Best Do-It-Yourself: Acafool
Last year, a rapper calling himself Acafool cut a CD in his Tampa home that included a song called “Hata Blockas,” which celebrated a special type of magic sunglasses that can keep all those haters out yo face. Acafool and some friends test-marketed “Hata Blockas” on the streets and in the clubs, and then hit up Wild 98.7 for some airplay. Big, corporate-owned stations rarely pick up records from independent local acts, but the song’s bounce-beat and badassitudde got folks at the station interested enough to give it a few spins. The audience responded, Wild put it in heavier rotation, and soon enough rival station 95.7 The Beat jumped on the record. Meanwhile, Acafool and his crew had designed sunglasses etched with “Hata Blockas,” and were selling them online and at shows. The song’s popularity has spread to such far-flung markets as Honolulu and Salt Lake City, while entrenching itself throughout most of urban Florida. Acafool will independently release his self-titled album in October. He’s been doing shows around the state (and even one in Salt Lake) based on the popularity of “Hata Blockas.” A few labels have put out feelers, but Acafool is waiting for a right and proper offer. An encouraging case of DIY in action. www.acafool.com.
Best New Band: The Dry County
This young, coed Tampa trio has built up a rabidly supportive following over the last year through regular shows at Skatepark of Tampa’s Transitions Art Gallery, with a sound that flawlessly balances artiness and grit. To call them indie rock might be misleading, but it’s virtually impossible to peg the group any more specifically — shades of everything from The Smiths and Hüsker Dü to Smoking Popes-esque pop-punk, dubby experimental post-rock and even alt-country provide grist for The Dry County’s nonetheless cohesive, unique and compelling sound. Like all great modern-pop-associated music, the threesome’s vibe is both familiar yet fresh, and the group’s obvious commitment to approaching it from an original and personal perspective promises more killer songs to come. www.myspace.com/carsoncox.
Best Local CD: When You Get Lost on Those Brick Streets, Military Junior
All of this standout Pinellas County trio’s defining elements — the melodic sense, the poetic lyrics, the knack for incorporating odd time signatures without becoming too busy, the instrumental talent — mesh inventively and engagingly on this 10-track gem. Those Brick Streets isn’t just completely devoid of filler, it’s also a cohesive, well-thought-out program whose structure neatly turns back on itself like a sonic mobius strip. Military Junior possess the same sense for balancing proggy musicianship with pop songwriting displayed by bands from The Police to Sunny Day Real Estate, and has produced a modern-rock disc that’s catchy and challenging in equal, perfectly integrated doses. Plus, the best song a local act put out over the last year, the gorgeous “Anodyne,” is on there. www.militaryjunior.com.
Best Singer-Songwriter: Geri X
Whether alone or with inventive, intuitive drummer Anthony Zollo, 22-year-old Bulgarian-born Geri X never fails to move attentive listeners. Her deceptively straightforward lyrics draw you in, and her hypnotically precise fingerpicking style turns the heads of the other acoustic players in the crowd, but it’s her voice that seals the deal. By turns fragile and bold, and always tinged with an alluring hint of accent, Geri X’s vocals perfectly fit her music’s combination of the timeless and the contemporary — it’s uniquely hip and eclectic American post-folk, but sounds like it learned about love and heartbreak somewhere unfathomably older than here. www.purevolume.com/gerix.
Best Musical Achievement: The Vodkanauts
For WMNF’s Who tribute/fundraiser at Skipper’s, the Vodkanauts decided to raise the bar on these recurring shindigs by playing the rock opera Tommy all the way through (save for a few disposable pieces). For the occasion, the quartet beefed up with extra singers (notably Brian Merrill and Ed Woltil, to complement regular member Jonathan Harrison). The ensemble strutted through the myriad songs and sections with nary a blip, executing the wide range of dynamics with particular aplomb. These folks must’ve had to woodshed the material extra-hard — and all for a fundraiser, making it all the more of an achievement. For about an hour, The Vodkanauts and guests had a blast, as did the audience.
Best Good News/Bad News for the St. Pete Music Scene: The Garage 662 Central Ave.
[map]
727-553-9212
THE GOOD NEWS: It’s the medium-sized live-music club that downtown St. Pete has been missing forever, or at least since the State Theatre (located right across the street) adopted a nearly completely national-act format, and everybody completely forgot The Bank existed and it starved to death. It’s got a nice big room, a full stage with a full P.A., and is just waiting for local scenesters to rub some colorful character into its newly painted walls. Plus, it’s also already booking some of smaller touring bands that previously required a drive to Ybor. THE BAD NEWS: The Garage is currently beer-and-wine only, and worse, has consistent problems dialing the room sound into anything even remotely pleasant. It’s gotten markedly better recently, however, and hopefully by the time this issue hits, the new club’s nagging live-mix issues will be history.
Best Club: Dance: The Castle 2004 N. 16th St.
[map]
813-247-7547
Enter the Castle of Outrageous Fantasies. Anything goes here. Be the most extreme person you want to be or just an adventurous boy or girl looking for a scene far from the ordinary. You’ll find yourself jumping and grooving to pop new wave, ’80s industrial and Goth like you just jumped out of a coffin. Ain’t no judging here if you want to be weird and daring. The bondage door guys proudly advertise their frisky behavior in the photos that greet you at the entrance. Don’t forget to catch a glimpse of the Senator poking around each corner in his lacy teddy. Sssssexy! The dancers fiercely claim their respect on the podiums as they shake, sway and stroke their way into the heart of each song. Hot, sweaty, sticky bodies are everywhere. Word of advice: The bartenders don’t play. Order efficiently and tip well or risk being body-slammed by a tall, muscular woman in a short skirt. Follow these simple rules and The Castle should be a downright awesome experience.
Upcoming Events at The Castle Nightclub – Coffin Classics hosted by DJ Sean, DJ Tom Gold & Chris "The Night Guy" (UPSTAIRS), DJ Rich Ranck (DOWNSTAIRS) – Fridays – Communion After Dark hosted by DJ Tom Gold (UPSTAIRS), DJ Sean (DOWNSTAIRS) – Saturdays
Best Club: Eclectic Pop Mix: Czar 1430 Seventh Ave.
[map]
813-247-2664
Did the Russkies ever have a nightclub as eclectic, funky and fresh as this one? The décor at Czar (note the hammer-and-sickle motif) definitely sets the mood for dance revolutionists and libation intake (Russian vodka, of course). This is the headquarters for art stars, musicians, DJs and just generally hip folk. One minute you’re dancing to Le Tigre, next The Ramones, then The Wu-Tang Clan or Fela Kuti, maybe Depeche Mode or a Top 10 hit from the ’80s, a Top 10 hit from the ’90s or maybe some dub and kinky reggae. Wherever your music and dancing pleasure lie, you’ll surely be fulfilled by the variety of DJs and whirlwind of sounds — and sights.
Upcoming Events at Czar – Pulp – Fridays
Best Club: Rap/Hip Hop: Full Moon Saloon 1613 E. Seventh Ave.
[map]
813-248-3309
Whether you’re a pimp daddy or mama, an emcee or poet, or just love to dance and get your drink on, this is the place. It’s a boogie bacchanal. DJs spin the latest hardcore funky shit. Emcees rock the mic. Wild 98.7 does a live broadcast. Drinking contests galore. Warning: Tomorrow morning you might need two BC powders and lots of Gatorade.
Best Local Music Scene Stalwart: Martin Rice
He started in the early ’90s with Smashmouth (which predated the hitmaking band of the same name), then made big waves mid-to-late decade with Joe Popp. The bassist/vocalist has been in countless bands, often several at once. Sparky’s Nightmare had a nice run, and his current, sublimely named Weapons of Ass Destruction will tear you up and leave your ears ringing. Along the way, Martin has subbed for many a bassist, backed artists with virtually no notice, and played a pivotal role in organizing the “Incidents,” some of the best multi-band local bills the area has ever seen. But beyond that, he’s just a damn fine human, with a quick smile, an engaging sense of self-deprecation and a genuine propensity for sharing. He’s always been a scene supporter, even in dark days. A solid musician, a great guy.
Best Indie Bar: New World Brewery 1313 E. Eighth Ave.
[map]
813-248-4969
This place isn’t called New World for nothing. Whether it be a band of Asian punk-rock chicks thrashing the night away; a white-boy rapper lettin’ loose his hellaciousness on the mic; a seven-piece acid jazz/ska/Afro-beat/reggae/Latin band screaming “Don’t waste another day, don’t waste another day, don’t waste another daaaay,” or an indie rock band stirring our souls and twisting our hearts, this place appeases all the music gods, regularly showcasing underground touring acts and top locals. Add the courtyard, set back from the street by iron gates, and you have a very inviting place indeed — even better when you get inside. And the beer selection kills.
Upcoming Events at New World Brewery – Yappy Hour – Every other Sunday, 4-7 p.m. – DJ Zman – Tuesdays
Best Local-Fan Uproar: The Kosmik Egg Backlash
Back in March, a review for local singer-songwriter Dylan Cowles’ eclectic project Kosmik Egg ran in our music section’s bimonthly homegrown-music review column. The review wasn’t exactly glowing, and Cowles’ friends and fans made it known they disagreed heartily with it. A letter regarding a Planet music column is a fairly infrequent thing, but we received at least a dozen angry responses to the Kosmik Egg critique. Cowles’ talent may be a matter of debate, but whether or not he has followers who believe in him is beyond argument, and that in itself is no small accomplishment. www.kosmikeggband.com.
Best Train-Wreck Show: The Detroit Cobras, Feb. 9, The Orpheum
The Motor City band’s reputation preceded it: a rowdy, hard-drinking bunch that specialized in doing punked-up covers of old R&B songs. Lead singer Rachel Nagy was busy getting her drink on at the bar before the set, and she was complaining that the drummer was hammered. The Cobras got up to play, and immediately the sound was fucked. Feedback, bad monitors. Nagy started to fume and drink harder and faster. After a few false starts, she muttered “Fuck it!” and cut loose, belting out the numbers with careless disregard, letting the booze dribble out of her glass. She managed to sing and stand upright for damn near an hour. Man, it was great. You just don’t witness this kind of over-the-top stage behavior anymore. And through it all, the music was sloppy but powerful. Afterward, someone in the crowd complained that the set had been unprofessional. Damn right, but professionalism wasn’t the point. This was a show to remember.
Best Concert at a Large Venue: Steely Dan, Ford Ampitheatre, Aug. 10
Donald Fagen, Walter Becker and their ace ensemble concentrated solely on material from the classic ’70s albums, setting aside all solo material and, especially, anything from Steely Dan’s disappointing post-2000 output. The result was a “greatest hits” set of the highest order, with the band locking in and Fagen’s stage presence far more relaxed and animated than on recent tours. Guitarist John Herrington referenced but didn’t ape the many fine guitar solos in songs like “Kid Charlemagne,” “My Old School” and others. Also outstanding was tenor/alto saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, who blew several uncompromisingly jazzy improvs. In the open-air setting, the band — two guitars, two keyboards, bass, drums, a four-man horn section and two female background vocalists — was exquisitely mixed. The weather cooperated: It was hot, certainly, but a pleasant breeze made the Ford tolerable, even — dare we say it — comfortable. Steely Dan played a bevy of hits (“Deacon Blues,” “Do It Again,” “Peg,” “FM,” Hey Nineteen”), but also unveiled a few surprises, most notably a stunning “Don’t Take Me Alive.”
Best Dinosaur (Rock) Exhibit: Largo Cultural Center 105 Central Park Drive
[map]
727-587-6793
The Largo Cultural Center is like a museum in a lot of ways. It’s big. It boasts impressive architecture. It features large, immaculately cared-for grounds (better known as Largo Central Park) that include fun and educational installations for both children and adults. But Largo Cultural Center is most like a museum on the inside, where the art of previous generations is presented, and creatures from another time walk and rock. Little River Band. Molly Hatchet. Hey, we’re not saying it’s bad. Over the last year, the Cultural Center has made old-school rock, folk, pop, doo-wop and singer-songwriter concert programming one of its cornerstones. It’s brought a plethora of household names to town, and the upcoming fall/winter program includes The Kingston Trio, John Waite, tributes to Led Zeppelin, Ricky Nelson and Dean Martin, and former Deep Purple/Rainbow singer Joe Lynn Turner.
Best Sounding Venue: Louise Lykes Ferguson Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center 1010 N. MacInnes Place
[map]
813-229-7827
http://www.tampacenter.com/
This isn’t a fair fight. When it comes to acoustics, smaller rooms generally have the advantage over bigger ones. A sports arena can’t compete with a black box theatre. So we split the difference, choosing the middle-sized room at TBPAC. Ferguson Hall has 1,042 seats, and every single one affords a gorgeous listening (and viewing) experience. The room hosts some of the Florida Orchestra’s smaller performances, as well as an array of comics, plays, dance and music. Three jazz-oriented shows in recent years have really shown off Ferguson Hall’s superb sonics: the Marcus Roberts Trio, Pat Metheny Trio and Lizz Wright. Too bad the Bay area can’t support more jazz shows — the Ferg is perfect for them. In lieu of that, on Nov. 5, you might want to check out Ba Cissoko, a Guinean group that showcases the 20-stringed African kora.
Best Hurricane-Be-Damned Programming: Ford Amphitheatre 4802 U.S. 301 N.
[map]
813-740-2446
When LiveNation, which owns Ford Amphitheatre, rolled out the venue’s packed schedule for the summer, we thought they’d lost their grip. Had they missed the last two gut-wrenching hurricane seasons? Had they forgotten that the Ford Amp is an outdoor venue? How many of the 20-some shows did they think would actually happen, what with a Category Whatever blowing through here about once a week? Turns out that the weather soothsayers got it blessedly wrong. (Here we must insert the all-important, jinx-busting disclaimer: HURRICANE SEASON IS NOT OVER.) We got to thinking: Maybe the merciful hurricane season has occurred because the Ford booked so many shows. Yeah, that’s it. And you know what that means? They’re gonna have to book heavy next summer, too.
Upcoming Events at Ford Amphitheatre – Poison/Ratt/Vains of Jenna – Fri., Aug. 31
Best Soundtrack for a Friday Night Drive: WMNF's Soul Party
Funk, R&B, classic soul, plus the high style of DJ Steve “Hitman” Williams make this show a prime radio destination for a Friday night whether you’re on the way home or headed to happy hour. The music’s a great mix of masters (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Aretha), popsters (The Emotions, The Delfonics) and stuff you probably won’t hear anywhere else (Shirley Brown’s “Poontang Man,” a song made for a Friday night). WMNF 88.5 FM, Fridays 7-9 p.m.
See WMNF in the Hall of Fame.
Best Retrospective: Photography Past/Forward:Aperture at 50, Museum of Fine Arts
With 156 images culled from every period of Aperture, the respected photography magazine, this traveling exhibit had so much to offer that you could wander the museum for hours and still find plenty more to absorb. The subjects and themes addressed in Aperture were as diverse as you’d expect from a retrospective exhibit drawing off 50 years of publications. Familiar images like Minor White’s “Windowsill Daydreaming,” with its curious pattern of hanging light, and Dorothea Lange’s ironic study of human dignity, “Spring in Berkeley,” were on display along with lesser-known, but no less visually compelling, works — like Eikoh Hosoe’s “Dancing in Kushiro Marsh IV,” a disturbing tribute to Japanese cranes, and “The Wedding,” Sandy Skoglund’s vivid commentary on marriage. Portraits, landscapes, photojournalistic snapshots — many genres were represented and plenty of matters addressed, from social and political issues to gender and sexuality, spirituality, the body and nature. Overall, an engaging, amazingly comprehensive exhibit.
Best Public Art: Lights On Tampa
Whatever the ultimate fate of the Cubes — aka The Pavilion at Rivergate, the big box that was, for a little while, the future home of the Tampa Museum of Art — Lights On Tampa has enabled us to see the building in a whole new light. The hundreds of diodes in Erwin Redl’s “Fade III” bathe the window grids nightly in a range of hues from stoplight red to ice blue, an aesthetic accomplishment in its own right, but one that also draws attention to the overlooked beauties of the building’s architecture. Lights On Tampa managed similar revelations throughout the city, from Plant Hall to City Hall. Even more impressive, the project transformed downtown culture for a moment with its shockingly successful premiere: Streets filled with people! At night! On a weekend! There’s one more installation to come in 2006 — Janet Eichelman’s at the Poe Garage on Nov. 17 — and a new Lights On Tampa is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2009. Meanwhile, we think the city’s Public Art Program deserves a solid gold light bulb as reward for a bright idea.
Best Exhibit at a Museum: Will Boys Be Boys? at GCMA
For those who saw it, Boys presented one of the most fun and provocative museum experiences of the year, but it required a sense of humor, a flexible definition of art and a willingness to channel a certain amount of testosterone. Heavy on photography, video and installation pieces made of traditional boy toys — action figures, skateboards, car parts and stereo components — the exhibit either made you feel like a kid in a candy store or like you’d taken a wrong turn somewhere on your way to the Gulf Coast Museum of Art. As an unofficial follow-up to Beautiful Losers, the widely lauded street-culture show at USF CAM last fall, Boys might have expected a bigger and more enthusiastic turn out. But then, it was in Largo. 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo, 727-518-6833 or www.gulfcoastmuseum.org.
Best Exhibit at a Gallery: Tie: Metal, Leather, Resin, Wax at Bleu Acier and Twist & Shout/Unrestricted at Florida Craftsman
Our favorite gallery exhibits this year found artists pushing their materials to the limit. At Tampa’s Bleu Acier, New Yorker Jean Shin stripped the leather from ladies’ shoes — culling tiny skin pelts in shades of beige, brown and white — and re-stitched the fragments into a hanging net. The project, called The Hides, seemed part shamanistic ritual, part exploration of “animal nature,” and part wacky fashion statement. In the same space, Hervé Di Rosa presented bizarre, cartoon-ish creatures cast in brightly colored resin. A two-headed baby, frozen in mid-stride, and a furry green monster with a gaping maw managed to seem creepy and cuddly (though made of rock-hard resin) at the same time. At Florida Craftsmen, Twist and Shout set traditional needle-based craft on its ear. Pate Conaway crocheted with rubber, telephone cord and polyurethane rope instead of natural fibers — a satisfyingly perverse response to the synthetic stuff that surrounds us. Tom Lundberg’s abstract embroidery took on painterly depth and texture. A subsequent show, Unrestricted, addressed some of the same themes (and media) with work by, and often about, women. Neverne Covington’s mixed-media pieces combined seedpods, fur, flesh-colored silicone, metal bits and a white leather glove in mischievous suggestions of pain, pleasure and female anatomy. Blue Acier, 109 W. Columbus Drive, Tampa, 813-272-9746; Florida Craftsmen, 501 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-821-7391, www.floridacraftsmen.net .
Best Art Fair: Gasparilla Festival of the Arts (with props to Booty)
A sunny spring weekend in March saw the streets of downtown Tampa fill with over 300 artists and craftspeople of all stripes and thousands of visitors from near and far. In airy white tents, painters, sculptors, wood-carvers, potters, jewelry makers and others displayed their wares, rotating pieces in and out as they sold and hustled entries off to the fair’s judging room (where the winners of $61,500 in prize money were chosen). Booty, a separate contemporary art offshoot, debuted this year in a train of white PODS on Franklin Street. Curated by Covivant’s Carrie Mackin, the fair-within-a-fair brought together works by some of the area’s edgiest groups, from Experimental Skeleton’s whimsical fountain of wishes to an inscrutable adventure in taxidermy from the Fluff Constructivists. Underground Rising weighed in with black-and-white photography and mixed-media works, and Iron-On Resistance rocked the AIA gallery space a few blocks away with screen-printed gear.
Best Art Marketing: Creative Clay 1124 Central Ave.
[map]
727-825-0515
For a nonprofit, a moneymaking sideline like merchandising can spell the difference between staying open and closing the doors. Creative Clay, the St. Petersburg arts center that specializes in serving people with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges, deserves kudos for creating a snappy line of playfully hipster-ish accessories, like temporary tattoos, T-shirts and wrapping paper, to help bring home the bacon. Students draw the images printed on each item, like the screaming “beauty queen” cartoon that decorates beer and martini glasses, and earn a cut of the profits. (The remainder is channeled back into product.) Not only are the items fun and totally gift-able — they serve as a distinctive visual calling card for Creative Clay in stores around town. Now that’s smart
Best Crafts: Florida Craftsmen Gallery
What began more than 50 years ago as a small, grassroots group of Florida craftspeople working together for the greater good has developed into one of the state’s most vital craft organizations. Its gallery, situated in a prime spot along downtown St. Pete’s lively Central Avenue arts district, boasts a growing space for exhibits, and a new batch of talent rolls through every few months. What really sets Florida Craftsmen Gallery apart, however, is a generous gift shop showroom that features a wide range of unique, affordable works by member crafters, from functional pieces like ceramic dinnerware, wood keepsake boxes and hand-knit scarves, to the more whimsical toaster lamps, blown-glass flowers and cloisonné jewelry. Most important, the goods are rotated often enough that you can return fairly regularly and still find new stuff to salivate over. Or buy. 501 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-821-7391, www.floridacraftsmen.net.
Best Place to Buy From Local Designers: Neo Trash
It’s a thrift store; it’s a gallery; it’s an event venue. Neo Trash comes close to defying description, but since opening this spring it has become the place to find the latest stuff by Bay area artists working on canvases of the wearable variety. Local T-shirt mavens Owl Movement, who cull graphics from artists around the world and print them in limited edition designs, launched their latest Tee series here. (Their owl-riffic shirts have been worn on VH1’s Best Week Ever and Alias, of all places.) Art-meets-fashion events include a recent exhibit of collaborative screen-print paintings by Brandon Dunlap and Red Labor paired with the latest wallets, bags and shirts from the latter, who are also the masterminds behind Resist Today (resisttoday.com; formerly known as Iron-on Resistance), another great place to buy from amazingly talented locals. Other local labels available at Neo Trash include Sauver and Suspicious Package. 1515 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa, 813-241-8490, www.myspace.com/neotrashllc.
Worst Cultural Setback: The demise of Sunrise Cinema
The Hyde Park movie complex replaced the also well-loved Madstone Theaters. Both were major destinations for independent/ art films in Tampa, but the new Sunrise offered more than just another movie theater. The space became a neighborhood cornerstone and a cultural nexus within Tampa Bay, offering free outdoor movies and a foreign-movie discussion group. The theater was also a hangout, with checkers tables, board games and a (somewhat) gourmet concession stand. Sunrise is being supplanted by condos and a parking lot, a sad and familiar story. Some potentially good news came across the transom of late: Channelside Cinemas pledged to set aside one or two screens for independent, art and foreign films, but how and when this will be implemented is a bit fuzzy. For the time being, most art films will have to vie for space at single-screen venues: the Tampa Theatre and Beach Theatre. What can we say about Sunrise’s sunset? Sucks for us — but then again, we’re kinda used to it.
Saddest Arts Trend: Tampa Bay's cultural brain drain
Last fall, the Planet held a forum that asked how we can keep talented young artists from taking their talents elsewhere. Since then, two of the five arts leaders on the panel have themselves upped and left: Margaret Murray, late of the Arts Center in St. Pete and the Tampa Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, has moved to D.C. to head up that city’s gay film fest. Carrie Mackin, the brains behind Covivant Gallery and the Booty Art Expo, headed to New York. And they’re not the only cultural movers and shakers who are moving on out. The Planet reported earlier in the summer on the departure for L.A. of actress Colleen McDonnell, whom theater critic Mark Leib called “one of the brightest lights on the local theater scene over the last decade.” And another bright light — Brad Cooper, he of the eponymously named, long-influential Ybor art gallery — is going to Greece. Stay tuned: We may have to amend our next arts forum to ask how Tampa Bay can keep not just young artists, but all artists, from flying the coop.
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2006.