In fiery testimony, Tampa venue owner Tom DeGeorge calls Live Nation ‘the hogs at the top’
Mr. DeGeorge went to Washington on Monday, and there were fireworks. Last Monday in Washington D.C., Tom DeGeorge was on Capitol Hill as part of his continued fight for the country’s independent music venues. During the hearing at the House Committee on the Judiciary, DeGeorge—co-founder and owner of Crowbar in Ybor City—was asked to testify…
Portillo’s is testing a new kid’s hot dog meal in Tampa Bay right now
Portillo’s wants to know if your kids are interested in their Chi-style shablams. Starting yesterday, May 19, the Chicago-based hot dog chain began testing new glizzy-focused hot dog meals “designed specifically for younger guests,” according to a press release. “The meal includes a choice of a plain hot dog or two chicken tenders, paired with…
Florida among nation’s worst for crypto ATM fraud
Those crypto ATMs found at your local gas station can help you turn dollars into Bitcoin, but they’re also the source of millions of dollars in fraud, especially in Florida. According to a recently released annual report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) division, the state of Florida was second…
Florida expected to have record traffic over Memorial Day weekend
Despite gas prices being at a four-year high, the auto club AAA anticipates a record 2.7 million Floridians will take to the roads for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. But while people still want to get out, some travel habits have been curtailed. “Memorial Day travel is still reaching record levels, but with the smallest…
Tampa lawyer and songwriter James Shaw will talk about the meaning of existence this weekend
When they sit still long enough, humans inevitably start wondering why the hell they even exist. Tampa lawyer and songwriter James Shaw shares some of his answer with the congregation at the Unitarian Universalist church near the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus this weekend. “How come we are talking space-monkeys? What’s the point of…
Tampa art scene lifer, leader, Tracy Midulla, will speak to Creative Mornings on Friday
When it comes to Tampa’s art scene, Tracy Midulla has very much been a bus driver. On Friday in Ybor City, the Tempus Projects founder and Kress Contemporary leader will talk about other artists who’ve taken the wheel to change cultural and urban landscapes. “Through exhibitions, public programming, partnerships, and community-building initiatives, I’ll discuss how…
Outside St. Pete City Hall, protestors continue call for police to end agreement with ICE
A small but determined group of protesters gathered outside St. Petersburg City Hall last Saturday. They renewed calls for city leaders to end cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities through the 287(g) program. The Tampa Bay Immigrant Solidarity Network and the End 287(g) Committee organized the gathering. They said the demonstration was…
Dyke Night St. Pete welcomes ‘Gays Raised In the South’ to June throwdown in Ybor City
A bit like Jordan Belfort in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” the dykes aren’t fucking leaving. Ybor City hotspot Crowbar will be closed before the fall, but organizers at Dyke Night St. Pete keep booking shows at the legendary, 20-year-old Tampa venue. The latest includes the tagline “Thicker Than G.R.I.T.S.,” as in “Gays Raised In…
Gulfport’s Gabber newspaper says ‘the paper is done’ if July fundraising goal is not met
Florida’s oldest independent weekly newspaper could cease to exist before the summer is over. Yesterday, publishers of The Gabber Newspaper told readers that, “If we don’t hit our fundraising goal by July 1, the paper is done.” The publication, founded in 1968 as the “Gulfport Gabber,” has served South Pinellas for nearly six decades, putting…
Photos: Expat Tampa guitarist Sulynn Hago shows Tampa the ‘Doghouse’
Known for driving some of Tampa’s hardest-hitting rock bands (Career, Feral Babies) and even ripping for Canadian punk giant Propagandhi, expat Tampa guitarist Sulynn Hago came home last Thursday to show off a debut solo full-length, Faith in the Doghouse. Bad, Bad Things and Big Sad played support at Crowbar.
Photos: Everyone having the time of their lives when Rohna played its final ‘Indie Night’ at Crowbar
The back-to-back, 10th and 11th Indie Night concerts at Crowbar were sold-out well before doors opened last weekend, and for good reason. Over the last five years, Rohna—the rock band-promoters behind the wildly successful series—have built a community around the idea of discovering new music while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other fans. The quintet played one…
Florida boating accidents saw a significant increase in 2025, says FWC
Florida’s increasingly crowded waterways had 694 “reportable” boating accidents in 2025, up from 685 in 2024 and 659 in 2023, according to a state report released Monday. Included in the annual Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Boating Accident Statistical Report were 51 fatalities that were the results of 41 incidents, down from 81 deaths…
Downtown Tampa’s Wallace building is coming down, bringing with it a century’s worth of history
Right now in downtown Tampa, cranes are ripping down the-century old GTE building, located on the corner of Tampa and Twiggs Streets at 601 N Ashley Dr. The property was recently purchased by “Stock Development,” and so far no details or plans for the space have been released. Many Tampeño’s know the building as the…
Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. is selling his Florida mega-mansion for $27 million
One of the best hitters of the ‘90s just listed his massive Florida mega-mansion for an eye-popping $27 million. Located just outside of Orlando at 5603 Marleon Dr., in Windermere, the Mediterranean-style home was purchased by Major League Baseball center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. in 2004 for $2,575,000, according to property records. The 22,108-square-foot house…
Tampa Bay Brewing Co. will close Ybor City location this month
After nearly three decades, Tampa Bay Brewing Co. is leaving Ybor City. Over the weekend, owner Dave Doble posted a video to social media announcing the upcoming closure of the brewery’s Centro Ybor location, at 1600 E 8th Ave. “I know there’s probably a lot of questions, and if you find me at one of…
Busch Gardens Tampa announces the return of free beer
They’ll cut you off after awhile, but the best attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa always seems to find its way back on tap. This afternoon, the local theme park announced the return of free beer for a limited time starting May 22. Guests who are 21 years or older, can score one 7 oz. draft…
Nominations for Creative Loafing’s 2026 Best of the Bay are now open
Tampa Bay’s best local businesses, bartenders, politicians, strippers, friends, friends of strippers, and more will be decided over the summer in the 2026 edition of Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay awards. In the reader’s poll, there are over 551 awards to win across nine groups including: The nomination period in Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s…
Florida jobless claims spike following Spirit Airlines layoffs
After Dania Beach-based Spirit Airlines grounded operations earlier this month, jobless claims in Florida leapt to the highest total for a single week since last June. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 7,968 initial unemployment applications were filed last week, up from a revised count of 5,573 for the week ending May 2.…
Tampa Bay’s best live music happening May 15-21
Tampa Bay’s live music weekend is here, rolling one up and smoking it to a Willie Nelson record. The Highwayman plays a Clearwater show this weekend, but he’s not the only cowboy onstage. Bay area favorites Have Gun, Will Travel play a 20th anniversary show, Indie Night Tampa stages its last shows at Crowbar, and…
DeSantis slams Florida House Speaker Perez, claims he has ‘a personal agenda’
Gov. Ron DeSantis has grown frustrated at pieces of his agenda being thwarted by the GOP-led House, and lashed out at Speaker Daniel Perez on Thursday. “When you have people that got elected on our back, like the Speaker of the House, get in and do the opposite of what the voters expected us to…
Freaky, fun, EBM favorite Lords of Acid returns to Tampa on Sunday
It’s going to get freaky in North Tampa when Lords of Acid finds itself back on Nebraska Avenue. The EBM band—featuring founding members Praga Khan along with new singer Carla Harvey—is on the verge of releasing new music, according to Khan who told fans that the new stuff respects the past while putting “a clear…
Federal judge sides with Florida state employee fired for Charlie Kirk social media post
A federal judge imposed sanctions against a state agency supervisor for her testimony in a case regarding a state employee fired for a social media post following Charlie Kirk’s killing. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker determined that not correcting the record after exaggerating the number of complaints to the agency about the Florida Fish and…
DJs Blenda and Shafiq take Ybor City to ‘Church’ on Sunday
OGs of the Bay area DJ scene get one more headlining set at Crowbar before the famed Ybor City venue closes this summer. Fixtures at the since-shuttered Ol’ Dirty Sundays hip-hop party, DJs Shafiq and Blenda are back on the back patio for all-vinyl sets complete with breakdancers. Tickets for Church Sessions with DJs Blenda…
Tampa Hindu Temple hosts tabla and harmonium concerts this weekend
Sitting in front a tabla and harmonium in action is transfixing, and world music fans have a chance to get hypnotized this weekend. The opportunity is all thanks to The Shruti Foundation, which welcomes percussionist Gourisankar to the stunning Tampa Hindu Temple for two sets: one with vocalist Brajeswar Mukherjee and Anirban Chakrabarty on harmonium,…
Tampa’s Have Gun, Will Travel is angrier than ever on new EP
In 2019, Bay area king of Americana, Have Gun, Will Travel, started a pivot to rock and roll. The move wasn’t a surprise considering the Bradenton-born band’s origins as a punk band called Chase Theory, but HGWT is really leaning into loud on a new 7-inch coming out as frontman Matt Burke & co. celebrate…
New 1950s-inspired supper club The Sapphire will open in Tampa this week
The Sapphire Lounge & Supper Club, a new 1950’s supper club concept, will soft open in the Westshore area later this week. Located next door to Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, at 4410 W Boy Scout Blvd., The Sapphire will debut Friday, May 15, in a new 17,000-square-foot space within the TriPointe Plaza, formerly occupied by…
Tampa rock band Holy Dose will play haunting EP in full on Friday
In 2018, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ground worker Richard ‘Beebo’ Russell stole an empty Q400 turboprop commuter jet and flew it around for an hour, performing aerials, before crashing it on sparsely populated Ketron Island. In recorded conversations with air traffic controllers, Russell is heard saying, “I’ve got a lot of people that care about me.…
A beat concert and ‘Street Fighter VI’ tournament happens in Ybor City this Friday
Playing video games in the bedroom is overrated sometimes. BeatsNChill has a tempting opportunity to put on some damn clothes for once and play “Street Fighter VI” all night while Sunshine State beatsmiths and rappers like Ft. Myers’ Hell’z Own, André DeSaint, and Kalib play sets. There’s no cover for BNC Live happening at The…
