I don't know if you've noticed this, but creative people tend to be encouragingly open-minded. Which is great, because when faced with some ignorant, backwards agenda put forth by closed-minded people, creative people tend to get offended, and respond in creative ways. And that's good for everybody, except perhaps the terminally closed-minded, and screw them anyway.
This Sunday's Skipper's Smokehouse show is a case in point. Incensed by the Hillsborough County Commission's refusal to acknowledge gay pride events, a group of creative, open-minded individuals got together to form the collective Just Say Know, and planned this evening of vaudeville, cross-dressers, poetry, spoken word and live music as a response. It's called Ban This!, and it celebrates individual diversity while protesting repressive idiocy with a six-hour afternoon cavalcade of entertainment that kicks off at 2 p.m. Come on by after church, folks, and they'll show you a little something about celebrating the gift of life.
Scheduled performers include coed modern-rock combo Klik, power-pop outfit Ricky Wilcox & The Moonsnakes, alt-poppers Life of Pi, singer-songwriter Rebekah Pulley and her band of Reluctant Prophets, poetic musical diarist Jeremy Gloff, new Latin funk band Abu Go Go, acoustic solo performer Lorna Bracewell, ska pranksters Can't Do It, uber-hip electro-pop DJs Harold & Mod, and a host of others.
Ban This!, 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2 @ Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa. A donation of $6 to $10 is requested at the door.
This article appears in Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2005.