Eli Arbor Lector’s community space and natural wine shop were supposed to open in Tampa Heights, but city and state regulations — combined with an extra wrench of bad, since nixed, counsel — led to the venue not being able to secure the approved parking necessary to open in the planned location. For now, Lector founder Michael Hooker is opening a “smaller version of the big vision” in a nook next to downtown Tampa dive bar The Hub. She and operations manager Amy Harnisch want to elevate the Bay area’s interest in natural wine by working with pioneering, “impeccable, conscientious, small producers” who are artists in their own right. The carefully curated selection of natty wine will be paired with various titles, short stories, and poems pulled from the mini-Lector’s 800-book lending library. Arbor is being tasked with breaking Lector in by giving a talk — on “The immediate importance of grounded art.” (Lector Literary Wine Bar, Tampa) INFO
RJ Comer w/Forrest Hoffar/JT Brown You may have heard RJ Comer yesterday as part of the afternoon programming on WMNF 88.5 FM, but you can also see the Illinois songwriter tonight when he plays the Blue Note listening space just outside of Ybor Ybor. Fans of Old Crowbar Medicine Show, Jim Croce and Banditos will like this one, and a pair of Bay area songsmith — J.T. Brown and Forrest Hoffar — open the show. (The Blue Note, Tampa) INFO
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ALSO PLAYING
Around the World in 90 Minutes (Ferguson Hall at David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa) INFO
Kirk Adams Band (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Ukulele Anarchy's Open Jam (PJ Dolan's Irish Pub, Tampa) INFO
This article appears in May 3-10, 2018.