Creative Loafing Tampa — October 16, 2025

PUBLISHER James Howard

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ray Roa

Editorial

MANAGING EDITOR Selene San Felice

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(apply for spring by emailing clips and a resume to rroa@cltampa.com)

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THURSDAY - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16-19

do this

Tampa Bay's best things to do from October 16 - 22

Ghouled and gagged

Here first

Trump may have eliminated Indigenous Peoples’ Day on a federal level, but he can’t stop Tampa Bay from honoring its native roots. While Monday was “Columbus Day” on the federal calendar, the Rosebud Continuum celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day this weekend. The Pasco education center hosts Kansas Middletent of the Lakota Sioux Nation (pictured) for a celebration featuring oral history storytelling and cultural demonstrations including a tipi raising, dancing and singing, and food. The public celebration is followed by several optional workshops for an added fee, including learning the art of beading jewelry and making a dreamcatcher.

Indigenous People’s Day Celebration & Workshops: Sunday, Oct. 19. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. No cover (workshops have fees). The Rosebud Continuum, 22843 Hale Rd., Land O’ Lakes. rosebudcontimuum.net—Sophia Lowrie

This isn’t your obnoxious uncle’s Halloween drag. WMNF’s Halloween Ball takes over New World again with a killer lineup of drag performers including king Apollo Infiniti and the guitar shredding Discord Addams (pictured)—rumored to be competing in the next season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” They’re joined by Gidget Von Addams, Medusha, Sonya Eclipse and Kierra Ka’ior Summers. DJ Mike Jet Hendrik will be spinning old and new school goth, ‘80s new wave and more to keep guests dancing ‘til they die. And costume contest winners will get some stage time too.

WMNF Halloween Ball: Friday, Oct. 17. 8 p.m. $2025. New World Tampa, 810 E Skagway Ave, Tampa. WMNF. org—Selene San Felice

Sistaaaahs!

Despite what the DeSantis administration thinks, drag performers don’t actually want to corrupt your kids. Sometimes, they want to eat them. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars Ginger Minj, Sapphira Cristál and Jujubee will become the Sanderson sisters from the 1993 Disney Halloween classic “Hocus Pocus” for a live show coming to the Tampa Theatre. The queens star alongside “Dragula Season 3” winner Landon Cider as Billy, the sisters’ zombified ex-boyfriend, for a “wickedly spoopy, fully scripted theatrical experience.” Minj, who sported a Winifred tattoo as she became the champion of the most recent “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season, cameoed as a drag version of the witch in “Hocus Pocus 2.” “Hokus Pokus Live!” is the result of Bette Midler encouraging Minj on the set of the 2022 sequel, per the show description. The performance is 18+ so no actual children will be gobbled up. But virgins should be advised not to light stray candles. Hokus Pokus Live!: Saturday, Oct. 18. 8 p.m. $59.50 & up. 711 N Franklin St., Tampa. tampatheatre.org—Selene San Felice

mended six years Tall Saturday, (plus Country Fairgrounds, 301, org—Emily

Pawranormal activity

Sparkman Wharf is trading its sunny waterfront vibe for something delightfully spooky this month, serving up a chillingly good time with a lineup of free Halloween events, including “Witchy Wellness” and next week’s family-friendly outdoor movie screening. This one is all about the pups. At Howl-O-Ween, furry friends can sniff out tricks and treats from before prizes are awarded for the best-dressed dogs and human–dog duos. Registration opens at noon at The Modern Paws, and there’ll be plenty of treats for four-legged (and two-legged) participants.

Howl-O-Ween: Sunday, Oct. 19. 12-3 p.m. No cover. Sparkman Wharf, 615 Channelside Dr, Tampa. sparkmanwharf.com—Sophia Lowrie

Goosebumpin’

Step into the historic grounds of Cracker Country after dusk, where mysteries linger and spirits roam the air. The Tall Tales of Old Florida, a Halloween-themed event hosted by Cracker Country at the Florida State Fairgrounds, explores a lantern-lit exploration through Tampa’s 19th-century living history museum. Gates open at 6:45 pm with tours starting every ten minutes between 7-9:30 pm for approximately one hour. Tour guides will lead guests through historic grounds, sharing spooky and fun stories fostered from Florida’s unexplained oddities. Those who wait for their tours can enjoy seasonal decorations at the shop, as well as Victorian games and snacks included with admission. This event is not recommended for children under six years old.

Tall Tales of Old Florida: Saturday, Oct. 18. $16 (plus $12 parking). Cracker Country at the Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. Hwy301, Tampa. crackercountry. org—Emily McLaughlin

We the people

When Trump referred to himself as “the king” in February, it didn’t go over quite as well as when Elvis did it. The first national “No Kings” day on June 14—the U.S. Army anniversary parade and Trump’s birthday—drew more than five million protesters across all 50 states. The action outside Tampa City Hall also attracted Proud Boys and MAGA counter-protesters. Several Tampa Bay cities will join the movement again for Saturday’s mobilization. More than a dozen protests are scheduled across the Tampa Bay area, joining 2,500 community events across the nation. But Trump may take action of his own. In response to anti-ICE protests, he’s attempted to deploy the national guard, considered invoking the Insurrection Act, and designated the ambiguous “Antifa” a terrorist organization.

No Kings protests: Saturday, Oct. 18. See locations and details at cltampa.com/news.—Selene San Felice

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Money talks

Five

takeaways

from donations in the special Tampa City Council election.

By Valerie Smith

Money talks in elections. And it has something to say in Tampa’s race to fill a District 5 city council vacancy created by the death of former councilwoman Gwendolyn Henderson. Thomas Scott, himself a former city council member and county commissioner, appears to be the favorite for Tampa Bay developers and construction companies. Naya Young, an electoral newcomer and Scott’s opponent in this month’s runoff, raised less than half as much money as Scott, but drew a greater number of individual donors.

Data published on the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections website (and reorganized by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay) shows all of the donations reported by city council candidates through Sept. 26. Here are five takeaways from the spreadsheets. See a more visual, clickable vesion of this post—as well as a follow-up story, via cltampa.com/news.

Thomas Scott raised more money, but Naya Young had more individual donations

Scott’s raised a total of $62,695, while Young only brought in $26,643. Despite the smaller dollar figure, Young had 201 individual donations while Scott had only 138.

Thomas Scott’s donors found ways to skirt contribution limits

For municipal elections in Florida, an individual may only donate up to $1,000 per election. There have always been a ways that donors can get around these rules. Anyone with a registered business may donate an additional $1,000 through their company. If a person has multiple businesses registered, they may donate $1,000 through each of them.

Joseph Williams runs Kimmins Contracting Corp., a Tampa-based construction company often chosen to work on city projects. Williams donated $1,000 to Thomas Scott under his own

name. Three companies registered to Williams also donated $1,000 each to Scott’s campaign: Transcor Recycling, LLC; Kimmins Corp.; and Kimmins Contracting Corp. His wife, Laura Jean Williams, donated an additional $1,000. The same campaign contribution exception exists for political action committees registered with the state. Mark Herron, a Tallahassee-based attorney, is the registered agent, chairperson and treasurer of four different PACs: Moving Florida Forward, Changing Florida’s Future, Principled Leadership of Florida, and one simply called “Mark PC.” Herron is also the treasurer of a PAC called

A New Hope For Tomorrow. These committees donated a combined $5,000 to Scott’s campaign.

Since neither Scott nor Young received more than 50% of the vote in last month’s election, there is a runoff election, for which the fundraising contribution limit is reset. Several entities continued to pour money into both campaigns as they fundraised for the runoff, which kicks off with early voting Oct. 23-26. Election Day is Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Scott raised more money than Young after the Sept. 9 election, with PACs donating more to him than his opponent. In fact, records show no PAC donations to Young at all. Naya Young’s data did not

show any individual donating over $1,000 across both election cycles through any of these methods. Three PACs—Realtors Political Action Committee, Realtors Political Activity Committee, and Realtors Political Advocacy Committee—each donated $1,000 to Scott’s campaign before the initial election, then donated another $1,000 before the runoff for a total of $6,000 across all three. Each of those PACs is registered to controversial Florida attorney Emmett Mitchell IV, who the Palm Beach Post called the engineer of a year 2000 Florida felons list. “African American leaders said [the list] purged thousands of eligible blacks from voter rolls in the state and helped swing [the 2000 presidential] election to the GOP,” the paper added.

Naya Young’s average donation was lower Young’s average reported donation was $136.53. Scott’s average reported donation was approximately 3.3-times higher at $447.07. When donations are aggregated by donors, the disparity between the two grows. Methodology for aggregating looks like this: if a person gave $15 in August and $20 in September, that donor is continued on page 14

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continued from page 13

counted as having donated $35. If the same donor is a registered agent or manager of a business or PAC that donated $40, that donor is counted as having donated $75. If multiple businesses or PACs have the same registered agent, they are counted as one entity and their donations are merged.

When applying these rules, Young’s average increases to $154.00, while Scott’s jumps to $559.78, approximately 3.6-times higher.

Thomas Scott was favored by developers and contractors

Most of the fundraising disparity between Scott and Young can be attributed to the industries that keep Tampa growing—for better or for worse, depending on who you ask: real estate, construction and development.

Both candidates saw donations from big names

Scott and Young’s reports both list names familiar to local headlines. One of Scott’s top donors is Stephen Dibbs, a local developer who fought aggressively against local wetlands protections. Dibbs donated $2,000 to Scott’s campaign this year. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister endorsed Scott and donated $1,000 to his campaign. Other notable contributors include the local AFL-CIO chapter and former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn Jr.

ELECTIONS

When donating over $100, donors must list their occupation. CL analyzed all the donations over $100 and sorted the individuals and businesses into several categories.

At least $36,000 (about 57%) of Scott’s funding comes from those sorted into the real estate, developer, or construction categories—people likely to benefit from an increase in new construction and economic development.

For Young, that figure is $2,406 (about 9%). Young’s highest category of contributors is educators, who donated a combined $4,508 (about 17%).

One of Young’s top donors is progressive organization Florida Rising, which donated $1,000. Armature Works developer Adam Harden also donated $1,000 to Young’s campaign, making him one of her top three. The third $1,000 donor is Greg Yette, one of several out-of-state former NFL players to donate to Young’s campaign. Gwendolyn Miller, the first Black woman to serve on Tampa’s city council, endorsed Young and donated $450 to her campaign.

Former state senator Jim Hargrett Jr. donated $500 to each candidate.

Ana Cruz—partner of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, and managing partner for one of the country’s most powerful lobbying firms Ballard Partners—donated $250 to Scott’s campaign. Cruz’s mother, former State Senator Janet Cruz Rifkin, also donated $250 to Scott.

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Triggered

Weapon steals attention from successful city council forum.

By Ray Roa

By many accounts, last Thursday’s District 5 Tampa City Council forum was one the best of the campaign so far. But it’s what happened afterwards that ended up in headlines over the weekend.

A rep for Tampa Police Department told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 9, officers responded to the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association after a reported altercation where one subject was armed with a gun. “Officers quickly arrived and detained the armed male subject as they began their investigation. The subject was later released. There were no injuries,” the TPD spokesperson said, adding that the investigation remains open and active.

Elvis Piggott told CL that the man holding a gun was him. “I am always with a concealed firearm,” he added.

Piggott said that he submitted a statement to TPD and the State Attorney and that he has faith in the authorities to “investigate fairly.” Piggott—a pastor at Triumph Church of Tampa who’s run in various elections dating back to 2018—earned just under 5% of the vote last month in a special election for Tampa City Council’s District 5. The seat has been vacant since June after the unexpected passing of Councilwoman Gwen Henderson. He failed to make this month’s runoff, but was among those in the crowd to hear from the remaining candidates: Naya Young and Thomas Scott.

Piggott took offense to Young’s statement calling his brandishing of a firearm “unprovoked,” and told CL that a member of Young’s family put his hands on him. Asked for a response, Young pointed to her previous statement, and added that, “The matter is with TPD. An active investigation is underway.”

Reports from other news outlets had linked the incident to Owen Young, but Pigott himself said it was not Owen Young that threatened him last Thursday night. “The altercation came from an unknown suspect that I had never saw in my life,” Pigott told CL.

Jason Marlow, a longtime Tampa politico, was at the forum and told CL that Owen Young was 15-to-20-feet away when the argument began.

ELECTIONS

Tampa City Council District 5 special election

Early voting: Oct. 23-26 Election Day: Tuesday, Oct. 28 votehillsborough.gov

Rick Fernandez, President of the Tampa Heights Civic Association, doesn’t know what match lit the provocation, but told CL that he was standing just five feet away near the band that played the forum. Volunteers were helping break down chairs when Fernandez, who’s come out in support of Naya Young, heard raised voices and turned around to see two men face-to-face and pushing each other. Fernandez said at least 50 people were still in the room, including elderly folks and Piggot’s twoyear-old son, Elvis Jr., who was in the care of developer and longtime political activist Kella McCaskill at the time.

The race is nonpartisan, but both Young and Scott are Democrats. Pigott, a former Democratturned Republican, has come out in favor of Scott and been critical of Young since the first round of voting. (Editor's note: Piggott turned himself into authorities Tuesday, Oct. 14 as this was going to press, read more via cltampa.com/news.)

Last Friday, Scott told CL that he was no longer at the forum when Pigott flashed his weapon. “It was an unfortunate incident, and right now, I’m just focusing on my campaign,” he added.

Young issued a statement last Friday thanking community members and local authorities for their swift response, emphasizing “the importance of maintaining civility and respect throughout the electoral process.”

“My heart goes out to those who experienced this shocking and unprovoked act of violence and intimidation in the course of their civic participation. The sanctity of our electoral process must always be held in the highest regard,” Young added.

“It looked like an elder version of a school yard scuffle,” Fernandez, who has endorsed Naya Young, told CL. Fernandez could not make out the words being exchanged, but moved towards the men with the intent of separating them.

“As I got to within about two or three feet of Mr. Piggott, I noticed that he had a gun in his right hand at his waist, pointed to the ground. I did not see him pull the gun. I did not see the gun raised any higher than what I just described. I don’t know if he ever did or did not. That’s what I saw,” Fernandez said.

Marlow told CL that he saw Piggott point the gun at chest-height in front of him, but disputed any notion that Piggott had any right to fear for his life. “I can say he had no such provocation,” Marlow added.

Florida is now an open-carry state.

With exceptions, the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law allows for the use of deadly force, without a duty to retreat, if a person “reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force.”

Fernandez told CL that there was no off-duty officer on site, but that the association had hired four private, armed security officers that stayed well past 8 p.m. “They were not all in the room. They were scattered about either in the room, or outside, or guarding the parking area,” he said, adding that he regrets not having posted signage about no firearms being allowed in the building—which is the organization’s right as a private entity.

“Even if we had, would anybody have honored it if they wanted to bring a concealed weapon in? I would have had no way of knowing without some kind of a metal detection situation—and maybe that’s where we go next time,” Fernandez said.

Garrett Greco, one of the onstage hosts last week, told CL he was disappointed that a successful forum devolved into political violence and that people in the audience may now associate a political event with guns being drawn.

“I don’t like the idea that there’s good people from neighborhoods that come that care about their community, that might be fearful of coming to the next debate,” Greco, who is also host of the Tampa Bay Developer podcast, added.

McCaskill, a regular at Tampa City Council, went on social media over the weekend to say that she would no longer attend forums and is less inclined to attend council meetings—even though no weapons are allowed in council chambers and attendees are subject to metal detectors—for fear of what might happen outside.

Via a spokesperson on the day after the incident, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor declined to comment, citing the open investigation.

Sandy Freedman—Tampa’s first female mayor who was elected to lead the city twice after serving on city council for nearly a decade— knows that the temperature can rise when politics is involved, but said last Thursday’s incident might be unprecedented at a public council forum.

“I’ve never even seen fisticuffs, if there is such a word used anymore,” she told CL, adding that any mayor should comment on things related to the concerns of their constituents— especially one that was a former police chief as Castor is.

“I would have had a response immediately that this was inappropriate for any gathering,” Freedman added.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2025 • 6-10 P.M.

Still proud

LGBTQ+ leaders to discuss filling Tampa Pride gap.

By Selene San Felice

When it announced a year-long hiatus last month, Tampa Pride claimed funding events, including its 2026 parade, wouldn’t be possible due to state and federal anti diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. But other local LGBTQ+ leaders aren’t ready to give up.

On Sunday in Tampa, former St. Pete Pride president Nathan Bruemmer, PFLAG Tampa president Trevor Rosine and BlaqueOUt Magazine managing editor and DEI consultant Tamara Leigh host a discussion called “Convening on the Status of Pride.”

Rosine told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the meeting isn’t meant to form a new organization to replace Tampa Pride, but to help Bay area LGBTQ+ leaders coordinate their 2026 events.

“Pride does not live, breathe, and die with one organization,” Rosine said. “It’s a collective feeling we have as a community at these events, it’s not a tangible thing that can be canceled on a whim.”

While St. Pete Pride isn’t interested in throwing a Tampa parade, it will also be a part of the meeting. President Byron Green-Calisch told CL that St. Pete Pride is offering support to Tampa organizers.

budget, and paid his husband who was supposed to be off the board.

“We’ve been waiting for it to fold,” Eary told CL regarding Tampa Pride. “I knew it couldn’t keep sustaining the president’s salary of over $100,000 a year.”

Eary is confident in the community’s ability to pull off a Pride celebration next year.

“I don’t foresee a parade, but there are other events we can do,” Eary said. “We just need to get everybody on board.”

West responds

Rosine said Tampa Pride’s insinuation that it was losing grants and sponsors because of antiDEI initiatives is false and hurtful to the efforts of other LGBTQ+ organizations.

LOCAL NEWS

“I want to do everything within my power to dispel that rumor,” Rosine said. “Carrie West is the sole reason that the nonprofit failed. He did not do the work he needed to procure donations with leaders who are now talking to organizations that will be at this meeting.”

“We believe that we have to do this together,” Green-Calisch said, saying his organization will lock arms and build coalitions to support Tampa organizers however it can. “It’s hard to set up a Pride organization quickly. We want to be able to use our relationships with stakeholders to pull any organizers into these conversations to make sure there is a Pride celebration in the city of Tampa.”

In a conversation with CL, West denied accusations of mismanagement. Tampa Pride’s two remaining board members, vice president Derek Durum and treasurer Howard Grater, declined CL’s request for comment.

“We have a board and we have directors... we have a good transparency record,” West told CL. “There’s things we’re always working on and trying to do.”

“Pride does not live, breathe, and die with one organization”

Former Tampa Pride board member Mark Eary is also joining the efforts to advise other organizers, bringing his experience as the nonprofit’s parade organizer for nine years. He left the board in 2023 out of frustration with leadership’s failed promises to bring in more diverse board members. Now, he’s hoping to make that difference with new community leaders.

“I would like younger, more energetic people. They have great ideas,” Eary said. “New leadership needs to be a little more open and allinclusive. That’s the only way it’s going to work.” Eary told CL that he believed Tampa Pride’s previous leadership “led to the demise” of sponsors to fund next year’s parade.

In its hiatus announcement, Tampa Pride also said it wouldn’t renew Carrie West’s contract as president. CL previously reported that West paid himself a quarter of the nonprofit’s 2024

He said he’s still paying bills from the parade and festival in March, and struggling to make up the losses of sponsors who pulled out—an issue other Pride organizations have faced locally and nationwide. Some organizations, local and national, asked for their money back, including a “big bank,” West said.

“Some had already been threatened, some had already been approached by organizational politics and told to not help any LGBTQ or Pride,” West said. “They are not to really be supportive of DEI items.”

West also said Tampa Pride’s hiatus was due to grants falling through, including the National Endowment for the Arts. This was the first year since at least 2021 that Tampa Pride did not apply for Hillsborough County’s FYE 2026 Special Event Partnership Grant Funding—which provided nearly $70,000 in 2025 and $84,000 in 2022. The application deadline was July 11.

When asked why he didn’t apply, West said the county grant wouldn’t have been allowed to

get funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA only prohibits other federal grants, not local government funding. West did not respond to requests to clarify.

In response to outrage that he paid himself a quarter of Tampa Pride’s 2024 budget, West said that he was taking back pay for previous years where he did not get his usual $80,000 salary. Tax documents show West made between $31,000 and $48,000 from 2015-2017.

“I get a bonus if I reach about a certain amount of clients coming through,” West added.

Eary called West’s claim for backpay “bullcrap,” citing conditions placed on the director’s salary when he was on the board. “Maybe they made some stipulation the last year or so after I resigned, but I kind of doubt that,” he added.

West also responded to those upset that his husband, Mark Bias, was being paid after leaving the board in 2022 for controversial comments. Bias was paid $6,200 as a key employee, which West said was compensation for building storage areas for parade supplies and directing parts of the parade as a non-board member. Though West also said he and Bias hosted board meetings a few times a month at their home.

Though he formed Tampa Pride officially in 2014, West has been an entrepreneur and advocate for LGBTQ+ community for four decades. But he won’t be president of Tampa Pride again, he said, and the board will soon start its search for a new president.

“We’ll have somebody else,” West said. “I think that there are quality people.”

Hot takes

Former Hillsborough sheriff detective asks DeSantis to investigate Chad Chronister.

By Alisha Durosier

As his top deputies resign, one of Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister’s former detectives is calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to start an independent investigation.

In a six-page letter, former Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) detective James Stahlschmidt detailed allegations of academic dishonesty, abuse of taxpayer and charity funds, retaliation, domestic violence and other forms of misconduct perpetrated by command staff at HCSO, which he claims can be “supported by internal investigations, prior disciplinary actions, civil lawsuits, public records, or statements from personnel involved.”

Stahlschmidt told CL that the letter has been sent to DeSantis, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Tampa’s FBI office, Hillsborough County Commissioners and every sheriff’s office in the state.

“I think they need to step in and they need to look at criminal charges on all this,” Stahlschmidt told CL. “I mean, this is fraud at epic levels. These guys did this. They committed felonies according to state statutes and federal statutes.”

LOCAL NEWS

In a statement to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Chronister pushed back on the letter and Stahlschmidt’s calls for the investigation, adding that he has full trust in HCSO’s Professional Standards Bureau to conduct an inquiry.

Stahlschmidt—who was a Hillsborough sheriff deputy for almost 20 years before retiring in 2018—is referring to the fallout after one of HCSO’s Chief Deputy Anthony Collins resigned last month when his wife reported him for “academic dishonesty.”

Emails from Collins’ wife, reviewed by WFLA, show Collins corresponded with a man named Robert Roush to complete his coursework at the FBI National Academy.

In a statement to CL, Chronister said that at this time, three employees are the subject of an internal affairs investigation related to Roush: Col. Christopher Rule, Col. Michael Hannaford, Capt. Zuleydis Stearns. Chronister said that HCSO will gather facts objectively and take appropriate action “based on evidence, not speculation.”

Additionally, Chronister told the Tampa Bay Times that Capt. Lora Rivera, who oversaw the sheriff’s professional standards bureau, resigned Thursday amid allegations she, too, had paid Roush to complete a work-related paper for her.

Stahlschmidt told CL that he still touts HCSO as a “premier police agency,” but that he had issues with Chronister early in his tenure.

“This guy reeks of corruption and improprieties and graft and bribery. Some of that is my own belief, but also supported by certain things that I’ve heard from people closely connected,” he said. “He is in no manner the man that he portrays on TV. It’s just a shirt.”

There’s no love lost on Chronister’s part.

In his emailed statement to CL, Chronister called Stahlschmidt’s letter “sensational,” and said it “reads more like the rantings of a disgruntled former employee than a credible complaint.”

“Normally, I would not attempt to dignify such outlandish allegations coming from a struggling former employee whose career was fraught with

complaints and internal affairs investigations, and whose timing seems suspicious,” Chronister added. Chronister’s statement (available below) included a letter from one of his supporters, Carol Martin Makryllos, who said her family was harassed by Stahlschmidt.

“I am disappointed and frankly embarrassed to even respond to an email that reads more like the rantings of a disgruntled former employee than a credible complaint,” Chronister said. “I remain committed to accountability and transparency, which includes investigating employee misconduct. The integrity of this entire organization depends on confronting issues directly, uncovering truth, and taking appropriate action.”

Asked if he would be open to an outside, independent investigation of HCSO, Chronister told CL, “I have the utmost confidence that our Professional Standards Bureau is fully capable of conducting a thorough, comprehensive and objective investigation into these allegations, it’s exactly what they specialize in.”

Gov. DeSantis’ office has not responded to CL’s inquiries about whether it will investigate HCSO amid the recent fallout. Lieutenant Gov. Jay Collins, has also not responded to similar inquiries.

See Stahlschmidt’s full letter, and Chronister’s full response, via cltampa.com/news.

Clap back

Equality Florida responds after DOGE's Pride claims.

By Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix

Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ organization, is firing back at Gov. Ron DeSantis for calling out two local governments that have funded Pride events as examples of “wasteful spending.”

DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Blaise Ingoglia cited a host of expenditures by local governments throughout the state on Wednesday that they allege are examples of them wasting taxpayer dollars.

That list, compiled by the CFO’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, made two references to local governments’ spending s on Pride events: Pinellas County, $75,000 annually to sponsor the Pride Festival in St. Petersburg held every July; and St. Petersburg itself, $258,000, “including funds from the city’s utility and EMS funds, to support Pride events.”

waste and corruption,” including the state’s $83 million deal for a 4-acre parcel in Destin, an acquisition that was 10 times its original price.

Equality Florida also refers to the scandal involving the Hope Florida Foundation. The Tampa Bay Times reported on Friday that prosecutors in North Florida are convening a grand jury to delve into the reports that the governor’s administration directed $10 million from a legal settlement with a Medicaid contractor through the foundation for political purposes.

LOCAL NEWS

In a written statement, Equality Florida called the list “a pathetic effort to distract from his corruption, inside dealing, and scandals,” arguing that Pinellas County’s Pride sponsorship “generates millions in economic activity.”

It claims that St. Pete Pride brought $67.2 million to the local economy in 2022 and $60.7 million in 2023, “including more than $34 million in direct spending.”

The group cited specific examples of state spending that it contends “tell the story of

“For $83 million, the state could have funded more than 1,100 years of Pride sponsorships — each one delivering millions in benefits to Florida communities,” said Nadine Smith, the group’s executive director.

“Instead, DeSantis enriches his wealthy donors, launders money through sham charities, and wastes hundreds of millions on failed projects like Alligator Alcatraz, while smearing Pride, which is one of the most reliable engines of local growth.”

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

NOT SHOCKED:

Duke Energy says its power grid is not for sale.

Charging up

Clearwater explores becoming the first Florida city in 20 years to run its own power utility.

By Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix

On a recent Saturday morning in South St. Petersburg’s Wildwood Park, 16 members of a group calling itself “Dump Duke” gathered to share strategy before pairing up to canvass in nearby neighborhoods.

They were there to inform residents and ratepayers frustrated about the prices and services provided by Duke Energy that they could do something about it by signing a petition.

“It’s one of the easiest things to canvas for,” said Dump Duke organizer Marley Price, comparing it to her experience knocking on doors last year for an unsuccessful candidate for St. Pete City Council.

LOCAL NEWS

The signature drive was part of a grassroots effort to demonstrate to the City of St. Petersburg legitimate interest within the community to seriously explore jettisoning Duke—their longtime energy provider—when the 30-year franchise agreement between the two parties expires next summer.

“With Duke, everyone knows them. Most people have had a bad experience with them, so it’s really to relate that back and tell them something new—that it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Those and earlier efforts have spurred several members of the City Council to take up the idea.

The board voted, 5-3, in August to call on Mayor Ken Welch to seek bids for a feasibility study evaluating the pros and cons of leaving Duke and forming a municipal utility, something that 33 other communities now operate in Florida.

Consultant study

That early vote came as Pinellas County’s next largest city—Clearwater—has received its own, long-anticipated feasibility study prepared by NewGen Strategies & Solutions about what would happen if that city ended its relationship with Duke Energy, whose franchise agreement expires at the end of this year.

Projecting a 30-year period beginning in 2026, the report concluded that if the city dropped Duke Energy, its effective rates over the next five years would end up approximately 7% lower on average than the Duke rate on an annualized basis. After that, the effective rate would run approximately 18% lower on average than the Duke rate for the remainder of the 30-year period.

The study values the cost of acquiring Duke property at $572 million but also notes that the real cost of Duke’s assets could run between 50% lower or 100% higher than its estimate—meaning around $1 billion. That was the estimate offered by an outside energy consultant hired by Duke Energy of Clearwater’s costs.

In Florida, 54 utilities provide electricity to residents. They include the big four investor-owned

providers—Duke Energy Florida, Florida Power & Light, Florida Public Utilities, and Tampa Electric Co. (TECO). Those four serve approximately 75% of the state’s population, with the remaining 25% provided by 33 municipal electric utilities and 16 rural electric cooperatives, according to the Florida Municipal Electric Association.

While it would be convenient if an investorowned utility sold its private assets to a public entity, it never works that way. If Clearwater municipalizes its electric utility, it would have to go the eminent domain route — by far the most expensive option, as Duke officials have been explicit in stressing that they have no intention of selling their system.

“We know it’s going to be a fight and it’s going to take time,” said Clearwater City Council member David Albritton after the board approved the study. “It’s a risk. We all know that. But it could be a lower rate.”

The NextGen study is loaded with caveats, however, including an explicit statement that “there can be no guarantee that Clearwater … will achieve cost savings.”

continued on page 28

Winter Park’s success

Some of Florida’s largest communities, such as Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee, have run their own municipal utilities for decades, but not a single one has launched since Winter Park, a northern suburb of Orlando, did so in 2005. That took place following a referendum approved by 69% of the electorate in 2003.

Randy Knight, city manager for Winter Park, described recently on the Florida City and County Management Association podcast how its municipal utility has buried 80% of its power lines underground over the past 20 years, which “has been just huge in reliability … and not having storm outages at all has been fantastic.”

“In this last storm, we had 271 customers out of power after the hurricane came through, and had all of that restored in 12 hours,” he said (the Winter Park municipality serves approximately 15,000 customers). “None of those outages were in the underground part of the system … . It was a testament to what we were doing was the right thing and, you know, the community loves that.”

“As of May, our rates were 32% lower than Duke Energy’s and 2% lower than the statewide average for municipal utilities,” Knight added to WKMG television in August.

Nationally, the last local community to form its own electric utility was the Jefferson County Public Utility District in Washington state in 2013.

Boulder’s decade-long experiment

There is no greater example of how hard it can be to break away from an investor-owned utility than what happened in Boulder, Colorado, which spent nearly a decade trying to break away from Xcel Energy. That effort ended in 2020 when voters approved a settlement with Xcel to trigger the reinstatement of a franchise agreement abandoned a decade earlier.

“Be rational,” suggests former Boulder City Council member Bob Yates, when asked what words of advice he would give Clearwater and St. Petersburg council members who support municipalization efforts. “Be objective and cleareyed about your evaluation, not only of your goals and objectives, but also how long it will take and how much it will cost.”

County lawmakers the best of luck. “I don’t think it was a good use of time or money, but the situation may be very different in Florida, so I wouldn’t want to presume to tell the good folks of Florida how to handle their affairs,” he said.

Ursula Schryver is senior vice president for education, training, and events for the American Public Power Association, a D.C. trade group representing the nation’s 2,000 public power utilities. While there is a sense of urgency with the impending end of the franchise agreements in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, it’s generally “a long process and requires a lot of commitment on the part of the community and leadership and so forth,” she said.

The end of a franchise agreement doesn’t mean the end of service

St. Petersburg Mayor Welch, who at one point in his career worked as an accountant with the old Florida Power Corp., has suggested establishing a new 10-year agreement with Duke next year to ensure that residents could rely on “stable and dependable services” as the future of energy in the city is debated. But Schryver says that rather than signing a shorter franchise agreement, “now’s the time” for the city to begin negotiating its wants and needs.

“They have to continue serving the community—Duke or whomever the incumbent is has to continue to serve the community, even without a franchise agreement,” she said. “I would suggest negotiating and continuing to look at the option of forming a public power utility without signing that franchise agreement vs. signing a five-year one and then you’re going to be in the same place that you’re in now, five years down the line.”

That’s what the city of Tampa did during the aughts. After its 20-year franchise agreement with TECO expired in 2006, the city spent two years negotiating with the utility before signing a new 25-year agreement in 2008.

LOCAL NEWS

St. Petersburg City Council member Richie Floyd says the fact that the city’s franchise agreement is scheduled to end next year gives the city “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to look into the city’s options.”

“It’s not a radical idea or anything, although I think it’s an important one,” he said.

actually going to come to fruition, but for us to drag our feet and not respond the way that residents are asking us to, I think is doing a disservice.”

Orlando Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani argues that having a local utility through which residents can exercise direct influence “is always preferable to relying on the Public Service Commission as your advocate.”

“Most constituents don’t even know the Public Service Commission exists, but having a local utility board that you can present to, engage with, and really influence leads to better consumer experiences,” she said.

After the Clearwater City Council voted to begin a formal reappraisal of Duke’s distribution system, Duke said in a written statement that creating a city-owned electric utility would be “enormously expensive, risky, and take years to complete.”

service,” said an EEI spokesperson when asked about the campaign. He declined to respond to a question about how much EEI was investing in the effort.

Meanwhile, Dump Duke advocates say they’re not relenting, although Price concedes it’s discouraging that Mayor Welch has declined to meet with the group.

“Hopefully, there will still be enough public pressure still that they have to do something,” she said.

Saturday, as Dump Duke advocate Jason Scott began knocking on doors in South St. Petersburg, he met a man who said that he used to work for Duke as a lineman but now works across the bay for Tampa Electric.

“What’s your opinion of Duke?” Scott asked him.

In the case of Boulder, taxpayers approved $29 million for the losing effort. Yates says that when investor-owned utilities decide to fight, they won’t give up easily.

Boulder residents pushed the local government to separate from Xcel because of frustration with the lack of urgency the power company expended in pursuing electricity from green power sources like wind and solar.

Yates, who served on the Boulder City Council from 2015 to 2023, said that while he personally never supported the effort, he wishes Pinellas

St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard is also enthusiastic about pursuing municipal power.

“What the residents are asking of us is for us to really be able to control costs and to be able to give them a level of service that they are demanding, and so I think that we need to listen to our residents,” she said. “We need to explore it. I’ve been very honest with residents that I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t know what the future holds.”

Gabbard expressed dissatisfaction that the city hadn’t as of early October even set a timeline for sending out the request for proposals for a consultant study. “There’s no guarantees that this is

“As we have said before, our system is not for sale. That position has not changed. Duke Energy remains committed to serving our Clearwater and St. Petersburg customers, and we look forward to working with both cities on the best path forward — which we believe is renewing the franchise agreement.”

Pinellas County residents are also being hit by social media ads from “We Stand for Energy,” a campaign created by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), calling on them to “Tell the Council: Don’t Waste Taxpayer Money” by pursuing municipalizing.

“As feasibility studies consistently show, municipalization efforts threaten to increase customerz costs by billions of dollars without improving

“It’s a good company to work for, but I understand that a lot of residents were complaining about high bills and stuff,” the man, who did not want to be identified, responded. “I do understand why.”

When Scott asked him about the cost of his monthly bill, the man quickly jumped in.

“Of course I want cheaper bills, but at the same time that Duke kind of monopolizes everything. I don’t see a way to get out of the situation without it being more expensive.”

Nevertheless, he ended up signing Scott’s petition.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

When in Rome

Piccolo Bucco coming to Carrollwood and more Tampa Bay food news.

By Sophia Lowrie

Fans of Cooper’s Hawk’s wines may have their new favorite pairing: Roman cuisine. The brand is expanding its Italian-inspired concept, Piccolo Buco, opening its first Florida location in Carrollwood this month.

The trattoria opens Oct. 20 at 14904 N Dale Mabry Hwy. in the Carrollwood Commons shopping center.

Piccolo Buco is a collaboration between Cooper’s Hawk Founder Tim McEnery and Chef Luca Issa, owner of the original establishment in Rome. Piccolo Buco, originally based in Illinois, expanded across the midwest over the last four years.

Roman-style entrees like cacio e pepe, truffle fondue cappellacci, and braised short ribs.

The lunch menu features a collection of Sardinian sandwiches made with the brand’s signature pizza dough. The restaurant also plans to offer a wine list anchored by Cooper’s Hawk selections and complemented by Italian varietals.

FOOD NEWS

Piccolo Bucco 14904 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa piccolobuco.coopershawk.com

While its name translates to “small hole,” the Tampa location seats 192, with 144 seats indoors and 48 seats outdoors in an enclosed patio.

The menu centers on contemporary Neapolitan pizza, handmade pastas, and small plates, prepared with a mix of imported and local ingredients.

Signature items include Chef Luca’s “Red, Yellow or White” pizza, which features a crisp, yet cloud-like crust. The menu also features

Cooper’s Hawk wine club members can use their perks at all Piccolo Buco locations.

Piccolo Buco will be open Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m., and on Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. For more information, visit piccolobuco.coopershawk.com.

Noctivore dinner series launches in St. Pete

A St. Pete dinner series that feels straight out of “The Menu”—minus the murder, of course—has already sold out its first two nights. “Noctivore,” the new underground dining series from chef Mario Brugnoli and the founders of Volta Wine + Market, sold out its premier event before even opening its doors.

The limited dinner series debuts Friday inside Brugnoli’s Eat Art Love restaurant. Though the name translates to “night-eater,” it happens at a reasonable 6:30 p.m.

Each evening seats only 10 guests around a communal table in a reimagined dining room designed to feel more like a secret supper club than a standard restaurant. The multi-course tasting menu—typically six to seven courses—showcases ingredients sourced from St. Pete-based Brick Street Farms, St. Pete Microgreens and Blumenberry Farms in Sarasota, paired with rare wines curated by Volta Wine + Market cofounder and sommelier Zach Pace.

Brugnoli, a Clearwater native who competed on Food Network’s “Chopped” last year and previously trained with the Michael Mina Group and at Michelin-starred Rocca, leads the kitchen. Volta, set to open at 400 Central Ave. in downtown St. Petersburg in 2026, is known for its small-production wines and events with settings curated down to the lighting, music, and design.

“We envisioned noctivore to feel like something you weren’t supposed to find—secretive and intimate, as much about fleeting indulgence as fine dining,” Pace said in a release. Tickets are sold out for Friday’s debut as well as the second dinner on Nov. 6. As of this writing, tickets for Nov. 13 are still available at $182 per person, plus an 18% service charge and tax, and include all courses, wine pairings, and caviar.

Guests can get on a presale list for future events, see menus and join the mailing list for future releases at noctivo.re.

Coquito Burritos pops up in Downtown Tampa

A familiar face in Tampa’s hospitality scene is opening his own pop-up. Curt Hensley—formerly half of Una Más—launched Coquito Burritos last weekend at Ash, where he served coffee, breakfast, burritos, vegan bowls, and pastries.

Hensley named the venture after the nickname his Cuban grandfather gave him (referring to the native frogs, not the Puerto Rican drink).

Hensley announced the pop-up last month, as well as his departure from Una Más. He and Paola Chamorro were slated to open a West Tampa coffee shop before the summer of 2024, but ran into permitting issues. The shop moved to Magnanimous Brewing’s Seminole Heights taproom over the summer for weekend pop-ups.

“My time with Una Más has been one of the most rewarding and also most challenging chapters of my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Hensley said in a post announcing Coquito Burritos.

“As Una Más continues its journey, I’m excited to share that I will be starting my own venture here in Tampa at another local spot. I’d love for you to follow along with me, and I can’t wait to keep seeing and serving you!”

For updates and more information, follow @burritos_coquito on Instagram.—Emily McLaughlin

THEATER

‘Ghost Brothers of Darkland County’ Select nights through Nov. 9. $29.50 & up Shimberg Playhouse at David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N Macinnes Pl., Tampa. jobsitetheater.org

MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE

Headed south

A haunted musical from the minds of Mellencamp and

By David Warner

Amusical by master scaremonger Stephen King and legendary rocker John Mellencamp? An intriguing combo, to be sure. But it might not be what you expect. “It’s not ‘Cujo’ meets ‘Jack & Diane,’” Mellencamp has pointed out.

“Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” is something else—no rabid dogs or evil clowns, but a haunted story of two doomed love triangles. It’s King in mystery/thriller mode (as opposed to horror), with Mellancamp’s music in a bluesy country vein. And even though “Ghosts” premiered 13 years ago at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, a production that led to a concept album and tour, the version opening at Jobsite is almost entirely new.

“What we’re doing,” Producing Artistic Director David Jenkins told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, “has not been done before.”

In Atlanta, “Ghosts” was a two-act show with a huge cast and a full orchestra. Over the years, King and Mellencampc refined it, keeping most of the songs but paring down the number of characters. The licensing company handling the show approached Jobsite to see if they’d be interested in being the first regional theater company to produce the new version—possibly, Jenkins surmises, because of Jobsite’s past success with an adaptation of King’s “Misery” or because the company is well-known for its Halloween shows.

Jenkins welcomed the opportunity, and stresses that even if you saw the original or listened to the album, you’re in for a completely different experience. He’s staging it with eight actors and a four-piece blues rock band led by keyboardist and musical mastermind Jeremy Douglass. It’ll run just 90 minutes.

“The storytelling mode goes back and forth between feeling like a ghost story around a backyard campfire to a hootenanny porch concert,” says Jenkins. “We’ve got microphones on stands. This isn’t a wireless mic situation.”

Even dance in the show, choreographed by Alexander Jones, isn’t what you’d call “dance,” Jenkins says. It’s “vibin’, jukin’, groovin’”— definitely no jazz hands. The design by Chris Giuffré will set the mood right away. “When people walk into the theater it’s going to be like walking into the back yard of an old cabin,” Jenkins added.

King comes to Jobsite.

Inspired by the provocative silhouette art of Kara Walker, Giuffré is working with shadow play and silhouetting, and Jenkins is asking lighting designer Jo Averill-Snell to create as murky and shadowlike an ambience as possible. Which makes perfect sense for a story in which the present and the past echo and eventually overlap each other. It was inspired by Mellencamp’s experience renting a vacation cabin that was reputedly haunted. He was skeptical, but then the owner’s wife sent him news accounts of the triple homicide that had happened there many years before. He brought the idea to King, who quickly came up with the tale of two fraught romances in different eras in which brothers are vying for the love of the same woman. In the original production, the narrative centered on the father of the feuding brothers; Jobsite ditches dad and gives more prominence to the two women, played by

Kayla Witoshynsky in the present (beloved by Cameron Kubly and Blake Smallen) and Noa Friedman in the past (caught between Alejandro Barba and Dylan Hannesson).

Jenkins loves that both women have a degree of agency that they didn’t possess in the earlier rendition—and that there’s more to both than we may think.

“In neither case are things what they seem,” he says. “And you really don’t find out the answers to those mysteries until the last couple minutes of the show.”

Driving the action (and invading the characters’ minds) is a shadowy figure called The Troubadour (Jonathan Harrison).

He “weaves in and out of the story in moments of high tension,” says Jenkins. “He’s that thing in your head that makes you do bad things.” In the song “That’s Me” (performed on the concert album by Elvis Costello), The Troubador intones, “When you feel like cheating on your lover, that’s me, oh yes, that’s me.”

Also on hand is the decidedly sketchy Caretaker (Spencer Myers) who tells the present-day couple what happened in the cabin all those years ago. He’s in cahoots with The

Troubador, and both get to sing the ominous blues anthem (performed by Taj Mahal on the album) “Tear This Cabin Down.”

“Basically they’re really creepy AF characters,” says Jenkins. And they’re also our guides (if you can trust them).

Sounds like the kind of shivery, twisty Halloween treat that Jobsite audiences have come to expect around this time of year. Plus, there’s the unbeatable combo of King and Mellencamp, right?

Well, yes but… their politics. “Those liberal fuckheads!” growled one social media commenter, reacting to news of the production. “I won’t give a dime to those woke fuckers!” vowed another.

Jenkins is, to say the least, bemused. “This show is about as un-woke as it gets!” he protests. “It’s all about Southern-ass white people shooting each other! We can’t even have nice things at Halloween now… really?”

Sure we can. We can go to “Ghosts of Darkland County” at Jobsite—and while we’re there, we can bask in the knowledge that we’re supporting a musical by two of our finest liberal fuckheads.

“This show is about as un-woke as it gets!”

Born again

P. Djèlí Clark comes to St. Pete for ‘Ring Shout’ paperback release.

By Maroon Stranger

In America, demons wear white hoods.

Black speculative fiction author P. Djéli

Clark’s critically acclaimed novella “Ring Shout” begins after the film “Birth of a Nation” has cast a spell across the United States, summoning demons empowered by the darkest thoughts of white folks. Black resistance fighters draw from the magical power of the Ring Shout tradition to hunt down and destroy these Ku Klux monsters before they can end the world.

Published in 2020, “Ring Shout” won that year’s Nebula Award, as well as the Locus and British Fantasy Awards in 2021 for Best Novella. A historian himself, Clark was inspired by his own research into ex-slave narratives, the Ring Shout practice, and Gullah/Geechee culture to create this exultant, enthralling, prophetic work.

RSVPs are requested to celebrate the paperback release of “Ring Shout” with author P. Djéli Clark at Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m.-8 p.m.

Ahead of Tombolo’s event celebrating the paperback release of “Ring Shout,” University of South Florida Professor Donnie Ibn Malik Ali McClendon, or “Professor Mac” shared a few words on his own research into the African American Ring Shout tradition, and his perspective on the depiction of this real-world spiritual practice in Clark’s novella.

not simply metaphorical; it is spiritual infrastructure. In the shout’s ecstatic convergence language gives way to vibration, and vibration to transformation. The shout does not convince the intellect; it ruptures it. It bypasses colonial logic entirely, embedding itself in the nervous system, the breath, the blood. In this way, it shields its practitioners from the epistemic violence of colonialism. Not by arguing with it, but by vibrating at a frequency it cannot interpret or contain.

BOOKS

‘Ring Shout’: An Evening With P. Djéli Clark

The power of the Ring Shout lies, too, in its pedagogy. Not a pedagogy of abstraction or theory, but a visceral and recursive transmission of knowledge through rhythm, through intergenerational movement. This “sacred curriculum” defies the Western academy’s fetish for textuality, insisting instead that truth is something felt, something danced, something shouted into being. The elders, like Lawrence McKiver of the McIntosh County Shouters in historical fact or Maryse’s guides in speculative fiction, do not merely teach about resistance; they embody it. The shout encodes ancestral wisdom in motion, allowing each generation to re-enter the circuit, to remember themselves forward.

Tuesday, Oct. 21. 7 p.m.-8 p.m. RSVP requested. Tombolo Books, S2153 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg. tombolobooks.com

Look below to read Professor Mac’s essay and check out some of the best book and literary events happening in Tampa Bay between Oct. 16-31. For more (free!) events, check out your local library at hcplc.org/events.

The shout was not born in safety; it was forged in the brutal crucible of transatlantic captivity, yet it emerged as a sonic insurgency cloaked in sacred ritual. Where white supremacist epistemologies perceived chaos, the enslaved constructed coherence. Every spiraling motion, every syncopated stomp in the ring, becomes a rebuke of empire’s logic and an invocation of an alternative cosmology. One rooted not in domination, but in sacred reciprocity. As a “kinetic theology,” the shout not only expresses resistance, it enacts it. It becomes a ritual choreography through which American African bodies rewrite the terms of reality, moving counterclockwise against the dominant flow of time and narrative, turning trauma into memory and memory into power.

Through this embodied cosmology, the shout constructs a “ThirdSpace of spirit possession”. A liminal zone where hegemonic meaning unravels, and alternative ontologies emerge. This is

Crucially, this tradition refuses isolation. It resonates across diasporic soundscapes. From the thunder of Bomba drums in Puerto Rico to the haunting tones of Vodun chants in Benin. These sonic technologies form a constellation of Black survivance, articulating what empire cannot erase, the unbroken continuity of diasporic memory. They are not merely expressions of cultural pride, they are tactical resistances, each rhythm a strategy, each harmony a haven.

In Ring Shout, then, Maryse does not wield magic as fantasy. She channels a historical technology designed not only to survive oppression, but to undo it from within. The shout’s ambiguity, its refusal to be pinned down as dance or doctrine, resistance or reverence, is its strength. It evades commodification, resists translation, and denies assimilation. It remains illegible to empire precisely because it is sung in a language that both predates conquest and outlives it.

Thus, the Ring Shout is not merely armor, it is ancestral software encoded in the bones, designed to update itself in each new era of struggle. It teaches us that liberation is not only something we fight for, but something we remember through breath, through rhythm, through

continued on page 38

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We weave your unique local flavor into every social media campaign. We don’t just navigate the social media landscape; we own it! Your success is our success, and we believe in the power of community. Ready to embark on a social media journey that celebrates your local culture and propels your brand to the forefront? Let’s create, connect, and conquer together.

sacred convergence. In a world threatened by demonic systems masquerading as order, the shout does not merely protect, it reprograms. It remakes the world in the image of the ancestors’ dream.

In this light, the most potent resistance is not the blade or the bullet, but the breath-bound refusal to forget who we are. The shout teaches us, as Maryse learns, that true power lies in the sound that reverberates through generations, unbroken, undestroyed, ever-alive and always circling.

‘Like A Wave We Break’: An Evening With Jane Marie Chen Sunday, Oct. 19. 3:30 p.m.- 5 p.m. $7. Oxford Exchange, Tampa

Steamy Lit Trope Book Club reads ‘But Not Too Bold’ by Hache Pueyo Sunday, Oct. 19. 4 p.m.- 5 p.m. RSVP. Steamy Lit, Tampa The Library Book Club reads ‘The Satisfaction Cafe’ by Kathy Wang Tuesday, Oct. 21. 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. The Library, St. Petersburg

BOOKS

‘Mockingbird Court’: An Evening With author duo Juneau Black Thursday, Oct. 16. 7 p.m.-8 p.m. RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg

Tombolo Queer Comic Book Club reads ‘Carmilla’ by Amy Chu & Soo Lee Saturday, Oct. 18. 12 p.m.- 1 p.m. Allendale Church (special location), St. Petersburg

Steamy Lit Reading Rainbow Book Club reads ‘The Haunting of William Thorn’ by Ben Alderson Saturday, Oct. 18. 6 p.m.- 7 p.m. RSVP. Steamy Lit, Tampa Bookends Pop-Up Shop at Deviant Libation Book Exchange Sunday, Oct. 19. 2 p.m.- 5 p.m. Deviant Libation, Tampa

Bookends Pop-Up Bookshop & Game Night with Necronomicon & Mystical Millenial Wednesday, Oct. 22. 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Gasparilla Distillery, Tampa

Tombolo Sci-Fi Book Club reads ‘Parable of the Sower’ by Octavia Butler Wednesday, Oct. 22. 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg

Bonfire Poems: Themed Poetry Open Mic with Featured Poets Wednesday, Oct. 22. 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Book + Bottle, St. Petersburg Murders, Monsters, Mysteries! A Haunted Event with Ginny Myers Sain Thursday, Oct. 23. 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. JC Newman Cigar Company, Tampa

‘Other People’s Mothers’: An Evening With Julie Marie Wade Thursday, Oct. 23. 7 p.m.-8 p.m. RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg

EXHIBITION OPENING DAY EVENTS

SCHOLAR TOUR | PROFESSOR MARIA CRISTINA BANDERA AND IN CARAVAGGIO’S LIGHT

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25 | 9 – 10 AM

Experience the exhibition through the rare perspective of Professor Maria Cristina Bandera, esteemed art historian and member of the board of directors of the Fondazione Roberto Longhi.

SCHOLAR TALK | PROFESSOR CRISTINA ACIDINI FROM THE FONDAZIONE ROBERTO LONGHI

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25 | 11 AM - 12 PM

Join us for an illuminating lecture presented by Professor Cristina Acidini from the distinguished institution behind this exhibition. This rare opportunity offers audiences an insider’s view into the origins, scholarship, and cultural significance of the extraordinary works on display, including Caravaggio’s Boy Bitten by a Lizard

tix&info: www dot aestheticized dot com

Dark waters

Zachary Levi stars in film based on Tampa man’s memoir.

By Selene San Felice

Afilm about a Clearwater fishing trip gone wrong, based on a Tampa man’s memoir, hits theaters nationwide this winter.

In “Not Without Hope,” Zachary Levi leads the cast as Tampa resident Nick Schuyler—the sole survivor of a 2009 boating accident that took the lives of his three other friends on board, a USF football alum and two NFL players.

After its premiere at Austin Film Festival on Oct. 25, the film hits national theaters Dec. 12 and runs through the end of 2025.

“A big part of my goal in making the movie was to give people who see it an idea of who they were and remember them not by how they died, but how they lived,” he said. “And so we set out to try to tell a little bit of that backstory, while also being faithful to the book and talking about the tragic events that took place over those 43 hours.”

FILM &

Marshall Cook plays former USF football player Will Bleakley. NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith are played by Quentin Plair and Terrence Terrell.

“Not Without Hope” In theaters nationwide Dec. 12.

Josh Duhamel plays Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close, who leads the desperate efforts to bring them home.

The film is adapted from Schuyler’s New York Times best-selling book of the same name.

Producer Richard French told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that although the film covers a harrowing two days that resulted in the loss of his friends, including the world watching the search unfold on the news, “Not Without Hope” is still a story true to its name.

Schuyler wasn’t available for interviews, but French said he gave notes on the screenplay and was on set for part of the filming. (Though it’s set in the Tampa Bay area and waters of the Gulf, “Not Without Hope” was filmed entirely in Malta).

“The one shining light in this is that there was someone left to tell the story, and to share the fact that without the support of his friends, he wouldn’t be alive. They were his heroes,” French said.

The film was cast in 2020, but the COVID-10 pandemic halted production, leaving filmmakers to start from scratch years later. But despite changes, French said his mission has been to honor Bleakley, Cooper and Smith.

“The one shining light in this is that there was someone left to tell the story.”

“It’s not the easiest story to tell,” French said in a phone call with CL. “You have to creatively walk a very fine line in the way that you’re treating a very difficult sequence of events.”

While the film covers the circumstances of Bleakley, Cooper and Smith’s deaths, French told CL it was just as important—if not more so—to give depth to their backstories.

“If we could not do that, and do that in a way that was respectful and accurate, then we didn’t want the movie to be made,” French said. “So the litmus tests, I guess, will be whether we were successful with that.”

Another film based on Schuyler’s story, “Four Down,” won Best Documentary Feature at St. Pete’s Sunscreen Film Festival, where it premiered in April. “Four Down” is being held for release once “Not Without Hope” finishes its theatrical run, per the announcement.

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Thursday, October 16, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Château Cantenac Brown Masterclass Bordeaux Dinner @ Chateau Cellars Ybor 2009 N. 22nd St.

Tickets - $145.37

bit.ly/BordeauxYbor

Thursday, October 16, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Retro House Jazz Night w/ Simon Lasky Trio (ft. James Suggs) @ Retro House Coffee Bar & Asian Bistro 934 East Henderson Ave.

Tickets - $53.61

bit.ly/SimonLaskyYbor

Saturday, October 18, 2025 • 6:45 PM - 9:00 PM

Ybor Ghost Tour

with Tampa Bay Tours x Hotel Haya @ Hotel Haya 1412 East 7th Avenue

Tickets - $36.39

bit.ly/GhostToursYbor

Saturday, October 18, 2025 • 8:30 PM - 12:30 AM

Brown Sugar Classic: A Taste of R&B After Dark @ 1920 Ybor

1920 East 7th Avenue

Free Rsvp for Reduced Entry, GA - $17.85, VIP - $28.52

bit.ly/BrownSugarYbor

Sunday, October 19, 2025, • 11:00 AM

Chicken Yoga with Yoga Loft @ Hotel Haya 1412 East 7th Avenue

Tickets - $15.74

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Sunday, October 19, 2025, • 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

R&Vegan: Ybor City @ 1920 Ybor 1920 East 7th Avenue

Tickets - $7.72 bit.ly/RVeganYbor

Wednesday, October 22, 2025, • 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Murder Mystery Party at the Museum @ Ybor City Museum State Park 1818 East 9th Avenue

Tickets From $25.85 bit.ly/MurderMysteryYbor

Sunday, October 26, 2025, • 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM

EMPANADA SMACKDOWN: The 7TH ANNUAL TASTE OF LATINO Festival @ Centennial Park

1800 E 8th Avenue

Open to the public, VIP starts at $89.94 bit.ly/EmpanadaYbor

Sunday, October 26, 2025 • 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM

POiSON GiRL FRiEND (from Japan)

w/ special guests Mother Soki @ Crowbar 1812 N 17th Street

Tickets - $40.88 pgf25.eventbrite.com

Friday, October 31, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Hallo-WINE @ Chateau Cellars Ybor

2009 N. 22nd St.

Tickets from $59.34

bit.ly/HalloWineYbor

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REVIEWS PROFILES MUSIC WEEK

Keep it (un) simple

Matt Nathanson talks Whitney, America, and more ahead of Tampa Pig Jig.

By Ray Roa

Matt Nathanson is ready to eat. The 52-yearold songwriter has the world’s kitchen in front of him at home in San Francisco, but cannot wait to be in front of an entire field of teams vying for first place at Tampa Pig Jig this year.

“I like to still be pretty deliberate about what I eat,” he told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, admitting to being a kid who was heavyset and still struggles with his body physically. “But dude, I can’t say no to barbecue. So I’ll probably just sort of curate a masterful plate, and then I’ll probably eat it and then take the rest of it back to the hotel and then eat it later again.”

He’ll have home turf advantage as he takes it all in, too. Nathanson’s front-of-house engineer and production, Erick “Otto” Celeiro, is the president of Tampa’s revered ESI-Productions, where Nathanson’s band has spent many years practicing before hitting the road.

“Every tour we start in Tampa. Just as humans like, we’ll go to Tampa, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, and then get on the bus and drive somewhere else,” Nathanson explained.

It’s a good time to welcome the songwriter, who has one of the most-encyclopedic fan brains in pop music, to our neck of the woods.

The Buccaneers and USF football Bulls are playing well, which opens the door to talk about one of the greatest things that ever happened in sports: Whitney Houston’s 1991 performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” ahead of Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium (aka “The Big Sombrero”). The late pop icon was singing to a pre-recorded track, but the spectacle was delivered as George H. W. Bush’s Persian Gulf War raged on and is widely recognized as one of the greatest moments in American entertainment history.

“She was such a force, and that version of it is just so exceptional,” Nathanson told CL, before explaining his fascination with how a country that loved Houston when she was on top turned on her as she publicly descended into the throes of drug addiction.

“People love to see people fall, but it was a fame thing. People love to see people get dinged and knocked down. She really struggled in her last bunch of years, and no one gave much of a shit,” he added.

Nathanson’s 2025 album, King Of (Un) Simple, includes a collaboration with Indigo Girls called “Whitney Houston’s National Anthem.” The opening verse paints a scene all too familiar in modern politics: a couple finding a shred of joy as the world starts to burn, and the division of families torn apart at the hands of a president beloved by ex-hippies who’ve run

pretending we’re not who we are. America’s sweetheart, we tore her apart.”

Lines from the song were written a decade ago when Eric Garner was killed by New York City Police officers. The completed version didn’t really get to its final recorded form until well into the pandemic. The country club lyric gets heavier as the days progress, Nathanson said, and there are places in the U.S. that get amped up when they hear it. Just don’t expect to test that theory out in Tampa.

Nathanson—who rose to fame on the 2007 song “Come On Get Higher” after years spent on the club circuit opening for the likes of

INTERVIEW

Tampa Pig Jig 2025: Megan Moroney w/Midland/ Jamestown Revival/ Matt Nathanson/more Saturday, Oct. 18. Sold-out. Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, Tampa. tampapigjig.com

wrote with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles (the duo performed it at the 2011 CMA Awards). But mostly because that country club lyric is one of the more self-referential lyrics in a canon that features poppier tunes better suited for the party.

“That line comes up in my fucking brain all the time,” Nathason admitted. “I don’t know how other people feel about it… but it’s just true.”

Instead, Pig Jig fans, who’ve sold-out the festival headlined by Megan Moroney, can expect a full band, complete with longtime guitarist and collaborator Aaron Tap. There are going to be some weird songs (like “Suspended” from his 2003 breakout LP Beneath These Fireworks),

out of empathy for anyone they don’t agree with.

“I liked it when your hair was long,” Nathanson sings on the cut, “and the last thing we agreed on was Whitney Houston’s national anthem.”

In the tune, Amy Ray sings about America as “a country club at best, safe harbor for the famous and the blessed,” right after Nathanson invokes Houston with this lyric: “We’re still

“That line comes up in my fucking brain all the time.”

John Mayer and Tori Amos—played “Whitney Houston’s National Anthem” on his last tour, but is skipping it at Pig Jig, which is more like a tailgate concert that raises a shitload of money to research and defeat rare kidney disease.

For one, it’s an upbeat gig, and for another, there’ll be a bunch of people in the crowd who might only know him from “Run,” the song he

hits (“Laid” from the “American Wedding” soundtrack), plaintive material about rich kids (“German Cars”), and stuff that’s generally fun.

“Usually, I don’t pick the set till the night before. But in my life I’m trying to be more deliberate recently. So I was like, ‘Let’s curate a Pig jig show that’s awesome,” Nathanson said. “And so that’s the vibe.”

Fo’i real

Orlando songwriter brings not so simple gig to St. Pete.

By Avery Anderson/TB Arts Passport

At first glance, it might look like a simple coffee shop gig. A Friday night at Kawha Coffee, a guitar, and a singer-songwriter from Orlando. But Fo’i doesn’t do “simple.”

“I really enjoy bending genre,” they said. “My pop music will be imbued with R&B. It’ll be imbued with country, pop punk. It’s just whatever comes out of me.”

Fo’i calls themself a “soft art boy,” a FilipinoSamoan-American artist who refuses to squeeze into the molds of genre or gender. Their mismatched earrings aren’t just an accessory— they’re a declaration. “Jewelry became a way that I felt like I could make myself known,” they explained. “When I realized that I didn’t have to wear very much like gender norms…that I could switch it up. Open several doors in my brain. Open several beautiful roads to walk.”

artists to experiment, stretch, and grow into what’s next.”

Fo’i steps into that space on Friday, Oct. 17, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The show is donation-based, open to anyone who wants to pull up a chair, sip a coffee, and be part of something that feels a little bigger than just a gig.

Because for Fo’i, mismatched earrings and all, music is about creating exactly that: a moment that belongs to everyone in the room.

INTERVIEW

Story Keepers Acoustic Sessions: Fo’i

Friday, Oct. 17. 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Donations accepted. Kawah coffee. 204 2ns Ave. S, St. Petersburg. @foimeleah on Instagram

It’s fitting, then, that Fo’i is the first featured musician in Story Keepers Acoustic Sessions, a new series from the nonprofit Story Keepers, dedicated to site-specific, community-rooted art.

“Story Keepers fosters artists who tell authentic stories in new ways—stories grounded in community, curiosity, and care,” said David DiGioacchino, board chair. “We began with a simple belief: stories have the power to bring people together. Rooted in creativity and community imagination, we create experiences that move beyond the stage, page, or screen and into the spaces where people live, work, and gather.”

For Fo’i, that alignment feels natural. Their music isn’t just about sound, but about service: “Whatever you need from my music, I hope that you get it,” they said. “I always ask people if they want to hear anything in particular. If I can give that to them, it would make me so happy. I want my music to help.”

That openness has carried into deeply personal moments. Fo’i recalled audience members approaching them after gigs: “Hey, that was me and my husband’s wedding song, and he passed away this year, and it meant a lot for you to sing that.” For Fo’i, these are reminders that music isn’t just performed—it’s shared, exchanged, held.

The choice to launch Story Keepers’ new music series with Fo’i is intentional. This is an artist whose whole existence, as they put it, is “driven by supporting and upholding my community.”

And while Kawha Coffee might not look like a traditional venue, that’s the point. “We’re not a stage,” DiGioacchino said. “We’re a space—for

DAILY HAPPY HOUR!

THURSDAYS

FRIDAY 10/17

Editor’s Note: Story Keepers is a non-profit organization. Avery Anderson serves on the board of directors.

This post first appeared at TB Arts Passport, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project (TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation. If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication interested in TBJP, please email rroa@ctampa.com. Support TB Arts Passport by subscribing to its free newsletter or becoming a paying Arts Passport Member.

By Ray Roa

THU 16

C Clearwater Jazz Holiday: Tower of Power w/Cory Wong/Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue/Trampled By Turtles/ RNR feat. Rick Braun & Richard Elliot/ The War & Treaty/Lady Blackbird/ St. Paul & the Broken Bones/more Clearwater Jazz Holiday finally gets to start a new chapter in its nearly 50-year history. Trombone Shorty, Vulfpeck’s Cory Wong, Trampled by Turtles, and Tower of Power are among the headliners coming to downtown Clearwater, along with Lady Blackbird, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, The War and Treaty, plus Richard Elliot and Rick Braun’s RnR ensemble. The bill for the festival—which takes place Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 16-19 on the green at Coachman Park—includes nearly two dozen national and local acts playing three stages stretching between the pier and the large green “Sunset Bluff” which will be accessible for just $5. Making the blanket and lawn chair-friendly bluff accessible for such a low price is a throwback to the days when Clearwater Jazz Holiday was free-to-attend. That vibe is something organizers wanted to bring back last fall before back-to-back hurricanes changed plans. As usual, tickets that give concert goers access to seating and VIP areas are also available. Steve Weinberger, CEO of Clearwater Jazz Holiday, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the park can handle approximately 6,000 people a day. (Coachman Park, Clearwater)

C Phantogram Phantogram isn’t your typical electro-pop act—its the kind of duo that drags hip-hop beats through a haze of shoegaze and then sharpens songs with a pop hook. Sarah Barthel’s vocals cut between dreamy and dangerous, while Josh Carter’s production leans heavy and cinematic. Think

the shadowy pulse of Portishead colliding with the swagger of Massive Attack. The New York duo’s 2014 song “Black Out Days” has found new life on TikTok, appearing in numerous trends, bringing both longtime listeners and new fans together. Opening the night, Los Eclipses bring their own blend of atmospheric rock. This Franco-Mexican duo—French singer Eva de Marce and Mexican producer Dan Solo—merges Latin rhythms with French pop and psychedelic textures. The duo earned spots at major festivals like Vive Latino and Tropico, and collaborations with artists such as Röyksopp and La Femme. The track “Anaconda” exemplifies their unique fusion of sensual vocals and hypnotic beats, making them a perfect complement to Phantogram’s moody, immersive sounds. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)—Sophia Lowrie

C Simon Lasky Trio feat. James Suggs & Mark Neuenschwander There’s not a better chance to eat some of the best dumplings in Tampa while also taking in some of the most talented jazz composers the Bay area has to offer. U.K. expat Simon Lasky is on the keys for this intimate gig on the outskirts of Ybor City, and backed by trumpeter James Suggs with bassist Mark Neuenschwander. Tickets include a BOGO drink and 10% off all food & drink. (Retro House, Tampa)

FRI 17

C Crooked Thumb Brewery 10th Anniversary: The Cadillac Cowboys w/ The Wandering Hours/Betty Fox Band Crooked Thumb is one Grateful Dead tribute night away from being Pinellas’ Skipper’s Smokehouse, but in reality there’s no venue within 100 miles that could recreate the charm of the Safety Harbor venue’s oak canopy. To mark a decade in the neighborhood, owner (and songwriter) Kip Kelly has asked his team to prep 30 beers on tap (including collaborations with friends, old faves and new sips), limited-edition merch, food trucks, plus two days of live music from the like of the bluesy Betty Fox Band, Best of the Baywinning roots-folk-bluegrass-icana act The Wandering Hours, and Zydeco genre-bender The Cadillac Cowboys. (Crooked Thumb Brewery, Safety Harbor)

C Fangsgiving: Have Gun Will Travel w/Ashley Smith and the Random Occurrence/The Beauvilles/Barely Pink/ Rebekah Pulley/Same Day Delivery Orchestra & This is Goodbye/Navin Ave/Rolling Jabrones/Vidal & Ingold/ Deb Ruby/more You know what’s scary? The fact that every annual event at Crowbar is staging its final run at the iconic Ybor City venue (which is on a lease that runs out this summer). Fangsgiving, now in its eighth year, says this is it for its yearly throwdown where some of the best Bay area bands turn themselves into knockout cover acts. “The event is inextricably linked to the venue,”

THU OCTOBER 16–THU OCTOBER 23

organizers told CL in a press release explaining its decision to end the charity concert that benefits the Instruments 4 Life nonprofit that gives music and arts equipment to Tampa area youth. “Unfortunately, it will also be the last in its current incarnation.” Mark Warren’s Barely Pink pop band is reuniting for one-night only collaborations while a host of local heroes—Have Gun, Will Travel, Urbane Cowboys, Rebekah Pulley, Jeremy Gloff, and Choking on the Revelry—take on tunes by Prince, The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Smashing Pumpkins, George Michael and more. And come in costume both nights, people. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

SAT 18

C Tampa Am 2025 Concrete Jam: Exit Strategy w/Drawn Out You can’t call yourself a Tampeño if you haven’t feared for you life (or a skater’s) at the Tampa Am concrete jam. The city’s world famous skate tournament kicked off on Wednesday, wraps with the finals on Sunday, and stages this cashgrab contest and concert, too. Brutal Tampa hardcore band Exit Strategy headlines with support from Drawn Out, another homegrown thrash outfit fresh off the release of an April single “Shoulders of Atlas.” The concert is included with tournament admission. (Skatepark of Tampa, Tampa)

Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham There are some people who know all the words to classic songs like “I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You”, “Mustang Sally”, and “When A Man Loves A Woman.” Those nerds owe it all to Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriters who’ve penned tunes for Aretha, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, and more. The duo plays an intimate St. Petersburg bungalow this weekend where they’ll do the songs, but tell the stories behind them, too. Call Jeff Schorr (727-3232787) for ticket information. (Craftsman House, St. Petersburg)

C Maren Morris Be a bitch, because excountry singer-songwriter Maren Morris is returning to Tampa Bay for a free concert part of an open house weekend hosted by Benchmark International Arena. The 35-year-old Texas singersongwriter has had a reformative few years, especially with her exit from country music, triggered by “go woke, go broke” fans starting to whine about how she dared to stand up to Jason Aldean’s wife for not supporting trans rights. Morris, who also went through a divorce with her husband Ryan Hurd not long after, recently played St. Augustine’s Sing Out Festival and just dropped a new, singer-songwriter album Dreamsicle in May, which she described as a depiction of what happens after a divorce of sorts, as well as the healing that one endures afterwards instead of the pain of the process. Dreamsicle is an expansion of the Highwoman’s 2024 EP Intermission, and if this show is anything like her incredible summer 2024 appearance at St. Pete’s Mahaffey Theater— where she played the entire EP and more—this

won’t be a free gig to sit out. (Benchmark International Arena, Tampa)—Josh Bradley

C Noah Cyrus w/Braison Cyrus If you’re still bummed about Noah Cyrus’ last-minute, health-related postponement at St. Pete’s Jannus Live two years ago, stay together because she’s coming back. The 25-yearold member of the Cyrus dynasty (Miley’s youngest sibling) just dropped her sophomore studio album I Want My Loved Ones To Go With Me , which sees her collaborate with the likes of Blake Shelton and Fleet Foxes, the latter having appeared in “Don’t Put It All on Me,” co-written by Cyrus’ older brother Braison. The 31-year-old has also been toying around with production and songwriting himself, and is gearing up to release his own studio album next year (he promises “folk flare that brings…[him back] to their southern roots”). Before opening for Noah this weekend, Braison told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay about the best gigs he ever saw, and why he wouldn’t want to live through another night like it again. Here’s what he said: “I think the best concert I ever saw was My Morning Jacket. I have seen them live six or seven times, but the last time I saw them live was at the outdoor amphitheater in Louisville. They have a song called “Cobra” that they rarely do live, and I had never seen them do it before until this show. I decided that since I had finally seen them play that song that I wouldn’t go to another show of theirs. I wanted it to be my last experience at one of their concerts. I love MMJ and they have shaped me more than any other band or artist I think.” (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)—JB

C Tampa Pig Jig 2025: Megan Moroney w/Midland/Jamestown Revival/more Guys named Noah might have an awkward moment if they stay until the end of Tampa Pig Jig this year. That’s if Megan Moroney plays the sleeper hit from her 2024 album, Am I Okay? The 27-year-old Georgia songwriter is in the midst of a nationwide arena tour that’ll make a stop at downtown’s big ol’ BBQ, music festival and tailgate happening this weekend. Moroney, who will please fans who can’t quit country Taylor, has already been on the cover of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Issue and was recently profiled in the New Yorker, which praised her “achybreaky songs about love and its failure to be respectfully reciprocated by various dudes.” A year after playing Raymond James Stadium with Kenny Chesney, she headlines Tampa Pig Jig at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, now in its 14th year of raising funds to find a cure for the rare kidney diseases like FSGS (Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis) and Nephrotic Syndrome. Also on the ticket is “Burn Out” country band Midland and tour manager-turned Moroney show-opener George Pippen. Soulful Americana duo Jamestown Revival rounds out the Tampa Pig Jig bill. All of it is punctuated by longtime San Francisco pop songwriter Matt Nathanson (“Pretty The World,” “Come On Get Higher”), who has a long history of touring Tampa Bay, from his days playing

the long-shuttered Twilight in Ybor City to recent headlining gigs at Clearwater’s Bilheimer Capitol Theatre. Read our interview with Nathanson on p. 45. (Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, Tampa)

SUN 19

C 2hollis Break out the Chobani. 2hollis isn’t easy to pin down, and that’s part of the draw. The Los Angeles-based artist folds cloud rap, glitchy hyper-pop, and freaky R&B into something that feels as restless as the internet itself. So it’s no surprise he sold out Jannus shortly after the show was announced. With pale, sharp features and the bleach blonde locks of a Targaryen, 2hollis carries the same otherworldly presence onstage that he does in his music. Born Hollis Parker Frazier-Herndon, he’s actually the offspring of indie music giants Kathryn Frazier and John Herndon. The stop comes on the heels of Star, his April 2025 full-length on Interscope. The record swings between the abrasive distortion of artists like Ecco2k and the stripped-down intimacy of a Jane Remover record. “Flash” and “Tell Me’ land like high-speed collisions, while “Eldest Child” cuts everything back to a hushed guitar figure. It’s a continuation of the push-and-pull he refined on last year’s Boy, where tracks like “Lie” and “You Once Said My Name for the First Time” blurred sharp production with raw lyrics. Outside of the albums, 2hollis has kept a steady pace of singles. “Afraid,” his collaboration with Nate Sib, splits the difference between cloud rap and warped electronics, while “Style” rides bass drops and clipped808s as Hollis toggles between half-sung hooks and detached verses. Over the summer, 2hollis brought Travis Scott levels of energy (“Put Your Body on My Jeans”), Gen-Z disco (“Forfeit”), and headbanging dubstep (“3”) to his Lollapalooza debut. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)—Sophia Lowrie

Thunder Sak w/Lobster’s Gyroshack Lukas Diaz-Ames’ squirrel-centric experimental rock and roll outfit is part of a no-cover Legion gig alongside ridiculous food-punk band Lobster’s Gyroshack. (American Legion Outpost 111, Tampa)

MON 20

Iam Tongi William “Iam” Guy Tongi got in front of new fans over the summer when his new version of “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” landed on the soundtrack for Disney’s live action “Lilo & Stitch.” The 21-year-old winner of “American Idol” season 21 kicked off a fall tour this week with three Florida dates including this one. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

TUE 21

C Mexican Slum Rats w/Cannibal Kids/ The Nancys It took four tries, but Mexican Slum Rats says that its brand new release is the band’s first real studio album. “Both the easiest and hardest record to make, and in a lot of ways, the most important to us and myself, Kevin,” the California rock outfit wrote about the 14-track effort released early this month. The LP is rock, undoubtedly, but Jonny Bell of Jazzcats Studio masterfully put to tape

an unwieldy and careening collection of songs that includes horn, warbly-heartbreaking melodies, and even a 20-minute ambient epilogue. It’ll be a journey to see I Can’t Tell You But I Know That It’s Mine come to life onstage, and there’s no better place to hear that happen than at St. Petersburg’s best rock venue. (Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg)

Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen It’ll be hard to top a gig opening the largestever ticketed concert in American history (Zach Bryan headlined, with John Mayer playing support), but Ryan Bingham is going to try. The 44-year-old actor (“Yellowstone”) is also a country songwriter fresh off a new song (“The Lucky Ones”) and working on a new album. “I always like to test them out live. People will let you know real quick whether they think they like it or not,” Bingham recently told People about the tunes he’s undoubtedly play this week. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

Yoke Lore w/The Man The Myth The Meatslab Fans of indie-pop band Walk The Moon will want to stay out light on a weeknight when co-founder Adrian Galvin brings his side project Yoke Lore to Ybor City. Jamie Clarke’s The Man The Myth The Meatslab opens with quiet folk that draws inspiration from the most vulnerable moments of records like Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago . (Crowbar, Ybor City)

WED 22

Fea w/Spanish Needles/Lot Lizards Like clockwork, a year after playing the sinceshuttered Hooch and HIve, Fea is back in the Bay area, this time across the Bay. The Texas-based outfit has recently emerged as a Chicana punk icon, according to our sibling publication San Antonio Current. (Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg)

Jonas Brothers w/All-American Rejects Prepare to feel old, Disney Channel Gen-Z’ers, because the Jonas Brothers’ 20th anniversary “Living The Dream” tour is here. The Jersey boys—Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas—announced the tour last March ahead of releasing a new single called “Love Me To Heaven,” and JonasCon (which was exactly what it sounds like: A massive gathering of JoBros fans at a mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey). The show promises to take fans through individual sets of each of the boys’ solo careers, leading up to a headlining performance from all three of them together. And there’s a dirty little secret, too: The All-American Rejects—following its own 25th anniversary last year—will open this blast to the past. (Benchmark International Arena, Tampa)—JB

C Tampa Bay Pre-Fest 9: Tiltwheel w/Too Many Daves/Amusement/The Eradicator/Feversleep/Spares/Back Teeth/Museum of Light/Tides/The Miller Lowlifes/more Chewy Hemphill would be enshrined in the Tampa Bay punk-rock hall of fame if there was one. The Bay area promoter and solid human is a mainstay outside clubs where he’s ready to hand you a flyer detailing the next show he’s booked for his company Savage Beat. One of those gigs is the nearly decade-old Pre-Fest, which has outlasted all other Pre-Fests that came before and after it. One again, Hemphill has assembled not

just homegrown acts headed to Gainesville, but bands from across the U.S. (Tiltwheel, Amusement) and globe (Toodles & The Hectic Pity, Sunliner) for a one-night-only, all-ages gettogether ahead of this month’s bacchanal in Gainesville. Deviant Libation, Ybor Heights’ church of inclusive punk-rock and heavenly beer, is the perfect venue for this, and it’ll be wild to see no-ring wrestling go down at the space, too. (Deviant Libation, Tampa)

THU 23

Dogpark w/Rehash After opening for The Moss last year, New York-via-Richmond rock band Dogpark gets to headline a show in support of a new single, “September,” released, well, last month, and an EP (Until The Tunnel Vision Melts ), that started streaming last March. Playing a frat-party-ready brand of indie-rock, the quintet is a certified sure thing for fans of The Strokes, Cage the Elephant, and even DJO. South Florida band Rehash— arriving with its own grunge-ish new LP, Mock (stylized all-lowercase), in hand— opens. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

Open House Conspiracy: Jimpster/ Austen van der Bleek If you’re the kind of person who treats DJs like your streaming app (you know these people, with phone on forehead), then maybe skip this show. Folks who love the idea of someone else curating an evening for them will head to St. Pete’s warehouse district for a set by Jamie Odell,

that dips into ambient, electro, soul and jazz. (Suite E Studios, St. Petersburg)

C The PACT: Poetry and Sax Benefit Concert & Showcase feat. Zeta The Babe Palladium Theater, especially its basement cabaret, is an exemplar of community. It regularly hosts homegrown talent and this week welcomes Zeta the Babe who hosts a vulnerable open-mic style narrative show that benefits The Studio @620. The gig couldn’t have come at a better time either. Just this month, the Pinellas County Commission approved $2.5 million from tourist tax dollars for the 100-year-old former church’s renovation that will cost $13 million. Palladium’s Executive Director Paul Wilborn told St. Pete Catalyst that about $10.8 million is in hand, from private donors, the State of Florida and the City of St. Petersburg.

C Suzie True w/Lychee Camp/Pigeon Chess Hemphill’s Pre-Fest Party can’t accommodate every great band headed for to Gainesville's punk-rock-rite-of-passage, so Brokenmold Entertainment stepped up to host Suzie True, a riot-grrl-approved outfit from L.A. The quartet headlines a no-cover dive bar gig where Tampa pop-punk favorite Lychee Camp and homegrown emo-folk outfit Pigeon Chess open. (The Hub, Tampa)

See a complete version of this Music Week listing at cltampa.com/music.

Up-and-coming “vibe rock” threesome Austin and the Powers has announced a few sporadic small-capacity concerts, including a Tampa Bay debut in Ybor City.

It’s been two years since the release of the band’s debut album Big Brain, Empty Thoughts , and the Williamsport, Pennsylvania trio announced its intent to scrape up enough funds to move to Nashville. Since the move earlier this year, the boys (who have achieved over three million streams on Spotify) have put out an upbeat, surfy new-wave cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” and “Car Wash,” which sees frontman Austin Eisner emphasize how his current situation isn’t perfect, but could be a hell of a lot worse.

And before you ask, yes, Panic! At The Disco is a major influence on the band’s sound, along with the likes of The Cure and Wallows. And with a sound like that— blended with elements of surf rock, new wave and pop—the guys are well on the way to taking the indie scene by storm.

Tickets to see Austin and the Powers play Ybor City’s The Bricks on Saturday, Dec. 6 are now available and cost $17. See my weekly roundup of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay below.—Josh Bradley

Kodak Black Friday, Oct. 31. 8 p.m. $40.05 & up. Yuengling Center, Tampa

Capyac (opening for Marc Rebillet) Saturday, Nov. 15. 7 p.m. $55.80. The Ritz, Ybor City

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus w/ Morning In May Friday, Nov. 21. 6 p.m. $25. Brass Mug, Tampa

That Mexican OT Tuesday, Dec. 2. 8 p.m.

$53.04 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

Andy Frasco & The U.N. w/TBA Saturday, Dec. 6. 7 p.m. $39.56 & up. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Thursday, Dec. 11. 8 p.m. $149.65 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa

Obituary w/Intoxicated/Castrator

Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 13 & 14. 6 p.m. $28.81. Brass Mug, Tampa

Tyler Hilton & Kate Voegele Thursday, Dec. 18. 8 p.m. $41.93. Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg

MGK w/Julia Wolf Friday, December 19. 7:30 p.m. $52.60 & up. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa.

The California Honeydrops Thursday, Jan. 8. 7 p.m. $41.62. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Southern Culture on the Skids Saturday, Jan. 17. 8 p.m. $30.30. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa

Gregory Alan Isakov Sunday, Jan. 18. 8 p.m. $135.95 & up. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg

John Waite Friday, January 30. 8 p.m. $57 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Sabaton w/Pop Evil/Wings of Steel Tuesday, Feb. 10. 7 p.m. $67 & up. Yuengling Center, Tampa

The Outlaws w/Jimmy Hall Thursday & Friday, February 19 & 20. 7:30 p.m. $50.50 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater.

David Foster and Katharine McPhee Friday, Feb. 20. 8 p.m. $60.35 & up. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg

Winter Pride Drag Race: Nina West Sunday, Feb. 22. 11 a.m. No cover, $26.90 & up for VIP. Floridian Social, St. Petersburg

Gino Vannelli Saturday, March 14. 8 p.m. $63 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Promoters, bands, and artists, please email josh@cltampa.com and rroa@cltampa.com to help us keep this listing of new concerts going. Feel free to add your own events to our frontend calendar by visiting community.cltampa.com. Your help goes a long way in keeping the concert calendar alive. "Keeping

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Think of the children

By Dan Savage

Ineed help figuring out how to tell my kids I am non-monogamous. I’ve been non-monogamous for over five years and have been married for nearly fifteen years. My husband and I have three kids together, the oldest of which is now 14. My husband and I have not been sexually active for nearly eight years, but we’re best friends, fabulous co-parents, and wonderful nesting partners, and I still love him very much. I reclaimed my sexuality and intimacy about six years ago and have been in a relationship with a wonderful man for nearly four years. My husband, dad, sister, and friends have all met and like him. I love him very much. But my kids do not know that their mom is non-monogamous! Being ethical is very important to me and telling them that I am “just going to see a friend” is wearing me down. I am concerned my oldest see might his mom holding hands with someone who isn’t his dad or hear from a friend who saw us. I do not want to hide my relationships from anyone but have waited because I just don’t know how to say it. What advice do you have for coming out to kids about being non-monogamous? I am scared they will hate me or feel betrayed. Or worse yet, that it will change my relationship with them forever as we are very close.—Mulling Over My Secret

Most kids don’t wanna think about their parents fucking each other, MOMS, and no kid wants to think about their parents fucking other people. But you’re not just fucking this other guy, MOMS, you’re in a relationship with him. You’ve taken steps to integrate your boyfriend into your life —something we all owe our romantic partners — and your boyfriend has been embraced by your husband, your dad, your sister, and your friends. But you have to tell your kids, arguably the most important people in your life, that you’re “seeing a friend” when you’re heading out to see your boyfriend and that gloss — I’m not going to call it a lie (he’s also your friend, right?)—doesn’t square with your ethics and being ethical is very important to you and blah blah ethics blah.

So, here’s an ethical question for you: If unburdening yourself—if no longer having to keep a secret from your kids—means shifting the burden of secret keeping onto your kids, is telling them the truth the more ethical choice?

Take your plan to tell your 14-year-old son but not your other kids: If you tell him but not his siblings, you’ll be putting your son in the position of having to lie to his younger siblings or other people in your orbit who don’t know. I’m no ethicist, but it seems to me that asking your eldest to lie for you is worse than continuing to tell him a glossy lie yourself until all of your kids are old enough to know that your marriage is companionate and that you have another romantic partner. You could tell all of your kids at once—you could rip that bandage off — and there are poly parents out there who are out to their kids, and their kids

are fine. But do you live in a place where you can be out as open or poly couple in your community? Because if you don’t — if this is something your kids will have to keep from their friends, your neighbors, relatives who don’t know, etc.—then you would be asking all three of your kids to lie for you. And while your eldest child might be able to wrap his head around mom and dad’s marriage being loving, stable, and companionate, knowing you’re in love with someone else could make the younger ones worry their parents might split up at any moment.

So, I would ask you… what’s more ethical: waiting to tell your kids that your good friend is your boyfriend until they’re all old enough to understand the complexities of adult lives and relationships— to say nothing of the complexities of their parents’ marriage — or dumping some very complicated shit on them so that you can feel ethically pure?

If you do decide to tell them — all of them, all at once—you will need to pour on the reassurance. It won’t be enough to tell them you, and your husband are solid, MOMS, you’re going to need to show them. And seeing your husband and your boyfriend interact without tension will help, but you shouldn’t force your kids to interact with your boyfriend if they don’t want to be around him and/or don’t want him around. And if you decide not to tell your kids until they’re a little older, then you need to be discreet. That means no public displays of affection — no holding your boyfriend’s hand—in places where your eldest or one of his friends might see you. You won’t have to sneak around forever, but sneaking around right now, while your kids are young, might be the more ethical choice.

relationship like ours. I know that there are variations in everything, but have you ever come across men like us?—Friends And Longtime Lovers

My first thought reading your letter: You should be less concerned about whether I’ve come across a relationship like yours, FALL, and more concerned about your wives or kids coming across the two of you fucking the shit out each other on one of your shared family vacations.

My second thought: This is a case for Dr. Joe Kort, the psychotherapist, sexologist, and author who specializes in marital problems faced by couples in “mixed orientation” marriages.

“I am non-judgmental and can even be supportive of a situation where a man has another guy or guys on the side,” said Dr. Kort. “However, I draw the line when the wife knows the other guy and the guy is in their friend group, as it is insensitive and unfair to the wife. Many people will feel it’s unfair to the wife that her husband is with anyone else, but it is more problematic when the two guys are the kind of friends who vacation together with their families.”

SAVAGE LOVE

There is a name for the kind of relationship you describe: two married straight-identified/straightperceived men who only have gay sex with each other are in a “closed loop.” The term was popularized by swinging couples where the men were open to their wives about being bisexual, Dr. Kort explained, and their wives consented to the arrangement, FALL, which doesn’t describe your situation. (Also, if a “straight” married man is having sex with other men, it’s important that he get the consent of his wife and take precautions to protect her sexual health. If the husband and wife are no longer intimate with each other, the man should be taking steps to protect his own sexual health and the health of his male partners, e.g., getting on PrEP, getting tested regularly, using condoms when appropriate, etc.)

want to up the odds of getting away with this—if you wanna take his loads and your secret to the grave—you gotta stop fucking the shit out of each other while your wives and kids are sleeping in the next room.

Follow Dr. Kort on Instagram @DrJoeKort. To learn more about his books, his practice, and his podcast, go to www.joekort.com.

Our teenage son does not allow us in his room. His room is sacred, and we must respect his privacy. And we do. So long as his room isn’t filthy and doesn’t smell, we never go into his room. He doesn’t show the same respect for our privacy. Every inch of the rest of the house is his to roam through and there isn’t a drawer or a closet he hasn’t inspected. The issue is we don’t want him using drugs, and he believes it would be hypocritical of us to use drugs, hence his searching through our things for evidence that we’re doing what we don’t allow him to do. My wife and I are into BDSM. We don’t practice BDSM at home, but our “date nights” involve getting a hotel room or going to a fetish club. We have gear and fetish attire that we keep in a locked trunk in a corner of the garage. We don’t even open it at home! If we’re going to a kink event, we toss it in the trunk and only open it after we get there. Well, our son found the key, rifled through everything, and was appalled and disgusted. We’ve relocated our trunk to a friend’s place, at my wife’s insistence. He’s barely speaking to us and I’m not sure what to say.—Kid Now Knows

You could say this: “When you snoop, you sometimes find out things you don’t want to know, you sometimes you find out things you don’t need to know, and you sometimes you find out things you can never un-know. So, now you know some things about your parents you didn’t need or want to know because you refused to respect our privacy the way you respect yours. And that’s entirely on you.”

I’m a 40-year-old married man who has had one male lover (who is also 40 and married) since we met in college. We are not married to each other. We’ve both been married to women. We were best friends for several years before we had sex and began our sexual affair before we got married. Our wives and children are all friends, and we often take joint vacations together. In addition to having sex with our wives during these joint vacations, we also have sex with each other. Our wives and families are ignorant of this arrangement. We’ve only had gay sex with each other. We are in love with our wives, but we have admitted that we love each other more. While we have many more opportunities to have sex with our wives (all the time, at least in theory) we have sex with them one to two times a week. While we can’t be alone overnight very often, we have sex five to six times when we do spend a night together. All the information I can find about bisexual men who are married to women and sexually active with other males focuses on “hook-ups” and never on a

Like me, Dr. Kort, who has written extensively about straight and/or straight-identified men who have sex with other men, is concerned about how this is going to play out when—not if—your wives find out.

“Given that they are doing this right under everyone’s noses, discovery seems inevitable,” said Dr. Kort. “And when they are discovered, the scale of this betrayal will make it very hard to recover from. The show Grace and Frankie made light of a similar situation—two old friends who were lovers leaving their wives for each other—but once exposed, these things rarely go the way it did on that sitcom, where everyone remained friends. A revelation like this devastates everyone—including the men involved. When this comes out, their relationships with their wives and kids will never be the same.”

Maybe you and your male lover will continue to get away with it and your wife and kids will never discover that you’ve been something more than close friends for decades, FALL. But if you

And if you really wanna get under his skin — and you shouldn’t want to (this is a humorous aside, not actionable advice)—you could say this: “Hey, have you seen the results of this study?” Researchers found that kinks may have a genetic component and could be heritable, e.g., your parents may have passed their kinks on to you, KNK, and you might’ve passed yours on to him. (That study came out in 1994, but there’s been more research and more speculation since.) While an individual’s unique life experiences play an enormous role in the formation of sexual fantasies and the cementing of kinks, mom and dad — the ones you get your DNA from — might pass kinks on to their offspring in the same way some personality traits can be passed on. It’s just a theory, of course, but it would explain the huge number of letters I’ve received over the years from distraught young adults who ran into their parents at a fetish club.

Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns, and more at Savage.Love

NOTE: In Warner Bros. cartoons, the Acme company made just about everything, from simple anvils to the always useful “Indestructo Steel Ball.” Here are some others, taken from actual WB cartoons. ACROSS 1 Great, box officewise

“Gonal” opening

Ataturk of Turkey

Cheech’s last name

Omnivorous grazer

Blue shade 22 Banished one 23 Call ___ to (end)

24 Birdseed additive aimed at slowing down roadrunners (from Hopalong Casualty, 1952)

27 If barnyard traps don’t work, this, naturally, is Plan B (from Easy Peckin’s, 1953)

29 Aficionado

30 Mind reading?: abbr.

31 Kin of suis, in French

32 It’s packed

35 Fox-fooling “egg” (from The EGGcited Rooster, 1952)

40 Laughton, in Salome 42 Sapporo sport 43 Chopper 44 Guy’s nickname

45 Guy’s nickname

46 Erstwhile “Rumba King”

47 Like Italian, sometimes

50 Low-tech way to keep up with roadrunners—just watch out for the “backlash” (from Gee Whiz-z-z, 1956)

56 Thinks highly of 58 Short on backbone

French air hub

Spanish relation

Calendar page

Castle protection

Deli order

Celebrity 65 High-tech way to keep up with roadrunners— just avoid lowhanging rocks (from Hot Rod and Reel, 1959)

71 Death Valley’s county

Apartment restriction 73 Hosp. pictures 74 A rowing concern

Needlefish

76 “You are ___” 77 Still-life fruit 78 Least relaxed 82 Device whose fleecy clouds let wolves walk “unseen” among sheep (from Sheep Ahoy, 1954) 86 Binge

Top ratings

Works on walls?

Dickens pseudonym

“___ a given”

Little bird

Half a daring duo

Purchase intended to suck up roadrunners—but it mainly gets coyotes (from Whoa Be Gone, 1958)

Leak sound

Horse’s color

Sonnet preposition 103 Turf

Items that shouldn’t be held over one’s head during activation (from Scrambled Aches, 1957) 112 Boon to chickens who misread nitroglycerin instructions (from The Dixie Fryer, 1960)

Be worthy of

Wasn’t indifferent

Minuscule margin

Great times

Out of the way

Irish river

Gas from the past

Like some cliffs

Chord below C: abbr.

Iolani Palace site

TV nanny

Tiny iron sliver

Traveling, bandstyle

Oh golly, an architectural term

Sweet-talk

Covered, as a field

British P.M. Clement

Web site queries

Distant intro