Do This: CRAFT Cultural Meet-Up
The monthly CRAFT meet-ups hope to bring art professional together to create connections and foster collaborations. Join the Creative Pinellas folks as they kick off their second meet-up this Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the Morean Center for Clay. Presented by Creative Pinellas and Wordier Than Thou, the CRAFT Cultural meet-up series will offer an…
Beat the heat: A summery twist on caprese salad
This take on a caprese salad is light, refreshing and showcases some of the best flavors this season.
9th Bar Espresso: Cerealist expression
A new coffee shop wakes up Dunedin with funky cereal combos and weekend ’toons.
The Laugh Tract — who’s bringing the funny
D.L. Hughley is at Tampa Improv this weekend. If you like your comedians to have television credits, you're in luck this week. A couple of heavy-hitters are in town, as well as other experienced, nationally-touring performers. Here are your best bets: Comedy Clubs D.L. Hughley at Tampa Improv. Hughley has plenty of movie and television…
The CL Intern Issue: USF ahead of the curve on sexual assault policies
With universities across the U.S. being investigated for violations, USF’s programs seem prescient.
Tim Schock says it’s time for new Republicans on Hillsborough County Commission
On Wednesday morning both Tampa Bay dailies' top story above the fold was on the plan unveiled by Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill for a one-cent sales tax referendum to pay for a new comprehensive transportation plan for roads, buses and light-rail. But if it does go before voters in 2016, Tim Schock will be…
Do This: Mary Lynn Rajskub at Side Splitters
Say Her Name: Mary Lynn Rajskub steps away from her hit show 24 and onto a comedy club stage for a slate of shows this weekend. Mary Lynn Rajskub doesn't have a name that flows off the tongue, but how about the show that helped make her famous? 24 is enjoying good reviews for its…
Mitch Perry Report 7.31.14 – Joe Scarborough turns on Israel
Israel's Operation Protective Edge in Gaza is now in its 24th day, and it's getting harder to read and watch what's happening with reports of the IDF killing Palestinians while Hamas continues to shoot off their mostly ineffective rockets (the body count is now 1,370 Palestinians and 56 Israelis). Yesterday U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that…
The CL Intern Issue: Education takes wing(s) at Copper Top
The summer interns join our restaurant critic at a traditional USF hangout.
The CL Intern Issue: Beyond the barriers of dorm-room dining
The interns’ guide to Tampa Bay eats.
Rubio joins bipartisan group to co-sponsor bill that aims to curb sexual assaults on campuses
Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio joined up with a bipartisan group today to announce his support for a bill that aims to curb on-campus rape that will include an annual survey of students about their experience with sexual assaults. The introduction of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act comes just weeks after a Senate subcommittee survey showed…
New albums on the horizon from local bands Zulu Wave and DieAlps!
Videos from both included.
Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Wyllie soon to be at a craft beer brewery near you
The Libertarian Party of Florida is hoping to persuade the bloc of newly registered voters this year — thanks in part to Amendment 2 — to get behind their candidate for governor this year, Adrian Wyllie. Now the party is going after the craft-beer crowd. Fresh off his best poll rating yet in last week's…
Mitch Perry Report 7.30.14: Do Tampa/Hillsborough leaders have what it takes to pass a transportation tax in 2016?
In Clearwater this Saturday, volunteers for the Greenlight Pinellas initiative are scheduled to knock on doors to advocate for the 1-cent transit tax that will be on the ballot this November in Pinellas County. The success or failure of that initiative will certainly have an impact on what happens across the Bay in Tampa, where…
Tonight in live music: Black Pussy at Crowbar (yes, it’s a band)
Amid the various genre classifications on their bandcamp page, Black Pussy (a tricky name to Google without getting porn and allegedly influenced by the real name of the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar") lists ‘stoner pop’ and ‘weedgazer,’ both apropos self-stylings of their Portland-brewed sound: influenced by ‘70s-era cock-strutting sex-oozing blues-influenced hard and psychedelic rock, all…
Happiness by the smear
Nutella celebrates its 50th anniversary at Tampapalooza.
Charlie Crist gets specific in announcing his “First Day of Fairness Plan”
One criticism that even some of his Democratic supporters have (privately) acknowledged about Charlie Crist is his lack of digging into the details of public policy, so at a news conference in St. Petersburg on Tuesday the once and possibly future governor of Florida released his First Day of Fairness plan, detailing the executive actions he…
Hillsborough County gives first look at transit plan that would go before voters in 2016
Leaders in Hillsborough County today unveiled a detailed multi-billion dollar transportation plan for the county that would require asking the voters to approve a one-cent sales tax in 2016. The presentation comes two weeks before the same plan will go before members of the Transportation for Economic Development (TED) group, and after more than a…
Tampa Bay’s weekly literary happenings
Books and Brews will discuss Lord of the Flies on Wednesday, July 30. The Clearwater Writers Meetup Group gathers at the home of its organizer in Belleair on Tuesday, July 29, 7 p.m. Discuss publishing trends, blogs and websites of interest to writers, and receive constructive criticism of your work. Join Inkwood Books and the…
Former NYC Taxi agency head says Uber has an unfair advantage over cab industry
Although Uber and Lyft have been hailed as innovators locally by lawmakers like Jeff Brandes, Jamie Grant and Mayor Bob Buckhorn, the longest serving Chairman of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission says requesting a ride from those hot new transportation companies is really no different than ordering a pizza from a new restaurant…
Mitch Perry Report 7.29.14: The sad, sad reality about running for higher office
Talking about the overemphasis on money in politics is like talking about the heat and humidity in Florida — why go over something that's so damn obvious? It's unpleasant, yes, but it's just the reality. But every once in a while it's okay to vent. I think about this today upon reading about the campaign…
Tonight in live music: Indie rock at New World, Summer Slaughter Tour at State Theatre
Some live music highlights for this Tuesday; one is a day full of death metal that starts in the afternoon, while the other features three indie rock bands, two out-of-towners and a local. Info below… The Summer Slaughter Tour: Morbid Angel with Dying Fetus, The Faceless, Thy Art Is Murder, Goatwhore, Origin, Decredit Birth, Within…
New Music Tuesday! (July 29): Jenny Lewis, Shabazz Palaces, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and more
Releases out today; audio & video included.
Art lit: New ebooks from Pale Horse Design’s Chris Parks
The St. Pete artist provides both original and reference works for art lovers.
Banyan Cafe’s new leaves
The cozy eatery is set to open a second shop and a catering kitchen in St. Pete.
NRA cheers court’s upholding of Docs vs. Glocks bill in Florida
The National Rifle Association issued out a press release today, touting Friday's decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit Court that will now ban doctors from discussing safety regarding the presence of guns in a patient’s home. Calling it "a significant defeat for the gun control lobby and its allies," the NRA…
Did Somebody Say “Margaritas”?
Margarita Wars: Thursday, July 31st
D.T. Minich leaving Visit St.Pete/Clearwater for Kissimmee
Under the tutelage of D.T. Minich, executive director of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, Pinellas County has been enjoying record growth in monthly tax collections on overnight stays in the past three years. So it's all the more surprising that Minich is ditching the Gulf Coast to go do the same job in Kissimmee, Florida. In a…
Tampa doctor to speak at EPA public hearing on cutting carbon dioxide by 30% in Atlanta
This coming week the Environmental Protection Agency will be conducting public hearings regarding their proposal to cut the nation’s emissions of carbon dioxide by 30 percent by 2030 in four American cities, the closest one to the Tampa Bay area being Atlanta. Among those scheduled to speak will be Tampa resident Dr. Lynn Ringenberg, an Emeritus Professor…
Pitched to Death in the Future Head: Startup Weekend Tampa Wrapup
I show up at the HCC Dale Mabry 4:30pm on the third day of Tampa Startup Weekend. While the event’s ambitious would-be entrepreneurs were feverishly putting together presentations for the final pitch contest, I was enjoying a 12 p.m. "breakfast" at Café Hey. I’m a writer, after all, and the hungover Sunday brunch is one…
Mitch Perry Report 7.28.14: New poll shows 55 percent of Floridians want pot legalized for everyone
Although the polls have varied regarding the medical marijuana initiative on this November's ballot in Florida, Quinnipiac University's surveys have consistently given the highest ratings for approval of such a measure, and their latest survey, released this morning, does so again, with an 88-10 approval rating, including Republicans favoring it 80-19. The poll also says that…
Minimum Viable Pizza: Startup Weekend Tampa, Day 2
So, as you might have picked up from my post yesterday, I’m familiar with the temptation to make fun of startup culture. Though tech nerds have always been funny, they've become bigger targets now that tech is huge business. There are just so many hangers-on and crude imitators, those who parrot the language and self-consciously…
Will any liberals support Paul Ryan’s plan to address poverty?
Last week House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan released a 73-page anti-poverty plan called "Expanding Opportunity in America" which Slate's Reihan Salam wrote "includes some of the most thought-provoking ideas to have ever come from the halls of Congress." The plan's biggest feature would create an "Opportunity Grant" that would lump money for food stamps, housing assistance…
All shook up
Muvico Sundial 19 offers Pompeian olive oil as an alternative popcorn topping next month.
Savage Love: The boys in the bandwidth
Cyber flirting, the ghost of hookups past and more from relationship advice guru Dan Savage.
Proud liberal Nan Rich keeps going
A Quinnipiac poll released last week showed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Rich trailing Rick Scott in a one-on-one matchup 41-34 percent, her worst performance in that poll since Quinnipiac began listing her in their Florida surveys over the last year. Perhaps more damning was the fact that a walloping 83 percent of voters surveyed said…
Welcome to Dreamland: Tampa Startup Weekend Day 1
Last night, fifty or so of Tampa’s biggest dreamers got together at the HCC campus on Dale Mabry, hoping to start the next Facebook, Instagram, Angry Birds, or Elf Yourself. Ambition comes in various forms, and Startup Weekend is the place to see that. I’ll be posting a few updates over the weekend as Startup…
This Saturday and Sunday in live music: Fall Out Boy & Paramore, Hank 3, Cosmo Baker & more
A very diverse selection of live tunes happening this weekend, from mega-tours to DJ dance parties. More info below…SATURDAY, JULY 26 Fall Out Boy and Paramore with New Politics Try to convince me you haven’t howled along with Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)” and I…
The Rowdies battle the San Antonio Scorpions in a battle between two undefeated teams
Rowdies media relations Rowdies forward Georgi Hristov has been instrumental in helping the Rowdies get off to a 2-0 start in the NASL Fall season with three goals in two games. The Tampa Bay Rowdies enter Saturday's match against the San Antonio Scorpions at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg with a two-game winning streak…
‘Desperate’ ad released to battle Clean Power Plan opposers
Representatives from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP Action) are fighting back against attacks from polluter allies about the claimed effects of the recently proposed Clean Power Plan by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). On Thursday, LCV released an ad called "Desperate" that combats those opposed to…
Mitch Perry Report 7.25.14: Whatever happened to that Rays stadium story?
The rejuvenated Tampa Bay Rays host the Boston Red Sox this weekend in what should be an exciting mid-summer series at Tropicana Field. So now's as good a time as any to reflect on those perennial favorite stories of the Tampa Bay political and sports media establishment — the fight for the Rays to build a new ballpark…
Tonight in live music: Roots music at New World, Vans Warped Tour & more
An eclectic Friday with mostly local music bookending a superstar memorial and the annual Vans Warped Tour stop. 6 Volt Rodeo, Sara Rose Band, The Johnny Zoom Hi-Fi Show If Spade Cooley were to rise from the grave and assemble a five-piece flannel-clad Western swing band, I imagine it would sound a lot like 6…
A new chapter, a new chef for Peg’s Cantina in Gulfport
Chris Perotti’s restaurant experience ranges from Philadelphia to Spain.
Nine and Numb battle in honor of Batman
The improv group competed in Crusaders vs. Rogues at Carrollwood Players Theatre on National Batman Day
Photo review: KISS at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
"You wanted the best, you got the best, The hottest band in the world!" And KISS certainly brought out its best for the Army of fans last night (Wed., July 23) who showed up to see them at the MidFlorida Credit Amphitheatre. Descending from the sky, upon a spider shaped platform amid smoke, fire and…
The Music Issue 2014: Southern Pinellas (St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Gulf Beaches)
The Bends While the St. Pete watering hole isn’t necessarily known for being a live music venue, The Bends has been welcoming players to its chandelier-and-laser-lit dance space the past several months, mostly locals, not to mention DJs and occasional EDM and indietronic acts, too. 919 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg,727-202-8931, facebook.com/thebendsbar.Past shows: Sounds of the…
The Music Issue 2014: Northern Pinellas (Clearwater, Largo, Dunedin, Palm Harbor)
Capitol Theatre The historic theater’s full potential was realized last year after a $10.7 renovation transformed the time-worn venue into an elegant modern performance space, retaining many of its historical elements in the architecture and design details, but upping the capacity from 450 to 737 (which includes six private loge boxes) and adding brand new seating…
Music Issue 2014: Ale and the Witch
Ale and Witch owner Brett Andress opened his downtown St. Petersburg bar with one goal: all-domestic craft beer taps. But four years later, the craft beer goes hand-in-hand with seven nights a week of really good live music. The adjacent courtyard allowed for a pseudo-amphitheater, one that musicians enjoy playing and patrons enjoy, well, enjoying.…
Bill’s SportsBinge: Rays, stuff and things
To say July is slightly slow in sports is akin to suggesting that the Rays have a wee bit of catching up to do if they don't want to spend October sitting on the couch — a giant luxurious leather couch in front of a 80-inch flatscreen, being fed nachos by topless supermodels so their…
Sloppy Pelican migrates north, Shark Tales dives in
Restaurant news from Northeast St. Pete and St. Pete Beach.
The Music Issue 2014: Hideaway Cafe & Recording Studio
The music is the mission at this Central Avenue hotspot.
The Music Issue 2014: The Palladium & Side Door Cabaret
St. Pete’s iconic and beautiful venue retains the flavor of legendary NYC jazz clubs.
Florida Democrats revive demand for 4-year-old Rick Scott deposition transcript
Florida Democrats (and Bill McCollum-supporting Republicans) accused Rick Scott of various transgressions during the 2010 gubernatorial campaign, but none ultimately stuck as the former healthcare executive ended up prevailing in the race four years ago. But with polls way too close for comfort going into the general election, why not go back to that playbook?…
My country ’tis of twee: Interview with rock writer Marc Spitz
What do Morrissey, Nick Drake, Dave Eggers, Judy Blume, Walt Disney, Zooey Deschanel, Lena Dunham and Kurt Cobain all have in common? According to a new book, they’re all critical figures, past and present, of the twee movement. According to New York City-based rock journalist Marc Spitz, twee is the most important (and polarizing) pop…
Poet’s Notebook: Write to the beat
“Sir, what is poetry?” “Why Sir, it is much easier to say what it is not. We all know what light is; but it is not easy to tell what it is.” —Samuel Johnson, from Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson (1791) Although Dr. Johnson’s right — poetry’s slippery to define — we can say it’s…
Life as we blow it: Gone but not forgotten
Where you see live music often informs the experience every bit as much as what you’re seeing and hearing. Different environments have different vibes, and let’s face it — a concert doesn’t exist in a vacuum; no matter how much you love to bitch about the loudmouths at the bar, live music is a social…
Weekend Preview: Music & Margaritas
7.25.14–7.27.14
Buckhorn proposed $876 million FY2015 budget won’t dip into reserves
For the first time since Bob Buckhorn was elected Mayor in 2011, the proposed budget he submitted today for fiscal year 2015 does not dip into financial reserves, and in fact includes a modest surplus of $1.3 million. That's a dramatic improvement from his staff's forecast of just a few months ago, when city budget…
Theater review — American Stage’s God of Carnage
The grown-ups are on their worst behavior in American Stage’s production of Yasmina Reza’s acclaimed play.
Mitch Perry Report 7.24.14: House Republicans split on border situation?
The Tampa Tribune uses the entire top fold of its editions today to feature the bold headline, "Border crisis hits home" — and then proceeds to inform us of a story that's been known for weeks — that a shelter in Pasco County has applied to expand the number of beds at its facility to house 16…
The Music Issue 2014 — Ybor City
Amphitheatre Located right on Seventh Avenue, the Amphitheatre Event Facility has grown in popularity with the rise of EDM and all its subgenres. The 550-cap main room features a 30-foot rotating dance floor (a fitting addition to the never-ending energy), six cryogenic jets, and a stage outfitted with numerous LED panels and a wall of…
The Music Issue 2014 — South Tampa
Hyde Park Cafe The house music capital of Central Florida has been operating under the radar at Hyde Park Café for nearly two decades, bringing in the biggest national and international names in house and techno to play with local and regional beat-mixers amid its Velociti room’s haze of fog and pulsing lights. Two other…
The Music Issue 2014 — Seminole Heights/Mid-East Tampa
Dallas Bull The boot-scooting honky tonk is Tampa Bay’s one-stop shop for country music, founded more than three decades ago but only in its current 34,000-square-foot digs since 2006. A laundry list of drawling stars have played its stage, both fresh faces and vets, and Dallas Bull has deep-rooted ties with Charlie Daniels, who throws…
The Music Issue 2014: The New World Brewery
Less than a year from celebrating its 20th anniversary, New World Brewery is a beloved mainstay in Tampa’s scene. The indoor-outdoor venue spent a short period of its infancy as a microbrewery in 1995, when owner Steve Bird and former partner Greg Karalis thought they’d capitalize on the homebrew craze. But the import-friendly, craft brew-specializin’…
Music Issue 2014: Venues — Downtown Tampa
Café Hey The bands and artists that play Café Hey’s shows are analogous to the fresh and funky food and drink they serve — good for you, tasty, creatively executed and out-of-the ordinary. Plus, two of the establishment’s longtime employees — Chris Wood and Jenson Kistler — make up two-thirds of the ever-popular Tampa band…
The Music Issue 2014: Skipper’s Smokehouse & Uncle John’s Band
A nearly 16-year tradition.
The Music Issue 2014 — North Tampa/USF area
Brass Mug Things go in cycles, and the North Tampa venue that helped the city earn the title of Death Metal Capital of the World in the early ’90s is once again on the rise. While the focus is on metal, the Mug is and always has been open to multiple different styles, so long…
The Music Issue 2014: Epic Problem
DIY all-ages rules apply at the Skatepark of Tampa’s venue.
The Music Issue 2014: Mojo Books & Music
Transcend the smell of dusty pages, fresh coffee, and amazing green tea snickerdoodles, and Mojo Books & Records becomes church-like. The USF-area indie shop opened in 2009, but has already become a staple because it ministers to a community not always adequately served by other local venues. “Our space is welcoming to a variety of…
The Music Issue 2014: Where it’s at
Creative Loafing celebrates and provides a comprehensive guide to the venues that keep Tampa Bay music flowing and growing.
