In last year’s Music Issue, CL took a look at the Tampa Bay’s legendary bands, concerts, music venues and record shops en route to igniting conversations about what this scene was. We also wondered what would become of the music scene that is evolving in front of our eyes, and even asked who would make a difference — and if their efforts would have a long-lasting effect.
This year, we set our eyes forward (or backwards, as far as ages go) and focused on Bay area musicmakers who are 30 years old or younger (ageists!). Unlike our 2016 Music Issue, where we offered predictions on bands that might break out of the scene, this issue isn’t a crystal ball offering a glimpse into the future. Instead this list (in no way all-encompassing) represents a slice of the young energy that makes Tampa Bay a great place to catch original music on a day-to-day basis. There are familiar names on these pages, but there are also new ones we hadn’t heard of before before the new year; some have also been left out since we've featured their new albums or projects in recent stories, but every promoter, poster artist, gear nerd and musician here deserves your attention.
We olds have always found a way to complain about the youth for whatever reason, and one of the new bands featured here (Clang!) recently ignited some debate by adopting the name of an art-pop band that made waves in the '90s. Susie Richardson — frontwoman for Pohgoh, an old-school Tampa band releasing a comeback album this fall — defused the spirited online debate quite nicely.
“Oh for crying out loud, I thought we buried this subject weeks ago,” she wrote, adding that everyone in the original Clang was cool with it and even mentioned reuniting. “They’re kids. Cut them some slack.”
These are definitely kids in this issue, but trust us, every single one of them is more than alright.
Click through our gallery for an overview and follow the links below to read bout the youth re-making a scene.
SULYNN HAGO: “The aesthetic of the New York and Chicago scenes resonates with me,” Sulynn Hago said of her upcoming move. “I knew that if I wanted to play in that experimental or jazz style, that I had to be a part of the community. Credit: Anthony MartinoHOUSE OF I: Credit: House of IINFINITE EIGHTS Credit: Infinite EightsDIEALPS!’S JONATHAN ROBBINS Credit: DieAlps!THE RIES BROTHERS: Credit: The Ries BrothersFRE$H P: Not just a rapper. Credit: Roberto RiveraGARDEN CLUB: “John [Blackwell] has impacted my ability to play 150-percent… I’m grateful to John for everything he taught me,” Natalie Depergola (L) once said. Credit: Garden ClubJARED HANLON: “I would ideally like to go on a lot more tours, and not not have to worry about bills,” Jared Hanlon said. “I don’t need to fill stadiums or anything, but making a living off of music would be nice.” Credit: Ray Roa“For the past decade or so I’ve been writing and recording music mostly in private, but have played in various projects in St. Petersburg, Nashville, and Chicago over that time,” Blake Daniels told CL. “Since moving back to my hometown of St. Pete, I decided to start releasing music under my own name and distributing it more publicly.” Credit: David JenkinsMEGA SUPREMO: Artist and designer David Cabassa joins our Music Issue as its lone poster designer. Credit: Krystal JadeELLA JET & FUTURE SOUL: Ella Jet (center, front) once sang this dark chorus to a Rock The Park Tampa audience out for a nice Thursday evening by the river: “Are you dead, are you dead, or are you just sleeping? Are you dead, are you dead? Did you drink too much this evening?” Credit: Jess Phillips c/o Gasparilla Music FestivalJUSTIN MYERS: Fans of New York groups like experimental outfit Black Dice or the post-pop free-thinking Animal Collective can probably put any hope of new Diamond Man material on the back burner, but Alien House and Justin Depth (which have close to a dozen mixtapes, albums or EPs between them) are both working on new material as you read this. Credit: Ray RoaBENDY STRAW: It only takes about 12 minutes, but Bendy Straw’s three-track demo does a fine job of painting the tape with a picture that shows listeners what it’s like to be borderline broke and totally confused by life in your mid-20s. Credit: Courtesy PhotoTIM ANDERSON: “I’ve always been into music and it has been the only thing I’ve stuck with for this long,” Tim Anderson told CL. Credit: Wyatt WeymouthAUSTIN COUPE: He was into sports as much as the next kid, but Austin Coupe never really got picked first on the playground. What he did excel at, however, was music. Credit: Haily TaylorDANNY AND ALEX: Danny and Alex’s musical partnership began at St. Petersburg’s John Hopkins Middle School, where their peers were busy drenching themselves in Axe body spray while they basked in the glow of ’70s funk and ’80s jams from Steely Dan, Prince, Beatles and Hall & Oates. Credit: Kelly LewisEMILY JONES: There’s a big noise coming out of Lakeland, and Emily Jones playing a huge part in making it. Credit: Zachary MaxonJAKE DELA CRUZ: No sync button needed for Jake Dela Cruz, one of Creative Loafing Tampa’s Music Issue 2018’s youngest musicians. Credit: John Dela CruzCHRIS CARDON: “The new Johnny Mile and the Kilometers album is still in the workshop but it’s shaping up to be the most diverse sounding one yet with the same old idea of ‘rock out or fuck off,'” Chris Cardon said. Credit: Daryl Bowen c/o Gasparilla music festivalJASMINE DEJA: You can’t talk about Tampa Bay’s best young musicians without mentioning Jasmine Deja. Credit: ZITRO / ZITRØ PhotographySAM E HUES: His 2017 album, ‘Ghost I Remember Loving,’ is the kind of effort that’ll have you seeing colors. Credit: Ivana CajinaGLOVE: “I met Brie while shopping at her store, Frolic Exchange. I was a fan of her previous project with Rod, [and] she asked if I had any interest in playing, so we all got together and I really enjoyed what they were doing,” Bullock, center, told CL. Credit: Jen DessingerWOODY BOND: “David [Jenkins, artistic director] took a huge chance on me because back then I couldn’t read music,” Woody Bond told CL. Credit: Mike PlanteJULIAN CARRINGTON: “I soon learned that the keyboards was a better way to express myself, so I stayed up late sneaking in music videos, listening to mix CDs, and teaching myself how to play,” Julian Carrington, 28, told CL. Credit: Roberto RiveraTHE YOUNG SOMETHING: “It was a crazy feeling to see one of the most iconic musicians of our time in person,” The Young something told CL about its show with Ringo. Credit: Courtesy PhotoBELLZ: Like another musician featured in this year’s music issue (Natalie Depergola), Vivero’s relationship with the drums started when she was just six years old. Credit: Camren MeierDEEZY WEE THE REAPER: After experiencing the joy of making the sounds in his mind come alive, Deezy Wee knew he wanted to pursue music seriously Credit: Michael M. SinclairMWIZA SIMFUKWE: The Zambia-born, 24-year-old Mwiza Simfukwe grew up on gospel, rock, pop and African music — and cites Stevie Wonder and James Morrison among his influences — but really started to hone his craft at the Osceola County School for the Arts, Credit: Gage Briney c/o Blue Note TampaJENSEN SERF COMPANY: It’s hard to believe that Peter Kokkinakos and Benjamin Saylor are still under 30 years old. Credit: Brian MaharJASON CHAROS: “Straight-ahead jazz is the style committed not only to improvisation, but also to swinging and playing the blues,” Jason Charos explained to CL. Credit: Courtesy PhotoUHLECTRONIC: If the idea of an old-school Nokia candy bar-style phone being used as a microphone excites you, then you might want to get to know Brian Mahoney. Credit: Courtesy PhotoKYLE SCHROEDER: A few instruments had to be worked out of his system along the way, but Kyle Schroeder eventually landed on the saxophone. Credit: Courtesy PhotoFEVER BEAM: Right now, Fever Beam’s first goal is to record its best singles and get them online for folks to listen to. After that, the band hopes to hit the road. Credit: Sara Burnett
