Crowbar celebrates eight years this Saturday night with Have Gun, Will Travel & others
In 2006, Tom DeGeorge opened the doors to a new Ybor City venture, having already spent the entirety of his shoestring budget and fearing the appearance of a fire marshal at any moment to shut it down because of water main issues. But Crowbar soldiered through intact and has become a live music hotspot that…
Sh*t happened 12/11/14: TIME’s Person of the Year, Pasco teacher raises and more
"Look," said Phillip, beaming, as he held out the sodden paper for Sharon to inspect. "It's magic!" "It's just the news," she said, scowling at the mess. "Not just any news," Phillip countered, his voice dropping conspiratorially. "Yesterday's news." TIME named those on the front lines in the fight against Ebola as its "Person of…
Conquering Art Basel 2014
Outstanding locals stand out amid the hubbub of Miami’s big annual event.
The 2014 Indie Boutique Guide
Your guide to new, upcycled clothing by independent retailers in Tampa Bay.
Definitive Rays stadium decision dragged out another week
The Trop must have seen its shadow. That means there'll be at least another seven days of inconsequential speculation and minutiae as to where the team is going to maybe-prolly move who-knows-when. Local media covering the joint press conference Tuesday between St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman and Rays president Brian Auld were probably all thinking,…
Activists, local leaders talk at state lawmaker panel on EMS, Medicaid
You know how in some Game of Thrones episodes Daenerys Targaryen asks the villagers her army conquers to come before her to air their grievances and ask for things? Legislative delegation meetings are like that. Only no dragons. Each Florida county has an assortment of lawmakers elected to the state House and Senate. Ahead of the…
Two drinking affairs in Tampa for hump day
Who would pass up wine or whiskey on a Wednesday?
Holy Crap, Neutral Milk Hotel is coming to Clearwater
You can go ahead and cry now. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon.
Do This: Think + Drink (Science), Rich Little and the Jingle Bell Run
Bradenton's South Florida Museum gets totally spaced-out tonight for the Bishop Planetarium's Think + Drink (Science), where you can grab a beer or a glass of wine (or a soft drink) and learn about cutting-edge science in a relaxed, informal setting from 7 to 9 p.m. Tonight's program, "What's It Like to Work on the Space Shuttle: The Misadventures…
Tampa’s fringe (and sequins) gather at annual Repeal Day Gala
By tradition, Repeal Day Gala guests tapped into cocktail-fueled merriment Saturday.
Sh*t happened 12/10/14: Torture report, Chief Holloway’s committee, Rays relocation
Yesterday was a heavy sigh reverberating through the abandoned warehouse that used to hold all of America's hopes and dreams. Let's review! The Senate released its report on the CIA's use of torture in the War on Terror. It wasn't good. Nobody was surprised, everybody (but former members of the Bush administration) was outraged, and…
Migrant laborers to protest two Florida Republicans’ attacks on immigration reform
Immigration reform advocates are pissed about a couple of things Florida Republicans are doing in an effort to show other Republicans how much they hate President Obama (and his stupid immigration reform! Gah!). First off, there's U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho's bill, filed last week that would block the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability program, which…
Forks & Corks University unites wine gurus, sippers for great grapes
Oenophiles should flock to Sarasota’s Forks & Corks University for preeminent tastes Jan. 24.
How GOP former lawmaker Mike Fasano pissed off his party, and what they did to retaliate
Former state Senator Mike Fasano, a Republican from Pasco County, gets passionate when he talks about Governor Rick Scott. Fasano, a strong supporter of former governor Charlie Crist's campaign against Scott's re-election, was often a voice of dissent (or reason) when he was a leader in the state Senate. It bothered him when the legislature,…
Tune in for old times’ sake: The 50th Anniversary Broadcast of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
It still isn’t the holidays till the beloved holiday special comes on.
Oh my darlin’: Ybor’s new Clementine Café has ‘real food’ focus
Misty and Brian Sommerses’ Clementine Café will nourish the heart of Ybor through clean eats.
Kriseman plan to let Rays explore Hillsborough stadium sites has one hurdle
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman confirmed Tuesday morning that he would like to allow the Tampa Bay Rays to explore potential sites for a new stadium. A memorandum of understanding signed by Kriseman and team execs would let the team look at other sites, Kriseman said at a press conference at the Trop, but only…
GOP consultant congratulated for helping state lawmakers rig the system
Last night, the News Service of Florida reported on a damning but brief email exchange between two Republicans — one at the national and one at the state level. The sender? Tom Hofeller of the Republican National Committee. The recipient? Tallahassee-based political consultant Rich Heffley. We'll call them Hoff and Heff. For brevity's sake. In…
Sh*t happened 12/09/14: Obama codes, Rick Scott emails, human trafficking in Pasco & more
Hanover straightened, and moved to a table littered with rusty hardware. He surveyed the implements, then pulled a pack of Silk Cuts from his shirt pocket and held it out to his guest in a gesture; his guest, bound to an old school chair in the center of room, shook his head and smiled. Hanover…
New Music Tuesday! (December 9): Ghostface Killah, Cracker, The Smashing Pumpkins & more
Releases out this week; audio & video included.
Could Ferguson happen in these parts?
At 27 years old, St Pete resident, Jason Mills said he has seen a change in law enforcement since he was a kid. He has been stopped by the police twenty-four times in the last year, “All for the same reason; running a stop sign or failure to yield,” he said. But only once was…
Major Duke critic cautiously optimistic about bill to repeal nuke recovery fee
For those on the campaign trail heading up to the midterms, there was one no-brainer target: monolithic power giant Duke Energy. It didn't matter whether you were a Republican or Democrat. You promised to do something about the utility's Mr. Burns-esque billing practices, that you'd be the first to file a bill repealing a law…
St. Pete and the Rays agree the team can explore Tampa
In one of the bigger developments in the slow-motion, conjecture-filled Rays stadium saga, the city of St. Pete is allowing the Tampa Bay Rays to explore potential stadium sites in Tampa. But it'll cost them. According to an unsigned memorandum of understanding between the city and the team, if the team leaves the Trop ahead…
Tampa takes fifth on newest top 10 beer cities list
Livability.com’s 10 Best Beer Cities lineup listed Tampa as No. 5.
Concert review: Paul Thorn plays to a raucous reception at Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
A look back at the Sat., Dec. 6 show, with photos.
Justin Townes Earle announces February 16 date in Ybor City
The famed son of Steve comes to Crowbar in support of two companion LPs for new label Vagrant Records
Restaurant review: Game on at Ava
South Tampa’s Ava scores some big hits, but also swings and misses.
Sh*t happened 12/8/14: New Rays manager, squirrel-fired blackout, Coast bikes and more
Ready for the day? Only (*counts on fingers*) something greater than 10 shopping days left before Christmas! Here's what you mighta missed this weekend. FRIDAY, DEC. 5 The Tampa Bay Rays make Kevin Cash the youngest team manager in professional baseball. This is either gonna be a huge mistake or one of the most daring…
13-year-old wins the 2014 Tampa Am skateboard competition
The 21st annual Tampa Am skateboard competition took place this weekend at Skatepark of Tampa with 250 skaters vying for the top spot. The house was packed all weekend with hundreds of spectators and competitors crowding the grandstands and surrounding the arena with some of the nations best amateurs ollieing and grinding for the top…
Wally B shares a word about the power of poetry
The Best of the Bay winner for Best Spoken Word Artist in 2011 and CL Story Time alum has shared a short documentary about Tampa’s vibrant poetry scene.
Last call: Holiday Auction foodie goodies from Pinellas to Hillsborough
Lots of food and drink packages included in the final round of CL’s Holiday Auction.
Life as we blow it: Democracy for sale
So I was listening to Richard Wolff’s syndicated radio program Economic Update on WMNF the other day. Wolff is a professor and economist whose primary editorial thrust involves breaking down and simplifying the inherent flaws in American capitalism. I love Economic Update; it reaffims my views the same way watching FOX News every night must…
Art Basel is making my eyes bleed
Art Basel is a great chance to see great art . . . right?
Like funny? Act Fast for the Black and Brown Comedy Get Down
Amalie Arena (where the Tampa Bay Lightning play) is a big venue. So big, in fact, that comedians don't really book shows there. With very rare exceptions, a comedian doesn't have the drawing power to hold a show at a venue like that. But several popular comedians? That's something different. Black and Brown Comedy Get…
On the menu: Florida Estates Winery turns 13
Celebrate the Florida Estates Winery’s homegrown offerings during its 13th birthday bash.
Pin Action — Gianmarc Manzione introduces us to the world of bowling hustlers
Venture into the seamy, vainglorious, cut-throat scene of bygone pros like Ernie Schlegel, Checkbook Al, Goldfinger and Bobby Pancakes.
This Saturday in live music: 97X Next Big Thing with Fall Out Boy, Paul Thorn Band, Hiphopalooza 2 & more
This Saturday is jam-packed with all manner of live music happenings. Take your pick below… 97X Next Big Thing with Fall Out Boy, alt-J, New Politics, Young The Giant, Big Data, J. Roddy Walston and The Business, Dirty Heads, Bear Hands, Young Rising Sons It’s hard to look at the lineup of 97X’s 14th annual…
It wasn’t a total sh*tshow: here are a few not-so-bad things that happened this week
You're probably feeling a little pessimistic going into the weekend, and that's understandable. Our collective mellow has been profoundly harshed. We seem to have gone back at least 50 years as a society, our state is run by total toolbags and so much of the shit we thought we had figured out, well, it turns…
Anti-police violence protesters block westbound Kennedy bridge (updated*)
Activists hold protests to draw attention to causes all the time, but a demonstration held in downtown Tampa Friday caused a commotion for local police and anyone who was trying to drive west on Kennedy Boulevard. They were, of course, protesting recent cases of police brutality that resulted in the deaths of unarmed African-American boys…
Better with age: Bourbon cocktails for year-round sipping
Three cocktail recipes to make center stage no matter the season.
Do This — The Weekend Top 10
Big, big weekend, folks — Tampa Am at the SPoT, Atomic Holiday Bazaar, Repeal Day festivities, great theater, underground film, a literary nature hike and Coast Bikes!
Anti-police violence demonstration slated for Tampa
If you're like a lot of people, you're probably feeling a combination of rage and anxiety in the wake of 10 days' worth of really, really bad news. It's the weekend, though, so maybe you should diffuse some of that negative energy. You could accomplish this by yelling at the TV (or the Internet), or…
Hillsborough Commissioner cries “uncle” on ethics charges
Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan has pleaded the equivalent of "no contest" to Florida Ethics Commission charges that he failed to provide full and complete disclosure of his financial assets since he began serving as a county commissioner in 2002. Hagan has signed off on what is referred to as a Stipulation Order, which basically…
NBC’s WTF spectacle of the year. Was it all that bad?
NBC aired its anticipated, live production of Peter Pan starring Allison Williams of HBO Girls fame and the inadvertently deadpan living legend Christopher Walken. In today's times of TruTV violence and bad reality TV, live musical theater seemed like a pleasant family-friendly antidote to all the low-brow ugliness foisted on us. Quirks aside, we hope it's…
Puffy bangs post of the week — a look back at a shopping mall in 1989
In his post, 1989: American Malls, photographer and writer Michael Galinsky shows us how American malls are "the places where nothing — and everything — has changed." (Additional curation by Chris Wild.) In 1989, Galinsky was a 20-year-old student who spent a month traveling the U.S. Everywhere he went, he documented a shopping mall. "The results are…
2015 Grammy Nominations Announced
Sam Smith, Pharrell and Taylor Swift among 2015 nominees.
Sh*t happened 12/05/14: Gay marriage approacheth, University Mall sells & Tim Burton, um, also approacheth
It's Friday! But that doesn't mean we're allowed to pretend like yesterday never happened: Tampa court officials scrambled to revise and update various legal documents in preparation for the possibility of gay marriages ensuing as soon as January 6, 2015. Man, were they so sure about the man/woman thing that even the documents were homophobic…
Bison chili, fried bologna patty melt make limited Engine No. 2 menu
Engine Rose, Engine No. 9’s younger sibling, set to serve limited menu for takeout-only orders.
Tonight in live music: Benjamin Booker, Downtown River Jam, Yo Gabba Gabba Live! & more
Concerts this Fri., Dec. 5.
Looking back on a nonfiction revolution and on the glory days for musicians
Gail Sheehy was present at the creation — or nearly so. I speak of the creation of the “gang that wouldn’t write straight,” as the literary journalists of the 1960s were once called. We’re talking about Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Norman Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson — all of the usual suspects. GAIL SHEEHY…
Feathered Serpent Gallery is closing this month
Well, this is a bummer. Feathered Serpent Gallery, which is probably the only gallery in St. Pete that focuses on Latin American art, is closing at the end of this month. The space was a smallish space nestled in the EDGE District, and it was packed with colorful visual arts as well as handcrafted goods,…
Pinellas Dems oust party chair
In a 57-41 vote, the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee opted for Susan McGrath, former chair of the Pinellas Stonewall Democrats, over incumbent Mark Hanisee, who had chaired the party since 2010 and was known for his fundraising prowess. The vote put a fine point on a recent schism for local Democrats, many of whom…
Mad Beach Brewing hosts Brew Year’s Eve with releases
Ring in the New Year with Mad Beach Craft Brewing beverages. There’s a pizza feast involved.
The holidays on $8 an hour: minimum wage protesters talk about why they fight
Imagine life on $320 a week. Before taxes. Now throw in holiday shopping lists and — if you're lucky enough to get a day off on the holiday — the family dinner menu. The working poor often have to scramble to save up for holiday celebration with their families, and often they just cannot afford…
Party with pride and the holiday spirit at Sunken Gardens Saturday night
What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with a holly-color-scheme-infuenced party rockin' a DJ, drag shows, an open bar, color-coded party-level bracelets and St. Pete's own century old botanical garden?* St. Pete Pride is hosting their sixth annual Red & Green Christmas party this Saturday at Sunken Gardens, from 7 p.m. to…
Filmfest surfer — from Canada to Palm Beach to New Delhi
This blog is dedicated to all of the local filmmakers out there who want to showcase their movies. Here is a roundup of three upcoming worldwide deadlines, all around mid-December. So if you think you have a worthy film, don't hesitate and submit it to one of these international competitions. Who knows? you might end…
Do This — Tampa Am at the Skatepark of Tampa
Skateboarding, art and music at Tampa’s Super Bowl of amateur skateboarding.
Sopping up American Horror Story’s “Bloodbath,” ep. 4.08
What more could you expect from a Ryan Murphy-authored AHS episode called “Bloodbath”? The cast dwindles down considerably this week, and by the end of the episode, one of them is taking the title in the literal sense. Thank You for Being a Friend Bates and Lange actressed all over each other in a 15-minute…
Rowdies hire former Tampa Bay Mutiny coach
In 1994, Thomas Rongen used to venture over to the campus of Florida International University to watch Steve Ralston compete for the college's soccer team. Rongen saw Ralston score many of the 19 goals that would ultimately lead the nation in NCAA Division I competition that year. Rongen, who was coaching the Fort Lauderdale Strikers…
And then there were two: Ibanez out as successor to Joe Maddon
With the announcement today that Raul Ibanez is no longer in the running to replace Joe Maddon as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, that leaves just two candidates for the job, both of whom have been interviewed twice by Rays honchos: Gaither High and FSU grad Kevin Cash, 36, who has MLB experience as…
CL Holiday Auction 2014, week 4: Vinyl shopping spree, VIP tickets to Gasparilla Music Festival & more
We have reached our fourth and final week of the 2014 CL Holiday Auction to benefit The Children's Home, which has been serving Bay area children and families via prevention and outreach programs for more than a century. All of the active auction items are listed on eBay and each set of items (from gifts to…
Holloway’s skipping of forum on police violence against blacks doesn’t sit well with some
Omali Yeshitela, the passionate leader of the African People's Socialist Movement — best known as the Uhurus — isn't too happy with St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway. According to Yeshitela, the new chief had committed to attending a Uhurus forum about the implications of Ferguson, but decided against it, saying he preferred to have…
Art and wine — how could you go wrong?
Bid on a CL Auction package that will spirit you away to St. Petersburg’s Museum of Fine Arts and Pinot’s Palette. It’s for the kids!
Fifth annual Hip Hop Against Hunger collects food for Homeless Emergency Project this Saturday
Elgin Cintron aka ?nowledge presents nearly a dozen high-quality local hip hop talents for his annual food drive
Holiday Auction Week 4: Cigar City, NC vacation, CL’s cover and lots more!
Just 10 more days left in CL's Holiday Auction for The Children's Home, and the latest batch of items might just be the most covetable of all. An amazing brew-to-bottle package from Cigar City; a weeklong escape from the heat of Florida to the cool of North Carolina; a chance to turn the tables on…
Tonight in live music: Modern Baseball, Friend Roulette, Koffin Kats
Concerts this Thurs., Dec. 4.
The Venture Compound celebrates three years with three days of art and music
Avant percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani performs both collaborative and solo concerts
