Ride real armored vehicles at the Armed Forces History Museum
War is a beast. The broad range of its toll on humanity is nearly indescribable. Whether the cause is righteous or wretched, long-lasting residual effects sprout up, covered in soot and blood, through the ashes of each conflict. Countries are formed, boundaries are penciled in, lives are lost, and beliefs are hardened in the fiery…
Florida’s juvenile lifers spotlighted on PBS’ POV
Partly thanks to the still-smoldering fallout of the War on Drugs in the 1980s and 1990s, there are more than 2,500 juveniles serving life sentences in the United States, many of them after being tried as adults. But in 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Graham v. Florida that life sentences for juveniles for…
The CL Intern Issue: Fried food for the baked
Munchies 420 Cafe is an after-hours must-try for college students.
Lee Sierra says he’s ready to fully engage as Hillsborough County School Board race approaches
There's been more focus than ever on fundraising regarding the three Hillsborough County School Board races that will be decided on August 26. Perhaps too much focus, where the best-known candidate in the crowded District 6 race, April Griffin, has raised just $3,000, compared to Dipa Shaw's prodigious tally of $94,942 so far. But Griffin…
Mitchell Goodrich of Get Lost Press: A Post-‘Zine Fest Interview
July 12th's Tampa Zine Fest turned out to be a great opportunity, as always, for networking among like-minded weirdos. Among a lot of other great work, I honed in on Mitchell Goodrich, whose screen-printed, multi-fold zines, full of extra goodies and with a developed artistic sensibility, were some of the best of the show. Goodrich's small 'zine imprint,…
Fallen City: A Chinese City in the aftermath of disaster
I was unlucky enough to be living in Tokyo when the 2011 Touhoku earthquake rocked Japan down to its physical and psychic roots. In that rich and well-prepared city, all we saw were a few fallen brick facades and a water shortage, but the experience was still enough to leave me deeply disturbed to this…
Do This: Weekend Top 10
Salute a local art legend, take in some old-school entertainment and much more!
Zestfully yours
Behind the bar with Jet City Espresso’s Jessica Glover.
Movie Review: Lucy, starring Scarlett Johansson
Luc Besson’s return to directing piles action on top of flawed science and a flimsy storyline.
Carmada Art Car Fest looking for a few good (or not so good) cars!
In Tampa Bay, we spend a lot of time driving. Too much, according to almost anyone you could ask. Creative Pinellas director Mitzi Gordon has one solution that can't get defunded by Rick Scott — if you can't spend less time in your car, you can at least make it a little more interesting to everyone…
Spatial engagement — Poetics of Space at Dunedin Fine Art Center
The Dunedin Fine Art Center ponders our sense of space amid its own expansion.
Group of conservative Pinellas County residents call on David Jolly to “apologize” for supporting same-sex marriage
You just knew it couldn't be that clean. Less than 48 hours after David Jolly made a statement to the Washington Post announcing his support for same-sex marriage in Florida, now comes the conservative backlash in the form of a letter to the CD13 Representative, in which some 60 Pinellas County residents claim his reversal on marriage…
Marco Rubio condemns “growing intolerance” toward opponents of same-sex marriage
Aiming straight for the Christian conservative vote, Marco Rubio polished up his anti-gay-marriage bona fides this afternoon in an address at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. The Florida senator has made a series of high-profile speeches this year that indicate he is seriously running for president. In this address, he discussed what…
Album review: Morrissey, World Peace Is None of Your Business
Fans will be happy to know that, after a five-year wait since his last album was released, Morrissey hasn't lost a bit of his venom, his acerbic tone or his desire to be a perennial thorn in the side of the world. World Peace Is None of Your Business, the 10th and latest in the…
National Hot Dog Day marred by arrest of National Pork Producers Council president
Hey, it's National Hot Dog Day! While you're slurping up some heavily topped and flavored lips and anuses from a capsule of bleached and processed flour, give up a little sympathy for National Pork Producers Council president Ronald William Prestage. Prestage, president of North Carolina's Prestage Farms and quite the bigwig in agribusiness circles, was arrested…
Set And Setting detail Prosthetic Records debut, hear “Coping” now
A Vivid Memory due September 2
Adrian Wyllie on his new poll rating: “It’s just total voter disgust with the two-party system”
Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Adrian Wyllie has been saying for months that his internal polls show growing support for his third-party candidacy for governor, and the mainstream media is starting to pay attention after today's Quinnipiac poll shows him with 9 percent of the vote, clearly taking independent voters away from Charlie Crist, and to a lesser extent,…
Restaurant review: Get baked at St. Petersburg’s Cafe DeLucia
A new St. Pete spot rises to the occasion.
Late-night eats after beats
Places to stop if hunger kicks in on your way home from a live music show.
Integrate This: Shrooms
Public awareness of mushrooms’ potential health benefits is growing.
Study says Clearwater best city in Bay area to live in – 8th best in state
The renaissance that has been blossoming in St. Petersburg in recent years received an official East Coast Establishment imprimatur back in January when the 'Burg landed on the New York Times list of 52 destinations in the world to see in 2014, on the same list as The Vatican, Dubai and the Arctic Circle. So surely any poll…
Mitch Perry Report 7.23.14: New poll shows by 51-40 percent margin Floridians don’t believe Rick Scott deserves 4 more years
A much-anticipated poll released by Quinnipiac University shows that Charlie Crist has a slight lead over Rick Scott, 39-37 percent, with Libertarian candidate Adrian Wyllie pulling in a surprising 9 percent of the vote. When Wyllie is taken out of the survey, Crist's lead increases to 45-40 percent in a mano-à-mano matchup against the incumbent. Of…
Tonight in live music: CL Music Issue Release Party, Kiss with Def Leppard, Virgil Donati
This Hump Day proves to be a rather eclectic one, as far as live music goes. Check out what's happening tonight… Creative Loafing Music Issue Launch Party with Zulu Wave, Funny Bunny, Primitive Campers feat. Rich Whitely & Fil Pate, Mountain Holler x Ophelia CL’s annual Music Issue is right around the corner (it comes…
The Laugh Tract — who’s bringing the funny
Remember how we mentioned that last week was a good one for clean comedy in the area? Consider this week the bigger summer sequel. Not only are there clean acts on comedy club stages, but there's a full-blown national clean comedy competition taking place on St. Pete Beach. Those looking for the expected adult material…
Warehouse Arts District to add studios, classrooms and a micro-pub
Just when we think that the arts boom in St. Pete couldn't get any better, The Warehouse Arts District drops some very exciting news on us. The non-profit organization, headed by Mark Aeling, signed a contract on a 50,000-square-foot compound that will be turned into affordable artists space, classrooms and practice rooms. The lot is located on the corner…
St. Pete City Council members weigh in on the process of hiring a new chief
Five of the eight members of St. Pete City Council were on hand at Tuesday's press conference to hear Mayor Rick Kriseman introduce former Clearwater Police Chief Anthony Holloway, concluding a process that City Council Chair Bill Dudley derided as “weird” and “bizarre.” “I will tell you that over the last three to four days,…
Mayor Kriseman introduces Tony Holloway as St. Pete’s new Police Chief
The drama regarding the choice of a new police chief in St. Petersburg is over, as Mayor Rick Kriseman named Clearwater Chief of Police Anthony Holloway to become the city's top cop, effective mid-August. "We are a force that's going to stand together," Holloway said in his opening remarks inside the department's training facility on…
New Music Tuesday! (July 22): Anberlin, La Roux, Common, Yes & more
Releases out this week; audio & video included.
A look back at Trashion Fashion 2014
The event last Saturday was claimed to be ArtPool’s biggest to date.
Down-home barbecue alternatives
Three fresh takes on summertime get-together recipes.
Weekend Recap: Are You Ready for the Battle?
7.17.14–7.20.14
Stacy Hahn says she’s the most qualified candidate for Hillsborough County School Board
It's not a prerequisite to have a background in education to become a member of the Hillsborough County School Board. But one candidate running this year for the board thinks it wouldn't be a bad thing for the community to consider that as an important element of a candidate's background when considering who to vote for…
Tampa Bay’s weekly literary happenings
Krayl Funch teaches authors about crowdfunding at McAlister's Deli on Tuesday, July 22. Poet Shay Cook reads from her latest collection Black Silk Tuesday, July 22, 6 to 7 p.m., at the C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library. Her poetry crosses all cultural lines and covers all aspects of the human experience — love, grief,…
Mitch Perry Report 7.22.14: Tony Dungy’s comment on Michael Sam reverberates
Yesterday in Washington, President Obama signed an executive order that would prohibit discrimination against gay men, lesbians and bisexuals at companies that do work for the federal government. It also for the first time explicitly protects federal workers based not just on sexual orientation but also on gender identity, meaning transgender employees. It came a…
David Jolly comes out in support of same-sex marriage in Florida
Pinellas County Congressman David Jolly made news Monday night when he announced his support of same-sex marriage in a statement to the Washington Post, making him only the eighth such Republican member of Congress to approve of gay marriage. The newly elected Representative stressed in his statement that while he personally believes in traditional marriage because…
Learn the art of sushi crafting
Jackson’s Bistro hosts series of sushi classes.
Video: NPR premieres Benjamin Booker’s new clip for “Have You Seen My Son”
Rolling Stone says the BOTB-winning artist sounds like “Howlin’ Wolf’s scrawny, bipolar little cousin discovered a fuzzbox” too.
Movie Review: Sex Tape
The supposedly racy comedy just never gets the audience off.
HART board to vote on its future next month
HART board members today voted unanimously to agree to vote at their August 4 meeting on whether or not to support the proposal brought forward in May by Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill to have the transit agency reconfigured. The new organization would be headed by a new group consisting of the entire County Commission…
Cuomo spokesman questions Jeff Atwater’s math skills
Florida CFO Jeff Atwater has been watching those television ads asking entrepreneurs and others to come to New York and start a business in the Empire State, and he's not a fan. "The reality is that New York boasts the highest taxes in America, the highest cost of living in the country, and one of…
Mitch Perry Report 7.21.14: Kriseman’s big moment
Speculation about who will be the next police chief in St. Petersburg spiked over the weekend after it was reported that all four candidates that had been paraded before the public last month have been eliminated from consideration by Mayor Rick Kriseman. The mayor is already receiving some criticism from going outside of the process…
Tonight in live music: The Fray at Ruth Eckerd Hall
You couldn’t escape The Fray back in 2005 when their chart-toppers “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How To Save Your Life” pervaded seemingly every entertainment medium. Almost a decade later, the pop-rock group from Denver has entered a bit of an experimental phase, as evidenced in latest album Helios. The group’s sugary-sweet lyrics remain as catchy as…
A fond farewell to James Garner
The actor known as Jim Rockford and Bret Maverick has died of natural causes at 86.
Announced for September: Nick Swardson at The Straz
Terry Funny: Nick Swardson's stand-up comedy tour hits The Straz Sept. 30 Popular comedians often fall into one of two camps: The ones who hit big with a well-known role, and the ones who grind it out by writing, acting and performing on a number of successful projects. Nick Swardson qualifies for both groups. On…
Ale and the Witch offers $5 beers on Sundays
The tap house’s special is limited to summertime.
Listen: Tweedy “Diamond Light Pt. 1”
The Wilco frontman and his son team up for a surprisingly great, extended jam.
Saturday & Sunday Live Music Rundown: WMNF Americana Fest feat. Nikki Lane, Bird Street Players, etc.
Who’s playing where this weekend? Find out here.
Tampa residents protest immigration crisis at the border
Around 30 people gathered at the overpass on Hwy. 301 overlooking I-4 in Tampa this afternoon, protesting the recent influx of tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants — mostly children — that have crossed the U.S. border illegally since last October. A similar protest was scheduled in St. Petersburg and in cities around the country today,…
Do This: Weekend Top 10
Fun on the beach, at the pool, at art shows, offbeat fashion and a great reunion lead the heap.
Jim Davis says Bill Nelson would have been a good candidate, but is prepared to get behind Charlie Crist
A recent poll showed that 89 percent of Democrats want Charlie Crist to debate Nan Rich before the August 26 primary election, and you can include Jim Davis among them. The former Tampa Congressman and 2006 gubernatorial nominee says Crist would be well served to debate going into the fall. "Debate, we as Democrats believe, makes…
Raices en Tampa petition to get undocumented workers driver’s licenses
Activists in Tampa are working to collect signatures to try to create momentum to overturn a Florida state law that allows undocumented workers without a driver's license to be detained by law enforcement. Activists say a license would help undocumented citizens to legally drive to places such as work, school or a doctor's office. Raices en…
Hillsborough County Commission candidates agree on eliminating write-in provision
There are four Hillsborough County Commission seats up for election this year, two of them open seats. However, only three of those seats are being contested, as the Democrats have failed to procure a live human being to challenge Ken Hagan in his Countywide District 5 seat. Certainly the most interesting primary election that will…
Movie Review: The Grand Seduction
The Grand Seduction puts on a charm offensive with big ambitions, but slight returns.
Movie Review: The Purge: Anarchy
A Frank Grillo-driven follow-up gives audiences more than they got from Ethan Hawke and last year’s flop, but is it enough?
Tonight in live music: Suenalo, Cookie Monsta, American Idol Live & more
Concerts, Fri., July 18
Mitch Perry Report 7.18.14 – Same-sex marriage gets closer to becoming a reality in Florida
Last night same-sex marriage supporters gathered at the Unity of Tampa Church in South Tampa, one of 14 gathering spots set up in advance by Equality Florida to convene following the ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in Monroe County — though Attorney General Pam Bondi immediately announced that the state would be appealing the decision, meaning…
Do This: God of Carnage, Rays Watch Party
Two great outing for theater lovers and Rays fans tonight: Last year American Stage gave us Yasmina Reza’s acerbic comedy Art, and this year, the company closes out its current season with the playwright’s even more acclaimed God of Carnage. The Tony-winning play reveals how civility can deteriorate when well-meaning parents get dirtier than their…
Advocates say closing the gender pay gap will improve women’s safety net
Women are still fighting to be paid equally to men more than 50 years after the enactment of the Equal Pay Act. Social Security Works representatives and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) held a conference call this morning to discuss how unequal pay has a detrimental effect on women’s economic and retirement security. After 35…
Marriage equality victory — in Florida!
Attorney General Pam Bondi will appeal the historic Monroe County ruling.
Movie review: Planes: Fire & Rescue flies the kiddie-friendly skies
This mid-tier effort is another pleasing, if not spectacular, foray into Disney’s animated universe.
Interview: A CL Holiday Auction winner talks to Less Than Jake
The ska-punk band hits town as part of Vans Warped Tour on July 25.
Charlie Crist names Annette Taddeo-Goldstein as his running mate
(Update: Nan Rich responds. See below). Although he won't be the (likely) Democratic party nominee for governor for 40 more days, Charlie Crist announced this morning from Miami that he has selected Annette Taddeo-Goldstein to be running mate and serve as Florida's next Lieutenant Governor if he defeats Rick Scott this fall. A former party…
Real Genius — review of Jobsite’s Inventing Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh invades a modern-day artist’s life in a fine production by Jobsite.
Free tea at McAlister’s Deli
“Tea freaks” should flock to the fast-casual chain next week for its annual giveaway.
Why Phish? Let me break it down for you…
When you see a band 65 times, they’ve got to be doing something right.
High on Style: Threading the world together
Cozette’s Boutique offers local, foreign and fair trade fashion.
Tonight at Fubar: Heyrocco with Black Coast Royals and Acting Natural
A free indie rock show for your Thursday.
Michael Hastings & Andrea Brunais: Journalism is murder
Two novelists delve into the cutthroat machinations of the news biz.
