Cimafunk, who plays Crowbar in Ybor City, Florida on Oct. 6, 2024. Credit: Photo by Ysanne Taylor c/o Gasparilla Music Festival

Live music was made for artists like Cimafunk, whose live show has been compared to that of James Brown.

The songwriter and musician born Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez already has a somewhat long love affair with the Tampa Bay area—where he made his debut as part of Gasparilla Music Festival’s 2022 lineup, then returned eight months later—and he’s coming back this fall.

Tickets to see Cimafunk play Crowbar in Ybor City on Sunday, Oct. 6 go on presale Thursday, June 13 ($30), and on sale to the general public on Friday, June 14 ($35).

Last April, the 35-year-old New Orleans Jazz Fest alum made Coachella history by becoming the first Cuban-born artist to play the festival where the rhythm of his heart-stopping gig brought audiences back to a tribal state of consuming live music.

“It’s trying to make you forget things and get you connected with your environment — people, trees, land, the way you move, everything,” he told Nylon about the show he works to bring to life each night.

Cimafunk recently released a collaboration with another Southern favorite, Big Freedia (who he recently hosted at CimaFest in New Orleans), and has spent the weeks after Coachella working on a follow-up to his 2021 album, El Alimento, which was nominated for a Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album Grammy award.

“My new album is called « Pa’ tu Cuerpa » and it’s out on August 23rd,” he wrote on social media.