Five Things to Do Today
1. Tampa Theatre continues its extended run of Brideshead Revisted, a film based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh that takes place in pre-WWII England and follows a young man who becomes hopelessly involved with a noble family. 7:30 p.m., 711 N. Franklin St., downtown Tampa, $9 adults/$8 students/$7 seniors and military, 813-274-8981. Ben Whishaw,…
Lovely new Nascimento ablum on the way.
Here’s a heads-up for world-music fans, or lovers of lushly melodic pop music. Milton Nascimento, 65-year-old icon of Brazilian music, will release his first album in five years, Novas Bossas, on Sept. 30 through Blue Note in the U.S. I listened to an advance download, and the music is flat-out gorgeous. Nascimento’s ethereal voice, including…
Paul gets his kicks on Route 66
As unbelievable as it may sound, Paul McCartney has been traveling America's most iconic stretch of road in a Ford Bronco with girlfriend Nancy Shevell. Over the course of his trip, the cute Beatle has been spotted strolling an Illinois museum, asking for a map from a Missouri convenience store, shopping for antiques and snapping…
Appreciating Isaac Hayes, a bad muthah…
Isaac Hayes, that pimpin’ progenitor of symphonic soul, died yesterday at 65; relatives found him by a still-running treadmill in his home in Memphis. Hayes, aka Black Moses, contributed to the soundtrack of my high school years. His biggest hit, “Theme From Shaft,” starts with a long instrumental section built around swirling strings and wah-wah-drenched…
I’m on vacation
That's right. I'll be spending the next seven days drinking myself into a blissed-out stupor. My younger sister Beth is scheduled to arrive in town from Colorado at 7 p.m. today. I'll be taking her to see our pal (and Blind Pig recording artist) Damon Fowler perform Wednesday at Green Iguana in Ybor City. On…
Seminole Heights Rallies to Save Whaley’s Market
I'm sure you've read the sad accounts of Whaley's Market closing in South Tampa. (Our own CL music critic Wade Tatangelo even devoted a Top 10 to them). But one neighborhood is not content to wallow in pity over the independent grocery store's demise. Residents of Seminole Heights are begging Whaley's to relocate to their…
Five Things To Do Today
1. Start your Monday with some good old fashioned absurdity – check out Rockafire Explosion, an animatronic band of animals (formerly of ShowBiz Pizza Place restaurants) who are enjoying a YouTube revival with performances of anything from the White Stripes’ “Conquest,” to Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” to Usher’s “Love in this Club.” Pictured: Comedian/cymbalist Rolfe…
Celeb deaths come in threes
First, it was Bernie Mac, dead of pneumonia. Then, Isaac Hayes, dead of treadmilling. Who will complete the trilogy of dead African American celebs? I asked my colleagues: "Morgan Freeman was supposed to be the first one, but somehow escaped the grim reaper in his car crash." "Samuel L. Jackson, he was working on a…
Crist appears on CNN Sunday morning
In today's St. Pete Times, political columnist Adam C. Smith says it's time for Gov. Charlie Crist to forget about any vice presidential aspirations he might still be harboring, citing the "return $50,000 of suspicious campaign donations [to John McCain] funneled through Charlie Crist's pal and top fundraiser, Harry Sargeant III of Boca Raton." Earlier…
Bush in his element
We’ve finally found something that President George W. Bush is good at: Cheerleader. Jock prez Bush has been all over the Beijing Olympics, sitting in the stands, kibitzing with the athletes, riding the mountain bike course. After beach volleyballer Misty May-Treanor invited him to slap her on the ass – a customary gesture of…
U.S.A. Basketball is worth your time. Believe it.
Do yourself a favor and watch the U.S.A. Basketball team in the Olympics. I just saw them rout China, and was impressed. Yes, there was the assortment of spectacular dunks and amazing no-look passes, but the U.S. players didn’t come off as showboaters. It’s just how they play – frenetic and fast-paced. The Redeem Team, as…
Excuse me, that’s my naked body you’re looking at
So, it finally happens: Airport security has gotten so ridiculous, and we've become such fearful little hamsters, that by the end of the year, we'll all be submitting to electronic strip searches. I don't want to linger on the civil liberties questions raised by the Tampa International Airport's purchase of four body imaging machines. It…
Tailgunner Joe at New World Brewery
This highly recommended gig features neoclassic rockers (with a healthy hint of punk) Tailgunner Joe and the Earls of Slander, ace Americana act Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England, of Orlando, plus Louis DeFabrizio of Gasoline Heart. It was announced too late for Music Week. Here's my Tailgunner Joe profile that ran in…
Don’t worry about Bucs QB
This post is not about Brett Favre. Well, peripherally, perhaps. Local sports-talk radio is abuzz in the aftermath of the Bucs’ failed attempt to trade for [you know who], the main issue being how incumbent QB Jeff Garcia will react. Garcia’s always been an underdog type — too small, not a great arm — so…
The Comedy Munchies
“Who is 420?” asked a sightseeing couple last Wednesday. They had stayed in Ybor City later than they should have and suddenly found themselves surrounded by mild-mannered dope fiends giggling their way to The Improv for the 420 Friendly Comedy Show. Emma and I were trying to hand out the last few tickets to the…
Five Things to Do This Weekend
1. See photos taken by Bay area youths, works by more than 60 local artists, wine and more during Tampa Artist Emporium’s monthly Arts Mixer on Saturday evening. Pictured below: An original shot by Megan of Alpha House. 2. Nervous Turkey hawks its new album, Fat Boy Likes to Roll, at a CD Release Party at…
Gypsy is back!
After Suncoast Resort announced it was closing last year, Gypsy Productions — the Bay area's sole purveyor of gay alternative theater — found itself without a home. Gypsy Artistic Director Trevor Kellor has recently returned to the scene and stages his company's first production in more than a year later at The Ritz in (Ga)Ybor. The play…
Hippies, turkeys and more in Music Week
The next seven days find Amanda Shaw at the Skipperdome on Friday, Hippiefest going down Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall and a slew of other shows to choose from — Nervous Turkey, Dear Hunter, Coheed and Cambria, and much more — in Music Week.
Slang, then and now
Sometimes I lie in bed and think about words (sometimes I think of other stuff as well). Happened just the other day. I was rummaging through my memories to come up with some of our favorite slang phrases during my adolescence in the early-to-mid-’70s. I grew up in suburban New York, and having subsequently met…
Five Things to Do Today
1. New York prog rockers Coheed and Cambria (pictured; photo by Chapman Baehler) play a concert at Jannus Landing ronight; Russian Circles and the Secret Machines provide support. 2. See the country’s top 15 drum corps teams compete during Big, Loud & Live 5, a five-hour simulcast of the 2008 DCI World Championship Quarterfinals. 3.…
Kissing and telling in Bar Tab
This week's Bar Tab column found me admitting to something I'd frowned upon here. It's not easy coming clean. But I did, just for you, dear reader. Here's a snippet: Sal (glaring): Goddamn it, Wade, keep that down. Me (giggling): My bad. Want some? Sal (shaking his head): No. I had killed the bottle and…
Amanda Shaw really isn’t a ditz
Here are quotes that I couldn't fit into my new music feature, "Amanda Shaw, Pretty girl: But she's selling her music, not her looks." Click the link for the story, info on the 18-year-old, New Orleans-based, Cajun-pop luminary's Friday (Aug. 8) gig at Skipper's Smokehouse and to hear samples from Shaw's latest album, Pretty Runs…
Will Quinlan, HGWT, Geri X at Kelly’s Pub
Will Quinlan, Have Gun, Will Travel and Geri X will perform this Friday (Aug. 8) at Kelly's Pub in downtown Tampa. I had the wrong venue here (it's now been corrected) and in print. Apologies. This is a highly recommended show featuring three of Tampa Bay's top Americana/singer-songwriter acts and I'm genuinely pissed at myself…
A tear and Top 10 for Whaley’s
The closing of Whaley's Market in SoHo has me in a sad, blue funk. I live within short walking distance and eat/shop there regularly. The establishment's $5 sandwiches — "ham and swiss on rye, lettuce, tomato, a little deli mustard, please" — are an integral part of my diet. Same goes for the Best of…
Musings on the Rays
No doubt baseball can be dull. But Evan Longoria’s at-bat last night in the 7th inning against Cleveland was one of those moments that make the game worth watching. He crushed two Rafael Betancourt pitches deep into the left field stands, just foul. Longoria’s body language oozed confidence at the plate. I’m thinking, “You should…
Five Things to Do Today
1. Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center presents Living Things We Love to Hate, a film that focuses on slugs, snakes, bats and other creepy creatures. 2. California-by-way-of-Cincinnati comedian Gary Owen brings his stand-up to the Tampa Improv for a single-night show. 3. On tonight’s episode of Project Runway, the designers must create a sports-themed…
Oyster Sex Leads To Oyster Herpes
They're sex on the half-shell. The classic aphrodisiac. Just the thought of those glistening gobs of mollusk muscle sliding down your throat is enough to send a shudder through Pfizer. But can oysters be too sexy? Well, sure. Just like with humans, an oyster's unhealthy fixation on its own naughty bits are sure to bring…
Oyster Sex Leads To Oyster Herpes
They're sex on the half-shell. The classic aphrodisiac. Just the thought of those glistening gobs of mollusk muscle sliding down your throat is enough to send a shudder through Pfizer. But can oysters be too sexy? Well, sure. Just like with humans, an oyster's unhealthy fixation on its own naughty bits are sure to bring…
Next Big Thing: Peruvian Food
Recently, Todd English (celeb chef and owner of about 1 metric bazillion restaurants) called Peruvian cuisine "the next big thing." Bon Appetit's new food blog quickly weighed in, declaring it a trend that needs an ambassador, and pointing to Peruvian celeb chef Gaston Acurio as — possibly — the face that could launch a thousand…
Next Big Thing: Peruvian
Recently, Todd English (celeb chef and owner of about 1 metric bazillion restaurants) called Peruvian cuisine "the next big thing." Bon Appetit's new food blog quickly weighed in, declaring it a trend that needs an ambassador, and pointing to Peruvian celeb chef Gaston Acurio as — possibly — the face that could launch a thousand…
Performance: Girls, girls, girls
Saturday, Aug. 9
Theater: ABBA Mamma
Wednesday, Aug. 20
Theater:Rally the troops
Wednesday, Aug. 13
Art: Block Party
Tuesday, Aug. 12
Art hits the streets of downtown Clearwater
Peace, Harmony and a Sorcerer’s Gate on a sidewalk near you
Hippiefest: Wear some flowers in your hair
While it's hard to overlook the intrinsic cheesiness surrounding Hippiefest — the Hippie Marketplace (where you can buy beads!) opens at 5 p.m. — the event has some very worthy acts on the bill. Jack Bruce is best known as the bassist/vocalist for Cream, but he's had an extremely esoteric career since, working with arty…
Photographers, here’s your show
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts calls for entries
Music Week
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7 COHEED AND CAMBRIA w/RUSSIAN CIRCLES/SECRET MACHINES Coheed and Cambria's blend of emo and prog-rock might — might — work for me if the singer's voice didn't recall mine after huffing on four balloons' worth of helium, which is probably why I could never properly embrace Rush, y'know? (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) FRIDAY,…
Savage Love
How to be a skank without breaking hearts
Comedy: According to Jim
Saturday, Aug. 16
Frankie is Timeless
A man for all Seasons
A Seriously Fine Fire
We’re going to help whether they want it or not.
Did oil speculators drive up the cost of gasoline?
Remember the horrible old days when gasoline was more than $4 a gallon? You know, like two weeks ago? Being good citizens of the United States, we are driven genetically to find somebody to blame for the fact that oil was trading near $147 a barrel — somebody, that is, beyond the usual suspects: President…
DVD
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones THE RAMONES (Rhino) As depicted in this riveting 2003 documentary, the New York proto-punk band was a highly dysfunctional unit that never reached the level of commercial success it deserved. Century does a terrific job of setting the CBGB punk scene, of establishing how this quartet…
Through the Eyes of a Child
Kids practice their digital vision
Music:
Vino, Java & Jazz
The Great [censored]
Obama, Olympics and why sometimes it’s dangerous to take the bus
Upcoming Concerts
AUGUST 14 The Hush Sound State Theatre 15 Candlebox Jannus Landing 16 Rascal Flatts w/Taylor Swift Ford Amphitheatre 17 King's X Jannus Landing 20 Smashing Pumpkins Ruth Eckerd Hall 21 American Idols Live Tour St. Pete Times Forum 22 Stone Temple Pilots w/Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Ford Amphitheatre 23 Boston Ruth Eckerd Hall 27 Matt…
Pineapple Express: What a trip
Express and The Last Mistress: Nothing succeeds like excess.
Billy Joel looks back
The best of Billy, and Little Richard, too.
Siphon stories
There’s no gas theft epidemic in Tampa Bay — yet.
Art: The kids are alright
Thursday, Aug. 14
Music: Turkey Day
Friday, Aug. 8
Music: Smashing Pumpkins
Wednesday, Aug. 20
FILM: Dylan goes electric
Friday, Aug. 15
Hell rides in
Plus, short reviews of recent releases
Avoiding the auction
Wine is for drinking, not hording.
Local Music
A Dog or a Bicycle RICH WHITELEY (Blue Heart Records/richwhiteley.com) Back in 2000, Uncle John's Band co-frontman Rich Whiteley released this beautiful batch of Deadhead-friendly originals that rank with the songs he regularly covers Thursdays at Skipper's Smokehouse. The record ranges from the laid-back fun of "Raise the Roof" to a space jam like "Stargazer"…
Amanda Shaw, Pretty girl
But she’s selling her music, not her looks.
U.S. Sugar’s sweet deal
Paying off the polluters: Was this the only way to save the Everglades?
Art: Finkelstein’s New York
Saturday, Aug. 16
Music: Drum roll
Thursday, Aug. 7
That’s So Romantics
The Dark Romantics’ new one, Damon Fowler signs with Blind Pig, and other Tampa Bay music news.
.com-ments
Flugtag, Scientology, Criss Angel, any given review by Mark Leib — for one reason or another, these are all likely to push CL readers' cyber-buttons, leading them to click furiously in response. Blog of the week: Scientology sticks to you like lint. On July 25, Eric Snider wrote a post in blurbex.com about how his…
Midnight Confession
Wade comes clean
Wine Exchange fits right in
The restaurant settles nicely into its swank Hyde Park environs.
“I don’t like to give up”
In Pinellas, he’s the GOP — the Grand Old Progressive, that is
Music: Royal So & So’s
Sunday, Aug. 17
Sports: Mixed Martial Arts
Saturday, Aug. 9
The Mummy 3: It’s a wrap
Brendan chases the dragon.
Wine List
Got an upcoming or ongoing wine event? Send information to: The Wine List, 810 N. Howard Ave., Tampa, FL 33606, fax 813-739-4801 or e-mail brian.ries@creativeloafing.com. ABC FINE WINE AND SPIRITS Treasure Island's ABC will pour over a dozen wines, complete with souvenir tasting glass and $3 coupon. $5. 5-7 p.m., Aug. 7, ABC Fine Wines…
Art: Diversity in Aviation
Sunday, Aug. 10
Film: Wild Weekend
Wednesday, Aug. 20
Theater: M.A.D. Monty
Friday, Aug. 15
Party: Whatever you desire
Friday, Aug. 15
Performance: The Girlie Show
The Studio@620 presents its second annual presentation of The Girlie Show. Last year, it was a review of Broadway’s most risqué songs; this year, Ann Cornelius, Michelle Dowdy, Lisa Finegold, Arianna Hoeppner, Melissa Oropesa, Rosie Stovall, Colleen Cherry and Brandon Warren venture “Under the Big Top” for a circus-themed showcase of brassy standards and burlesque…
Brett Favre ready to Pack it in
So this much seems clear: Brett Favre won't be playing for the Green Bay Packers this year. Aside from that, the whole situation is more than a bit murky. The Buccaneers and Jets have been named in news reports as teams Favre might get traded to. And perhaps by the time you read this blog,…
