Last night at Tre Amici in Ybor City, attendees were treated to impassioned sets by three of the Bay's area best singer/songwriters: Rebekah Pulley, Lorna Bracewell and then Ronny Elliott (pictured), who debuted cuts from his upcoming album Jalopypaint. One of the standouts focuses on the many Hollywood actors and filmmakers who were blacklisted during McCarthy's witch hunt.

Elliott later got back up behind the mic, at my request, to perform “Tell the King the Killer is Here.”

Thanks, Ronny!

Lively poetry readings were also delivered by Venus Jones and Lori Karpay, who was accompanied on percussion by her hubby, Harry Hayward.

In between performances, I finally got to meet Lorna’s partner, singer/songwriter Lexi Pierson (and snag a copy of her new self-titled CD, which I'll be reviewing in the near future), as well as local soul singer Bishop Wayne. I also got to bid farewell to Dawn Morgan, the CL editorial assistant who organized the event. She’s leaving the paper and relocating to Maryland.

This article appears in Oct 24-30, 2007.