All right, I must confess that I caught my real “first Florida” show before my St. Pete Times Forum/ Green Day experience. Stick Martin performed at Skipper’s Smokehouse in July, and it was a great introduction to the Tampa music scene, but the lineup at New World Brewery in Ybor City this past Saturday, August 15, was indeed the actual initiation. (King of Spain pictured at right.)

As a veteran Northwest concertgoer who recently re-located from Oregon to Florida, a place my sister described as “not being able to get any further away,” I had my suspicions that perhaps the music, the performers, the bands, the whole scene could also be “further away” from anything I was used to. Unaware as to whether or not those differences would be good or bad, I walked into New World with the “Ybor Square” sign looming in the backdrop and I felt completely comfortable, a surprise and delight.

First of all, it was my grand introduction to Ybor City. I’d heard many people say I needed to go there but the closest I’d made it was IKEA, which doesn’t exactly count. NWB was tucked in and pretty quiet when I arrived. I walked past a few people running around the stage area and a DJ setting up. A quick scan of the place left no indication of who was performing and who was just grabbing a drink or ordering pizza that smelled really good. It was still early.

This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2009.