Issuu

each or try all three

www.Taco-Bus.com 2 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

EL BORRITO BOL

PORTABELLA RANCHERO

We take pride in being able to provide all of our customers with a unique

Mexican street food experience while catering to special dietary needs.

PORTOBELLO RANCHERO PLANTFARE VEGAN STEAK BUTTERNUT SQUASH RICE AND BEANS

*Vegetarian options can be made vegan

#KeepinItChido www.Taco-Bus.com cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 3

PUBLISHER James Howard EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ray Roa DIGITAL EDITOR Colin Wolf

ANTHONY MARTINO C/O GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL

STAFF WRITER Justin Garcia FOOD and THEATER CRITIC Jon Palmer Claridge FILM & TV CRITIC John Allman CONTRIBUTORS Jefferey C. Billman, Josh Bradley, Jeff Dunlap, Katlynn Mullins, Stephanie Powers, Jennifer Ring, Dan Savage

ory

PHOTOGRAPHERS Chandler Culotta, Dave Decker, Kimberly DeFalco, Michael M. Sinclair

stion ................. 5 tory

SeaWorld in February, animal rights Apply for fall via claiming EDITORIAL the practiceINTERN of keeping wild rroa@cltampa.com d dangerous. But even though public atmany SeaWorld in animal rights CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jack don’t seeFebruary, a parallel between theSpatafora kind claiming the practice of keepinganimals wild k, and the practice of displaying ILLUSTRATORS Tyler Balkcom, Joe nd dangerous. evenOr though public asking for tooBut much? is it time for a Newton, Perkins, Cory Robinson d, many don’t see aDan parallel between the kind t” animals?

stion ................. 5

All hail the queen.

Tampa rapper prepares biggest headlining set yet, p. 37.

ck and the practice of displaying animals SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES s asking forAnthony too much? Or is it time for a Carbone, Scott Zepeda ent” animals?

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS DIRECTOR Alexis Quinn Chamberlain Music: Tampa Bay Blues Fest ........................... 40 Music Week ................................................... 42

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND

Music: Tampa Bay Fest ........................... 40 Concert review: ArticBlues Monkeys .......................... 42 EVENTS COORDINATOR Lauren Caplinger

EUCLID MEDIA GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Andrew Zelman TheWill List Astrology .......................................................... Free ......................................... 64 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERS46 Movie ........................................................... reviews Chris..................................................... Keating, Michael Wagner63 Puzzler 66 VPWill OFAstrology DIGITAL SERVICES Stacy Volhein Free ......................................... 64 Savage Love ...................................................... 69 DIGITAL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Concert review: Artic Monkeys .......................... 42 Movie reviews ..................................................... 63

Puzzler ........................................................... 66

m/cltv

euclidmediagroup.com cltampa.com cldeals.com clspace.com

EDITORIAL POLICY — Creative Loafing Tampa is a publication covering public issues, the arts and entertainment. In our pages appear views from across the political and social spectrum. They do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.

MUSIC WEEK �� 38 SAVAGE LOVE �� 45 CROSSWORD �� 47

We just wanted to make Tampa’s version a little different, a little harder.

How was your Date? The newspaper is produced and printed on cltampa.com/movies How was your Date? Indigenous land belonging to Tampa Bay’s cltampa.com/movies Tocobaga and Seminole tribes.

Milk Crate Challenge Olympics brings joy and pain to Copeland Park, p. 33.

Our main number: (813) 739-4800 Letters to the editor: comments@cltampa.com Anonymous news tips: cltampabay_tips@protonmail.com

ON THE COVER: Photo by Dave Decker. Design by Jack Spatafora.

Creative Loafing is printed on a 90% recycled stock. It may be recycled further, please do your part.

Ybor Festival of the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image Moving Image A MEMBER OF: cltampa.com/arts cltampa.com/arts

/food New concept at Hall on Franklin space

twitter�com/cl_tampabay

mpa pa

cts, s, .

A&E �� 33

Creative Loafing Tampa is published by Tampa Weekly, LLC, 204 E. Henderson Ave., Tampa, FL, 33602.

_tampa. . cl_tampa

itors ors

FOOD+DRINK �� 27

facebook�com/cltampabay

instagram�com/cltampabay

4 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

KIMBERLY DEFALCO

cltv

non scs

Jaime Monzon

Savage Love ...................................................... 69

NEWS+VIEWS ��11

JUSTIN GARCIA

Music ................................................... 42 The ListWeek .......................................................... 46

/music Live and local /news Ivermectin for everyone /arts Bucs season preview photos.cltampa.com Pride & Passion roundup

2021

FRIDAY

SEPTEMBER 17 TH

Tickets on sale NOW! cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 5

FRI • Sept. 3 • 4-8pm ($5, buy tickets at vintagemarche727.com) SAT • Sept. 4 • 9am–6pm (free) SUN • Sept. 5 • 9am–5pm (free) TIGLFF Presents:

The 32nd Annual Film Festival's

Riverside Launch Party & Fundraiser $50 includes one free drink & light bites September 9th | 7pm | Outdoors at The Straz More information & tickets at www.tiglff.com

TAMPA BAY’S LARGEST MONTHLY VINTAGE MARKET

vintagemarche727.com • 2200 2nd Ave. S., St Pete, 33712 In the Warehouse Arts District across from 3 Daughters Brewing

VintageMarche727

A LY L A M E N K H A U S / C P P A C P R O D U C T I O N

USA TODAY 10 BEST

Gluten Free Restaurants in Tampa Bay

hand crafted • inventive eclectic • health conscious vegan cauliflower crust gluten free & vegan options

AN EPIC TRIBUTE TO THE M U S I C T H AT S H A P E D A M E R I C A

S AT U R DAY SEPTEMBER 25TH 2 P.M. & 8 P.M. T IC KE TS AVAI LA B LE AT LA R GOARTS . COM OR CAL L T HE BOX O F F I CE AT 727 -587 -6 7 9 3

1 0 5 C E N T R A L PA R K D R I V E • L A R G O , F L 3 3 7 7 1 6 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

DINING ROOM NOW OPEN! Hours: Sunday - Closed / Monday - Saturday • 12-9pm 610 S. Armenia Ave • Hyde Park /SoHo • (813) 258-1999 Curbside Carryout & Delivery Available / gourmetpizza-company.com

Cuban revolution

Celebration of Tampa's signature sandwich leads new list of things to do. By Jennifer Ring

et your sweatshorts ready because the 10th Annual Cuban Sandwich Festival is back in Ybor City this weekend, complete with more than 50 vendors including nearly two dozen contestants from around the world slinging their version of the preferred sandwich of Tampeños everywhere. VIP tickets ($35-$250; special shaded areas at the Centro Asturiano) are available, but it’s free to attend (must pay for samples). See more things to do below. Sunday, Sept. 5. 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Centro Asturiano de Tampa, 1913 N Nebraska Ave., Ybor City. cubansandwichfestival.com—Ray Roa

Twenty-six Tampa Bay artists contributed to the St. Petersburg Mycology Society’s “Fantastic Fungi” art show opening. Head to The Wayward Goose in St. Pete for a fun night of cocktails, bar games, and fungus-inspired art. Watch them take something as gross as fungus and turn it into something beautiful. If “Fantastic Fungi” the documentary (now on Netflix) taught us anything, it’s that fungus doesn’t have to be gross; it can be beautiful, magical, mysterious and healing. Saturday, Sept. 4, 8 p.m. The Wayward Goose, 48 9th St. N, St. Petersburg. @lowlevelrebellion on Facebook

If you love photography and fashion, you must experience Lee Miller’s photography at the Dalí. Miller spent time on both sides of the camera during her 70 years. The model/photographer documented the Surrealist movement in Paris in the late-1920s and early-1930s followed by the atrocities of war in Europe in the 1940s. She made portraits—many for Vogue—all her life. This Saturday, follow in Miller’s footsteps via Beth Reynold’s fashion photography workshop at the Dali. Models and studio setups provided. Saturday, Sept. 4, 9:50 a.m.-12 p.m. $95 members, $125 non-members. The Dali, 1 Dali Blvd., St. Petersburg. thedali.org

After four years of delays, Rudy Ciccarello’s Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement finally opens next week in St. Petersburg. The museum houses items from Ciccarello’s private collection of over 2,000 American arts and crafts objects. Will it be enough to tell the full story of the American arts and crafts movement, including the important roles of women, immigrants, Native Americans and African Americans in the movement? Let’s go and find out. Opens Tuesday, Sept. 7. General admission $25. The Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, 355 4th St. N., St. Petersburg. museumaacm.org

MARIDAV/ADOBE

STICK A PORK IN IT: Tampa’s most famous sando takes centerstage this weekend.

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 7

Jam fam

Photos by Dave Decker

ummer Jam returned from a 7-year hiatus last weekend with a two-day affair at Ybor City’s Crowbar, which featured a Friday show from Demigodz co-founders Apathy and Celph Titled, plus this Saturday bill with six bands including Tribal Style, Roxx & the Revolts, Noan Partly and Palomino Blond. See more photos—including Jack Cymbryla’s full set from Friday’s show—by visiting cltampa.com/magazine.—Ray Roa

8 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 9

10 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

“ ...there was also a wave of hopelessness that washed over me.” POLITICS

ISSUES

OPINION

Taking a stand

Tampa protester marched for Black lives and now faces up to 5 years in prison. By Justin Garcia On Tuesday morning, Aug. 24, Lambo and the state will argue the motion and set a date for trial. Bullock maintains her innocence. She thinks that the charges are ramped up and limiting what her lawyer can speak about in her defense is an attempt by the state to make an example out of her. A recent national study supports her suspicions and shows that BLM protesters around the country were targeted by police officers and the U.S. legal system throughout the past year.

to COVID-19. The felony arrest shows up on her background checks, and she lost several job opportunities over the past year until she found a job that hired her despite the charge. Bullock had to move out of her old house, and finding a new one was hell. When she finally found a landlord who would accept her even with the arrest, she had to pay double the deposit to move in.

binge-watching TV shows with her boyfriend, and on her goal of becoming a therapist. But everything she does is affected by the charges. After the protests, she stopped taking her classes at Hillsborough Community College because of the stress. As her trial approaches, her anxiety is rising because of the harsh sentence that could be imposed if she is convicted. She

LOCAL NEWS

DAVE DECKER

hen Jamie Bullock was arrested during a Black Lives Matter march on the Fourth Of July last year, she cried uncontrollably for around 10 minutes as she sat in the backseat of a Tampa Police Department squad car. A friend, who was also arrested, sat next to her in the car and tried to console her. But the outpouring of grief from the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the police-related death of her own brother, flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably. During the July 4 march on Dale Mabry Highway, Bullock had remained strong as she watched her friends attacked and arrested by bicycle police. She checked on her friends, asking, “What did they do?” as several officers held one of her friends on the ground. When her turn came, police took her to the ground, grabbed her braids, and pushed her face into the hot pavement while handcuffing her. She couldn’t breathe until the officers picked her up to take her to the car. She was just 21-years-old at the time. Bullock could hear her friends calling out to her as the police arrested her. “It felt good to hear their voices, but there was also a wave of hopelessness that washed over me,” she told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Bullock was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer—a third-degree felony that is punishable by up to 5 years in prison—along with resisting arrest and obstructing a city roadway, both misdemeanors. A plea offer that would reduce Bullock’s charges to a misdemeanor was made, but having an arrest on her record has already affected her life in an extremely negative way. Bullock feels she was expressing her constitutional right to free speech, so she has pleaded not guilty. The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s office has now filed a motion “In Limine,” which seeks to suppress what Michelle Lambo—Bullock’s defense attorney—can talk about in court. The motion seeks to remove any discussion of First Amendment and constitutional rights, along with discussion of police behavior that day and the fact that Bullock had no previous criminal record. The State Attorney’s office, led by Andrew Warren, declined to comment on the motion, as the case is ongoing.

TAKE COVER: Jamie Bullock, moments before her arrest on July 4, 2020. For Bullock, the arrest has led to job and housing insecurity, along with mental wounds that she’s still working to heal. A life disrupted Prior to the protest, Bullock was a photographer for a local company but had to leave the job due

Bullock has been going to therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder for the past year, but still, every time she sees the police, the hair stands up on the back of her neck. She wants to be able to concentrate on her rug-making business, on uplifting local artists, on enjoying playtime with her cat and

has little faith in the American carceral system’s treatment of Black people, which is why she was protesting in the first place last year. A long time coming Bullock—now 22 years old—went to her first continued on page 12

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 11

DAILY HAPPY HOUR! 11AM-6PM

$2.50 YUENGLING & BUD LIGHT DRAFTS / $3.50 WELL DRINKS / $4.50 CALL DRINKS & HOUSE WINE ASHLEY DIEUDONNE

MONDAY – FRIDAY FROM 4-7PM

FRIDAY 9/3

LIVE MUSIC • 7-10PM

Matt Plaisted

SATURDAY 9/4 LIVE MUSIC • 7-10PM

Wendy Barmore duo

SUNDAYS

APPY HOUR $5 APPETIZERS BLOODY MARYS, MIMOSAS OR SANGRIA

471 MAIN STREET, DUNEDIN FL • 727-736-2BBQ (2227) • THEDUNEDINSMOKEHOUSE.COM

Late

Coming Soon

Summer 2021

TAMPA BAY’S PREMIER

INDEPENDENT GUITAR STORE

FIND THE PERFECT

GUITAR/BASS/AMP/PEDAL

ALL MAJOR BRANDS ALLTHE THE MAJOR HUNDREDS OF GUITARS TO CHOOSE FROM

BRANDS 10% OFF BRING IN THIS COUPON TO RECEIVE

HUNDREDS OF GUITARS ONE REGULAR PRICED ITEM. TO CHOOSE FROM NO COPIES ALLOWED, MUST PRESENT THIS AD

3944 S. DALE MABRY

REPLAYGUITAR.COM 12 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

BRITTON PLAZA, TAMPA

813-254-8880

TO PROTECT AND SERVE: TPD pushed Jamie Bullock’s face into the hot pavement while handcuffing her. continued from page 11 protest in March of 2020, and she felt like her life had been leading up to the moment. She had remembered the killing of Trayvon Martin and how it made her feel, but she was too young at the time to really get involved. In October of 2019, Bullock says she lost her brother after he attempted to commit a theft. Her brother had a felony on his record and couldn’t get a job. He applied to so many places, she says, but no one would accept him with a criminal record. So he had no money and tried to steal from a vehicle. Bullock says that when police arrived at the scene, he took off running and that the police say they found him dead, with a gun next to him. They claimed it was a suicide, but Bullock has yet to see any footage or evidence from the incident. This stayed with her, deep in her heart. Then, when George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin and his accomplices, Bullock knew that she had to join the worldwide movement of millions of people fighting back against police terror. Throughout the summer, she faced multiple harmful scenarios with the cops. She was even maced while standing on a public sidewalk as she filmed TPD brutalizing her friends. She took several cold showers that day but her skin still burned and she couldn’t sleep. But she kept coming out to protest afterward because she was determined to find justice. During the Fourth of July protest, Bullock says she remained completely peaceful, as did her fellow protesters while they marched that day. Bullock’s attorney points out that both TPD helicopter video, bodycam video, and witness video shows that the protesters were doing just that, holding a peaceful march until the bicycle

police plowed into the crowd and began macing and arresting people, even body-slamming one of them who was asking, “Why are they being arrested?” into a megaphone. In the midst of this altercation, Bullock’s life changed forever. Taking a stand Despite her fear of going to prison, Bullock says she can’t admit to committing a crime when she feels she was only fighting for her human rights and those of others. Her cause last year was in the name of her family, her friends, and Black lives everywhere, she says. What hurts the most is that she hasn’t seen much change in her city. “I feel like the police and the politicians of our city just wanted us to shut up, and our community hasn’t seen substantial change over the past year,” Bullock says. During the Fourth of July march, BLM protesters were carrying a “Defund the Police” banner, which is part of a national call to move funds from police departments to other public services such as housing. But instead of hearing that call, Tampa increased funding for its police department more than any other major city in the U.S. Although the charges have drastically changed her life, the encouragement she receives from friends and family has given her courage. Bullock feels that taking a stand in this trial might make an impact, not just for her, but for all those whose voices aren’t heard. “There are so many people, not just Black people, who are abused by the police and discarded by the system we live in,” Bullock says. “We should be able to live in peace, without this kind of treatment. I have to stand up for what’s right.”

LOCAL NEWS

Thu. September 30th ~ 7-10pm ~ Hard Rock Event Center Bulla Gastrobar • Daily Eats • Green Lemon • MOOD Bake Bar • Red Mesa Group • Rollin Oats • Seminole Hard Rock • SoHo Juice • Taco Dirty • The Mill • Water + Flour • and more to be announced Featuring sampling by:

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! botbtampabay.com cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 13

3 Day Vintage Market SEPTEMBER 10-12

~ The market opens the 2nd and 4th weekend of each month! ~~ ~

2326 E 7th Ave, Ybor City, FL 33605 • (813) 304-2134

14 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

IT TAKES A VILLAGE: Supporters of Tampa protester Jamie Bullock outside the county courthouse on Aug. 24.

Motion commotion

Decision delayed on motion to ban 1A discussion in protester trial. By Justin Garcia

n Aug. 24, over 30 people gathered inside Courtroom 61 of Tampa’s Hillsborough County Courthouse for a hearing about the trial of three protesters who marched down Dale Mabry Highway last Fourth of July. The main topic of discussion for the day was a “Motion in Limine” filed by State Attorney Andrew Warren’s office (SAO13) last week, which seeks to limit what the protesters’ defense team can discuss in court. The motion would limit the right to speak of protesters’ “right to free speech,” their constitutional right to assemble, police conduct at protests, along with several other key issues related to the defense team’s case. Assistant State Attorney Danielle Villamil told the court that the main point of the Limine was to remove any evidence, especially video evidence, that wasn’t relevant to the defendant’s charges. But the motion’s first two lines do not discuss video evidence, but rather constitutional rights and the peaceful nature of the protest. “What the motion says is, it’s OK to just throw out the constitution,” Michelle Lambo, an attorney for two of the defendants told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “And the police plowing into those kids as they marched down the street is relevant to the case, they brutalized those kids.

They’re (the SAO) trying to keep out all the facts that don’t help them.” Rather than debate the motion on the spot, Judge Mark D. Kiser set a new hearing date for the motion on Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. Kiser’s reasoning was mainly because new video emerged just last week from a police officer’s body-worn camera that was only recently turned over to the defense by the state, so more time is needed to review the video by the defense team. SAO13 said it cannot comment on the motion or the trial while it is ongoing. The defense argues that photos and video from that day, including police footage, show that the police were the aggressors as the protesters marched peacefully last Fourth of July. It also brought the question to the court of whether or not the charge of blocking a roadway was a criminal or a civil violation, which will also be discussed on Sept. 13. Two of the three protesters facing charges ranging from misdemeanors to felonies might now go to trial, depending on what unfolds in the case proceedings over the coming days. The trial is tentatively set to begin on Oct. 6. Outside of the courtroom, defendant Jamie Bullock broke into tears and leaned on a friend as her supporters looked on. Outside, she cheered up as her friends encouraged her.

LOCAL NEWS

“I’m feeling more anxiety the longer this stretches on,” Bullock told CL outside the courtroom. “But I know I’m innocent. And everyone who supports me knows that too. That’s all that matters.” Last Friday, State Attorney Andrew Warren’s office (SAO13) sent the motion to restrict what can and can’t be discussed at the upcoming trial for last year’s Fourth of July Black Lives Matter protesters. The “Motion in Limine” filed in the 13th Judicial Court of Hillsborough County seeks to restrict, in part, the discussion of the protesters’ constitutional rights, along with the “alleged peaceful nature of the protest,” aspects of the Tampa Police Department’s conduct that day and “defendant’s lack of criminal history.” The motion seeks to to bar defendants and witnesses in an upcoming BLM activist trial from making any mention, reference or argument regarding the following matters: • The constitutionality of protests; • The “right to free speech” and public assemblies; • The alleged peaceful nature of the protest; • Law enforcement conduct, generally, in response to various protests locally and elsewhere; • Alleged acts of law enforcement officers as to detention, arrest, or alleged violent treatment of other protest attendees; • Allegations that law enforcement “brutalized” or otherwise harmed Defendants;

• Law enforcement officers’ conduct that is unrelated to their direct interactions with the Defendants; • Defendant’s lack of criminal history. The document (see link to the document via cltampa.com/magazine) also seeks to restrict Creative Loafing Tampa Bay photojournalists who were there that day from participating in the trial as witnesses. “Accordingly, the State further seeks exclusion of all photos identified in reciprocal discovery which do not depict the Defendants, and witnesses identified as Creative Loafing Journalists and protest attendees who do not have direct knowledge of the allegations against the Defendants,” the document reads. Last year, CL acknowledged that it will not participate in state investigations. During a Zoom court meeting on Aug. 23, Lambo said that the state is trying to limit discussion of key aspects of the defense’s case. Protesters from last year’s Fourth of July BLM march on Dale Mabry Highway could face charges ranging from misdemeanor obstruction of a roadway to battery on a law enforcement officer, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. CL photos, video evidence from a bystander, as well as police body cam and aerial footage (see p. 17) seem to show police interactions with protesters that day. Critics have said that police were the aggressors that day as the protesters marched down the road.

“What the motion says is, it’s OK to just throw out the constitution.”

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 15

Cheer on your favorite team...

Screenings Help Save More Lives

as you sample local craft beers, hand-crafted cocktails and innovative pub favorites!

At Moffitt, we are committed to cancer prevention and helping you understand your risks. Let Moffitt be your trusted partner for expert cancer care.

Let’s start the conversation. Learn more about screenings. Call 1-888-456-2839 or visit Moffitt.org/Screening

Courageous DURING COVID-19, YOUR SAFETY IS A PRIORITY AT MOFFITT

Karaoke

7 Nights a Week!

Follow us on Instagram! @garrisontavern Open Wednesday-Sunday from 4pm-11pm 505 Water St • Tampa, FL • 33602 garrisontavern.com • (813) 204-6390

Celebrating 23 years in Downtown Dunedin. ~ Asi es la Vida! ~

AT with KJ's

BARB YOUNG & MARTY DJFX DOLAN DINE IN & TAKE OUT

DINE IN & TAKE OUT • OPEN 8AM-3AM STRICTLY FOLLOWING CDC GUIDELINES! 2116 E2116 BAY DR • LARGO, FL • 727-584-3126 E BAY DR • LARGO, FL • 727-584-3126

thecornerbarandgrill.com thecornerbarandgrill.com

16 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

Expanded bar, additional seating and small gift shop. 365 Main St • Dunedin • 727-734-9226 • www.CasaTinas.com

Police taped

New video shows Tampa police targeting BLM protesters last July 4.

s protesters face an upcoming trial from arrests during a Black Lives Matter march last Fourth of July, video obtained by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay shows that a Tampa police officer encouraged fellow cops to “try to get charges” on protesters during the protest. Seven people were arrested that day, and the new footage calls into question arresting officers’ motives behind their interaction with protesters. Audio accompanying aerial footage from a Tampa Police Department (TPD) helicopter reveals that the officer encouraged fellow cops to “try to get charges on somebody” toward the beginning of TPD bicycle cops’ interaction with protesters. The video shows that TPD officers pedaled down W Palmetto Street (48:20) and directly into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters on the 4th of July 2020. Just seconds later, the cops begin going after protesters and the crowd scatters. The crowd then gets closer as police hold someone on the ground.

At this point, an officer says into the radio, “Get our guys up there, they’re attacking the officers.” (48:45) The crowd of protesters then moves back from the police, and moments after that (49:25) an officer can be heard saying, “Try to get charges on somebody if you can.” (Visit cltampa. com/magazine to see the video.) The aerial footage then pans away from the crowd but shows that most protesters moved backward as the police held their ground on Dale Mabry. The aerial footage then follows a person of interest moving south Dale Mabry, getting into a car, then being surrounded by nine cops and arrested. A protester with a bullhorn and orange shirt is identified as an “agitator” by an officer. Then, an officer says “I would take him down right now,” (54:55) before police rush to arrest him. Bodycam footage previously obtained by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay shows that the protester with the bullhorn was simply yelling, “Why are we being arrested?!” into the bullhorn before

LOCAL NEWS

TAMPA POLICE DEPARTMENT

By Justin Garcia

ZOOMING OUT: Aerial video reveals new information about TPD’s approach to July 4 BLM protesters. an officer rushed forward and body-slammed the protester. CL reached out to TPD for comment about the footage and audio, in particular, the “Try to get charges on somebody if you can” statement. Our questions were then directed to TPD’s legal team. “The publication’s decision to focus on part of the audio and not its entirety, is misleading and not a true depiction of everything that was said altogether. We will not further comment as there is a pending criminal trial of the defendants who

“Try to get charges on somebody if you can.”

CHANDLER CULLOTTA

HOLD TIGHT: Tampa police apprehend protester Jamie Bullock on July 4, 2020.

were lawfully arrested in this matter,” Jamel Lanee, TPD’s public safety information officer, sent in an email. CL sent follow-up questions, asking what audio was missed that would result in a more accurate depiction of the event. TPD did not send a response. The question of which officer said “try to get charges on somebody,” also went unanswered. A review of the 64-minute long video shows that most of the audio occurs after bicycle police engage with the protesters. Audio surrounding this time frame doesn’t seem to clarify what TPD means by CL’s questions being “misleading.” We’ll update this story if there’s a response to clarify the department’s statement. “If the recording is accurate, it shows clear bias against BLM protesters and confirms what a lot of people suspected,” James Shaw, state legal panel chair at ACLU of Florida, told CL. “The right to protest shouldn’t depend on whether law enforcement officers are sympathetic to your cause. When that happens, First Amendment rights have no chance.” “I think it shows TPD’s mentality that day. They deliberately escalated the situation and started the fight with the protesters,” Brett Metcalf, a Tampa criminal defense attorney, told CL. “I don’t know if TPD wanted to fabricate charges against these people or if they were just trying to set them up to commit a crime they wouldn’t otherwise commit. But neither explanation is a good one.” Three protesters still face charges from this 4th of July protest from 2020. Last week, Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren’s office filed a ‘Motion in Limine’ to restrict what can be discussed during the trial. The motion would ban the discussion of protesters’ right to free speech, their constitutional right to assemble, the alleged peaceful nature of the protest, and police conduct that day. The motion is set to be debated on Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. at the Hillsborough County Courthouse and the trial dates are set to begin on Oct. 6.

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 17

VOTE! NOW through September 9th botbtampabay.com ~ #clbotb

18 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

Jocular George

George Meyer, the journalist and friend to many, died Aug. 27. By Jeff Dunlap

eorge Meyer was the unofficial mayor of Richardson Place, a shady street in Tampa’s Old Hyde Park neighborhood one block from Bayshore Boulevard and Old Tampa Bay. By the time he moved there in the 1970s to teach newspaper reporting at the University of South Florida, Richardson Place was known for ancient pin oaks dripping Spanish moss, and aging bungalows with big front porches and a few big, old houses nearby. The rest of Tampa seemed to be moving as fast as it possibly could to build itself up. Old Hyde Park just took its time no matter what. Richard Nixon was in the White House and the U.S. military in Vietnam as rental properties in Old Hyde Park began to fill with artists, writers, waiters, waitresses, bartenders, young married couples, college students, college dropouts, old hipsters, and small-time dope dealers. It was called Old Hyde Park because the neighborhood dates to when its first house in 1882 attracted Tampa residents of the era who liked living between Bayshore Boulevard and downtown where their gentrified friends worked. In the 20th century, the city’s gentry had moored a metallic replica of a pirate ship, called the Jose Gaspar, beside Bayshore Boulevard near Old Hyde Park. They cranked it up every Mardi Gras season to wear phony beards, wave plastic swords, get drunk, and fire off fake cannons. George and his then-wife Betty, (“My lovely assistant”) fit right in with the students, college graduates and couples living life on Richardson Place, even its old hippies working low-end jobs as they searched for their own lost souls. George didn’t care for the bullyish Jose Gaspar crowd. He liked everybody else.

what everyone remembers: The George Meyer Laugh. It was huge. George laughed at anything and everything – not haw-haw-haw from down in his throat but hah-ha-ha-ha-ha from the top of his big, broad chest and big head. To let it fly, he opened his mouth with a giant grin as if some little kid with a squirt gun was standing in front of him trying to squirt Kool-Aid to the back of his mouth. That laugh was bigger than a Mack Truck honking at a Volkswagen Beetle. It was bigger than a Boeing 747 flying low over your house. Whenever he launched that laugh, he did not roll his head back—he looked straight into your eyes to see if

The George Meyer Laugh Youngest son of two college professors, he was born in a college town—Bloomington, Indiana—raised in a college town—Gainesville, Florida—and now was teaching in a university town where his classroom was always packed with seniors… including, for one academic quarter, me. At the time, I was working as managing editor of USF’s daily student newspaper, The Oracle. I earned about $12 a week to write a daily editorial for our vast student body, which then numbered about 25,000. I was busy all day with meetings, editing reporters’ stories, and writing my column. George’s classroom was down the hall. I took his class because I needed credits to graduate. I’d heard he was a funny guy. That, he was. The thing I remember from my first day in class was

believe would have been a great lecturer; he was more interactive, and he did lots more than teach “The Five Ws” of news reporting: Who, What, Why, When & Where. Instead, his classes typically were Q&A round robins with everyone expected to participate. He would outline, for example, a serious situation a news reporter might encounter and then open the room to opinions on how to get the facts from reluctant sources and write the story. As the end of class approached, he sometimes would ask every student to write a “breaking news story” about the incident with only 10 minutes of class time remaining. Then, he’d collect all the stories, grading each before their next class together. He was an easy grader, mostly committed to writing hints in the margin offering suggestions and ways to improve the story. Even I knew that news reporting and magazine writing was not rocket science or splitting atoms. In the age of Bob Woodward

IN MEMORIAM

panthers, ladies of the night; undertakers, gravediggers, hearse chauffeurs, flower cars; tales of woe with happy endings, jokes about jokes, jokes about Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin and Robin Williams; B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King and King Kong; sexy women jokes, sexless jokes, too much sex jokes; can’t get any sex jokes; worm farmer jokes; worm salesmen jokes; bartenders jokes, drunk jokes, sobriety jokes; LGBTQ jokes; and “Yo Mama is So Ugly” jokes—plus anything and everything else about life and the human condition. If you heard that laugh only once in your life you would never forget whose it was. If you were six years in the Peace Corps and heard it upon returning you would yell “GEORGE!” in recognition. That’s why it was called The George Meyer Laugh. Nobody ever forgot it. It always made you feel good and let you know that you were in good company. You were sitting at the cool kids’ table.

FOLLOW THE LEADER: George Meyer (L) was the unofficial mayor of Richardson Place. you were laughing, too, to bring you into the joke. In public this made strangers turn their heads to ask, “What’s on earth is so funny?” Well…He laughed at jokes about traveling salesmen and farmers’ daughters; priests, pastors, rabbis, gurus, monkeys, donkeys, burros, llamas and mules; pink elephants, pink

Questions & answers about life Sportswriter in Jacksonville; AP reporter in Miami; writer-producer for PBS; film critic/ book reviewer for two Florida newspapers; and son of two university professors, George was extremely well-read. His newspaper reporting classes at USF were not lectures, and I don’t

and Carl Bernstein, it was a lifestyle that I and plenty of George Meyer students wanted. The black and white bumper sticker on George’s 1960s Ford Mustang reminded everybody that “Journalists do it Daily.” continued on page 21

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 19

PR PA

IVER @O

IDE

IDEONTH ER

I C I A LT A M PRESENTED BY

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 TA M PA , F L

DR AG BRUNCH , DIVE R S IT Y BOAT PAR ADE , R IVE R S IDE FE S TIVAL , LIVE E NTE R TAINME NT, FIR EWORKS S HOW,

MOR E

VISIT PRIDEONTHERIVER.ORG FOR EVENT DETAILS, REGISTRATION AND SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. An official Tampa Pride, Inc event. Tampa Pride, Inc is a 501.c3 Non-Profit

20 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

THE GEORGE MEYER LAUGH WAS HUGE: Just ask pal Charlie Greacen (R). continued from page 19 The Unofficial Mayor of Richardson Place Being at least six feet tall, with thick, light brown hair, big jowls, a nose almost too big, and big hands with quarterback fingers, George stood out wherever he was—in his classroom, at a party, in a restaurant, on a beach, at The Press Box Bar on South Dale Mabry or Tiny Tap Tavern on Morrison near Richardson Place. George loved people as much as he loved to laugh. And it showed. Students and teachers alike called him “Jocular George.” If you were strolling up Richardson Place on a weekend it’s likely George would be sitting on his porch with the New York Times, the St. Petersburg Times or Tampa Tribune. If he recognized you from USF or the neighborhood, he’d wave you to the chair next to him with a “Hey, what’s going on?” ready for talk on any topic. He was a great giver of advice that made common sense, and the conversation was never about him, it was always about you. He could find humor in any situation, point it out, and was ready to punctuate anything with that big laugh, or words of wisdom. He was like a big brother to people, always ready to offer a cold beer, listen to you, then find humor or consolation for you both to enjoy with a laugh. He believed in second chances, and that everybody is entitled to getting at least one.

reportedly also occupied by a droll, funny, and satirical columnist for the Tampa Tribune named Daniel Ruth. Dan was known to favor excellent, expensive, very old scotch, never the cheaper stuff. A few years later he went on to share a Pulitzer Prize at the St. Petersburg Times when he toiled there as an editorial writer. Dillworth Manor was also occupied by two lovely, well-bred girls—one blond, one brunette—who could have performed crazy chick scenarios on the original Saturday Night Live, and would love doing it. By then I was a featured columnist at The Tampa Tribune, seeing George less often. The Annual Richardson Place Easter Beer Hunt was an open-air event that emanated from George’s front porch, spilling over the yard down to the sidewalk. Not just George’s friends but anybody from the neighborhood could stop by after adult guests had found most of the hidden beers and any kids on hand, with mommy and daddy’s help, had found candy-filled plastic eggs hidden all over. It was an afternoon of food, fun and frolic. This I know because the inaugural annual event marked the debut of my day-old rock band Sir Jeffrey & The Extremes featuring yours truly and Greg Tozian (Tribune film critic) on electric guitars, Paul Wilborn (Tribune reporter/editor) on electric piano, and Greg’s brother Mark on drums. History is foggy but I do believe Tribune features production editor Mike Kilgore was in the throng as we played the Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride” badly and then quit before being jocularly booed off George’s porch. As some people wrote on the “Memories” page of Jocular George Meyer’s obituary, “George was always the life of the party…he WAS the party, wherever he went.” I agree. I miss you. George, as does everyone who knew you. Jeff Dunlap – St. Louis, Missouri – August 22, 2021 / Copyright © Jeff Dunlap 2021. All rights reserved.

IN MEMORIAM

Richardson Place Easter Beer Hunt George will forever be remembered for many things, in particular the Annual Richardson Place Easter Beer Hunt that he concocted and hosted. Friends of George were notified with an invitation created by Tampa’s timelessly great artist, cartoonist, and graphic designer Charlie Greacen who, for a time, lived across the street from George at the so-called Dillworth Manor, a large two-story house with several rooms that qualified as apartments. Dillworth Manor was

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 21

PLAY TOGETHER

$65.96 of bowling for $32 at CL Deals .com

2 hours of bowling for up to 4 people. Veterans 5555 W. Hillsborough Avenue Tampa, FL 33634 (813) 884-1475

Midtown 4847 N. Armenia Avenue Tampa, FL 33603 (813) 877-7418

East Pasco 6816 Gall Boulevard Zephyrhills, FL 33542 (813) 782-5511

Bowling Classes: Pin Chasers makes it easy to learn with our 4-week “Have a Ball!” program for adults. Sign-up as an individual, couple or a group.

Make a FastLane reservation at

pinchasers.net

22 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

Murphy’s law

Maybe there’s no way to lose a two-decade-old war gracefully. By Jeffrey C. Billman

or all the talk of Saigon, I think the Bay of Pigs serves as a better political analogy for what’s happening in Afghanistan. Like John F. Kennedy, Joe Biden inherited a half-cocked plan whose aim he committed to during the presidential campaign, then shouldered the blame when it went sideways. The parallels aren’t perfect, of course. The politics and psychology of the Cold War were strange (and rather terrifying) beasts. Donald Trump’s February 2020 capitulation to the Taliban, on the other hand, was quite plainly borne of his desire to notch a historic first-term achievement. Biden followed through on account of his insistent, long-held conviction that the U.S. had no business nation-building in Afghanistan. But the deal Trump struck is worth assessing: Without including the Afghan government, Trump agreed to arrange the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and withdraw American troops by May 1, 2021. In exchange, the Taliban pinky-swore to negotiate with the Afghan government—not broker a power-sharing arrangement—not harbor terrorists, and not launch “high-profile” attacks or kill Americans. The emboldened Taliban immediately escalated its war on Afghan forces, the Pentagon’s inspector general reported in May 2020. Afghan forces, reading the writing on the wall, began cutting deals with extremist group. Even so, Trump reduced troop strength from 13,000 to 8,600. Trump also said the agreement was contingent on “the Taliban’s action against al-Qaeda

and other terrorists who threaten us.” This, too, was false. In August 2020, the Pentagon reported that the Taliban and al-Qaeda had partnered in attacks on Afghan security forces. In December, the Defense Department said members of al-Qaeda were “integrated into the Taliban’s leadership and command structure.” Trump continued removing troops. The day he left office, the U.S. had 2,500 service members in Afghanistan. So Biden faced a choice: make good on Trump’s deal or recommit to a quagmire. As much as neocon forever warriors and Trump administration revisionists want to obscure their roles in this mess, a contingent of soldiers a quarter the size of the Los Angeles Police Department simply couldn’t ensure stability in a fractured country with the population of California. Perhaps Biden could have imposed new conditions on withdrawing the last American troops, as the Afghanistan Study Group recommended in February. Or he could have left in place the air support Afghan forces relied on in battles with the Taliban. But that was easier said than done. Reneging would almost certainly have restarted the conflict in earnest, which would have required more troops—and the Taliban would no longer have left Americans alone. For Biden, it wasn’t a hard call. Until about three weeks ago, he had little opposition. Few noticed what was happening on the other side of the world. When the Taliban overran Kabul,

however—after President Ashraf Ghani fled the city, ending any chance for a negotiated transition of power and leading to the chaos that ensued— Biden’s critics saw an opportunity to land a punch. Except it wasn’t just landing a punch. It was calculated vengeance. The more vicious the attacks against Biden, the less uniquely outrageous Trump’s presidency—the endless scandals, the two impeachments, the attempt to overturn an election—would look by comparison. If you drag everyone into the gutter, everyone’s on the same level. Cue the over-the-top rhetoric: From Mar-aLago, Trump—Trump!—declared that Biden should “resign in disgrace for what he has allowed to happen to Afghanistan.” Other epigones followed. Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who leads Senate Republicans’ re election efforts, said Biden should be removed via the 25th Amendment. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who negotiated the Taliban agreement, said Biden “basically abandoned the global stage in favor of climate change.” And so on. The chest-thumping ramped up after ISIS suicide bombers killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and at least 170 Afghans outside of the Kabul airport last Thursday, marking the first American casualties in a weeklong evacuation of more than 100,000 people. Before the bodies were cold, insurrectionist Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley—who in May praised Biden’s decision to leave Afghanistan—called for Biden’s resignation. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, the former White House Dr. Feelgood, demanded Biden’s impeachment. In a letter, Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina asked “Kamela” Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy—who opposed

INFORMED DISSENT

a Democratic amendment last year to put conditions on Trump’s withdrawal—urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi to recall the House so it can “prohibit the withdrawal of our troops until every American is safely out.” I’m not defending the withdrawal. As I wrote last week, it was a failure of intelligence and planning, compounded by Biden’s overly optimistic public assurances. But I’m incensed by hypocrisy dressed up as indignation and cynicism pretending at compassion. And I’m increasingly distressed by corners of the media that are so desperate to maintain their both-sides cred that they’ll provide undeserved platforms to badfaith actors. Some perspective is needed. One hundred and fourteen U.S.-allied fighters died in the Bay of Pigs in 1961. Republicans didn’t seek Kennedy’s resignation. Nor did they demand the resignation of President Bill Clinton after the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu that left 18 Americans dead. For that matter, Democrats didn’t demand Ronald Reagan’s resignation after a terrorist attack on a Marine base at the Beirut airport in 1983 killed 192, or George W. Bush’s resignation after terrorists brought down the World Trade Center, or Donald Trump’s resignation after he sacrificed the U.S.’s Kurdish allies to Syria, at least not for that reason. Sometimes, presidents bungle foreign policy out of hubris or ineptitude. Sometimes, decades of mistakes and misadventure come home to roost. Sometimes—at the risk of being glib—shit happens. Sometimes, it’s all of the above. Maybe Afghanistan represents a case study in Murphy’s Law. Or maybe there’s no way to lose a two-decade-old war gracefully. Subscribe to Informed Dissent at billman. substack.com.

KATIE RICKS

WALK THE LINE: Reneging on Afghanistan would almost certainly have restarted the conflict.

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 23

Fairgrounds St. Pete invites you to escape reality and immerse yourself in an art and technology installation celebrating weird, wacky, wonderful Florida. In this 15,000 ft2 chooseyour-own-adventure experience, YOU become part of the experience. Located in St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District, Fairgrounds St. Pete is an anchor tenant of The Factory St. Pete’s cultural campus. Featuring over 60 artists, all with ties to Florida, Fairgrounds St. Pete’s inaugural

24 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

installation includes work by nationally recognized and emerging artists, providing them all a platform to showcase their work and experiment with new ideas. Fairgrounds develops original, engaging and immersive experiences that transform the ways we experience art and technology. Whether it is your first, or fiftieth, time visiting, there is always something new to discover at Fairgrounds. With the belief that art and technology should be inclusive, accessible, and build community, Fairgrounds St. Pete is evolving how stories are told and

innovating new ways to create shared experiences. From the moment you step through the doors to when your quest concludes, all paths at Fairgrounds St. Pete provide opportunities for engagement and interactivity. Fairgrounds St. Pete’s goal is to excite the imagination and create meaningful shared adventures. Visit us soon! Limited preview tickets available, get your tickets today at WWW.FAIRGROUNDS.ART! Follow @FAIRGROUNDSSTPETE and tag us in your photos!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step inside a world created by your favorite artists?

FRIDAY 27 The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles made a new Tampa Bay Bucs license plate design available for fans looking to mark the team’s Super Bowl LV victory in February. Added to the plate is the Super Bowl’s Roman numeral designation under the team flag, but taken is the vanity plate “BNDWGN.”

SATURDAY 28

In the midst of a COVID surge, Scott Rivkees announces he will leave his post as surgeon general and secretary of the Florida Department of Health next month. TikTok health gurus and QAnon nuts put down the Ivermectin to see how they can apply to replace him.

DR. SCOTT RIVKEES

Shit Happened

TUESDAY 31

MONDAY 30 Cigar City Brewing founder Joey Redner slashes $1 million from the asking price for his South Tampa mansion. That’s the price of more than 41,000 cases of Jai Alai, man!

MICHAEL MAMOON/ADOBE

MARCBERNIERSHOW/TWITTER

Daytona Beach conservative Florida radio host Marc Bernier, who liked to call himself “Mr. Anti Vax,” died after a three-week battle with COVID-19. Thoughts and prayers, for sure.

Speaking of modern medicine, agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says Florida’s supply of a horse and cow deworming drug is sold out, thanks to a disturbing rise in people using it as an alternative treatment for COVID-19. Ivermectin, an antiparasitic treatment for livestock, has not been approved for human use in most cases. Its manufacturer, Merck, says there is “no meaningful evidence for clinical activity or efficacy in patients with COVID19.” This is a problem for animals that need the drug—and for people who likely don’t, but, yeah, go ahead and believe those TikTok videos and bogus scientists, people. All kinds of kooky shit, in real time, via cltampa. com/news.

please

e t vo s! u r o f Best Health Food Market

Best Supermarket Best Store StafF vote at vote.cltampa.com now through sept 9th. cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 25

om sunup through r f s e l i m s g lunc ervin

3920 US S 301 -301 in Riverv U & d R g r iew • between Falkenbu (813) 800-EGGS • eggsupgrill.com

26 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

RESTAURANTS

RECIPES

DINING GUIDES

Never look back

Green Bench’s Run the Jewels collab leads a new round of local foodie news. By Ray Roa and Katlynn Mullins terpenes brewed in collaboration with Brew Gentleman Brewery of Pennsylvania that is set to debut at Barrel and Flow Fest on Sept. 10. Stay tuned for more details as the release day approaches. Open BellaBrava What was slated for an early 2021 opening turned into a summer one, but it looks like Tampeños can finally get their hands on BellaBrava. The Italian restaurant’s second location is now open in Midtown Tampa. The concept’s flagship in downtown St. Petersburg location on Beach Drive is a Best of the Bay-winning staple among the city’s many, many, many Italian restaurants, and has brought its built-to-order pizzas, fresh pastas, soups and salads across the bridge. A lot of those offerings are even gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian friendly. The restaurant also has plenty of brews, wines, house-made sangria and cocktails available for order. Don’t forget about daily happy hour specials from opening until 7 p.m. Options for after-dinner eats include tiramisu or a cannoli, but you can also head next door to Shake Shack if you need your ice cream, milkshake, float or french fry fix. The 4,500-square-foot space offers indoor seating (nothing outdoor, but Midtown’s Instagram teased that it’s coming soon) and is open from 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m.-10 p.m. on Sunday. For now, the space is closed on Mondays. For all the latest, you can follow BellaBrava’s Instagram (@bellabrava). 1015 Gramercy Ln., Tampa. bellabrava.com Mood Bake Bar A new addition to the evergrowing list of Ciccio Restaurant Group concepts is bringing the gluten-free and plant-based offerings its sister concept Sweet Soul is known for along for the ride. Alongside those diet-inclusive offerings, you’ll also be able to grab coffee, espresso and even matcha with a lot of add-in options like chaga, collagen, hemp-based CBD, maca and ashwagandha. If you’re not in the mood for caffeine, opt for the concept’s agua frescas. MOOD, which opens on Sept. 2, is open every day of the week, but no hours have been announced. You can keep up with the concept’s latest on

OPENINGS & CLOSINGS

ONWARD PRODUCTIONS

he past, the present and the future are all irrelevant, but that doesn’t mean I’m not hyped on a new beer collaboration between hip-hop duo Run the Jewels and St. Petersburg’s very own Green Bench Brewing Co. Last week, the band—in conjunction with the Beer Kulture nonprofit Green Bench co-owner and brewer Khris Johnson is a part of—announced the “Never Look Back” rice lager, which will see distribution in Atlanta, New York and St. Pete. “We made a 30 barrel batch, and we’re looking at a Labor Day launch for brewery-only distribution,” Johnson—who was just named a Wine Enthusiast “40 Under 40” Tastemaker— told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. The beer is just 4.6% ABV, so you can probably drink a bunch of the Khrispy Bois before feeling an uncontrollable urge to turn on RTJ2 and canvass the fuck out of the neighborhood on behalf of your favorite local candidate. “It’s effervescent, dry and built for drinking,” Johnson told CL, adding that he can’t remember who contacted who first when it comes to the brewery’s relationship with Run the Jewels. “We’d been talking for a few months via the nonprofit, talking about visions and getting to know each other.” Founded in 2017, Beer Kulture works on both the consumer and industry side of craft beer to bring a new demographic the pleasures of craft beer. One of the organizations main goals is to open doors for Black creatives to freely walk into the industry as consumers, organizers and professionals. “Then we started talking about brewing a beer, and they’d made IPAs and stouts which is well and good, but they said, ‘We also want to drink a light lager.’” The Green Bench collaboration is one of three new beers Run The Jewels released in conjunction with Black-owned breweries. A press release says “All Due Respect,” a molasses and corn grits strong ale brewed in collaboration with Proximity Brewing and Spaceway Brewing that will be released at Black Brew Culture’s Blacktoberfest on Oct. 8 in North Carolina, and “Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1,” a danky IPA with

I NEVER COULD DRINK SLOW: Green Bench’s RTJ collab is a sessionable 4.5%ABV rice lager. Instagram (@moodbakebar). 1101 S Howard Ave., Tampa. moodbakebar.com. ICYMI Tampa Bay Lightning’s Bolts Brew Fest happens this month at Amalie Arena Tampa Bay Lightning hosts the Bolts Brew Fest at the team’s home base of Amalie Arena at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept.17—kicking off Lightning Launch Weekend with three-days worth of events leading up to preseason. The CL-partnered event includes local (including Funky Buddha, 7venth Sun, Angry Chair, Motorworks, Cigar City, and DeBine) and national (Stella) beer and food sampling, games, photo opportunities, live entertainment and, of course, a visit from ThunderBug. It will take place on the Amalie floor and throughout the arena’s concourses. Tickets are on sale now for the three-hour event, a $50 general admission purchase gets you unlimited beer sampling. A VIP-ticket goes

for $110 which includes entry at 6 p.m., access to the VIP lounge with special brews and food, and a voucher to see the three-time Stanley Cup winners in a preseason game. The price increases for tickets purchased at the door. Tickets for designated drivers are $35. As far as COVID precautions, Bolts Brewfest follows Amalie Arena’s detailed approach which encourages masks and makes clear that ticket holders may not attend if they or anyone they are in close contact with has tested positive for, or been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID within 14 days prior to the event. Ticket holders who’ve experienced symptoms like a fever of 100.4-degree F or higher, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills and more may also not attend. Organizers are also planning on having less tables to make more room for social distancing. 401 Channelside Dr., Tampa. boltsbrewfest. com

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 27

911 Central Ave. | St. Petersburg, FL | 33705

buyaramen.com | 727.202.7010

28 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

“Old school Florida” restaurant featuring unique “Taste of St. Louis” menu served alongside small batch, house-brewed and other local craft beer!

923 72nd St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710 (727) 302-9600 • peskypelicanbrewpub.com

XoChitl Handcrafted Modern Mexican

Daily Happy Hour: $5 WELLS $8 CLASSIC DOBEL MARGARITAS

Taco Tuesday:

3 TACOS AND A CLASSIC DOBEL MARGARITA - $15

Brunch @ XOCHITL:

SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS 11AM-4PM BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS - $15 307 West Palm Ave Tampa, FL • 33602

(833) 962-4485

ilovexochitl.com xochitl_tampa cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 29

The Only Locally Owned

Blocks from the Stadium

MONDAY:

ROCK STAR KARAOKE TUESDAY:

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!

S P O RT S O N 1 7 S C R E E N S ! PLENTY OF PARKING OUT BACK!

CAR SHOW

WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY:

LIVE MUSIC

LATE NIGHT FOOD

OPEN ‘TIL 3AM ON THE WEEKENDS 2301 N Dale Mabry Hwy • Tampa, FL • 33607 • (813) 559-1450 • riveterstampa.com RECEIVE EVEN MORE GREAT OFFERS! CONNECT WITH US: 30 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

@RivetersTampa •

/RivetersTampa

Because of coronavirus, it’s best to call or visit brewery websites to check on offerings and policy. 3 DAUGHTERS BREWING One of the Warehouse Arts District’s most popular hangouts, and a beautiful facility in which to drink some great brews. 222 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg. 727-495-6002, 3dbrewing.com

CLEARWATER BREWING CO. Community-oriented and socially and environmentally conscious. 1700 N. Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater. clearwaterbrewingcompany.com COPPERTAIL BREWING CO. Some of Tampa’s best beer, in one of its best tasting rooms. 2601 E. 2nd Ave., Tampa. 813-247-1500, coppertailbrewing.com

3 KEYS BREWING South-of-the-Skyway restaurant and brewery specializing in small batches. 2505 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton. 951-218-0396, 3keysbrewing.com

COTEE RIVER BREWING Craft beer in the heart of historic downtown New Port Richey. 5760 Main St., New Port Richey. 727-807-6806, coteeriverbrewing.com

7VENTH SUN BREWING Some of the best sours, IPAs and collabs going. Two locations. 1012 Broadway, Dunedin. 727-733-3013/6809 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa. 813-2315900, 7venthsun.com

CRAFT LIFE BREWING Small-batch local brews and a sort of playground or LoL’s craft brewing guild. 4624 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes. 813-575-8440. facebook. com/CraftLifeBrewing

81BAY BREWING CO. South Tampa’s first craft brewery boasts a wide variety of styles. 4465 W. Gandy Blvd., Tampa. 813-837-BREW, 81baybrewco.com

CROOKED THUMB BREWERY Safety Harbor’s first brewery boasts homegrown flavor and local guest taps. 555 10th Ave. S., Safety Harbor. 727-724-5953, crookedthumbbrew.com

ANGRY CHAIR Crazy-good Tampa beer, open Tuesday-Sunday. 6401 N. Florida Ave., Seminole Heights. 813-238-1122, angrychairbrewing.com ANTIBREWERY Dunedin’s secret Sundays-only nano. 1367 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Dunedin ARKANE ALEWORKS A wide variety of styles and flavors from the second brewery to open in Largo. 2480 E. Bay Dr., #23, Largo. 727-270-7117, arkanebeer.com AVID BREWING This Grand Central brewing supply shop added a taproom for its beers crafted in-house. 1745 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-388-6756, avidbrew.com BARRIEHAUS BEER CO. Lager-specific brewery, carrying on an over 150 year brewing legacy. 1403 E 5th Ave., Ybor City. barriehaus.com BAY CANNON BEER CO. West Tampa's first craft brewery, offering a variety of ever evolving beers, beer slushies and wine that pair perfectly with appetizers and entrées from the kitchen. 813-442-5615, baycannon.com BIG STORM BREWING CO. Stop by this Pasco brewery’s Storm Room for a flight, or visit their taproom on 49th Street in Clearwater, too. 2330 Success Dr., Odessa. 727-807-7998, bigstormbrewery.com BIG TOP BREWING Perhaps Sarasota’s premier purveyor of locally crafted beer, Big Top’s reputation has spread far beyond the region. 6111 Porter Way, Sarasota. 941-371-2939, bigtopbrewing.com BOOTLEGGERS BREWING CO. This Brandon taproom from Bootleggers Beer & Wine Home Brewing Supplies offers house-made suds and guest beers. 652 Oakfield Dr., Brandon. 813-643-9463, bootleggersbrewco.com BRASSERIE ST. SOMEWHERE Award-winning Belgian farmhouse ales from veteran Bay area brewer Bob Sylvester. 115 S Ring Ave., Tarpon Springs. 813-503-6181, saintsomewherebrewing.com BREW BUS BREWING BB brews its own suds, boasts 20 taps and offers food at its Eatery, too. 4101 N. Florida Ave., Tampa. 813-990-7310, brewbususa.com BREW HUB Some of the area’s best beers are produced here along with suds for their own label. 3900 Frontage Rd. S., Lakeland. 863-698-7600, brewhub.com

CUENI BREWING CO. Located off the Pinellas Trail in Dunedin. 945 Huntley Ave., Dunedin. 727-266-4102, cuenibrewing.com CYCLE BREWING One of St. Pete’s favorites. 534 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-320-7954. cyclebrewing.com DARWIN BREWING CO. Unique beers crafted with South American influence. 803 17th Ave. W., Bradenton. 941-747-1970, darwinbrewingco.com DE BINE BREWING CO. This addition bolsters the Northern Pinellas craft beer scene. 933 Florida Ave., Palm Harbor. 727-233-7964. DISSENT BREWING CO. Unique flavors and adventurous style outside downtown St. Pete. 5518 Haines Rd. N., St. Petersburg. 727-342-0255. DUNEDIN BREWERY Florida’s oldest. Beer, eats and live music. 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. 727736-0606, dunedinbrewery.com DUNEDIN HOUSE OF BEER This beer stop brews its own, and also has 40 guest taps. 927 Broadway, Dunedin. 727 216-6318, dunedinhob.com ESCAPE BREWING CO. Another very worthy Odessa/Trinity destination. 9945 Trinity Blvd., Suite 108, Trinity. 727-807-6092, escapebrewingcompany.com FIVE BRANCHES Veteran-owned brewery, small batches from IPAs to stouts. Serving up brews and a clear view of the Tarpon Bayou. 531 Athens St., Tarpon Springs. fivebranchesbrewing.com FLYING BOAT BREWING COMPANY St. Pete aviation history and tasty homegrown suds. 1776 11th Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-800-2999, flyingboatbrewing.com

BREW LIFE BREWING Ultra-small batches, and a lot of ‘em. 5765 S. Beneva Rd., Sarasota. 941-952-3831, brewlifebrewing.com

FOUR STACKS BREWING An always-changing lineup of local and regional guest suds, along with trivia, live music and more. 5469 N. US HWY 41, Apollo Beach. 813641-2036, fourstacksbrewing.com

BULLFROG CREEK BREWING CO. A multitude of styles from former garage brewers is on tap in Valrico. 3632 Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Valrico. 813-703-8835, bullfrogcreekbrewing.com

GRAND CENTRAL BREWHOUSE 10,270 square-foot brewery, taproom, beer garden, and event venue with a lager-focused tap list. 2340 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-202-6071, grandcentralbrew.com

CAGE BREWING Custom brews in the Grand Central District from one of the ‘Burg’s newest. 2001 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-201-4278

GREEN BENCH BREWING COMPANY A space worthy of the adventurous beers it produces. 1133 Baum Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-800-9836, greenbenchbrewing.com

CALEDONIA BREWING Great in-house beers in the historic Dunedin Times building. 587 Main St., Dunedin. 727-351-5105, caledoniabrewing.com

GOOD LIQUID BREWING CO. Thirty taps and food (and a coffee roaster!) from a husband-and-wife duo. 4824 14th St. W., Bradenton. 941-896-6381, thegoodliquidbrewing.com

CALUSA BREWING Family owned and operated, opened Tuesday to Sunday. 5701 Derek Ave., Sarasota. 941-922-8150, calusabrewing.com

GRINDHAUS BREW LAB Small batches and no extracts. 1650 N. Hercules Ave., Clearwater. 727-2400804, grindhausbrewlab.com

CARROLLWOOD BREWING CO. “Secret” brewing action inside the Carrollwood location of craft-bar chain The Brass Tap. 10047 N. Dale Mabry HWY, STE 23, Tampa. 813-969-2337

GULFPORT BREWERY + EATERY Small batches with an artisanal food menu. 3007 Beach Blvd., Tampa. facebook.com/GulfportBrewery

CIGAR CITY BREWING Tampa’s most famous craft brewery. There’s also a taproom at Amalie Arena. 3924 W. Spruce St., Tampa. 813-348-6363, cigarcitybrewing.com

HIDDEN SPRINGS ALE WORKS This Tampa Heights brewery features a rotating tap selection. 1631 N. Franklin St., Tampa, 813-226-2739, hiddenspringsaleworks.com

HOB BREWING CO. Rotating taps, with some brewed on-site and alongside a combination of local breweries plus local and international craft beer makers. 931 Huntley Ave., Dunedin. hob.beer

PESKY PELICAN BREW PUB This beachy restaurant also offers up its own beers thanks to an in-house nano system. 923 72nd. St. N., St. Petersburg. 727-302-9600, peskypelicanbrewpub.com

KEEL FARMS AGRARIAN ALE + CIDER Tasty brews from the folks behind Keel & Curley winery. 5210 W. Thonotosassa Rd., Plant City. 813-752-9100, keelandcurleywinery.com

PINELLAS ALE WORKS Dog-friendly environment in addition to tasty brews. 1962 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-235-0970, pawbeer.com

IF I BREWED THE WORLD A self-described “mixtape of breweries” with a bit of everything from the classic to the fun and outrageous. 2200 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-201-4484, ifibrewedtheworld.com IN THE LOOP BREWING Family-friendly with a lot of community support and plenty of events. 3338 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes. 813-997-9189, intheloopbrewingcompany.com INFUSION BREWING CO. Another great location in the good-beer-packed Trinity/New Port Richey area. 7813 Mitchell Blvd. Ste 103, Trinity. 727-312-4512. INOCULUM ALE WORKS These folks are crazy for sours, and know how to craft ‘em. 554 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg. inoculumaleworks.com JDUB’S BREWING COMPANY You know ‘em, you love ‘em. A statewide phenomenon. 1215 Mango Ave., Sarasota. 941-955-2739, jdubsbrewing.com KING STATE Food & Wine's No. 8 coffee shop in the U.S. is also home to brewer and Flying Boat Brewing Co. alum Aric Parker, who’s making some of the cleanest core beers plus a dynamic offering of rotating taps and bomber options available onsite in limited capacities. 520 E Floribraska Ave., Tampa. 813-2212100, king-state.com LAGERHAUS BREWERY & GRILL A Palm Harbor bar and eatery that offers seasonal brews to complement their regulars. 3438 East Lake Business, Palm Harbor. 727-216-9682, lagerhausbrewery.com LATE START BREWING Beloved Tampa label does its thing inside the Pour House. 1208 E. Kennedy Blvd. #112, Tampa. 813-402-2923, latestartbrewing.com LEAVEN BREWING Riverview’s first brewery is run by folks who’ve got experience brewing big and small. 11238 Boyette Rd., Riverview. 813-6777023, leavenbrewing.com MAD BEACH CRAFT BREWING Brews, ciders, and meads by the beach. 12945 Village Boulevard, Madeira Beach. 727-362-0008, madbeachbrewing.com MARKER 48 Hernando production craft brewery with tasting room and beer garden 12147 Cortez Blvd, Weeki Wachee. 352-606-2509, marker48.com MASTRY’S BREWING CO. From CD Roma’s restaurant to sweet new digs on St. Pete Beach. 7701 Blind Pass Rd., St. Pete Beach. 727-202-8045 mastrysbrewingco.com MOTORWORKS BREWING A taproom and beer garden featuring full liquor and wine as well as 30 taps. 1014 9th Street West, Bradenton. 941-567-6218, motorworksbrewing.com MR. DUNDERBAK’S The longtime restaurant, biergarten and homebrewers’ hangout is serving up its own beers. 14929 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa. 813-9774104, dunderbaks.com NAUGHTY MONK BREWERY Naughty Monk brings a love of Belgian styles to Manatee County. 2507 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Bradenton. 941-708-2966, naughtymonkbrewery.com OVERFLOW BREWING St. Pete’s newest, courtesy of local Rapp head brewer Troy Bledsoe and company. 770 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-914-0665, facebook.com/overflowbrewingco PEPPER BREWING The Angry Pepper Taphouse’s in-house label, available “on a limited basis.” 9366 Oakhurst Rd., Seminole. 727-596-5766, angrypeppertaphouse.com

RAPP BREWING COMPANY The late Greg Rapp’s award-winning styles carefully crafted. 10930 Endeavor Way, Seminole. 727-544-1752, rappbrewing.com RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER Video game-centric Grand Central District craft beer spot. 2244 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-360-0766, stpetearcadebar.com ROCK BROTHERS BREWING Brews named for national and local bands have a home in Ybor City. 1901 N. 15th St., Ybor City. 813-241-0110, rockbrothersbrewing.com SARASOTA BREWING COMPANY House-crafted brews, pizza, and sports out toward beautiful Siesta Key. 6607 Gateway Ave., Sarasota. 941-925-2337, sarasotabrewing.com SILVERKING BREWING CO. This spacevcomplements a label that’s been around since 2012. 325 E Lemon St., Tarpon Springs. 727-422-7598, silverkingbrewing.com SIX TEN BREWING Wide variety and a real passion for the craft-brew community. 7052 Benjamin Rd., Tampa. 813-886-0610, sixtenbrewing.com SOGGY BOTTOM BREWING Truly original flavors and inventive brews. 660 Main St., Dunedin. 727-601-1698, soggybottombrewing.com SOUTHERN BREWING & WINEMAKING Multiple brews only available in its tasting room, plus products and guidance for homebrewers. 4500 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa. 813-238-7800, southernbrewingwinemaking.com ST. PETE BREWING COMPANY Beers crafted specifically for the climate. 544 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-692-8809, stpetebrewingcompany.com STILT HOUSE BREWERY Friendly joint specializes in high-ABV ales and other styles you won’t find elsewhere. 625 U.S. Hwy Alt. 19, Palm Harbor. 727-270-7373, stilthousebrewery.com SWAN BREWING Nearly four decades of combined brewing experience go into the offerings at this petfriendly joint. 115 W. Pine St., Lakeland. 863-703-0472, swanbrewing.com TBBC Formerly Tampa Bay Brewing Co., local favorite for nearly two decades. 1600 E. 8th Ave., Ybor City/13933 Monroe’s Business Park, Westchase. 813247-1422, tbbc.beer TAMPA BEER WORKS At the former site of ESB Brewing, TBW focuses on American craft styles. 333 N. Falkenburg Rd., Suite D407 Tampa. 813-685-1909, tampabeerworks.com TIDAL BREWING COMPANY Small batches in Spring Hill. 14311 Spring Hill Dr., Spring Hill. 352-7011602, tidalbrewingfl.com TWO FROGS BREWING COMPANY Tarpon Springs’ latest focuses on American ale styles. 151 E. Tarpon Ave., Tarpon Springs. 727-940-6077, facebook.com/ twofrogsbrewing TWO LIONS WINERY & PALM HARBOR BREWERY Wine and beer brewed in-house. 1022 Georgia Ave., Palm Harbor. 727-786-8039, twolionswinery.com ULELE SPRING BREWERY Beer crafted in accordance with traditional Bavarian purity laws. 1810 N. Highland Ave., Tampa. 813-999-4952, ulele.com THE WILD ROVER BREWERY What started as an English pub is now a higher-production facility. 13921 Lynmar Blvd., Tampa. 813-475-5995, thewildroverbrewery.com WOODWRIGHT BREWING COMPANY Traditional German styles. 985 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. 727-2388717, facebook.com/woodwrightbrewing ZEPHYRHILLS BREWING COMPANY East Paco’s first microbrewery. 38530 5th Ave., Zephyrhills. 813-715-2683, zbcbeer.com ZYDECO BREW WERKS Craft brews in Ybor thanks to an award-winning brewmaster, as well as full bars and NOLA-influenced cuisine. 1902 E. 7th Ave., Ybor City. 813-252-4541, facebook.com/Zydecobrewwerks

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 31

Learn traditional printmaking Workshops in - Etching - Lithography - Letterpress - Silkscreen and more. Our gallery space has local and handmade gifts Drop by during normal hours Tuesday thru Friday 11-4 Saturday 11-6 • Sunday 12-4

32 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

MOVIES

THEATER

ART

CULTURE

Joy and pain

FEELING CRATE: Some Olympians tragically fell as the crowd shouted about their souls leaving their bodies.

Tampa’s Milk Crate Challenge Olympics happened in Copeland Park. By Justin Garcia

group of mostly teenagers constructed a monstrous stack of black milk crates at Copeland Park last week in North Tampa. Some of the crates they used were already partially broken before Tampa’s first-ever (or at least most publicized) “Crate Olympics” began. Instead of the traditional pyramid style that most milk crate challenges across the country use, Tampa organizers made theirs more difficult. At the top, the crate Olympic athletes would have to take a step up two milk crates at once to reach a peak of eight crates stacked on top of each other. “We just wanted to make Tampa’s version a little different, a little harder,” one event organizer who wished to remain anonymous, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. The prize for whoever made it across the crates first: $100 in cold hard cash, which was funded by the crowd of more than 60 people. The difficult top step would prove painful for the roughly eight gladiators who attempted it, and glorious for just two champs. As Olympians

arrived, they had to sign a legal waiver, in case of any injuries. One by one they went up the pyramid but faltered at the top double-step. Some backed down in fear. Those who tried came crashing down, but their young bodies bounced off the park floor like rubber. Friends rushed to make sure they were alright and there was a feeling of warm and comradely support in the air, which contrasted the maniacal nature of the event. Despite some scrapes, the Olympians laughed it off. Suddenly, an older man arrived and started stomping up the crates without pause. Toward the top, he fell, but got right back up and started again. He took a pause before the double-step this time, as the crowd shouted in anxiety and cheered him on. He got to the top crate, placed both feet on it, wobbled, took a step down, and barely made it as a crate flew out from under his left foot while his other landed on a crate below. He scrambled down the final steps into the arms of a crowd that rushed and hugged him as

SPORTS

he screamed and jumped in pure excitement (see the video via cltampa.com/magazine). Because he was the first to make it across, the event organizers offered him $100. He refused to take it, waved goodbye to everyone, and walked off into the setting sun like a hero in a western movie. The champion not accepting the money meant the $100 was still up for grabs. A few more Olympians tragically fell as the crowd shouted about their souls leaving their bodies. Finally, another contender made it across but didn’t receive the same type of ecstatic reaction from the crowd. Still, he smiled as he grabbed his cash. With the initial prize money won, the crowd chatted and joked as a new pyramid was constructed. They waited with cash in hand to see if a new Olympian would step up to the challenge as night descended on Copeland Park.

JUSTIN GARCIA

bodies. This is a valid point, and this story is in no way encouraging people to participate in an activity that may hurt them. Some have even compared the Milk Crate Challenge to the Tide Pod Challenge where kids were eating laundry detergent for TikTok clout. “Some doctors are also warning that the injuries from the challenge are putting more stress on hospitals at a time when emergency rooms nationwide are overwhelmed because of the surge in coronavirus infections,” the Washington Post wrote. “Everyone needs to do their part in supporting first responders and healthcare providers, and that involves not partaking in challenges like this one that are putting additional strain on the system,” Shawn Anthony, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, told WaPo. Doctors across the country have said the Milk Crate Challenge has resulted in injuries like shoulder dislocations and rotator-cuff tears, ACL and meniscus tears, broken wrists and even spinal-cord injuries.

“Instead of the traditional pyramid style that most milk crate challenges across the country use, Tampa organizers made theirs more difficult.”

Disclaimer It’s important to mention here that doctors have warned against the milk crate challenge, telling people they should be more careful with their

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 33

o AY O s U c D T E C T A ta s ’ it Let ut o ‘b

YOU ASKED FOR IT! YOU GOT IT!

street tacos baha mexican fare Melts & munchies 2 for 1 Beer specials

685 CENTRAL AVE • ST PETERSBURG • 727-851-9862 34 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

200 E MADISON ST • DOWNTOWN TAMPA • 813-221-TACO

Featuring The Work Of:

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY ALEX CROSBY, EVA WEINBERG, Pop-Up Exhibit AND JOSEPH TOINTON

@ the Rialto Theatre FRI SEPTEMBER 3RD /5-9PM

1617 NO. FRANKLIN ST. / TAMPA, FL FOR MORE INFO, VISIT:

Free Admission + Open Beer and Wine Bar

fallingfig.net / @fallingfigmag

Visit St. Pete’s first and largest art museum and explore 5,000 years of art and global culture. From antiquities to contemporary art and so much in between, there is something for everyone to experience at the Museum of Fine Arts. Visit us in person or on social @MFAStPete.

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 35

2430 Terminal Dr. S., Saint Petersburg, FL 33712 36 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

⦾ 727 - 822 - 5665

REVIEWS

PROFILES

MUSIC WEEK

Reign and shine

A revered Tampa emcee expands her live show this weekend. By Ray Roa

LOCAL MUSIC

Friday, Sept. 3. 7:30 p.m. $10-$15 make that available for she adopted a battle rap Crowbar, 1821 N 17th St., Ybor City everyone because everypersona, Trigga, and cul@queenofex on Instagram thing that I want to do is tivated a fierce dedication live. So I wanted to finally put that on a bigger to aggressive lyricism. Twenty years later, critstage for everyone,” she told Creative Loafing ics latched on the spiritual nature of her words, Tampa Bay. took notice of the still bellicose stage presence But Queen of Ex is no stranger to the big and lumped Queen of Ex into sonic piles with stage and bigger moments. She’s opened for New artists like Erykah Badu, Missy Elliott and Orleans bounce queen Big Freedia and iconic Queen Latifah—but her bars are really built Queens rap duo Mobb Deep, been a staple of on the bedrock laid down by lyricists like Black Ybor’s since-retired Hiphopalooza, and played Thought, plus groups like Wu-Tang Clan and large festivals like Shine. The Lox. In 2017, she joined a short “I could call Jadakiss list of Bay area emcees— a lot of things, but let me including Dynasty and just call him clever,” Queen Mike Mass—who’ve played of Ex said about one of her for shoulder-to-shoulder biggest influences, who’s crowds jam-packed into downtown Tampa’s currently enjoying a minor resurgence thanks Kiley Garden amphitheater during Gasparilla to a dominating appearance on a recent Verzuz Music Festival. session against another Queen influence, Dipset. And what bonds Queen of Ex followers for- “Jadakiss is one of those rappers where I’ve never ever (because let’s face it: after you’ve seen her heard a terrible verse from him ever. Now, I don’t live, you’re a fan for life) is that they never for- think he’s that great of a songwriter; he doesn’t get their first time. The emcee born and raised make amazing music, but lyrically speaking, on the southside of Greensboro, North Carolina he’s untouchable. I’ve never heard a bad verse hasn’t forgotten her own entrance into rap either. from him, ever, how’s that possible?” Queen of Ex’s parents raised her on song. It is possible, however, that you haven’t heard Dad is a drummer and guitarist. Mom, a music many Queen of Ex verses through your headlover, filled the house with everything from phones or home speakers. Despite having spent

“Onstage, my audience, and me, we’re just free.”

MICHAEL M. SINCLAIR

ueen of Ex has headlined gigs before, but funk to soul to gospel, country and even R&B. none quite like the one she’s staging in The first rap cut she fell in love with was Kris Ybor City on Friday night. That’s when Kross’ monster 1992 single “Jump,” which she the Tampa rapper turns Crowbar into a set- soaked in while watching the equalizer dance ting that’s familiar to her, but less known to on mom’s stereo tucked behind a glass door the public at large. with a magnetic clasp. The sound pulled her “Queen Of Ex Live” sets are usually in much in, she copied the dance moves, and somewhere smaller rooms, with accoutrements like spe- between the ages of 12 and 13 started putting cial signage, lighting and even floor pillows. lyrics in a notebook. Past gigs have featured backup singers and the “My biggest influence was my cousins; Queen delivering fiery, sometimes barefooted they were rappers, and the thing to do was performances while occasionally holding hands to be around the neighborhood doing cyphers with attendees all gathered together,” Queen of Ex— at floor level as drummer who also has a degree in Roger Lanfranchi (aka fashion design and marRogerthomas) fills the room keting—said. “I wanted to with beats almost as bombe a part of it, so I started bastic as the rapper herself. to learn how to rap just to Queen Of Ex (Live) w/The S.E.T./A.B.R/Heyeyella/ The shows have also been be a part of neighborhood Mighty Jai/Nico Sweet/ invite-only, until now. music.” Jroc Jones/DJ Casper “I finally wanted to In the beginning,

QUEEN OF EXPRESSION: Queen of Ex playing Crowbar’s ‘Road to Reopen’ concert in July 2020. undisclosed amounts of time and money in the studio, there still isn’t a session that nails the essence of Queen of Ex on tape. “It’s not that I’m not open, I’ve tried, but everything that they capture in a studio with me just feels so diluted. So I’ve just taken my strength—the live performance—and run with it,” she said. “Onstage, my audience, and me, we’re just free. Creatively we can do whatever I want, so I’m in the business of creative moments and experiences.” On Friday, that experience will include Queen of Ex live band staples Rogerthomas and DJ Qeys, plus backup singers Shelby Sol (a burgeoning songwriter and singer in her own right) and Emjay all working through a set that could include at least 17 songs, including R&B cuts Queen of Ex has written. “I’m going to give people a lot of different levels of creativity,” she said. And as you watch the Queen reign and shine onstage, it’s important to remember that she sees the art being created as just a part of something else that’s bigger than any one of us alone.

“I am a vessel being utilized… maybe saying it’s bigger than myself is not the word, but it’s otherworldly, whatever it is,” she said, refusing to try and name the forces at work. In her daily life, Queen of Ex is a spiritual teacher and an astrologer. Folks have always shared what’s happening in their own worlds with her, and when they find out how she makes a living, they ask for readings. She listens, and she gives feedback, but has always kept that part of her life—and her relationships with those who come for readings—discreet. “I respect that vulnerability from people. You know, there would be no Queen of Ex without my spirituality, but there is a softer and more nurturing side of Queen of Ex, for sure,” she laughed. The live set represents Queen of Ex opening up to her audience, and while she doesn’t create music to necessarily help people, she’s glad her performances have always served that purpose for some. “‘I’m just sharing my world and my experience,” she said. “And if you just so happen to vibe with it, then thank goodness.”

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 37

THU SEPTEMBER 02–THU SEPTEMBER 09

C CL Recommends

THU 02

Fang w/The Horribles/1983/Nothing But Enemies Hardcore band Fang is in town for the first time since, well, we really can’t remember. The Berkeley band is still rocking with frontman Sam “Sammytown” McBride— who joined the band in ‘82, two years after the original lineup formed. McBride’s past rivals Vince Neil’s—including a jail stint for murdering a girlfriend—but he’s now clean, sober and making amends. Joining the bare bones classic punk rock band—which Kurt Cobain listed as one of his favorites—is The Horribles, straight outta Pasco County. West Palm’s 1983 and Nothing But Enemies from Boston round out the support. We’re assuming the $10 cover will be taken at the door because there’s no place to get tickets online—keeping it real old school. (Brass Mug, Tampa) Sugar Ray Ask Mark McGrath to show you where his band’s been in the Tampa Bay area, and he’ll tell you about the Summer of Rum and even Busch Gardens. Honestly, I’m 36 years old, so my most prevalent memory of McGrath is from MTV’s “Say What? Karaoke,” and I don’t know what else to say. Dance a little stranger, I guess. (Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa)—Ray Roa

SAT 04

C Emo Night Tampa: Charles Irwin w/ Sum of Our Failures/Crate Brothers DJs Theo Severson and Chris Wood, aka The Crate Brothers, are back with the first Emo Night Tampa since March ‘20, and they actually have a request for you. “We’ve waited a long time for this. So if you’re feeling ill or whatever, please use consideration and stay home,” EMT wrote online. If you are, however, feeling good, the free patio show includes (besides the usual Sunny Day Real Estate, Jimmy Eat World and everything-in-between sets) the first ever performance of the new-to-everyone Sum of Our Failures and the internet-famous, IRL stupendous, Tampa indie-rock band Charles Irwin, which has a new album set to come out in a couple of weeks. EMT also has new shirts on hand plus vegan weens from Nah Dogs—so work those into your weekend budget. In a message to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Severson said EMT is going to throw a party at a new location every month until the end of the year, with next month’s installment set for everyone’s favorite dive bar. (Crowbar, Ybor City) Thomas Rhett w/Cole Swindell/Gabby Barrett When country superstar Thomas Rhett announced dates for his “Long Hot Summer” tour set for 2020, there was a mega-size show

38 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

in Tampa on his itinerary. Rhett was coming off a big year in 2019: releasing hit album Life Changes in September, touring behind the album, and taping an appearance on “Sesame Street” with his whole family, but COVID had other changes planned for the tour, which finally goes off this weekend. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)—Matthew Moyer

Charles Irwin

SUN 05

C Ol’ Dirty Sunday 10-year anniversary: Skratch Bastid w/Mike Mass/Junkyrd/ DJ Casper/DJ Fader/Deacon Remember that time Mos Def and Talib Kwali showed up at Ol’ Dirty Sundays after a Straz Center show and hopped on the decks? Remember that time Z-Trip mashed-up for 4 hours on the back patio? Or when Maseo DJed the day after De La Soul performed at GMF? What about when Prince Paul hit the turntables? How about Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge just showing up after their Orpheum show? We can go on, and on, because for the last 10 years Ol’ Dirty Sundays has been the go-to hip-hop courtyard party where on a regular night you’ll see the best emcees and DJs of Tampa Bay and, on many occasions, legends just dropping in (or performing) all while a breakdancing cypher unfolds on the cement. Canadian DJ and three-time Scribble Jamwinner Skratch Bastid is back this weekend to help the founding crew, DJs Casper and Fader, commemorate the decade-long flyest night in town. Host Young Deacon and performances from Mike Mass and Junkyrd fill out the 21 and up night. Thank Big Baby Jesus most of you have Monday off. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

TUES 07

Myles Kennedy Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy has a lot of rock ‘n’ roll cred under his belt including a stint as Slash’s non-Guns N’ Roses vocalist (he actually sounds much better than Axl at this point). Rock’s not the only genre in Kennedy’s repertoire though; the Boston musician’s second solo album The Ides of March offers “Memphis Delta-soaked blues catharsis, soul ponderances, and even dalliances into country.” Kennedy’s gig is a part of Ruth Eckerd Hall’s “On the Road” series, this time at the Floridian Social Club bringing “skyscraping timbre and earth-quaking bluesy wail” to a weeknight show. Check your email for the venue’s ever-involving COVID protocols prior to the event. “If any precautions necessitate a change in seating, ticket holders will be contacted in advance with available options,” organizers wrote.

WED 08

C Beartooth w/Wage War/Dragged Under Ohio rock band Beartooth had a spot on 2020’s 98Rockfest but the show was rescheduled twice

MARLO MILLER C/O GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL

By Stephanie Powers

because of COVID. The gig is now on Oct. 2, but Beartooth is no longer on the bill. Lucky for you, the hardcore act plays at this outdoor St. Petersburg venue, making for a way more intimate setting than an Amalie Arena show. Like most people from Ohio, Beartooth—supporting its most vulnerable album to date—has a connection to Florida. TNSN DVSN, a creative house with one founder based in Tampa, handled the aesthetic of Beartooth’s last two albums Below and Disease. (The company pronounced “Tension Division” also works with some big guns including Billy Corgan and Death Row Records.) Christian metalcore band Wage War and Seattle’s Dragged Under open the all-ages weekday show. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) C Black Crowes Uh, is this awkward? Famously feuding brothers—The Black Crowes’ Chris and Rich Robinson—are celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the band’s quintuple-platinum debut album Shake Your Money Maker, with this show finally happening after a couple reschedules. “First and foremost, I’m really happy to have my brother back in my life. To be able to play music again together and celebrate the first record we made as kids, is a gift,” Rich said in a release.” To have these songs stand up

after 30 years is something I could’ve never fathomed.” (Orpheum, Ybor City)

THU 09

C Jack Harlow Last Tampa Bay saw the Grammy-nominated rapper when the 23-year-old was part of a slew of unofficial Super Bowl LV concerts that popped up out of nowhere in the run up to the big game. Here’s a chance for a one-on-one extended date. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)—Ray Roa Mocktails, Milkshakes & Funk: AJ Hall FWD Thinkers’ “Finest in Funk” night with New Orleans DJ AJ Hall moved from New World Brewery to the Spaddy’s Coffee Co. courtyard, with mocktails from bike scene champ Kierstyn Breaux and Revolve Ice Cream Co. milkshakes made by Spaddy himself. The all-vinyl family-friendly event is happening every Thursday in September, and will “likely continue as a regular thing,” Spaddy’s told CL. Bring your kids for the milkshakes, stay for the P-Funk. (Spaddy’s Coffee Co., Tampa)

M U S I C V E N U E | BA R | R E S TAU R A N T | E S T

1995

810 SKAGWAY AVE | TAMPA 813.304.0460 | newworldtampa.com | OPEN TUE-SUN

THU

9.2

MUSIC Nights of Future Past RETRO VIDEO NIGHT 7:30-9:30 | FREE | BIERGARTEN

JohnSINGER-SONGWRITER Allen James

FRI

9.3

BIERGARTEN

9.4

MUSIC HALL

SAT

7:30-9:30 | FREE | BIERGARTEN

Ajeva + Tropico Blvd THE FUNK, THE WHOLE FUNK, AND NOTHIN' BUT THE FUNK 8-12 | $10 ADV/$15 DOS

Jamie McElman & Steve Prince SINGER-SONGWRITERS

7:30-9:30 | FREE | BIERGARTEN ESTRELLA GALICIA PRESENTS SUNDAY SESSIONS

SUN

9.5

Ronny Elliott SINGER-SONGWRITER/AMERICANA

5:30-7:30 | FREE | BIERGARTEN NEW BELGIUM BREWERY BBQUSTIC

WED

9.8

Marc Ganancias + Jeremy Gloff SINGER-SONGWRITERS

6:30-8:30 | FREE | BIERGARTEN

THE UPCOMINGNESS™

SATURDAY 09/18/21

UNWED SAILOR

UPCOMING SHOWS

F 9.10 Guianna

Sa 9.11 The Lewd Dudes (Austin) + Gary Lazer Eyes + The Resonance Sa 9.11 René Schlegel Su 9.12 Royce Reed W 9.15 Jeff Brawer + Buck Sands/Melissa Grady F 9.17 Erica Sunshine Lee Sa 9.18 Taylor Rich Su 9.19 Jeffrey Dallet W 9.22 Gracie Topp F 9.24 Kimmi Bitter

Sa 9.25 Born to Be Wild: Rock 'n Roll Burlesque Sa 9.25 Su 9.26 W 9.29 F 10.1 Sa 10.2 Su 10.3 W 10.6 F 10.8

Crackerbillys Danielle Mohr Royce Reed Dean Johanesen Scott James Stambaugh Sam Williams Kasondra Rose Mwiza

BOLD shows are in the Music Hall

MONDAY 09/27/21

THE NUDE PARTY

w/ LAPÊCHE & GULLWING w/ TWEN & JOHNNY MILE AND THE KILOMETERS

8PM / $7-10 / 18&UP • HOOCH AND HIVE

7PM / $12-15 / ALL AGES! • CROWBAR

SUNDAY 09/26/21 THURSDAY 09/30/21

CANNIBAL KIDS JMSN & ANIMAL SUN w/7PMMALIA / $20-22 / 18&UP • CROWBAR w/ DISCORD THEORY

7PM / $10-12 / 18&UP • HOOCH AND HIVE

TICKETS & INFORMATION:

AESPRESENTS.COM cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 39

40 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

No Comps: New concerts coming to Tampa Bay

BOB CAREY

It’s been four years since the death of Tampa resident and Trans-Siberian Orchestra founder Paul O’Neill, but the band has soldiered on. And in December, the group celebrates the 25th anniversary of its Christmas Eve and Other Stories album with a tour that features two shows in Tampa. Tickets to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra play Tampa’s Amalie Arena at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 19 go on sale to the public on Friday, Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. and start at $39.50. Muscadine Bloodline Friday, Sept. 10. 10 p.m. $20-$45. Dallas Bull, Tampa Scotty Wright and the Helios Jazz Orchestra Tuesday, Sept. 21. 7:30 p.m. $25. Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg The Mushroom Brotherhood w/ Backtrack Blues Band Friday, Oct. 1. 7 p.m. $30-$40. Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg Ducky w/2ToneDisco Saturday, Oct. 2. 10 p.m. Free. The Ritz, Ybor City The Pauses w/Palomino Blond Saturday, Oct. 2. 9 p.m. $10. Hooch and Hive, Tampa Jamey Johnson Sunday, Oct. 3. 6 p.m. $40. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg Reverend Barry & The Funk Saturday, Oct. 16. 9:30 p.m. $5. Floridian Social Club, St. Petersburg Taverns w/Treis & Friends/Speakeasy Friday, Oct. 29. 8 p.m. $10. Hooch and Hive, Tampa Intern John Friday, Nov. 5. 8 p.m. $15-$25. Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg. J.D. Souther Friday, Nov. 12. 8 p.m. $24.59-$39.50. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo Tito Puente Jr. Saturday, Nov. 13. 8 p.m. $24.50-$39.50. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo ARMNHMR Saturday, Dec. 4. 10 p.m. Free. The Ritz, Ybor City

A press release promises favorites like “Ornament,” “Promises To Keep,” “This Christmas Day,” plus a second set with Trans-Siberian Orchestra hits and crowdpleases like “Christmas Canon,” “Wizards In Winter” and many more. Amalie Arena has a safety guideline sheet for events, but this concert does not have the same vaccine or negative text requirements as the Amalie concert from Harry Styles. See Josh Bradley’s new concert roundup below.—Ray Roa Tab Benoit’s Swampland Jam w/The Samantha Fish Band Saturday, Dec. 4. 8 p.m. $34.50-$69.50. Tampa Theatre, Tampa Martina McBride Sunday, Dec. 5. 7 p.m. $49.50-$99.50. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg Trans-Siberian Orchestra Sunday, Dec. 19. 3:30 p.m & 7:30 p.m. $39.50 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa San Holo w/Kasbo/Duskus Thursday, Dec. 23. 7:30 p.m. $20-$35. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg Countess Luann de Lesseps Tuesday, Dec. 28. 8 p.m. $30-$120. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre Band Thursday, Jan. 13 (7:30 p.m.) and Friday, Jan. 14. (8 p.m.) $34.50-$49.50. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo Jimmy Webb Saturday, Jan. 15. 8 p.m. $29.50-$44.50. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo Michael Bolton Tuesday, Jan. 25. 8 p.m. $80-$100. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater Joanne Shaw Taylor w/J.D. Simo Thursday, Feb. 10. 7:30 p.m. $14.50-$29.50. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo Jose Feliciano Friday, Feb. 18. 8 p.m. $44.50-$59.50. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 41

BUY LOCAL HALF OFF!

VIP ADMISSION TO BOLTS BREW FEST $168 FOR $84

RIVETERS TAMPA $30 FOR $15

EPIC BODYWORK & MASSAGE $30 FOR $15

VINE & GRIND $20 FOR $10

Refer Three Friends, Get Yours Free Once you make a purchase from CL Deals, you will receive a referral link to share. Simply pass on your link to friends and family and, if three people use your link and purchase the same Deal within 30 days, your deal will be completely free!

42 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

Purchasing CL Deals is easy, just visit

HAPPY HOUR AT AMSO Monday - Friday, 4pm-7pm Saturday 3pm-6pm

the 32" PIZ g in c u d ro t Bay! In st in Tampa ...the bigge

ge: If 2 people n e ll a h C g n ti A in New Ea ping 32" PIZZ can eat a 1 top ceive a Free Pizza, re 1 hour... they t and $100!!!! ir h -S T a

esaidpizza h s t a h w s t a #th

$4, $5 & $6 Liquor, Beer & Wine $8 Hand-Crafted Cocktails

DINE IN • PICK UP • CURBSIDE

HAPPY HOUR IN THE BAR AREA TUESDAY-SUNDAY 5-7 WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY HALF OFF SELECT BOTTLES • DAILY HANDMADE PASTA AND BREAD • FRESH LOCALLY-SOURCED PRODUCE AND SEAFOOD • VEGAN CHICKEN PARM AND VEGAN PIZZAS WE ARE CLOSED ON MONDAYS.

7 1 8 S O U T H H O W A R D A V E N U E , TA M P A | 8 1 3 . 5 1 2 . 3 0 3 0 | A V ATA M P A . C O M cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 43

44 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

Counseled culture By Dan Savage

Hello! I am a gay man! My answers are… 1. Calm down. Only your wife can force you to get a divorce, SHRINKS, and you’re still married. Which means you haven’t been coerced into doing anything. And while I wouldn’t describe what you encountered as normal, SHRINKS, there are a lot of therapists and counselors out there who regard preserving and protecting monogamy— its practice by individual couples, its position as a sacrosanct norm—as their chief responsibility. Now I don’t know whereabouts you live, SHRINKS, but a married couple that sees more than one therapist or counselor in a big city like mine is gonna encounter at least one open to helping married couples negotiate the transition to non-monogamy. But there’s a really simple way for couples like you to make sure you’re not wasting your time on anti-open and/or sex-negative counselors, SHRINK, and that’s to ask the therapist or counselor what their positions are on open relationships before making your first appointment. Zooming way out for a second: It’s flabbergasting that so many couples counselors think a marriage that isn’t monogamous—or one that has to become non-monogamous for both parties to remain happy in it—isn’t worth saving. The bias against non-monogamous relationships is so insidious that even people whose job it is to help couples that wanna stay together figure out how they can do that will urge couples to divorce, instead of exploring non-monogamy. Never mind suggesting non-monogamy to a couple that is clearly being failed by—not failing at—monogamy. OK, now let’s talk about those threesomes… Your wife came out as a lesbian, SHRINKS, she didn’t come out as bisexual, so it doesn’t follow that you’re in line to have a bunch of threesomes. Even if your wife had come out as bisexual, SHRINKS, that doesn’t mean you hit the pussy lottery and you’re going to be having a lot of threesomes now. Or any threesomes. Maybe you and the wife discussed this, and she wants

to have sex with you despite being a lesbian— maybe she’s willing and/or able to grandfather in your dick (grandmother in your dick?) and is looking forward to having threesomes with you and a girlfriend to be named later—but if you haven’t heard that from your wife’s mouth, SHRINKS, you might wanna tamp down those expectations. And if you haven’t heard that from your wife and you’ve been excitedly telling every couples counselor you see about all the threesomes you’re looking forward to having now that your wife is a dyke, SHRINKS, it’s possible that all those couples

SAVAGE LOVE

counselors urged you to get divorced because your wife was sitting next to you on the couch blinking out distress signals. My answer to No. 2. Open relationships can be awesome! They can also suck! If you’re happy and the wife’s happy and her future girlfriends and/or your thirds are happy, that’s awesome. But if you and/or the wife are unhappy after opening the marriage up, SHRINKS, then you’ll either have to close it again or you’ll end up having to take the advice of all those shrinks and end it. I’m a 36-year-old woman from the U.K. who currently resides in the Middle East. I’ve been seeing a man my same age who is also from Western Europe. The relationship is rather new and we

and shove back in. Right now your boyfriend he has it in his head that he’s disappointing you when does what most guys in gay porn seem to enjoy doing—stroking themselves a little during sex, sometimes finishing themselves off at the end—and he’s got that in his head because you put it there, HARDON, or it was already there and you’ve been reinforcing it. Here’s how you can help: stop pathologizing the way his dick works. Tell him it’s fine: tell him the sex is still a success if he wants to stroke himself now and then during sex; tell him the sex is still a success if he wants to “finish himself off” at the end like all the gay porn stars and many women do; and tell him it’s fine if he wants to bail on vaginal intercourse for whatever reason—including going soft—and eat your pussy instead. Take the pressure off his dick and his dick is likelier to come through. After a decade of celibacy, I started a strictly sexual tryst with a lovely younger man. We both agreed on terms: no strings. It's the first time I’ve ever had sex with a relative stranger for an extended period (two months) and also the first time I’ve been honest about what I wanted sexually. All good things, and no possessive neediness, I have more freedom, etc. But because I have more time on my hands and a proclivity for fantasizing, I have started to resent that we always follow his schedule. It’s understandable, as he works hard and shares custody with an ex, and is younger than I am. Intellectually, I know and accept that. I just need help reconciling myself to these limitations. I like the sex a lot. It’s what I want.—Somehow This Resentment Is Not Good

JOE NEWTON

Hello! I am a heterosexual man! My wife came out as a lesbian after 30 years of marriage. We have children together and we love each other. Therefore, we’ve decided not to divorce. We visited some therapists and they all coerced us to divorce, even though we really do not want that. We believe that an open relationship would satisfy both of us. I’ve always wanted a threesome anyway! We read some books about opening up a relationship and we feel like we could make an open marriage work. And we know there are others out there, so we know it’s possible! Divorce is not in our plan. My questions are… 1. Is it normal for therapists to force a couple to divorce when the couple does not want that? 2. Can open relationships be awesome relationships?—Shrinks Hereabouts Revel In Not Knowing Shit

are still getting to know each other, but we have grown very close. However, he has only managed to come inside me once. He is a fit and healthy man who exercises regularly and does not have any underlying health conditions. So why does he lose his erection every other time and have to finish himself off when he doesn’t? He said he doesn’t know why this keeps happening, but he thinks it might be because he is “too in his own head” to come when he’s inside me and often loses his erection because of it. I brought up the fact that we reside in the Middle East because, as an unmarried couple, it is impossible for us to seek professional help here. I have tried reassuring him and prolonging foreplay and we have an open dialogue over what we like sexually, all to no avail. Should I give it more time? Are there

any toys we could use that would help? Should I advise him to seek professional help when he travels home for his holiday? I feel helpless when he gets more frustrated with every unsuccessful attempt.—Having A Realistic Discussion On Needs This is going to sound weird, HARDON, but you need to watch some gay porn with your boyfriend. (If you can safely view it where you happen to be living right now.) In gay porn you’ll also see a lot of tops “finishing themselves off.” The top fucks the bottom for a while—sometimes for a long while—and then the top pulls out and strokes himself until he comes. Sometimes you’ll see tops pull out, give their dicks a few pumps,

I think you need to ask yourself why you’re sabotaging a good thing here. There are limitations you’ve placed on this relationship (no strings, the sex you want) for what I assume are emotional reasons, STRING, and there are limitations he’s placed on this relationship (not when he’s parenting, not when he’s working) for purely logistical reasons. If your decade of celibacy and your aversion to possessive neediness were reactions to negative experiences you had with past sexual partners—with men who were controlling or abusive—then you might be reacting to the limitations your fuck buddy needs to set as if he were attempting to control you, like past sex partners may have. In reality, of course, it’s not him who’s controlling you here, but circumstances beyond his control. When you feel resentful of him, STRING, go look in a mirror and say, “My reaction, while understandable given my history and potentially helpful, isn’t entirely rational in this instance, it isn’t fair to him, and I’m not going to let it cheat me out of sex I enjoy with someone I like.” Repeat as necessary. Contact mail@savagelove.net, follow @ FakeDanSavage on Twitter, and bookmark savagelovecast.com.

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 45

46 | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | cltampa.com

1 5 9 13 18 19 20 21 22 24

26 27 29 30 31 37 38 39 43 50 51 52 53 55 56 57 59 64 65 66 67 1

74 CHEERS 75 AND JEERS 76 by Merl Reagle 77 ACROSS It’s got food all over it 81 Goldie colleague, 82 once 85 Painter Cézanne Bakery job 86 Lunch in a pail Writer Sheehy 87 ___ Picchu Strong denial 88 Female meat 89 inspector? What the phony judge took that got 91 him kicked out of the tasting? Samoan staple Palindromic enemy of Israel, in the 99 Bible “¿Qué ___ es?” 101 Kids’ game 102 Why Tarzan 103 chewed out the gorilla? Overhang 110 Belief in wu wei Field’s partner 113 Little birds! And other little birds! 114 115 Between ports Above, poetically With 64 Across, a 116 way to fix chicken 120 Bleak forecast Show on which Kristen Wiig appeared: abbr. 125 126 Newspaper 127 monogram 128 Rapid pace Monterey Jack’s 129 girlfriend? 130 See 52 Across 131 Quiet time A solvent, briefly 132 “I do believe Ms. Clayburgh is skydiving!” 2

Vamp Theda A single time Actor Mischa “What’s this playin’ surface called, Mr. Dillon?” Movie rating org. Fall A belle named Sothern Brave New World stuff Passing try, in football stats Ovine boo-hoo Green Mountain Boy Warner Rather unnecessary comment to someone needing the Heimlich Maneuver? State of India 1962 hit, “Duke ___” Order members What ice cream without Ben would be? Snake in Egyptian art Comet part It’s late in the yr. Arabian Sea nation Episode of “Herb Time”? Something straight from the horse’s mouth? Wreck Attacks Actress Falco Signoff word Where Shelley died ___ Domini Glass man Lalique Ice sculpture, often 5

64 67

74 78

112

105

Retired professional, successfully recovering from cardiac procedure. Currently uses walker. Has transportation. Ideal location near Morton Plant Hospital or Pinellas Trail (Downtown). Seeking monthly rental. Willing to pay an attractive rent for the right place. Motivated. References provided & expected. Start date flexible. No Stairs. Private bath would be ideal.

Call or Text to discuss: 727-215-5944

106 114 119

108

ARTIST MANAGER LICENSED PROFESSIONAL P/T COMM ONLY MULTI GENRE www.chansonsnow.biz

109

SERIOUS ONLY: 727-455-7139 chansonsnow3@gmail.com

115 120

Employment/Help Wanted

HIRING:

107

118

Seeks Furnished Room in Clearwater

102

113 117

Vaccinated 72Yr Old Male

101 104

cltampa.com Housing Wanted

100

111

66 71

103

53 60

to advertise: phone - 813-739-4800 email - acarbone@cltampa.com

SCC Soft Computer is looking for a Global Support & Programming Manager in Clearwater, FL.

classifieds

116

110

61 Oklahoma! aunt 98 Seeds DOWN 62 Ivy Leaguer 100 Silently 1 E. Lansing 63 Poison Ivy 104 Rested campus portrayer 105 Princess topper 2 Golfer Ernie 106 Edgar’s middle 3 Bob of the head 67 Chuck’s relatives? 107 1965 Richard 4 Trapped 68 Hangouts Chamberlain film, 5 A phobia start ___ the Morning 6 Popular synthetic 69 Hit the wrong button 108 Host 7 Facial flicker 70 Composer 109 Starship Troopers 8 Mournful Haydn: abbr. auth. 9 L.A.’s O. 71 Platoon setting 110 Dramatic opening 10 Oh, to Otto 11 Informal negatives 72 First name in rap 111 Pool table turn 73 Moor 112 Pocket bread 12 City where a cinema Dracula 77 Acevedo’s abode 117 Comic-page prince, was born, as it’s 78 Evasive 79 Care org.: abbr. familiarly spelled today 80 Water under le 118 Related, to Jethro 13 Pram occupant pont 119 Wedding vow 14 Dairy employee 15 “Not from where 82 Suzanne’s role 121 Citrus cooler on The Bob 122 “Holy moly!” ___” Newhart Show 123 “The Loco16 1492 vessel Motion” singer, 17 Swingin’ Norman 83 Fund-filled places Little ___ 20 Youngest Simpson 124 Animal shelter 23 A name or a bird 84 Plastic containers 25 “Am I a god ___ 90 Uris book, dog?” (Kipling) The ___ 28 ___ about (approximately) 92 Throng 31 The Lawnmower 93 Craft of a sort PUZZLE FANS ! 94 Buttons and Man star Jeff For info on Merl's bows, e.g. 32 Visible Sunday crossword 95 Shower powder 33 Chess pces. anthologies, visit 34 Residence: abbr. 96 “Man oh man!” www.sunday 97 Keebler 35 Little rascal crosswords.com. employee 36 Part of B.C.E. 37 Bus. sci. Solution to Leap Year Celebration 40 Francis’s home 41 Sex cop P E T H E A D S A P T N E S S 42 Slangy money AM I MOS T E L CORO L L A 44 Obsessive savers J U M P S T O C O N C L U S I O N S A L E A A A AMOU S E P E A 45 J.R.’s mom MA L T A NDH OP S O T T E R S 46 The Invisible Man A T I E N O E L E L ROY star S E N E C A R A I D O F F S I D E S E T H S E CR E T V A U L T S 47 Norton et al. H I F I R E F U E L A S E A 48 Fish delicacy B A K E I N BO UND S MA X I 49 Sonoran sun ON E R R E E S E S I EOH 54 Not rushed, in S K I P S D E S S E R T ME RC CHR I S T I E T R E R E R E A D music T I B E T SME E Y 58 Org. for 17 Down T E R E S A S P R I N G S ST EP R E N 59 Bronco Billy A X E L E E V E S GAO A B A L I F E S L I T T L E HURD L E S portrayer S E C T OR S I ME L D A E A T 60 Mozart in T RU S T E E T I F F S DR Y Amadeus

121

122

125

126

127

128

129

130

131

132

123

124

NOW HIRING OUTSIDE SALES!

Are you a "Creative Loafing" personality? Love talking with people and helping businesses succeed? Contact us today and submit your resume with a cover letter to: Jobs@cltampa.com - Use subject line "Outside Sales Representative"

ADULT/Models

Develops and implements standard, documented protocols & procedures relating to the post-live support issues adversely affecting client satisfaction. Responsible for planning, directing & coordinating the activities of the Support Production/Programming teams to ensure alignment with the Post-Live Support teams. Participate in the strategic decisions about technology, definition & implementation of SCC’s products to assess impact on the post-live support teams. Lead a team of Programmers to perform code changes for hot fixes for software anomalies that are determined. Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field + 60 months of experience as a Senior Manager with a laboratory or clinical information systems vendor leading a global software development, implementation and/or support management team in the usage, programming, file building & troubleshooting of a laboratory or clinical information system.

MASSAGE BY BUTCH @ THE RELAXATION STATION Strong Hands with a Gentle Touch 19 Years Experience IN CALL / OUT CALL 8am till 10pm 7 days

817.228.2990 Cash/Credit Cards Accepted MM#6181

RELAXATION MASSAGE

From Deep Tissue to Lighter Pressure. Call for specials. 727-744-0254

Please submit resumes by mail to SCC Soft Computer ATTN: Human Resources 5400 Tech Data Drive, Clearwater, FL 33760.

Services - Creative

BECOME A MODEL OR ACTOR!

BE A CENTERFOLD GIVE YOURSELF OR THAT SPECIAL

Work in TV Commercials, Films, Magazines, etc. All types, sizes, races & ages.

Call/Text NOW: 1-800-863-8865 TonksTalentNetwork.com

SOMEONE A BOUDOIR PHOTO GIFT!

MASSAGE

Female Therapist 7 DAYS! 9AM-5PM, $40 In-Call Sandy

727-822-4020 MA23220

LIFE IS GOOD! A Warm Lotion Therapuetic Massage. Once is not enough.

Call 727-403-3544 Lic# MA33860

HARDCORE ADULT TALK Busty Babes, Ebony Hotties or Older Ladies - Ur Choice! 866-515-3699 Only $10 Per Call

METROSEXUAL CONNECTIONS STRAIGHT, GAY OR BI 800-538-2428 Only 20 Cents Per Minute!

DELUXE PACKAGES STARTING @ $199

Licensed Massage & Spas A PROFESSIONAL

EROTIC PHONE CHAT REAL Fun Singles! 800-SEXY-GAL 800-739-9425

(813) 774-1640 Business Opportunity

STATE CERTIFIED FISH HATCHERY

FOR SALE WITH AQUAPONIC STOCKING

RECESSION-PROOF BUSINESS

IN PORT RICHEY - $200K CALL

727-415-6334

Trans Model Yazmine:

813-508-1441

cltampa.com | SEPTEMBER 2 - 8, 2021 | 47