UPDATED: 05/08/20 5:05 p.m.
Local independent music venues that book original music are in big trouble, but there are still places to see music, played live by a person, in Tampa Bay.
One of those is Zydeco Brew Werks. The brewery, bar and restaurant—located at 1902 E. 7th Ave. in Ybor City—has been trying to get by on takeout, but its dining room just opened at 25% capacity in accordance with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s Lift Up Local Economy Recovery Plan, which allowed for expanded outdoor seating, too. Zydeco, which opened in January 2018, saw the stretch of Seventh Avenue in front of the restaurant closed to vehicular traffic, so it added more outdoor seating for Friday night.
On Thursday, Paul Rutherford, Head Brewer at Zydeco, told CL that his restaurant has been adhering to all CDC and City of Tampa protocols when it comes to social-distancing when dining in.
Zydeco—home to ridiculously good food like its shrimp and grits or muffuletta, plus some of the best beer in Tampa—is also welcoming jazz bands back to its floor for Friday night performances. This week finds The Jazz Phools, a quintet that plays swinging vintage jazz and hot jazz from the 20s and 30s, kicking off a set at 7 p.m.
The brewery and restaurant did eventually get approved for PPP loans, but had to furlough a majority of its staff beforehand.
Zydeco isn’t the only place offering live music, either.
Across the street, the Spookeasy Lounge—located at 1919 E. 7th Ave.—has advertised an “open air street party” on Friday in front of the Stone Soup Co.
“You can take your drinks outside and everything!,” the page wrote on social media. “We will be open from noon til 11 inside and out! We’re setting up an amazing outdoor sound system and Eric Gomez will be puttin on the hits!”
In an email to CL, Spookeasy owner and founder Christopher Evan Trave wrote that he and Stone Soup Company owner Ilya Goldberg are just throwing some speakers from his garage out to try and get some attention from people who may not make it that far east past Centro Ybor and down Seventh Avenue.
"The DJ is really just one of our Kavatenders playing off his Iphone," Trave wrote. "We're not really expecting too much. Just want to make the most of the opportunity."
Officials on both sides of the Bay have said that enforcement education is key to the reopening of dining rooms and some non-essential businesses. The office of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said that questions about how open air street parties like Spookeasy’s figure into the spirit of Castor’s 14-day pilot Lift Up Local Economy Recovery Plan—which allowed for the use of streets and sidewalks to expand outdoor seating capacity while maintaining social distancing—are probably better directed at the police chief.
Eddy Durkin, a spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department, said that TPD is excited to see local businesses reopening while making modifications to their business models and adhering to established restrictions and social distancing concerns.
"It appears that Spookeasy has addressed this on Facebook as well," Durkin added, "in the comments of the link you shared, stating they are '… following the six foot rule inside and outside. We are providing the safest environment for our patrons and our employees at this time."
We are hopeful that businesses throughout the city will demonstrate equal concern for both their patronage and the community by following social distancing restrictions and the Mayor’s Lift Up Plan.
At St. Pete Beach bar Jimmy B’s—located at 6200 Gulf Blvd.—live music is scheduled through May 17. One musician regularly hitting that outdoor stage, Anthill Cinema’s Justino Lee Walker, has been donating 100% of his gig money to bandmates. He told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that bars like Jimmy B’s have provided gigs for solo musicians like him. Walker implored acts who struggled to qualify for Musicares funding should look up the Musician Pandemic Relief Fund.
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This article appears in May 7-13, 2020.