Usually, when one of your friends announces that he or she is planning, hosting and generally throwing a birthday party for themselves, it's kind of sad, you know? Not so with beloved Tampa Bay community radio station WMNF 88.5 FM. It throws itself the greatest birthday bashes, and this 27th anniversary soiree is the biggest yet, a three-stage mini-Heatwave at the Cuban Club featuring more than a dozen local and national performers.
There's roots-rock bad-boy and perennial 'MNF favorite Chuck Prophet. There's country-soul super-collaboration The Hacienda Brothers. There's master multi-instrumentalist and revered songwriter Randall Bramblett. There's awesome, rising alt-country newbie Sarah Borges — seriously, do not miss her. In addition, you'll get all manner of local music by way of The Seahorse Orchestra (soulful psychedelia); Freddy Montes y Su Son (Cuban/Afro-jazz); The Juke Joint Kings (jump blues/swing); Dr. LoHerz & The Soul Survivors Featuring Latraia Savage (R&B all-stars); Giddy-Up, Helicopter! (indie rock); and Can't Do It (prank-ska). BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: Three of the Bay's best-loved (and most MNF-supported) bands — proto-jam outfit The Bohemian Swingers, jangle-pop aces The Headlights, and fuzzed-out power-pop combo The Shakes — will reunite for one night only to wave at the milestone as it passes. Now whose birthday party is sad?
The WMNF 27th Birthday Bash, 7 p.m. Sat., Sept. 16 @ The Cuban Club, Ybor City; $22 adv./$27 d.o.s./$10 teen ticket. www.wmnf.org.
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2006.