For many Tampeños, Gasparilla Music Festival (GMF) was the last memory of what live music was like pre-coronavirus (the springtime ritual snuck in just before lockdowns and everything else).
Dates for GMF 2021 have yet to be announced—and organizers recently told CL that GMF’s “intention as always would be to take place after the Gasparilla Invasion and related festivities”—but you can get a free ticket to the festival when you bring an acceptably used instrument to this Recycled Tunes instrument drive (donated instruments are refurbished and placed intto in Bay area schools).
GMF alum Ries Brothers (who’ve opened for a wide range of bands including Chicago and Iration over an already long career) headline a full day of music with a genre-hopping sound that’s evolved from jazzy-pop, rock and blues, to reggae-rock. The 20-somethings already have a handful of festival appearances lined up for next year, so this will be a good chance to get a show in before more of the country gets the word. If you want to skip the gig but still want a free ticket, there is a drop off area available.
Recycled Tunes Instrument Drive: Ries Brothers w/MoFamily/Plant Drumline/Judy Anne Jackson. Sat. Dec. 5, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Free. Sparkman’s Wharf, Tampa. More info here
Tampa Bay venues and promoters need you to bug Marco Rubio about saving the live music scene. See a list of Tampa Bay’s “Safe & Sound” live music venues here.
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This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2020.