Look, we're not going to chastise you for not seeing more homegrown original music, again. We're not going to beg you to do so, again. This year, we're just going to paraphrase an inspirational dead guy — ask not what your local music scene can do for you, but what you can do for your local music scene — and provide a rundown of the places you're most likely to see some great local talent.
Again.
688 SKATEPARK
6140 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater, 727-523-0785, www.688skatepark.com
688 has really stepped up its original-music scheduling over the last year or so — you can generally check out a bill jammed with local (and often national) punk, screamo, rock and metal talent at least once a week. Shows are held in a medium-sized snack bar set off from the warehouse-style skatepark. No alcohol is served, but brave the corn dogs if you dare.
THE BANK NIGHTCLUB
& CONCERT VENUE
1919 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-898-4488, www.atthebank.com
It's taken a while for the Bank to start hosting the sort of semi-high-profile national touring shows its immaculate 800-capacity room deserves. But this year saw a spate of jam- and singer-songwriter-oriented concerts heighten the venue's profile, and, in addition to a fairly regular schedule of local bills, the annual singer-songwriter series known as In The Raw found a new home on the Bank's main stage.
BOOMERZ BOILER ROOM
6990 Seminole Blvd., Seminole, 727-391-7066, myspace.com/boilerroom
Known primarily as the place to see Pinellas County metal and punk (as well as the odd mid-level national act), Boomerz Boiler Room is currently being upgraded and reformatted by new owners. Management recently stated its intent to try and keep local original music in the mix however, so let's hope the crowds for the club's usual cross section of bands stay strong. If you're not digging the group onstage, head next door to the Café for some grub and cover-band action, and there'll be another original act on in no time.
BOMBSHELL GALLERY
2534 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-519-5208, www.bombshellgallery.com
Former St. Pete Times music scribe (and current tbt* columnist) Gina Vivinetto and her partner/excellent-food-whipper-upper Lea Iadarola opened this funky little art, consignment and performance space a few months back. The acoustics aren't top-notch, and the sound system could use an upgrade, but the communal vibe is unbeatable; it's a great place to make new scenester friends while a hip new indie-rock band or singer-songwriter act cuts its teeth.
BOURBON STREET
4331 U.S. 19 N., New Port Richey, 727-843-0686, www.clubbourbonstreet.com
New Port Richey's main outlet for original music has held its own for several years now, offering up everything from rock to roots to blues to, uh, tons and tons of tribute bands. It's got a giant bar, a great P.A. and the usual bar food, and its management has shown a marked commitment to booking yet-unknown regional acts.
BRASS MUG
1441 E. Fletcher Ave., Tampa, 813-972-8152
It doesn't matter what kind of band they're in — every single musician in the Bay area has played the Mug at one time or another. This North Tampa strip-mall dive has been hosting original music for at least 15 years, and more than one unknown band on its way to superstardom (Green Day, No Doubt) has stood on its stage. They'll put just about any style of music on, but there's usually at least one hard rock or metal band on every bill.
DAVE'S BAR & GRILLE
10820 Gandy Blvd., St. Petersburg, 727-576-1091
Though the venue still known colloquially as Dave's Aqua Lounge sometimes books alt-rock, punk and singer-songwriter fare, what it's really known for is blues, better-than-average bar food, and top-notch people-watching possibilities. Wanna eat conch fritters and eavesdrop on an argument between a biker and a hippie while somebody does their best Stevie Ray Vaughan impression? Dave's is the place.
DUNEDIN BREWERY
937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, 727-736-0606, www.dunedinbrewery.com
Dunedin's best smoke-free beer-and-music joint is traditionally pretty heavy on acoustic cover acts, but it isn't afraid to mix it up with regular local or touring original bills. The place brews its own marvelous beers, and boasts a friendly vibe that's comfortable whether you're fresh from work or from a day skipping work to go to the beach.
EMERALD BAR
550 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-898-6054, myspace.com/emeraldbar
No stage. No air that isn't laden with smoke. No room to move on the nights it's packed out. Though it's lately hosted everything from unknown up-and-comers to cover acts to acoustic solo performers, the tiny downtown dive known as The Emerald can still regularly throw together a killer local punk/rock 'n' roll bill. It's still the St. Pete scenester's watering hole of choice.
EMPIRE
1902 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, 813-247-2582
While it more often hosts touring DJs and hip-hop personalities, dance club Empire has dabbled off and on with local-band shows for years, and as of press time, it's back on — you can catch eclectic bills every Wednesday night.
FORTUNATO'S AFTER DARK
263 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-898-4882
This little shotgun tavern on downtown St. Pete's main promenade deserves credit for its habit of handing its weekly open-jam night over to local bands for months at a time, and for sporadically putting Bay area singer-songwriters in front of off-the-street audiences that don't normally patronize local-music clubs.
GASOLINE ALLEY
17928 U.S. 19 N., Clearwater, 727-532-0265
Auto-themed Gas Alley has been Pinellas County's home of all things rock for years. Grab an adult beverage of any kind and shoot some pool, or have a seat in the main room, order something off the extensive menu and watch the bands. There's no telling exactly what you might get — could be modern rock, throwback Sunset Strip riffage, metal or covers — other than it's going to be guitar-based.
GLOBE LOUNGE & COFFEEHOUSE
532 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-898-JAVA, globecoffeelounge.com
JoEllen, Josh and the crew at the Globe have dramatically increased over the last year the number of live music events their kid- and activist-friendly rumpus room hosts. The style leans heavily toward acoustic solo performers — usually local bandleaders stripping down for intimate sets — but sometimes you'll get a few bands jamming on the patio out back.
GORILLA THEATRE
4419 N. Hubert Ave., Tampa, 813-879-2914, www.gorilla-theatre.com
This 80-seat West Tampa venue hosts a regular series of local and national jazz shows (usually once or twice a month) when the theater troupe for which it's named isn't treading the boards. The gigs are usually weekend matinee affairs, hosted by the Tampa Jazz Club. The place is very bop-oriented; smooth jazz is a no-no here.
THE JUNCTION
703 E. Franklin St., Clearwater, 727-799-1100
Formerly known as Java Junction (and prior to that, Club More), this roomy joint near downtown Clearwater has become much more celebrated for its concerts than its bean juice. The Junction's gigs and vibe run decidedly to the jam-scene end of things, though local songwriters and pop, rock and world-beat acts are also showcased.
NEPTUNE LOUNGE
13 S. Safford Ave., Tarpon Springs, 727-943-5713, www.theneptunelounge.com
The Neptune's wildly eclectic nature early on has skewed more toward young punk and emo sounds in recent years, but it's still fairly open to any style, and unarguably the best (only?) place to hear contemporary original music between Clearwater and New Port Richey. Plus, spectacular parties — complete with dancing on the bar — have been known to break out when the 200-capacity place is packed and the vibe is right.
NEW WORLD BREWERY
1313 East Eighth Ave., Ybor City, 813-248-4969
The New World is pretty much the small venue in Tampa for great beer, great company and great sounds. The bands — usually of the hip, rocking or experimental varieties, both national and local — play in a covered courtyard while scenesters, hipsters, beer snobs, and other local-music aficionados mill about inside and out. Plus, the Orpheum is pretty much directly across the street, making good-show-hopping a giddy reality just off Ybor's drunk drag.
ORPHEUM
1902 14th Ave., Ybor City, 813-248-9500, www.statemedia.com
Though it's become synonymous with DJ-driven weekend drink-a-thons in recent years, Orpheum still hosts more than its fair share of quality local and national shindigs. Some folks love its staff and stage, and some folks hate its sound system and volatile air-conditioning, but we've all seen some great bills there over the years, and will undoubtedly be treated to more in the future.
PEGASUS LOUNGE
10008 N. 30th St., Tampa, 813-971-1679, www.pegasusniteclub.com
The Pegasus has given its North Tampa neighbor Brass Mug a run for its money by booking new bands and heavier acts, and cultivating its own crew of local acts, many of which play this endearingly seedy room regularly. There's bar food and full liquor, and depending on what night you go, you could be treated to anything from karaoke to acoustic strumming to death metal.
SACRED GROUNDS COFFEEHOUSE
4819 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa, 813-983-0387
Like the Pegasus, Sacred Grounds seems to have touched the hearts of its own clique of regular performers, most of whom are singer-songwriters living in the North Tampa area and always looking for an opportunity to live-test some new material. There's no alcohol to be had in this stage-less warren of lived-in rooms, but snacks are available, the staff is super-friendly and you might even catch a nationally up-and-coming folk or pop songwriter.
SKIPPER'S SMOKEHOUSE
910 Skipper Rd., Tampa, 813-971-0666, www.skipperssmokehouse.com
Roots, rock and jam bands own the 800-person-capacity outdoor Skipperdome, one of Hillsborough County's most beloved show spots. If a WMNF benefit will fit in there, it's going in there, and most local-music fans have many fond memories of great sets, interesting one-off collaborations and the 'dome's innately genial vibe. Plus, the food — everything from burgers to gator and black beans and yellow rice — rocks, too.
STATE THEATRE
687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-895-3045, www.statemedia.com
That this venerable gutted theater is no longer the Ground Zero for local music it once was is beyond debate. But you can still see Bay area artists opening for national acts, putting together benefits and throwing multiple-band special events on its large stage. A hip show here is still the best environment for running into people you played with four years ago, and never thought you'd see again.
THE TAMIAMI @ JANNUS LANDING
242 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-550-0419, www.jannuslandingconcerts.com
Things at this little club, located at the rear of downtown St. Pete's marvelous Jannus Landing Courtyard concert space, seem to go in cycles; sometimes it's just a place to take a leak or lean against the bar during a Jannus show, and sometimes it's a venue all its own. Lately, more and more underground touring bands and local acts have found their way to the stage at the back of the Tamiami, lending the hope that it'll once again take a place among St. Pete's consistently active local-music supporters, at least for a while.
TOP 5 RECORDS
1300 S. Dale Mabry, Tampa, 813-254-5544, top5recordsonline.com
Top 5 moved into the barren, music-less wastelands of South Dale Mabry a year ago, and immediately began giving dirty punk kids in aged Vans a place to play. It's a neat little record store that caters to all-ages sounds, and more often than not, after it gets dark on weekends the racks and stacks are moved aside to make room for local and national punk, hardcore, emo and screamo bands. The space doesn't turn up its nose at softer fare and has played host to more than a few acoustic sets as well.
TRANSITIONS ART GALLERY @ SKATEPARK OF TAMPA
4215 E. Columbus Drive, Tampa, 813-621-6793, www.skateparkoftampa.com
Since Masquerade's Infinity Room (and Masquerade itself) bit the dust, SPoT's Transitions Art Gallery has enjoyed an increasingly hectic show schedule. The punk and hardcore shows are as frequent as you'd expect, but the gallery has also lent its space to indie-rock, pop and experimental styles. It's a bit out of the way, and the sound quality varies with each act, but there's just something really nostalgic about crossing the street for a surreptitious six-pack at the gas station.
UPTOWN BAR
658 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-463-0567
Hosting everything from jam and pop to DJs and electronic projects, the Uptown continues to overcome a shoddy sound system on the strength of its friendly staff and, of course, location, location, location — it's across the street from the State and a block up from the Emerald. The quality of the acts playing tends to careen wildly from tight to, uh, not tight, but the beer selection is sweet (no hard booze, unfortunately) and the clientele is almost always worth experiencing firsthand.
Compiled by Scott Harrell and Joran Oppelt
This article appears in Apr 12-18, 2006.