In keeping with the spirit of CL’s first-ever holiday mixtape, we gathered a Who’s Who of local musicians, led by our very own Christmas Carol, to pose as CL’s slightly warped version of a Yuletide choir. Giving it the old fa-la-la are, on the top row: Zak Byrd (Acho Brother), Brian Merrill (Ditchflowers), Gregorio Allende (Nostalgia Amarilla), and Hector Mayoral (Acho Brother); 4th row: Ronnie Elliot and Kamran Mir (Urbane Cowboys); 3rd row: David Russell (Magadog), Steven Schumacher and Rob Jolowski (Urbane Cowboys), and Infinite Skillz; 2nd row: Shawn Kyle Beauville, Dynasty, Scott Harrell, and DJ Sandman; 1st row: Shon B (Yo Majesty), Jim Pedigo (Magadog), Shunda K (Yo Majesty), and Jeremy Gloff. Wassail, everybody!
Continue on to read about the A&E items up for bid, ranging from house concerts to theater tickets to the chance to be a music critic for a night. Click on individual items or go to cltampa.com/auction to place your bids.
House concert with Infinite Skillz and DJ Carl Spinslow
Win this item and you’ll receive a three-hour musical set at your house party or event by DJ Carl Spinslow, including an eight-song concert by Best of the Bay-winning hip-hop master Infinite Skillz. You can also get your Flava Flav on and perform one song with Mr. Skillz as hype man (or woman). Winner may select Infinite Skillz songs from a pre-selected list. Also includes an autographed CD with the recorded versions of the songs picked for the concert. Bidding starts at: $100. Value: Priceless.
Jannus Live’s a great place to see a concert, but it’s even better when you’re treated like a special guest. Win this bid and you’ll get a pair of VIP tickets to three different concerts of your choice from Jan. 1 through June 1, 2012. Not only do these tickets get you and a guest into three of the hottest shows of the year, the VIP experience also includes a special entrance on First Avenue (no waiting with the rabble in a line stretching around the block) and access to the VIP balcony, a great vantage point for watching the show complete with private bar and restrooms. Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $300.
Rock on: Skipper’s Smokehouse & Ringside Cafe
A must-have combo item from two beloved venues known for serving up great music and great food. The Skipper’s Smokehouse package includes dinner for two ($30 value) and two tickets to virtually any show of your choice that takes place between Dec. 16, 2011, and Dec. 16, 2012. Ringside, St. Pete’s home of rock ‘n’ blues, is offering a $25 gift certificate. Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $125.
Vinyl shopping spree with CL Music Editor
The vinyl shopping spree with Music Editor Leilani Polk has become a popular gift for record-collecting music enthusiasts. This year’s winner will get to choose two records each from three indie shops: Daddy Kool and Bananas Music in St. Petersburg, and Mojo Books & Music in Tampa. That’s six new records total, and Leilani will be there to advise on the best spins. Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $180. (Note: This offer excludes box sets, imports and/or limited/special releases; and if the winning bidder prefers to purchase CDs rather than vinyl, we can certainly oblige.)
Aussie funk jam party: Learn the didgeridoo
Australian Aboriginal people have been playing the didgeridoo for at least 1,500 years. Traditionally a hollowed-out eucalyptus trunk, the instrument is used for music, healing, meditation and more. Didg Revolution founder Darren Liebman will teach you and up to 12 of your friends how to play the didgeridoo in this two-hour, one-of-a-kind musical and cultural experience, taught in the evening at your home or a venue of your choice. Bidding starts at: $50. Value: $350.
Florida Orchestra tickets four you
An awesome offer for fans of our fantastic Florida Orchestra: four gift certificates, each one good for a pair of tickets to a concert in the 2011/2012 season. That’s $400 worth of tickets: Use them throughout the year or get seven friends and make a classical night of it — or stuff them into Christmas stockings and surprise your favorite classical music fans. Bidding starts at: $60. Value: $400.
Where in the world are you going to find another deal like this? Get two tickets to see the holiday show by the a capella supergroup Rockapella at the Tampa Theatre on Dec. 22. Plus, if you were ever curious what they would sound like without all those other pesky audience members surrounding you, we’ve also arranged for you and a guest to sit in on their soundcheck for that evening. Throw in a copy of their holiday cd and yeah… you’re welcome. Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $100.
The Amphitheatre VIP Experience
Ever want to hit the club with your entourage and get the treatment you, as the Very Important People that you are, deserve — private table, bottle service and all? This is the offer for you, then: Entry for six people to Ybor’s Amphitheatre in Ybor, where you’ll be granted entry to the exclusive section of the club reserved for VIPs and enjoy a bottle of club-chosen liquor. Because that is how you roll. Bidding starts at $50. Value: $300.
Everybody’s a critic, especially when it comes to concert reviews. If you or someone you love is dead certain he or she would be a much better concert reviewer than whatsisname, here’s the chance to prove it. With this package, the wannabe music critic will get to choose a concert to review between the dates of Jan. 5 and May 1, attend as a guest of CL’s Music Editor, then write about the show for both the print and online editions of Creative Loafing. Who knows? The winning bidder could be the next Robert Christgau, just waiting to be discovered. Bidding starts at: $25.
Theatergoers Special: Tickets to Stageworks and American Stage
Great ticket offers from two of the most highly regarded theater companies in the Bay area, both of them multiple Best of the Bay winners. From Tampa’s Stageworks Theatre, you get two Season Flex Passes, good for 12 seats to any of the remaining shows this season, including To Kill A Mockingbird. From American Stage, you get two tickets to any production in the 2011/2012 season, which includes August Wilson’s Seven Guitars and the hilarious comedy The Foreigner. Bidding starts at $75. Value: $350.
The Dunedin Fine Art Center experience
The Dunedin Fine Art Center is an oasis of art, fashion and fun, and this package allows you to experience it all: two coveted VIP tickets to Wearable Art, DFAC’s outrageously imaginative fashion spectacular; a family membership to the Center; and a half-day workshop in an art form of your choice. Bid and be fabulous! Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $275.
Dalí Museum membership and more
A wonderful package from St. Petersburg’s internationally known Salvador Dalí Museum includes: Family Membership (good for one year of museum admission for two adults); two museum adult admission tickets (one-time-use passes, valid for one year); and a specialized docent-led tour for four adults focusing on influences of geometry in Dali’s artwork and highlighting how those influences are mirrored in the museum building’s spectacular design. The tour is followed by complimentary tiramisu in the museum café. Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $250.
Greet the light: Celebrate the Solstice at the Ringling
To inaugurate its long-awaited Skyspace by renowned light artist James Turrell, the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota is throwing a big solstice celebration in its elegant courtyard on Dec. 22 called Greet the Light (and believe us when we tell you, these folks know how to throw a party). This unique auction item includes two tickets to the celebration plus a $50 gift certificate to the museum’s chic Treviso Restaurant. What a way to ring in the winter! Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $145.
The Morean and the MFA: The art of downtown St. Pete
A great gift package for out-of-town visitors, or for residents looking to visit (or re-visit) these stellar downtown arts venues. The multi-faceted Morean Arts Center offers a very attractive combo ticket called The St. Petersburg Arts Experience that grants admission to all four of its branches, including the much-talked-about Chihuly Collection, the Glass Studio & Hot Shop, the Center for Clay and the Morean itself; if you’re the winning bidder, you get a pair of these tickets, which can be used to visit all four in one day or over a longer period. And that’s not all; this auction item also includes a family membership to the beautiful Museum of Fine Arts and a objet d’art specially selected for the auction from that museum’s very tempting gift shop. Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $40 (Morean); $160 (MFA). Total Value: $200.
Get creative: Painting with a Twist & Jump Start Your Photography
A two-part item that’s perfect for the aspiring artist. Painting with a Twist, with outlets in St. Pete’s Grand Central District and South Tampa’s MacDill Avenue, is offering a gift certificate for a night of painting for two. They provide the paint, canvas and brushes; you and a companion create artworks under guidance of a local artist who’ll be painting right alongside you. And if you want to learn how to take photos like the pros, Manny Ponteriero’s 3-DVD set Jump Start Your Photography is for you. From lens selection to lighting techniques, f-stops to composition tips, these DVDs provide all you need to know to master going “M” for Manual. Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $150.
Study nature photography with Jason Hahn
Photography is all about choices, from choosing settings to composing your shots. Sometimes all those choices can be a little overwhelming. That’s why Jason Hahn has developed the Total Exposure photography workshop series to help aspiring nature photographers make the right choices when that amazing shot presents itself. Whether you have a point-and-shoot or an SLR, this course will demystify the technology and explore just what you need to know to capture wild Florida with your camera. Added bonus: The 3-DVD set Jump Start Your Photography, an outstanding instructional set from professional shooter Manny Pontoriero. Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $209.
Gotta dance: Adult tap lessons and more
Can’t stop those dancing feet? Then step up and bid on this great offer from Bonnie Gray Productions: 10 tap dance classes for a beginner or advanced beginner adult student. Plus: This auction item also includes two private dance lessons, good for a couple or a single, from Arthur Murray Dance. Learn ballroom, Latin, even hip-hop — before you know it you’ll be dancing around the living room to Dancing with the Stars! Bidding starts at: $50. Value: $355.
VIP passes to the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
An item no movie fan can pass up: Two Crown Circle passes to the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF), winner of Best Film Festival in CL’s Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll. Crown Circle pass holders get into all screenings for free, plus they’re admitted early (no waiting in those long lines) and enjoy a complimentary beverage at all Tampa Theatre screenings. The 2012 fest begins Oct. 4. Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $250.
The Scarface Sampler
Say hello to your little friend! Win this bid and get: a copy of the killer limited-edition Blu-ray of the Al Pacino/Brian DePalma Miami mob epic Scarface; a film-appropriate $50 gift card from from Ybor City landmark King Corona; and a sampler pack of brews from Tampa’s Cigar City Brewery. As a special bonus, we’re throwing in ’80s-tastic flicks Brazil (with Robert De Niro) and the original Conan The Barbarian (featuring the Governator in all his buff glory), both on Blu-ray. Act quickly, or get chopped up in the shower by a chainsaw… Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $200.
Fans of the small screen need to break from their couch coma and check out this auction item. The winning bidder will receive an incredible assortment of TV shows on DVD, including The Office: Season 7, The Bionic Woman (Seasons 2 & 3, with Lindsay Wagner), House: Season 7, Parenthood: Season 2, The Cape: The Complete Series and Eureka: Season 4. As a special bonus, we’re throwing in the complete miniseries The Kennedys (starring Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes) on Blu-Ray. Ask not what The Children’s Home can do for you… Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $150.
Hollywood Blockbuster DVD Package
Relive some of the year’s biggest hits or get acquainted with movies you missed by winning this blockbuster DVD package. Included are the Vin Diesel/Paul Walker mega-hit Fast Five; the Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCarthy comedy smash Bridesmaids; Matt Damon and Emily Blunt on the run in The Adjustment Bureau; Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in the cheesy-but-charming Larry Crowne; and as a special bonus, Channing Tatum’s Roman epic The Eagle on Blu-ray. Act fast, or you’ll be furious. Bidding starts at: $20. Value: $100.
Reel Terror/Uh-Oh Show VIP Experience
Be afraid, horror movie fans. The winner of this auction will receive deluxe VIP treatment at next October’s third annual Reel Terror Film Festival, including two tickets to the event, special reserved seating, and free food and drink from the concession stand. To hold the winner over until then, we’re also including a DVD of Reel Terror 2011 film The Uh-Oh Show autographed by director (and horror film-making legend) Herschell Gordon Lewis, and a poster from the movie signed by members of the cast. So good it’s scary… Bidding starts at: $25. Value: $125.
Passes for two to every CL movie preview in 2012
Ever come to the CL offices to get passes to a sneak preview of an upcoming flick, only to be shut out because they’re all gone when you get here? Never again! The winner of this auction will get first dibs on every movie pass we get in 2012. CL doesn’t get everything, but chances are that if you want to see it, we’re going to have it. (Keep in mind, these are passes, not tickets. You will still have to show up at the theater early to get seats.) Getting into a preview of the latest blockbuster is a rare treat. Scoring passes for two for a year of blockbusters? That’s incredible. Bidding starts at: $50. Value: Priceless.
Custom rap tune from Big Cheese
Like a Weird Al with swagger, Big Cheese, aka Jakeem Johnson, is our local parody master and has been featured on Tosh.0 and G-4 TV. He went viral nationwide with his parody of Plies’ “Becky”: “Gimme Dat Bacon.” Now, he’s willing to rap for you. Let the Best of the Bay winner write a tribute, call out your mean boss, lay down some rhymes for your boo — whatever. It’s your call, and he’s at your service. Bidding starts at: $50. Value: $300.
This article appears in Nov 17-23, 2011.
