One of the best kept secrets in the Tampa Bay music scene is the fact that a extremely talented and young band plays semi-regularly at one of coolest locaI spots. This would be the Ft. Lauderdale fivesome The Heavy Pets and the Dunedin Brewery. I cringe every time I use the term 'jamband' – it's a descriptor that says little about a band other than that you should expect some hippies in the crowd wigglin' around and hear a few songs in long form. Jambands are really a fusion of rock, funk, jazz & weird – and like many things invovling heavy mixing, sometimes the result is muddy crap. But when done right – like a suicide fountain drink – it's the sweetest shit around. The Heavy Pets have shuffled a few members around notably in the rhythm section which now features Jaco Pastorius' son Felix on bass. (No shit!) The band is gaining some real notoriety in the jam scene, playing huge festivals like South by Southwest, Bonaaroo, Langerado and Wakarusa.
The show is only $5; Dunedin Brewery has a heady special to go along with the heady tunes: $3 pints of IPA and Cask brews. Showtime: 11:30 pm.
This article appears in May 13-19, 2009.