The Grammys are tomorrow, but it's never too early to get excited about nominees who are coming to Tampa Bay. Fantastic Negrito can now count himself into that club since the Safety Harbor Songfest has tapped him to headline their 2017 lineup.
The announcement came last night at Crooked Thumb Brewery, which sits just one mile away from the waterfront park where the festival will take place on April 1 & 2.
The Oakland drug dealer turned songwriter and industry vet is now a fast rising star who finds his new 2016 LP, The Last Days of Oakland, nominated for "Best contemporary blues album." Janiva Magness, Kenny neal, The Record Company (who play Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival next weekend) and Joe Louis Walker are also nominated.
Fantastic Negrito (born Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz) leads a lineup that includes the Wood Brothers, Rising Appalachia, Kristin Diable, Kina Grannis, Caravan of Thieves and more.
Weekend passes for the festival — set for April 1 & 2 in Safety Harbor, Florida — are $40-$50, and single day tickets are sold out. More information, plus the full lineup, is available via safetyharborsongfest.com. Listen to The Last Days of Oakland below, and listen to some pre-Grammy nonsense here.
This article appears in Feb 9-16, 2017.