Booze-less brews
Custom coffees and kombucha are on tap around the Bay.
Indie movie with locals screens at AMC Veterans
AMC Veterans will be showing an exclusive screening of Russel Friedenberg's (Ibid, Out of the Blue) Among Ravens. The 2014 indie dramedy will makes its worldwide debut at the Nantucket Film Festival in New York and it will then makes its round throughout select U.S cities, Tampa, Fl included. Inspired by real events, the film follows the interaction of…
The Laugh Tract — who’s bringing the funny
Clean comedy is usually hard to find on club stages, but you have a couple of options this weekend. There's also comedy hypnotism, sketch comedy and the expected adult material, of course. So with variety in mind, here are your choices this week: Theaters Sketch Comedy Intensive at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Students of the Marcia…
Mitch Perry Report 7.17.14 -Immigration politics
Remember when Obamacare was going to be the defining issue of the 2014 midterm elections? Everyone said so a few months ago. Some D.C. pundits even attributed David Jolly's victory over Alex Sink in CD13 to that issue, though the evidence indicated that poor Democratic turnout was the biggest factor. Now the new issue that…
Do This: The St. Pete Sunrise Sale
At last, a perfectly good reason to not hit the snooze button this upcoming Thursday morning. St. Petersburg's largest pajama party, hosted by the Downtown Business Association, is back on for its 41st anniversary. The annual Sunrise Sale, beginning as early as 6:43 a.m. and continuing throughout the day (till around 5 p.m.), features more…
Word Play: Lit events to look forward to…
Inkwood Book Club After many requests, Inkwood Books is launching its Book Club Thursday, July 17, 7 p.m. Moderated by local editor Lorin Oberweger, the club will discuss Dave Eggers’ new novel, The Circle, at its first meeting. Oral Fixation LGBTQ Open Mic Got a rant or a story or a poem? Pick up the mic and show off…
Word Play — caught between the covers of Tampa Bay’s literary scene
Books, beers, word games, prose wrestlers — Tampa Bay’s literary scene is alive and raging.
Restaurant review: Trusting in tradition
Clearwater’s Beachcomber proudly offers classic fare.
Recipe: Panna Cotta with Balsamic-Marinated Strawberries
You don’t need to be a trained pastry chef to pull of this creamy, dreamy dessert.
FEA member sues to invalidate law expanding corporate vouchers in Florida
A Social Sciences teacher and member of the Florida Education Association filed suit today against the governor, members of the Cabinet and the education commissioner over legislation passed earlier this session that significantly expands the state’s private corporate voucher program. Tom Faasse, a teacher at East Lee County High School in Lehigh Acres, is challenging…
Hillsborough County a step closer to banning LGBT discrimination
The Board of Hillsborough County Commissioners took a major step towards granting legal protections against discrimination towards the LGBT community today, voting unanimously in support of an amendment that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in connection with employment, public accommodations, real estate transactions and County contracting and procurement. The vote…
Video: Venture Compound art director Brad Kokay spends a whole work week on new Cycle Brewing mural
A 2013 visit to St. Pete's warehouse district found me on a couch looking at Venture Compound's Jesse Vance and Bradley Kokay. Our conversation yielded a story I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to write, but one of the longest lasting memories of the visit was listening to Kokay, 35, talk me through…
Merchandise take to Tampa Theatre in video for “Enemy”
After The End sees release via 4AD on August 25
Uber calls in Rudy Giuliani to audit its background checks policy
Yesterday we reported on the musings of one particular taxi cab driver in Tampa, discussing the differences in scrutiny of drivers between Hillsborough County and Pinellas. While the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission has been severely criticized in recent years for a variety of transgressions, supporters say that their ability to scrutinize drivers is more efficient than…
World Cup participants are coming to St. Petersburg
Preston Consulting England National team member and starting goalkeeper Ben Foster will be one of the top level instructors involved at the West Bromwich Albion soccer coaching clinic being held at Eckerd College from July 15-21. The World Cup is coming to Florida. Well, not necessarily the FIFA World Cup, but a couple of the…
Mitch Perry Report 7.16.14: Mark Woodard a shoo-in to be next Pinellas administrator?
Memo to the approximately three dozen or so applicants for the Pinellas County Administrator's position — the odds that you may get that gig have dropped precipitously over the past 24 hours if your name isn't Mark Woodard. Woodard is the longtime assistant county administrator who has been running the county government in an interim position…
Album review/Show preview: Tides of Man, Young and Courageous
The prog rock four-piece plays Orpheum on Friday.
First Brandes campaign ad slammed immediately by Judithanne McLauchlan
Just hours after Jeff Brandes began airing his first television ad of the year in his Senate District 22 seat race against Democratic challenger Judithanne McLauchlan, the USFSP political science teacher fired back. Here's the St.Petersburg-based GOP legislator's ad, in which he takes pride in his legislation to address the private flood insurance issue that…
Buckhorn in L.A.: “I don’t want to be the mayor of some white-bread Southern city”
Tampa has historically always been a racially diverse city, and never moreso than today. Latinos make up approximately 25 percent of the population in greater Hillsborough County, and blacks account for more than 15 percent. "I don't want to be the mayor of some white-bread Southern city," Bob Buckhorn told Politico's Alex Burns this morning in Los…
Tampa Bay’s weekly literary happenings
East Lake Community Library’s Author Showcase features author Lynn Combes Tuesday, July 15, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. She’ll discuss and sign copies of her book, A Garden Full of Butterflies. Combes’ first daughter died at the age of 5, which inspired her to write the novel to help others deal with their grief. A Garden…
Tampa taxi driver gives his take on background checks
Last week in Washington D.C., a New York City-based CEO had a harrowing experience riding UberBlack, where he claimed he was held against his will in a high-speed chase story that made national news after it was featured in the Washington Post. Although Uber supporters have scoffed at the incident as a bizarre one-off, for others,…
Drink your veggies: Squeeze Juice Works expands
Squeeze opens second site along South Boulevard in Tampa.
Concert review: Morris Day and The Time at Mahaffey Theater
A look back at Friday night’s show, in words & photos.
Andrea Brunais to appear at Inkwood to tout new Florida political novel
The former political columnist and editor now works in communications in Virginia.
Mitch Perry Report 7.15.14: Arms race on medical marijuana initiative heats up
Recently a Democratic Party political consultant told me that every day it appears that the battle over medical marijuana to be voted on in November is becoming more and more a "swinging dicks" fight between John Morgan and Sheldon Adelson, the two big money men involved with Amendment 2. Yesterday Morgan said he has "at…
New Music Tuesday! (July 15): Weird Al Yankovic, John Hiatt, Morrissey, Bleachers, Slow Club & more
Releases out this week; audio included.
Sunrise Sale beams with deals, breakfast on the cheap
Sleep in and you’ll miss discounted food- and drink-related goodies.
UPDATE: Chinese rock band Re-TROS cancels St. Pete show amid visa hassles
Over the weekend, CL reported on two events related to the current blockbuster two-museum art show My Generation: Young Chinese Artists — a talk by author, promoter and Chinese rock 'n' roll expert Jonathan Campbell this Wednesday at St. Pete's Museum of Fine Arts, and a show by Chinese rock act Re-TROS the following evening at Local 662,…
Family & supporters of Tariq Abu Khdeir unhappy with Kathy Castor
Tariq Abu Khdeir, the 15-year-old Palestinian-American high school student from Tampa who was brutally attacked by Israeli police forces over a week ago while observing a protest in response to his cousin's murder, remains under house arrest in East Jerusalem today. But Khdeir has not been charged with any crime, and family members and others…
Democrats try to make hay out of typical Rick Scott presser
Rick Scott was in Largo this morning, where he was queried about that flap from a week ago, where on-duty law enforcement officers were asked to participate in a Scott campaign event in Tampa, an ethical no-no. Scott was asked to respond to the allegation four times in a row by WFLA-TV reporter Lauren Mayk…
World Cup 2014: View from a booze-filled room
Argentina fans cry, and Germany fans cheer at a crowded MacDinton’s.
Weekend Recap: 10 Bartenders. 1 Winner. It’s on!
7.10.14–7.13.14
Bill Nelson co-sponsoring bill banning e-cigarette TV ads
Electronic cigarettes have been promoted for years as a healthier alternative to tobacco, and while the jury is still out on that, what's not in question is that Big Tobacco is getting completely behind marketing these products to a new generation of smokers. In lieu of carcinogenic tobacco, e-cigarettes typically contain three main ingredients: nicotine,…
In Tampa, Perry Thurston & George Sheldon tag team to blast Pam Bondi
A lot has been made this year about how, once again, Florida Democrats appear outgunned when it comes to the Cabinet races. While the party has had to rely on a former Republican to challenge Rick Scott's bid for re-election for governor, it has also had its problems fielding candidates to challenge Jeff Atwater for…
Mitch Perry Report 7.14.14: World Cup won’t get bigger ratings in 2018
As I write this, we don't know if the ratings in the U.S. for yesterday afternoon's World Cup final will exceed the 18.22 million who tuned into the U.S.-Portugal game from three weeks ago, but expectations among soccer aficionados is that it will have, considering the game aired on a late Sunday afternoon on ABC…
Do This: Thee VaudeVillains Bastille Day Burlesque
Hum “La Marseillaise” and head to the Mermaid for a très fab time.
Tonight in live music: Lionel Richie hits town with his “All the Hits, All Night Long” tour
One of my earliest fond memories of MTV, back when the station actually played videos on the reg, was getting down while watching Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long.” I mimicked the dancing (my arsenal of moves can likely be traced back to this video), I sang along (loudest to “Come join our party, see how…
Carnival’s got Cigar City on deck
Cigar City Brewing starts serving up beers on Carnival Cruise Lines ships.
United for Care gets the message about medical marijuana out in St. Pete
Around two dozen citizens came to hear representatives from organizations raise awareness about medicinal cannabis at Mad Hatters Ethnobotanical Tea Bar in St. Petersburg last week. The educational meeting consistent of a diverse age group was hosted by Libertarian party congressional candidate Lucas Overby Thursday night. A 60 percent vote is needed to get the…
“Drunk History” to feature American music stories on July 15
Kriss Kristofferson, The Sugarhil Gang and more get the “Drunk History” treatment this upcoming Tuesday.
In Tampa, Charlie Crist says he became a Democrat because Republicans “lost their minds”
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the George Zimmerman 'not guilty' verdict, Charlie Crist said at a political candidates forum in Tampa this afternoon that "we gotta fix it," when asked his opinion of the state's controversial Stand Your Ground law. "People have the right to defend themselves. Nobody has a problem with…
Ryan Keenan captures RFC 31 Lightweight Title; Shaq and Marcus Jones in attendance
Tampa turned up in numbers and style on Friday night for another version of the Real Fighting Championships at the A La Carte Pavilion. Former NBA center Shaquille O’Neal and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer defensive end and Ultimate Fighter Marcus Jones were among a sold-out crowd that saw an 11-bout fight card highlighted by the…
Steve Harvey gets motivational at The Mahaffey. No joke.
Steve Harvey is a popular comedian, radio personality and television game show host. Some people know him from his decades doing stand-up, and others just know him from Family Feud. Others recognize him as one of the Original "Kangs" of Comedy. Somewhere along the way, Harvey went from up-and-comer to established vet to respected elder…
Do This: The Weekend Top 10
Attend Tampa Zine Fest, the big World Cup Final, Dunedin Orange Festival, “Beer and Loathing,” first-class improv, One-Act Plays on both sides of the bay and the Rowdies big tailgate opener.
Live music weekend: Zvuloon Dub System, Illumi-Nation Super Jam Love Fest & more
Concerts, Sat., July 12-Sun., July 13.
Concert Review: Gold Panda with Kodak to Graph and Spies on Bikes at Crowbar, Ybor City
Many electronic producers phone it in for their “performances” by simply creating a pre-mixed selection of songs and pretending to perform them “live” by twisting and punching a bunch of knobs and buttons which do nothing at all. Despite that, electronic music admittedly faces more difficulties than other genres in its translation to a live…
White House report states that 1 out of 5 Floridians still lack health insurance
Physicians and residents of the Sunshine State are urging Florida’s elected leaders to accept federal funding for healthcare as Floridians and business in the state is affected. Doctors for America held a press call this morning to discuss the consequences of the 24 states around the country who opted not to expand Medicaid. These effects…
Tampa Bay Rowdies reboot for second half of NASL season
Now that Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo and Tim Howard and most of the other World Cup stars sans Messi and the German front have finished making their mark on the global futbol stage (Spokesmodel Adriana Lima has had quite the effect on me), the American soccer landscape reboots itself with the NASL Fall Season when…
Bill Nelson: Sequester cuts led to immigration border crisis
There's been a lot of discussion in the past couple of weeks about causes of the immigration crisis along the Southwest Texas border, but mandated federal budgets due to the sequester hadn't been mentioned as one of them — until today. "The root cause is because the drug lords have basically taken over Guatemala, Honduras…
Sweetwater Farm offers payment plans to CSA members
Calling all veggie fiends!
Generationals announce new album, hear “Gold Silver Diamond” now
Alix sees release on September 16
Mitch Perry Report 7.11.14: Judge throws out two Florida voting maps, but who draws the new ones?
The way some Florida political observers see it, it's a bit of a surprise that Circuit Judge Terry Lewis found only two congressional districts in Florida in violation of the 2010 "Fair Districts" constitutional amendment, which required state legislators to no longer draw up districts to favor incumbents or a political party (i.e. "gerrymandering"). In…
The Well-Played List, 7/11/2014: Got a Girl, The Vaselines, Mac Demarco & more
Find out what the CL Team and local tastemakers are jamming this week; audio & video included…
2014 Emmy nominations — thoughts and snubs
Game of Thrones wasn’t the only show to be nominated for TV’s highest honor. A look at some of the others.
Mixed martial arts takes over the A La Carte Paviilion
RFC website Scenes from RFC 30, Turf War, the last Real Fighting Championships event held in February earlier this year. Now entering its ninth year, the Real Fighting Championships will have its biggest fight card in its history when Newbreed — RFC 31 takes over the A La Carte Pavilion on Friday starting at 8…
Live music tonight: RX Bandits & The Dear Hunter, Morris Day and The Time + more
Concerts, Fri., July 11.
Glorious grapes
Twenty-seven Bay area eateries receive coveted accolades from Wine Spectator magazine.
Activists protest SCOTUS decision on Hobby Lobby case in Tampa
Approximately two dozen activists gathered in front of the federal building in downtown Tampa this afternoon to vent their anger at the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on the Hobby Lobby case that ended the court's session last week. President Obama's administration sought to require almost all employers that offer health insurance to cover contraceptives. But…
Save the date: Call to artists for Five by Five on Oct. 17
Five by Five is back for its third year on Oct. 17. The big fundraiser featuring mini masterpieces takes place at the Tampa Museum of Art. The show is a great equalizer because it keeps the creators’ names secret until after items are purchased. The event also features performances by local artists in music, dance, theatre,…
Do This: Jobsite’s Inventing Van Gogh (w/video)
Catch a preview performance that caps off the Tampa company’s record-breaking season.
Weekend Preview: Limes, Salt & Tequila—Oh My!
7.10.14–7.13.14
UPDATED: Chinese rock ‘n’ roll feature: Red Rock book talk
A book talk and concert shed light on the growing world of Chinese rock ‘n’ roll.
Live music tonight: Ray LaMontagne, Loco Dice, Masters & Minors of Jazz
Concerts, Thurs., July 10.
Poet’s Notebook: Stuck with traffic
All jammed up — and still voting for Scott?
Go your own way: Uber, Lyft and the PTC
Ride-sharing’s hot, but not everyone’s jumping aboard.
Savage Love: Over and domme
A dominated domme, a journal writer and an oral newbie get advice from Dan Savage.
Movie Review: Rage never fully sees red
Nicolas Cage is hampered by an understated feel in this predictable revenge thriller.
If you’re looking for the trailer for Horns, here’s a (for now) link [UPDATE: IT’S GONE]
The flick, highly anticipated by genre fans, has been deeply under wraps for quite a while.
Tampa Bay’s weekly literary happenings
Seasoned sailor and author Linda Petrat will discuss her three-month solo sailing trip from Kittery, Maine to Sarasota on her “Good Little Boat,” a 22-foot Pearson Ensign racing sloop on Wednesday, July 9, 7 to 8 p.m., Dunedin Public Library, 223 Douglas Ave. Petrat sign copies of her book A Great Big Adventure on a…
