It’s the 11th anniversary of downtown Tampa’s free, family-friendly concert series Rock the Park, and songwriter Kristopher James, who usually plays solo, is celebrating by not only bringing a full band—violinists Gina Castellano and Alicia Ward, trumpeter Camila Ferrufino, saxophonist Christian Ryan and local string sensation Melissa Grady on the cello—but by trading vinyl copies of his new album, Kindness Never Quits in exchange for a backpack or school supplies. “I don’t mind giving albums away, if it means kids can have adequate supplies,” James told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Hip-hop, producer, engineer, and all-around super talented artist Perception is also on the bill and will be backed by workhorse jazz trio Katara. A part of the Wave Theory collective, Perception’s single “Audio Suitcase” shows those talents to the Nth degree—proving again that the hip hop scene in Tampa is everything. Now we all need to do the-opposite-of-a-rain-dance so this show will go on.
Rock the Park Tampa 11th anniversary: Kristopher James w/Perception & Katara. Thursday, Aug. 5, 6:30 p.m. Free. Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa. brokenmoldentertainment.com
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This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2021.