Few events kick off with as much success and optimistic energy as this past Saturday’s 600 Block Party in downtown St. Petersburg. The May 8 event was both a celebration of the block’s renaissance and the restoration of the Crislip Arcade as well as an introduction to the new businesses located there, many of them opening their doors for the first time on this night. [All photos by James Zambon.]
We arrived around 9 p.m. to find a healthy crowd of Bay area folks enjoying the festivities up and down Central Avenue, which was closed off to cars at Sixth (where an outdoor stage was set up) and Seventh (in front of State Theatre, where the Aquabats were playing).
Host/local personality Sterling Powell was in the midst of presenting the next bit of entertainment – a fashion show featuring styles from the block’s retail shops, like All Sewn Up Boutique and MISRED Outfitters – but we made a beeline to The Local 662, the venue formerly known as The Garage.
The Local 662 is the new live music venture of Tony Rifugiato (No Clubs Productions) and Mark Assiff (State Theatre), and the improvements made from its Garage days (when it was arguably one of the worst venues in St. Pete) are substantial, if subtle. The room has a more spacious feel, possibly due to the removal of the upraised section in the back of the room, and the area is now filled with tables and chairs. The sound system is good and loud, there's a full-liquor bar (another thing the Garage lacked), the garish red walls have been painted a pleasant shade of periwinkle and decked with huge vibrant art pieces, and above the bar, a pair of rectangular wooden shelves/cubbyholes display hand-crafted works; on this night, they held a series of paper-mache boulders festooned with unusual designs. Assiff told me later that he plans to feature a rotating cast of local artists on display at the venue, and will stage art events in addition to concerts. Assiff will hold an official grand opening party in June. Stay tuned…
The music kicked off with Brahm Bones, which rocked out their dark, soaring, Southern-flavored roots music, lead singer Blake Masters belting out the lyrics in his high scratchy timbre with much pained feeling and keyboardist Matt E. Lee (also of Poetry n’ Lotion) adding swells of psychedelic texture to the mix.
This article appears in May 5-11, 2010.