Do This: Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny
Santa, sand, and smart-assery simulcast live just in time for Christmas.
Book Review: A Lover’s Lament
Just in time for Veteran’s Day, a book filled with soldiers, war, and sex.
Honorable mentions: Veterans Day events around Tampa Bay
A guide to Veterans Day events happening locally now through Nov. 15.
Halloween’s new haunts — The Vault of Souls & Scream-a-Geddon
The downtown Tampa and Pasco attractions offer a wide spectrum of fun for Halloween.
Poet’s Notebook: Bernie & Brooklyn
How many dawns, chill from his rippling rest The seagull’s wings shall dip and pivot him, Shedding white rings of tumult, building high Over the chained bay waters Liberty— Confirmed escapists, Jeanne and I have always been movie lovers, so it’s normal for me, while waiting for small change from a $20 bill, to think…
Five Courses: Foundation introduces local coffee to the ‘burbs & more
Riverview scored Foundation Coffee, Urban Provisions opened in St. Pete, plus other food news.
“Crust of civility” erodes in State Senate over maps
State lawmakers are having a tough time at mapmaking. The legislature is currently in its third special session, trying to redraw State Senate district maps they admitted they had drawn to the advantage of their party/certain candidates, which isn't technically legal anymore. They've already redrawn the state's Congressional maps, as the State Supreme Court ordered.…
Ask the Locals: St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman
When Rick Kriseman was 9, his family moved (or, in his words, “escaped”) from Detroit to the west side of St. Pete. He attended the University of Florida and Stetson Law, went on to serve as a city councilman and a state legislator, and was elected mayor in 2014. The city in which he grew…
Drink More Wine: Reign in Spain
Rioja is an intoxicating blend that deserves your attention.
Life as we blow it: Beyond belief
John Saxer emerges from behind an appropriately haunted-looking house on a quiet Tarpon Springs street. Shirtless and gaunt, thinning gray hair wild, the self-styled “psychic archaelogist” could’ve just returned from wandering some harsh environment in search of theological or metaphysical truths. Saxer made multiple news outlets in the late ’00s by claiming that unusual pieces…
CL endorses in St. Pete Council races: Newton vs. Wheeler-Brown, Garrett vs. Kornell, Abbott vs. Gerdes
Creative Loafing makes political endorsements only on an occasional basis, but in the case of the current hard-fought and often bitter St. Petersburg Council races, we decided to weigh in. That’s partly because the three members of our ad hoc editorial board — Editor-in-Chief David Warner, News & Politics Editor Kate Bradshaw, and Managing Editor…
Tampa one step closer to coolness, er, Google Fiber
Tampa could get internet and cable service that's nearly a hundred times faster what the average internet provider in the U.S. offers. The service Google Fiber, obviously a product of internet behemoth Google, has been showing up in cities like Austin, Kansas City and Provo, Utah, where it's up and running already and is slated for…
Desaparecidos cancels Pre-Fest, Fest appearances, rest of tour
Frontman Conor Oberst has fallen ill.
Friends, family preview Kings Street Food’s old-school bounty
Tuesday night, Kings Street Food gave St. Pete a taste of what to expect by the end of October.
Way Back Wednesday: Busta Rhymes
A weekly video spotlight on artists who came up pre-’00s
St. Pete becomes home to a new dog in town, Chi-Town
Chi-Town Beefs & Dogs has launched in St. Pete to highlight better staples of the Windy City.
Restaurant review: Sausage party at Hofbräuhaus
Traditional German fare and boisterous group fun are found at St. Petersburg’s Hofbräuhaus.
Sh*t happened 10/28/15: Rays talks to resume, new Visit Tampa Bay campaign, USF, um, overexposed
The middle of the week is its deepest part. If you feel like you're drowning, here are some floating bits of yesterday's wreckage you can cling to while the tides carry you closer to the safety of the weekend. St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman and representatives of the Tampa Bay Rays agreed to meet today…
On the Sauce: Not Your Basic PSL
A fall cocktail that’s sort of a twist on a White Russian, but better (read: stronger).
Tonight in live music: Gang of Four, Kansas
A few shows happening this Wed., Oct. 28.
Liquid gold: Olive The World Bistro offers new tasting experience
Adventurous EVOOs and balsamics are paired with Olive The World’s dishes in Tarpon Springs.
Ben Carson’s coming to town next week. Here are 10 crazy things he’s said
Retired surgeon Ben Carson, a current GOP presidential candidate, is coming to town next week to hawk copies of his book, A More Perfect Union, at a Tampa Barnes & Noble (more info here courtesy of Tampa Tribune reporter — and CL Best of the Bay winner — Chris O'Donnell) on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Despite a…
St. Pete Council candidates square off in final debate
Residents filled St. Pete's Enoch Davis Center for a final NAACP-sponsored City Council candidate forum Monday night to get a glimpse of the people who hope to represent them at the city level. Four City Council candidates engaged in an oft-tense and lively two-hour forum including District 5 candidates Steve Kornell, who is seeking reelection,…
Dark & Sinful: Playboy, porn and shades of gray
Playboy’s CEO, Scott Flanders, recently announced that the magazine will no longer print pictures of naked women. He wants us to rest assured, though: Playboy will still print provocative pictures of women. Yawn. Flanders explained the logic behind Playboy’s decision to cut the buff after the March 2016 issue: “You’re now one click away from…
Sh*t happened 10/27/15: Meat kills, sex offender drives, Seminole Tribe sues
Man, after a day like yesterday, it's great to know I can just kick back with six hot dogs and a tray of olive loaf and just eat my stress away with no risk to my — what? WHAT?! Oh. Of course, the big news yesterday concerned how processed meat is going to give you…
Tonight in live music: JR JR, Bronze Radio Return, Safety
Three shows happening this Tue., Oct. 27
Slurp’s up: Ichicoro debuts its buzzed-about ramen to Tampa
After a quiet weekend preview, Ichicoro’s ramen house doors will open at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Local chefs return to duel during Epicurean pumpkin fight
Carved pumpkins from 20-plus chefs will battle for the people’s vote at the Top Chef Pumpkin Fight.
Brewery, tasting room coming to Hernando next month
Opening Nov. 7, Marker 48 will bring Hernando County its first full-production craft brewery.
Look mom, no cars! Cyclovia 2015
Ten blocks of Kennedy Blvd. turned over to cyclists, pedestrians, runners, and skaters during Tampa’s Cyclovia.
Modern movements: The new BEACON performance series at the Palladium
The series sheds new light on local dance.
Sex offender caught transporting Pinellas students
Responding to a call Friday afternoon, Gulfport police officer Matt Parks found an upset five-year-old home alone because his bus driver dropped him off early. When Parks dug a little deeper, he learned the school bus driver, Arnette Harrington, was a registered sexual offender with the state of Florida. The child's mother did not know…
Sh*t happened 10/26/15: Lightning, bed race, black bear hunt
How was your weekend? Drunk and Halloween-y? Us too. FRIDAY, OCT. 23: The Lightning beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in Manitoba in overtime. Sports! They're fun when your team wins. SATURDAY, OCT. 24: The third annual Big Monster's Bed Race preceded the usual vomit-inducing Guavaween shenanigans in Ybor, and nobody died, which is always a…
The Laugh Tract — Who’s Bringing the Funny
It's kind of a light week for comedy in Tampa Bay. With Halloween this weekend, other events are taking center stage and some nationally touring performers are off the road. Plus, some clubs have altered schedules or aren't having shows. That doesn't leave many options for stand-up fans. The good news is that the options…
Tonight in live music: Anais Mitchell, Streetlight Manifesto
A few interesting concerts happening this Mon., Oct. 26
Concert review: Joey Bada$$ raps beyond his years at Orpheum
The young rapper played to a packed venue in Ybor on Saturday night.
Concert review: UB40 spreads positive vibes at Mahaffey Theater
The vet British reggae act treated a near-sell out crowd to a night of feel good music after being away from U.S. stages for nearly a decade
This Sunday in live music: Charles Neville & Gent Treadly, Ol’ Dirty Sundays with Statik Selektah, and more
Some shows happening this Sun., Oct. 25.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan calls “Failure Factories” schools a “manmade disaster” during visit
In the wake of some rather intense media scrutiny of what appear to be the consequences of Pinellas County's decision to, um, de-desegregate its schools, the nation's schools honcho, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan paid a visit to one of the schools in question Friday. While constructive criticism abounded, he also had some harsh…
This Saturday in live music: Barb Wire Dolls, Joey Bada$$, Tampa Pig Jig with Eli Young Band, and more
Some shows happening this Sat., Oct. 23.
Writers wanted for National Novel Writing Month
Aspiring novelists, take note: November is National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for short), whereby writers across the world vow to write a novel (50,000 words) between November 1 and 30. The Office of Letters and Light, NaNoWriMo's sponsoring nonprofit, offers local free events to help writers kickstart their creative juices. Want in? Here's a lineup…
Bear hunt protest draws dozens in St. Pete
Tomorrow, nearly 3,000 people are expected to take to the woods with guns and crossbows to hunt down the Florida black bear for the first time in 20 years. This, despite extensive outrage among thousands of Floridians, many of whom took to the street to protest the state's decision to open up the seven-day bear…
Do This: The Weekend Top 10
Big Halloween events, Dia de los Muertos in Dunedin, Localicious, Cyclovia, Times Festival of Reading, Clearwater Beach Chalk Walk and more.
Weekend Tune-Up: Tunes for your weekend by Neon Indian, St. Lucia, Merchandise & more
A playlist of 15 tunes to launch you into the weekend. Spotify playlist included.
The Art of Horror is a must-have for monster movie lovers
It’s a sumptuous visual feast of moody imagery.
Act now: Five shows you gotta see
The theater scene is booming this weekend, but you’d better get your tickets now.
Restaurant BT owner taps into takeout in South Tampa
BT Nguyen shared details of her new South Tampa venture in takeout dining, BT To Go.
Sh*t happened 10/23/15: Amazon job fair, gun shop robbery, pier update
Who's ready for the weekend? Not so fast, there, you productivity-sapping gate-jumpers — first, in keeping with the season, you must survive that final jump-scare return of The Thursday That Wouldn't Die, even though you shot Thursday, like, seven times, and Thursday's been laying there on your kitchen floor for five minutes while you went…
This Friday in live music: Warren Haynes, Matt Butcher & The Schoolyard Band, Cheap Trick & more
Concerts highlights on this Fri., Oct. 23, plus a look at the weekend ahead.
Big Pre-Fest in Little Ybor hits hard in its third year
The pre-party for Fest in Gainesville brings more than 80 bands to Ybor City Oct. 28-29
St. Pete Council approves Rays deal, maybe someone should tell the Rays
We began monitoring this meeting expecting to be in it for the long haul, perhaps till after midnight or so, watching as council members iterate, reiterate and re-reiterate their positions on the Most. Important. Issue. Ever.: the Tampa Bay Rays. But the meeting lasted just over an hour, and at the end, a decision was…
St. Pete Council seems cool with Pier process so far
Today a St. Pete City Council committee got an update from the team behind Pier Park, which is replacing the once-iconic inverted pyramid that's now being dismantled. It was a surprisingly short meeting in which the team that's designing and building Pier Park gave an overview of the project and passed around a neat little…
Theater Review: Lights Rise on Grace at Stageworks
A brilliant three-person cast brings a new play to life at Stageworks.
Solar amendment — the good one — clears Supreme Court
The Florida Supreme Court has approved ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment that would help solar power expand in the state, a proposal dubbed Floridians for Solar Choice. Despite its sunny nickname, Florida lags behind many other states when it comes to cheap, ubiquitous solar energy, a fact the group that's pushing the amendment…
Shooting the Breeze and Spilling the Red, Red Wine: A Conversation with UB40’s Ali Campbell
The pop-reggae band is back on the road with Campbell and other founding members.
Tonight in live music: Bonerama, Keys n Krates, The Toasters
A look at some concerts happening this Thurs., Oct. 22.
