Joshua Reilly (L), who hosts Crooked Thumb Brewery's Melody Artisan Series in Safety Harbor, Florida. Credit: Facebook/Crooked Thumb Brewery

Joshua Reilly (L), who hosts Crooked Thumb Brewery’s Melody Artisan Series in Safety Harbor, Florida. Credit: Facebook/Crooked Thumb Brewery

Melody Artisans of the Crooked Thumb: Songs About The Night Last Thursday, in front of about 1,000 cozied up music fans at Rock the Park, Joshua Reilly sang a song about a woman who fell in love with a man she met while he was in prison. The Pinellas songwriter wrote the tune as part of the recurring songwriter challenge he hosts at Safety Harbor's Crooked Thumb Brewery, and Reilly is at it again on Tuesday where fellow songsmiths will take try and share their "Songs About The Night." Free to attend, and, yeah, it's cozy at Crooked Thumb, too. (Crooked Thumb Brewery, Safety Harbor) INFO

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Below is a list of clubs and restaurants that either regularly book both original music acts as well as tribute and cover bands or feature a concert calendar stocked with higher-quality residents. Follow the links to see more.

Residencies

c. 1949 Florida Beer Garden 6905 N Orleans Ave., Tampa
Hideaway Café 1756 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Jazz House Supper Club 9331 East Adamo Dr., Tampa
The Landing at Jannus 200 First Ave N., St. Petersburg
The Living Room 487 Main St., Dunedin
The Mandarin Hide 231 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Ringside Café 16 2nd St N., St. Petersburg
Ruby's Elixir 15 3rd St. N., St. Petersburg
Seminole Hard Rock Café 5223 Orient Rd, Tampa
Tampa Armature Works 1910 N Ola Ave., Tampa
The Vinoy Renaissance 501 5th Ave NE, St. Petersburg

Tribute/Cover/Open Mics

3 Daughters Brewing 222 22nd St., St. Petersburg
Barefoot Billy's Friendly Tavern 3120 W. Gandy Blvd, Tampa
Buckets Grill & Tap 4535 Gunn Hwy., Tampa
Captain Jack’s On The Water 21 Oscar Hill Rd., Tarpon Springs
Caddy's On The Beach 9000 W Gulf Blvd, Treasure Island
Café Hey 1540 N Franklin St., Tampa
Gator's 12754 Kingfish Dr., Treasure Island
Green Iguana 4029 S. Westshore Blvd., Tampa
Ferg's Live 490 Channelside Dr., Tampa
JD's Restaurant & Lounge 125 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach
Hula Bay Club 5210 W Tyson Ave., Tampa
O'Briens Irish Pub Multiple Locations, Tampa
Rick's On The River 2305 N Willow Ave., Tampa
Smokin' 19 3080-3090 34th St N., St. Petersburg
Two Buks 1915 N. Hercules Ave., Clearwater
Yeoman Cask & Lion (two locations: 202 N. Morgan St., Tampa; 200 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg)

This article appears in Jan 3-10, 2019.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...