Gasparilla Music Festival has certain givens. You know that, of the more than 40 acts due to perform, you’re going to check the headliners – hip-hop stoked R&B songstress Erykah Badu has plenty of draw power and likely the artist who prompted your ticket purchase, or perhaps the combination of Badu and a musician considered virtual reggae royalty who’s carrying on his father’s legacy one heady jam at a time: Stephen “Ragga” Marley. You know you’ll end up munching on one of Ella’s chicken and waffle cones, even with upwards of 15 other local food purveyors serving alluring bites. And if you’ve got a child or a few, you’ll arrive early to experience some quality fun time together enjoying family-friendly activities and whimsical entertainment at the Kids Fest.
But there are plenty of other acts, eats and experiences you should be making a point of checking, chomping and achieving at the fifth annual edition of downtown Tampa’s grassroots music fest. Here’s five recs for each:
ACTS
Two overlapping sets on Saturday promise to get the GMF dance party started in earnest. Ushering in the evening is The New Deal. Toronto’s instrumental electro trio reunited in 2014 after a three-year break and arrive at GMF a mere week after dropping their first new recording in more than a decade, Mercury Switch, its title track stretching over seven minutes, with spacey whirring and bright soaring synth tones balancing thick bass-bumping grooves (Sat., 6:45-8 p.m., MacDill Park Stage). Then, Brooklyn-spawned ensemble Antibalas ignites the night with their sparkling brass-blasted and percussive-driven sounds, which are rooted in Fela Kuti-styled Afrobeat, carried on vintage ‘70s funk grooves, dosed in flavors of dub and Latin jazz, and vary between urgent, sinister propulsion and bright sun-splashed jubilation (7:15-8:30 p.m., Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park).
If you dig My Morning Jacket, be wooed and captivated on Sunday afternoon by Futurebirds, a Fat Possum-repped indie rock band from Athens, Ga. with a new album out (Hotel Parties) and a decidedly hazy, psychedelic tang to their lushly-textured roots-Americana twang, replete with mournful slide guitar and sweetly poignant, sometimes haunting vocal melodies. (2:15-3:15 p.m., Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park).
GMF is, for all intents and purposes, the final curtain until further notice (and maybe forever) for Poetry n’ Lotion, since co-founding guitarist/keyboardist Matt E. Lee has re-located to NYC. Which means missing Sunday’s set by the multi-Best of the Bay winning band would be a vital error; their dynamic mix of jazz, metal, roots, funk and etcetera is driven by a dual attack of trumpet and trombone, and touches on original material and covers by artists ranging from Black Sabbath to Devo to The Beatles. (4:15-4:45 p.m., Shea Barclay Stage at Tibbetts’ Corner).
EATS
We know you've been thinking about your reunion with the golden handheld concoction that is the chicken and waffle cone from Seminole Heights restaurant Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe. (You've waited a whole year for this, dammit.) But while you're anticipating chowing down on GMF’s annual edible stalwarts, there are plenty of other ways to treat your tastebuds at the accidental food destination.
Bay-to-belly grouper sandwiches from the Tampa-based Big Ray's Fish Camp have been called "grouper perfection" by admirers, and this time around, you can nosh on the tasty newcomers — which come grilled, blackened or fried, then topped with lettuce, tomato and onion — throughout the day.
Additional newbies Ichicoro Ramen (the CuBaoNo and veggie karaage) and Rooster & the Till (crispy pork belly, cornbread, pickled apple) complete the fest's solid lineup of Seminole Heights-repped eateries. More noteworthy Tampa offerings come by way of Spain, which serves up paella and jamón Serrano sandwiches, and the craft roasted coffee of Buddy Brew.
Several downtown Tampa restaurants situated around the festival site also prove great dining options for weary festgoers. Check out a list of nearly 30 nearby nosh spots in CL's GMF-geared dining guide.
EXPERIENCES
We suggest grubbing it up on the waterfront – or at least, take the scenic Riverwalk route during one of between-set travels sets; it’s been opened up for the first GMF ever, and now connects all five stages, with entry gates at MacDill and Curtis Hixon.
Take a moment to soak everything in where the slight slope creates a natural amphitheater for the main stage sounds in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. Do the same at Kiley Garden. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to it when the Kuumba Drummers break into spontaneous tribal rhythms during the Kids Fest.
Shake what your mama gave you without making a sound at the Silent Disco, which had its GMF debut in 2014. Organizers have brought it back on Saturday, and you can jump between the grooving moods of DJs Ruff-Rida, Nick James and Eli Em with merely a switch of a button. (Sat., 6:30-9:30 p.m., Kiley Garden)
Every year, GMF kicks off a full-day of festivities with several hours of tranquility and in 2016, the calming offerings are held at the new MacDill Park Stage on Saturday. Unwind with 45 minutes of Ambient Meditation (10:45-11:15 a.m.) as led by Infinite Third and Chay Prieto, then enjoy the Acoustic Flow from Rachel Miller and Christie Lenee (11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), and round out the stress-busting during the Yoga Rhythmic Lounge featuring Sarah Lesch (12:45 p.m.-1:45 p.m.). A Purple Dot Yoga Stretch Zone, Acro Yoga Tampa Bay Play Zone and Thai Massage Chill Zone round out the serene diversions.
After the final notes fade on Sunday, keep the feel good vibes and musical revelry going at the GMF After Party, where groove-pumping DJ LeSage takes the decks and fest act New Breed Brass Band delivers another high-octane performance of New Orleans-brewed sounds, taking the second-line brass band traditions and fusing them with modern funk, rock, jazz and hip hop influences (7-10 p.m., Channelside Bay Plaza, downtown Tampa, free).
Gasparilla Music Festival takes place Sat.-Sun., March 12-13, at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Kiley Gardens, MacDill Park, in downtown Tampa; two-day general admission passes for GMF are $60; single-day tickets are also offered for Saturday and Sunday, at $40 and $30, respectively. Get tickets here. Full lineup and schedule below.
FULL GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, MARCH 12
Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
10:45 a.m. Mt. Zion Gospel Choir
11:45 a.m. Serotonic
1 p.m. Gumbi Ortiz & New Groove City
2:30 p.m. Blitzen Trapper
4 p.m. Houndmouth
5:30 p.m. Lucero
7:15 p.m. Antibalas
9 p.m. Erykah Badu
Channelside Bay Plaza Stage at Kiley Gardens
11:35 a.m. The Applebutter Express
12:45 p.m. Sweet Crude
2 p.m. Whiskey Gentry
3:15 p.m. David Wax Museum
4:45 p.m. Kermit Ruffins & The Barbeque Swingers
6:15 p.m. Talib Kweli
8 p.m. MS MR
MacDill Park Stage at MacDill Park
10:30 a.m. Ambient Meditation
11:30 a.m. Acoustic Flow
12:45 p.m. Yoga Rhythm Lounge
2:15 p.m. Gwan Massive
3:45 p.m. Resinated
5:15 p.m. Displace
6:45 p.m. The New Deal
8:30 p.m. Savoy
Ferman (Kiley) Amphitheater at Kiley Gardens
11:45 a.m. DJ Kitty
12:15 p.m. Patel Jazz Quartet
1:30 p.m. The Hummingbirds
2:45 p.m. Acho Brother
4:15 p.m. Lauris Vidal
5:45 p.m. Mike Mass
7:30 p.m. The GetBye
Shea Barclay Stage at Tibbetts’ Corner
11:15 a.m. Mr Tommy
12:15 p.m. Mr Tommy
1:30 p.m. DieAlps!
2:45 p.m. Jackson Davis and the Jackettes
4:15 p.m. Samurai Shotgun
5:45 p.m. Gritt
7:30 p.m. FayRoy
SUNDAY, MARCH 13
Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
12:45 pm Damon Fowler
2:15 pm Futurebirds
3:45 pm Greensky Bluegrass
5:30 pm Stephen “Ragga” Marley
Channelside Bay Plaza Stage at Kiley Gardens
12:15 pm Andrew & Polly
1:45 pm Fruition
3:15 pm New Breed Brass Band
4:45 pm Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
MacDill Park Stage at MacDill Park
12:15 p.m. Larry Duran
1:45 p.m. Sol Caribe
3:30 p.m. Pirulo Y La Tribu
5:15 p.m. Carlos Varela
Ferman (Kiley) Amphitheatre at Kiley Gardens
1:15 p.m. Ella Jet
2:45 p.m. Higgins Brothers
4:15 p.m. Boxcar Hollow
Shea Barclay Stage at Tibbetts’ Corner
11:30 a.m. Little Kids Rock Band
1:15 p.m. Ries Brothers
2:45 p.m. The Woolly Bushmen
4:15 p.m. Poetry ‘N Lotion
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2016.