Folk off! A great lineup of contemporary folk art and music, the Folkfest St. Pete returns to the 1100 block of Central Avene and once again benefits Creative Clay. The outdoor street fest features Have Gun Will Travel, Keith Jones, Rebekah Pulley and other acts as well as food trucks, a beer garden, a VIP area and children’s play area. Friday night Green Bench Brewery is hosting “Folkfest Friday Night” with special craft brews and live tunes by Oxford Noland at 8 p.m., Someday River at 9 p.m. and Bird Tribe at 10 p.m. on the Folkfest stage. $5. Events through Sunday. folkfeststpete.org.
Wading their way back to Florida: Originally from West Palm Beach, popular indie rock band Surfer Blood released third studio album 1000 Palms in May and will be playing tunes from it tonight at the Crowbar in Ybor City. Sadly, guitarist Thomas Fekete, won't be with the lineup. He’s currently battling an aggressive form of cancer and Surfer Blood has been collecting donations throughout the tour to help with his treatments. Openers include Colorado’s Sound of Ceres, The Candy Claws and Alexander and the Grapes, who are at their best now with a potent mixture of folk rock and power pop. crowbarlive.com. Other concerts this weekend include Public Image Limited, Mary J. Blige, Little River Band and Riverhawk Music Festival. See Ear Buds for more.
Off the cuff fun: The Tampa Improv Festival is bigger than ever with acts from across the nation performing at Ybor's Silver Meteor Gallery. Locals are headlining Friday (The Third Thought, Bay to Bay) and Saturday night (Hawk & Wayne). For more details, visit tampaimprovfestival.com and read interviews with Gavin Hawk, Ricky Wayne and Nicholas Riggs (of PDC) in CL's Comedy Issue.
Deliciously funny: If you havent' seen Jonathan Harrison as a singing Hannibal Lecter yet, Silence the Musical! is still up at the Jaeb Theater. Make sure you don't miss a chance to see it this weekend (runs through Nov. 15). Click here for review.
Art in motion: The USF Fall Dance Concert premieres this weekend, featuring choreography by USF faculty members Andrew Carroll, Michael Foley, John Parks and Jeanne Travers, as well as choreographer Susan Douglas Roberts (Texas Christian University) — and more than 60 USF dancers, with pieces varying in historical context, style, technology and genre. “The level of work we can make gets better and better. It all feeds on itself,” Andee Scott, assistant professor of ballet, modern dance and choreography at USF told CL contributor Melanie Wiesen in a story about the concert and the dance department's new Emerging Choreographer’s Opportunity (EChO) . “We are lucky we have a fully produced show with support because these dancers are amazing,” he adds. Runs Nov. 6-7 and 13-15 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 8 & 15 at 3 p.m., Theatre 1 USF Tampa Campus, 3839 W. Holly Drive. $15 general admission. arts.usf.edu.
Attention music lovers with vanguard taste: If you can dig ingenious arrangements, bleeps, bangs, brrrips and beeps and you are not one of the Muppets (or maybe one at heart), The Venture Compound is presenting the St. Pete Noise Fest Friday and Saturday. Click here for event page.
Not just any flea market — it's fancy: Set your GPS to 289 Ritter St., Plant City, to navigate to the Florida State Fairgrounds, where the Fancy Flea Mall will boast more than 250 unique vintage and shabby chic vendors from throughout Florida. More details here.
Rachmaninoff & more: The Florida Orchestra makes its rounds of the local performing arts theaters with Rouse's Prospero’s Rooms, Rachmaninoff's The Bells, and Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky/Ravel. Michael Francis conducts and will be joined by The Master Chorale of Tampa. floridaorchestra.org.
Dunedin Art Harvest time again: Dunedin's most popular art festival is back and will feel mighty surreal without the crisp temperatures and cool breezes we're used to for the outdoor juried art festival. More than 200 artists from around the country will be exhibiting in 13 categories Saturday and Sunday. 1920 Pinehurst Road. Click here for event's website.
India Festival: Indulge in a cultural immersion with 150 food, clothing and jewelry vendors, dance performances, a fashion show and ethnic folk dancing competitions. $9, $5. indiafestivaltampa.com.
This article appears in Nov 5-11, 2015.