perform, yes, but she also wants to show others that money—or the lack of it—doesn’t have to be a barrier to performing. She says that putting together her first look was “a comedy of errors.” “I live right behind a church, and the church would put clothes up on their fence and anybody who would need them, would take them ….” The look she created might be described as post-glampunk-granny: “A horridly patterned skirt” pulled up over her chest, belted with one of her grandmother’s scarfs, a studded denim vest over it all, her hair in a Mohawk, and the entire look accessorized with a pair of KISSstyle platform boots. Of her role as a Glitterbombshell, A’Mon is reflective. “If it weren’t for BeBe, I’d still be doing these weird, obscure pieces … and rubbing chocolate pudding on my body for no reason …. She really pushed me. “[Now] my philosophy is to be funny as possible, to try to be a beacon, and to always come up with a point of view.” 14 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
“Camp is the queer perspective,” says BeBe’s husband, Hayden Palmer (above, right). “That’s what we try to achieve with Glitterbomb: We pick a topic and try to examine it inside and out, with as many queer perspectives as we can muster.”
P
roducing high-concept themed shows with soundtracks, video visuals, new jokes and props isn’t easy, and it doesn’t happen of its own volition. Hayden Palmer is the driving force behind Glitterbomb’s set/ stage design and the videos that tie the shows together. He spoke of the propulsive aesthetic behind the show, saying, “I have always had a very special place in my heart for camp, and find that it is largely misunderstood. Susan Sontag described two primary types of camp: naïve and deliberate. “Naïve camp derives from a failure of some sort (think schlocky B-movies), whereas deliberate camp could be send-up or parody, or an exultation of something overlooked by mainstream culture. What camp has always been is a lens through which we examine dominant cultural forces. “Camp is the queer perspective. That’s what we try to achieve with Glitterbomb: We pick a topic and try to examine it inside and out, with as many queer perspectives as we can muster. My goals with the visual portion are twofold: provide color and movement that aid the performance and, hopefully, do it in a clever way.” At the beginning of their relationship, Deluxe said, Hayden was uncomfortable with drag and performing, but now the Chinese history scholar (with a focus on late Qing Dynasty and early Communist era) brings his substantial and “aggressively encouraging” energies to bear on helping the Glitterbombshells realize their own innate talents. When asked what changed his mind, Palmer replied, “I think that drag is ultimately a deeply personal experience. Drag personas are a sort of avatar of an idealized self, in that the fantasy of drag allows one to express their true reality.” He also explained that after his opinion changed, he began to examine his own hang-ups about gender expression, and Deluxe “let him into” this deeply personal art.
The Glitterbomb troupe, “family” in drag parlance, comprises Deluxe, her drag mother Regency Deluxe, Izzy A’Mon, Ebony Cox, Eve Deluxe, York Deluxe, Bad Juju, Coco Couture and Anita Nightcap. The range of performers is wide—think high-concept art-school project by way of garage sale and Nordstrom; encompassing aesthetics as far apart as vampire goth and girl-next-door glamour. In a word: inclusive.
Reflecting on the persona she and her husband have worked to create, Deluxe explains that she’s based in part on Tank Girl, 5 Points girls from the late ’90s, lounge host/ comedian Rusty Warren and comedian Dicky Palmer (Deluxe’s father). But Deluxe (unlike Athena) did not spring forth, sui generis. She is the product of years of development and personal searching and growth. When she was starting out, Deluxe
said she “was real hung up on cowboy shirts and shit … plaid; I tried to play that li’l bear cub, li’l-brother-next-door role.” It was a time when Alex felt like the only way he could get attention or affection was by being this, “like, sexual object for older men because it’s, like, I looked like this [bearded and stoutly muscular], with fewer forehead wrinkles when I was, like, 14 to 15. So I was constantly hearing from gross older dudes, [affects thick/hick/country accent] ‘Herp herp I cain’t wait until you turn 18.’” Deluxe’s telling take was, “Oh great, I don’t have anything of value to you until you won’t go to jail for touching me … . Which is so much worse than just flat-out telling someone they’re hot.” Deluxe shared that, in the course of her life, she has endured abusive relationships in which she wasn’t valued. “When I reached that point of being 18 and 19 and dealing with these gross dudes … I remember I did a little bit of drag and these guys were, like, [drops voice to a shade] ‘Oh, but you’re so much sexier when you don’t have all that stuff on’ … and it got in my head. “On the one corner, you have the drag queens being, like, ‘You’re too manly, you need to do this, this, this and this before we can actually validate you,’ and there were these men being, “Oh, you can’t do that, you have to do this, this and this and be a real man.” There was nowhere, really, to navigate so I didn’t do drag for a while and was in a shitty abusive relationship for a minute.”
Jacksonville, they started performing with a group called Houseparty. After that, Palmer and Hayden decided to strike out on their own; their first Glitterbomb show was December 2015 at Rain Dogs. “Hayden made a set for it and, oh, he went all out,” Deluxe recalls. There was no central, organized theme. “We wanted a queer showcase because, at the time, it felt like a lot of exciting stuff was happening.” She cites singer/rapper Geexella and the band Tomboi as a part of this quasi-queer Renaissance. At Rain Dogs, Glitterbomb grew in influence, cachet and focus. It’s also where what Deluxe considers the first real The Glitterbomb Show—a retooled presentation of the original idea, but with greater emphasis on thematic consistency and theatricalitydebuted. In July 2016, the “Make America Gay
Again” show came on the heels of the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting. “We were all just crushed … . And at the same time, we didn’t want to make it about ourselves.” In footage from the performance, a blonde Deluxe is dressed like a latter-day Rockette who’s taken styling cues from Uncle Sam: She’s wearing fishnets, a leotard, a red blazer, with light bouncing off her twinkling golden beard. She sings “The Star Spangled Banner,” in a manner that veers from silvery whisper to a deep baritone, a reminder to the listener that there are many different ways to be brave. “As drag queens, we’re the gatekeepers of queer culture; I feel like it’s important to be aware and sensitive of people’s needs … . And it’s hard, because at the end of the night, you’re still in a nightclub, on the wrong side
of the tracks and it’s late at night and your audience isn’t typically too concerned with what’s PC and what’s not. My audience at Metro can get rowdy, man.” At the close of the ultimately not-too-rowdy Friday night—eventually the gingham squad settled down to just reeling back and forth to the bathroom—and after she thanked the audience for coming out, she retired to the Rainbow Room to sing for a bit … until it was time for the next show. We’d all be fools to miss it.
Madeleine Peck Wagner madeleine@folioweekly.com
____________________________________ A Tribute to Madonna, The Glitterbomb Show’s next themed night, is 10:30 p.m. and midnight, Friday, Feb. 23 at The Metro Entertainment Complex, Riverside, $7.
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hen Deluxe first ventured into drag (circa 2008), she wasn’t BeBe Deluxe. Her name was Bizarrika LeStrange. “And couldn’t nobody pronounce it, and spell it … . It was really dumb,” she said, laughing and clapping. “It started because I had a friend named Erica who was big-tittied and thickum like I was and she put me in half-drag once and I was, like, ‘Oh look, I’m Bizarrika.’” After Bizarrika but before BeBe, just as she was learning how to self-promote, collaborate and make a thing happen with performances at TSI and The Norm (and as Palmer’s involvement began growing), Deluxe and Palmer moved to Tallahassee. Palmer was pursuing his master’s degree. For Deluxe, “The breaks were pumped … the drag just kinda stopped.” In Tallahassee, the couple decided that the Bizarrika character wasn’t working. And though Deluxe wasn’t doing drag at the time—she would go out to house parties dressed, in makeup, and be subjected to “mostly clueless” ogling, questions and those people who were “real jazzed [to see an actual, real live drag queen] and you start feeling like you’re in a cage being poked at.” Then they discovered the Mickee Faust Club, which Deluxe describes as “just a bunch of old crazy hippies,” and started workshopping ideas. “I had also met this gentleman by the name of Gerry Nielsen—he and I worked at a day program for adults with developmental disabilities, and it was a very, very, very stressful job—I taught performing arts and he taught music—so when the day was over, we’d get together and he’d bang on the piano and I’d sing with him and I’d forgotten how much I loved singing jazz, and singing at my own pace.” From there, Deluxe and Palmer, nearing the end of their three years in Tallahassee, began to think about the future. Deluxe said, “I want to focus on singing.” At that point, people were calling her BeBe “because Bizarrika was a very stupid name,” and “Deluxe is my drag momma’s last name.” When the couple moved back to
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 15
FOLIO A + E P THE CLOWN WHO WEARS
FILM The Fugitive Kind FILM Peter Rabbit ARTS The Walls @ 5 & Dime MUSIC John Moreland LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC CALENDAR
uddles Pity Party stands six feet, eight inches tall. That’s the same height as LeBron James, and two inches taller than Michael Jordan. But he’s got a voice that’s even bigger; that beefy baritone is on display when he performs at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall next Thursday night, Feb. 15. He first went national in 2013, in collaboration with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox machine, an audience favorite for years now. His cover of Lorde’s Royals (her personal favorite) was an instant classic in its own right, with more than 22 million views since then. He reprised the song for America’s Got Talent last year, as part of a run that took him from auditions all the way to the quarter-finals. His YouTube page currently tallies up more than 344,000 subscribers, with nearly 300,000 likes on his Facebook page. He’s toured relentlessly, working concerts and festivals from Adelaide to Aberdeen, and everywhere in between. Aesthetics are only the beginning of his act, however; Puddles has a way of fundamentally transforming the rhythms and harmonies of the songs he chooses, leaving only the melody itself, superimposed upon entirely new backdrops that somehow feel like second nature. Put simply, he has a great instinct for arranging the music to suit his particular gifts. Behind the myth lies, well, more myth. There have been rumors about his background, but none of those is certain. Puddles exists as his own self-contained entity, 24/7; in pro wrestling, this sort of all-encompassing devotion to craft is called “kayfabe.” Puddles doesn’t speak except through song, but he types just fine. We traded emails between gigs from the road. Folio Weekly: Have you ever performed in Northeast Florida? Puddles Pity Party: Yep, been through NEFLa a few times! I performed a little impromptu set at the Huddle House in downtown Callahan. Well, really, I was just singing along to the golden oldies on the jukebox, but I fortified that with some fresh dance moves and some audience participation. They loved it. Didn’t charge me for my well-done toast and coffee, so that technically made it a paying gig. What’s your shoe size? What do you weigh? One foot is a size 15 and the other is size 14 (I get mixed up on which one
16 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
THE CROWN Puddles Pity Party SPLASHES DOWN in Ponte Vedra
is which). I weigh all kinds of things when I’m in the produce section at the grocery store. They’ll let you put almost anything on those scales. It’s fun! Do you make your own costumes? What materials do you use? I have a friend who sews my outfits. She makes them with tough love and tender sympathy. She also makes tattered and ratty zombie clothes for that zombie TV show. You know the one? [The Walking Dead] Who do you consider to be your biggest personal and professional influences?
Lots of great vocalists over the years I look up to artistically: Scott Walker, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Tom Jones, just to name a few. But the one who inspires me to be a better person is Kevin Costner. He is the ultimate Renaissance Man as an award-winning actor, director, writer. He also tours with his own rock band and gets involved in environmental causes. I wish I were half as cool as Costner. What kinds of people most often show up at your appearances? Folks of all shapes and sizes, from here, there and everywhere.
PG. 16 PG. 17 PG. 20 PG. 23 PG. 24
Short, tall. Big, small. Young, old and everything in between. There’s always plenty of room for all who seek fellowship at The Pity Party. How tall is your wife? I’m married to the road and she is more long than tall. How many shows did you do last year? How many are booked for 2018, so far? I don’t know how many exactly. I try not to look back. It’s like when you’re trying to scale a real tall mountain ledge and you’re advised not to look down. That being said, it was a whole lot. And 2018 is shaping up to be pretty action-packed as well. I’m logging lots of Frequent Cryer Miles. In what places would you like to perform where you haven’t yet I’ve performed lots of interesting places. I’ve performed on a bus. I’ve performed while straddling a log over a canal in Gent, Belgium. I’ve performed on a cherry-picker 15 feet in the air. I’ve performed in a supermarket. I’ve never performed on a space station. I imagine it’d be fun to sing in outer space! What do you look for when selecting material? Are there any common traits among the songs in your sets, in terms of theme or musicality? They gotta have the feels, man. And danceability is nice, too. What does Puddles eat? What does Puddles drink? Savory pie. Gum. Coffee. Not exclusively, but regularly. Puddles always seems so sad. What makes Puddles smile? What makes him laugh? My heart smiles when an animal in a shelter gets adopted. Nothing floats my boat more than that. When I need some laughs, I watch This Is Spinal Tap. How long does it take you to put on and remove your makeup? What makeup? Shelton Hull mail@folioweekly.com PUDDLES PITY PARTY
8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, $36-$46, pvconcerthall.com
FOLIO A+E : FILM Predictable is as predictable does in this BAD BUNNIES tale
BUNNY TALES P
The animals enjoy having their run of eter Rabbit is predictable as it can the garden for a while, but then a new Mr. be, but that’s fine. No one goes into McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) shows up. it expecting plot twists. The more He’s the old man’s great nephew Thomas, and important question: Will children enjoy it, and he’s intent on fixing the place up and selling will parents find it tolerable? The answer for it. How will his contentious relationship both? More than you’d expect, but not as much with the rabbits play out? Will he fall for the as you’d like. cute animal-loving girl next door, Bea (Rose Based on the early 1900s Beatrix Potter Byrne), who’s just about his age? Will there be stories, the Sony Pictures Animation film is amusing sequences mixed with some so-so a mix of live action and animation, similar stretches along the way? to how the studio handled The The answer to the last two Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs PETER RABBIT questions, of course, is “of 2 (’13). This time, instead **GN course.” Co-writers Rob Lieber of Smurfs, they’ve animated Rated PG rabbits and an assortment of and Gluck do a fair job of other wildlife, and given them keeping the gags creative, but voices. One of the film’s charms is how selfthere are logical inconsistencies that even aware it is that rabbits are talking; you have to kids will recognize. For example, at one point, appreciate a script that’s willing to poke fun young Thomas puts up an electric fence. How at itself. are we supposed to believe that Bea, who can Still, director Will Gluck’s film gets tedious literally see the fence from her house, doesn’t as we wait for the inevitable to play out. Peter notice it? (voice of James Corden) is a rabbit who loves Sure, it’s a small thing, but it does matter. It to steal food from cranky old Mr. McGregor’s matters because the less an audience thinks “oh, (Sam Neill) garden. His sisters Flopsy (voice come on” and the more it thinks “oh, that’s cool,” of Margot Robbie), Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki) the better the movie is. There’s a fair mix of both and Cotton-Tail (Daisy Ridley) are his lookout, here, and when the “oh, come on” is for things while cousin Benjamin (Colin Moody) is that could’ve been avoided, it’s frustrating. unfailingly by his side. Because Mr. McGregor Bottom line: Is Peter Rabbit worth the wants to kill and eat rabbits, the four-legged money to give kids something to do for 89 friendly burrowers don’t feel bad for him minutes? For the most part, yes, though it’s when he has a heart attack and dies (neither important to note the film is rated PG and kids did many in the audience at my screening, it younger than five may lose interest quickly. seemed, though a reality check reminds us That sweet spot of five to 12 years old, though, the guy was just trying to protect the food he should be just right. worked hard to grow, so being indifferent to Dan Hudak his death is actually quite cold). mail@folioweekly.com
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 17
FOLIO A+E : MAGIC LANTERNS Everyone has a sad ending when TENNESSEE WILLIAMS tells tales
FUGITIVE
HEARTS O
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ne of the most personal (and personally frustrating) of Tennessee Williams’ many plays was Orpheus Descending which opened on Broadway in 1957 and closed after 68 performances: a “modest success” or “a flop,” depending on viewpoint. Williams’ first version of the play, titled Battle of Angels, had opened and closed in Boston 17 years earlier, a spectacular flop despite screen actress Miriam Hopkins’ attempt to reignite her career, as Williams tried to jump-start his. In 1960, Williams must have been hoping “they” would finally get it right. Under the title The Fugitive Kind, it was going to the big screen. Headed by Marlon Brando, who pocketed Hollywood’s first million-dollar contract for a single film, and Anna Magnani (Oscar-winner for Williams’ The Rose Tattoo), the entire cast is dynamite. Williams and Meade Roberts co-wrote the screenplay; directing chores fell to Sidney Lumet, at that time most distinguished for several TV dramas as well as the film version of 12 Angry Men. But neither audiences nor critics much bought it: the film didn’t get one single nomination in any category among the major awards circuits of the day. The story is about guitar-totin’ drifter Valentine “Snakeskin” Xavier (Brando) who ends up in a small Mississippi town, trying to get it together. He works in a drygoods store owned by Jabe Torrence (Victor Jory), who’s dying and also a creep. The store’s run by his middle-aged, frustrated, Italian wife Lady (Magnani). A gigolo of sorts in his early days in New Orleans, Val swore to put the past behind him, and achieve a new kind of personal dignity and independence. As he quickly finds out, though, a man’s identity is not easily set aside. For one thing, there’s Sheriff Talbot (R.G. Armstrong), a nasty bigot with a badge and a gun, and wild child Carol Cutrere (Joanne Woodward), an acquaintance from the “old days” who idolizes him as much as she despises her high-class brother and family, rich and proper folks from a better part of the state. Most important, there is Lady, a daughter embittered by her father’s murder. A Sicilian, his wine garden had been burned and destroyed by a mob. Now married to the man who, unknown to her, was responsible for her father’s death, Lady has succumbed to living with despair. Then Val appears, with a promise of love and a new life—literally. Caught in a net by conflicting needs and pressures, Val is ultimately doomed to play out the part of sacrificial victim. Williams seldom wrote happy endings. There’s a faint note of hope when Carol rescues Val’s snakeskin jacket from an inferno of hatred that destroys Lady and Val: the symbol survives, but not the people.
,
Available now in a two-disc package from Criterion Collection, The Fugitive Kind can be appreciated for its considerable accomplishments while still acknowledging its minor failures. Brando is magnificent, Magnani is Magnani, and Woodward (already an Oscar-winner for The Three Faces of Eve) is spectacular in an unusual role. Mention should also be made of Maureen Stapleton as Vee Talbot, wife of Armstrong’s redneck sheriff and one of the few characters in the film sympathetic to Val. She’s also one of Williams’ recurring artist figures, this time playing a painter. The Fugitive Kind is an actor’s showcase. Brando is brilliant, commanding the camera in nearly every scene, his line-readings supplemented by riveting tics, gestures and movements. Magnani is completely natural and credible as the emotionally ravaged Lady, as is Woodward as the good “bad girl.” Unfortunately, the chemistry between Magnani and Brando isn’t remotely believable, partly due to the actress’ age. She’s simply too old for the role. It’s said Magnani gave director Lumet fits, one rumor claims she insisted he shoot her from only one side. Lumet later complained the film’s static feel was due in part from trying to meet such unreasonable demands. Yet the film’s considerable strengths— most especially performances by everyone involved—make The Fugitive Kind an absolute must, especially for Tennessee Williams fans. Final note: There is some evidence that Elvis Presley was being considered for Val, a character whom Williams might well have modeled on the boy from Tupelo. Just imagine!
Pat McLeod mail@folioweekly.com
NOW SHOWING DO THE RIGHT THING Florida Theatre’s Civic Cinema Series runs this iconic film 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at 128 E. Forsyth St., Downtown, 355-5661, floridatheatre.com. A panel discussion on race in Jacksonville follows, moderated by Numa Saisselin, with T-Roy, Celeste Kreuger, Marietta LeBlanc and Steve Smith. The event is free. CORAZON CINEMA & CAFÉ Lady Bird and The Divine Order screen. Throwback Thursday runs Date Night noon Feb. 8 and 4 p.m. Feb. 11. The Disaster Artist and Insult start Feb. 9. Three Blind Dates comedy night is 8 p.m. Feb. 10. French film Tous Ensemble runs noon Feb. 10. 36 Granada St., St. Augustine, 697-5736, corazoncinemaandcafe.com. IMAX THEATER Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet and Dream Big screen. Documentary Days run Feb. 9-15. Black Panther starts Feb. 15. St. Augustine, 940-4133, worldgolfimax.com. SUN-RAY CINEMA Call Me by Your Name, The Shape of Water and I, Tonya screen. Searching for Sugarman runs Feb. 7. Oscar Nominated Shorts, animated and live action, and Mary & The Witch’s Flower start Feb. 9. Check website for details. 1028 Park St., 359-0049, sunraycinema.com.
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 19
FOLIO A+E : ARTS
A TENDENCY TO
CAUSE TROUBLE The Walls looks at the generational impact of MENTAL ILLNESS
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aving a mental illness is like carrying an invisible weight every single moment of every single day. Except when it feels like flying. The Walls, opening Feb. 16 at The 5 & Dime, a theatre company, takes an uncomfortable yet occasionally beautiful look at the shape and implications of filial duty— as those duties relate to a parent’s madness. Playwright Lisa Dillman based the play on Jeffrey Geller’s 1995 book, Voices Behind the Walls: Women of the Asylum 1840-1845, a collection of stories about “mad” women in mental asylums. Women who were often caged in those hellholes by men in their families because their behavior differed from the norm of the day. Sometimes, they were put away simply for disagreeing with the men. “The 5 & Dime is really committed to stories that are interesting, stories that have importance and spark interesting discussions in the community. So when you have a play about mental health, especially in women, it’s such an interesting conversation for this theater company to have with our community at this time,” said director (and Douglas Anderson grad), Bradley Akers. “I met the playwright when I was in school [in 2012] and since then, I’ve had it on my mind. It’s a story I’ve always wanted to explore,” explained Akers, of his choice to mount the drama. He went on to say that he thinks it is important “at this time in America” to mount incredibly challenging works—for artists personally as well as their audiences, because it’s a way of learning more deeply about oneself “through the world.” In the play, the main character Carrie uses the history of her relationship with her bipolar mother as springboard for research into the herstory of other mentally ill women. She researches various horrifying ways the ill have been treated; specifically, the trajectory of mentally ill women who were forced into asylums against their will. In the 19th century, the diagnosis of “female hysteria” was often given to women suffering from depression, nervousness, sexual urges and the hard-to-pin-down “tendency to cause trouble.” Though that catchall diagnosis is no longer bestowed, the practice of patronizing thinking lingers in popular culture. Recall: Missouri Republican senatorial candidate Courtland Sykes recently posted a screed that presented his fiancée as the perfect home-cooked “dinner at six” kind of feminist. Certainly, if one partner makes a willing choice to so, then focusing on homemaking and domestic duties is fine.
However, it was the societally and legally codified rules around what women could and couldn’t do that in some cases would amplify existing tendencies toward mental illness. In others, it was a chemical imbalance in the brain. But in many cases, before medicines and actual diagnoses, female patients who’d be deemed “hysterical” were treated with “pelvic massage,” because orgasm was believed to relieve those “troublemaking” tendencies. Though the American Psychiatric Association dropped the “hysterical” diagnosis 1952, the implications of this dismissive and centuriesold approach to female personhood and agency persist. It’s a question of “how far we have come … or are we still doing these things from the 1920s and just masking it a little more?” Akers rhetorically asked. Throughout Walls, vignettes of the women Carrie is studying punctuate her story; so in reality, we see multiple stories within a story. This process serves to highlight the ongoing problem of mental illness within a society that doesn’t want to deal with it, or carry the burden of its own culpability. “This play specifically illustrates [the cycle of care] with the mother as she goes through the admittance, leveling out and discharge, and then having to do it again. There’s no real help; it’s just cycling through,” said Akers. In addition to the historical implications embedded in the play, there’s the reality of Florida’s care for the mentally ill. Our state is ranked 51st—after 49 states and Washington, D.C.—in terms of healthcare funding that’s $36.05 per capita. So the idea of the revolving door cycle has tangible purchase. Now, in the wake of #metoo and seemingly daily revelations about Grand Commander Marmalade (Trump) and the inappropriate and unappealing sexual behavior of other very wealthy and powerful men (hey, Harvey Weinstein, hey, Steve Wynn), a deeper discussion around female mental health is certainly warranted. “The playwright expressed that she wanted to explore the moment we have a sudden loss of control, especially when it is forced upon us,” explained Akers. “That sudden loss of control is frightening,” even more so when support systems are patch-jobs at best and so hard to access.
Madeleine Peck Wagner madeleine@folioweekly.com
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The Walls opens 8 p.m. Feb. 16 and runs through March 3 at The 5 & Dime, a theatre company, Downtown, $17 online advance, $25 at door, the5anddime.org.
ARTS + EVENTS PERFORMANCE
HARRIET TUBMAN & THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Theatreworks stages the dramatic story, geared toward schoolkids, 10 a.m. and noon Feb. 8 at The Florida Theatre, 128 E. Forsyth St., Downtown, sold out, theatreworksjax.com. THE WRONG MAN Written by Shaun Powell, this play explores Jamie and Shelia Johnson’s marriage: He’s keen to know why she’s out of the house so often. 6 p.m. Feb. 11 at The Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum, 829 N. Davis St., Downtown, 807-2010, $37-$47, ritzjacksonville.com. THE LION KING One of the most breathtaking, inventive performances ever to grace a Broadway stage, winner of six Tonys, is here through Feb. 11 at Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts’ Moran Theater, 300 Water St., Downtown, fscjartistseries.org, $30-$139; prices vary, check website. HARVEY It’s “guess who’s coming to dinner?” with bunny ears. The Pulitzer Prize-winning classic is staged through Feb. 17 at Amelia Community Theatre, Studio 209, 209 Cedar St., Fernandina, 261-6749, $10-25, ameliacommunitytheatre.org. JAZZLY SPOKEN WORD Rhythm and words, a jazz-ish spoken word, open mic night and Ahynte and LaWanda Thepoet, 7 p.m. Feb. 13 at Breezy Jazz Club, 119 W. Adams St., Downtown, $7.33 early bird, eventbrite.com.
CLASSICAL + JAZZ
JONAH SOFA JAZZ SESSIONS Jazz sessions hosted by John Lumpkin & the Covenant, with Barry Greene and Jonathan Baptiste sitting in, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at The Local, 4578 San Jose Blvd., 683-8063, thelocaljax.com. MIRÓ QUARTET Praised for technical vigor and finesse by The New York Times, the group performs 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at Amelia Baptist Church, 961167 Buccaneer Trail, Amelia Island, $45-$55, ameliaislandchambermusicfestival.com. APPALACHIAN SPRING: COFFEE CONCERT Jacksonville Symphony, with associate conductor Nathan Aspinall, and The Florida Ballet present scenes from Aaron Copland’s quintessential American ballet, as well as Beethoven’s Pastoral, 11 a.m. Feb. 9; a Family Concert is 3 p.m. Feb. 11; both at T-U Center’s Jacoby Symphony Hall, 300 Water St., Downtown, $10-$44, jaxsymphony.org. BLACK HISTORY MONTH TRIBUTE Smooth jazz and original works are performed by Phil Morrison and Joe Watts, to honor those of African descent, 8:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at Breezy Jazz Club, Downtown, $17.89, eventbrite.com. I PAGLIACCI & THE STRANGER’S TALE Two well-loved stories combined into a one-act chamber opera, presented by First Coast Opera, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, 2 p.m. Feb. 11 at Flagler
College’s Lewis Auditorium, St. Augustine, $10 students, $40 general, firstcoastopera.com. KRISTY LEE Lee sings the blues, 10 p.m. Feb. 10 at Prohibition Kitchen, 119 St. George St., St. Augustine, prohibitionkitchenstaugustine.com; and 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, 1050 A1A N., $30-$35, pvconcerthall.com. ACOUSTIC EIDOLON Joe Scott and Hannah Alkire perform music largely influenced by flamenco and Celtic sounds, as part of Gamble Rogers Concert Series, 6 p.m. Feb. 10 at St. Augustine Art Association, 22 Marine St., $20, gamblerogersfest.org. MARCUS CLICK Get your V-day love jones fix with smooth jazz from Click’s saxophone, 6:30-10 p.m. Feb. 14 at Breezy Jazz Club, Downtown, $75/couple, eventbrite.com. MATTHEW HALL The pianist performs every Thur., Fri. & Sat. at Corner Bistro/Glass Hat Piano Bar & Grill, 9823 Tapestry Park Cir., Southside, 619-1931.
COMEDY
KOOL BUBBA ICE Though we’re left speechless by the grandness of this moniker, it’s his ’90s-era hip hop/reggae impressions we want. He performs 8 p.m. Feb. 8 at The Comedy Club of Jacksonville, 11000 Beach Blvd., Southside, $16-$41, jacksonvillecomedy.com. DAMON WILLIAMS The writer and actor, known for True Grace, Not Another Black Movie and Sex Ain’t Love, appears 8 & 10 p.m. Feb. 9; 7:30 & 10 p.m. Feb. 10 at The Comedy Club of Jacksonville, $18-$45, jacksonvillecomedy.com. MARK KLEIN Because nothing says “I love you” more than laughter, the clean-working Klein appears 8 & 10 p.m. Feb. 9, 10 & 14, 8 p.m. Feb. 13 at The Comedy Zone, 3130 Hartley Rd., Mandarin, 292-4242, $25, comedyzone.com. TOMMY TORRES, KYLE POTTER The comics are on 8:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at The Comedy Club with Jackie Knight at Gypsy Cab Company’s Corner Bar, 828 Anastasia Blvd., St. Augustine, 461-8843, $12, thegypsycomedyclub.com. VALENTINE’S EVENTS The Comedy Zone offers several package deals with dinner and a show, 8:30 p.m. Feb. 9, 10 & 14 at 3130 Hartley Rd., 292-4242, $65-$229 (overnight sweetheart deluxe), comedyzone.com. LAUGH LOUNGE A weekly showcase of funny NEFla folks is 8 p.m. Feb. 10 at Dos Gatos, 123 E. Forsyth St., Downtown, creativeveins.com. VALENTINE’S DAY BALL A laugh-out-loud lovefest complete with an after-party is 8 p.m. Feb. 14 at The Comedy Club of Jacksonville, $30-$50, jacksonvillecomedy.com.
CALLS & WORKSHOPS
ST. AUGUSTINE SHIMMY MOB The dance performance group is accepting registrations for its 2018 local fundraiser, part of an
A DREAM OF FREEDOM
Harriet Tubman once said, “… Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” Imagine dreaming grandly enough to lead more than 300 people to freedom. HARRIET TUBMAN & THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD is staged 10 a.m. & noon Thursday, Feb. 8 at The Florida Theatre, Downtown, sold out, theatreworksjax.com.
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ARTS + EVENTS international event to raise funds and awareness for women’s and children’s shelters in participating communities, people of all ages performing a choreographed routine. No previous dance experience is needed. Deadline: March 31, shimmymob.com. CULTURAL SERVICE GRANT PROGRAM Duval County arts and cultural organizations interested in applying to the 2018-’19 Cultural Service Grant Program (CSGP) need to submit a letter of intent to the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville by Feb. 27, culturalcouncil.org. NEW VOICES: YOUNG VOICES Players by the Sea announces the concept for its annual New Voices program. Applicants 13-18 may submit a proposal and dialogue for consideration. Two selected “voices” then embark on a year-long development program with a mentor to establish dramatic action, structure and character development, and consideration for mounting. Submissions deadline: March 16; playersbythesea.org/new-voices-young-voices. RAINBOW AWARDS The organization accepts nominations to honor local businesses, individuals, organizations, charities and groups that bring a positive awareness of the role the LGBTQIA community plays in making Jacksonville a better place; rainbowawardsjax.org. COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR NORTHEAST FLORIDA Grant opportunities are available for those serving children, for professional artists to elevate their work, and organizations serving at-risk and underserved populations at or near the Jacksonville-area Beaches; deadline: March 5, depending on grant, jaxcf.org. JACKSONVILLE MINI-MAKER FAIRE Groups or individuals may present projects, hobbies and experiments for the MOSHsponsored event. Deadline Feb. 28, jacksonvillemakerfaire.com.
ART WALKS + MARKETS
RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET WINTER SEASON Live music plus food, artists and a farmer’s row, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 10 under the Fuller Warren Bridge at 715 Riverside Ave., free admission, 389-2449, riversideartsmarket.com. ST. AUGUSTINE AMPHITHEATRE FARMERS MARKET Veggies, flowers, baked goods, handmade arts & crafts, a community booth, live music, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at 1340C A1A S., staugamphitheatre.com. Admission, parking free. FERNANDINA BEACH FARMERS MARKET Every Sat., 9 a.m.-1 p.m., year round, rain or shine. North Seventh Street, Fernandina, fernandinamarketplace.com.
MUSEUMS
CUMMER MUSEUM OF ART & GARDENS 29 Riverside Ave., 356-6857, cummermuseum.org. A Collector’s Eye: Celebrating Joseph Jeffers Dodge, through Feb. 19. In the Garden, through April 22. Thomas Hart Benton & the Navy, Feb. 16-June 3. Fields of Color: the Art of Japanese Printmaking, Feb. 23-Nov. 25. THE BEACHES MUSEUM & HISTORY PARK 381 Beach Blvd., Jax Beach, 241-5657, beachesmuseum.org. Cummer Museum Director of Education Lynn Norris discusses Women Artists from the Renaissance to Abstract Expressionism, 6 p.m. Feb. 8. The Beach Cruisers, the museum’s young professionals group, meets for happy hour and a sneak peek of Lana Shuttleworth’s Nature Reconstructed 6 p.m. Feb. 8; an opening reception for her exhibit is 6 p.m. Feb. 9; museum members free; $5 general admission. The exhibit runs through June 3. KARPELES MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY MUSEUM 101 W. First St., Downtown, 356-2992. 1st Things 1st, 28 First Coast Visual Artists address the First Amendment, through February. LIGHTNER MUSEUM 75 King St., St. Augustine, 824-2874, lightnermuseum.org. As part of the Florida Humanities Speaker Series, University of South Florida’s Dr. Michael Francis discusses Before Jamestown: Europeans, Africans & Indians in La Florida, 1513-1607, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 8, $10. MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART JACKSONVILLE 333 N. Laura St., 366-6911, mocajacksonville.unf.edu. Juan Fontanive Lopez’s Movement 4 is the atrium project. Call & Response, through April 1. Unverified by collaborative artists Kahn & Selesnick, Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, Lori Nix, Jojakim Cortis, Adrian Sonderegger, Jennifer B. Thoreson and Thomas Jackson, through March 25. Circumvolve: Narratives & Responses to Life Cycles, by UNF student artist-inresidence Rachel Huff Smith, through March 18. MANDARIN MUSEUM & HISTORICAL SOCIETY 11964 Mandarin Rd., mandarinmuseum.net. Civil War era artifacts recovered from the Union steamship Maple Leaf, items related to Harriet Beecher Stowe, a World War I exhibit, and displays related to the only remaining one-room schoolhouse in Duval County. MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY 1025 Museum Cir., Southbank, 396-MOSH, themosh.org. Hands-on exhibit NANO presents basics of nanoscience and engineering, through June 17. Science Fiction, Science Future opens 10 a.m. Feb. 10. MOSH Mondays replace $5 Fridays, beginning Feb. 5.
GALLERIES
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THE 5 & DIME, A THEATRE COMPANY 112 E. Adams St., Downtown, the5anddime.org. This month’s artwork is Inside Out, a selection of works by mentally ill individuals. Up through March, with an open house on Feb. 7, ArtWalk, istillmatter.org. THE ART CENTER Jacksonville Landing, tacjacksonville.org. An opening reception for the exhibit HEarts of Women, works by female artists, is 7 p.m. Feb. 10. ADELE GRAGE CENTER 7160 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach, 247-5828. Coastal artist Alan Phillips exhibits new works, alanphillipstudio.com. BREW 5 POINTS 1024 Park St., Riverside, 374-5789. Gabi Corley and Perla Reyes show new works through March.
CATHEDRAL ARTS PROJECT 207 N. Laura St., Ste. 300, Downtown, capkids.org. Gold & Silver Key Portfolio Exhibition, the NEFL scholastic art awards work, on view through April. HOLLY BLANTON STUDIO 1179 Atlantic Blvd., Ste. 1, Atlantic Beach, 294-5511. The Jacksonville-based painter opens her new studio; current and collaborative works with her twin Heather, are on view. An opening night party is 6-10 p.m. Feb. 9. HOBNOB GALLERY & EVENT SPACE 220 Riverside Ave., hobnobjax.com, 559-5677. Lori Taylor exhibits new works. HASKELL GALLEY Jacksonville International Airport. Globally Influenced, a group show of works including pieces by Jim Benedict, Jay Sambo, Thony Aiuppy, Stephan Fagan, Annelies Dykgraaf, Remedios Santos Bodin and Michael Gauf, on view through March. JEWISH COMMUNITY ALLIANCE 8505 San Jose Blvd., mandarin, jcajax.org. leaves and light, work by Rebecca Hoadley, opens 6-8 p.m. Feb. 8, rebeccahoadley.com. ST. AUGUSTINE ART ASSOCIATION 22 Marine St., 824-2310, staaa.org. Not-So-Still Life exhibits through Feb. 25. MAKERSPACE 333 N. Laura St., (in Main Library), Downtown, jaxpubliclibrary.org. Banksy’s Haight Street Rat displays Feb. 14-April 14; an opening reception is held in conjunction with the affiliated show Writing on the Walls, Visual Literacy Through Street Culture, 5:30-7 p.m. Feb. 14; Geexella spins the tunes. SOUTHLIGHT GALLERY 1 Independent Dr., Downtown. February’s guest artist is Tony Wood. Old Dawgs New Trixx perform Feb. 7 for ArtWalk. SPACE 42: THE CONVERGENCE OF ART & TECHNOLOGY 2670 Phyllis St., Riverside, 888-421-9222, spacefortytwo. com. International Artist Lecture Series presents Brian Greif, discussing and screening the documentary Saving Banksy, 6 p.m. Feb. 15, $10. THE SPACE GALLERY 120 E. Forsyth St., Downtown, longroadprojects.com. An opening reception for Sum + Substance, works by Dustin Harewood, Hiromi Moneyhun, Christina Chandler and Elena Øhlander, is 6 p.m. Feb. 16. THE VAULT at 1930 1930 San Marco Blvd., 398-2890, thevaultat1930.com. Susan Astleford’s Art from Around the World, is on display. WOLF & CUB 205 N. Laura St., Downtown, wolfandcubjax. com. Artist Andrew Sellen presents a pop-up show of punkish, skateish works, 5-9 p.m. Feb. 7, during ArtWalk.
EVENTS
CROSSING CREATIVE BORDERS: A CUP OF CULTURE Live music, poetry and art, hosted by Maya Francis, 8 p.m. Feb. 7, at Studio Zsa Zsa Lapree, 233 E. Bay St., Downtown, $5. Proceeds benefit AkeemSpeaks Leadership Journey, to assist young learners’ cross-cultural experience in Johannesburg, South Africa, summer 2018. EVERYONE CAN CONSERVE: BIRD IS THE WORD Learn about birds in our area and make birdhouses to take home. Dinner provided for those who make reservations, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at The Players Community Center, 175 Landrum Lane, Ponte Vedra, 209-0335, free, eventbrite.com. AFRICAN TRADITIONS 101 Join a discussion and ask questions about voudu, voodoo and santeria, 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Cuups; jaxcuups.org for more info and location. SHORT FILM SHOWCASE Local filmmakers screen short movie projects, 7 p.m. Feb. 8 at Sun-Ray Cinema, 1028 Park St., 5 Points, $9.50, sunraycinema.com. THREE MYSTERY AUTHORS New York Times bestselling author Tim Dorsey discusses and signs copies of his new Serge Storms mystery, The Pope of Palm Beach, 6 p.m. Feb. 9. Lisa Gardner and Steve Berry (also New York Times bestselling authors) discuss and sign copies of her new thriller, Look for Me, 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at The BookMark, 200 First St., Neptune Beach, 241-9026, bookmarkbeach.com. Free to attend. ELECTROACOUSTIC BARN DANCE A free three-day national festival of electronic music and art draws top composers and artists from as far away as Estonia. EAM showcases multimedia by mixing analog and digital sounds, often with video, with performers using computers as control stations as traditional instruments are played. Starts 7:34 p.m. Feb. 8 and runs through 10 p.m. Feb. 10 at Jacksonville University, 2800 University Blvd. N., Arlington, eabarndance.com. DEEP CREEK KAYAK TRIP A guided trip on Deep Creek, 9 a.m. Feb. 8, 11 a.m. Feb. 10 and 11:30 a.m. Feb. 11 at Deep Creek Soft Launch, 7975 S.R. 207, Hastings, $20 with your kayak, $40 with ours, 209-0335, eventbrite.com. INTRODUCTION TO FLORIDA-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING Learn about using low-maintenance plants and environmentally sustainable practices, 10 a.m. Feb. 9 at The Players Community Center, 175 Landrum Lane, Ponte Vedra, 2090335, free, eventbrite.com. LILLIAN BRADLEY TOASTMASTERS CLUB Club meetings are 6 p.m. Feb. 13 & 27 at Ritz Theatre, 829 N. Davis St., free, wekitch22@aol.com. FILMS FOR ONE TO EIGHT PROJECTORS Filmmaker/curator/ professor Roger Beebe returns to the East Coast for a four-month, 3,000-mile roadshow of his multiple-projector performances, featuring premieres of new works with some of his best-known projector performances, including the six-projector show-stopping Last Light of a Dying Star, 7 p.m. Feb. 15 at Sun-Ray Cinema, 1028 Park St., $9.50, sunraycinema.com. _________________________________________ To list an event, send time, date, location (street address, city), admission price, contact number to print to Madeleine Peck Wagner; email madeleine@folioweekly. com or mail 45 W. Bay St., Ste. 103, Jacksonville FL 32202. Items run as space is available. Deadline noon Wed. for next Wed. printing.
FOLIO A+E : MUSIC John Moreland sheds his “sad bastard” persona in favor of more happiness— and MORE SUCCESS
HAPPIER
NOW B
ack in 2016, when Oklahoma singersongwriter John Moreland headlined the Sing Out Loud Festival Stetson Kennedy Showcase, Folio Weekly celebrated his “stark, severe and isolated” songs like “You Don’t Care for Me Enough to Cry” and “Sad Baptist Rain.” Two short years later, Moreland has completed a significant shift: He’s happily married, highlighting domestic bliss on his boisterous 2017 album Big Bad Luv. Recording with a full band for the first time in his career, Big Bad Luv was released by tastemaking English label 4AD Records, which has never signed a heartland Americana artist like Moreland. As he sings in his evocative trademark baritone on standout Big Bad Luv track “Slow Down Easy,” “I’ve been hauling a heavy soul.” It finally feels like he might be letting some of that sorrow go in favor of the mainstream success he knew he deserved but never demanded. None other than GQ recently named Moreland “the new face of folk-rock.”
I feel like I’m reeling like everybody else. Like, what’s going to happen next, every single day. It’s really taxing. You try to be like, “Fuck Donald Trump, I’m still going to do my thing and not let the bullshit get me down.” But that’s white privilege. It’s starting to wear on me. This shit’s so intense, how can you not talk about it? I’d like to address that in my art. I’m just figuring out how to do that—or if I even can do that, without sounding like a dickhead. I don’t feel like everybody is necessarily meant to make political art. There’s always the worry that, if you do talk about politics, it might not go over so well in a place like Florida. Florida’s pretty punk. No Idea Records, Against Me! ... that’s what comes to mind when I think of Florida. I see a lot of that influence at my shows; I get more of a punk-rock crowd when I’m down there. Rumbleseat, Chuck Ragan’s band [formed in the late ’90s], came way before country-punk was a trend at all.
Folio Weekly: These last two years have really seen a shift in the perception of you as an artist. Instead of highlighting your “sad Have you been writing new material since bastard” status, GQ, Rolling Stone and The Big Bad Luv dropped? If so, has your writing New Yorker are singing your praises. Do process changed significantly? those accolades feel natural? It has for sure. It’s never been a thing where John Moreland: I don’t really think about it every song gets written the same way. I’m much. I’m afraid it’ll make me weird or trip open to whatever gets results. I used to just me up. It’s better to just keep my head down grab an acoustic guitar, write a rhythm part and keep working. All the marketing and PR and some lyrics, and that was the song. That has been a help, though it’s hard to pinpoint was primary method for so long that now what makes, say, the shows get gradually it feels super-boring. bigger. In that sense, I [Laughs.] It had to think word-of-mouth is still important. change. Nobody wants The Front Porch Series: to stay the same forever. JOHN MORELAND, RUSTON KELLY Big Bad Luv was Now, I couldn’t write 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, St. Augustine Amphitheatre, 1340 A1A S., 209-0367, recorded with a full another acoustic folk staugamphitheatre.com band, a first for you. song to save my life. So Does that affect how you I’ve been writing fullperform songs from the band electric demos: a album on the road? guitar part, then drums and bass, then more There are definitely songs off Big Bad Luv that guitars, then some piano. That way, I can see I couldn’t play without a full band. Last year, I what the song is before I write lyrics for it. toured as a duo with John Calvin Abney, and Are those lyrics still as personal as they were him playing electric guitar, harmonica and on early albums like Into the Throes and piano helped open us up to do more of the High on Tulsa Heat? Is songwriting still as rock ’n’ roll stuff. But there were still songs that, cathartic as it once was? without drums, were not doable. Now we get to I don’t know if it’s as necessary as it used to do those now, with Abney on guitar and piano, be. I definitely go longer stretches without Aaron Boehler on bass and Andrew Bones on writing these days, and that feels fine—I don’t drums. They’ll all be with me in Florida, but I’ll worry about it. It’s still the way I sort out my still perform a solo acoustic portion of the set. shit, but maybe I don’t have as much shit to sort out as I used to. When we interviewed you in early 2016, you talked about shying away from politics. Do Nick McGregor you feel the same about it now in 2018? mail@folioweekly.com
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 23
Nashville duo FORT DEFIANCE perform “perfectly haunting” music, 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 at Blue Jay Listening Room, Jax Beach, $20, bluejayjax.com.
LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC CONCERTS THIS WEEK
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NFFN ARTIST SHOWCASE 7 p.m. Feb. 7, Mudville Music Room, 3104 Atlantic Blvd., St. Nicholas, 352-7008, $10. NEW ROCK SOUL, DIALECTABLE BEATS 7 p.m. Feb. 7, (1904), 19 Ocean St., Downtown, free. DJ CAPONE 9:30 Feb. 7, Cheers Park Avenue, 1138 Park Ave., Orange Park, 269-4855, $3. DIANA KRALL 8 p.m. Feb. 7, (FT), 128 E. Forsyth St., Downtown, 355-2787, $69.50-$125, floridatheatre.com. SEAN CLARK, UNCLE DAVE GRIFFIN, WILLIS GORE 7 p.m. Feb. 7, (BJLR), 2457B S. Third St., Jax Beach, $10. LEELYNN OSBORN, LPIII 6 p.m. Feb. 7, (PK), 119 St. George St., St. Augustine, prohibitionkitchenstaugustine, 209-5704. TESSA VIOLET, SECRET MIDNIGHT PRESS, GIVE ME MOTION 7 p.m. Feb. 7, (JR), 1528 Hendricks Ave., San Marco, 398-7496, $13. FRONT PORCH SERIES: JOHN McCUTCHEON, GRANT PEEPLES 8 p.m. Feb. 8, (PVCH Terrace), 1050 A1A N., 209-0399, $29.50-$33.50, pvconcerthall.com. GO GET GONE 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8, (WJ-JB), 950 Marsh Landing Pkwy., Jax Beach, 853-5973, whiskeyjax.com. RAMONA TRIO 6 p.m. Feb. 8, (PK). MICHAEL FRANCIS McCARTHY 7 p.m. Feb. 8, (BJLR), $5. CODY JINKS, WARD DAVIS, SUNNY SWEENEY 8 p.m. Feb. 8, (FT), $18.50-$103.50. MARK JOHNS 6 p.m. Feb. 8, Boondocks Grill & Bar, 2808 Henley Rd., Green Cove Springs, 406-9497. ROGER THAT 9:30 p.m. Feb. 8, Cheers Park Avenue. L.A. GUNS, BUDDERSIDE 8 p.m. Feb. 8, (JR), $20. THE KENNEDYS 7 p.m. Feb. 8, Mudville Music Room, $10. ELECTROACOUSTIC BARN DANCE (94 PERFORMERS!) 7:34 p.m. Feb. 8-10, Jacksonville University, 2800 University Blvd., Arlington, free, eabarndance.com. SOULSHINE & SWAT TEAM 10 p.m. Feb. 9 & 10, Flying Iguana, 207 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach, 853-5680. SALT & PINE, KRISTY LEE 6 p.m. Feb. 9, (PK). BRANDON LEINO 7 p.m. Feb. 9, Boondocks Grill & Bar. TESLA 8 p.m. Feb. 9, (FT), $29.50-$55. SIDEWALK 65 8:30 p.m. Feb. 9, (WJ-JB). FORT DEFIANCE 8 p.m. Feb. 9, (BJLR), $20. MARTY FARMER, ERIC COLLETTE 7 p.m. Feb. 9, Boondocks Grill & Bar. IVAN & BUDDY, IVY LEAGUE 5 p.m. Feb. 9, Cheers Park Avenue. DECLAN McKENNA, CHAPPELL ROAN 6 p.m. Feb. 9, (1904), $15-$20. ELLAMENO BEAT, OF GOOD NATURE, N.W. IZZARD 8 p.m. Feb. 9, (JR), $8. OOGEE WAWA 9:30 p.m. Feb. 9, Surfer the Bar, 200 N. First Street, Jax Beach, 372-9756. SCOTT H. BIRAM, HOOTEN HALLER, DANNY ATTACK 8 p.m. Feb. 10, (JR), $15. BARRETT THOMPSON, JONATHAN LEE 7 p.m. Feb. 10, Boondocks Grill & Bar. G LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE, KRISTY LEE 7 p.m. Feb. 10, (PVCH), $30-$90. LITTLE RIVER BAND, PABLO CRUISE 8 p.m. Feb. 10, (FT), $35-$75. IVY LEAGUE 9:30 p.m. Feb. 10, Cheers Park Avenue.
THE LANGSTON HUGHES PROJECT 8 p.m. Feb. 10, (RT), 829 N. Davis St., Downtown, 632-5555, $64. YOWSAH 8:30 p.m. Feb. 10, (WJ-JB). NEW ROCK SOUL, TAD JENNINGS 9 p.m. Feb. 10, Surfer the Bar. RAISIN CAKE ORCHESTRA, FUNK BUTTER 6 p.m. Feb. 10, (PK). SETH GLIER 8:30 p.m. Feb. 11, Café Eleven, 501 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, 460-9311, $15-$20. UNDER THE STREETLAMP & 7 p.m. Feb. 11, (PVCH), $58-$68. GRANDPA’S COUGH MEDICINE 6 p.m. Feb. 11, (PK). JOHN MORELAND 7 p.m. Feb. 9, (SAA), 1340 A1A S., 209-0367, free. JASON EADY 7 p.m. Feb. 11, Mudville Music Room, $10. AMPLE ANGST 8 p.m. Feb. 11, (BJLR), $15. DARRELL RAE 5 p.m. Feb. 11, Boondocks Grill & Bar. BLUES TRAVELER, LOS COLOGNES 7 p.m. Feb. 11, FT, $25-$45. LESS THAN JAKE, FOUR YEAR STRONG, DIRECT HIT, BEARINGS 6:30 p.m. Feb. 12, Mavericks Live, 2 Independent Dr., Downtown, 356-1110, $20. ELIZABETH COOK, DARRIN BRADBURY 7 p.m. Feb. 12, (JR), $12. RIVER CITY RHYTHM KINGS 7 p.m. Feb. 12, Mudville Music Room, $10. MAI TATRO 6 p.m. Feb. 12, (PK). SIDE HUSTLE, ANTON LaPLUME BAND 9 p.m. Feb. 13, Surfer the Bar. THE HOT SARDINES 8 p.m. Feb. 13, (FT), $25-$45.
LIVE MUSIC VENUES KEY 1904 = 1904 Music Hall BJLR = Blue Jay Listening Room DP = Daily’s Place FT = Florida Theatre JR = Jack Rabbits NH = Nighthawks PK = Prohibition Kitchen PVCH = Ponte Vedra Concert Hall RD = Rain Dogs RT = Ritz Theatre SAA = St. Augustine Amphitheatre SAABY = St. Aug. Amphitheatre’s Backyard Stage T-HC = Thrasher-Horne Center T-UC = Times-Union Center VMA = Veterans Memorial Arena WJ-JB = Whiskey Jax–Jax Beach WJ-SS = Whiskey Jax–Southside To list your band’s gig, please send time, date, location (street address, city), admission price, and a contact number to print to Madeleine Peck Wagner, email madeleine@folioweekly.com or by the U.S. Postal Service, 45 W. Bay St., Ste. 103, Jacksonville FL 32202. Events run on a space-available basis. Deadline is at noon every Wednesday for the next Wednesday’s publication.
JORY LYLE 6 p.m. Feb. 13, (PK). QUEENS OF THE NIGHT 10 p.m. Feb. 14, (NH), $10. DANIELLE EVE JAZZ DUO 6 p.m. Feb. 14, (PK). SOULO LYON BAND 9 p.m. Feb. 14, Surfer the Bar. MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT FOUNDATION BENEFIT 7 p.m. Feb. 14, Mudville Music Room, $10. HEAVY FLOW 8 p.m. Feb. 14, ShantyTown, 22 W. Sixth St., Springfield, 798-8222. ERIC COLLETTE & COTY 6 p.m. Feb. 15, Boondocks Grill & Bar. RAY CALLANDER 6 p.m. Feb. 15, (PK). HARDCASTLE, SWIMM 8 p.m. Feb. 15, (JR), $8. PUDDLES PITY PARTY 8 p.m. Feb. 15, (PVCH), $36-$46.
UPCOMING CONCERTS
BOTTLE ROCKETS, CHUCK PROPHET & THE MISSION EXPRESS Feb. 16, (PVCH) BEACH CITY 10 p.m. Feb. 16 & 17, Flying Iguana CLOUD 9 Feb. 16, (WJ-JB) KALANI ROSE, CHILLULA Feb. 16, (PK) MOORS & McCUMBER Feb. 16, (BJLR) RAMONA Feb. 16, Surfer the Bar MATT KNOWLES Feb. 16, Boondocks Grill & Bar TYRESE, JOE, AVANT, DONELL JONES, SILK Feb. 16, (VMA) WOOD CHICKENS, CONCRETE CRIMINALS Feb. 16, (RD) BARRETT THOMPSON Feb. 16, Boondocks Grill & Bar LOVE MONKEY Feb. 16, Cheers Park Avenue CHRIS YOUNG, KANE BROWN, LANCO Feb. 16, (SAA) LOST STARS, FLIPTURN, SOUTHPOINT Feb. 16, (1904) JOHN PAPA GROS Feb. 16, Café 11 THE FIREWATER TENT REVIVAL Feb. 17, (PK) MEKLIT Feb. 17, MOSH THE DYNAMIC LES DeMERLE ORCHESTRA Feb. 17, Omni Amelia Island Plantation SUNJAMMER BAND Feb. 17, WJ-JB THE DOG APOLLO, WINTER WAVE, DENVER HALL Feb. 17, (JR) HEATHER LEE, JORDAN WYNN Feb. 17, (BJLR) MARK JOHNS Feb. 17, Boondocks Grill & Bar LOVE MONKEY Feb. 17, Cheers Park Avenue SIERRA HULL, PHOEBE HUNT Feb. 17, (PVCH) WRONG WAY, CRANE Feb. 17, Surfer the Bar DANIEL O’DONNELL Feb. 17, (FT) 21 BLUE!, LONGINEU PARSONS, TED SHUMATE Feb. 17, Mudville Music Room THE HEAVY PETS, BIG MEAN SOUND MACHINE, CUSTARD PIE, WHALE FAREL Feb. 17, (1904) THE KATE RAYS, HUNGOVER, NORTH BY NORTH, RUNNER’S HIGH Feb. 17, (NH) WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY, LOS LONELY BOYS Feb. 18, (SAA) THE STOLEN/PATTERNIST, THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT Feb. 18, (JR) BARRY MANILOW Feb. 18, (T-UC) LOVE CHUNK Feb. 18, (PK) GORDON LIGHTFOOT Feb. 18, (FT) COLIN QUINN Feb. 18, (PVCH) WE WERE SHARKS, SINK THE SHIP Feb. 18, (NH) ROOTS OF CREATION Feb. 19, (JR) CHELSEA SADDLER Feb. 19, (PK) GEORGE BENSON Feb. 19, (T-HC) ERIC JOHNSON, TOMMY TAYLOR, KYLE BROCK, ARIELLE Feb. 20, (PVCH)
LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC TREVOR BARNES Feb. 20, Surfer the Bar ASLYN & THE NAYSAYERS, WILLOW WACKS Feb. 20, (PK) SUGAR LIME BLUE Feb. 20, (BJLR) RYAN CAMPBELL Feb. 21, Surfer the Bar HEATHER MALONEY Feb. 21, Café11 LEELYNN OSBORN Feb. 21, (PK) DIRTY CELLO Feb. 21, (BJLR) THE ROBERT CRAY BAND Feb. 21, (PVCH) RODRIGUEZ Feb. 21, (FT) LUKE PEACOCK Feb. 22, Mudville Music Room MATT KNOWLES Feb. 22, Boondocks Grill & Bar VEGAS GRAY Feb. 22, Cheers Park Avenue RAMONA, MICHAEL McCARTHY Feb. 22, (PK) SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS, THE WOOLLY BUSHMAN Feb. 22, (SAA Front Porch) JAMEY JOHNSON Feb. 22, FT DOYLE BRAMHALL II, BRANDY ZDAN Feb. 22, (PVCH) MINDI ABAIR & THE BONESHAKERS, AIR SUPPLY Feb. 23, (RT) RAISIN CAKE ORCHESTRA, BELLA’S BARTOK Feb. 23, (PK) LUNAR COAST Feb. 23 & 24, Flying Iguana LIP BONE REDDING Feb. 23, (BJLR) MARK JOHNS, BLISTUR Feb. 23, Cheers Park Avenue EARTHKRY, I-RESOLUTION Feb. 23, Surfer the Bar LYNDIE BURRIS, ZEB PADGETT Feb. 23, Boondocks Grill & Bar PARTY CARTEL Feb. 23, (WJ-JB) JAMIE DeFRATES, MIKE SHACKELFORD, LARRY MANGUM Feb. 23, Mudville Music Room CHRIS BARRON Feb. 23, Café11 JUSTIN SYMBOL & THE GOD BOMBS Feb. 23, (JR) GEORGE WINSTON Feb. 23, (PVCH) THE BLACKWATER SOL REVUE: JJ GREY & MOFRO, LOS LOBOS, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, MARCUS KING BAND, MORE Feb. 24, (SAA) RAMONA Feb. 24, (PK) SOULO LYON BAND Feb. 24, Surfer the Bar LUCKY STILL Feb. 24, (WJ-JB) BRANDON LEINO Feb. 24, Boondocks Grill & Bar THE EXPENDABLES, THROUGH THE ROOTS, PACIFIC DUB Feb. 24, (SAABY) DAMON FOWLER Feb. 24, BJLR BLISTUR Feb. 24, Cheers Park Avenue LITTLE JAKE & THE SOUL SEARCHERS Feb. 24, Mudville Music Room THE WEEPIES Feb. 24, (PVCH) ERIC COLLETTE Feb. 24, Boondocks Grill & Bar UNKNOWN HINSON, J.D. WILKES CD RELEASE FIRE DREAM Feb. 24, (JR) MAVIS STAPLES Feb. 25, (PVCH) LED TO THE GRAVE, BLACK MASS, INSALUBRIOUS Feb. 26, (NH) SAM PACETTI Feb. 26, (PK) The MOUNTAINTOP Feb. 27, (RT) MICHAEL McDONALD Feb. 27, (FT) COLTON TRIO, WES COBB Feb. 27, (PK) BROCCOLI SAMURAI Feb. 27, Surfer the Bar JORMA KAUKONEN Feb. 27, (PVCH) CANDLEBOX, STATE TO STATE Feb. 28, (PVCH) JASON DEVORE, RUSS BAUM, WILD ADRIATIC Feb. 28, Surfer the Bar DANIELLE EVA JAZZ DUO, LPIII Feb. 28, (PK) BLACKBERRY SMOKE March 1, (FT) CAIN’T NEVER COULD, LARA HOPE & THE ARKTONES March 1, (NH) CHAD JASMINE March 1, (BJLR) GINGER BEARD MAN March 1, Cheers Park Avenue NIGHT OF BEE GEES March 1, (T-HC) MURIEL ANDERSON March 1, Mudville Music Room RAGLAND March 1, (JR) DIXIE DREGS March 1, (PVCH) TOWER OF POWER March 2, (PVCH) OLYPPVS March 2 & 3, Cheers Park Avenue PHILLIP PHILLIPS March 2, (FT) JIMMY GNECCO March 2, (JR) BARRETT THOMPSON, LYNDIE BURRIS March 2, Boondocks Grill & Bar BOBBY LEE RODGERS March 2, (BJLR) GRANT PEEPLES March 2, Mudville Music Room FLEET FOXES March 2, (SAA) JOHN HAMMOND March 3, (PVCH) THE GEORGIA FLOOD, THE GHOST OF PAUL REVERE March 3, (JR) JUSTIN MOORE, DYLAN SCOTT March 3, (SAA) KICK THE INXS EXPERIENCE March 4, (JR) TIERNEY SUTTON BAND March 4, (RT) KNOCKED LOOSE, TERROR, JESUS PIECE, STONE March 4, (1904) THE BONES OF DR. JONES March 6, (JR) ANA POPOVIC March 7, (PVCH) JOHN KADLECIK BAND March 7, (1904) SEAN CLARK, UNCLE DAVE GRIFFIN, WILLIS GORE March 7, (BJLR) SONREAL, DAVIE March 8, (JR) SARAH SHOOK & THE DISARMERS March 8, (BJLR) ZION I March 8, (NH) LOVE MONKEY March 8, Cheers Park Avenue ANDY McKEE March 8, (PVCH) 25TH ANNUAL GUITAR GATHERING: THE LOS ANGELES GUITAR QUARTET March 8, (FT); DASotA benefit CELTIC MUSIC & HERITAGE FESTIVAL: EMMET CAHILL, DUBLIN CITY RAMBLERS, SEVEN NATIONS, RATHKELTAIR, EMISH, ALBANNACH, ENTER THE HAGGIS, STEEL CITY ROVERS, HOUSE OF HAMILL March 9-11, Francis Field, St. Augustine TRAVIS TRITT, THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND, THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND, THE OUTLAWS March 9, (SAA) JO & THE SAUCE, OZONEBABY March 9, Cheers Park Avenue COAST MODERN March 9, (JR) RESONANT ROGUES March 9, (BJLR) AN EVENING YOU’LL FORGET FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE: STEVE MARTIN, MARTIN SHORT, THE STEEP CANYON RANGERS, JEFF BABKO March 9, (T-UC)
BIANCA DEL RIO March 10, (PVCH) VELVET CARAVAN March 10, (RT) SIDELINE March 10, Mudville Music Room KOLARS, ESCONDIDO, The KATE RAYS March 10, (JR) BILLY BUCHANAN March 10, (BJLR) EARTH, WIND & FIRE March 10, (FT) BRAD PAISLEY, CHASE BRYANT March 10, (SAA) MOTOWN THE MUSICAL March 10 & 11, (T-UC) RAISING CADENCE, A WOLF AMONGST SHEEP, FERNWAY, VOODOO FIX March 11, (JR) INDIGO GIRLS March 11, (PVCH) THE TENDERLOINS March 11, (SAA) THE IRISH ROVERS March 11, (FT) THE MARVIN GAYE EXPERIENCE March 11, (T-HC) KEITH HARKIN March 11, (BJLR) RIVER CITY RHYTHM KINGS March 12, Mudville Music Room BAY KINGS BAND March 12, (BJLR) ROBIN TROWER March 13, (PVCH) THE DRUGSTORE GYPSIES March 13, JR ANITA BAKER March 14, (T-UC) FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD TOUR: ELTON JOHN March 15, (VMA) MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET March 15, (T-UC) KATASTRO March 15, (JR) AMPLE ANGST, DAVE EGGAR March 15, (BJLR) JOE JENCKS March 16, Mudville Music Room DAVE EGGER ORCHESTRA March 16, (SAA) CASSIDY LEE, JULIA GULIA March 16, Cheers Park Avenue STEVE HOFSTETTER March 16, (JR) HOTEL EXPERIENCE: A SALUTE TO THE EAGLES March 16, (T-HC) NAHKO, THE LATE ONES, XIUHTEZCATL March 16, (PVCH) MIKE LOVE, JUNGLE MAN SAM March 16, (1904) GET THE LED OUT March 16, (FT) FOREIGNER March 16, (SAA) JULIA GULIA March 17, Cheers Park Avenue 1964 THE TRIBUTE: THE BEST BEATLES BAND ON EARTH March 17, (SAA) WALKER BROTHERS, OLD DAWGS NEW TRIXX March 17, Mudville Music Room RANDALL BRAMBLETT March 17, (BJLR) FLIPTURN, GLASS HOUSE POINT, ASTER & IVY, SOUTH POINT March 17, (JR) TIFFANY March 17, (PVCH) COREY SMITH, THE WILSON BROTHERS BAND March 17, Mavericks ALICE COOPER March 18, (FT) A DAY TO REMEMBER, PAPA ROACH, FALLING IN REVERSE, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA March 20, (SAA) VINYL THEATRE, VESPERTEEN March 20, (JR) DANIELLE MOHR March 21, (BJLR) MIKE & THE MECHANICS March 21, (PVCH) WALTER SALAS-HUMARA March 21, Mudville Music Room MAKARI, ADVENTURER March 21, (JR) LUKE PEACOCK March 22, Mudville Music Room PAUL MILLER, STAN PIPER, STEFAN KLEIN March 22, (BJLR) BUMPIN’ UGLIES, CLOUD9 VIBES March 22, (JR) FAT CACTUS March 22, Cheers Park Avenue STEEP CANYON RANGERS March 22, (FT) SHANE MYERS March 23, Cheers Park Avenue ESHAM March 23, (NH) RODNEY CARRINGTON March 23, (FT)
ROSE ROYCE, LENNY WILLIAMS, GLENN JONES, SHIRLEY MURDOCK, DENIECE WILLIAMS, REGINA BELLE March 24, (T-UC) JUVENILE, TOO-SHORT, SCARFACE, TRINA, UNCLE LUKE, 8BALL, MIG March 24, (VMA) THE FALLEN SONS March 24, (JR) DWIGHT & NICOLE March 24, (BJLR) SUNSQUABI, EXMAG, MZG March 25, (1904) WATAIN, DESTROYER666, NEXUL March 25, Mavericks THREE DOG NIGHT, THE LORDS OF 52ND STREET March 25, (FT) FORTUNATE YOUTH, BALLYHOO, TATANKA March 28, Mavericks THE FIREWATER TENT REVIVAL March 29, Cheers Park Avenue AN EVENING WITH THE MAVERICKS March 29, (PVCH) LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III, LUCY WAINWRIGHT ROCHE March 30, (PVCH) IVAN & BUDDY, FRATELLO March 30, Cheers Park Avenue DANGERMUFFIN March 30, Mudville Music Room UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER, NEW DAY March 30, Mavericks TOP SHELF PEOPLE, SIDE HUSTLE, TOM BENNETT BAND March 30, (JR) MOON STALKER March 31, Mudville Music Room RYAN DEPALO, PETER MICHAEL, MARK O’QUINN March 31, (JR) FRATELLO March 31, Cheers Park Avenue BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, THE BELLE GAME April 1, (PVCH) MY OLD LADY, 2FY OCTOPI, BLACK SPHERE, ENTROPY, DESERT ISLAND April 1, (1904) LONELY HEARTSTRING BAND April 4, Café 11 MACHINE GIRL, CHARLIE VELOURS April 4, Shantytown JUNCO ROYALS April 4, (BJLR) HAWKTAIL April 5, Café 11 BUDDY GUY, JIMMIE VAUGHAN, QUINN SULLIVAN April 5, (FT) THE BAILSMEN April 5, (BJLR) PRESSURE BUSS PIPE, BLACK DIAMOND BAND April 6, Mavericks HAWKTAIL April 6, (BJLR) TOMMY EMMANUEL, ANTHONY SNAPE April 6 & 7, (PVCH) SETH WALKER April 7, Mudville Music Room THAT 1 GUY April 8, (JR) ALL TIME LOW, GNASH, DREAMERS April 10, Mavericks COREY KILGANNON, OH JEREMIAH April 12, (BJLR) STYX, DON FELDER April 13, (SAA) AMANDA SHIRES & HER BAND April 13, (PVCH) CHRIS BOTTI April 13, (FT) PINEBOX DWELLERS April 13, (BJLR) THE BLACK ANGELS, BLACK LIPS April 14, (SAABY) THE WAILERS April 14, (PVCH) AGAINST ALL ODDS TOUR: THE REVIVALISTS April 14, (FT) JERSEY BOYS April 15, (T-HC) DR. DOG, KYLE CRAFT, SON LITTLE, ALEX G April 15, (PVCH) ABBA THE CONCERT April 17, (FT) GLEN PHILLIPS April 18, Café 11 BRIAN CULBERTSON April 18, (FT) BRUCE COCKBURN April 19, (PVCH) SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX April 19, (FT) WANEE 2018: WIDESPREAD PANIC, PHIL LESH & THE TERRAPIN FAMILY BAND, AS THE CROW FLIES, DARK STAR ORCHESTRA, ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES, JAIMOE’S JASSZ BAND, THE CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE, WALTER TROUT, SONNY LANDRETH, THE MARCUS KING BAND, GEORGE PORTER JR. & THE RUNNING PARDNERS, SOUL REBELS, LES BROS, PINK TALKING FISH, BOBBY LEE ROGERS
Alabama blueswoman KRISTY LEE appears 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 at Prohibition Kitchen, St. Augustine, prohibitionkitchenstaugustine.com; and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, pvconcerthall.com, $30-$35. FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 25
LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC TRIO, BIG SOMETHING, BERRY OAKLEY’S INDIGENOUS SUSPECTS, MIDNIGHT NORTH, THE YETI TRIO, CRAZY FINGERS April 19, 20 & 21, Suwannee Music Park, Live Oak THOMAS RHETT, BRETT YOUNG, CARLY PEARCE April 20, (DP) SPACE LAB PRESENTS: 4/20, ESSELS, MYSTIC GRIZZLY, LURK CITY, AFTERCITIES, REST IN PIERCE, ROCKS N BLUNTS, VAMPA, DUROSAI, XOFF, AWT, RICHIE GRANT, JULIAN M, BENNY BLACK April 20, (1904) MODEST MOUSE April 21, (SAA) ABRAHAM PARTRIDGE April 21, (BJLR) OLD 97’s, JAMIE WYATT April 22, (PVCH) HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS, RICHARD MARX April 22, (SAA) DAVID FOSTER April 24, (FT) 10,000 MANIACS April 25, (PVCH) JOHNNY MATHIS April 26, (FT) WELCOME TO ROCKVILLE: OZZY OSBOURNE, FOO FIGHTERS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, POP EVIL, PALAYE ROYALE, BLACK MAP, BILLY IDOL, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GODSMACK, STONE SOUR, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, AVATAR, MORE April 27, 28 & 29, Metro Park BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY, JACKSONVILLE ROCK SYMPHONY: SGT. PEPPER’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR April 27, (FT) SHAPESHIFTER TOUR: TAUK April 27, (1904) YANNI April 27, (SAA) ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, CARL PALMER April 28, (FT)
LIVE MUSIC CLUBS
AMELIA ISLAND + FERNANDINA SLIDERS SEASIDE GRILL, 1998 S. Fletcher Ave., 277-6652 King Eddie & the Pili Pili Band 6 p.m. Feb. 7. Tad Jennings Feb. 8. Hupp, Cyrus & Lindzy Feb. 9. Chase Foraker, The Firewater Tent Revival Feb. 10. JCnMike Feb. 11
AVONDALE + ORTEGA
CASBAH CAFÉ, 3628 St. Johns Ave., 981-9966 Goliath Flores every Wed. Jazz every Sun. Live music every Mon. ECLIPSE, 4219 St. Johns Ave. KJ Free Tue. & Thur. Indie dance Wed. ’80s & ’90s dance Fri. MONTY’S/SHORES LIQUOR, 3644 St. Johns Ave., 389-1131 Custard Pie 10 p.m. Feb. 9. Blackwater Grease 10 p.m. Feb. 10
THE BEACHES
(ALL VENUES IN JAX BEACH UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED) ATLANTIC BEACH BREWING CO., 725 Atlantic Blvd., Ste. 3 & 15, Atlantic Beach, 372-4116 Ciaran Sontag 8 p.m. Feb. 10 BLUE JAY LISTENING ROOM, 412 N. Second St., 834-1315 Sean Clark, Uncle Dave Griffin, Willis Gore 7 p.m. Feb. 7. Michael Francis McCarthy 7 p.m. Feb. 8. Fort Defiance Feb. 9. Salt & Pine Feb. 10. Ample Angst Feb. 11. Moors & McCumber Feb. 16 CULHANE’S IRISH PUB, 967 Atlantic Blvd., AB, 249-9595 Dave Curley Music 7 p.m. Feb. 13. Heather Wed. DJ Seven Thur. & Fri. Michael Funge Sun. FLYING IGUANA TAQUERIA & TEQUILA BAR, 207 Atlantic Blvd., NB, 853-5680 Soulshine & SWAT Team 10 p.m. Feb. 9 & 10 GREEN ROOM BREWING, 228 Third St. N., 201-9283 D-Lo Feb. 10. Brady Reich Feb. 16 GUSTO, 1266 Beach Blvd., 372-9925 Groov 7:30 p.m. Wed. Michael Smith Thur. Milton Clapp Fri. Under the Bus Sat. Robert Eccles Sun. LYNCH’S IRISH PUB, 514 First St. N., 249-5181 Live music every night MEZZA RESTAURANT & BAR, 110 First St., NB, 249-5573 Gypsies Ginger Wed. Mike Shackelford, Steve Shanholtzer Thur. Mezza Shuffle Mon. Trevor Tanner Tue. MOJO KITCHEN, 1500 Beach Blvd., 247-6636 Selwyn Birchwood Band 8 p.m. Feb. 9 RAGTIME TAVERN, 207 Atlantic Blvd., AB, 241-7877 Cloud 9 7 p.m. Feb. 13 SOUTHERN GROUNDS & CO., 200 First St., NB, 249-2922 Billy Bowers 7 p.m. Feb. 10. Jazz Corner 6 p.m. every Tue. SURFER THE BAR, 200 First St. N., 372-9756 Oogee Wawa 9:30 p.m. Feb. 9. New Rock Soul, Tad Jennings 9 p.m. Feb. 10. Side Hustle, Anton LaPlume Band 9 p.m. Feb. 13. Soulo Lyon Feb. 14 WHISKEY JAX, 950 Marsh Landing (PK)wy., 853-5973 Go Get Gone 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8. Sidewalk 65 Feb. 9. Yowsah 8:30 p.m. Feb. 10. Cloud 9 Feb. 16.
CAMDEN COUNTY, GA.
CAPTAIN STAN’S SMOKEHOUSE, 700 Bedell Dr., Woodbine, 912-729-9552 Touch of Grey 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16
DOWNTOWN
1904 MUSIC HALL, 19 Ocean St. N., 345-5760 New Rock Soul, Dialectable Beats 7 p.m. Feb. 7. Kelen Heller Feb. 8. DeClan McKenna, Chappell Roan 6 p.m. Feb. 9. Black Creek Bastards, Wade B, Leaders of the Shift Feb. 10. FORQ, Lucy Woodward Feb. 13. Lost Stars, Flipturn, Southpoint Feb. 16 DOS GATOS, 123 E. Forsyth St., 354-0666 DJ Brandon Thur. DJ NickFresh Sat. DJ Randall Mon. DJ Hollywood Tue. JACKSONVILLE LANDING, 353-1188 Cain’t Never Could, The Crazy Daysies Feb. 7. Everchange 6 p.m. Feb. 8. Spanky the Band 7 p.m. Feb. 9. Got Back in Time 7 p.m. Feb. 10. Jimmy Parrish Band 4 p.m. Feb. 11. Lonely Highway 7 p.m. Feb. 16 MAVERICKS LIVE, Jax Landing, 356-1110 Less Than Jake, Four Year Strong, Direct Hit, Bearings 6:30 p.m. Feb. 12. Joe Buck, DJ Justin Thur.-Sat. MYTH NIGHTCLUB, 333 E. Bay St., 707-0474 D. Devill, Royal X, Resis 9 p.m. Feb. 7. Sandra Collins Feb. 10
FLEMING ISLAND 26 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
BOONDOCKS, 2808 Henley Rd., Green Cove, 406-9497 Mark Johns 6 p.m. Feb. 8. Brandon Leino Feb. 9. Marty Farmer,
Eric Collette Feb. 9. Barrett Thompson, Jonathan Lee Feb. 10. Eric Collette & Coty Feb. 15. Matt Knowles Feb. 16. Barrett Thompson Feb. 16 WHITEY’S FISH CAMP, 2032 C.R. 220, 269-4198 Boogie Freaks 9 p.m. Feb. 9. Big Engine Feb. 10. Mike Cook Feb. 11
INTRACOASTAL
CLIFF’S, 3033 Monument Rd., Ste. 2, 645-5162 3rd Degree Band 9 p.m. Feb. 7. Lift Feb. 9. The Remains Feb. 10. Pardon Prison Tour: Black Creek Ri’zin, Second Shot, Fratello, Point of Reference, Highway Jones 2-7 p.m. Feb. 11 JERRY’S, 13170 Atlantic Blvd., 220-6766 Don’t Call Me Shirley 8:30 p.m. Feb. 9. Spectra Feb. 10
MANDARIN
ENZA’S, 10601 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 109, 268-4458 Brian Iannucci Feb. 7 & 11 TAPS BAR & GRILL, 2220 C.R. 210, St. Johns, 819-1554 Mark Stevens Feb. 7. Robbie Litt Feb. 9. Circus Feb. 10
ORANGE PARK + MIDDLEBURG
CHEERS PARK AVENUE, 1138 Park Ave., 269-4855 DJ Capone 9:30 Feb. 7. Roger That 9:30 p.m. Feb. 8. Ivan & Buddy, Ivy League Feb. 9. Ivy League Feb. 10. Andy Jones, Love Monkey Feb. 16 DEE’S MUSIC BAR, 2141 Loch Rane Blvd., Ste. 140, 375-2240 DJ Troy every Wed. THE HILLTOP, 2030 Wells Rd., 272-5959 John Michael on the piano every Tue.-Sat. THE ROADHOUSE, 231 Blanding Blvd., 264-0611 DJs Jamie & Big Mike every Thur.
PONTE VEDRA
PUSSER’S GRILLE, 816 A1A, 280-7766 Billy Buchanan Feb. 8 TABLE 1, 330 A1A, 280-5515 Billy Bowers 6 p.m. Feb. 7
RIVERSIDE + WESTSIDE
ACROSS THE STREET, 948 Edgewood Ave. S., 683-4182 Lisa & the Mad Hatters 9 p.m. Feb. 10 NIGHTHAWKS, 2952 Roosevelt Blvd. Dial Drive Feb. 9. Queens of the Night 9 p.m. Feb. 14 RAIN DOGS, 1045 Park St., 379-4969 Yashire Feb. 8. Wood Chickens, Concrete Criminals 9 p.m. Feb. 16. Live music most weekends
ST. AUGUSTINE
ARNOLD’S LOUNGE, 3912 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd., 824-8738 The Jason Evans Band 9 p.m. Feb. 10 CAFE ELEVEN, 501 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, 460-9311 Seth Glier 8:30 p.m. Feb. 11 CELLAR UPSTAIRS, 157 King St., 826-1594 Billy Buchanan Feb. 9. St. John’s Wood Feb. 10. Vinny Jacobs 2 p.m. Feb. 11 PROHIBITION KITCHEN, 119 St. George St., 209-5704 Leelynn Osborn, LPIII 6 p.m. Feb. 7. Ramona Trio 6 p.m. Feb. 8. Salt & Pine, Kristy Lee Feb. 9. Raisin Cake Orchestra, Funk Butter 6 p.m. Feb. 10. Grandpa’s Cough Medicine Feb. 11. Mai Tatro Feb. 12. Jory Lyle Feb. 13. Danielle Eve Jazz Trio Feb. 14 TEMPO, 16 Cathedral Pl., 342-0286 Jay Bird 7 p.m. Feb. 8. Jax English Salsa Band 6 p.m. Feb. 11 TRADEWINDS LOUNGE, 124 Charlotte St., 829-9336 Those Guys Feb. 9 & 10
SAN MARCO
JACK RABBITS, 1528 Hendricks Ave., 398-7496 Tessa Violet, Secret Midnight Press, Give Me Motion 7 p.m. Feb. 7. L.A. Guns, Budderside 8 p.m. Feb. 8. Ellameno Beat, Of Good Nature, N.W. Izzard Feb. 9. Scott H. Biram, Hooten Haller, Danny Attack 8 p.m. Feb. 10. Elizabeth Cook, Darrin Bradbury Feb. 12. Hardcastle, Swimm Feb. 15 MUDVILLE MUSIC ROOM, 3104 Atlantic Blvd., 352-7008 NFFN Artist Showcase 7 p.m. Feb. 7. The Kennedys 7 p.m. Feb. 8. Jason Eady Feb. 11. River City Rhythm Kings Feb. 12. Mississippi John Hurt Foundation Benefit, Dixie Rodeo Feb. 14
SOUTHSIDE, ARLINGTON & BAYMEADOWS
BAHAMA BREEZE, 10205 River Coast Dr., 646-1031 King Eddie & the Pili Pili Band 6 p.m. Thur. MELLOW MUSHROOM, 9734 Deer Lake Ct., 997-1955 Barrett Jockers Feb. 8. Ken & Kelli Maroney Feb. 9. Robbie & Felix Feb. 10 WHISKEY JAX, 10915 Baymeadows Rd., 634-7208 Austin Park 8:30 p.m. Feb. 9. Paul Lundgren Feb. 10
SPRINGFIELD + NORTHSIDE
CROOKED ROOSTER BREWERY, 148 S. Sixth St., Macclenny, 653-2337 Grandpa’s Cough Medicine 8 p.m. Feb. 10. Open mic 7 p.m. every Wed. HYPERION BREWING CO., 1740 N. Main St., 518-5131 Cindy Davenport, Highway Jones, Tim Kates 6 p.m. Feb. 10. Live music most weekends & 2:30 p.m. every Sun. SHANTYTOWN PUB, 22 W. Sixth, 798-8222 Heavy Flow 9 p.m. Feb. 14
______________________________________ To list your band’s gig, please send time, date, location (street address, city), admission price, and a contact number to print to Madeleine Peck Wagner, email madeleine@ folioweekly.com or by the U.S. Postal Service, 45 W. Bay St., Ste. 103, Jacksonville FL 32202. Events run on a spaceavailable basis. Deadline is at noon every Wednesday for the next Wednesday’s publication.
FOLIO DINING
At GREEN ROOM BREWING in Jax Beach, you'll find at least a float’s worth of unique, locally-brewed quaffs. photo by Madison Gross
AMELIA ISLAND + FERNANDINA BEACH
BRETT’S WATERWAY CAFÉ, 1 S. Front St., 261-2660. On the water at Centre Street’s end. Southern hospitality, upscale atmosphere; daily specials, fresh local seafood, aged beef. $$$ FB L D Daily CAFÉ KARIBO, 27 N. Third St., 277-5269, cafekaribo.com. F Family-owned café in historic building. Worldly fare, made-from-scratch dressings, sauces, desserts, sourcing fresh veggies, seafood. Dine in or al fresco under oakshaded patio. Microbrew Karibrew Pub brews beer onsite; imports. $$ FB K TO R, Su; L Daily, D Tu-Su in season THE CRAB TRAP, 31 N. Second St., 261-4749, ameliacrabtrap.com. F For nearly 40 years, family-ownedand-operated. Fresh local seafood, steaks, specials. HH. $$ FB L Sa-M; D Nightly JACK & DIANE’S, 708 Centre St., 321-1444, jackanddianescafe.com. Renovated 1887 shotgun house. Faves: jambalaya, French toast, pancakes, mac & cheese, crêpes. Vegan items. Inside or porch overlooking historic area. $$ BW K TO B L D M, W, F, Sa; B L Su LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 474272 S.R. 200, 844-2225. F SEE ORANGE PARK. MOON RIVER PIZZA, 925 S. 14th St., 321-3400, moonriverpizza.net. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Authentic Northern-style pizzas, 20-plus toppings, pie/slice. Calzones. $ BW TO L D M-Sa THE MUSTARD SEED CAFÉ, 833 Courson Rd., 277-3141, nassauhealthfoods.net. Casual organic eatery, juice bar, in Nassau Health Foods. All-natural organic items, smoothies, juices, herbal teas, coffees, daily specials. $$ K TO B L M-Sa POINTE RESTAURANT, 98 S. Fletcher Ave., 277-4851, elizabethpointelodge.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. In award-winning inn Elizabeth Pointe Lodge. Seaside dining; in or out. Hot buffet breakfast daily, full lunch menu.
DINING DIRECTORY KEY AVERAGE ENTRÉE COST $ $$
$
< $10
$$$
10- $20
$$$$
$
20-$35 > $35
ABBREVIATIONS & SPECIAL NOTES BW = Beer/Wine
L = Lunch
FB = Full Bar
D = Dinner Bite Club = Hosted Free Folio Weekly Bite Club Event F = Folio Weekly Distribution Spot
K = Kids’ Menu TO = Take Out B = Breakfast R = Brunch
To list your restaurant, call your account manager or call or text SAM TAYLOR, Folio Weekly publisher, at 904-860-2465 (email: staylor@folioweekly.com).
Homestyle soups, specialty sandwiches, desserts. $$$ BW K B L D Daily THE SALTY PELICAN BAR & GRILL, 12 N. Front St., 277-3811, thesaltypelicanamelia.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. 2nd-story outdoor bar. T.J. & Al offer local seafood, fish tacos, Mayport shrimp, po’boys, cheese oysters. $$ FB K L D Daily SLIDERS SEASIDE GRILL, 1998 S. Fletcher Ave., 277-6652, slidersseaside.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Oceanfront. Award-winning handmade crabcakes, fried pickles, fresh seafood. Open-air 2nd floor balcony, playground. $$ FB K L D Daily T-RAY’S BURGER STATION, 202 S. Eighth St., 261-6310, traysburgerstation.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/ favorite. Family-owned-and-operated 18+ years. Blue plate specials, burgers, biscuits & gravy, shrimp. $ BW TO B L M-Sa
ARLINGTON + REGENCY
LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 1301 Monument Rd., Ste. 5, 724-5802. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE ORANGE PARK.
AVONDALE + ORTEGA
FOOD ADDICTZ GRILL, 1044 Edgewood Ave. S., 240-1987. F Family-and-veteran-owned place is all about home cooking. Customer faves: barbecued pulled pork, blackened chicken, Caesar wrap and Portobello mushroom burger. $ K TO B L D Tu-Su HARPOON LOUIE’S, 4070 Herschel St., Ste. 8, 389-5631, harpoonlouies.net. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Locally owned & operated 20+ years. American pub. 1/2-lb. burgers, fish sandwiches, pasta. Local beers, HH. $$ FB K TO L D Daily MOJO NO. 4 URBAN BBQ & WHISKEY BAR, 3572 St. Johns Ave., Ste. 1, 381-6670, mojobbq.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/ favorite. Pulled pork and Carolina-style barbecue. Delta fried catfish. Avondale’s Mojo has shrimp & grits, specialty cocktails. Local musicians on weekends. $$ FB K TO L D Daily PINEGROVE MARKET & DELI, 1511 PineGrove Ave., 389-8655, pinegrovemarket.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. 40+ years. Burgers, Cubans, subs, wraps. Onsite butcher, USDA choice prime aged beef. Craft beers. Fri. & Sat. fish fry. $ BW TO B L D M-Sa RESTAURANT ORSAY, 3630 Park St., 381-0909, restaurantorsay.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. French/Southern bistro; local organic ingredients. Steak frites, mussels, pork chops. $$$ FB R, Su; D Nightly SIMPLY SARA’S, 2902 Corinthian Ave., 387-1000, simplysaras.net. F Down-home fare from scratch: eggplant fries, pimento cheese, baked chicken, fruit cobblers, chicken & dumplings, desserts. BYOB. $$ K TO L D Tu-Sa, B Sa SOUTH KITCHEN & SPIRITS, 3638 Park St., 475-2362, south.kitchen. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Southern classics: crispy catfish with smoked gouda grits, family-style fried chicken, burgers, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options. $$ FB K TO L D Daily
BAYMEADOWS
AL’S PIZZA, 8060 Philips Hwy., Ste. 105, 731-4300. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE INTRACOASTAL. INDIA’S, 9802 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 8, 620-0777, indiajaxcom. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Authentic cuisine, lunch buffet. Curries, vegetables, lamb, chicken, shrimp, fish tandoori. $$ BW L M-Sa; D Nightly LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 8616 Baymeadows Rd., 739-2498. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE ORANGE PARK. METRO DINER, 9802 Baymeadows Rd., 425-9142. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE SAN MARCO.
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DINING DIRECTORY NATIVE SUN NATURAL FOODS MARKET & DELI, 11030 Baymeadows Rd., 260-2791. 2017 Best of Jax favorite. SEE MANDARIN. PATTAYA THAI GRILLE, 9551 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 1, 646-9506, ptgrille.com. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. Since 1989, the family-owned place has offered an extensive menu of traditional Thai, vegetarian, new-Thai; curries, seafood, noodles, soups. Low-sodium & gluten-free. $$$ BW TO L D Tu-Sa THE WELL WATERING HOLE, 3928 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 9, 737-7740, thewellwateringhole.com. Local craft beers, glass/bottle wines. Meatloaf sandwich, pulled Peruvian chicken, vegan black bean burgers. Gluten-free pizzas, desserts. HH specials. $$ BW K TO L M-F; D Tu-Sa WHISKEY JAX, 10915 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 135, 634-7208, whiskeyjax.com. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. Popular gastropub has craft beers, gourmet burgers, handhelds, signature plates, tacos and–sure–whiskey. HH M-F. $$ FB B Sa & Su; L F; D Nightly
BEACHES
(Venues are in Jax Beach unless otherwise noted.)
ANGIE’S SUBS, 1436 Beach Blvd., 246-2519. ANGIE’S GROM SUBS, 204 Third Ave. S., 241-3663. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Fresh ingredients, 25+ years. Huge salads, blue-ribbon iced tea. Grom has Sun. brunch, no alcohol. $ K BW TO L D Daily BOLD BEAN COFFEE ROASTERS, 2400 S. Third St., Ste. 201, 374-5735. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. BREEZY COFFEE SHOP WINE BAR, 235 Eighth Ave. S., 241-2211, breezycoffeeshopcafe.com. Local beachy coffee & wine shop by day; wine bar by night. Fresh baked pastries, breakfast sandwiches all day. Grab-n-Go salads, cheeses, hummus. $ BW K TO B L D Daily The CRAFT PIZZA CO., 240 Third St. N., Neptune Beach, 853-6773, thecraftpizzaco.com. F Al Mansur’s new place has innovative pies made with locally sourced ingredients. Dine inside or out. $$ BW L D Daily EUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ, 992 Beach Blvd., 249-3001, europeanstreet.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE RIVERSIDE. FLYING IGUANA TAQUERIA & TEQUILA BAR, 207 Atlantic Blvd., NB, 853-5680, flyingiguana.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Latin American: tacos, seafood, carnitas, Cubana fare. 100+ tequilas. $ FB TO L D Daily
DOWNTOWN
BELLWETHER, 100 N. Laura St., 802-7745, bellwetherjax.com. Elevated Southern classics in an understated setting, with chef/owner Jon Insetta’s focus on flavors, and chef Kerri Rogers’ culinary creativity. The Northeast Florida menu changes seasonally. Rotating local craft beers, regional spirits, cold brew coffee program. $$ FB TO L M-F CASA DORA, 108 E. Forsyth, 356-8282, casadoraitalian.com. F Serving Italian fare, 40+ years: veal, seafood, pizza. Homemade salad dressing. $ BW K L M-F; D M-Sa OLIO MARKET, 301 E. Bay St., 356-7100, oliomarket.com. F Scratch soups, sandwiches. Duck grilled cheese, seen on Best Sandwich in America. $$ BW TO B R L M-F; D F & Sa SPLIFF’S GASTROPUB, 15 N. Ocean St., 844-5000, spliffsgastropub.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Music venue has munchie apps, mac & cheese dishes, pockets, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. HH M-F. $ BW L D M-Sa URBAN GRIND COFFEE COMPANY, 45 W. Bay, Ste. 102, 516-7799, urbangrind.coffee. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. Locally roasted whole bean brewed coffees, espressos, pastries, smoothies, bagels. Chicken/tuna salad, sandwiches. WiFi. $ B L M-F URBAN GRIND EXPRESS, 50 W. Laura St., 516-7799. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. SEE ABOVE. ZODIAC BAR & GRILL, 120 W. Adams St., 354-8283, thezodiacbarandgrill.com. 16+ years. Mediterranean cuisine, American fare, paninis, vegetarian dishes. Lunch buffet. Espressos, hookahs. HH M-F. $ FB L M-F; D W-Sa
FLEMING ISLAND
GRASSROOTS NATURAL MARKET, 1915 East-West Pkwy., 541-0009. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE RIVERSIDE. MOJO SMOKEHOUSE, 1810 Town Center Blvd., Ste. 8, 264-0636. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE AVONDALE. WHITEY’S FISH CAMP, 2032 C.R. 220, 269-4198, whiteysfishcamp.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Real fish camp. Gator tail, freshwater catfish, daily specials, on Swimming Pen Creek. Tiki bar. Come by boat, bike or car. $ FB K TO L Tu-Su; D Nightly
INTRACOASTAL WEST
AL’S PIZZA, 14286 Beach Blvd., Ste. 31, 223-0991. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. 30 years of awesome gourmet
BIG SHOTS!
IAN MILLER
The Loft
925 King St. • Riverside Born in: Jacksonville Years in Biz: 3 Favorite Bar: Blue Fish (Avondale) for happy hour & oysters. Favorite Cocktail Style: Gin & tonic Go-To Ingredients: Monkey 47, cucumber, lime and bitters Hangover Cure: Food, Gatorade & a long shower Will Not Cross My Lips: Fernet. I absolutely hate it. Insider’s Secret: Buy doubles, they're way cheaper. Celebrity Sighting: Jags & Armada players. When You Say, "The Usual": A shot of Jameson.
GUSTO, 1266 Beach Blvd., 372-9925, gustojax.com. F Classic Old World Roman fare, big Italian menu: homestyle pasta, beef, chicken, fish delicacies; open pizza-tossing kitchen. Reservations encouraged. $$ FB TO L R D Tu-Su HAWKERS ASIAN STREET FARE, 241 Atlantic Blvd., NB, 425-1025. 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE RIVERSIDE. LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 657 Third St. N., 247-9620. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE ORANGE PARK. METRO DINER, 1534 3rd St. N., 853-6817. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE SAN MARCO. MOJO KITCHEN BBQ PIT & BLUES BAR, 1500 Beach Blvd., 247-6636. 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE AVONDALE. M SHACK, 299 Atlantic Blvd., AB, 241-2599, shackburgers.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Burgers, hot dogs, fries, shakes. Dine indoors or out. $$ BW L D Daily NATIVE SUN NATURAL FOODS MARKET & DELI, 1585 N. Third St., 458-1390. 2017 Best of Jax favorite. SEE MANDARIN. RAGTIME TAVERN SEAFOOD & GRILL, 207 Atlantic Blvd., AB, 241-7877, ragtimetavern.com. F 34 years and counting, the iconic seafood place serves blackened snapper, sesame tuna, Ragtime shrimp. Daily HH, brunch Sun. $$ FB L D Daily WHISKEY JAX, 950 Marsh Landing Pkwy., 853-5973. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. SEE BAYMEADOWS.
CAMDEN COUNTY, GEORGIA
28 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
CAPTAIN STAN’S SMOKEHOUSE, 700 Bedell Dr., Woodbine, 912-729-9552. Barbecue, sides, hot dogs, burgers, desserts. Dine in or out on picnic tables. $$ FB K TO L & D Tu-Sa LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 6586 GA. Hwy. 40 B6, St. Marys, 912-576-7006. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. SEE ORANGE PARK. OUTERBANKS SPORTS BAR & GRILLE, 140 The Lakes Blvd., Ste. H, Kingsland, 912-729-5499. Fresh seafood, burgers, steaks, wings. $$ FB TO D Nightly
pizza, baked dishes. All day HH M-Th. $ FB K TO L D Daily LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 10750 Atlantic Blvd., Ste. 14, 642-6980. F Best of Jax favorite. SEE ORANGE PARK.
MANDARIN + NW ST. JOHNS
AL’S PIZZA, 11190 San Jose Blvd., 260-4115. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE INTRACOASTAL. ATHENS CAFÉ, 6271 St. Augustine Rd., Ste. 7, 733-1199, athenscafejax.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. 20+ years of Greek fare, serving dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), baby shoes (stuffed eggplant), Greek beers. Vegetarian-friendly. Full bar. Early bird menu Mon.-Fri. $$ FB L M-F; D M-Sa FIRST COAST DELI & GRILL, 6082 St. Augustine Rd., 733-7477. Pancakes, bacon, sandwiches, burgers, wings. $ K TO B L Daily JAX DINER, 5065 St. Augustine Rd., 739-7070, jaxdiner.com. Simple name, simple concept: Local. Chef Roderick “Pete” Smith, a local culinary expert with nearly 20 years under his apron, uses locally sourced ingredients from area farmers, vendors and the community for American and Southern dishes. Seasonal brunch. $ K TO B L M-F, D F METRO DINER, 12807 San Jose Blvd., 638-6185. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Dinner. SEE SAN MARCO. MOJO BAR-B-QUE, 1607 University Blvd. W., 732-7200, mojobbq.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE AVONDALE. NATIVE SUN NATURAL FOODS MARKET & DELI, 10000 San Jose Blvd., 260-6950, nativesunjax.com. 2017 Best of Jax favorite. Organic soups, baked items, sandwiches, prepared foods. Juice, smoothie, coffee bar. All-natural beer/wine. $ BW TO K B L D Daily
ORANGE PARK
THE HILLTOP, 2030 Wells Rd., 272-5959, hilltop-club.com. Southern fine dining. New Orleans shrimp, certified Black
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 29
DINING DIRECTORY BITE-SIZED
A long history of success proves that RAGTIME TAVERN SEAFOOD & GRILL in Atlantic Beach knows how to please decades of happy customers.
99 reasons to SLURP and the soup is one
photo by Walter Coker
OVERSET
PHOGHEDABOUDIT
A LITTLE BIR BIRDIE RDIE TO TOLD OLD M MEE PH PPHO HOO 99 99 VVIETNAMESE IEETN TNAM AM M Grill on Blanding Boulevard is THE place for pho, so I gave it a go. On a rare freezing Jax night (let’s hope those are over), we made the trip. This unassuming restaurant next to Silver Star Chinese is low-key and spacious, with a nice medley of selections in a glossy book with breakout sections. We were ravenous, of course. To start, we ordered two Shrimp Summer Rolls ($3.99) and a pot of tea ($2/endless refills). The Vietnamese rice paper rolls are filled with fresh ingredients and wrapped with traditional sticky rice paper. It’s kind of like eating a handheld salad—much more exciting than an actual salad, imho. I’m not sure I prefer the gumminess of rice paper to the fried crispiness of egg rolls, but the freshness factor can’t be ignored. The menu photos were partly responsible for my next choice: Golden Nest ($10.99), a lovely, slightly wild-looking nest of noodles. The fried egg noodle birds’ nest is filled with rich sauce and veggies. We chose tofu and it was delightful; the sauce added oomph to the taste. It coats the crispy noodles well, nearly softening them back to the original noodle-ness. The photo was apt; Golden Nest was a heavenly texture fusion.
PHO 99 VIETNAMESE GRILL
5024 Blanding Blvd., 361-3930, Westside, pho99vietgrill.com
Pho is available in three sizes: small ($6.50), large ($8.50) and extra-large ($10.50). Go big or go home; even the small is a usual-sized bowl of soup! The price is fixed, so go crazy when picking proteins. You may choose three from among eye round steak, brisket, beef meatball, tendon, flank and beef tripe. If you’re not sure which part of the cow you’re eating, make it a learning experience! We stuck with the basics, opting for eye round steak, flank and tripe (chewy with very little taste). I’m not sure I’d call it THE place for pho in Jax but it was certainly good. The bowl included all the stuff you expect: hot broth, rice noodles, a plate filled with fresh accompaniments and the protein piled on top. Pho 99 has tasty options for that sweet tooth. Three Flavored Bean ($3.99) caught my eye, so we chose that. With no menu photo, it really was a surprise. Turns out, it’s like a Filipino halo halo: layers of crushed ice, sweetened beans, sweetened condensed milk and sliced jellies on top—a riot of textures! It took a few bites, but it was appealing enough to keep me intrigued, and it satisfied my need for sweetness. Get it in the summer because it’s nicely refreshing. We spent some time lingering over our meal. No rush to finish; in fact, they often refilled our teapot just so we could keep chatting. Next time? I’ll try the hot pot, pad Thai or other specialties, and relax over dinner.
Brentley Stead biteclub@folioweekly.com
30 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
Angus prime rib, she-crab soup, desserts. Extensive bourbon selection. $$$ FB D Tu-Sa LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 1330 Blanding Blvd., Ste. 165, 276-7370. 1545 C.R. 220, 278-2827. 700 Blanding Blvd., Ste. 15, 272-3553. 5733 Roosevelt Blvd., 446-9500. 1401 S. Orange Ave., Green Cove, 284-7789, larryssubs.com. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. Larry’s piles ’em high, serves ’em fast; 36+ years. Hot & cold subs, soups. Some Larry’s serve breakfast. $ K TO B L D Daily METRO DINER, 2034 Kingsley Ave., 375-8548. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Dinner nightly. SEE SAN MARCO. The ROADHOUSE, 231 Blanding Blvd., 264-0611, roadhouseonline.net. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. Sandwiches, wings, burgers, quesadillas for 35+ years. 75+ imported beers. Live music. $ FB L D Daily SPRING PARK COFFEE, 328 Ferris St., Green Cove Springs, 531-9391, springparkcoffee.com. F Cozy shop; freshroasted Brass Tacks coffee, handcrafted hot & cold drinks, specialty lattes, cappuccino, macchiato, teas, pastries, sandwiches, breakfast. $ B L D Daily
PONTE VEDRA BEACH
AL’S PIZZA, 635 A1A, 543-1494. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE INTRACOASTAL. LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 830 A1A N., Ste. 6, 273-3993. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. SEE ORANGE PARK. M SHACK NOCATEE, 641 Crosswater Pkwy., 395-3575. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE BEACHES. METRO DINER, 340 Front St., Ste. 700, 513-8422. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE SAN MARCO.
RIVERSIDE, 5 PTS + WESTSIDE
13 GYPSIES, 887 Stockton St., 389-0330, 13gypsies.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Authentic Mediterranean cuisine: chorizo, tapas, blackened cod, pork skewers, coconut mango curry chicken. Breads from scratch. $$ BW L D Tu-Sa, R Sa AL’S PIZZA, 1620 Margaret St., Ste. 201, 388-8384. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE INTRACOASTAL. BIG OAK BBQ & CATERING, 1948 Henley Rd., Middleburg, 214-3041. 1440 Dunn Ave., 757-2225, bigoakbbqfl.com. Family-owned-and-operated barbecue joints have smoked chicken, pulled pork, ribs, sides and stumps, which sounds damn good. $$ K TO L D M-Sa BLACK SHEEP, 1534 Oak St., 355-3793, blacksheep5points.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. New American, Southern; local source ingredients. Specials, rooftop bar. HH. $$$ FB R Sa & Su; L M-F; D Nightly BOLD BEAN COFFEE ROASTERS, 869 Stockton St., Ste. 1, 855-1181, boldbeancoffee.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Small-batch, artisanal approach to sourcing and roasting single-origin, direct-trade coffees. Signature blends, hand-crafted syrups, espressos, craft beers. $ BW TO B L Daily CORNER TACO, 818 Post St., 240-0412, cornertaco.com. Made-from-scratch “Mexclectic street food,” tacos, nachos, gluten-free, vegetarian options. $ BW L D Tu-Su CUMMER CAFÉ, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, 829 Riverside Ave., 356-6857, cummer.org. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Light lunch, quick bites, locally roasted coffee, espresso-based drinks, sandwiches, desserts, daily specials. Dine in or in gardens. $ BW K L D Tu; L W-Su EUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ, 2753 Park St., 384-9999. 2017 Best of Jax winner. 130+ import beers, 20 on tap. Sandwiches. Dine outside at some E-Sts. $ BW K L D Daily
GRASSROOTS NATURAL MARKET, 2007 Park St., 384-4474, thegrassrootsmarket.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Juice bar uses certified organic fruits, veggies. Artisanal cheeses, 300 craft, import beers, 50 organic wines, produce, meats, vitamins, herbs, wraps, sides, sandwiches. $ BW TO B L D Daily HAWKERS ASIAN STREET FARE, 1001 Park St., 508-0342, hawkerstreetfare.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Authentic dishes from mobile stalls: BBQ pork char sui, beef haw fun, Hawkers baos, chow faan, grilled Hawker skewers. $ BW TO L D Daily JOHNNY’S DELI & GRILLE, 474 Riverside Ave., 356-8055. Casual spot offers made-to-order sandwiches, wraps. $ TO B L M-Sa LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 1509 Margaret St., 674-2794. 7895 Normandy Blvd., 781-7600. 8102 Blanding Blvd., 779-1933. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. SEE ORANGE PARK. METRO DINER, 4495 Roosevelt Blvd., 999-4600. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE SAN MARCO. MOON RIVER PIZZA, 1176 Edgewood Ave. S., 389-4442. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE AMELIA ISLAND. M SHACK, 1012 Margaret St., 423-1283. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE BEACHES. SOUTHERN ROOTS FILLING STATION, 1275 King St., 513-4726, southernrootsjax.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Fresh vegan fare; local, organic ingredients. Specials, on bread, local greens/rice, change daily. Sandwiches, coffees, teas. $ Tu-Su SUN-RAY CINEMA, 1028 Park St., 359-0047, sunraycinema.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. First-run, indie and art films screened. Beer, local drafts, wine, pizza–Godbold, Black Lagoon Supreme–hot dogs, hummus, sandwiches, popcorn, nachos, brownies. $$ BW Daily SUSHI CAFÉ, 2025 Riverside Ave., Ste. 204, 384-2888, sushicafejax.com. F Monster, Rock-n-Roll, Dynamite Roll. Hibachi, tempura, katsu, teriyaki. Inside/patio. $$ BW L D Daily
ST. AUGUSTINE
AL’S PIZZA, 1 St. George St., 824-4383. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. SEE INTRACOASTAL. The CORAZON CINEMA & CAFE, 36 Granada St., 679-5736, corazoncinemaandcafe.com. F Sandwiches, combos, salads and pizza are served at the cinema house, showing indie and first-run movies. $$ Daily THE FLORIDIAN, 72 Spanish St., 829-0655, thefloridianstaug.com. Updated Southern fare; fresh, local ingredients. Vegetarian, gluten-free options. Signature fried green tomato bruschetta, blackened fish cornbread stack; grits w/shrimp/fish/tofu. $$$ BW K TO L D W-M GYPSY CAB COMPANY, 828 Anastasia Blvd., 824-8244, gypsycab.com. F 34+ years. Varied urban cuisine menu changes twice daily. Signature: Gypsy chicken. Seafood, tofu, duck, veal. $$ FB R Su; L D Daily MARDI GRAS SPORTS BAR, 123 San Marco Ave., 347-3288, mardibar.com. F Lively spot has wings, nachos, shrimp, chicken, Phillys, sliders, soft pretzels. $$ FB TO L D Daily METRO DINER, 1000 S. Ponce de Leon Blvd., 758-3323. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Dinner nightly. SEE SAN MARCO. MOJO OLD CITY BBQ, 5 Cordova St., 342-5264, mojobbq. com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE AVONDALE. SALT LIFE FOOD SHACK, 321 A1A, 217-3256. F SEE BEACHES. WOODPECKER’S BACKYARD BBQ, 4930 S.R. 13, 531-5670, woodpeckersbbq.weebly.com. F Smoked fresh daily. Brisket, ribs, pork, sausage, turkey: in sandwiches, plates by the pound. 8 sauces, 10 sides. $$ TO L D Tu-Su
SAN MARCO + SOUTHBANK
THE BEARDED PIG SOUTHERN BBQ & BEER GARDEN, 1224 Kings Ave., 619-2247, thebeardedpigbbq.com. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. Barbecue joint Southern style: brisket, pork, chicken, sausage, beef; veggie platters. $$ BW K TO Daily BISTRO AIX, 1440 San Marco Blvd., 398-1949, bistrox.com. F Mediterranean/French inspired menu changes seasonally. 250+ wines. Wood-fired oven-baked, grilled specialties: pizza, pasta, risotto, steaks, seafood. Hand-crafted cocktails, specialty drinks. Dine outside. HH M-F. $$$ FB L D Daily BOLD BEAN COFFEE ROASTERS, 1905 Hendricks Ave. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. EUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ, 1704 San Marco Blvd., 398-9500. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. FUSION SUSHI, 1550 University Blvd. W., 636-8688, fusionsushijax.com. Upscale; fresh sushi, sashimi, hibachi, teriyaki, katsu, seafood. $$ K L D Daily HAVANA-JAX CAFÉ/CUBA LIBRE BAR, 2578 Atlantic Blvd., 399-0609, havanajax.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Bite Club certified. Cuban sandwiches are the real thing: big, thick, flattened. Traditional fare: black beans & rice, plantains, steaks, seafood, chicken & rice, roast pork. Spanish wine, drink specials, mojitos, Cuba libres. Nonstop HH. $ FB K L D Daily METRO DINER, 3302 Hendricks Ave., 398-3701, metrodinercom. F 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Original upscale diner in a historic 1930s-era building. Meatloaf, chicken pot pie, soups. This one serves dinner nightly. $$ B R L D Daily TAVERNA, 1986 San Marco Blvd., 398-3005, tavernasanmarco.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner/favorite. Chef Sam Efron’s authentic Italian; tapas, wood-fired pizza. Seasonal local produce, meats. Craft beer (some local), award-winning wine. $$$ FB K TO R L D Daily
SOUTHSIDE + TINSELTOWN
ALHAMBRA THEATRE & DINING, 12000 Beach Blvd., 641-1212, alhambrajax.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Open 50 years. Executive Chef DeJuan Roy’s themed menus. Reservations. $$ FB D Tu-Su EUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ, 5500 Beach Blvd., 398-1717. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. LARRY’S SUBS, 3611 St. Johns Bluff Rd. S., 641-6499. 4479 Deerwood Lake Pkwy., 425-4060. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. SEE ORANGE PARK. MARIANAS GRINDS, 11380 Beach Blvd., Ste. 10, 206-612-6596. F Pacific Islander fare, chamorro culture. Soups, stews, fitada, beef oxtail, katden pika; empanadas, lumpia, chicken relaguen, BBQ-style ribs, chicken. $$ TO B L D Tu-Su M SHACK, 10281 Midtown Pkwy., 642-5000. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE BEACHES.
SPRINGFIELD + NORTHSIDE
ANDY’S GRILL, 1810 W. Beaver St., 354-2821, jaxfarmersmarket.com. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. Inside Jax Farmers Market. Local, regional, international produce. Breakfast, sandwiches. $ B L D M-Sa LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 12001 Lem Turner Rd., 764-9999. F 2017 Best of Jax favorite. SEE ORANGE PARK. UPTOWN KITCHEN & BAR, 1303 Main St. N., 355-0734, uptownmarketjax.com. F Bite Club certified. Fresh fare, innovative menus, farm-to-table selections, daily specials. $$ BW TO B L Daily
PINT-SIZED
Marc taps into his SWASHBUCKLER SELF in the Bahamas
DRINK LIKE A
PIRATE THERE’S SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT STANDING on the deck of a majestic cruise ship as it glides into a slip at a Caribbean port of call. Azure-blue waters, warm tropical breezes, the promise of good food and cold beer—it’s as close to a perfect morning as one can get. On our Bahamian excursion aboard the Carnival Elation, we visited two ports of call, Freeport and Nassau. First: Freeport. Freeport was established in 1955 when the government granted Wallace Groves, a Virginia financier, 50,000 acres on Grand Bahama Island to create an economically viable area. The development was set up as a free trade zone where businesses paid no taxes. Today, it’s also home to The Bahamian Brewery. Established in 2007, owner James “Jimmy” Sands’ Bahamian Brewery is 100 percent Bahamian-owned. With help from German equipment manufacturer Brewtech, Sands and an all-Bahamian crew built the brewery from the ground up. The highlight of the $10 tour of the production and bottling facility is visiting Jimmy’s private tasting room to sample the company’s six brews. Along with Sands Lager, a Bahamas favorite, Bahamian Brewery brews Sands Light, tasty pink-grapefruit-flavored Sands Pink Radler; premium High Rock Lager; Strong Back Stout, a high-alcohol Caribbean stout; and Bush Crack, a higheralcohol, lighter-bodied lager. The next day we hit Nassau. After a trip to Atlantis and a mini shopping spree, we’d worked up an appetite. Following my longtime practice of going local as much as possible when traveling, I asked for
OVERSET
recommendations for lunch joints. True to friendly form, a shopkeeper not only told us of The Fish Fry, he took us to the bus stop and made sure we got on the correct bus. The Fish Fry isn’t a single restaurant; it’s a beachside collection of eateries and seafood shacks that specialize in the freshest fish I’ve ever eaten. I ordered a plate of spicy fried grouper and my wife got fried conch so fresh, it had been in the water that morning. “Big Daddy,” the official spokesperson and conch cleaner, was happy to show us how the meat was prepped. To wash it down, I ordered a Guinness Foreign Extra Stout. This hoppier, higher-alcohol brew (not available in the United States) was ideal to cut the fiery Scotch Bonnetbased pepper sauce on my fish. After lunch, we returned to Nassau’s main shopping district to visit Pirate Republic, the Bahamas’ only craft brewery. Run by brother and sister Stephen Holowesko and Susan Holowesko Larson, the brewery is in a restored 125-year-old warehouse a stone’s throw from the cruise terminal. Inside, beer lovers find great beer, including several seasonals (the coconut porter was heavenly). For a fun, pirate tale-filled adventure, take the tour and learn about all manner of swashbucklers who caroused and drank along Nassau’s stunning shores. As our vacation in paradise came to a close and I reflected upon our adventures, I reached a conclusion: No matter where in the world you go, everything’s more fun with a cold beer.
Marc Wisdom marc@folioweekly.com
PINT-SIZED BREWERS’ COMMUNITY A1A ALE WORKS 1 King St., Ste. 101, St. Augustine
BOTTLENOSE BREWING 9700 Deer Lake Ct., Ste. 1, Jacksonville
OLD COAST ALES 300 Anastasia Blvd., St. Augustine
AARDWOLF BREWING COMPANY 1461 Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville
DOG ROSE BREWING CO. 77 Bridge St., St. Augustine
PINGLEHEAD BREWING COMPANY 12 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park
ANCIENT CITY BREWING 3420 Agricultural Ctr. Dr., St. Augustine
ENGINE 15 BREWING CO. DOWNTOWN 633 Myrtle Ave. N., Jacksonville.
RAGTIME TAVERN SEAFOOD & GRILL 207 Atlantic Blvd., Atlantic Beach
ANHEUSER-BUSCH 1100 Ellis Rd. N., Jacksonville
ENGINE 15 BREWING CO. 1500 Beach Blvd., Ste. 217, Jax Beach
RIVER CITY BREWING COMPANY 835 Museum Cir., Jacksonville
ATLANTIC BEACH BREWING COMPANY 725 Atlantic Blvd., Ste. 3, Atlantic Beach
GREEN ROOM BREWING, LLC 228 Third St. N., Jax Beach
SOUTHERN SWELLS BREWING CO. 1312 Beach Blvd., Jax Beach
BOG BREWING COMPANY 218 W. King St., St. Augustine
HYPERION BREWING COMPANY 1740 Main St. N., Jacksonville
VETERANS UNITED CRAFT BREWERY 8999 Western Way, Ste. 104, Jacksonville
BOLD CITY BREWERY 2670 Rosselle St., Ste. 7, Jacksonville
INTUITION ALE WORKS 929 E. Bay St., Jacksonville
WICKED BARLEY BREWING COMPANY 4100 Baymeadows Rd., Jacksonville
BOLD CITY DOWNTOWN 109 E. Bay St., Jacksonville
MAIN AND SIX BREWING COMPANY 1636 Main St. N., Jacksonville
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 31
The best February HOLIDAY INSPIRES Chef Bill
CHEFFED UP CHEFFED-UP
ROLLING IN THE
FAT TUESDAY
AH, HERE I AM, ENVELOPED IN THE SIGHT and aroma of a luscious, mouthwatering, steaming pot of chicken, sausage, duck and okra gumbo simmering on the stove and, shoot, I just woke up! Nice dream, though. Coincidentally, this is the perfect time to bring Cajun food dreams to life: Fat Tuesday is upon us. Don’t be a shoemaker and let this sacred Feb. 13 holiday take a backseat to the other big deal: St. Valentine’s Day. I promised myself that this year I wouldn’t pander to the Hallmark card crowd and write another Valentine’s Day column. How many times do I have to tell you not to go to a restaurant on this or Mother’s Day unless you enjoy being treated like an unwanted number and paying unjustifiably inflated prices for a mediocre meal?! Instead, I’m going to have fun and write about Fat Tuesday. I’m in favor of any celebration that includes the word ‘fat.’ Duck fat, bacon fat, butter, chicken fat and lard are all examples of fat, which is just another way of saying delicious. Why is this word so maligned in our culture? I blame it on Californians and their flavorless, boorish, vacuous lifestyle. Fat is flavor! Some see Fat Tuesday as another excuse to get lit, and they couldn’t be more wrong. The food is way more important than the drinking. Happily, Cajun cuisine is very simple to prepare and many ingredients in the larder are similar to our own low country, such as shrimp, oysters, crab and fin fish. When preparing this cuisine style, never discount the importance of a few specific flavor profiles. The first is … fat. All types of game are put to good use in Cajun cooking; the rendered fat from animals such as duck and pig lends extra richness. Roux, a mixture of fat and flour cooked to varying stages of darkness, adds the characteristic nutty flavor to many sauces and stews, like gumbos and étouffées. Equally important is the holy trinity. The triad of bell pepper, green onion and celery adds a distinctive base for most dishes. I crave these flavors year ’round and I don’t limit myself to gumbos, jambalayas
and étouffées. My reach extends to niche items like seafood cheesecakes and classic Creole dishes such as this shrimp rémoulade. Nothing exemplifies my New Year: More Food motto quite like Fat Tuesday. Laissez les bons temps rouler, bébé!
CHEF BILL’S SHRIMP RÉMOULADE
Ingredients • 1 egg yolk • 1/2 lemon, juiced • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard • 1/2 tsp. white vinegar • 6 oz. vegetable oil • 1/2 lemon, zested • 3/4 oz. capers, drained, brunoised • 3/4 oz. cornichons, brunoised • 1 tbsp. scallions, sliced • 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped • 1 tsp. Creole mustard • 1/2 anchovy, minced • 1/2 garlic clove, minced • 1 tbsp. red onion, brunoised • 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce • Tabasco, Creole seasoning, lemon • juice and salt and pepper to taste • 2 tbsp. bacon fat • 1 lb. Mayport shrimp, peeled • and deveined • Creole seasoning as needed Directions 1. Place the egg, lemon juice, mustard 1. and vinegar in a Cuisinart bowl, pulse 1. until smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil, with 1. the motor running, until thick. 2. Pulse in the remaining ingredients to 1. combine. Adjust seasoning. 3. Sauté shrimp in bacon fat, then 1. combine the rémoulade. 4. This can be served over lettuce as a 1. salad or as a killer po’ boy. Until we cook again,
Chef Bill Thompson cheffedup@folioweekly.com
___________________________________
Email Chef Bill Thompson, owner of Fernandina Beach’s Amelia Island Culinary Academy, at cheffedup@folioweekly.com, for inspiration and get Cheffed-Up!
CHEFFED-UP CHEF CH EFFE ED-UP UP G GROCERS’ ROCE RO CERS RS’ COMMUNITY C MMUN CO UNITY BUYGO 22 S. Eighth St., Fernandina Beach EARTH FARE 11901-250 Atlantic Blvd., Arlington JACKSONVILLE FARMERS MARKET 1810 W. Beaver St., Westside NATIVE SUN 11030 Baymeadows Rd., Jacksonville 10000 San Jose Blvd., Mandarin 1585 N. Third St., Jax Beach 32 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
PUBLIX 1033 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine ROWE’S 1670 Wells Rd., Orange Park 8595 Beach Blvd., Southside THE SAVORY MARKET 474380 S.R.-200, Fernandina Beach TERRY’S PRODUCE Buccaneer Trail, Fernandina Beach WHOLE FOODS 10601 San Jose Blvd., Mandarin
GOING BACK TO
M.D. M.J.
CALI, CALI,
CALI
OVERSET
Marijuana reform in the WILD, WILD WEST
THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA MOVEMENT AS we know it began in California, which first voted in favor of legalizing it way back in 1996. It was a different time: Tupac had just died, with Biggie soon to follow, and no one outside of Texas and Chicago had even heard of George W. Bush or Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton was still an embattled FLOTUS, struggling to deflect criticism of her shady financial deals and shadier suicided colleagues; the idea of her ever being anything more than perhaps a guest star on Designing Women was the stuff of stoner fantasia. Meanwhile, Donald Trump was still on his second wife and his fourth bankruptcy. The economy was booming, and everyone thought we could ride that plateau well into the 21st century. But that year, some guy named Osama bin Laden moved his terrorist organization to Afghanistan, and within five years, the entire world would be changed forever. By the time the towers fell in 2001 (never forget!), Proposition 215 had already been struck down by the same Supreme Court that awarded Bush the 2000 election, using the same logic teased now by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. They were having quite the losing streak, to say the least, and the impact of their decisions can still be felt, especially if you’re one of the thousands of Californians who were saddled with marijuana convictions during the last two decades. We’ve noted here before that legislation has been introduced to clear
such convictions on the federal level and, as predicted, that’s opened the door for states to begin moving in that direction on their own, starting with California. Under Proposition 64, which legalized marijuana in the Golden State in November 2016, citizens can petition a judge to have their previous pot convictions reduced or expunged outright. Unfortunately, we all know how legal fees can add up, so most people in need of relief can’t afford to seek it. (My lawyer usually works pro bono, thank goodness, due to the sheer novelty of the trouble I get myself into. I’m kidding, maybe.) District attorneys in San Francisco and San Diego decided to cut out the middleman and start clearing records on their own, turning up some 12,300 possible cases between them. Though still in its infancy, this concept already has serious legs. Colorado copied the proposal just months after it passed in Cali, and Oregon has had something similar in full effect since 2015. Other counties in The Land of Milk & Honey have also begun to move on this, though somewhat slower. You’ll see this trend continue in other states; if I were to wager, I’d say New Jersey’s next. Florida? NEVER. Shelton Hull mail@folioweekly.com ______________________________ Got questions about medical marijuana? Let us answer them. Send inquiries to mail@ folioweekly.com.
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 33
PET PARENTING FOLIO LIVING DEAR
DAVI
GIVE PENNIES,
SAVE PUPPIES Organizations offer assistance caring for pets in times of FINANCIAL DISTRESS
Dear Davi, I have recently fallen on hard times. How am I going to take care of my pet while getting through this rough patch? Stan the Man Stan, Whether it’s a job loss, a family crisis or an emergency home repair, a financial setback can be incredibly stressful. Unfortunately, people strapped for cash sometimes skimp on pet care to afford groceries or pay bills. If your animal needs medical care you can’t afford, don’t despair. There are organizations that may be able to help.
PAWS 4 A CURE provides financial aid
to those who can’t afford veterinary care for their pets. It helps owners of cats and dogs who may have illnesses and injuries, regardless of breed, age or diagnosis. paws4acure.org
THE PET FUND assists in covering nonbasic, non-emergency care. It also provides information on preventive care, pet insurance programs and financial services to help prevent future emergencies. thepetfund.com FELINE VETERINARY EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE offers emergency financial
assistance to cat and kitten guardians unable to afford veterinary services to save their companion with vaccine-associated sarcoma. fveap.org
DIABETIC CATS IN NEED provides onetime assistance with certain insulins and other supplies to low-income caregivers. It also offers feline diabetes educational information. dcin.dreamhosters.com REDROVER RELIEF GRANTS helps with financial aid, resources and support to low-income folks and survivors of domestic violence and their pets, so families can escape together and stay together. redrover.org/relief FRANKIE’S FRIENDS FUND dispenses grants
to cover part of the cost of life-saving or
life-enhancing emergency or specialty care for pets whose families can’t fully pay for treatment. frankiesfriends.org
THE RIEDEL & CODY FUND cares for pets with cancer when owners cannot afford it. Caregivers help raise money for those whose pets suffer with cancer and lack necessary funds for treatment. riedelcody.org THE MAGIC BULLET FUND provides assistance with the cost of treatment for dogs with cancer. themagicbulletfund.org HANDICAPPED PETS FOUNDATION
donates wheelchairs to pets in need. It is dedicated to extending the life of handicapped pets. helping them move and get needed exercise to live long, happy, healthy lives. hpets.org
Many of these organizations are funded by donations, so some programs may be discontinued when funding is no longer available. Keep in mind each organization is independent and has its own set of rules and guidelines. Make sure to investigate carefully to determine if you qualify for assistance. No pet parent wants an animal to suffer because the cost of medical care is out of reach. Financial help is out there and there are steps you can take. First, talk to your veterinarian and explain the situation. Some vet offices have payment plans. Your vet might discuss options to reduce your bill, provide cash discounts or have an emergency fund for those in immediate need of help. If you can afford to, donating funds to your favorite animal aid organization or even your vet’s office emergency fund will help animals in need in the future. It’s a wonderful tribute to the pets who’ve made a difference in your life.
Davi mail@folioweekly.com
____________________________________ Davi lives by the mantra ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed.’
PET TIP: THE NEW SOCIALIZATION GETTING A PET INSTANTLY BOOSTS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE. #LikesForDays. But Miss Pittycat doesn’t need to waste her time interacting with bipeds, not when there are social media platforms for pets only! Check it: Sister companies Catster and Dogster let you share pics and puppy kisses; MyDogSpace and MyCatSpace offer the same plus the latter has a Twitteresque feed called Cat Meows; UnitedCats and UnitedDogs are international sharing networks; and PetBrags is a Facebook group for all kinds. Don’t forget to follow our Davi on Twitter @davidachshund, on Insta @Davi_Dachshund or on Facebook at Folio Weekly’s Pet Parenting Guide by Davi. 34 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
LOCAL PET EVENTS GREETING PEOPLE POLITELY WORKSHOP • This workshop, held 7-8 p.m. Feb. 7 at Petco, 463713 S.R. 200, Yulee, 225-0014, petco.com, provides a basic introduction to manage jumping up issues. Learn the steps to the methodology and how to teach your dog preferred behaviors. Another popular workshop, WAIT & LEAVE IT, held 4-5 p.m. Feb. 13, is a basic introduction on the foundation behaviors “Wait” and “Leave It.” KATZ 4 KEEPS ADOPTION DAYS • Adoption hours and days to choose a new family member are from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Feb.
ADOPTABLES
CiCi
OVERSET
CiCi • I SeeSee YouYou with MeMe • Greetings, humans! My name is CiCi and as you can see, I’m one fat and happy cat. Eating is my business and business is good! Come ask for me at Jacksonville Humane Society, open seven days a week. More information at jaxhumane.org. 10 and 11 and every Saturday and Sunday at 935B A1A N., Ponte Vedra Beach, 834-3223, katz4keeps.org. Katz 4 Keeps seeks volunteers, ages 18 and older, to help with its catcentric programs; email peggyhatfield63@comcast.com. WAIT & LEAVE IT • The workshop, held 4:30-5:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at Petco, 430 CBL Dr., St. Augustine, 824-8520, petco.com, is a basic introduction on the foundation behaviors “Wait” and “Leave It.” Another popular workshop, SIT & DOWN, 5-6 p.m. Feb. 9, is an introduction to basic foundation behaviors. READ WITH DIVA & TENOR • Children practice reading to real, live local therapy dogs, 2-3 p.m. Feb. 10, Mandarin Branch Library, 3330 Kori Rd., 262-5201, jaxpubliclibrary.org. READ TO ROVER • Beginning readers practice reading skills when they read to real, live certified therapy dogs, 11 a.m.-noon on Feb. 10 at Southeast Library, 6670 U.S. 1 S., St. Augustine, 827-6900, sjcpls.org. Read to Rover is also offered 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 at Anastasia Island Branch, 124 Seagrove Main St., St. Augustine Beach. PETCO ADOPTIONS • Adoptable Cats Meet & Greet is held noon-1 p.m. Feb. 10 and 17 at Petco, 950 Marsh Landing Pkwy., Jax Beach, 273-0964, petco.com. YAPPY HOUR • This dog-friendly event, in partnership with Salty Paws Healthy Pet Market and featuring music, food and drink, is held from 5-8 p.m. on Feb. 27 at Atlantic Beach Brewing Company, 725 Atlantic Blvd., Stes. 3 & 15, Atlantic Beach, 372-4116, atlanticbeachbrewingcompany.com.
ADOPTABLES
SAMMIE
SAMMIE • All my friends call me Low Rider. My legs may be short but I’ve got a great waddle! I’d love to be your new BFF. I love car rides, naps and cookies—don’t you? Let’s meet soon at Jacksonville Humane Society, 8464 Beach Blvd., Southside. Come check out the new digs! MAYPORT CATS INC. • This organization implemented a trap-neuter-release program to make a positive difference in the lives of the thousands of cats living in the Mayport Village area. There are many adoptable cats, now living at Marsh Landing Petco. They are either abandoned or have been socialized for adoption rather than release for various reasons; too young, special need, etc. Some have special needs and those needs will be listed in the picture description. Cats are spayed or neutered, had a full exam, FVRCP and rabies vaccination. mayportcats.com. ST. AUGUSTINE HUMANE SOCIETY WELLNESS CLINIC • The community clinic is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. every Wednesday and Thursday at 1665 Moultrie Rd., St. Augustine. The aim is to provide preventive care targeting families experiencing financial hardship, serving the medical needs of animals that otherwise would not receive care. _________________________________________ To list an event, send the name, time, date, location (complete street address, city), admission price, contact number/website to print, to mdryden@folioweekly.com FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 35
FREEWILL ASTROLOGY
DALE RATERMANN’s Folio Weekly Crossword presented by
LEONARDO DA VINCI, FLAMING HOOPS & CHARLES NELSON REILLY
Serving Excellence Since 1928 Member American Gem Society
San Marco 2044 San Marco Blvd. 398-9741
Ponte Vedra
THE SHOPPES OF PONTE VEDRA
330 A1A North 280-1202
Avondale 3617 St. Johns Ave. 388-5406
FOLIO WEEKLY CROSSWORD 1
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55 King’s deputy 57 Gourmet’s pride 59 Had a Po’ Boy at Moxie 60 Good to hear 63 Elate 66 Jacksonville Brave who Henry Aaron called “the greatest manager who ever lived” 69 Like some nuts 70 “___ lost!” 71 Calmness 72 Some chickens 73 Sun spot 74 Gators game airer, often
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.doc alternative Feel bad Take orders early Concert goer Bolles, e.g. One past 12 Lady’s man Lo-___ (lite) Jellyfish attack Balloon filler Parties, to pirates? Campaigned for a Florida House seat
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44 From our neck of the woods 47 Dance steps 48 1/20 ton (Abbr.) 49 Cent gent 51 Diminutive 53 Sleek and chic 56 Pass the buck 58 Nabokov girl 61 Metro Diner fare 62 Onion kin 63 Tampa coll. 64 PGA norm 65 Bortles stats 67 M Shack meas. 68 Tokyo cash
TP layer Mayo IV units Small bird Ambulance letters Latin way “Got it!” Raw mineral Fishing gear NASA, for one Volcanic flow Top Jag, initially Sen. Gibson, e.g. Therefore Boudoir wear Roy G. ___ Ragtime fish
SOLUTION TO 1.31.18 PUZZLE S T A G E
L A U R A
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C O A H E R A R M
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H I A F R F D A Y L K Y A P L S E C A P U T O B T A W T A E R R P
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The U.S. Geological Survey recently announced it had come up with improved maps of the planet’s agricultural regions. Better satellite imagery helped, as did more thorough analysis of the imagery. The new data show the Earth is covered with 618 million more acres of croplands than had once been thought. That’s 15 percent more! In the months ahead, a similar expansion in your awareness of how many resources are available occurs. You’ll find you’re more fertile than you thought.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): At 32, the man later known as Dr. Seuss wrote his first kid’s book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. His efforts to find a readership went badly at first—27 publishers rejected him. On the verge of abandoning his quest, he saw an old college classmate on the street. The friend, who’d begun working at Vanguard Press, expressed interest in the book. Voila! Mulberry Street was published. Dr. Seuss later said if he’d been strolling on the other side of the street that lucky day, his career as a children’s books author might not have happened. Your chances of having similar luck in the weeks ahead are extra high. Be alert!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In 1939, Scorpio comic book writer Bob Kane co-created fictional sci-fi superhero Batman. The “Caped Crusader” became an icon, appearing in blockbuster movies, TV shows and comic books. Kane said one inspiration for Batman was a flying machine envisioned by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 16th century. The Italian artist and inventor drew an image of a winged glider he wanted to build for a person to wear. You’re in a phase when you, like Kane, draw inspiration from the past. Scavenge through history for good ideas!
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A survey of British Christians found most are loyal to just six of the Ten Commandments. They still think it’s bad to steal, kill and lie, but they don’t think it’s a sin to revere idols, work on the Sabbath, worship other gods or use the Lord’s name in a curse. In accordance with astrological omens, be inspired by their rebellion. The next few weeks are a good time to re-evaluate old traditions and belief systems, and toss what no longer suits the new person you’ve become.
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Big-chair bear Lambert International Airport code Note below D Kind of bike Stein Mart’s Hunt Hawkins, e.g. Keyless Florida’s longest serving U.S. Senator Long list Plate refills Badger Nonetheless Crude metal Tim Deegan weather word Buddhist monks Cowford steak order Witch city Gave a hoot Yankee hater Local cemetery where 17- and 66-Across are buried ___ Harbour WJCT teaser Hajj goal Waffle House rival Bites to bits RWR successor
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ARIES (March 21-April 19): British athlete Liam Collins is an accomplished hurdler. In 2017, he won two medals at World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in South Korea. He’s also a stuntman and street performer who hurtles over chainsaws and leaps blindfolded through flaming hoops. You may have a dual capacity with some resemblances to his. You may hit a high point expressing skills in your chosen field, and branch out in extraordinary or flamboyant variations on your specialty.
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CANCER (June 21-July 22): While serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Don Karkos lost the sight in his right eye after being hit by shrapnel. Now, 64 years later, he regained his vision when a horse he was grooming butted him in the head. Based on upcoming astrological omens, will you soon have a metaphorically comparable restoration? My analysis suggests you’ll undergo a healing and something lost will return or be returned. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The candy cap mushroom (scientific name Lactarius rubidus), is a burnt orange color. It’s small to medium-sized with a convex cap. That’s where its resemblance to other mushrooms ends. Dried out, it tastes and smells like maple syrup. Grind it into a powder and use it to sweeten cakes, cookies and custards. According to my astrological omenanalysis, this unusual fungus family member is an apt metaphor now. You, too, have access to a resource or influence that’s deceptive, but in a good way— with a charm and good flavor unlike from what its appearance might indicate. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): New Jersey grandfather Jimmie Smith decided to check the pockets of an old shirt he hadn’t worn much. He found a lottery ticket he’d stashed away months before; when he realized it had a winning number, he cashed it in for $24.1 million—just two days before it was to expire. There may be a comparable development in your future, though the reward would be more modest. Is there a valuable you’ve forgotten about or neglected? It’s not too late to claim it.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I was watching a four-player poker game on TV. The folksy commentator said the assortment of cards belonging to player Mike was “like Anna Kournikova,” because “it looks great but it never wins.” He was referring to the fact that during her pro tennis career, Kournikova was fêted for her physical beauty but never won a singles title. This remark is a useful admonishment for you in the weeks ahead. Don’t rely on stuff that looks good but never wins. Trust in influences a bit homely or unassuming but more likely to contribute to success. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In China, Wang Kaiyu bought two black-furred puppies from a stranger and took them home to his farm. As the months went by, Wang noticed his pets seemed unusually hungry and aggressive. They’d sometimes eat his chickens. When they were two years old, he figured out they weren’t dogs, but Asian black bears. He gave to a local animal rescue center. This may resemble an experience of yours. Mistaken identity? A surprise during a ripening process? A misunderstanding about what you’re doing? Make adjustments and corrections. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Charles Nelson Reilly was a famous American actor, director and drama teacher. He appeared in or directed many films, plays and TV shows. In the 1970s, when he was in his 40s, he impersonated a banana in commercials for Bic Banana Ink Crayons—apparently he wasn’t too attached to dignity. Pride didn’t interfere with his ability to experiment. In his pursuit of creative expression, he valued the art of play and fun. Be inspired by his example during the next few weeks. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): According to ancient Greek writer Herodotus, Persians didn’t hesitate to deliberate about important matters while drunk. Yet they wouldn’t finalize an intoxicated decision until they re-evaluated it when sober. The reverse was also true. Choices made sober had to be reassessed when they were inebriated. You’d be wise to consider key decisions from not just a coolly rational mindset, but from a frisky intuitive perspective, too. To arrive at a wise verdict, you need both.
Rob Brezsny freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com
NEWS OF THE WEIRD NEWS THAT SOUNDS LIKE A JOKE In Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, drivers of black cars face high costs to repaint their cars white or silver after President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov banned black vehicles because he thinks the color white brings good luck. Police began seizing dark-colored vehicles in late December, and owners have to apply for permission to repaint and re-register them. The average wage in Ashgabat is about $300 a month (1,200 manats); one Turkman told Radio Free Europe he was quoted 7,000 manats for a paint job, but was told the price would rise within a week to 11,000 manats. “Even if I don’t spend any money anywhere, I’ll be forced to hand over [most of] my entire annual salary just to repaint,” the unnamed man said—his black car had already been impounded.
AMERICAN IDIOT Noting that “nobody else has done it,” on Jan. 4 Nebraska state Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus proposed a novel constitutional amendment to stimulate growth in western Nebraska: Delegate complete or partial sovereignty over a designated, limited and sparsely populated area. “If I were a major business, I would not want Omaha or Lincoln ... telling me what to do,” Schumacher said. The Lincoln Journal Star reported the senator says his concept would attract businesses wanting no state or local taxes and no state or local regulations. It offers the chance to “have your own state,” he explained. The Nebraska legislature must approve the resolution before citizens vote on it.
NO DOGS BUT THAT SHOTGUN’S OK Tennessee’s legislature has a newly renovated home in the Cordell Hull building in Nashville, so Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Beth Harwell have outlined new rules. “Hand-carried signs and signs on hand sticks” will be strictly prohibited because they pose a “serious safety hazard.” Animals, too, will be turned away at the door, reported The Tennessean on Dec. 21. But in a dizzying twist of irony, McNally and Harwell
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will continue a policy they enacted last year: Letting holders of valid gun permits to bring weapons into the building.
WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ PNEUMATIC TUBES Tampa resident Douglas Jon Francisco, 28, was arrested for DUI after he mistook a Spring Hill bank drive-thru lane for a Taco Bell. On Jan. 17, around 5 p.m., the bank branch manager noticed a driver passed out in a blue Hyundai sedan in the drive-thru lane. When the manager went out to the car and banged on the window, Francisco woke up and tried to order a burrito, according to Tampa Bay Times. After being told the bank didn’t serve Mexican fast food, Francisco drove to the front of the building and parked. Deputies found him and gave a field sobriety test, which he failed. “He made several statements that were differing from reality,” a Hernando County Sheriff ’s deputy reported.
WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ KUMBAYA A Facebook event calling for a candlelight vigil to remember a destroyed Taco Bell in Montgomery, Alabama, started as a joke. But according to United Press International, about 100 people showed up Jan. 21 to pay their respects to the popular fast-food joint, which burned on Jan. 17 after electrical equipment sparked a fire. The owner promised to rebuild and “have a true celebration upon re-opening.”
IT’S LIKE A MARX BROTHERS MOVIE! In Dresden, Germany, police reported two men were injured on Jan. 15 after hitting each other with their cars in consecutive accidents. The first man, 49, pulled into a handicapped parking spot, saw his error and backed out, accidentally hitting a 72-year-old man walking behind the car. The two men exchanged information for a report, then the older man got in his car and backed out of his parking spot, hitting the younger man. Both men suffered only slight injuries, according to the Associated Press.
weirdnewstips@amuniversal.com
February 13 is GET A DIFFERENT NAME DAY. Feb. 9 is TOOTHACHE DAY. We’re not sure that means get a toothache or cure a toothache, but we know a gentle lady dentist who’ll help regardless. Different Name? Like when you get married? Ha! Fat chance (Feb. 13 is Fat Tuesday!). Unless you take our advice and observe MAKE A FRIEND DAY (Feb. 11), and get with Folio Weekly’s sure-fire ISU program.
For a chance to find the love of your life, get on your digital device, go to folioweekly.com/i-saw-u.html and follow these five easy steps: One:
Write a five-word headline so the person recalls that perfect moment, like: “In dentist’s office waiting room.” Two: Describe the person, like, “You: Leafing through back issues of glossy mags, trying to find a new hairstyle to change your look and outlook.” Three: Describe yourself, like, “Me: Moaning in the corner chair, reading pamphlets on Invisalign and knowing all I needed was a pair of pliers.” Four: Describe the moment, like, “You said I looked like a cartoon, all swollen and tearyeyed with tubes of Oragel falling from my pockets. I cried even harder.” Five: Meet, fall in love, get a tin grin. No names, emails, websites, etc. And HEY, keep it to 40 words. Find love with Folio Weekly ISUs! BLACK VELVET KITTYCAT SLIPPERS 7 a.m., didn’t want to be at Quest Diagnostics till you walked in. You: Beautiful, tiny, long, dark hair, big black horn-rimmed glasses. Me: Stocky, black NY cap, black sweatshirt, Adidas high-tops. Regret no “Hello.” Dinner? When: Feb. 2. Where: Beach Blvd. Quest Diagnostics. #1690-0207 TACO TUESDAYS We were feeding bottomless pits (our kids). You snagged last inside table, offered to share. You: Confident, beautiful, loving, enthusiastic mother. Me: Getting my head examined for not getting your number. Tacos again next week? When: Jan. 30. Where: Tijuana Flats Bartram Park. #1689-0207 MISSED YOUR LAST MESSAGES Waxed non-poetic on Sponge Bob, versions of ‘What a Fool Believes’. Easy, sweet conversation; missed messages before you ditched app (saw notifications; didn’t open). Silly to think you left number for me; feel you did. When: Dec. 28. Where: Tinder in the Duval. #1688-0117 PHOTOBOMB LIONS FOUNTAIN SAN MARCO The photographer turned into my path; I was a jerk, raised my hands. I got closer, you turned and faced me. I sat, put my arm around you; she took our picture. Lunch? Dinner? Drinks? When: Jan. 2. Where: San Marco Square. #1687-0110 HOGWARTS EXPRESS You: Stunning smile, blonde highlights, left hand tattoo. Me: Long hair, glasses, buying brother Hedwig mug. Talked about your Universal experience. I’d be honored to wait in butter beer line with you. When: Dec. 24. Where: Ponte Vedra (Jax Beach) Books-A-Million. #1686-0103 HANDSOME ELEVATOR DUDE Rode in elevator with you, leaving. I remember your blue eyes. We were with friends. I liked you. Let’s have a drink together. Me: tall(er)?, long hair, floral dress, combat boots. Think you wore a suit. When: Dec. 15. Where: River & Post. #1685-1227 BEAUTIFUL DRESS, STOCKINGS You: In cute dress, with bow pattern, black cute-patterned stockings. I sat two tables from you and noticed you walk by me to sit down. We briefly noticed each other as I walked out. When: Dec. 7. Where: JTB Chicken Salad Chick. #1683-1213 AIRPORT CUTIE You: Dark hair, slim, black shirt, gray pants, Nixon backpack. Me: Curvy, curly short
hair, leggings, leather backpack. Went to Cali same day; back same day. Wanted convo; didn’t see you. Captivating aura. Who/where are you? Don’t go! When: Nov. 15. Where: Jax Intl. Airport. #1682-1206 IN PURGATORY WITHOUT YOU You: Working D&B’s counter; took time to find me a cool card. Me: Wearing Purgatory Co. shirt; agreed Purgatory’s a strange name for beautiful place. I’d love to get lost in your eyes once more. When: Nov. 19. Where: Dave & Buster’s. #1681-1222 HAGAR CONCERT ENCOUNTER We met at Sammy Hagar, talked; you and bro came over. Looked for you again, didn’t find. Tried to find at Jags game; couldn’t. Meet sometime? I’d like that. My name starts with M; yours with T. When: Nov. 11. Where: St. Augustine Amphitheatre. #1680-1122 I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW Me: Playing guitar, singing at Super Food. You: Entered alone, said you’d stay for one song, asked for my card, last name. I played “I Think We’re Alone Now.” I’m on Facebook. Should’ve asked your number. When: Nov. 1. Where: Super Food & Brew, Downtown. #1679-1108 MAN IN UNIFORM AT TARGET You: In Navy uniform, buying bleach at self-checkout. Me: Laughing at orange makeup with elderly mom. ISU in parking lot, new black Ram. Severely regret not saying hello. This is worth trying. When: Oct. 31. Where: Target, Beach & Hodges. #1678-1108 SEEKING MY “WOOD” ISU bum a smoke after Florida-Georgia. Noticed your sad eyes, New Balances, tube socks. We talked. You: Frat boy, pleated shorts; name ends in “wood.” Me: blonde, dirty martini, looking for love in all the wrong places. When: Oct. 29. Where: Mellow Mushroom Avondale. #1677-1108 NURSE ME TO HEALTH You: Misplaced duck living in the inky waters of gator land. Me: Furry, educated, feral. Told me how you left your true love back home. I’d let you hold the leash if we go on walks. When: Oct. 10. Where: Aardwolf Brewery. #1676-1108 HEY WHOOPING COUGH You: Ryan Gosling has nothing on you, esp when it comes to good advice. You said try Robitussin–I’d rather try you. Me: Getting over a cold, hope I didn’t ruin your movie. Meet for “coughee” sometime? When: Oct. 6. Where: “Blade Runner,” Sun-Ray. #1675-1011 FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 37
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EXPLOITATION
Teacher says Florida underfunds and UNDERVALUES PUBLIC EDUCATION
BY THE
BOOK MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW IT, BUT DUVAL COUNTY’S public schoolteachers have been working without a contract since the last one expired last July. A huge sticking point had been the amount of raises for teachers, which is going to get a little wonky for a moment. Seven years ago, after Senate Bill 736 passed, districts were forced to change how they evaluated and paid teachers. Now student test scores would factor heavily into how school districts do both. In the last contract Duval Teachers United and the district negotiated in 2014, two pay scales were created. One pay scale was for teachers who were hired after 2010; another bill stripped teachers of work protections, which were commonly and inaccurately referred to as tenure, putting new teachers on one-year contracts from which they could be let go for any or no reason at the school year’s end. The other pay scale, called the “grandfather pay scale,” was for veteran teachers who still had work protections. Teachers without work protections could expect a $1,000 raise if they received an effective evaluation, $2,000 for a highly effective one, while teachers on the grandfather pay scale received more modest wage increases, though they could give up their job protections and join the new pay scale should they choose. I—and most veteran teachers I know—chose to remain on the grandfather scale. That brings us to the current negotiation, with the sticking point of the $1,000 and $2,000 raises. The district, feeling the pinch from the previous superintendent’s financial mismanagement, started the 2017-’18 school year $12 million in the hole. Couple this with the state continuously (in my opinion) criminally underfunding education and the district was caught between a rock and a hard place. So teachers started the year without a contract and without any raises—not $1,000 nor $2,000 nor the more modest raises that were negotiated. Likewise, stipends for hardto-fill positions or for teachers who worked at special schools were held back and, as you can imagine, as the year dragged on, this caused more frustration for many. That frustration, however, may be coming to an end, as the district and union reached
a tentative agreement the week of Jan. 8, wherein the $1,000 and $2,000 raises were kept intact. That should’ve been the end of the story. Except it’s not, not even close, because as long as we have a government in Tallahassee and education leaders here at home who continue to underfund and kneecap public education, we will continue to have problems. Florida is chronically near the bottom when it comes to education funding and, factoring in inflation, our schools get less than they did in 2007, the year before the Great Recession. Furthermore, now, thanks to last year’s House Bill 7069, the district is required to share what meager funds it has with charter schools, many of which are for-profit. Locally, Duval County School Board Member Scott Shine supported the measure because he said he expected Tallahassee to dramatically increase education funding. It did not. He also said he believed union teachers would lose their jobs—but that’s a topic for a different post. Last fall, at a board meeting discussion about suing the state over House Bill 7069, Shine said the Republican members of the Duval Delegation voted for the bill because they didn’t know what was in it and because it was House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s priority, and those members were afraid to cross the speaker. Then there’s local businessman Gary Chartrand, whose name you’ve no doubt heard a lot. He’s responsible for bringing Teach for America, which puts non-education members through a six-week access course and then into our neediest schools, where they’re supposed to serve a two-year commitment, so that our most vulnerable students see a revolving door of teachers—the exact opposite of what they need. He also brought the KIPP charter school to town and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission, after Chartrand made large donations to Mayor Lenny Curry, changed its rules so it now funds part of the KIPP school day; before this, it had funded only afterschool programs. Mayor Curry, Chartrand and JCC might argue that correlation is not causation, but the relationship is clear. Chartrand also joined with a group of philanthropists to create the Quality
Education for All Fund, which pledged nearly $50 million over five years to Duval County Public Schools, the only caveats being that the district must spend the money on what they told it to and the district had to continue funding the programs when the money ran out. Last summer, when the district balked, Chartrand threatened to withhold money the QEA had promised but not yet delivered. Perhaps worst of all, though, Chartrand is now finishing his second term on the State Board of Education, despite the fact he has no education experience, was never a teacher and sent his children to expensive private schools. While on the board, he advocated for teachers to lose work protections, but he’s never advocated for Tallahassee to adequately fund education. Duval County is at the epicenter for what ails education in Florida. Here we have a school board member who roots for schools to fail so union teachers can be fired and for-profit charter schools can make even more money; a mayor who has rules changed to fund his donor’s pet project; a delegation that’s ignorant about what they’re voting on and did so only to please a powerful legislator; and an influential businessman out of his depth who wields money like a club, gives campaign donations to get what he wants and threatens when he doesn’t. Despite my spending much of the last decade criticizing DCPS, I do believe we have such promise—but it’s a promise we’ll never meet as long as the city reflexively votes for and supports people like Shine, Chartrand and the Republican members of the Duval Delegation who seek to harm our schools. So, Duval Teachers United and Duval Public Schools have finally negotiated a new contract and I sincerely believe each has done the best they can. Unfortunately, it’s a contract in which most teachers don’t have work protections, will pay them far below the national average and what professionals with the same level of education receive because, sadly, that’s all the state of Florida allows.
Chris Guerreri mail@folioweekly.com
_____________________________________ Guerrieri, a longtime Duval County teacher, manages the Education Matters blog. FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 39