Downtown Crowd, Sept. 2018

September ‘18

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Downtown Crowd | September 2018

Editor’s Letter 6

9

Publisher Malcolm Ballinger Owners Malcolm & Glenys Ballinger Executive Editor Kelly Oden Editor Will Isern Art Director Guy Stevens

WILL ISERN editor

Graphic Design Bara’ah Jaraiseh

Pensacola’s next mayor will be either Grover Robinson or Brian Spencer. We’ll know in November.

In the interim, Ashton Hayward deserves some credit.

12

17

contents 6 Brian Regan

9 Eric Johnson, Guitar God 12 Vinyl, Remastered 17 Fine Dining at The District 19 Reviews 21 Calendar

Since 2010, Hayward has been the face of the city and its cheerleader-in-chief. He’s not been perfect, but with no blueprint as to how to serve as the city’s first strong mayor, Hayward has set the standard against which our next mayor will be judged.

It cannot be considered coincidence that the beginning of the transformation of downtown Pensacola from sleepy office park to bustling entertainment district coincided with Hayward’s election in 2010. They mayor can’t be given credit for the work put in by the entrepreneurs who saw potential in the downtown core, but his energy and vision for the city set the tone for their investment. Perhaps more so than any other in the city’s history, Hayward’s election carried with it the feeling that things were changing.

In the midst of the financial crisis, Hayward ran on a platform of creating jobs, restoring trust in local government, cutting costs and improving neighborhoods.

Eight years later, Hayward can count among his successes the growth of Pensacola International Airport, many stormwater and beautification projects and a reduction in city property taxes.

More than any of these, however, Hayward’s greatest achievement has been his promotion of the city as an exciting place to live and burgeoning hotspot for culturally minded travelers.

Hayward’s two terms as mayor were not spotless. The years-long legal battle against the owners of The Fish House restaurant was a massive waste of taxpayer dollars.

Concealing from the public that city recyclables were being taken to the landfill was a breach of the public trust. Administrative decisions large and small could have been better made.

The memory of these missteps will fade with time. Hayward’s legacy will be that of leading the city through its renaissance, and it will loom large. Any mayor could hardly hope for more.

Editorial Assistant Kaitlyn Peacock Contributing Writers Haley Weaver Rita Johnson Advertising Account Executives Paula Rode Paula@ballingerpublishing.com Geneva Strange Geneva@ballingerpublishing.com Deadline for space and information is the 15th of the month prior to publication.

For advertising rates or news tips contact Phone: 433-1166 · Fax: 435-9174 DOWNTOWN CROWD is published by Ballinger Publishing.

Offices located at 314 N Spring St., Ste. A, Pensacola Florida 32501 Published by Ballinger Publishing

Downtown Crowd is locally owned and operated. It is published monthly for distribution in Pensacola, Florida. All Right Reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents herein is prohibited without written permission from the publisher.

Comments and opinions expressed in this magazine represent the personal views of the individuals to whom they are attributed and/ or the person identified as the author of the article, and they are not necessarily those of the publisher. This magazine accepts no responsibility for these opinions. The publisher reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. All advertising information is the responsibility of the individual advertiser. Appearance in this magazine does not necessarily reflect endorsement of any products or services by Ballinger Publishing. © 2018

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A word from Lissa Dees, Executive Director of the Downtown Improvement Board We love celebrating local art and culture during Gallery Nights each month, and September’s event will include an added twist, as Pensacola and cities all over the world celebrate International PARK(ing) Day. Local creative teams will use their imagination to transform ten metered parking spaces along Palafox and Government Streets into creative, interactive green spaces. The project’s mission is to illustrate the positive impacts of green spaces in urban areas, and you can help pick the best mini “parklet” during a live vote from 5 to 8 pm. Join us Sept. 21!

During our recent Downtown Improvement Board meeting we proudly awarded our first PensaLOCAL award to Dottie Dubuisson. Dottie is a tireless supporter of downtown Pensacola whose innovative and collaborative attitude has contributed to a better downtown district for all of the residents of the city of Pensacola.

Following the meeting, we held a successful parking training session with members of the community to discuss the different ways to pay for parking downtown, including paying at the meter, texting to pay or using the app on your smartphone. The session concluded with a fun quiz where several attendees won a week of free parking. Additional parking training sessions will be announced shortly.

The Vinyl Music Hall is set to reopen its doors following an impressive expansion and renovation to bring its audience capacity to 860. The popular venue will now feature a secondfloor mezzanine for concertgoers to enjoy their favorite acts from a new vantage point. Upcoming acts include the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, BLESSTHEFALL and Lil Debbie.

We are thrilled to welcome several new businesses to the downtown area. The brand new Live! Juice Bar & More has officially opened at 532 W. Garden St., rejuvenating a 1951

two-bay car wash by transforming it into a vibrant restaurant and venue.

The new restaurant offers a healthconscious menu and versatile event space, focused on supporting the community through art, food, music and education. Give your body a boost with my personal favorite “Sweet Green” juice and stick around to try their delicious zucchini noodle-based Pomodoro with marinated mushroom and pine nut pesto. We’re also excited to see new life brought to 123 E. Government St. with The District: Seville Steaks and Seafood. The 130-year-old property that once held the British Fort Pensacola is now home a New American Steakhouse with a sophisticated and stylish interior. Be sure to take a downtown detour with your friends and family for some fresh seafood and dry-aged steaks.

Gulf Power are working to enhance the underground grid in the downtown area to upgrade it with the latest technology, simplify maintenance and decrease restoration times. Teams are on track to finish a month ahead of schedule and are coordinating with local businesses to avoid conflicts.

This month, Gulf Power crews are working on Zaragoza St. between Jefferson St. and Tarragona St. and crews will remain on Jefferson St. between Romana St. and Intendencia St. before moving to Romana St. between Jefferson St. and Intendencia St. We thank you for your patience as the Gulf Power crews work to improve the underground grid system.

The Downtown Improvement Board is committed to ensure that downtown Pensacola the best place to live, work and play. If you’d like to stay up on everything happening downtown, please follow us on social media and sign up for our monthly newsletter at downtownpensacola.com.

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Brian

Regan

G N I D N A T S STIll interview by Kaitl

yn Peacock

One of stand-up comedy’s most respected comedians, Brian Regan, is coming back to Pensacola Sept. 22 for a show at the Saenger Theater. Regan released his seventh hour of comedy last year in a Netflix special called Nunchucks and Flamethrowers and recently appeared on Loudermilk as Mugsy. Downtown Crowd got a chance to interview Regan before his upcoming show, where he shared his thoughts on traveling from Greyhound buses to airplanes, getting through the bad moments to get to the good moments and how his creative process involves taking note of the weird things that happen in everyday life.

Your biography says you have been doing this for more than 30 years and that’s kind of incredible, I have to say.

You’ve been around for long, you’ve touched so many generations, so how does it feel to be around for so long and see everything change. I know the comedy world must have changed in that time.

It’s pretty bizarre. I remember at the club where I started I was like the dishwasher and they’d let me go on stage at the end of the night. There was a comedian who came to town who had been doing it for 12 years and I remember thinking, “Wow, I wonder what that would be like to be doing this for 12 years?” And now, here it is, I’ve been doing it for like 75 years. So, it’s very comforting to feel

like I’ve been able to make a go of this for this long. I enjoy the heck out of it, and I’m very fortunate in that I was able to stay at it long enough to get a little bit of a following where I can continue to do it. And I love it.

Does it get harder as more time goes on, or easier? Do certain things get harder?

Certain parts get easier, and certain parts get more challenging. When I first went out on the road, I was literally taking Greyhound buses from city to city. I’m not exaggerating. I would buy – they called them Greyhound AmeraPasses – and you would pay one price for a month’s worth of bus travel. I would take a Greyhound bus

from gig to gig and that’s how I would get around.

Then, when I was finally able to get a little car, you know it was a used, beat-up car, I felt like, “Wow, I have made it! I’m driving a jalopy!” Then that broke on me. Then when you where you’re actually getting on an airplane to get from gig to gig is a fascinating line to cross, where you just go, “Wow, I’m a jet setter!” So, how you travel changes over the years and the kinds of venues you play at changes over the years. I’ve been able to graduate from doing bars with comedy tequila night to playing in some beautiful theaters.

So I have no complaints. You know, there have been challenges along the way, but overall, I love it.

Does the venue make a difference? I know you’ve played at Carnegie Hall.

You know it’s weird – backstage at Carnegie Hall they have a poster up of when the Beatles played there. And the price for the tickets for the Beatles was like $3 or $3.50 if you wanted to sit up close, and I was like “Wow, I always thought the Beatles were successful.” Of course this was years ago. But yeah, the venue does make a difference. I mean comedy is comedy, but people are assembled in a nice place, there’s a psychological aspect to it. They feel like, well this guy must be pretty decent if he’s doing it here. He must be okay at it. And so, you start with your foot in the door already, whereas rougher venues you have to, speaking metaphorically, you have to kick the door down and say, “Hey, I know this is a rough bar, but I’m kind of funny.”

What do you say for people who want to get into comedy, but they have moments of doubt, and they have them pretty often? How do you keep at it?

You have to have passion. You have to be passionate about it, otherwise you’re not going to go through those difficult moments. If you have a thin skin, to where you go, ‘I can’t handle rough nights.’ Then, comedy probably isn’t for you. But if you see the bigger picture, if you are willing to put up with the bad moments in the hopes that the good moments will eventually far outweigh the rouge moments. I wanted you to have to write the word “moments” fifteens times in one sentence.

Don’t worry, I’m counting them out.

You can write “The moments he said moments were the worst moments of my writing career.”

Repetition is actually a good thing, in moderation. *Laughs.* Okay.

backstage at Carnegie Hall they have a poster up of when the Beatles played there. And the price for the tickets for the Beatles was like $3 if you wanted to sit up close, and I was like “Wow, I always thought the Beatles were successful.”

So you go from these bad gigs to all the fun ones, Letterman is calling you and they are like “Hey, you want to come perform?” How does that feel?

Well it was tremendous, but it doesn’t happen where they are calling me. That’s us calling them. I auditioned to get on that show a number of times before I was able to finally impress them enough to allow me on. So, I mean comedians want to get on those kinds of shows. That was a big one, obviously. The Tonight Show was a big one to be able to get on.

That was back when Johnny Carson was hosting.

I know I’m dating myself, but you know. So, those are big milestones. You are working at it night after night but you have these things you say, “Man, if I could do this show,” or, “If I could do that show,” that would be pivotal. It would be a nice, let’s use the word moment, I haven’t used that word in a while. It would be a nice moment in my career.

You have a Netflix special that came out last year and one that is coming out next year, so how was that? Was that different from doing any other performance?

Well, it depends on where you are doing the special.

I’ve done specials for Showtime in the past. There are no commercials on Showtime. Then I did three hour-long specials for Comedy Central. Those have commercials. Those are tricky. You don’t shoot them with commercials. The last Comedy Central one I did was live, so that one had to have commercial breaks, not only for the TV viewer, but for me and the wouldbe audience.

Did you just stand there looking at everyone?

Well, we cheated it. I didn’t take the full break. Like the second half of the live special had about a twominute delay on it, because I didn’t want the audience to go “Why are we sitting here for four and a half minutes doing nothing?” But when you do a Netflix special, you just shoot it as if it’s live. You just go one hour straight without having to stop. So that’s a little bit of a difference.

What’s your creative process?

I’m not good at sitting down and writing comedy.

Other people are good at that. I have to go through my life the way I normally would do it. I just see what I would normally see, read what I would normally read, experience what I would normally experience, and then every once and a while, you see something in a way you didn’t see it the previous time saw that and you go, “Hey, that was weird.” So I get those ideas just from the external world. It’s like something hits you in a way that it didn’t the day before, then you can apply a craft to it. You can go okay, I know what the idea is now let me find the words, put some words together so I can hit the stage with it. Then I’ll pick a rough version of it, hit the stage, and I tape every show and then sometimes the best writing takes place on stage. You learn how to cut all the fat out and get right to the point when you are on stage.

DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 7

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ERIC JOHNSON PLAYS THE CLASSICS

It’s Monday morning in Austin, Texas and Eric Johnson, Grammy winner and guitar god, has just lost his wallet.

He’s graciously enduring the second interview by the same reporter in one day while trying to buy groceries and is, for a moment, experiencing the confusion of misplacing one of modern life’s essential items.

“It’s like instant stress if you lose your car keys, cell phone or wallet,” Johnson laughs after locating the billfold. “It’s like automatically all of a sudden the worlds stops.”

But Eric Johnson’s world rarely does stop. A prodigious songwriter and performer, he has released 15 solo and live albums, is at work on another and is prepping for a month-long tour across the South, the East Coast and the Midwest playing his breakthrough 1990 album Ah Via Musicom from front to back.

The tour will include a show in Pensacola at Vinyl Music Hall on Oct. 6.

Downtown Crowd caught up with Johnson, twice, to talk about the tour, guitars and how, after all these years, he still has to practice “Cliffs of Dover.”

Hey Eric, thanks for doing this. I understand you’re going to be touring on Ah Via Musicom again. Can you tell me about the decision to tour that record again?

Yeah, we had put up a thing on Facebook asking about what people would like to see and they said, ‘Oh, you know, a lot of bands go out and play one of their more popular records. We’d love to see you come play Musicom from start to finish.’ So we thought, ‘That sounds like a cool idea.’ So we went out and did almost three months of that and we’re going to do this one final month and hit all the cities we haven’t hit before. It was just something the people wanted to hear.

What has it been like returning to that album?

It’s been cool. The opportunity to play with the original band – Tommy Taylor and Kyle Brock – and turn people onto something they identify with. It’s a record that a lot of people like the most of all the records I did.

So what’s the show going to be like? What can fans expect?

We’ll come out and do a short set of just whatever, a couple of new things, maybe I’ll do an acoustic thing here or there and then maybe a few tunes off other records and then we’ll take a short break and play a second set and just play the record start to finish.

DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 9

“I think a great instrument is one that you just kind of forget about and it just takes you somewhere and you’re not so aware of it or having to fight it. If you’re fighting it or if you’re too conscious of the instrument, you’re thinking about something other than just going somewhere. So, the greatest instrument I think is the one you just don’t want to put down – you just want to play it because you love it.” middle but it’s hollow on the sides of the body. It’s like crossing a 335 with a Stratocaster.

What makes a great guitar for you?

I think a great instrument is one that you just kind of forget about and it just takes you somewhere and you’re not so aware of it or having to fight it. If you’re fighting it or if you’re too conscious of the instrument, you’re thinking about something other than just going somewhere.

So, the greatest instrument I think is the one you just don’t want to put down – you just want to play it because you love it.

You mentioned Facebook earlier; I understand you’ve taken to social media in a big way. What’s that experience been like as a way to connect with fans?

It’s been a great way to stay connected with everybody. That’s where everybody’s attention is, so it’s cool to stay connected in real-time and know what’s going, and have people keep up with your adventures.

You released Collage back in November. It’s a mix of original works and interpretations of songs by artists that have influenced you.

Can you tell me about some of those influences?

That just started as being in the 10 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM

studio and recording a lot a stuff for fun – just stuff that I liked.

Once I got enough songs, I thought, ‘Huh, maybe I should put these out.’ Half of them were originals, half of them were covers of people that are heroes of mine – Hendrix, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder – stuff like that. So I just kind of put it all together. That’s why I called it Collage.

You recently released a new model of your signature guitar with Fender. What can you tell me about designing that guitar?

It’s the same guitar I made, but I wanted to release a semi-hollow version of it because I love the Gibson 335. It’s solid through the

Getting back to the tour, “Cliffs of Dover” is on Ah Via Musicom. Do you still have to practice that song or can you pretty much just play it whenever?

I can play it anytime, but I have to practice if I want it to sound good.

Just the little licks and things I pretty much have to practice or I can get bad real fast. I guess for anybody to be good at something, you have to kind of keep up with it .

You’re working on some new stuff, is that right?

Yeah, I’m working on a new acoustic piano and guitar record.

I’m just trying to get more to where I perform it live in the studio because you get a certain energy and a certain spirit when you do

that. When you piece it together, it sounds pieced together. You might not be able to see it or know it, but you can feel it and when people are having fun. When they record, that shows up in the music. So, I think the thing is to just try and do whatever it is that turns you on and you have joy in doing it and then try to do it live and perform it so you get that spirit.

Well again, Eric, thanks so much for doing this. Are you looking forward to coming to Pensacola?

I am, totally. I hope I’ll be able to get down and check out the beach.

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s e m a N r e g g i B s se i m o r P l u a h r e v Vinyl's O Since opening in 2010, Vinyl Music Hall has been downtown Pensacola’s premier venue for contemporary live music. From George Clinton to Diplo to Big Boi, Vinyl has hosted some big names in its short history and built a name for itself within the industry.

But downtown Pensacola has undergone a dramatic transformation in the eight years since Vinyl opened its doors. Palafox Street is more popular than ever, and the city’s reputation as a hotspot for nightlife is spreading. Now, owners Harry and Evan Levin

12 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM

have big plans to transform the modest venue to accommodate bigger crowds and, hopefully, brighter stars.

“When we first started we were kind of part of that revitalization,” Evan said. “Now it’s just awesome to see that energy all the way down Palafox, and going past Garden Street. You see people outside sitting at tables and all the foot traffic seven days a week. So, I think it’s the right time for us to grow as downtown is growing.”

Vinyl closed its doors July 22 to undergo a top-to-bottom renovation that will increase capacity from 525 to 860. The main addition will be that of a wraparound mezzanine

stretching from the rear of the venue around and behind the stage.¬¬ The front of the venue will be pushed out as well, and the entrance and box office completely redone.

Inside on a recent Tuesday, a small army of welders and construction workers from Brownsville Welding and Chastain & Co. scurried to complete the renovations ahead of the planned reopening show by the Chris Robinson Brotherhood Sept. 6.

“We basically gave ourselves six weeks to do everything,” Evan said. “The goal was to minimize how long we had our doors closed, but it’s a lot to do in a short amount of time.”

With the capacity for larger crowds, Vinyl will be able to pursue acts for whom the previous

capacity would have made performing here economically unfeasible. The Levins aren’t keen to say just who they may pursue, only that the renovations should make them a much more attractive option to wide variety of acts.

“We talked about it for several years; about what we’d like to do and this made the most sense,” Evan said. “It’s going to allow us to go after bigger acts that may have had to pass us over in the past.”

Many may not know that the original plan for the building that houses Vinyl was condos. Built in the early 20th century, it was originally a Masonic Lodge and had sat empty for years before the Levins bought it in 2005. When the housing market collapsed in 2007, the Levins offered the building up for lease, but with no tenants by 2010, the cousins decided they’d try to bring a musical element that had been lacking from the downtown landscape.

“We wanted to bring something to downtown that didn’t currently exist,” Harry said. “We didn’t want to open a competing restaurant or bar. We wanted to bring something that was kind of a fresh new concept and we had been to a couple similar venues in other cities and talked about how that’s what Pensacola was missing. We wanted to try to do something unique to the area.”

It was never a sure thing that a dedicated music venue would work in downtown Pensacola, but the Levins’ gamble has paid off. Vinyl has hosted a slew of sold-out shows over the years, including Steve Earle, Postmodern

Jukebox, Dr. John and many more. Part of their success, the Levins said, is catering to a wide audience by offering many different types of shows, including different genres of music, magic acts, burlesque and more.

Attracting those diverse crowds has been a boon not just for Vinyl, but for all of downtown.

“People don’t come here because they’re fans of the venue, they come here to see whoever’s on stage,” Harry said. “And if they want to see that person bad enough, they’re coming from Mobile, from Panama City – we get people in from Birmingham, from Orlando. So you’ve got a new crowd coming downtown every time we open our doors.

We don’t serve food or anything like that, so the people that are coming here are staying at hotels and eating at restaurants and going to bars after the show, so they’re really getting a feel for all of downtown. So I thinks its great for everybody.”

“We wanted to bring something that was kind of a fresh new concept. We wanted to try to do something unique to the area.”

As they look to the future, the Levins say they’re excited about Vinyl’s growth and the opportunities it will allow. The renovations are not coming cheap, but they say that they’re confident that the demand exists to make them worthwhile. As for where they go from here, Harry said they’ll continue to do as they’ve done since opening and let their audiences guide their decision-making.

“It took us eight years to take this next step, so we’re going to let our crowds dictate where it goes from here,” Harry said.

14 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM

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SPLENDID SEVILLE THE DISTRICT: SEVILLE STEAK & SEAFOOD OPENS DOWNTOWN Downtown Pensacola’s newest restaurant, The District: Seville Steak & Seafood, is instantly one of its most refined and is poised to shakeup a fine dining landscape that has for years been dominated by a handful of restaurants.

The restaurant is the latest venture by Pensacola’s Mitchell family, owners and operators of Seville Quarter. The District is located just across from Seville at 123 E. Government St. Lavishly appointed from top to bottom, no expense was spared in renovating the two-story building. The first-floor dining room is draped in rich wood tones, creamy leather and exposed brick. The upstairs lounge is appointed in dark leather and features a baby grand piano, private dining room and balcony overlooking Government Street. Each floor also features a full bar.

“We worked hard to get it right to begin with,” Wilmer Mitchell said.

The District offers a modern take on the traditional American steakhouse as well as the fresh Gulf seafood for which Pensacola is famous. The restaurant dry ages its steaks in an aging room visible through a window on the second floor. Specialties include the double cut lamb chop with couscous salad, sweet-tea marinated, dry-aged

pork chop and Pensacola red snapper over Nassau grits.

Chef Josh Werner, who rose to prominence as head chef of the Grand Marlin on Pensacola Beach, heads up the restaurant’s kitchen. Gil Carmichael is serving as general manager.

“This has been a labor of love for the last several years and I’ve enjoyed watching this building transform into what it is, I hope you will see the effort that has been put in by Seville Quarter and the Mitchell family and myself and my family,” Carmichael said.

The Mitchells held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new restaurant in August. Werner presented Wilmer Mitchell with a personalized chef’s hat to commemorate the occasion.

Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward was on hand for the ribbon cutting and said he remembered growing up alongside the Mitchells. Hayward encouraged Pensacolians to support the new restaurant.

“It’s beautiful in there, they did such a great job, spent so much energy, passion and hours to make it the authentic place that it is, so let’s support them,” Hayward said. “This is great for Pensacola.”

DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 17

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Contact David Van Der Like 850.232.2077 or Carolyn Palmer 850.982.7188

18 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM

i am for the Child

Jams What we’re listening to this month Be The Cowboy

Loop-FindingJazz-Records

Mitski

BY HALEY WEAVER – Mitski’s fifth (and best) studio album Be the Cowboy is 14 tracks, filled with ugly desperation and carefully crafted pop arrangements.

Most do not even hit the three minute mark, each like a quick stab at the listener with a few seconds in between before they’re stabbed again. There aren’t any fillers or throwaways, each song a testament to her goal of showing womanhood at its most honest, most unappealing: “I want to self-destruct, I want a love that’s not mine, I want out of the love I have, I’ll fix you, I’ll kill you, I hate you, why don’t you love me.” It’s intense dissatisfaction and anger and desire, but it’s also catchy as hell and makes you want to dance around your kitchen. Mitski fascinatingly samples different textures and genres in every track on the record: “Lonesome Love” is a brief country ditty sandwiched

Jan Jelinek, ~scape

BY WILL ISERN– Say it’s 2042 and you’re on a train platform in South London. It’s a gray day and a light mist is falling. You’ve got the day off and nowhere to be. Perhaps you’ll take the 11:12 to Broadstairs and rent a small room overlooking the sea. You check your smartphone. You watch the people go by. between harsher, guitar-heavy “A Pearl” and “Remember My Name.” Songs like “Pink in the Night” and “Nobody” signal distress on opposite ends of the spectrum, the former an airy yet frantic track begging for love and the latter a catchy but frenzied chant of loneliness with no obvious ambition behind it. Be the Cowboy is diverse, dark, beautiful, and exactly what this year needed.

Thus is the sound of Jan Jelinek’s 2001 masterpiece, Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records.

It’s a difficult thing to convey emotion with subdued electronic music. Computers tend to sound like computers. But at the start of the new millennia, Jelinek wove fuzz, and crackle and pop together in ways that suggested small, deeply personal and hard-to-describe feelings.

Jelinek’s music may not be immediately accessible to every listener. It is the inverse of pop. But give Loop-Finding-JazzRecords a real chance and you may find yourself transported somewhere timeless and immediate – that small room overlooking an endless sea.

PERFECT PLAIN BREWING CO. & VINYL MUSIC HALL

The Perfect Mile SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6 10 AM TO 3 PM BLOCK PARTY ON GARDEN STREET WITH LIVE MUSIC

FOUR PERSON TEAM $119

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DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 19

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Back Issues Available!

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Call 850.433.1166 ext. 26 for more info.

ATIONAL N ER

Y 2018 A D GALLERY NIGHT

Join us for Gallery Night on Sept. 21 in downtown Pensacola as we celebrate local culture and creativity by transforming 10 parking spaces into public places. #ParkPensacola

Da te line D ow n t own Blue Angels Practices

September 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 18, 25 The Blue Angels are still soaring over Pensacola as fall comes to Florida. The Blues will be hosting practice sessions open to the viewing public throughout September. Wheels up at 11:30 am on most practice days. Sept. 7 and 25 will feature special practice times, with wheels up at 9 am Sept. 7 and 11:30 am Sept. 25. Admission to view the practice is free. Following most Wednesday practices, members of the Blue Angels visit the Museum to meet fans and sign autographs in the Atrium. For more information, visit www.navalaviationmuseum. org. For show weather updates, visit the Blue Angels Facebook or Twitter before show time.

Emerald Coast Beer Festival September 6 and 7

Once again, the Emerald Coast Beer Festival returns to the world famous Rosie O’ Grady’s Good Time Emporium entertainment complex in Seville Quarter. This is the best street party in Pensacola. The party starts Sept. 6 with the beer pairing dinner to be held in the Apple Annie’s Room and Sept. 7, the beer tasting will take place throughout the entire complex and Government Street. For more information, visit www.emeraldcoastbeerfest.com.

Bulls on the Beach September 7 and 8

Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar will host the Bulls on the Beach, the biggest rodeo on the beach featuring cowboys riding live bulls as they try to hold on for the longest eight seconds of their lives.

Doors open at 6 pm and the rodeo begins at 8 pm. Meet the cowboys Sept. 6 at the Ole River Grill, then the festivities will begin Sept. 7 and 8 with face painting, kettle korn and good old fashioned fun. For more information, visit www.florabama.com.

Vettes at the Beach Show September 7 and 8

Join Corvette lovers for a welcome dinner and a weekend of fun in the sun on Pensacola Beach at the Miracle Strip Corvette

The Pensacola Seafood Festival will fill Seville Square Setpt. 28-30 Club’s 16th annual “Vettes at the Beach” Corvette car show, Sept. 7 through 8. A pre-registration and welcome dinner will be held Sept. 7, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Hemingway’s Bimini Bar. The welcome dinner is included in the registration. Registration will be Sept. 8 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Pre-registration is $50 and includes Friday’s welcome dinner for two, a dash plaque and entry into the car show. The form and registration information can be found at http://miraclestripcorvette.com/ vettes-at-the-beach- 2018.

Pensacola Dragon Boat Festival September 8

Led by the rhythmic beat of a drum, teams of 20 synchronized paddlers, one drummer and one steersperson race 300 meters across Bayou Texar in 40-foot canoes rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails Sept. 8. The sport brings social groups and businesses alike down to the water to bond and compete, building a stronger sense of “team” with every stroke. From vets to newbies, anyone can have a good time – they’ve made sure there’s plenty of time to kick back between races. For more information, visit www. pensacoladragonboatfestival.com.

Movies in the Park Series

Pensacola Cycling Classic

Once a month during the summer, catch a movie at Community Maritime Park.

The next movie will be Sherlock Gnomes, scheduled for Sept. 14 beginning at sunset, 7:40 p.m. Bring blankets and lawn chairs for an evening of family fun underneath the stars. Local food trucks will be at the event, so make sure to come ready to enjoy dinner and a show. Pets and glass containers are not allowed in the park. For more information, visit www.cityofpensacola.com.

The 2018 Pensacola Cycling Classic will be held Sept. 15 and 16 and will feature three stages, including a time trial on Pensacola Beach. Other venues include a road race in Milton through Blackwater River State Forest and a criterium held in downtown Pensacola. Registration will be available Sept. 14, 4 pm to 8 pm at the Holiday Inn Resort on Pensacola Beach. There will be no race day registration. Proceeds will go to the Paralyzed Veterans of American, many of whom will be racing as well. For more information, visit www.pensacolacyclingclassic.com.

September 14

Perdido Key Coastal Cleanup Day September 15

During International Coastal Cleanup Day, join the staff of Perdido Key State Park, Perdido Key Association and friends of Pensacola State Parks at Perdido Key State Park’s West Use Area to help keep our beaches clean and beautiful. For more information, visit www.friendsofpensacolastateparks.org/ 2018/08/07/international-coastal-cleanup.

September 15 and 16

Taste of the Beach September 15

Pensacola Beach chefs will spice up the food and crowds Sept. 15 at Pensacola Beach’s biggest culinary event of the year, and you’re invited. The day is filled with chef’s challenges, cook-offs, tastings, live music, restaurants’ signature dishes, crab racing, beer tasting and more starting at 11 am. For more information and full schedule of events, visit www.tasteofpensacolabeach.com/event-info.

DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 21

Blues on the Bay Concert Series September 16 and 23

The Blues on the Bay Concert Series will feature two concerts this month at the Hunter Amphitheater at Community Maritime Park. Pack your coolers, bring your lawn chairs, and enjoy a cool breeze off the bay while some of the region’s best musical talents hit the stage. The next concert will be Sept. 16, beginning at 6 pm and will include The Mulligans. There will be another concert Sept. 23 at 6 pm and will feature the Modern Eldorados. Every concert in the series is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.cityofpensacola.com..

Pensacola Seafood Festival September 28 through 30

Sample a variety of mouth-watering seafood dishes and enjoy continuous entertainment in Fountain Park Sept. 28 through 30 at the annual Pensacola Seafood Festival. Arts and crafts vendors will be displaying their unique wares, many items reflective of our area’s unique Gulf Coast lifestyle. A children’s area is filled with activities for all ages.

The Fiesta Seafood Grille offers cooking demonstrations where you can watch area chefs prepare regional delicacies. For more information, visit www.pensacola seafoodfestival.com.

“inspire - a day of TransformaTion, sHifT, and self-empowermenT!”

free To THe puBlic!

December 1st, 10a.m. to 6p.m.

Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center 913 S I St, Pensacola, Florida Join us for a day of sHifT Classes, Seminars, Workshops, Meditation, Demonstrations, Massage, Books, Daily Fresh Organic Food, Spa Services, Yoga, & much more.

SPeakeRS WanteD!

850.941.4321

inspirepensacola.org

SALES OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 9 AM - 4 PM TUESDAY - FRIDAY

At Jeff’s Corner Garden we grow an assortment of lettuce, greens, & herbs all produced indoors hydroponically. No pesticides or herbicides are used on the plants.

Made possible through funding from Impact 100.

Pensacola, FL 32503 (850) 332-8153 The Arc Gateway has been opening doors for individuals with intellectual & developmental disabilities since 1954.

www.arc-gateway.org The Arc Gateway Foundation 3932 N. 10th Ave. Pensacola, FL 32503 CH13805