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I need both. Both are
going on. Charles Fary’s paintings inform his music, and vice versa, p. 11.
Art by Clancy Riehm. Design by Jack Spatafora.
For one night only, the MFA presents an original immersive opera in partnership with acclaimed composer Nathan Felix. Inspired by exhibition, In Caravaggio’s Light, this site-specific performance will unfold across the museum’s campus, guiding audiences through the galleries on a layered emotional and musical journey that brings the drama and theatricality of the Baroque to life. Tickets available at mfastpete.org
Valentin de Boulogne, known as Le Valentin, Denial of St. Peter (detail), c. 1620, Oil on canvas, Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte Roberto Longhi, Florence, Italy
do this
Tampa Bay's best things to do from Jan. 29 - Feb. 04. See more on p. 29.
Getting curious
From conversations on coral spawning and ethical sourcing of tea to lessons about Hilma af Klimt and artificial intelligence, the Curiosity Club of Seminole Heights enjoys coffee with a side of new knowledge. Every month, the club shines an eclectic spotlight on a variety of topics and lessons at Corner Club Tampa, a dive-bar-turned cafe that welcomes all to its casual venue. Kayla Brazee, a history teacher and founder of the club, said she came up with the concept as a way for people to bond outside of the academic setting–and Corner Club was the perfect place to do it. Since the club’s inaugural meeting in December 2024, with the first lesson centered around the Articles of Confederation, the club’s Facebook page has amassed 610 members. Turnout is as high as 45-50 people for some sessions. “It’s just hard to meet people at this age,” Brazee said. “And what better way to do it than learning about something cool and new?” The club’s next session tackles the fundamentals of reading and creating music.
Curiosity Club of Seminole Heights:
SideNotes—Reading Music—
Next Thursday, Feb. 5. 7 p.m. No cover. Corner Club, 1502 E Sligh Ave., Tampa. @The Curiosity Club of Seminole Heights on Facebook—Jasmin Parrado
Puck it up
Hockey is so hot right now, thanks to “Heated Rivalry.” The show—about professional hockey players risking it all for love—has taken America by storm. And while it isn’t based on a true story, it’s resonated with real players. The show inspired a non-NHL hockey pro to come out, and star Hudson Williams told Andy Cohen that closeted pro athletes have reached out to him directly, including pro hockey players. The NHL is the only American professional sports league with no out LGBTQ+ current or former players. So, before the Tampa Bay Lightning takes on the Boston Bears Bruins on Sunday, we can’t speculate if any players are headed to the cottage. But in the thick of hockey season, anything can happen. The Raymond James match is one of two outdoor NHL games in Florida this year. But it might be colder than inside games. Forecasts call for a high of 55°F—the low end of the thermostat for Lightning games at Benchmark. Still, it’s rare a chance to see the guys and their sticks out in the sunlight.
NHL Stadium Series: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins—Sunday, Feb 1. 6:30 p.m. $207 & up. Raymond James Stadium, 4201 North Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. nhl.com— Selene San Felice
Patri-eats
The only thing more American than apple pie is forcing yourself to eat the latest state fair concoction. This year’s atrocity is “America’s Birthday Cake Iced Tea,” cloudy, birthday cake-flavored iced tea topped with a cupcake to celebrate 250 years of America’s independence. It comes in a collectible jar mug to show your therapist. Other gastric rides include the deep-fried Cuban burrito, arepa pig mac and a whole pickle turned into something called a “dill devil.” If those aren’t filling enough, sign up for one of the daily food-eating contests. There’s also a packed lineup of shows and entertainment celebrating all things ‘Merica. Check the web for promo discount days and details. Florida State Fair: Next Thursday, Feb. 5-16. $6-$16. 4800 US-301, Tampa. floridastatefair.com—Selene San Felice
SABRINA LANTOS/HBO
Party on
One of the most legendary Florida Men is coming home to make Tampa Bay proud. Bert Kreischer, known for his shirtless stand-up specials, is a St. Pete native who went to Jesuit High School of Tampa before a Rolling Stone reporter found him while performing in his sixth year at FSU in 1997. The rest is hairy-chest history. His latest on-screen venture, an auto-fictional six-episode series titled “Free Bert,” premiered last week on Netflix. Whether the real Bert is the dad onscreen in the dramady or the shirtless guy on-stage is debatable. Find out for yourself at Benchmark International Arena.
Bert Kreischer: Permission to Party: Friday, Jan. 30. 7 p.m. $42$124. Benchmark International Arena, 401 Channelside Dr., Tampa. bertbertbert.com—Selene San Felice
No way, Jose Guess who’s back? If you can’t tell, pirates have returned to Tampa thanks to Gasparilla, a Tampeño rite of passage that goes all the way back to 1904. The party’s not been without controversy—the founding Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla didn’t let Black men join as members until 1991—but that’s not the only jaw-dropping factoid. Jose Gaspar, known as “the last of the Buccaneers,” didn’t even exist. Expect the improv geniuses and stand-up comedians at The Commodore to skewer the gentleman at this annual roast, which has become a staple of Gasparilla season already.
The Roast of Jose Gaspar: Friday, Jan. 30. 7:30 p.m. $14.76 (including fees). The Commodore, 811 E 7th Ave., Tampa. commodorecomedy.com—Ray Roa
Get born
14 emerging Tampa Bay artists to watch in 2026.
By Jennifer Ring and David Warner
When former Creative Loafing Editor-inChief David Warner decided to feature up-and-coming young actors in this year’s Spring Arts Issue, the idea soon expanded to include visual artists as well. We reached out to some of the best curators in the Tampa Bay area—people whose job is to discover new artists and showcase their artwork in local art centers and museums. Among them is Amanda Cooper, Chief Curator for the Morean Arts
Center, whose “Fresh Squeezed: Emerging Artists in Florida” exhibition enters its 10th year in 2026. Cooper now receives applications from visual artists across the state and discovers exciting new talent every year.
Tracy Midulla, Founder and Director of Tempus Projects, is known for her keen eye for talent and for supporting contemporary artists throughout the region. Robin O’Dell, Executive Curator for the Florida Museum of
Photographic Arts, is always out on the scene, supporting her colleagues and helping keep Tampa Bay’s photography scene alive and well. We asked these folks to recommend an emerging artist or artists to watch in 2026.
The more artists we spoke with, the more we considered what it means to emerge. The definitions vary. In one sense, it means “to become.” Other sources define it as moving out or away from something and coming into view, becoming apparent or important.
murals? To have one’s first solo show or big public art commission? To re-establish one’s career in a new country after fleeing one’s homeland? To be named a city’s photo laureate? To create a body of work that fills a 200-page book? To graduate with your Master of Fine Arts?
SPRING ARTS
What does it mean to become an artist in Tampa? Does it mean leaving the corporate world to pursue the arts full-time? To replace one’s cubicle with a studio, art markets and
As you’ll discover from the artists featured in this issue, it can mean any of these things. With each interview, we dove deeper into the people and places that actively support emerging artists in the Tampa Bay area, and we came back with a great list of places to visit and shows to see in 2026. Jennifer Ring
Low Tide / High Root: APIDA Diasporic Perspectives
Tatiana Mesa Paján: MÍO/MINE
Latonya Hicks — When the Lights Came On: Shared Memories and the Things We Keep
Brooke Allison: Life Capturing Lessons
A Juried Exhibition: Face Value
Patrick Carew (@patrick_carew)
Tampa art insiders know Patrick Carew as the curator of Reverb, a small gallery in Kress Contemporary programmed by graduate students from USF’s College of Design, Art and Performance. Or at least, he was Reverb’s curator in 2025.
In 2026, as Carew prepares to graduate from USF Tampa, he’s focused on a new body of work exploring what it means to experience HIV in the post-prep era. It’s a fitting project for USF, which has several connections to the history of HIV healthcare. Robert Gallo, one of the scientists credited with discovering HIV as the cause of AIDS, is the founding director of the USF Health Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation. And Phillip Furman, co-inventor of Retrovir (AZT), graduated from USF in 1972.
But outside of a laboratory, how does a photographer/printmaker at the USF’s School of Art & Art History capture a virus that can only be seen with an electron microscope? Carew chose to image bodily fluids.
“I was thinking of the ways HIV is tested for,” Carew told CL.
These days, there are both blood and saliva tests for HIV, so Carew tried imaging both,
REVERBERATIONS:
placing saliva or blood onto a piece of plastic, then using that makeshift slide as a photographic negative.
He started with spit, but once he saw how blood appears in darkroom prints, he stuck with that.
“Blood happens to be the exact right color to block out light perfectly in the dark room,”
Carew explained.
In some cases, the photo itself is the art. In other cases, Carew transfers his photographic images onto an etching plate using photo polymer, thus creating an etching. Sometimes he collages others’ photos. Lately, Carew’s been collaging porn from the height of the AIDS epidemic.
Carew shares artworks from this series in
“From All Sides of the Page At Once: a group exhibition of traditional (and not so traditional) printmaking” at Tempus Projects Flash Gallery from January 15 through March 19, 2026 in Ybor City. But that’s just the beginning. Carew’s work will also be featured at the University of South Florida’s MFA Thesis Exhibition, which coincides with ArtHouse each year. The School of Art and Art History’s signature event happens in April, is free and open to the public, and features live music, open studios and affordable student artwork for sale.—Jennifer Ring
Jesi Cason emerged from personal branding photography to act as St. Petersburg Month of Photography’s Photo Laureate in May 2025. She applied for the honor after moving from Fort Myers to Tampa, thinking the appointment would be a great opportunity to meet other artists in the area and get her name out there.
“I fully did not expect to win, because I am more of a commercial photographer than an artistic photographer,” Cason told CL.
In her everyday working life, Cason works with small business owners, entrepreneurs and influencers. In her words, “people who are standouts in their field in some way, who need visuals to help them tell their story.”
In the decade she’s been doing this, Cason has photographed Grammy award-winning musicians, Olympic athletes, realtors and more.
“I love working with people who are deeply connected to their community—that’s primarily my favorite people to work with,” says Cason.
This January, Cason is photographing individuals connected with Tampa’s alt scene for her May 2026 show at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. She put the call out from her Instagram profile in early December:
STAND OUT:
Cason has photographed Grammy award-winning musicians, Olympic athletes, realtors and more.
“I’m looking to create a large-scale portrait series featuring the people of Tampa who are more likely to be throwing elbows at Crowbar than taking a hot girl walk down Bayshore Boulevard. As the St. Petersburg Photo Laureate of 2025, I want to create unconventional portraits of non-traditional people who live all over Tampa Bay for my solo art exhibit planned for May of 2026 at @fmopa. If you’re into the local music scene, the art community, the drag scene, or anyone who exists outside of the mainstream Tampa vibe, I want to create a kickass portrait of you to hang in a museum…”
“The response was fantastic,” Cason told CL. “I’ve had over 100 people say they would like to be photographed for this series.”
The photos will be on display at FMoPA in May 2026. Cason also teaches Photography 101 at FMoPA (next classes are Sunday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., and Wed., March 11, 5-7 p.m.) and hosts a monthly photography club. They meet at FMopA every Third Tuesday at 5 p.m. where they share photos and set a new monthly photo challenge. Anyone can attend these monthly meetings, but it’s free for FMoPA members.—Jennifer Ring
continued on page 15
Jesi Cason (@jesicason.style)
Art insiders know Carew as the curator of a small gallery in Kress Contemporary.
Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan is a traveling photography exhibit curated by The National Museum of Wildlife Art and the National Geographic Society.
Fary Charles emerged from financial hardship with his first big solo show, “It’s Yours” at The Tampa Edition last November, for which he created some of his largest pieces. His motivation: a mixture of rage, disappointment, and a desire to prove himself.
Charles had just lost his job at a local art supply store and had gone four months without making more than $200 from his tattoo job when he met with the show’s curator, Tobin Green, in his beautiful home to brainstorm a title for the show.
“It’s Yours” expresses Charles’ simple desire to create paintings for others to buy and take home with them.
“I don’t want to leave with these paintings,” he says. “You know what I mean? I want somebody to have them.”
Several of the pieces sold, and Charles is grateful for Green’s hand in helping make it all happen. Green (of AADMIXX studio) curates single-evening pop-up art exhibitions on the rooftop of The Tampa Edition twice a year. Charles’ next stop: the Black Arts Gala at the Straz. At the time of our interview, he was getting ready to paint something fresh for the Jan. 18 event, an annual celebration of Black
STONE MILE:
Rage, disappointment and a desire to prove himself fueled Fary Charles’ last solo show.
Mary-Helen Horne (@mhhorne2020)
In 2021, Mary-Helen Horne retired from her corporate job and moved into a new studio at Kress Contemporary in Ybor City, where she became a full-time artist.
“I feel like I became a serious artist when I moved into the Kress and I started to meet more of the community,” Horne told CL. “I started feeling like I had a specific direction with my work, and I honestly don’t think I could’ve been where I am today had it not been for the place, the people and the guidance that I’ve gotten here at the Kress.”
You’ll find Horne in her studio surrounded by prints on most Third Thursdays, Kress Contemporary’s biggest day of the month. The open-house-style event invites visitors to explore most, if not all, of the studios and galleries in the Kress building. Horne is also a regular participant in the Ybor Arts Tour, a biannual walking tour of Ybor City galleries; the next one happens Thursday, Feb.19.
Horne, who describes her work as “a celebration of the fragile diversity of our natural world,” pays special attention to trees, using a bunch of different blocks interactively to construct large, hand-carved linoleum relief prints.
“[Trees] symbolize to me all that nature is,”
Horne said in a 2025 studio visit. “They symbolize our relationship with nature. They operate in communities, we’re finding…they give us the very air we breathe and they don’t
ACT TWO:
In 2021, Horne retired from her corporate job and moved into a new studio.
excellence in art and culture organized by The Black Art Gala Foundation and Greenbook of Tampa Bay, Inc., in partnership with 101.5 The Vibe, Symphonic Distribution, Tampa Edition, the Barrymore Hotel and Crown Royal.
What’s he planning for the rest of 2026? A little bit of everything. Documenting (he’s on YouTube @junkyardjydk), dropping a lot of music, making his own album covers, trying out color tattoos, exploring his Haitian heritage, continuing to give back to the Black community through Youth Concept Gallery, and finding more ways to connect his music with his art.
“Every piece I’ve ever made, I’ve made music while I’ve done it—I wrote a lyric, I came up with something.”
There’s a lyric for everything Charles’ paints. One day, he hopes to bring the lyrics and paintings together in a book.
If his music career blasts off, he’d use the money to open a gallery and then host his listening parties there.
“I combine and galvanize these things so people can look at my lyrics,” Charles told CL. “I need both [art and music]. Both are always going on.”—Jennifer Ring
ask anything in return. So to me, they’re worthy of our attention.”
In 2025, Horne folded several of her prints into leaves for a large 3D tree she constructed from PVC, recycled hangers and metal wire. Still debuted last spring at “Fresh Squeezed 9.”
For Horne, who remembers hearing about Fresh Squeezed during her first printmaking class, being selected as a Fresh Squeezed artist in 2025 was a rite of passage—a symbol of making it as an artist in Tampa Bay.
“It gave me this sense that I’ve arrived,” Horne told CL.
In 2025, Florida CraftArt accepted Horne into their Emerging Artist Program along with another Kress artist, Lisa Ramudo. The sixmonth program includes business mentoring, a professional photo session, an artist statement workshop, an opportunity to sell work at Florida CraftArt, and inclusion in the Emerging Artist Exhibition. An easier-to-install version of Still made it into this show, in January 2026, along with several new works.
Horne hopes to create more sculptural work like Still in 2026. You can see her work, along with Patrick Carew’s, in Tempus Projects’ “From All Sides of the Page At Once: a group exhibition of traditional (and not so traditional) printmaking,” through March 19, 2026.—Jennifer Ring
Fary Charles (@junkyard_jydk)
Tatiana Mesa Paján (@madurezyutopia)
Tatiana Mesa Paján was an established artist in Cuba before immigrating to the United States in 2013 to join her sister.
“When I was in Cuba, I was doing well as an artist,” Mesa Paján told CL. “I wasn’t really so aware of politics. I was in my artistic bubble.”
Mesa Paján came to the U.S. with a support system of galleries and collectors in Europe. But once in Tampa, that system collapsed. Suddenly, galleries that had shown her work in Europe were no longer interested. Collectors who had once traveled to Cuba just to meet her and buy her work stopped answering her emails. She was effectively ostracized by the Cuban contemporary art world outside the island.
“I’m talking about Miami, New York, Barcelona, Madrid,” Mesa Paján told CL.
She had to start over. She became a “sedano” (person who stocks, arranges and sells goods in Cuban Spanish), a cashier, a waitress.
“It was a shock to me, because I was privileged in Cuba,” says Mesa Paján. “If you are an artist in Cuba, you are privileged. You are part of the elite. You have privilege that other people don’t have.”
At first, she thought that maybe folks had just lost interest in her art. But then she witnessed the 2021 protests in Cuba from her cell phone, uniformed officers pulling teenagers from their homes, repression, death.
“Now there are no excuses,” she explained.
“The idea that the entire Cuban art market is monopolized by the dictatorship sounds crazy,” Mesa Paján admits. “It took me a lot of years to come to the conclusion that most of the Cuban art market outside of the island is totally controlled by money coming from this regime. So they cannot really give opportunity to people who are not trustworthy to them.”
In this environment, Mesa Paján says she can no longer remain neutral.
“I’m not Cuban art,” she boldly states. “I’m not contemporary Cuban art, because I don’t want to represent that.”
NO EXCUSES:
Paján says it’s very important that we focus on humanity right now.
Instead, Mesa Paján took whatever honest work she could find and focused on raising her son. While working as an art instructor for the Department of Juvenile Justice, she met someone who encouraged her to get an MFA in the U.S. so she could teach at a university. Once Mesa Pajan became a professor in Tampa, invitations to show her work in Havana once again began to flow.
“But what do I have to do in order to get those benefits? I have to go to Havana. I need to have a studio in Havana. I need to travel to Havana and take a picture on the Malecón. I’m not going to do that.”
“That’s what a lot of people are doing,” Mesa Pajan continued. “They tell the Americans it’s a dictatorship and they claim to be denouncing things, but they have their studios in Havana and they take a picture in Havana. That [picture] might be used to make people think it’s not so bad, because this person is vocally open about [Cuba being a dictatorship] and is traveling, and nothing is happening to them. No. Totalitarianism doesn’t work like that. There are people who have their permissions to say that—it’s strategic on the part of the regime. I don’t want to be one of those people. I want my money to be clean.”
More than a decade after leaving Cuba, Mesa Pajan re-emerges with her first solo show in the U.S. at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center. “Mío/ Mine,” at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center through Feb. 22, celebrates the common gestures that make us human, from kissing to telling our stories, constructing our own personal realities and seeking that which is familiar to us. It’s a recurring theme in Mesa Pajan’s work. Although it’s new to Tampa Bay area audiences, Mesa Pajan has been collecting human gestures and contemplating their meanings for more than 20 years.
“It’s very important that we focus on humanity right now,” Mesa Pajan concluded. “We are in a shifting moment where the next generations will be narrated by AI. There is no way to skip that, and we know how important narratives are. This is more important than Cuba or than myself…My work is bigger than what happened to me.”—Jennifer Ring
Clancy Riehm (@clansmari)
If you shop the popular St. Pete art markets, then you may have already seen Clancy Riehm’s work. The digital artist left her 9-to-5 and became a full-time artist two years ago. She’s been making regular appearances at Indie Flea, Mezzo Market and Uptown Funk Market ever since—and her new lunar moth is on the cover of this issue.
In 2024, Creative Pinellas and the Tampa Bay Rays selected Riehm’s artwork for the Tampa Bay Rays Artist Series, which creates an art gallery experience for baseball fans at Tropical Field. In 2025, Riehm’s “Woman with Birds” was featured in Bask’s “Cheap Cheep Cheeps” at The Morean Arts Center and later sold at Chad Mize’s Advent at FloridaRAMA. She created pickleball paddle art for Mize’s Pickleball Paddle Art Show that closed at the new St. Pete Athletic at the Factory on January 10. And she recently completed a new indoor mural featuring a rooster and a woman eating Chinese food for Retro House’s new dining room in Ybor City, where she also sells her work.
Clancy Riehm’s name was dropped by Amanda Cooper, who plans to feature the artist in “Fresh
FRESH SQUEEZED:
Riehm left her 9-to-5 and became a full-time artist two years ago.
Squeezed 10: Emerging Artists in Florida,” slated for April 11-June 25, 2026. But before that, the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural artist will become known as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s and the Tampa Bay Ray’s Black History Month artist. And Mayor Ken Welch’s office just reached out to ask her to design a Black History Month poster for the City of St. Pete.
“I’m really excited to finally wrap up those projects and show everybody,” Reihm told CL.
The young illustrator, whose talent was nurtured by veteran Tampa Bay area designer and muralist Chad Mize, is designing Black History Month jerseys, a puck and arena graphics for the Lightning that will debut when the Lightning play the Sabres in Tampa on February 28.
Plan to see Reihm’s artwork at more Mizecurated shows this year, including “Enjoy” at Green Bench Brewing in March 2026. Reihm also created work for the St. Pete Robot Exchange’s 12th ARTofficial Intelligence. St. Pete’s longest-running robot-based art show also happens in March 2026—exact dates and location not yet announced.—Jennifer Ring
continued on page 19
Zack Wittman (@zackwittman)
By the time Zack Wittman had the opportunity to photograph Tampa’s cigar factories, there were only 25 left. Of those 25, only J. C. Newman Cigar Co. is operational. Named for its clock tower, El Reloj is the last remaining operational cigar factory in the United States.
As Ybor City’s 140th anniversary approached, Newman commissioned Wittman to photograph the 25 remaining factories for the beautifully designed coffee table book, “Cigar City: The Legacy of Tampa’s Founding Industry,” now available for purchase at J.C. Newman Cigar Co. in Tampa and Tombolo Books in St. Pete. “It was kind of a dream scenario to be able to make a book in collaboration with such a huge piece of Tampa’s history,” Wittman told CL. Wittman took 12,000 photographs—165 made it into the book. How does one create 12,000 photographs of only 25 buildings? “At the very beginning, I was so overwhelmed with how beautiful these factories are, that I was kind of just taking photos like crazy,” said Wittman. The task was easy at J.C. Newman, because it’s still operating. “There’s so much movement and magic, hustle and bustle and history happening in front of your eyes,” Wittman explained. Other interiors, however, proved more difficult. Wittman gives the Berriman-Morgan Cigar Factory, now St. Leo University’s Tampa Center, as an example.
“We went after hours so as not to disturb the students,” Wittman—whose work appears in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washing Post, and more— recalled. “ And it was
WATCH ME: Wittman’s work appears in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and more.
completely dead. There wasn’t a lot going on, and I had to shift my focus on what to photograph in there. Eventually, it became clear what I was looking for.”
Wittman was looking for pieces of history—a way to capture a moment even after it had passed. He references the construction of a cigar factory by photographing its foundation, encased in glass. He revisits the signing of the Cuban embargo in 1962, which left Tampa cigar factories scrambling to find a new source of tobacco, through a photograph of the last bale of preEmbargo Cuban tobacco in the United States at J.C. Newman Cigar Co.
Together, Wittman’s photos show everything from cigar factory mosaics and master cigar rollers at work to the construction of new apartments and hotels in old cigar factory buildings, ghost murals, and beams of light across splintered floors. They call forth Ybor City’s unofficial color palette in rich shades of brown and brick red.
From April 9-July 19, The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts shows Wittman’s Tampa cigar factory photos alongside original vintage photographs from The Burns Collection & Archive in “Cigars! Photography, Industry, and Identity in Ybor City.” The exhibition, sponsored by J.C. Newman Cigar Company and Opal Fine Art Printing, is timed to coincide with the 140th anniversary of the first cigar rolled in Ybor City on April 13, 1885. In the meantime, Wittman continues to photograph for various media outlets in search of the next big thing. Jennifer Ring
Fostering is free: all supplies provided!
Help cats and dogs get a break from the shelter
Raise kittens and puppies in a safe home environment
Earn 4 volunteer hours per day
Call Time: Theater and dance scene stars to watch in ‘26
A simple but profound Sondheim lyric comes to mind when thinking about the seven actors and dancers interviewed for this issue: “No one is alone. Truly. No one is alone.”
Every one of these artists pointed to the help they got along the way.
Blake High School in Tampa, Gibbs H.S./Pinellas County Center for the Arts in St. Pete, Harrison School for the Arts in Lakeland—these institutions have nurtured many of the talents you’ll read about. So have dance studios like the Academy of Ballet Arts and theater companies like the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. Then there’s the good counsel these performers
have received from their teachers and mentors, and from their parents, most not artists themselves but still dedicated to supporting their children’s dreams.
The talent and drive of these seven have played the biggest role in their success. But I was also struck by the fact that so many are driven by their desire to help others.
They know that, in the arts—in classrooms and rehearsal halls, on stage and off—no one can or should be alone.
Truly.—David Warner
Justin Brock (@justinb2704)
Why: A powerful mover who’s developing a choreographic style all his own.
His talent got noticed early: Hayley AmisStewart, a faculty member at Highland School of Dance in Lakeland, spotted Justin’s talent in elementary school musicals and offered him a dance scholarship when he was 10.
He was skeptical at first: “Being raised in Polk County, it was not really the biggest thing for a boy to be dancing.” But supportive parents and teachers like Amis-Stewart and Alexander Jones (now the artistic director of projectAlchemy) encouraged him to continue.
Too small? Or too big? At 20 years old, he’s just 5’6”, but a growth spurt in high school (Lakeland’s Harrison School for the Arts) led some to say he was too bulky to do ballet.
“Going to classes every night at Highland with Miss Hayley and Alex kept me going.”
The training paid off: He won a state dance title and a full scholarship to Delve (stylized in
all-caps), a summer intensive with Asheville, North Carolina-based Stewart/Owen Dance.
And now he’s a projectAlchemy company member: His appearances with pA have included “The Good Peaches” with American Stage and The Florida Orchestra; last year’s “soundHI” for the Beacon (stylized in all-caps) dance series; and “MIXed: Across St. Pete,” during which the company danced in parks and other public places.
What’s next? He’s creating and starring in a piece for the March 6 edition of Beacon based on an anime about a boy with chainsaw hands. He’ll also be dancing in works for two other companies, including Atlas (stylized in all-caps) Modern Ballet.
Where does he want to be in five years?
“Starting my own company.”
Justin’s boyfriend, Antonio Hernandez, is also a dancer: Antonio will be dancing in Germany when Justin’s choreographing for Beacon, but distance won’t dim their connection. “When we’re apart we’re still amazing humans.”—David Warner
and beyond
Max Carley (@max__carley)
Why: The 31-year-old turned his life around and rediscovered theater, and now he’s headed for New York.
His roaring 20s: “I went to FSU for a few semesters—I didn’t last because I liked to drink and do drugs a little too much.”
Then he found theater (again): He’d done a few shows at Early Bird Dinner Theatre when he was 19. “I had a ton of fun… but it wasn’t till I got sober in 2022 that I decided to rediscover these things I enjoy.”
Back to school: He went back to college and got his B.A. from USF, and for a while was waking up at 4 a.m., working till 5 p.m. (his current job is selling doors), going to class, then to rehearsals for community theater.
Then came Cratchit: In his biggest professional gig yet, Tampa Rep’s “A Christmas Carol,” he was equally convincing as Bob Cratchit, Marley’s Ghost, and old Fezziwig.
Next up, Higgins: When a friend heard that Max was auditioning for “My Fair Lady” at Eight O’Clock Theatre (opening Feb. 27), she told him, “You’ll never get Higgins, you need to go for Freddy,” Eliza’s young suitor. But Max is the kind of actor who could be any age, from 20s to 40s to, well, whatever age Henry Higgins is—and that’s the part he got.
And then on to New York City: He just won a full scholarship to the Atlantic Acting Program, an affiliate of the renowned Atlantic Theater Company. He and his girlfriend, who’s a nurse, plan to move to the city in the fall.—David Warner
continued on page 23
Call Time: Theater and dance scene stars to watch in ‘26 and beyond (cont'd)
Lance Markeith Felton (@LanceMarkeith)
Why: The 30-year-old is incapable of making a false move—on stage, at the mic, or in the classroom.
His first professional gig: Erica Sutherlin’s production of “Pass Over” at The Studio@620 four years ago. As Kitch, a young Black man contemplating escape to a better life, his performance was indelible—utterly natural, effortless, true. Where you’ve seen him lately: As the fierce young civil rights warrior Dasher in Stageworks’ “When the Righteous Triumph.” Coming up this spring: Stageworks’ “The Meeting” (in which he’ll play Malcolm X) and American Stage’s “The Hot Wing King.” Where he got schooled: Howard W. Blake High School and Florida State Universrity,
where he got a B.F.A. in Human Rights & Film. Before high school, he performed in Black history plays produced by Hillsborough County educator Dr. Phyllis Tucker-Wicks.
He’s been rapping since he was five: He’s a recorded hip-hop artist and a curator of theatrical poetry events. He’s also a playwright; he has performed Black History They Don’t Want You to Know at Stageworks and in American Stage’s Beyond the Stage series.
Which ties in nicely to his day job: He teaches sixth grade history at Academy Prep in Tampa. “It could be cool to have millions of people know your name as a rapper,” he says, “but it feels very good that a solid 77 know what ‘Mr. Felton’ means. The school was very adamant about me continuing my acting, and to have that as a backdrop to a classroom for history, it just feels like my mission. It feels right on cue.”
David Warner
Aiofa Maki
(@aoifas.applejuice)
Why: An 18-year-old senior at Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School (PCCA), she’s been hailed as “pure magic” on stage. About her name: It’s Irish (pronounced “EE-fah”). Maki is Finnish (from her dad’s side).
Her first lead role (in first grade): “They made me be Mary. I didn’t like it.” But when she threw the baby Jesus doll away from her in a fit of pique, “they thought it was funny.”
St. Pete’s magnet schools: From her studies at Perkins, John Hopkins and PCCA, she has grown into the realization that the arts can be a career. “I can’t think of anything else I’d want to do. Everything’s creativity to me.”
She acts, she sings, she dances, she writes. What’s her favorite? “Acting. When I think of getting a role, I think of getting to discover something about myself.”
What’s coming up the rest of this year? On the day we spoke, she was planning to travel north for an audition at Boston Conservatory—on the same day that a play she wrote and directed, “A Pattern of Time,” was to premiere at PCCA. She’s remarkably mature. “Not only is she talented but she is focused, and brings a maturity to her work,” says Helen French, who choreographed Aiofa in the PCCA theater department’s “Alice by Heart.”
Favorite role: Sandra, the mom in the musical “Big Fish.” According to one audience member who saw the show, “She is pure magic.” Her dreams for after college and beyond: “To be in the middle of everything.”—DW
LIVE COMEDY SHOWS THIS WEEK
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29 TH
7:00 PM: WEEKLY IMPROV DROP-IN CLASS
Close out the first month of 2026 by trying something new! Our Weekly Improv Drop-In is the perfect place to give improv a try, even (and especially!) if you've never done it before. Take the plunge this Thursday!
9:00 PM: LAST THURSDAYS OPEN MIC
Gina M. hosts this monthly open mic, perfect for stand-up comedians, improvisers, and alternative comedians alike. Come try out your material at this free mic!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30 TH
7:30 PM: THE ROAST OF JOSE GASPAR
Tampa's favorite fake pirate gets his comeuppance in this much-beloved annual Commodore tradition.
9:00 PM: BINGO COMEDY SHOW
NYC comedian Joey Rinaldi brings his crowd-pleasing comedy show to Tampa for one night only! Come for the laughs, stay for the prizes!
10:30 PM: LATE NIGHT LIVE
The late night talk show is dead. Host and producer James Donlon intends to change that. Good jokes, good comics, and a live band will send you to bed on Gasparilla Eve on a high note.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31 ST
8:00 PM: THE BAYSHORE PUKE BOYZ PRESENT: ASS-PARILLA
Join the Bayshore Puke Boyz (Braxton, Jaxson, Kyler, Tyler, and Brock) as they return to The Commodore for another wild and wacky night of post-Gasparilla shenanigans!
Call Time: Theater and dance scene stars to watch in ‘26 and beyond (cont'd)
Mackenzie Mclean (@themackenziefmclean)
Why: She’s a dancer, a teacher—and executive director of the Pinellas Dance Collective California called, but she stayed in St. Pete: Graduating from PCCA in 2023, the now-20-year-old won a scholarship to her dream school in California but decided to stay in St. Pete.
Now you see her everywhere: Tampa City Ballet, Atlas Modern Ballet, projectAlchemy, “A Very Broadway Christmas” and more And she’s teaching at PCCA: “At first I thought it’d be really hard—I was just in school with these people. But it was not an issue.” Miss P is her mentor: That’s Suzanne Pomerantzeff, co-founder of the Academy of Ballet Arts in St. Pete and former PCCA dance chair. “She has this way of nurturing students. I think that’s really where I found that there’s
beauty not only in perfecting your own stuff but in helping other people.”
How Pinellas Dance Collective was born:
“The only place where younger dancers were meeting each other was at competitions. I wanted to make a space where we can just all come dance.” She also realized from attending workshops that she could make a little bank, too. And, as a nonprofit, award scholarships.
A performing highlight: Dancing in Italy for the DAP Festival, a summer intensive, “on this huge stage out in the forest.”
A memorable audition: For The Rockettes! She couldn’t complete the process because it conflicted with her first performance with Atlas. But “It was definitely the most magical audition of my life.”
The secret to her success: “I’m a talker. So whenever I go into a new space I always become friends with the people around me.”
Next up: She’ll be performing at Beacon March 6 in a piece by Justin Brock.—DW
Alaina Rahaim (@alainarahaim)
Why: Her nickname in school was “Sparkles”–and that’s exactly what she does. Where it all started: Now 30, she took ballet as a child, but found her true home in an improv class. “I wanted so badly to be in that black box.”
Where it led: She got her high school degree from the esteemed Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach. But after getting a B.A. in human communications from University of Central Florida—in two years—she pursued a Master’s in Counseling at Florida State University and took a job in the office of career services at the University of Tampa.
But the arts kept calling: “I was getting involved in community theater, and I made
the decision at the end of 2021 to leave my position at UT and start my own private practice.” (Find her at AskAlaina.com.) Paid acting roles followed, often at Early Bird Dinner Theatre, where her flair for comedy paid off in roles like the titular doggie in “Sylvia.”
Then along came Cindy: In “Who’s Holiday” at The Off-Central, Alaina captured the sparkle and the poignancy of the postGrinch Cindy Lou Who. “Aside from being immensely talented,” says director Alan Mohney, Jr., “Alaina is one of the most intelligent actors I have ever worked with.”
Next up, a play she wrote herself: In “Zeus Cancelled,” a short play to be presented March 7 during Powerstories’ Voices of Women Festival, she’ll play the fearsome Greek god as a talk show host. “I’’ll have a beard, and most likely a sheet.”—David Warner continued from page 23
continued on page 27
Call Time: Theater and dance scene stars to watch in ‘26 and beyond (cont'd)
Jai Shanae (@the_art_of_jai)
Why: From local stages to TV ads to Tammi Terrell, she can do it all.
She grew up singing in church: And watching her grandfather, who had a group of his own.
A creative writing and musical theater major at Blake, she also models, draws, and does hair: “People made me feel bad about not being focused… Now I just embrace the fact that I can do a lot and that’s a blessing.”
Her first professional theater gig: Playing the Motown star Tammi Terrell in Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s hit musical about Marvin Gaye. The 35-year-old has done several shows since at WBTT, which she calls “a great nesting ground.”
On playing the tomboy-ish Opal in ‘Fat Ham’ at American Stage: “Probably the
most settled I’ve ever felt in a role. It’s a Black family at a cookout, the mom has kids that are gay and she doesn’t approve… I wasn’t supergirly growing up.”
On playing a civil rights activist passing for white in “Cadillac Crew” at The Studio@620: The challenge of the role was to understand “what it was like for a Black person to live as a white person—the dangers of it, and also what it offered her in life.” There were costuming challenges, too: “We went through so many wigs.”
Where you may have seen her on TV: As a Wawa barista serving up holiday treats; on a girls’ trip to Walt Disney World; introducing a stressed-out colleague to Docubee.
Providing a safe space for battered women and children: “It’s something that’s always been heavy on my heart.”
Ultimately: “I just want to be well off enough doing whatever art that I’m doing to be able to cover myself and also help others.”
—David Warner
COURTESY
The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland Exhibition Opening February 1 | The FHM
Catskills Throwback: Shuffleboard & Stories
February 19 | St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club
Lawyers of Conscience 2026 Medicine and the Holocaust: The Development of Informed Consent February 20 | The FHM
We Need To Talk About Antisemitism March 10 | The FHM
The Heebie Jeebies at CBGB’s: A Secret History of Jewish Punk March 22 | Bayboro Brewing Co. | theFHM.org |
Find out more and plan your visit at www.theFHM.org/events
Out and about: Events happening in Tampa Bay
The events listed in our Do This section on pp. 8-9 aren’t the only things to do in town this weekend. Have a look at more events— like Penn & Teller in St. Pete—going down the week of Jan. 29-Feb. 5, and see even more by finding Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s user-submitted events calendar at cltampa.com. For Gasparilla events, find our curated roundup at cltampa.com/arts. Don’t see your event here? Please head to the website to submit it yourself.—Selene San Felice
Arts
Gulfport Plein Air Painters Group Art Exhibit Thursday, Feb. 5. 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. No cover. Catherine A. Hickman Theater, Gulfport. mygulfport.us
Abstract Corpulence running through March 29. $0-$20. Sarasota Art Museum. sarasotaartmuseum.org
Jun Kaneko: Silence Before Sound running through Aug. 23. $5 & up. Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa. tampamuseum.org
10/10 Wood Fire Again: 2025 Winter Wood Symposium Exhibition Wednesday-Saturday through Feb. 7. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. No cover. Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg. moreanartscenter.org
Uncommon Beauty - New Paintings by Vlasta Smola Wednesday-Sunday, various times, through Feb. 8. No cover. Soft Water Gallery, St. Petersburg. softwatergallery.com
Santa’s Sudden Dysfunction: Holiday PAW Art of Tim Gibbons Monday-Sunday through Feb. 13. No cover. Pinellas Ale Works, St. Petersburg. pawbeer.com
Impressions: 35 years of Women in Print at USF Graphicstudio MondayFriday through March 2. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. No
cover. Graphicstudio at University of South Florida, Tampa. ira.usf.edu/GS/gs_about.html
Brian Maguire: La Grande Illusion Monday-Saturday through March 7. No cover. USF Contemporary Art Museum at University of South Florida, Tampa. ira.usf.edu
Comedy
Dirty John’s Dirty Disco ThursdaySaturdays. 8 p.m. The Studio@620, St. Petersburg. thestudioat620.org
Tampa Metropolitan Improv Third Fridays through May 29. 7 p.m. $5. Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa. carrollwoodcenter.org
David Nihil: Taking Tangents Tour Friday-Saturday, Jan. 30-31. $28.80-$38.80. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa. sidesplitterscomedy.com
Penn & Teller Thursday, Jan. 29. 8 p.m. $66. Duke Energy Center for the Arts at Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. themahaffey.com
Bingo Comedy Show Friday, Jan. 30. 9 p.m.-10:30 p.m. $18.11. The Commodore, Ybor City. commodorecomedy.com
Al Simmons: Inventive Musical Comedy Sunday, Feb. 1. 2 p.m.-3:15 p.m. $10. The Fringe Theatre, Ybor City. theatre.tampafringe.org
Film & TV
The Studio Project Short Film Festival Friday-Sunday, Jan. 30-Feb. 1. $5. The Studio at Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa. carrollwoodcenter.org
Jekyll Film Society Presents Ratatouille Sunday, Feb. 1. 2-4 p.m. No
cover. Jekyll Hydee Park, Tampa. jekyllhydepark.com
MOTD at Lower Deck: ‘Big Daddy’ and ‘Daddy’s Home’ Wednesday, Feb. 4. 7 p.m.-midnight. No cover. Lower Deck harbour Island, Tampa. lowerdecktampa.com
Identity Theft Awareness Thursday, Jan. 29, 11 a.m.-11:45 a.m. No cover. Palm Harbor Parks & Recreation, Palm Harbor. phparksandrec.org
Adult Field Trip: Brooker Creek Preserve - Intro to Tree Identification Friday, Jan. 30. 11 a.m.-noon. No cover. East Lake Community Library, 4125 East Lake Rd., Palm Harbor. eastlakelibrary.com
Cafe con Tampa: ‘Tampa Trailblazers: Case Studies on 13 Tampa Companies’ w/ UTampa professor Jody Tompson Friday. 8 a.m. $12. The Portico, 1001 N. Florida Ave., Tampa. cafecontampa.com
Markets & retail
St. Pete Night Market First Wednesdays, Feb. 4. 6-10 p.m. No cover. Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill, St. Petersburg. stpeteissupercool. com
Sports
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Winnipeg Jets Thursday, Jan. 29. 7 p.m. $45 & up. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa. nhl. com.
Tampa Bay Sun FC v. Spokane Zephyr FC Saturday, Jan. 31. 7:30 p.m. $23 & up. Suncoast Credit Union Field, Tampa. tampabaysunfc.com
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Buffalo Sabres Tuesday, Feb. 3. 7:30 p.m. $84 & up. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa. nhl. com.
South Florida Bulls Men’s Basketball vs. UTSA Wednesday, Feb. 4. 7 p.m. $15$60. Yuengling Center, Tampa. gousfbulls. com
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers Thursday, Feb. 5. 7:30 p.m. $84 & up. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa. nhl.com.
Sunset on the Serengeti SaturdaySunday Jan. 31-Feb. 1; select dates through March 8. 5:30- 8 p.m. $90 & up. Busch Gardens, Tampa. buschgardens.com
Clearwater Carnival Daily through Feb. 1, various times. No cover (bring money for rides). Countryside Mall, Clearwater. dreamlandamusements.com
St. George’s Winterfest Carnival FridaySunday, Jan. 30-Feb. 1. No cover (bring money for rides). St. George Greek Orthodox Church, New Port Richey. dreamlandamusements.com
Wildflower Walk Saturday, Feb 28. 1-2:30 p.m. $5. Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Visitor Center, St. Petersburg. stpeteparksrec.org
Theater
The Comedy of Errors Thursday-Sunday through Feb. 8. $29.50 & up. Jaeb Theater at David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. jobsitetheater.org
‘The Pink Unicorn’ Select dates and times through Feb. 1. $25-$55. St. Petersburg. storykeepers.org
Job Wednesday-Sunday, select times through Feb. 15. $5-$44. Urbanite Theater, Sarasota. urbanitetheatre.com
The Scarlet Letter Wednesday-Sunday. Jan. 21-Feb. 15. $0-$60. American Stage, St. Petersburg. americanstage.org
HC Arts Presents Ever So Slightly Redux by Rubberband Dance FridaySaturday, Jan. 30-31. $23. HCC Mainstage Theatre, Ybor City. hcfl.edu
Where You Are Sunday, Feb. 1. 4-8 p.m. $50. Early Bird Dinner Theater, Clearwater. earlybirddinnertheater.com
Interested in advertising around this listing? Contact jhoward@cltampa.com and acarbone@cltampa.com for details.
Yo-ho!
Corner Club’s Friends of Fantasy, and other bookish events.
By Maroon Stranger
This Gasparilla weekend, a pirate’s life is not the only fantasy gracing our shores. Saturday afternoon, Bookends Ybor unites with the Corner Club for a fantasy-themed book fair and outdoor market, celebrating National Friends of Fantasy Day in swashbuckling style. Since 2020, the fantasy genre and its dualgenre half-sister, romantasy, have been on a meteoric rise. Epic tales of daring escapes, victory against all odds, secret magic powers, and star-crossed lovers tap into our collective longing for a better world. And where there be dragons, there often follow another favorite: pirates.
Some fell in love with fantasy through J.M. Barrie’s classic “Peter Pan,” or Robin Hobb’s treasured “Liveship Traders.” Others were drawn in by the ancient gods and curses of the “Pirates of the Caribbean,” or the death-dodging antics of Scott Lynch’s “Gentleman Bastards.” Many adore recent epics like Rebecca Roanhorse’s “Between Earth and Sky,” which explores seafaring legends beyond the European canon.
Friends of Largo Library’s Semi-Annual Book Sale Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 29-31. No cover. Largo Public Library, Largo. largopubliclibrary.org
Book Release: ‘SHINE: 10th Anniversary Edition’ Thursday, Feb 5. 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. No cover (RSVP requested). Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg. tombolobooks.com
Tampa Downtown Alliance: Blind Date With A Book Monday, Feb 9. 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. No cover. Snow Park, Tampa. tampasdowntown.com
BOOKS
Friends of Fantasy Day
Saturday, Jan. 31. 2 p.m.- 9 p.m. No cover Corner Club, 1502 E Sligh Ave. @Tampa BookendsYbor on Facebook
Bookends brings a wide selection of fantasy books and merch to their event this weekend, nautical and otherwise. Local guest authors include S.R. Bryna, Kadeem Locke and Annie R McEwen. Costumes are highly encouraged; don your pirate gear, or channel your inner sea siren, to continue the day’s festivities.
Live entertainment ranges from tarot readings and typewriter poetry to a visiting bard and sunset harp serenade. Kids, and inner children, will enjoy craft tables, games, trivia and a secret woodland fairy hunt. Special selections of grog and grub will be on offer from the Corner Club. Check out more bookish events happening Jan. 29-Feb. 14 below.
Release Party: ‘Wicked Onyx,’ Debbie Cassidy Tuesday, Feb 10. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. $20. The Book Lounge, St. Petersburg. thebooklounge. com
Book Launch: ‘Cold Zero’, Brad Thor and Ward Larsen Tuesday, Feb 10. 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. $35. Oxford Exchange, Tampa. oxfordexhange.com
Wild Space Authors Series: ‘The Birds That Audubon Missed’, Kenn Kaufman Wednesday, Feb 11. 5 p.m.-8 p.m. No cover (RSVP requested). Wild Space Gallery, St. Petersburg. @ wildspacestpete on Instagram.
Author Talk: ‘We Were Never Friends’, Kaira Rouda Wednesday, Feb. 11. 7 p.m.-8 p.m. No cover (RSVP requested). Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg. tombolobooks.com
FEEL THE FANTASY: Even book lovers are going Gaspy.
Help keep local journalism alive this giving season.
For 36 years, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay has amplified the voices others overlook. Now we’re launching the Tampa Bay Journalism Project to strengthen independent, local reporting on issues that matter—housing, transportation, arts, food, and accountability. Your tax-deductible support helps fund non-paywalled journalism for our community. Help support Creative Loafing Tampa during this giving season. Donating is easy, visit bit.ly/anfCLTampa
Begin again
Now city council vice chair, St. Pete’s Richie Floyd launches re-election bid.
By McKenna Schueler
Asizzling socialist campaign in the ruby-red Sunshine State may not have been on any national political operative’s bingo card for 2026, But if you’re a local to St. Petersburg— who’s seen the values of a Democratic socialist elected official put to practice—it’s not hard to see how a reductive view of Florida politics might fail to capture the imagination of a workingclass community on-the-ground.
Last Saturday, the energy of a movementbuilding campaign in the Sunshine City was inescapable, with more than 100 people packed into St. Pete’s Banana Records store that night to show support for the reelection campaign of St. Petersburg City Council member Richie Floyd. Floyd, a former teacher and labor advocate, was first elected to City Council’s District 8 seat in 2021 over an establishment-favored candidate as the first open socialist elected to office in Florida in over a century.
money that they had because they believed a better world is possible, and that’s what’s going to take again.”
Floyd’s district is Democratic-leaning in a state that has grown increasingly red over the last five or so years. In 2021, Floyd won his election over former city councilman Jeff Danner, winning about 52% of the vote. So far, he isn’t facing any challengers for his seat, which includes the Historic Kenwood neighborhood, and other areas west of I-275 to Tyrone Boulevard.
ELECTIONS
St. Petersburg primary election
Early voting: Aug. 8-18; Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 18. Registration deadline: July 20. votepinellas.gov
Due to changes in the city’s election procedures, the 34 year-old city councilman is technically coming off a five-year term as he asks voters to re-elect him for a second term. Although he has more resources, and more knowledge about how to run a campaign this time around—without a deadly pandemic to navigate—Floyd maintains that what his scrappy, grassroots campaign managed to accomplish four years ago “cannot be overstated.”
“A group of volunteers came together, learned what they were doing on the fly, and worked hard to successfully elect the youngest person ever elected to City Council,” said Floyd, speaking to an enthusiastic, multigenerational crowd of local lefties, elected officials, and union members—some of whom canvassed and knocked doors for first campaign for office.
Even coming off the upset victory of democratic socialist and fellow DSA member Zohran Mamdani to the New York City mayor’s office last November, you wouldn’t expect the kind of energy palpable in Banana Records Saturday night to materialize for a socialist candidate in a state like Florida. Although New Yorkers are facing some of the same problems as Floridians down south—namely, affordability issues—56% of Florida voters voted in favor of putting Donald Trump back in the White House in Nov. 2024, compared to 46% of New Yorkers.
“We can only do it together.”
Still, even Mamdani—the first Muslim elected New York mayor and one of the youngest in decades—managed to inspire his own ‘MAGA for Mamdani’ base by actually showing up for constituents, regardless of their political affiliation, during his time as a New York Assemblyman and by listening to Trump voters who felt abandoned, ignored, or otherwise fed up with empty platitudes from the Democratic Party.
Mamdani’s victory—and his affordabilitydriven campaign platform—has also driven more interest in democratic socialism locally. Floyd told CL on Saturday that the NYC mayoral election last fall led to an influx of new members to his affiliated DSA chapter in Pinellas County.
Floyd was admittedly a tough guy to pin down for even a few questions Saturday, even ahead of his official 7 p.m. campaign kickoff time, as people eager to meet or say hi to the city councilman quickly trickled in.
“Our movement has succeeded in winning tenants’ rights expansions, safer neighborhood streets, reproductive healthcare protections and much more,” he continued. “But we can only do it together. We can only do it because everyday people gave what little time and
Megan Romer, a national co-chair of DSA who typically resides in New York, was in town for Floyd’s reelection launch Saturday. She told CL that Mamdani’s win has inspired a lot more DSA members across the country who wouldn’t have thought to run for elected office before, to reconsider.
“People are seeing the way that DSA itself and the sort of structure of the people-powered election movement is effective, not just for getting people elected, but also for making them more effective elected officials,” Romer added.
“Some of those people are in this room right now,” he said, gesturing to his crowd of supporters. Floyd confidently told us last November that he thinks the same kind of affordability-focused messaging that won over MAGA Trump voters in New York City could similarly work in Florida, even if it’s coming from a socialist. “I think, you know, you’ll see people say, ‘Oh, it’s New York, it can’t happen here’— things like that,” Floyd told CL the day after Mamdani’s win. “But I’ve always believed that, in general, as people see that politics that actually cares about working people and doesn’t bend the knee to the billionaire class comes to power in different places, they’ll gravitate towards it. And over time, it’ll change things.”
With a retired labor organizer in one corner, and a fellow DSA member in another, Floyd— offering a broad grin and handshakes—was eager to greet his party guests, ranging in age, race and ethnicity. Trevor Pettiford, a former reporter for Bay News 9 who introduced Floyd at the event Saturday, admitted, “I am so happy, as a retired journalist, to see so many young faces.” Tampa city councilwoman Lynn Hurtak was also at the party Saturday, in addition to former city council candidate and faith-based community organizer Nick Carey (the latter sporting an “Abolish ICE” T-shirt), Pastor Andy Oliver of Allendale United Methodist Church, and advocates on the Dump Duke campaign who are angling to build a publicly-owned, municipal energy provider continued on page 37
RUN IT BACK: Richie (L) and Miranda Floyd at Bananas Records in St. Petersburg.
HAPPY HOUR AT AMSO
Monday - Friday, 4pm-7pm Saturday 3pm-6pm
in St. Pete, similar to those that already exist in 33 other communities across Florida.
“During his first term, Richie has shown again and again that he’s not afraid to stick his neck out against the business interests, against how it’s always been done, against the easy way,” said ‘Dump Duke’ campaign organizer Marley Price, speaking at Floyd’s campaign launch. “At every opportunity I’ve seen Richie work to make real change for regular people, even when he knows it’s not going to be fun, even when he knows he’s going to get to City Hall and he’s going to get yelled at by, sometimes, my very own NIMBY neighbors,” she joked.
Duke Energy’s 30-year franchise agreement with the city of St. Petersburg expires this upcoming summer, and local activists have seized on its expiration date in order to push for the development of a publicly-owned municipal utility. The idea is to, ideally, reduce utility rates, get rid of the profit motive for Duke and instead reinvest the profits back into the community. With Floyd as a key backer, St. Pete City Council last August voted 5–3 to conduct a feasibility study for the idea, advancing what’s been dubbed the “Dump Duke” initiative.
“A profit motive that seeks to suppress workers’ rights and weaken consumer benefits in order to increase stock value is wholly incapable of caring for people in our society that need help the most,” said Floyd. “Things like medical care, housing, food, education and yes, even our electric utilities are public goods that have no business having profits skimmed off the top while people struggle to afford a decent life.”
Transportation directive last year that, across the state, targeted rainbow-colored crosswalks and other roadway art installations.
“We know that it’s not our minority or LGBTQ neighbors who threaten our well-being,” said Floyd. “We know that dividing people only serves the extremely wealthy in their constant search for profits, and we know that all people want the same thing: a dignified, safe and fun existence.”
ELECTIONS
That idea, he told those crowded at Banana Records, “is where our campaign platform gets its genesis.”
Floyd’s speech Saturday night reemphasized his stated commitment to fighting corporate influence on the dais and pushing for policies to help make the city one that’s affordable for those who haven’t already been priced out by post-pandemic rent hikes or skyrocketing property insurance spikes in recent years.
Affordability has become the hot new term in politics these days—nationally and on a statewide level—as affording decent housing, childcare, utility costs, and groceries has become increasingly out of reach for the average person, renter or homeowner alike.
But Floyd didn’t mince words in addressing more politically-divisive issues that have pitted the Republican-controlled state Legislature and executive office in Tallahassee against the comparatively progressive, LGBTQ-friendly city of St. Pete. “We will not roll over when attacked by hateful people, and we will not be silent when Tallahassee sends road crews in the middle of the night to erase our identities,” Floyd said, referring to a state Department of
Floyd, deviating briefly from localized issues, addressed the fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pettri by federal immigration agents on Saturday, stating, “We’ll not shy away from saying things like Jack-booted thugs should not be on the streets of Minneapolis or any city in this country.”
“We will fight for the dignity and justice for all working people, whether they’re in West St Pete or the West Bank,” he added.
Floyd admitted to CL that it can be lonely being the only leftist on St. Pete City Council. But he doesn’t think this has deterred his abil ity to advance progressive policies—such as free legal aid for low-income tenants facing evic tion—or forced him to capitulate to developers that seek to curry the favor of local electeds.
Floyd was recently sworn in as vice chair of City Council, and said he has been able to build coalitions for different issues “constantly.”
“What’s really impactful for me is having an event like this, bringing people together, going door to door, through District 8’s neighborhoods,” he admitted. “I think the majority of the people in the city support the things that I’m working on, and so that makes it a lot easier.”
St. Petersburg’s primary election takes place Aug. 18, 2026, and voter registration must be completed by July 20. General elections take place in November, and the registration deadline is Oct. 5.
SCAN HERE TO EXPLORE OUR LOCATIONS AND SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE YOUR PUP’S DAY EXTRAORDINARY!
ROCK ON: So far, Richie Floyd is the only per son running for the District 8 City Council seat.
MCKENNA SCHUELER
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To DI for
DI Coffee Bar expands to Midtown, and more Tampa Bay Food news.
By Kailey Aiken
The “DI” in Davis Islands’ DI Coffee Bar is becoming more symbolic than literal as the cafe opens its second off-island (OI?) location in Midtown Tampa.
The shop’s owner, Ramon Perez, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he’s opening a third location in the lobby of TECO’s new headquarters at 3600 Midtown Dr. with a target date of mid-February. TECO will operate the majority of the new 18-story, 440,000-square-foot office tower called Midtown East.
The first DI Coffee Bar opened in 2014 on E Davis Boulevard., where Perez and his wife, Marilyn, work as homebuilders.
Jimmy’s Tacos expands to Ybor
A longtime Ybor City taco spot just opened a second location in St. Pete’s Grand Central District. Jimmy’s Tacos opened last Tuesday at 2536 Central Ave., the former home of The Foundry vintage furniture store. In Ybor, the yellow walk-up window is known for its birria and shrimp tacos on handmade tortillas. The St. Pete shop shares the same menu. Jimmy Nunez opened the business in the late 80s with his parents in Los Angeles, before bringing it to Ybor City in 2018.
FOOD NEWS
The cafe began as a side project for the couple, a community spot for coffee and pastries that has grown far beyond Perez’ expectations.
“If you would’ve told me (DI Coffee Bar) was going to be what it’s become, I never would’ve believed you,” Perez said with a laugh.
In 2023, DI Coffee Bar added an evening aspect to the cafe, hosting Best of the Baywinning weekly Friday night jazz shows on the cafe’s back patio. In many ways, the gig feels like the best-kept secret as far as weekly concerts goes.
“It’s been such a great experience for us, and frankly, we have worked with some of the best people in the twelve years we’ve been there. It’s been the quality of the people that has made (DI Coffee) what it is,” Perez said.
Following its success on Davis Islands, Perez expanded to a second location in Seminole Heights last April, taking over Cake Cuties Bakery’s space, which had previously supplied baked goods for DI Coffee Bar.
In Midtown, guests can expect the same coffee and full menu available at DI’s other two locations, with the addition of some gluten-free options.
Due to the restraints of being located in an office building lobby, DI Coffee will not offer live music, wine, or beer at its Midtown location.
DI Coffee Bar in Midtown will be open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, with plans to add weekend hours coming soon. You can find updates at dicoffeebar.com and at @dicoffeebar on Instagram.
The shop won “Best Guacamole” and “Best Ybor City Restaurant” in Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s 2025 Best of the Bay awards.
Jimmy’s Tacos St. Pete is open from 4 p.m.10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Visit jimmystacosstp.com for more info.—Selene San Felice
Friendly Tavern reopens in St. Pete Beach
After being closed following damage from the 2024 hurricanes, Friendly Tavern is ready to welcome strangers again.
The historic Reddington Shores bar officially reopened last week with a ribbon-cutting after its soft relaunch on Thanksgiving. Kenny Davis led the restaurant’s revamp, which includes a new front porch and sign reading “welcome stranger,” along with a refreshed menu including a “Friendly Clucker” chicken sandwich and weekend build-your-own Bloody Mary bar.
First opening as “The Alabi Eats” in 1947, the spot at 18121 Gulf Blvd. is known as the host of one of Florida’s longest-running karaoke nights.
Friendly Tavern is open 11 a.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m.-midnight Sunday. For more information, visit friendlytavernflorida.com.—SSF
Twitch streamer buys Woody’s Waterfront
Another St. Pete Beach restaurant destroyed by the 2024 hurricanes has a second chance. Woody’s Waterfront in St. Pete Beach, which served patrons for 35 years before its closure, is now owned by Twitch video game streamer Turner Tenney, aka Tfue. He purchased the
property at 7308 Sunset Way for $2.4 million, per St. Pete Rising. That’s nearly half of what Woody’s owners and sisters Marlo George and Roxene Riles listed the restaurant and two adjacent empty lots for last year. Their parents purchased the three parcels in 1989 for $526,100. The 2,394-square-foot building started as a bait house in the 1940s, later turning into the Sunset Inn, then the iconic Woody’s Restaurant and Bar. Its longtime slogan was “So close to the water, your burger will get wet!” Tenney lives in Indian Rocks Beach, where he streams games like Fortnite to more than 11.4 million followers on Twitch and 11.7 million on YouTube.—SSF
Point Chaud opens second cafe
St. Pete’s Point Chaud Coffee & Crepês is bringing more of its Parisian flair to St. Pete Beach. Known for sweet and savory crepes in dozens of variations, Lavazza coffee and lunch bites, the St. Pete cafe opened last September at 1101 4th St S. The St. Pete Beach location opened last week at 6805 Gulf Blvd., formerly Ice & Cream Creamery. The franchise is run by Mourad Kacimi, who has been running three similar cafes, Crepes-a-go-go in Maryland and the Washington D.C. area since 2005.
Point Chaud is open in St. Pete Beach 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday-Monday,8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday.—SSF
Buddy Brew sprouts more coffee shops
Buddy Brew coffee beans have been available at Tampa Bay grocery stores for a while, but fans can soon get a freshly made cup of joe while they shop. The Tampa-based coffee company announced a partnership last week with Sprouts, including new cafes at its grocery stores in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco County, and Sarasota counties. They’ll be the first Buddy Brews in Pinellas and Pasco, and more than double its cafe count. In-store cafe menus will include handcrafted espresso drinks, cold brew, specialty beverages and food, per the press release. Specific store locations and opening dates have yet to be announced.—SSF
Send your news releases or updates about restaurant openings, closings, and events to selene@cltampa.com and rroa@cltampa.com. Visit the user-submitted event calendar calendar at cltampa.com for more.
A LATTE OPTIONS: DI Coffee Bar opens its third location in Midtown next month.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Friends of Flor Fina Dinner @ Hotel Haya 1412 East 7th Ave.
Tickets - $100 bit.ly/FriendsFlorFina
Friday, January 30, 2026, 11:00 PM - 2:45 AM
UNA NOCHE EN LA PLACITA @ The RITZ Ybor
1503 E 7th Ave
Tickets from $9.68 bit.ly/unanoche0130
Friday, January 31, 2026, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
9th Annual Gasparilla Bar Crawl, Brunch & Festival @ Centro Lounge and Kitchen 1600 East 8th Ave.
Tickets from $46.61 bit.ly/GasparillaBarCrawl
Friday, January 31, 2026, 4:00 PM
Shipwrecked Music Festival 2026 @ The Cuban Club 2010 N Avenida Republica de Cuba
Tickets from $76.29 bit.ly/ShipwreckedYbor
Saturday, February 3, 2026, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Sicilian Wine Tasting with Alberto Tasca d’Almerita of Regaleali Winery @ Chateau Cellars
2009 North 22nd St.
Tickets - $47.86 bit.ly/DalmeritaDinner
Saturday, February 7, 2026, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM
3rd Annual Grand Tasting Event @ Chateau Cellars
2009 North 22nd St.
Tickets from $88.02 bit.ly/GrandTastingYbor
Wednesday, February 7, 2026, 8:00pm
Dyke Nite St Pete 2 Year Anniversary @ Crowbar 1812 N 17th St
Illuminated Knight Parade @ Ybor City 1600 East 7th Ave.
Open to the public krewesantyago.org/knight-parade-2
Saturday, February 14, 2026, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Gasparilla Knight Parade Patio Seating @ Ybor City Society Wine Bar 1600 East 7th Ave.
Tickets - $21.50 bit.ly/GasparillaPatioSeating
Sunday, February 22, 2026, 11:00 AM
Chicken Yoga with Yoga Loft @ Hotel Haya 1412 East 7th Avenue, Tampa Free Admission
bit.ly/ChickenYogaFeb
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REVIEWS PROFILES MUSIC WEEK
Don’t sleep
Six Tampa Bay music artists to follow in 2026.
By Laura Troyer
From brooding post-punk to Afro-fusion, Tampa Bay’s music scene has no interest in sticking to one lane. As 2026 kicks off, a new crop of homegrown artists is pushing past “up-and-coming” and into something more solid: sold-out shows, new releases, and a growing sense that Tampa Bay isn’t just incubating talent–it’s exporting it. From sweaty club stages to vinyl bins and festival lineups, these six acts are shaping the sound of the city right now.
Jupiter Bloom Fresh off a debut single, “Water Lilies,” which dropped last September, Jupiter Bloom is the indie-rock crew Tampa didn’t know it needed. Fronted by Ash Griffith (vocals/bass) with Dominic Fonseca (rhythm guitar/vocals) and Doug Jaramillo (lead guitar), this trio evolved from students singing in parking garages to a unit with a sound that leans indie, melodic and just a little edgy—perfect for dancing in tight quarters or staring at the ceiling in existential angst. Jupiter Bloom’s releases and live shows alike feel youthful without being naive, tapping into the same lineage of melodic, festival-ready indie that’s shaping the current scene. The group cite influences from Flipturn and Boygenius but has its own flair. Between a new release on the way, opening for Oceanic two nights in February, and performing at Crowbar’s final Indie Night, Jupiter Bloom enters 2026 as a band primed to move from local buzz to broader recognition. @jupiterbloomband on Instagram
live shows. With multiple Tampa gigs lined up—Feb. 15 at New World Tampa and March 11 at The Potion Portal—Miller Lowlifes are torchbearers for a revived, emotionally honest rock sound to power the new year. millerlowlifes. bandcamp.com
Ortrotasce Rooted in darkwave and gothic post-punk, Ortrotasce’s sound is driven by layered synths, bass lines, and hypnotic beats. It’s music that doesn’t ask for permission; it dares the listener to sit with it. Tampa Bay producer Nic Hamersly’s most recent release, “Muscle Memory (Malfunctioning),” leans fully into that ethos. The track feels otherworldly, capturing human complexity through a dystopian lens. Its repeated electronic riffs are mesmerizing, driving the composition forward without ever fading into the background. In a local scene often dominated by guitar-driven rock, Ortrotasce stands out by committing to an analog, and sometimes uncomfortable, sound. He’s not just committed to the genre; he is building an entire world within it. ortrotasce. bandcamp.com
LOCAL MUSIC
Miller Lowlifes The Miller Lowlifes are the beer-sloshing uncle at the backyard barbecue of pop-punk. Born from the brains of Richie Schnellbacher (guitar/vocals), Mario Framingheddu (bass/vocals), Joseph Paez (drums) and Matt Shumate (guitar), this band dives into punchy guitar hooks, driving tempos and a slightly scrappy punk attitude. The Lowlifes’ full-length album, Pinch Hitters, dropped on storied Tampa punk label A.D.D. Records in April 2025, flirting with nostalgia, punk DNA and overall ridiculous energy. A single, “Airport Beers,” was crowned a WMNF Song of the Day for tapping into the band’s core–lighthearted, yet mosh-worthy. Beyond vinyl stocked at Microgroove, Daddy Kool Records and Planet Retro Records, the band stays visible through
Pusha Preme A Tampacentric, self-proclaimed Afro-fusion artist, Pusha Preme blends rap with electro-soul, layering storytelling, smooth basslines and subtle West African influences. The masked artist has spent years building traction through sharp lyricism and a strong sense of identity, with recent work favoring a head-nod, rap-along sound that feels raw, yet polished. His approach to the rap scene has earned real traction: in 2021, Money In the Grave, a compilation featuring Preme’s track “Heaven At Night,” peaked at No. 18 on Billboard’s compilation albums chart and hit No. 1 on the iTunes Top 40 US Hip-Hop Albums chart. His immersive live performances also won “Best In-Public Therapy Session” in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2023. Beyond the stage, Preme has upcoming community-centered collaborations, including a Black History Month co-pro with 1920 Ybor and WuzHere Coffee tied to his nonprofit, Nawlaj Is Power, and a partnership with the University of South Florida, bringing students their first Afro symphony, signaling a seasoned artist still building momentum. @pushapreme on Instagram
Sleeping Pills Sleeping Pills sounds like crawling out of a foggy beach town at midnight. Darker and more jagged than your average postpunk outfit, the band blends murky guitar lines, punk rhythms and brooding melodies into songs that feel lived-in. The Tampa trio, fronted by Phil Taylor with Zack Strickland and Nate Irizarry, fuses jagged post-punk with garage-y surf riffs and new-wave hooks, forging a hybrid that gives their music a sense of drifting motion. Tracks like “The Lighthouse” preview an upcoming album, remaining grim and hypnotic but with an oceanic twist. That energy will come to life on Feb. 13, when Sleeping Pills celebrates the release of its new album, Patterns in the Sea, at St. Pete dive bar The Bends, joined by Merchandise frontman Carson Cox and Nic Hamersly’s 808-driven synth project Ortrotasce (which is also in this roundup of artists to watch this year). sleepingpillstampa. bandcamp.com
Social Wreckage Social Wreckage blends melodic vocals with heavier, hard-driving instrumentation, landing somewhere between indie-rock and punk without fully committing to either. The result is heavy but accessible, songs that hit hard, without losing a unique sense of identity. Operating at the intersection of melody and abrasion, Social Wreckage makes indie-rock that isn’t afraid to scuff its knees, or just be angsty in your teenager's bedroom. Led by Maren McTague, with Ella Fair on vocals and guitar, Preson Phillips on Bass and Arrow Enfinger on drums, Social Wreckage released its first single, “Eyes Everywhere,” in December 2025, immediately establishing momentum. Social Wreckage has already opened for Underoath and is set to hit the road as part of the Silhouettes tour in February 2026, including a stop at Will’s Pub alongside Halation, Evershock, and No Clue. @socialwreckagetpa on Instagram
STAY WOKE: Sleeping Pills has an album release party on Feb. 13
THU JANUARY 29–THU FEBRUARY 05
SAT 31
THU 29
The Wombats Fix yourself, because The Wombats have a new album out, and they’re kicking off the next leg of a North American tour in our backyard. Oh! The Ocean , which dropped last February, pretty much encapsulates the deeper thoughts of someone raw-dogging depression and anxiety. Along with its relatable-AF title, harmonious opening track “Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come” is an unsettling ode to self-awareness not being the be-all-endall, but still being able to dominate one’s headspace. And the more industrial-sounding “I Love America And She Hates Me” depicts the nation as a manipulative figure that keeps Matthew Murphy and friends coming back for more. 8 p.m. $46.61. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
C Aych birthday bash In two months, Aych will give $2,000 away as part a March Madnessstyle “King of the Stage” tournament. Before that, however, the Tampa rapper and tastemaker is the focus of a birthday party where talent that frequented his recently-shuttered cypher series will dress up as their favorite artists and do covers. If you’ve ever wanted to see who’s who in the Bay area rap scene, this is a party not-tomiss. 7 p.m. $10. Crowbar, Ybor City
C Celebrating an Alright Guy: Todd Snider tribute Snider was supposed to play a show at Capitol Theatre on Saturday—then someone attacked him in Utah last year. The revered songwriter was dealing with complications since the assault and died on Nov. 14 at the age of 59. We’re not perfect, and God knows we’re trying to cope with the loss. A bunch of songwriters (including Joshua Reilly and Kip Kelly) come together under “The Hard Working Floridians” moniker at this tribute show featuring a band set, solos, and in-the-round storytelling. 7 p.m. $15. Noisemakers, St. Petersburg
James McMurtry w/Betty Soo For his latest album The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy, 63-year-old singer-songwriter James McMurtry leaned on some prominent people from his past. The album title alone came from a hallucination his Pulitzer Prize-winning father, Larry, regularly had when he was living with dementia. Larry gave James his first guitar when he was a boy. For the production side, he turned to esteemed producer Don Dixon, who had produced his third album, Where’d You Hide the Body, some 30-odd years ago. As for the 10-tracker’s material itself—a healthy mix of electric and acoustic selections— McMurtry depicts a sheriff keeping a second family on the down-low, gives a nod to the children of the often-overlooked second child, and even cites a “Weird Al” Yankovic song. Expect to hear plenty of material from that outing and his other 13 studio albums this weekend at his annual stop at Skipper’ Smokehouses. Read about the best gig McMurtry ever saw by finding this post on cltampa.com/music. 8 p.m. $30.30. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Kings of Leon Nearly two decades after “Sex On Fire” dominated the radio, Kings of Leon is still on the road having fun. A new EP is just four songs long, and this weekend finds the former indie-rock wonder boys playing a one-off before a short tour of the Southeast in April (then visiting Europe over the summer). The gig is part of a heavy weekend of activities that include Bert Kreischer’s homecoming funny guy set at the outdoor hockey game at RayJay (read more about those activities on. p. 8-9). 8 p.m. $72 & up. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa
SUN 01
World Ukulele Day: Lil’ Rev w/Ray Crygrymus/Jay Nunes/Devin Scott and Ally/Kurt Jones/Tom Hood and Tropical Suns/Moon Dog Channel your mana (or your inner indie girlie), because Tampa Bay is about to get a big injection of twee. A Florida Festivals and Achieva Credit Union collaboration brings numerous ukulele festivals and concerts to Tampa Bay, including both national and local artists, community jam sessions and brunches. The festivities begin on Friday, Jan. 30 at the weekend-long World Ukulele Day celebration in Bonita Springs. The gathering—happening at Riverside Park— brings in the likes of Pittsburgh uke maestro Ray Cygrymus and self-described “Jewish Pete Seeger” Lil’ Rev (who was actually praised by the late folk music hero himself) on Sunday, Feb. 1. General admission is free, but for an extra $35, you get to take part in two educational workshops with Lil’ Rev and Kurt Jones on the first two days. 4:15 p.m. No cover ($30 for workshops) Riverside Park, Pasco
THU 05
C Inner View w/TV Extra/Blonde Gentlemen/Fshwfe Jef Bjarnson is a house show staple in Nashville, and he brings his dream-pop project Inner View on the road for this short run through the South. Arriving with what Bjarnson describes as “similar vibes to” Men I Trust, Inner View is supported by TV Extra, a new electro project featuring Nathan Heck from art-pop band A Rainy Night In and Mila Fino, who played trumpet in that outfit, too. 7 p.m. $10. Deviant Libation, Tampa
C Kathleen Edwards Now a Bay area resident, Canadian songwriter Kathleen Edwards plays a hometown show under the Skipperdome supporting a new album, Billionaire , released last summer. Produced by Jason Isbell and Gena Johnson, the 10-track record finds the 47-year-old turning up the wit and pulling the veil back more than ever. 7 p.m. $30-$40. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
See an extended version of this listing—and get links to submit your gig—via cltampa. com/music.
By Ray Roa & Josh Bradley
C CL Recommends
Todd Snider
UPCOMING SHOWS
FEBRUARY 5
LETTUCE
Jannus Live
FEBRUARY 22
LAST DINOSAURS
Jannus Live
FEBRUARY 24
DECENDENTS + FRANK TURNER
Jannus Live
FEBRUARY 25
JUVENILE
Jannus Live
MARCH 10
CURRENTS + ERRA The Ritz Ybor
MARCH 10
STICKY FINGERS Jannus Live
MARCH 13
ALY & AJ Jannus Live
MARCH 19
KHAMARI Jannus Live
FOR TICKETS & UP-TO-DATE CONCERT INFO VISIT NOCLUBS.COM @NOCLUBS
Although Bill Murray has been known to drift in and out of the music scene on his own terms, he and his Blood Brothers might be here to stay. This April, the actor and comedian is coming to Clearwater not to promote a film, but to make some noise.
The 75-year-old leads Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, a blues-rock collective featuring seasoned guitarists Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia, plus longtime bandleader and Conan O’Brien collaborator Jimmy Vivino. The group first turned heads with a set at the Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas in 2024, blending classic covers with originals, and plenty of Murray’s quirky charm.
The show leans into rock and blues, with clear inspiration from Bob Dylan and The
Dead Boys Sunday, March 1. 6:30 p.m. $25 & up. Brass Mug, Tampa
Pentagram String Band w/Yes Ma’am/ Little Foot/Mark Wagner & the Bad Habits Sunday, March 1. 7 p.m $20$25. The Nest at St. Pete Brewing Co., St. Petersburg
The Desolondes w/Sabine McCalla Monday, March 2. 7 p.m. $20-$25. Crowbar, Ybor City
Beatles, anchored by serious musicianship, with Zito and Castiglia alone accounting for over 10 Blues Music Awards. Murray brings a playful, casual spirit that longtime fans will recognize from his “Saturday Night Live” days and surprise musical appearances over the years.
Originally slated for December, the performance has been rescheduled for this spring, with all tickets honored on the new date. Tickets to Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers play Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on Friday, April 17 are still available and start at $53.25.
See Josh Bradley’s weekly rundow of newly announced concerts coming to Tampa Bay below.—Laura Troyer
USF Concert & Symphonic Bands Tuesday, March 3. 7:30 p.m. No cover, tickets required. Barness Recital Hall at University of South Florida, Tampa
A Beacon School w/Peli Gene Wednesday, March 4. 7 p.m. $20.70. Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg
Nick Parr & the Selfless Lovers Wednesday, March 4. 7 p.m. $20-$25. Music hall at New World Tampa, Tampa
Sue Foley Wednesday, March 4. 7:30 p.m. $40 & up. Side Door at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
Alexsucks w/Dogma Society Thursday, March 5. 7 p.m. $20.70. Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg
USF Symphony Orchestra Thursday, March 5. 7:30 p.m. No cover, tickets required. Zinober Concert Hall at University of South Florida, Tampa
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band w/ The Hooten Hallers Friday, March 6. 8 p.m. $22.52 & up. Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg
Westend Saturday, March 7. 10 p.m. $26.48 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City
The parent trap
By Dan Savage
I’m a gay man in my 50s, comfortable in my skin, but I suffered severe bullying throughout school, which was often abetted by teachers. A recent class reunion prompted me to write a tellall letter to the current school director regarding that trauma. His gracious response was incredibly healing.
My family has accepted me since I came out in my 20s, but they don’t know the full extent of my ordeal. While I shared the letter with my supportive brother, I’ve hesitated to show it to my parents, who are in their 70s. They claim ignorance (“We didn’t know you were suffering!”, “You never told us you were gay!”), yet they acknowledged long ago that I was “different” from toddlerhood, and they often criticized my “un-boyish” behavior when I was a child.
To give you one concrete example: some older kids called me a gay slur when I was seven. I asked my mother what it meant. I can still vividly picture her shock and horror. So they knew I was gay but never initiated a conversation with me about it, and I was too ashamed to speak up back then. Since writing to the school, I feel an urge to finally have a “warts and all” talk with my parents to understand their perspective. Should I open Pandora’s box with my elderly parents now, or leave things be for the sake of family peace? What is the best approach to having this conversation? Thank you in advance for your perspective.—Pandora’s Box Opener
I have three siblings, PBO, two older brothers and a younger sister. When we became teenagers, our parents started to give us experiences for our birthdays instead of toys. When my brother turned 13, he asked for tickets to a Bears game at Soldiers Field; when my other brother turned thirteen, he asked for tickets to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field.
When I turned 13, I asked for tickets to the national tour of “A Chorus Line” at the Schubert Theater.
My parents aren’t much older than yours, PBO, and I was about seven years old—just like you—when other kids started calling me a faggot. When I was 10, my homeroom teacher called me a faggot in front of the entire class because I said “baking” when we went around the room and shared our hobbies. One of my uncles called me a sissy at family gatherings. But my parents were surprised when I came out—despite those “Chorus Line” tickets, despite all those faggots and sissies, and despite the obvious ways I wasn’t like other boys.
My parents were kind and decent people. It sounds like yours were, too. My parents didn’t bully me, but they didn’t help me. I don’t think they could. Because my parents, like other kind and decent people at the time, believed the worst
thing you could possibly think about a person was that they were a homosexual. My parents didn’t think—they didn’t let themselves think— that Liberace was gay. They certainly couldn’t let themselves think one of their own children was gay.
Like your parents, my parents criticized my un-boyish behaviors. They thought they were helping. All they knew about homosexuality—besides that was a sin—was that it was something a child might drift toward and that a boy who seemed to be drifting in that direction—a boy who was soft—just needed a gentle little shove in the right direction. They pushed me to play sports, which I hated, and they made their views on homosexuality clear to me. They believed these were loving things to do. But each one of those shoves, however gentle, opened a wound that left a scar.
I was angry when I came out. I had been miserable for a long time, and I thought the reason seemed obvious. Years later, they would both say they always knew, deep down. But even if they had allowed themselves to name it at the time—even if they could’ve said it out loud to each other when I was seven—what could they have done? Every time I got called a faggot by another kid or a teacher or a relative, I denied it and retreated more deeply into the closet. If my parents had come to me when I was 13 and in so much pain and asked me if I was gay—if they had attempted to initiate a conversation about it—all I would’ve heard was, “But you are a faggot, Danny, aren’t you?” And I would’ve denied it to them and retreated even further into the closet. It probably would’ve taken me longer to come out to myself, much less to them, if they had asked me if I was gay before I was ready to tell them myself.
raising a gay kid prevented them from helping me. But they didn’t know what they couldn’t know. They were doing their best in a world before “Will & Grace” and “Ellen” and PFLAG and the It Gets Better Project. Unlike today’s parents, our parents couldn’t get online and read about homosexuality and figure out how to help us. My parents felt awful about the way they failed me as a kid, as I’m sure your parents do. But what I saw in time was that they were set up to fail me. They weren’t intentionally, maliciously awful to me, they were just—in this regard—in no position to help.
Still, if there’s something you need to say to your parents, you should say it. If it’s an apology you want them, you should ask for it. But I would encourage you to go into that conversation ready to do what it took me years to do: forgive them. I was an angry teenager when I came out to my parents, PBO, but you’re a grown man. You don’t have to be the adult in the room, but you need to be an adult in that room.
My mom and dad got me those tickets to “A Chorus Line.” They got three tickets, actually, even though they were expensive, and my parents didn’t have a lot of money. They both came with me to the show. It took me too long to see that I wasn’t as alone as I thought I was as a closeted and miserable gay kid. My parents were there with me. I hope you feel the same way about your own.
SAVAGE LOVE
After my husband and I founded the It Gets Better Project, we returned to the high school where he had been bullied. He’d been beaten up, shoved through plate glass windows, and had his face ground into the ice and rock salt in the parking lot. When his parents complained to the school, the principal blamed Terry. It was his fault for acting that way. It meant so much to Terry when the school’s principal apologized to him on behalf of the school decades later. So, I understand why that apology meant so much to you and why you want one from your parents.
I was angry when I came out to mine, PBO, and we had some “warts and all” conversations about how alone I felt as a child. And I could sense the shame they felt before I came out. That was part of it, too. Their fear of being judged for
Hey, 24-year-old cis lesbian here. I recently started talking to a girl at my university. We’ve been talking for about three months, and we see each other almost every day. She leans more on the timid side, and I can’t tell if she wants to sleep with me or not. I think we’re both kind of weird about intimacy and afraid to make each other uncomfortable. I’m not sure how to initiate things with her without stepping out of line. If I had to guess, I’d say we’re both switches. The lack of communicating sexual interest is making me kind of self-conscious. How do I go about bringing it up or finding out just how interested in me she is?—She Wonders If This Could Happen
Kiss the girl. P.S Point of order: by “kiss the girl” I mean “ask the girl if you can kiss the girl.”
Don’t lunge at the girl—don’t lunge, never lunge—but Jesus Fucking Christ, ask the girl already. It’s the only way you’ll find out whether she’s interested in you sexually (and so GenZ paralyzed by the fear of a moment’s discomfort that she won’t make the first move) or she isn’t interested in you sexually (and that’s why she hasn’t made the first move). Someone always has to make the first move—someone has to take action based on their best guess about another person’s interest—before anyone can get laid. It’s especially important for lesbians to learn how to make the first move, SWITCH, for
reasons so obvious you should be able to work them out for yourself.
This is a question you frequently get but from a different stage of the process: My partner’s asexuality came out AFTER we got engaged (long story) but BEFORE we got married. I found myself at the “cheat or leave or ask” point more quickly than I’d ever expected to. And I did ask, and the answer was, “Sure, if that’s what it takes,” and we’re a year into opening our relationship. It’s probably gone as well as it could, but now I’m faced with the decision of whether I positively choose a companionate marriage rather than settling into one over time. It feels like we speed-ran the process to what you call “sibilingification,” which near as I can tell is where she WANTED to get to as quickly as possible. My questions for you: Do you know anyone who chose something like this? Can it work? Would you recommend it? Completely Overhauled Marriage Proposal
My answers to your questions: No, yes, maybe. My question for you: Is it working? You say you’re a year into opening the relationship. So, have you actually dated and fucked other women or not? Are we talking about a relationship that’s open in practice or only open in theory? Because if you haven’t already dated and fucked other women—if you’re still negotiating terms of your surrender—you don’t know how your fiancée will react to you dating and fucking other women, COMP, and that’s something you need to know before you get married. There are two important reasons why you need to stress-test your relationship for actual non-monogamy: calling off an engagement is a lot easier than ending a marriage and you need to see—with your own eyes—that your fiancée is cool with you getting your sexual needs met elsewhere. She may have some big feelings after you’ve fucked someone else for the first time, COMP, and you will need to talk through things with her, set and re-set boundaries, and make sure she feels like she’s still your first priority. But if she has a meltdown or picks a huge fight about a seemingly unrelated subject every time you date and fuck some other woman, COMP, that’s not something you’re going to be able to make work.
P.S. I keep hammering away at “dating and fucking,” because there are very few women out there who will risk having anonymous sex with straight men. If your fiancée is asking you not to get emotionally involved with the women you fuck on the side, then she’s asking you to be functionally celibate, and I definitely don’t think that will work for you.
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79 Part of a German name
80 One of Henry’s six 81 Type of income or result
83 With 96 Across, a postal order? (1962)
85 Turkey Day device
87 Gob’s agreement
Extremely
Portland OR to
63 Shiner of a sort 65 Slangy
Across? (1968) 70 “___ Who Tread the Narrow Way” (Kipling)
Murphy’s show
The Man of baseball
Possible requirement of postal inspectors? (1969) 113 Decorator’s asset
Tomato impact 115 Puncture preceder 116 Richard Dysart TV series 120 Mail carrier’s condition after a 47 Across run-in? (1957) 125 Inspiration for the 15 songs in this puzzle
Peace, to Pushkin
Postal guy? (1968)
Court ace Andre
Green situation
Calf catcher
Debt marker 72 Mail containing X’s and O’s? (1966)
