Named for the tyranny-opposing, independence-championing Whig Party and held on President’s Day weekend, WhigFest Music & Arts Festival celebrates freedom of expression with a feast of sights and sounds in downtown St. Petersburg as presented by Attic Records. The third annual fest happens to fall on Valentine’s Day, giving us all something more stimulating to look forward to than the usual grubbing and rubbing.
Tonight, Mandarin Hide stages an art unveiling featuring works by Sebastian Coolidge along with select pieces by Chris Parks, Bask, Chad Mize, Calan Ree, Zulu Painter and Alexander Schultz, among others; all will remain on display through Saturday. Hideaway Café & Recording Studio presents Friday night’s intimate WhigFest Artist Showcase & VIP Reception, with
solo sets by roots-pop rock singer-songwriters Michael Tolcher, Forrest Hoffar and Steve Everett along with Americana quartet Big Kettle Drum, and a collective jam to close the show.
The main event on Saturday spreads 25 bands over four stages in and around Jannus Live, at Mandarin, Ringside Café and MacDintons. JJ Grey & Mofro heads up the bill with their backwoods greasy brand of swamp funk, Southern soul and blues rock as led by rusty-voiced multi-instrumental namesake Grey; the sextet is gearing up to release a new full-length, Ol' Glory, on March 3. AMFMS finds our own Shawn Kyle joining the Baltimore-DC area band in lo-fi ‘70s-flecked garage-psych fuzzy post-punk while Jacksonville trio Greenhouse Lounge brings livetronica untz to the festivities as delivered on bass, drums and guitar with some added programming tricks.
The festivities come to a close at Ringside on Sunday with a WhigFest Encore Performance featuring Atlanta-area indie rock outfit Stokeswood as well as Sun Signs.
EVENT DETAILS
WhigFest Art Unveiling, Thurs., Feb. 13, Mandarin Hide, downtown St. Petersburg, free admission.
WhigFest Artist Showcase & VIP Reception, Fri., Feb. 13, 7 p.m., The Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg, $30; with Michael Tolcher, Forrest Hoffar, Steve Everett, Big Kettle Drum.
WhigFest Music & Arts Festival, Sat., Feb. 14, 2 p.m.-midnight, Jannus Live, Mandarin Hide, Ringside Café, MacDintons, downtown St. Petersburg, $30 GA, $65 VIP; with JJ Grey and Mofro, Polyenso, Greenhouse Lounge, AMFMS, Zulu Wave, Big Kettle Drum, Lions After Dark, Red Feather, Boxcar Hollow, Bellows, Lobo Marino, Michael Tolcher, Forrest Hoffar, J.T. Brown, STOIC, Mountain Holler, Matt Weis, Matt Mackelcan, and Steve Everett.
Whigfest Encore Performance, Sun., Feb. 15, 7 p.m., Ringside Café, $10 general (free with WhigFest wristband); with Stokeswood, Sun Signs.
This article appears in Feb 12-18, 2015.