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Thank you for the letters. Thank you for the comments. Thanks for calling out bots and trolls—and for holding us accountable when you think we fall short of what this publication can be. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay has enjoyed opening up the mailbag, and we want to keep the party going. Scan the QR code on this page to give us feedback, or just find us wherever the algorithm has trapped you and chime in there.—Ray Roa
Tampa Bay cops say their ICE agreements are a formality. Pinellas’ sheriff says that’s not enough
Our police department’s mission is NOT to enforce civil immigration. It’s to protect our community. That’s why we pay our taxes. We can’t afford longer response times— Solar Vet Cohen Lawrence on Facebook
Chad Chronisters wife won’t let him —Charles Roberts on Facebook
The chief of SPPD has been saying for the last year that the department’s 287g agreement with ICE was just a formality; that he had to sign it, but that it doesn’t mean anything. This proves him wrong on both counts: he DIDN’T have to sign it, and it DOES mean something. We need to up the pressure on Holloway and the mayor to cancel the agreement now.—@ menomenomicon on Instagram
I was there. It wasn’t jam packed but there was a decent turn out, imo. I had a blast!
Miki Albatou
Smallest pride in years. As a rideshare driver I welcome the business but aside from the parade day, it’s like pride didn’t even exist this month.—Chris Markham
St. Pete is getting a new multi-concept taco hub, GameTime says goodbye to Ybor, and more Tampa Bay food news (via Facebook)
Sooner rather than later, the whole taco craze is gonna crash just like the brewery craze, it’s not like there’s already 17 million taco places around.—Richard Hollenbeck
There are not enough constituents that actually know what 287G is. I ride around with a sticker on my car and get asked about it all the time. How can they receive pushback when people don’t know what it is. Information needs to be blasted to the ppl, about what 287G is and about what DOI are and how we can actively push our leaders to refuse to train any cop for DOI positions .—@finding._.wise on Instagram
Everyone we saw partying at St. Pete Pride 2026 (via Facebook)
For those commenting negative things, you know that by engaging with these posts you are literally begginggggg the algorithm “SHOW ME MORE”, right?You’re shoving it in your own face at this point…if you don’t like it, stop engaging.—Shannon DeWitt
Tampas food culture has gone to shit. Its whatever social media farts up as viral dictates how and what people eat.—Eddie King
‘Likely illegal’: Florida’s pro-immigration groups respond to new rule banning undocumented students from state colleges
You can tell who has never applied for college in this thread. —Dicky Strong (via Facebook)
GameTime arcade will close its Ybor City location this summer (via Facebook)
I don’t even think Ybor city is necessarily going downhill, however, Central Ybor originally renovated as an outdoor mall and I don’t think that concept lasted more than 5 years. I’m definitely surprised that the GameTime lasted in Ybor as long as it did, but I think that Ybor City will continue to evolve.—Tony Serrano
Real ones remember when it was Gameworks back in the day—Adrian Miguel Agosto
With Darryl Shaw building a TGH complex where Coppertail is, and Palantier’s partnership with TGH (accessing and surveiling our medical data), I’d be willing to bet Palantir will take over that whole block/bulding. Rebecca Gast
They needa open a stripclub—Jasmyne Davis Scan this to QR code to send us some mail:
Final footlong
Photos by Dave Decker
The last glizzy has been gobbled. Last Friday in Ybor City, Crowbar staged night one of its “final footlong” Hot Dog Party where the venue crowned another hot dog eating champion—Christian Restrepo, who finished first for the fourth year in a row. The show was soundtracked by NYC indie-pop outfit Young & Sick and lupine punk band Wolf-Face. A fucked up looking Benjamin Franklin even hit the stage to commemorate the country’s 250th birthday, and the last Hot Dog Party at a legendary venue putting a punctation on its 20-year run in Tampa. See all the photos, including action from night two, via cltampa.com/music.—Ray Roa
• HIGH INTENSITY PILATES
• STRENGTH TRAINING
• VERSACLIMBER CARDIO
• CELEBRATING 11 YEARS
• FUN FITNESS
• BUILT BY COMMUNITY
• DRIVEN BY RESULTS
July 18-19, 2026
Presented by National Geographic SHARKFEST at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall Purchase tickets @ sharkcon.com
SharkCon is a shark, ocean, and watersports expo that is fun for all ages!
Dive into a special screening of Water Park Shark on Saturday, the new movie from the director of Sharknado, followed by a Q&A with the entire cast.
Over 30 shark exhibits and activities from Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Mote Marine Aquarium, SeaWorld, Sea Life, Gatorland, and other partners. Over 150 booths of shark & ocean themed merchandise. Try scuba for free, ride shark themed rides and connect with a ton of educational and conservation partners. If you love sharks and the ocean, then you will love SharkCon presented by National Geographic’s SHARKFEST.
do this
Tampa Bay's best things to do from July 09 - 16
Good eats
Mega Night Market brings another taste of Asia’s cultural dishes and dances to The Hard Rock Tampa Event Center this week. The July 12 festival features “authentic Asian street food, specialty drinks and desserts, cultural arts and crafts, live performances and much more,” according to the website. Live performances are advertised to include a variety of cultural dances, DJ’s, Kung Fu, entertainers including Phuc Map and Vincent Luong, as well as LED Robots.
Summer Asian Food & Music Festival: Sunday, July 12. 2 p.m. $13.40 & up.Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Event Center, 5223 N. Orient Road, Tampa. meganightmarket.com—Liam Oliver
Another round
There’s a lot to love, and a few things to loathe, about Tampa. Manny Leto expects to help history lovers through all of those emotions and more when his now infamous Drunk Tampa History Talk returns to Shuffle this month. After launching to much fanfare in 2024, the show was forced into a ticketed format in 2025 and sold-out yet again thanks in no small part to Leto’s ability to give a no-holds-barred, wholly entertaining, and intelligent (not belligerent!) presentation in between shots and beer. Read more about it on pp. 29 & 31. Drunk (Tampa) History: Tampa’s 139th Birthday Party: Wednesday, July 15. 5 p.m. $10. Shuffle, 2612 N Tampa St., Tampa. @mannymakeshistory on Instagram—Ray Roa
Boo
Looking for something supernatural to haunt your summer schedule? Silent Slayer Ghost Tours hosts an after-hours investigation of the 138-year-old Andrews Memorial Chapel in Dunedin. The city’s second-oldest building was constructed in 1888 in honor of William Andrews, who was killed at 25-years-old by a falling tree while riding his horse during a thunderstorm. It’s likely collected a few more spirits when it was moved, first in 1926 to make way for the First Presbyterian Church of Dunedin, and then in1970 when it was sawed in half and brought to its current location by the Dunedin Historical Society. Haunting rumors stem from reported sightings of ghost construction workers and floating pews are among the reasons many think the chapel is haunted. Fifteen guests (ages 18+) will get five hours of “uninterrupted access to one of Florida’s most atmospheric sacred spaces.” Paranormal investigators will guide them through methods and tools to decide for themselves: Is the Andrews Memorial Chapel really haunted? Andrews Memorial Chapel Ghost Hunt: Saturday, July 11. 8 p.m.-1 a.m. $129. Andrews Memorial Chapel, 1899 San Mateo Dr., Dunedin. silentslayertours.com—Liam Oliver
DAVE DECKER
SILENT
Main character energy
A year into running her fashion shop, The Sonder Atelier, Jounte Armantrading’s runway show at FloridaRAMA is a love letter to the princess she believes anyone can be through style. Armantrading, who paints her designs on upcycled pieces, centers her show around iconic princesses in pop culture—from Princess Diana to “The Princess Diaries”’ Mia Thermopolis—and how they redefined the archetype. “Being called a ‘princess’ has become a way to call a woman spoiled and privileged… but that is not its true meaning,” Armantrading wrote in her sketchbook. “When I think about what it means to be a princess, I think about the Disney characters I grew up watching that taught me about bravery and kindness.” Armantrading told CL she hopes her show can also bring together local fashion lovers looking to break ground in the industry without leaving Tampa Bay for global fashion capitals or faraway design schools. VIP tickets include preferred seating and a chance for guests to have their clothing customized by her. Read more at cltampa.com/arts. The Sonder Atelier x FloridaRAMA Fashion Show: Saturday, July 11. 8 p.m.-10 p.m. $50-$75. FloridaRAMA, 2606 Fairfield Ave. S, St. Petersburg —Jasmin Parrado
Rise and buy
Usually it’s taboo to go out in public in your pajamas, but one day a year it could get you some nice discounts in downtown St. Petersburg. The 53rd annual Sunrise Sale returns next week, turning downtown into what organizers call St. Pete’s largest pajama party. More than 40 participating stores span from the Trop to North Shore Park, offering one day deals, early morning specials, and surprise giveaways. Attendees are encouraged to wear pajamas and “those who do are often treated to extra discounts or small gifts,” per the Downtown Business Association. Yellow flags mark stores participating in the deals starting at the literal sunrise (6:43 a.m.), including Grassroots Kava, Birch & Vine, and Plain Jane. The Museum of Fine Arts’ sale includes 20% off everything in its gift shop, with an additional 10% off MFA members. A full list of vendors, additional information, and updates will be available through the Downtown Business Association social media. Sunrise Sale: Next Thursday, July 16. 6:43 a.m. No cover. Downtown St. Petersburg. @dbastpete on Facebook and Instagram—Liam Oliver
DELANEY STAACK
A REALTOR ® HELPS YOU GET THERE.
Whether you're finding your first home or parting with one full of memories, a REALTOR® does more than guide you through the process—they walk beside you with local insight, trusted experience, and unwavering support. This isn’t just a transaction. It’s your next chapter. And they’re here to help you start it with confidence.
LIVE COMEDY SHOWS
THURSDAY, JULY 9
7:00 PM: WEEKLY IMPROV DROP-IN CLASS
Give improv a try in a supportive, fun environment! No prior experience required! 8:30 PM: LONGFORM IMPROV SHOWCASE Three great improv acts split the bill in this weekly show! Come for the Drop-In at 7:00, and stay for this show for free.
FRIDAY, JULY 10
7:30 PM: SALUD AND HAPPY DAYS: COMEDY INSPIRED BY STORIES ABOUT TAMPA FEAT. KAREN KRESS
Hillsborough County Public Schools Board Member Jessica Vaughn is a 45-year Tampa resident who went from local theater kid to a feisty activist, a natural-born storyteller, and a fierce defender of public education. Now, she takes the stage as the featured guest storyteller for this popular monthly show that blends Tampa life and lore with hilarious improv comedy. Don't miss it!
SUNDAY, JULY 12
8:00 PM: QUEEN DADDY'S BIRTHDAY BASH
Join your host Alistair Graves and his esteemed guests as we celebrate another year of living, and giving. Featuring variety and burlesque performances by Lilabelle Quaintrelle, Franki Markstone, Nessi Poodle, and more!
Same day, different renderings
Welch confirms ‘Burg Bid’ for St. Pete’s Gas Plant proposal.
By Leif Helland
The long-awaited decision for redeveloping the Historic Gas Plant District has been made, and it once again includes tearing down Tropicana Field.
St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch confirmed last Thursday that The Burg Bid proposal— which was leaked a day earlier by Florida Politics editor Peter Schorch—will lead the district’s redevelopment.
Initial bidders Ark Ellison Horus, Foundation Vision Partners, Freedom Communities, Logical Sites and Partners, Reparations Land Trust and Development Authority and Tampa Bay Boom were outbid for the project.
Thompson Blake Whitney, CEO of St. Pete-based private equity and real estate firm Blake Investment Partners, emphasized his priorities for affordable housing and a remodeled Woodson African American museum.
The cost for developing the encompassing projects is priced at $8.1 billion, with three phases estimated to be completed over 15 years.
Companies included in the development team are Related, Blue Sky Communities, Elliot, Skankska, MODO,WJ Architects, Zyscovich, McCants, W Architecture, Mario Gooden Studio, Wade Trim, Langan, Onyx, Aligned Engineering, St. Pete Housing Authority, Spatial HQ, Stadler Development, CareerSource, Driftwood Hospitality, Great Explorations, Boys and Girls Club, Young BD, Gilbane, KAST, Open Realty Advisers, Light Foster, Gillie and Marc, Greystar and Johnson Pope.
LOCAL NEWS
When asked which project will be prioritized for construction, Whitney said, “Woodson becomes the lead and everything else revolves around the outcome of the lease [the Rays have with Tropicana Field].”
The Rays have a non-binding agreement for a $2.3 billion baseball stadium in Tampa’s Drew Park, where Hillsborough Community College sits.
“I can’t think of a more meaningful way to spend my life than helping this city become everything it’s capable of being,” Whitney said.
The proposal offered $275 million to the city with a $20 million deposit for 58-acres of the total 86 acre historic Gas Plant District appraised by two different entities at nearly $400 million.
The press conference was held at Campbell Park just a block over from the Rays stadium. Welch spoke on making the future right for the original Gas Plant District community—a largely Black, working class population displaced with broken promises of opportunity when the city acquired the land for Tropicana Field in 1990.
“Today, we take an important step forward in turning that potential into real and tangible progress,” Welch said.
“No one said it better, I think, than a woman who grew up in the gas plant and in a community input session,” Welch continued. “She said… ‘All of the businesses were Black-owned, rent was reasonable, and no one ever got evicted. It was a close community. We felt safe and unafraid in our neighbourhood. That was my neighbourhood. I had to say this because no one else has said it.’ Well today we hear you and today we begin to answer the call for progress.”
Housing
Alongside the Burg Bid, the Pinellas County Housing Authority’s bid was also selected to develop a seven-story, 80-unit affordable senior housing community at the City-owned parking lot located at 1659 3rd Ave. S.
When asked about rent for affordable senior housing units, PCHA Executive Director Neil Brickfield said costs will be based on Average Median Income.
“No apartment will be more than 80 percent of AMI, and some will be lower,” Brickfield said. “AMI changes, and today it would be $600 a month.”
Tearing down the Trop
Asked if there were plans to demolish Tropicana Field after millions of dollars were poured into the stadium, Welch responded, “At some point in the future after 2030 or so that will be the plan.”
About $30 million was spent on stadium repairs after its roof blew off during Hurricane Milton in 2024, which has been reimbursed from FEMA and insurance, with plans to get most of that money back for Tropicana Field.
“We have always said we will honor our commitment to the Rays through 2028 and if things don’t work out in Tampa and Hillsborough and if they need a one- to two-year extension. We’re open to talking about that if it makes sense for the city.”
Museums and public transit
Projects in the Burg Bid proposal will offer an income-restricted 3,600 unit apartment and a concept to redesign the Woodson African American Museum, which will be modeled after traditional African women’s head wraps.
The museum will be a central focus for the project, “honoring the site’s history while establishing a new cultural landmark for the city,” according to the executive summary in the proposal.
A new Museum of Public Art is proposed within walking distance from Woodson and will house a permanent collection by sculpture artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, who are listed as a part of the development team.
The project also includes a bus transit system linking the district to the downtown area, the Discovery Museum spearheaded by Great Explorations and the new Samuel Davis Park.
Next steps
The next phase for the city of St. Pete will include an open meeting for public comment hosted by the Community Benefits Advisory Council and a members only discussion between the council.
Both meetings will be held sometime in July and will follow with Mayor Welch and city staff to begin negotiating a term sheet and contract for approval by City Council.
The announcement comes after the selection process was put on pause by city council members back in February. Council Member Brandi Gabbard, who is running against Welch for mayor, proposed a resolution requiring the city to hear a foundational framework supported by independent city planners and city businesses before moving forward with any decisions.
This isn’t the first time a project has been selected to redevelop the area. In 2020, thenmayor Rick Kriseman had plans with Alex Vidia and Midtown Development to redevelop the district, which Welch cancelled as he took office in 2022.
The following year, he announced an initial plan with the Tampa Bay Rays and real estate investment company Hines to redevelop the 86 acres. After Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field, the Rays abandoned the plan in March 2024 and it was terminated by City Council soon after.
NO TROP: Renderings of the newly imagined gas plant district with no Tropicana Field and a new Woodson museum.
For 36 years, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay has amplified the voices others overlook. Now we’re launching the Tampa Bay Journalism Project to strengthen independent, local reporting on issues that matter—housing, transportation, arts, food, and accountability. Your tax-deductible support helps fund nonpaywalled journalism for our community. Help the Creative Loafing newsroom grow.
RESTAURANTS RECIPES DINING GUIDES
Rreal news
Rreal Tacos takes over Red Mesa Cantina space, and more Tampa Bay food news.
By Liam Oliver
As the dust settles from Red Mesa Cantina’s dramatic closing last month, the downtown St. Pete property is getting a new tenant, and with it a new Mexican street food spot.
Atlanta-based hospitality group Rreal Tacos has acquired the over century old three-story building at 128 3rd Street South, taking over the longtime home of Red Mesa Cantina and planning a multi-concept dining and nightlife destination in the heart of St. Pete.
The deal comes after Red Mesa Cantina closed following an abrupt bankruptcy filing, ending the restaurant’s 16-year run as a staple of the city.
With plans to transform the 16,000+ square foot property into a vertical hospitality complex spanning all three floors, Rreal Tacos says the project will include three distinct concepts under one roof, five bars, and the capacity to seat over 800 guests.
The ground floor is expected to open first in early 2027, with the full build rolling out in phases. Rreal Tacos says it plans to invest eightfigures into the project and eventually employ more than 250 workers once all floors are open.
According to property records, the building was last purchased in 2000 by its last owner, One Progress Plaza, for $8,743,000. Details of Rreal Taco’s purchase were not disclosed, and the Pinellas County Property Appraisers’ website has yet to reflect the sale.
Rreal Tacos CEO Damian Otero said the company wants to preserve the character of the historic structure while reimagining its use for a new era of downtown St. Pete hospitality.
“This building has watched over downtown St. Pete for more than a hundred years,” Otero said in a statement. “We didn’t buy it to change what it is, we bought it to honor it, fill it with life and hospitality for the next chapter of its life.”
Founded in 2015, Rreal Tacos, in which the extra “R” is a personal nod to founder Adrian Villarreal, whose last name includes two R’s, is known for its Atlanta street-style tacos and authentic hand made tortillas. The company has expanded across the Southeast without franchise backing or outside investors, positioning itself as a fast-growing player in adaptive reuse of historic downtown spaces.
The acquisition also continues the company’s expansion into Florida following a planned downtown Tampa location opening later this fall.
Additional details on design, concepts, and opening timelines are expected closer to construction.
Michelin-winning team opening new Tampa spot Lumbre, a modern Spanish concept, will soon debut in the North Hyde Park area.
Located in the Rome Collective development, at 220 N Rome Ave, Lumbre will officially open its doors Wednesday, July 15, says restaurant group Tastes Pretty Good, which also operates Michelin-starred Rocca, Michelin-recognized Bar Terroir, and Michelin Bib Gourmand Streetlight Taco.
Details surrounding the menu and drink offerings have not been released, but according to the website, Lumbre will focus on “wood-fired grilling, traditional paella, and tapas featuring pristine seafood and imported cheeses & hams.”
GameTime first opened on April 16, 2010 in the 24,000-square-foot space formerly known as Gameworks. Over the years, the arcade became a popular spot for corporate events, family gatherings, and more, featuring an array of retro video games, interactive games, ride simulators, full-lane bowling, a full food menu, and a full-service sports bar.
Bodega Bus opens in Tampa
Chopped cheese has finally arrived in downtown Tampa.
OPENINGS
Reservations are currently on OpenTable, and additional information can be found via Lumbre’s social media.
GameTime closing in Ybor
Yet another Ybor City staple is closing its doors. After 16 years of birthday parties, school fundraisers, date nights and more, it’s apparently game over for GameTime arcade.
Located at 1600 E 8th Ave., in the Centro Ybor complex, GameTime’s last full day of business will be August 9, says owner Michael Abecassis, who cited an expiring lease, the current economy and the overall direction of Ybor in his reasoning for the closure.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision,” Abecassis said in a lengthy goodbye posted to the company’s website. “Our lease at this location is no longer in effect, and given the current economic climate and how Ybor City has evolved, we don’t see a path forward for us to stay here. After sixteen remarkable years, we have to say goodbye to this building — though never to this community.”
“We’ve shared in some of life’s biggest moments here,” continued Abecassis. “We’ve watched first dates turn into engagements, engagements into weddings, and weddings into families who now bring their own kids back to visit us. We’ve welcomed guests who moved away and made a point to stop in on their way back through Tampa, just to see the place again.”
It’s unclear what will happen to the vacated space, but Abecassis says he’s willing to open a new GameTime location if the right situation presents itself.
“This isn’t goodbye to Tampa—it’s goodbye to this building. If the opportunity ever comes to return, we would jump at the chance. Until then, we’re grateful for sixteen incredible years, and we’ll keep working to serve this community, whether here or somewhere new.”
GameTime still has operating Florida locations in Fort Myers, Kissimmee, Ocoee, and Miami, all of which will honor any game card balance, tickets and gift cards, says the website.
In 2021, GameTime’s parent company, A&E Adventures LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but successfully came out of it one year later.
This is the second major business to leave the Centro Ybor complex in the last couple months. Last May, Tampa Bay Brewing Co. closed its Centro Ybor location after 20 years of holding down the main floor.—Colin Wolf
Bodega Bus, the new late night mini-mart and smoke shop with vape, hookah and legal hemp products, has soft-opened at 505 N Franklin St. and is serving a limited menu that includes chopped cheese, smashburgers, chicken and steak over rice, and loaded hot dogs.
The halal beef is an 81-19 sirloin-chuck mix, Zatar Shukri told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay as he worked on sandwiches from a kitchen awaiting its finishing touches. Business hours and menu prices have yet to be finalized, but last month we paid $16.38 before taxes for a chopped cheese sub with onions, green peppers, and jalepeños all served with hand-cut fries cooked in beef tallow. Shukri—who runs the shop with his wife Margi Shukri—said Bodega Bus will also have a “bring your own bag” special where a customer brings in chips before the kitchen adds chopped beef, melted cheese, any veggies, and Shukri’s special sauce.
Bodega Bus will look familiar to longtime denizens of downtown Tampa, as it’s in the same parcel as the former Taco Bus, with a new graffitti/airbrush paint job. Taco Bus closed downtown in 2025, but still runs eight locations throughout the Bay area.
The Bodega Bus concept is owned by the Shukris’ relative Khalil Mohammad who previously told CL that he worked in delis and corner stores in Buffalo, New York to prepare for running the Tampa spot.
“It won’t taste just like New York, it’ll taste better,” Mohammad told CL.
Zatar Shukri said that instead of the sazón sprinkled on most chopped cheeses, Bodega Bus utilizes a special blend of Mediterranean seasonings.
“We’re adding our own little kick to it,” Mohammad added.—Ray Roa
NOT A TYPO: Rreal Tacos takes over Red Mesa Cantina’s former home of 16 years.
Bonne fête nationale: Bastille Day and more food & drink events
Cheeky’s hosts a Bastille Day collaboration with Tampa’s Bar Terroir on Tuesday, channeling the flavors of Southern France in St. Petersburg.
Cheeky’s Executive Chef Philip Cleary and Bar Terroir’s Chef de Cuisine Max McKee blend French bistro classics with Gulf Coast seafood and raw bar favorites for an à la carte menu including a chicken liver mousse on a Leidenheimer baguette, niçoise salad, moules frites a foie gras burger and escargot bourguignon.
If France is in the World Cup semifinal match at 3 p.m. that day, doors will open for the match and an early seating. Otherwise, the event starts at 6 p.m.
See details below for that and more Tampa Bay food and drink events happening July 9-16. All events are at community. cltampa.com unless noted otherwise. Head there for more and list your own.
Drink and Draw Every second Thursday. 5:30 p.m. No cover. Deviant Libation, Tampa.
Thirsty Thursdays at the Polish American Society Thursdays. 5:30-9 p.m. No cover. Polish American Society of St. Petersburg
Brew Good Social: The Kind Mouse Friday, July 10. 6 p.m. No cover to attend. Grand Central Brewhouse, St. Petersburg
The High & Dry Festival: Summer Edition Saturday, July 11. 2 p.m. $40 & up. The Coliseum, St. Petersburg Purrr-Fect Pairing Wine Tasting Night Saturday, July 11. 6:30 p.m. $65. Friends of Strays Cat Box, St. Petersburg. Funky Brunch Sundays. 11 a.m. No cover to RSVP. Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg
La Dolce Vita Whimsy Picnic By The Bay Sunday, July 12. 3 p.m. $110. Davis Island Marina, Davis Island.
Nonna Summer Supper Sunday, July 12. 12:30 p.m. $80 & up. Bernini of Ybor, Ybor City
Summer Asian Food & Music
Festival Sunday, July 12. 2 p.m. $13.40. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa
Bastille Day Tuesday, July 14. 6 p.m. $10 & up. Cheeky’s, St. Petersburg. cheekys.net
Ybor Chamber July Luncheon Tuesday, July 14. 11:30 a.m. Sold out but waitlist available. Columbia Restaurant, Ybor City
Where in the Vino: Oregon & Washington Wednesday, July 15. 6 p.m. $150. Steelbach at Armature Works, Tampa
LOCAL NEWS
Drunk Tampa History: Tampa’s 139th Birthday Party
Wednesday, July 15. 5 p.m.-11 p.m. $10 Shuffle, 2612 N Tampa St. shuffletampa.com
THEATER ART CULTURE
Party time
Tampeños celebrate their city’s 139th birthday with drinks, history, and reflection.
By Ray Roa
There’s a lot to love, and a few things to loathe, about Tampa. Manny Leto expects to help history lovers through all of those emotions and more when his now infamous Drunk Tampa History Talk returns to Shuffle this month. After launching to much fanfare in 2024, the show was forced into a ticketed format in 2025 and sold-out yet again thanks in no small part to Leto’s ability to give a
no-holds-barred, wholly entertaining, and intelligent (not belligerent!) presentation in between shots and beer.
It’s everything natives and newbies want to know about the city without getting too deep— and without playing nice just to be police.
“I’m not representing any particular organization, so there’s a certain freedom in that,” Leto, a lifelong Tampeño who is now Executive
Director at Preserve the ‘Burg, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Just looking at the past for what it is on paper doesn’t tell a community how it got to the present.
“We study history to understand what’s happening today,” Leto added. “We study history to understand what’s happening today. That’s the goal—making those connections.
Last year’s lecture included a broad overview of Tampa history, with short deviations into details and easter eggs not included in 2024. Leto told CL that guests this year will get primer info, noting that his 2026 presentation may dig into how the Hillsborough River acts as a connective thread running through Tampa’s history.
“From early First Peoples, to the establishment of Fort Brooke, to neighborhoods like West Tampa
on the west side of the river, Seminole Heights along the river, Sulfur Springs—you can see the city growing up along the river as its spine,” he said.
And yes, the mobsters, pirates, corruption will all be mixed in there with the pro wrestlers and death metal bands because in Tampa all those things are somehow connected.
Tickets for Drunk Tampa History: Tampa’s 139th Birthday Party happening Wednesday, July 15 at Shuffle Tampa are still available for $10. There will be raffles, trivia, prizes, and, of course, cake.
This writer will play emcee and host—and to mark this year’s party, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay took inspiration from an old, longdiscontinued 18-oz. Starbucks coffee mug that
continued on page 31
MOVIES
FREAKIN’ SWEET: Tampa’s flag is unlike any other in the world.
declared Tampa “America’s Next Greatest City.” Of course, Tampa was already great in 2007 when the “Architecture Skyline” series was released, and CL asked locals to chime in on what makes Tampa unique—and what they might change about the city.
See a few responses below and read the rest at cltampa.com/arts.
Jeff Houck
A 12-year veteran of the Tampa Tribune, Houck left the paper in 2014 and took on other jobs celebrating the plates that make the city special. Now Vice President of Marketing the the 1905 Family of Restaurants (think, Columbia, Ulele), Houck describes himself as, a “Cheerleader, advocate, defender, builder, connector, flavor ambassador and adopted Tampanian.”
“There is no other place that lives together so harmoniously with its history and its newcomers while constantly growing and evolving. Being a crossroad is in Tampa’s DNA. The growing pains from that process are a challenge to overcome, but they can bind us if we join together to meet those challenges,” Houck added. “Miami is Miami, Orlando is Orlando. But Tampa is still Florida.”
The city will become truly great, he said, “When Tampa stops comparing itself to others.”
Randi M. Zimmerman
Pete,” she added. “I’m glad we are experimenting with mixed use developments like Midtown Tampa. It would be better if those developments would have more affordable stores as anchors.”
Jason Marlow
Jason Marlow, a self-described “Political Hatchet Man” who sees himself as just a small patch in the large quilt of the city also thinks that Tampa needs to figure out transportation to find its next chapter. Still he loves how Tampa’s traditions, culture and history have endured, survived and in some cases thrived. “It is Tampa, not Miami, should be the face of Florida that the world gets to see,” Marlow added.
Martin Clear
Marty Clear is a more-or-less lifelong Tampa-based journalist. He’s still active at CL and in 1992 famously opened Ybor City’s shortlived, deeply-missed Blue Chair Music music store along with co-founder Tom Roe. Too modest, Clear acknowledges that he is known in the city for his work, but claims that his “impact on the fabric of Tampa has been minimal at best.”
These days, he also comes face-to-face with the city as a liquor store clerk, and said that Moffitt Cancer Center makes the city stand out from others. Tampa, however, needs more awareness and financial support for the arts to get to another level.
LOCAL NEWS
As general manager of WMNF-Tampa 88.5FM, Randi Zimmerman leads the Bay area’s nearly 50-year-old community radio station (where, in full disclosure, this writer is a news and public affairs volunteer). She calls WMNF, “the best radio station not only in Tampa Bay, but on Earth” adding that the station’s commitment to “a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world” is also her personal mission. Biased as she is, Zimmerman said the station is what makes Tampa unique.
“WMNF is the reason I moved back to Tampa when it was time to leave the northeast the second time. The station plays great music and discusses issues that I care about. Volunteer powered, listener supported. What people learn if they sit in the phone room during fund drives is that the WMNF supporters from around the world are generous, engaged, and care deeply about our world,” she added. “It is inspiring to be part of this community. WMNF is more than a radio station. It’s COMMUNITY radio.”
Zimmerman said that better and more frequent public transportation, is what Tampa needs to add to be even greater.
“Especially connecting major corridors up and down with cross towns, with special buses connecting to the major shopping areas and St.
Alex English
A University of Tampa alum, English came back home and now works as a communications and marketing strategist (full disclosure, he also has a byline on CL). He said, emphatically, that it’s the people that make Tampa unique and that house parties around town are unlike anywhere else.
“I used to attribute the genuineness of people in Tampa to the Midwest influence, but I’m not sure that’s it anymore. There are so many people in Tampa, from all over, who are funny, thoughtful, kind, smart, and talented,” he added.
“They’re what make living here worthwhile.”
To become even greater, English added, Tampa must move away from the attitude of “good enough” and preservation of the status quo, conservatism, doing things the easy and cheap way instead of the right way.
“Sometimes in Tampa it feels like making a quick buck or checking a box/paying lip service is more important than doing things with vision, care, and of a high standard of quality,” he said. “What happened to good architecture? Everything being built in Tampa is an ugly white box, maximized for square footage. Why is every neighborhood business district also a busy thoroughfare? Why is it so hard to have walkability, shade, green space, local retail, and affordability all in one? Why aren’t we taxing landlords who leave lots and storefronts vacant? It should be a crime!”
For the books: Tampa’s Archives Awareness Week is here
Public records are important, and three women make the City of Tampa’s clerk operation go. Shirley Foxx-Knowles, City Clerk since 2003, and Suling Lucas-Harris, Deputy City Clerk, spearhead an operation that makes sure City Hall and the public have what they need to run, from agendas to city code updates, legal notices and more.
Another one, Jennifer Dietz, leads a team that makes sure the City of Tampa has all the tools it needs to understand its history. A Salt Lake City native, Dietz holds a political science degree, but fell in love
Guitars and Galleries Sunday, July 12. 10:30 a.m. No cover. Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa
In Conversation with the Latin American Fiesta Association Sunday, July 12. 1 p.m. No cover. Henry B. Plant Museum, Tampa
Sacred Heart Catholic Church History Tour Sunday, July 12. 3 p.m. No cover. Sacred Heart Church, Tampa
Tampa in 1926 Monday, July 13. 3 p.m. No cover. City of Tampa City Council Chambers, Tampa
Cigarmaking: 140 Years of Excellence in Tampa Tuesday, July 14. 11 a.m. No cover. J.C. Newman Cigar Co., Tampa
Hillsborough Black Experience Collection: Be a Community Contributor Tuesday, July 14. 2 p.m. No cover. C. Blythe Andrew Jr. Public Library, Tampa
Preserving Your 2D Treasures: Materials Handling and Digitization Demonstration Tuesday, July 14. 3 p.m. No cover. C. Blythe Andrew Jr. Public Library, Tampa
Places That Matter Wednesday, July 15. 10 a.m. No cover. City Center at Hanna Ave., Tampa
with archiving when she took a job with the Sundance Film Festival. She earned a master’s degree in library and information science with a focus on archives from the University of South Florida in 2022, worked at the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, helped open the Tampa Bay History Center library, and landed at the city after its archives and records manager retired. Now, her team handles tens of thousands of boxes of physical records and millions more electronic ones. A dozen years ago she revived Archives Awareness Week, which returns this month.
“My goal is to make everything as accessible as possible,” she told La Gacenta in 2017. “There are more things added every year. We’re doing our best as curators and keepers so [this information] is available to future generations.”
Running this year from July 12-18, Tampa’s Archives Awareness Week includes exhibits, events, and workshops at nearly a dozen venues including six events at public libraries. From chasing down land records, street name seminars, a dive into the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. archives, and more, Archives Awareness Week is a local history nerd’s World Cup.
See a listing of the events below and get a link to the full brochure at cltampa.com/ arts.—Ray Roa
The Tampa General Hospital Heritage Archive Wednesday, July 15. 1 p.m. No cover. Virtual (Microsoft Teams)
Unlocking the Shoebox Panel & Preservation Workshop Wednesday, July 15. 5:30 p.m. No cover. Tampa’s Black History Museum, Tampa
USF Libraries Special Collections Thursday, July 16. 9–11 a.m. No cover. USF Tampa, Tampa
Remixed: Florida Artists Look at Art History Friday, July 17. 11 a.m. No cover. Robert W. Saunders Sr. Library, Tampa
Curating the Tampa Bay Timeline Friday, July 17. 1:30 p.m. No cover. Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa
TPA Presents: The Story of Aviation in Tampa Bay Friday, July 17. 3–6 p.m. No cover. Tampa International Airport, Tampa
Land Records Saturday, July 18. 11 a.m. No cover. John F. Germany Library, Tampa
Downtown Tampa’s Revolutionary Streets: The Story Behind the Street Names Saturday, July 18. 1:30 p.m. No cover. Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa
Library Microform Saturday, July 18. 3 p.m. No cover. John F. Germany Library, Tampa
Living tributes
Happy
birthday to a vibrant and recovering industrial city.
By Thomas Hallock
To live in Florida means daily encounters with a beauty you don’t deserve. And to live on the Gulf Coast means you have pictures of sunsets on your phone. The photos litter social media feeds. Pantone “sunset-of-the-year” rust and mauve, stopping time, with a surrealistically blazing sphere slotting into the Gulf of Mexico—or maybe the same, but from a shimmering Wal-Mart parking lot, sky split between a rosy cumulus cloudbank and slate gray apocalypse. Tampa Bay offers all this, a ridiculous sublime, free for the taking.
TPA garage, the smart kids still come here for a cheap date or maybe to kiss.
CREEKSHED
In the great Hillsborough-Pinellas debate, Gulf beaches claim the “best sunset” category. After living 25 years in St. Petersburg and one in Tampa, I’ve come to an obvious conclusion: that St. Pete is the prettier city, Tampa by far has the richer history and culture.
Sunsets reflect that split.
My partner Julie and I, broke teachers on summer vacation, set out to find our favorite spot to end the day. The rule: stay within city limits. We don’t get paid until August. So where do we go, on the cheap, to capture the sculptural grit of Tampa nature?
Here’s my cub reporting.
Curtis Hixon Park If Tampa has a front yard, it runs by the Riverwalk, the beloved promenade through a downtown that gets pretty scary for pedestrians. Describing the Riverwalk, a co-worker from out of town once put it best: “it’s like those architectural renderings, used to pitch a project, with all different people doing cool things—only the renderings are real.” She’s right, you see it all. White, brown, Black. Shirtless bros, jogger moms pushing baby strollers, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Lululemon, and women in hijabs. Much to my surprise, however, the actual sunset disappoints. You’d think the minarets on the Plant Hotel or the cantilevered Cass Street Bridge would provide the perfect backdrop—but nope, in summer at least, the angle is off. Still, the people. “This is the city,” Walt Whitman gushed, “and I am one of its citizens.”
Tampa International Airport When searching for tips, my best advice came from Phoebe, the airport’s chatty flamingo and social media influencer. Phoebe (or her person—who’s to say?) pointed out that TPA garages are free for an hour. Her favorite moment: “after an afternoon thunderstorm, when the clouds clear and the runway glows pink like a flamingo.” And yes, indeed, light off the tarmac shimmers like her plumage—making this the perfect spot for romance. Thirty years ago my historian friend Evan (lover of all things Tampa) proposed to his wife on the roof of a
Picnic Island You never know who you’ll meet at the day’s end, and in a new city especially, these chance encounters provide a break from the inevitable loneliness. On the MacDill side of Picnic Island, Julie and I chat up a parent from Dovetail, a dream-folk duo trying to catch the hazy light for a trippy photoshoot. Full confession, I had never heard of “dreamfolk”; but I cannot help but like the tattooed dad, watching over his musician kid. Julie and I take a quick drive around this sprawling park to watch the dusk fall on Tampa Bay. From this spit off South Tampa, one can practically reach across the water, touch Weedon Island. A power plant sits on top of mounds there, razed in the early 10th century; emerging archaeological research suggests Florida’s Weedon Island culture arranged their building to greet the solstice. I like thinking about how people have been tracing the sun’s path across Tampa Bay for a long, long time.
Cypress Point Park “Watch planes land at TPA overhead,” my former student Maggie jokes; “double the sky show, double the fun.”
Last time we spoke, Maggie, in her own radically devout way, was keeping the world safe for Pasco County. I’m not sure what she’s doing now, though she’s right about Cypress Point. Tucked between two causeways, some lowslung offices and the airport flight path, this in-between city park is surprisingly calm. People from all worlds congregate along the narrow beach. Toddlers with arm floaties test the gentle waves. Teenagers load up their Inastagram feeds; families document a quinceañero. In one of the picnic shelters, fundamentalists share their stories. A breeze right before dark carries the whiff of weed. Guys cruise the beach, a loner gathers her thoughts. Who knows, I’m guessing—but the people watching is fantastic. Cypress Point would be my top pick. Except .... Davis Islands Beaches There is something about an urban shoreline that feels stolen. A buzz, like shoplifting. To get to Davis Islands Beach, plural “s”, Julie and I thread around the winding streets of a toney, alongside low-lying properties slung from 20th-century fill. Davis Island has the odd feel of dry land in the middle of a bay; 30-year flood maps remind you that Davis Island should not exist. The winding route to the island’s southern point takes us past Peter O. Knight Airport (a tiny strip I do not ever imagine using) and stops right before the yacht club gate. We park by some sea
grapes, nicely landscaped to offer pocket beaches (used by folks unlikely to join a yacht club or fly out of Peter O. Knight Airport). Sand around the yacht basin is dirty, almost a sickly gray, and the picnic benches are covered in aluminum— sheathed to prevent graffiti? The reggaeton carries across the water, some guy in the back of his minivan broadcasts his conversatoin on a cellphone, and right before dark, a shirtless dude paddles a solo canoe to his sailboat in the mooring field. As the sun sinks over Bayshore, the harsh summer sky softens into pastels, and mellowed by water off the bay, darkens from a singed atomic tangerine, to burnt rust, to tradeoffs between cerulean gray and violet-brown.
And there you have it. A picture perfect sunset. Maybe not the beach bar showstopper in Pinellas. Not the Instagram-worthy, purpling horizon over a deepening blue Gulf. But Tampa sunsets hold history and figures. The natural and built environment intersect like sculpture, as one hopes they would in port, as living tributes to a vibrant and recovering industrial city.
“St. Pete is the prettier city, Tampa by far has the richer history and culture.”
When Thomas Hallock is not writing the occasional #Creekshed column for Creative Loafing, he is teaching English at the University of South Florida, mostly on the St. Petersburg campus. Tom writes much more about the sun rising in “Happy Neighborhood, essays and poems”; you’d be doing him a solid if you picked up a copy.
SEA GRAPE ESCAPE: The sunset at Davis Islands Beach.
IN CONVERSATION
WARD SHELLEY, DOUGLAS PAULSON, & DR. STANTON THOMAS
SUNDAY,
JULY 12 | 1 PM
You’re invited to a thought-provoking conversation with Ward Shelley and Douglas Paulson, the artists behind The Last Library IV: Written in Water, and the MFA’s Hazel & William Hough Chief Curator, Dr. Stanton Thomas. Together, they’ll unpack the ideas behind this immersive installation, a precarious library where truth, fiction, and power collide.
ART AFTER DARK
THURSDAY, JULY 16 | 5-8 PM
Explore the galleries after hours, soak in the distinctive ambiance, and experience art in a fresh, captivating way—it’s the perfect night out for everyone to enjoy. Pair your visit with Café Clementine’s L’Apéro hours, featuring organic wines, local Green Bench beer, and a lineup of savory and sweet delights.
Art After Dark occurs on select Thursday evenings throughout the year, with discounted admission, special programming, engaging docent-led tours, and more.
VISIT MFASTPETE.ORG/EVENTS-CALENDAR FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFO.
Besides the events listed in our Do This section on pp. 12-13 and the food and drink listings on p. 27, there’s lots to do in town this week—like standup from Kym Whitley and the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks Craft Festival. Have a look at what’s going down July 9-16 and beyond. All events are at community.cltampa.com unless noted otherwise. Head there for more and list your own.
MARKETS
The Market Elaine Every first Friday. 5:30 p.m. No cover. The Grove, Wesley Chapel Dunedin Friday & Saturday Markets Fridays & Saturdays. 9 a.m. No cover. Pioneer Park, Dunedin Community Clothing Exchange Sunday, July 5. 2 p.m. No cover. Deviant Libation, Tampa Downtown’s Backyard Market Thursday, July 9. 12 p.m. No cover. Poe Plaza, Tampa. tampasdowntown.com
ARTS
Poetry At The Dalí Every second Thursday. 6 p.m. No cover. Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg Color Collage Journal Saturday, July 11. 10 a.m. $85. The Paper Seahorse, Tampa Neverne Covington: Into the Mystic Exhibition (Opening reception) Saturday, July 11. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. No cover. Morean Arts Center For Clay, St. Petersburg Studio55: Ceramics Saturdays through Aug. 15. 10 a.m. $60 & up. Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa
Joyland: Benaiah Cusack (Artist meet and greet) Saturday, July 11. 5 p.m. No cover with admission. Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg. moreanartscenter.org Sugar High: 2026 Members Show Saturday, July 11. 5 p.m. No cover. Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg. moreanartscenter.org
Summer Heat 2 Exhibition and Reception Saturday, July 11. 5 p.m. No cover. GCAA ArtWorks, St. Petersburg Second Saturday Art Walk Every second Saturday. 5 p.m. No cover. Central Avenue, St. Petersburg
Tempus Pool Party Saturday, July 11. 6 p.m. $15. Tempus Projects, Ybor City Multi-Media Gold Leafing workshop with Grace Hoppie Saturday, July 11. 6:30 p.m. $90. Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg Historic Andrews Memorial Chapel Ghost Hunt Saturday, July 11. 8 p.m. $129. Andrews Memorial Chapel, Dunedin Studio55: Paper Collage Sunday, July 12. 1 p.m. $40. Firehouse Cultural Center, Ruskin Imperial Shriners Parade Tuesday, July 14. 7 p.m. No cover. 7th Avenue, Ybor City. imperialsession.com
Slow Looking with Florida Artists Tuesday, July 14. 11 a.m. No cover. Riverview Public Library, Riverview Chippendales Wednesday-Thursday, July 15-16. 8 p.m. $75.30 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa
Christmas In July: DIY Book Ornament Workshop Wednesday, July 15. 7 p.m. $25. Angry Chair Brewing, Seminole Heights. angrychairbrewing.com
Figure Drawing Every third Wednesday through June 17. 7 p.m. $25. Marcolina’s Fine Arts Gallery, Ybor City
SHAMc Alive! (Open mic) Every third Wednesday. 7 p.m. $2 suggested at door. Safety Harbor Art & Music Center, Safety Harbor Oh, Cuore Mia! (Opening reception) Thursday, July 16. 6 p.m. No cover. Tempus Projects, Ybor City
Open Wide (Open mic) Thursday, July 16. 8 p.m. No cover. The Ball at Cocktail, St. Petersburg
Paint and Sip: Paint Night Done Right Every other Thursday through Sept. 24. 7 p.m. $43.99. Aloft by Marriott Tampa Downtown, Tampa
Jun Kaneko: Silence Before Sound Through Aug. 23. $5 & up. Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa
Dalí In America Daily through Sunday, Oct. 18. 10 a.m. $32 & up. Dali Museum, St. Petersburg
BOOKISH
Ales & Tales Book Club Thursday, July 9.
6 p.m. No cover. Stilt House Brewery, Palm Harbor. palmharborlibrary.org
Legendary Lives: Turning Family Stories into Memoir with Jamie Engle Thursday, July 9. 7 p.m. No cover. Jimmie B. Keel
Regional Library, Tampa. hcplc.libnet.info
Pages of Our Past Thursday, July 9. 6 p.m. No cover. Starkey Ranch TLC, Odessa. pascolibraries.libnet.info
Unhinged Book Club: Summer with Sasquatch Thursday, July 9. 6 p.m. No cover with registration. The Gilded Page, Tarpon Springs. thegildedpagebookstore.com
“Chloe Checks Her Lens” book signing with author Tabra J. Mobley Saturday, July 11. 2 p.m. No cover to attend. Ersula’s History Shop, Tampa. ersulashistoryshop.com
Oxford Exchange Children’s Book Fair
Sunday, July 12. 10 a.m. No cover with RSVP. Oxford Exchange, Tampa
OE Book Club: “The Shadow of the Wind” Tuesday, July 14. 6:30 p.m. $32.64. Oxford Exchange, Hyde Park
Fearcatcher: A Posthumous Celebration of Naira Kuzmich Wednesday, July 15. 7 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg Book Club: Florida Book Review
Thursday, July 16. 10:30 a.m. No cover with reservation. Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa. tampabayhistorycenter.org
COMEDY
Rachel Feinstein Thursday-Saturday, July 9-11. 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday; 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Saturday. $30 and up. Side Splitters, Tampa
Adam Hmada Thursday-Saturday, July 9-11. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. $23.80. Side Splitters, Wesley Chapel
Phil Hogan Thursday-Saturday, July 9-11. 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $22.50. Snappers, Palm Harbor
Dirty John’s Dirty Disco ThursdaySaturdays. 8 p.m. The Studio@620, St. Petersburg
Comedy Night Fridays. 8 p.m. $19.10. R2 Pub, New Port Richey
Dirty Late Night Comedy Fridays. 10 p.m.
$13.45 & up. Gimmick Comedy Club, Ybor City Friday Comedy Open Mic Fridays. 8 p.m.
$6.57 & up. Gimmick Comedy Club, Ybor City
Kym Whitley Friday-Saturday, July 10-11. 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday; 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Saturday. $32 and up. Funny Bone, Ybor City
Mark Christopher Friday-Saturday, July 10-11. 8:30 p.m. $23.58. Sunshine City Comedy Club, St. Pete Beach
Bear Clarke-Webb Friday-Saturday, July 10-11. 8:30 p.m. $23.58. Clearwater Comedy Club, Clearwater Free Comedy Show: Rudy Wilson w/Dan Bakst/more Sunday, July 12. 7:30 p.m. No cover. Bigfoot On The River, Tampa New Material Night Wednesdays through Oct. 28. 8 p.m. $8. Gimmick Comedy Club, Ybor City
Mike Rivera Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, July 15, 17 and 18. 8 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. $20. Coconuts, St. Pete Beach
continued on page 37
FULL MOON®YAPPYHOUR
Y a ppyHour sponsored by FullMoonDog Treats AvailableatPublix
Thank You to Full Moon Pet Treats, the official Yappy Hour sponsor of Restaurant Month
Dinner out is better with your best friend.
Bring your VIP (Very Important Pup) with you on your next dinner date. Don’t forget the Full Moon Dog Treats available at Publix. Human-grade food for human’s best friend.
Out and about: Events happening in Tampa Bay (cont'd)
Greg Warren Thursday-Saturday, July 16-18. 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7 p.m. Friday; 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. $25 and up. Side Splitters, Tampa
Shaun Murphy Thursday-Saturday, July 16-18. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. $23.80. Side Splitters, Wesley Chapel
Nick Griffin Thursday-Saturday, July 16-18. 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $22.50. Snappers, Palm Harbor
FILM&TV
Adventures in Filmmaking Premiere
Thursday, July 9. 5:30 p.m. No cover. Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa Armageddon Friday, July. 10. 7 p.m. $5. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater Old School Friday, July 10. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West Saturday, July. 11. 2 p.m. $5. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater Hamilton Sing-Along Saturday, July 11. Multiple times. Sold out. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
Skweezy Jibbs Makes A Movie
Saturday, July 11. 7:30 p.m. $25. Sun-Ray Cinema, Tampa.
Casablanca Sunday, July 12. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
The Princess Bride Sunday, July 12. 2 p.m. No cover. Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, Odessa Singin’ In The Rain Monday, July 13. 6 p.m. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor Dirty Work Tuesday, July 14. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Wednesday, July 15. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
Movie on the Deck: 50 First Dates Wednesday, July 15. 8 p.m. No cover. Lower Deck at Harbour Island, Tampa Obsession Thursday, July 16. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
LEARN
Cafe con Tampa Fridays, 8 a.m. No cover. The Portico, Tampa
Cigar City: Bringing Industry to Tampa Thursdays through Dec. 31. 2 p.m. $18.95. Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa. tampabayhistorycenter.org
Adult Field Trip: Brooker Creek
Preserve - Before They Were Native –
A Brief History of Florida’s Flora Friday, July 10. 2 p.m. No cover. Starts at East Lake Community Library, Palm Harbor
Art Conversation – I Sing Because I am Happy: Florida Self-Taught Artists Friday, July 10. 11 a.m. No cover. C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library, Tampa
Back-2-School Health Clinic Saturday, July 11. 8 a.m. $10 registration fee. Pizzo K-8 School, Tampa
Creative Cyanotype Printing with Lance Rothstein Saturday, July 11. 1:30 p.m. $75. Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg
The Journaling Journey: Traveler’s Notebook Summer Edition Saturday, July 11. 2 p.m. $25. The Paper Seahorse, Tampa
In Conversation with Ward Shelley, Douglas Paulson, & Dr. Stanton Thomas
Sunday, July 12. 1 p.m. No cover with admission. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg Creatives Support Group Every other Monday. 7 p.m. No cover. Suite E Studios, St. Petersburg. @suite.e.stpete on Facebook. Behind The Beats Music Industry
Networking Event Tuesday, July 14. 6 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Crowbar, Ybor City
Drunk (Tampa) History: Tampa’s 139th
Birthday Party Wednesday, July 15. 5 p.m.
$10. Shuffle, Tampa
Florida Talks: Telling Florida Food
Stories with Dalia Colón Wednesday, July 15. 6 p.m. No cover. East Lake Community Library, Palm Harbor
Literacy Conversation Class Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. Saturdays at 10 a.m. No cover. Palm Harbor Library, Palm Harbor. palmharborlibrary.org
MARKETS
Downtown’s Backyard Market Thursday, July 9. 12 p.m. No cover. Poe Plaza, Tampa. tampasdowntown.com
Summer Collectors Sale Thursday, July 9. 5 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Drew Marc Gallery, Tampa. drewmarcgallery.com
Dunedin Friday & Saturday Markets Fridays & Saturdays. 9 a.m. No cover. Pioneer Park, Dunedin Carrollwood Market Every second Saturday. No cover. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa. carrollwoodcenter.org
The Psyrcle grand opening Saturday, July 11. 6 p.m. $20 & up. The Psyrcle, Belmont Heights. thepsyrcle.org
Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks Craft Festival Saturday-Sunday, July 11-12. 10 a.m. No cover. Sponge Docks, Tarpon Springs
Sunday Social: Market & Mimosas Sundays through Aug. 23. 10 a.m. No cover. The West End Market, Dunedin. thewestendmkt.com
Teacher Supply Swap Sunday, July 12. 12 p.m. No cover. Corner Club, Seminole Heights. cornerclubtampa.com
Sunday Market Every second Sunday. 1 p.m. No cover. Florida Avenue Brewing Co., Wesley Chapel. floridaavebrewing.com
Jazz Night and Market Every second Sunday. 6 p.m. No cover. Corner Club, Seminole Heights
Art on the West End (Benefits Bess The Book Bus) Thursday, July 16. 5 p.m. No cover. The Bricks, Ybor City. bessthebookbus.org
PRIDE
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars watch party Fridays through July 17. Doors at 6 p.m. No cover. Disco Pony Nightclub, Ybor City
Drag Bingo Every first and third Wednesday. 9 p.m. No cover. American Legion Seminole Post 111, Tampa
SPORTS
Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees Thursday, July 6-9. 1:10 p.m. $33 & up. Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg.
Tampa Tarpons vs Clearwater Threshers Thursday-Saturday, July 9-11 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 12 at noon. $2.25 & up. George Steinbrenner Field, Tampa
Seattle Mariners vs. Tampa Bay Rays Multiple times Friday-Sunday, July 10-12. $10 & up. Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg Pins For Paws Saturday, July 11. 12:30 p.m. $25 for registration. Pin Chasers Midtown, Tampa. allhoundrescue.org
THEATER
GCP Summer One Acts Multiple times and dates Thursday-Sunday, July 9-19. $20. Catherine A. Hickman Theater, Gulfport Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise Select times and dates from ThursdaySunday, July 9-26. $18 & up. Shimberg Playhouse at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
Willy Wonka Jr. Friday, July 10. 7 p.m. $15 & up. Dunedin Community Center, Dunedin Broadway Miscast - The Sequel Multiple times and dates from Friday-Saturday, July 10-25. $25. Carrollwood Players Theatre, Tampa
Memory Lane Saturday, July 11. 2 p.m. No cover. Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg Jobsite Theater: American Idiot Select times and dates from Wednesday-Sunday, July 15-Aug. 9. $41.40 & up. Jaeb Theater at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
Interested in advertising around this listing? Contact jhoward@cltampa.com and acarbone@cltampa.com for details.
REVIEWS PROFILES MUSIC WEEK
Make a scene
Before homecoming show, Parrotfish talks identity, personality, and more.
By J.C. Roddy/Cigar City Sounds
Ask four different Parrotfish fans to describe the band’s sound, and chances are you’ll hear four different genres. The Tampa-born, Nashville-based quartet has built a catalog that comfortably slips between alternative rock, poppunk, reggae, and funk, often within the span of a song or two. Despite the band’s stylistic range, the music never feels like it’s trying on different identities.
In a recent conversation with band members Conor Lynch (vocals), Matty Rodrigo (bass, vocals), and Trace Chiappe (drums), connected all those influences. Chiappe didn’t mention a songwriting structure or musical philosophy. Instead, he pointed to the people in the room.
“They’re all different songs, but at the end of the day, it’s Conor and Matt singing, Joe [Cadrecha] playing the guitar, me playing the drums, Matt playing the bass, like people are going to hear it as Parrotfish regardless.”
For Parrotfish, the music doesn’t seem to ever start with style. It starts with the personalities behind the instruments.
That perspective has become more apparent as the band has grown. Since its early days, the songwriting has become more adventurous, but not because Parrotfish set out to reinvent itself. If anything, they described the process as becoming more comfortable trusting one another.
“I feel like we put such an emphasis on each of us having our imprint on it and pushing our individual musicianship and styles as far as they can go within a song, while trying to serve the song” Rodrigo added. “But I think we try to really trust each other and let each other move into spaces and develop each of our parts in a way to where we all feel good about the song.”
Rather than arriving with full concepts, ideas are often brought into the room unfinished. A lyric, a melody, or even a riff can eventually become the foundation for a song after passing through four different perspectives. The band laughed while describing the process as “Frankensteining” songs together, but underneath the joke is a willingness to let individual ideas evolve into something larger than any one member originally imagined. Sometimes that means spending weeks refining a single musical part.
“The guitar part isn’t just, you know, 1-56-4 pattern,” Chiappe said. “Joe has his very
specific riff that makes the song specifically what the song is.”
“Yeah, that he’s shelled in the basement by himself for sometimes a month,” Rodrigo added. “We’re not just throwing a guitarist in the studio for two hours, you know?”
It’s an approach that explains why Parrotfish’s catalog feels so cohesive despite constantly shifting stylistically. The band doesn’t seem concerned with what genre a song belongs to, it’s asking whether it still sounds like itself.
album, and we never had a full, cohesive collection.” Lynch said. “This feels like the first time everything was intentionally made together, so it feels really, really cohesive.”
Rather than narrowing the styles in their sound, the band seems to have found cohesion in the messages and personalities behind the songs. That same idea resurfaced when the conversation shifted away from music entirely.
For younger musicians, building a career today requires more than writing songs and playing shows. It also means constantly creating content, maintaining an online presence, and finding time to engage with listeners between tours and recording sessions. Parrotfish spoke about this the same way they spoke about songwriting, with a focus on authenticity to themselves.
That philosophy has taken on even greater importance as the band prepares to release its long-awaited debut album this November. After years of singles and EPs, Parrotfish said they wanted the first full-length album to feel like more than just a collection of songs. The goal was to wait until the band had enough material that reflected who members had become as writers while still embracing the stylistic freedom that’s always defined the band.
“We were told a lot, like releasing singles was kind of the way to go for smaller bands. I think there was part of us that was worried about certain songs not shining if they were buried in an
“We’ve done music videos in the past, and the video aspect of things has always interested us as like an extension of the art of the song,” Rodrigo said. “I think that should always be its primary focus, and I think we’re trying to figure out how to blend that with the marketing aspect of social media and mixing in trends. It’s a delicate balance, and I think we’re still trying to figure that out. Social media is a fucking mess.”
The band admitted balancing content creation with work, touring and everyday life can be exhausting, crediting its manager, Dominic Sodis, with helping capture moments that feel genuine instead of manufactured.
“I think that we all know we have to do it now,” Lynch added. “It’s definitely something where we all have super busy schedules in general. We all work jobs on the side of this, so doing social media stuff is always the last thing we want to do when we have time to get together, versus playing music, or writing, or playing shows. But it is so necessary, so we’ve definitely been trying to put more of a focus on that.”
Rather than trying to manufacture an online persona, the band’s social media feels like an extension of the personalities driving the music. Those personalities are perhaps most obvious when the four of them are on stage together. The band rarely presents itself with rock-star seriousness. The jokes between songs, playful mistakes, and loose energy all feel like an extension of the same chemistry that shapes the writing sessions.
“It feels like this balance,” Rodrigo said. “We’re trying to take the show and the music and our output very seriously and hit that for people, but then still just be goofy, and not to take ourselves and the egos of it too seriously.”
It’s an attitude that makes the band’s increasingly adventurous catalog feel surprisingly grounded. Whether the topic was songwriting, social media, the upcoming album, or live performance, every answer seemed to return to the foundation of the people making the music. Genres change, songwriting influences come and go, but nearly a decade after first forming, the band’s most defining characteristic isn’t any one sound. It’s the trust they’ve built in one another and the confidence to let that be the one constant while everything else continues to evolve.
Parrotfish returns to Tampa this month for one of the final Crowbar shows before the venue closes its doors at the end of the month. For a band that has spent years refusing to settle into one musical lane, the hometown performance arrives at an especially fitting moment. Its debut album is finally on the horizon, but rather than presenting a new identity, the band hopes to capture the one it’s been building together since the teenage years.
This post first appeared at Cigar City Sounds, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project (TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation. If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication interested in TBJP, please email rroa@ctampa. com. Support Cigar City Sounds by following @ cigarcitysounds on Instagram.
TWO SURFERS: Joe Cadrecha (L) and Conor Lynch of Parrotfish play Kiley Gardens in Tampa, Florida during Gasparilla Music Festival on Feb. 25, 2022.
By Ray Roa
THU 09
C Tame Impala w/Djo After a summer run through Europe, Kevin Parker makes his Tampa debut with Tame Impala. The 40-year-old Australian producer and multi-instrumentalist songwriter—accompanied by an in-the-round set featuring a B-stage—has been playing about two dozen songs each night on the tour supporting last year’s Deadbeat , the project’s first full-length since 2020. The outing earned him a Grammy award (Best Dance/ Electronic Recording for the LP closer, “End Of Summer”), and Tame Impala will be in good company. DJO, the Chicago psychrock outfit fronted by Joe Keery (yes, Steve from “Stranger Things”) supporting its own 2025 LP, The Crux , opens. 7 p.m. Sold-out. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa
FRI 10
C Tori Amos w/Bartees Strange Whimsical singer-songwriter Tori Amos’ new album, In Times of Dragons , is out and it reflects on “the current abhorrent non accidental burning down of democracy in real time…” Joining her on the road this year are longtime collaborators and “brothers” Jon Evans on bass and Ash Soan on drums. And for the first time, a trio of female indie singer-songwriters—unofficially called “Tori’s Angels”—Liv Gibson, Deni Hlavinka, and Hadley Kennary will be on hand to provide backing vocals for the new songs. Indie up-and-comer Bartees Strange opens. 8 p.m. $63 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater—Josh Bradley
Train w/Barenaked Ladies/Matt Nathanson Let it roll. March marked the 25th anniversary of Pat Monahan and friends’ breakthrough second album and its smash hit of a devastating title track. And while there’s no telling whether the whole of Drops of Jupiter will be played cover-to-cover on this 36-date anniversary tour (not to mention that Monahan is the only original member of Train left in the band), a press release promises nothing short of a career retrospective. The band’s new album, Mad Dog in the Fog , drops next month, with record production luminary Butch Walker—who has the likes of Taylor Swift and Weezer on his resume— as Train’s full-time lead guitarist. Canadian four-piece Barenaked Ladies, which usually headlines its own “Last Summer On Earth” tour, also shares the bill. Frontman Ed Robertson and his posse will celebrate the 35th anniversary of their debut album Gordon next year, but their sound is as fresh and sunny as ever, as proven on their latest release, 2023’s In Flight . And before that, singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson, a.k.a.
Mr. “Come On Get Higher,” kicks everything off. 6:45 p.m. $40.50 & up. Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa—JB
SAT 11
C Chulismo (album release) w/Car Bomb Dave/Tiger 54/The Son of James The Chulos—Papi, Johnny, and Jimmy—have a new album to share, and if past singles are any indication, expect Out of the Deep End to lean hard into lo-fi punk that’s a throwback to The Stooges and compatriot to newer bands like Bass Drum Of Death. Car Bomb Driver’s Dave Reeder—one of the most entertaining frontmen in the Bay area—will do a few of his band’s songs with Chulismo after sets by synth-punk band Tiger 54 and New Port Richey melodic punk outfit The Sons of James. 7 p.m. $11. The Nest at St. Pete Brewing Co., St. Petersburg
C Dunedin Brewery’s 30th Anniversary Summer Jam & Cookout: MiniM w/No Standards/Brock Butler There might not be a jam band that draws better than MiniM, so it makes sense to see the Tampa outfit tapped to celebrate a special milestone for a venue that’s always been cool with letting bands let their hair down and go the distance. The jamtronic funk-rock group sets the party off inside Dunedin Brewery’s adjacent Moon Tower venue after a solo beer garden set by Perpetual Groove’s Brock Butler and ahead of experimental sounds from No Standards. 6 p.m. No cover. Dunedin Brewery and the Moon Tower, Dunedin
Gerneth Bass music is still gritty. Just ask the Liquid Space Disco Music crew, which has once again tapped into Jason Feder’s Unicorn Tears SoundSystem for this underground party featuring a grimy producer from Gainesville (Blickee.) alongside whimsylaced Tampa beatmaker Worm Wizard, Orlando dubstep hype man Haven Woods and more. 10 p.m. $25 The Playground, St. Pete, St. Petersburg
SUN 12
Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters Thornton more or less keeps his head down when it comes to Hollywood, and the 69-year-old is in town—not to sling some kind of vodka or crypto scheme, but to play some music. His band, the Boxmasters— which includes J.D. Andrew, Kirk McKim, Raymond Hardy, and Nick Davidson— released Pepper Tree Hill , its 19th album, one year ago. Expect the group, which has opened for Willie Nelson and ZZ Top in its nearly 20 year history, to showcase its love for 60s power-pop (think The Kinks, Beatles, Badfinger) using jangly guitars, Mellotron, and a whole lot of nostalgia. 7:30 p.m. $61.50 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
THU JULY 09–THU JULY 16
WED 15
C Feeble Little Horse w/Computer Wife
Three years after its breakout sophomore LP, Girl With Fish , brought the band to the Coachella stage, Feeble Little Horse (stylized all-lowercase) is back with a follow up. Online since late-May and available in real life via Saddle Creek just ahead of a tour that kicked off this week, the 11 tracks on Bitknot (also stylized all-lowercase) are rooted in pop, but noisy as hell (“DMT”) and catchy enough for radio (“Dior”)—with none clocking in at more than three-anda-half-minutes. From what sound like field recordings on “Rewind” and “Paris” to the computer and guitar interplay on “Upside Down,” the Pittsburgh quartet has turned in one of 2026’s first near-perfect front-toback albums which serves as a refreshing reminder that it’s more-than-fine for a band to take its time between releases. Grimesinspired art-pop songwriter Addie Warncke brings her Computerwife project to open the show. 8 p.m. $30.27. Crowbar, Ybor City
C J. Cole The Fall-Off is supposed to be J. Cole’s final album. While the 41-yearold won’t pursue playing pro basketball in China (citing visa issues, he quit after playing just one game with the Nanjing Monkey Kings in the Chinese Basketball Association), Cole did take a halfcourt
shot with a double-LP that’s drawn mixed reviews. The notoriously-grumpy Pitchfork said the North Carolina rapper “lacks the ability to keep the record moving with fresh ideas,” while Rolling Stone called the outing an “opus that’s dense, sometimes frustrating, and beautifully human.” Never braggadocious, Cole will get plenty of love in Tampa for what could be his final tour for a while. 8 p.m. $150.65 & up (resale only). Benchmark International Arena, Tampa
THU 16
Bossman D’Low w/Yung Miami The patriarchs of Cash Money and No Limit Records do a joint tour this fall, but the party that those Southern rap legends started in the ‘90s continues in the songs of Florida rappers like Bossman D’Low. Tracks from the 27-year-old emcee born Devante Milan McCreary sound like those Magnolia Projects bangers (“Motion Party”) and stand ready to rattle trunks (“Chick-fil-A”) and set the club ablaze, too (“Shake Dat Ass”). City Girls’ Caresha Romeka Brownlee breaks out on her own under the Yung Miami moniker to open the show. 8 p.m. $79.34 & up. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
See an extended version of this listing at cltampa.com/music
C CL Recommends
Feeble Little Horse
PINELLAS ALE WORKS
Since its opening 20 years ago, Crowbar has been a haven for hip-hop, so it makes sense to see the famed Ybor City venue close its doors with a show headlined by one of the greatest to ever do it. Talib Kweli—who once did an impromptu Black Star set with Mos Def on Crowbar’s patio back in 2011—will be the final artist to take the stage when Crowbar shuts the door on 20 years of concerts in Tampa.
ago. Queen of Ex and Perception round out the talent.
The gig on July 31 is part of an unsurprisingly stacked final week of concerts and shows at Crowbar, which is closing, in part, due to rising costs and rent.
The 50-year-old emcee is in excellent company, too. DJs Sandman and Qeys handle the ones and twos all night while heavyweights of the Tampa scene rock the mic in the runup to the venue’s final moments. Aych, who held a cypher at Crowbar for nearly the entire 20-year history, is on the bill along with expat Tampa rapper Dynasty who collaborated with Kweli on “Stay Shinin’,” a song the duo performed together at the venue more than a decade
The Sounds of 97: Over Wait Mammal w/Government Subs/No Context/Back and Forth/The Button Smashers/DJ One Time Friday, July 10. 7 p.m. $12.
Parrotfish Saturday, July 11. 7 p.m. $17.67
Behind The Beats: Music Industry Networking Event Tuesday, July 14. 6 p.m. No cover
Feeble little horse w/Computer Wife Wednesday, July 15. $22.50-$25
Dyke Night St. Pete: Dykes Gone Wild Thursday, July 16, 8 p.m. $15
DIY Fest IV: Chilled Monkey Brains w/Glass House Point/Buko Boys/ Kristopher James/Discord Theory/more Friday-Saturday, July 17-18. $25-$50
King Of The Stage Sunday, July 19. 8 p.m. $10 entry
Karaoke Night: A Tribute to Bonnie Plumtree Monday, July 20. 8 p.m. No cover
The final week at Crowbar kicks off Monday, July 27 with a special set by Chance Reynolds, the jazz composer who soundtracked locallyproduced indie film “Jellyfish Season.” Reynolds will do a set while snippets from the film play in the venue. Surfer Blood, Com Truise, Leon Majcen and others are all slated to play the final nights, too.
Tickets to see Talib Kweli play the final concert at Crowbar in Ybor City on Friday, July 31 are somehow still available for $38.39. See the lineup for the remaining concerts at Crowbar below.—Ray Roa
Pavlova w/AlleycatK/Mary Nalyse/Face the Fence/Beyond Chaotic Wednesday, July 22. 7 p.m. $15-$20
High Fade Thursday, July 23. 7 p.m. $30.
Florist: One Last Ride w/Razor and the BoogieMen/Marigold/Veneficus Friday, July 24. 7 p.m. $12.49
The Last Hootenanny: Have Gun, Will Travel w/Christina Wagner & Friends/ Harber Wynn/The Lauris Vidal Second Line/more Saturday, July 25. 4 p.m. $22.85
Jellyfish Season: Vinyl Release Show Monday, July 27. 7 p.m. $12.49
Surfer Blood w/Brother Cephus/ Meatwound Tuesday, July 28. 7 p.m. $28.03 & up
Com Truise w/Kaelin Ellis Wednesday, July 29. 7 p.m. $28.03 & up
Leon Majcen w/Kristopher James/ Adam Randall & The Band Thursday, July 30. 7 p.m. $28.03.
Quickies
By Dan Savage
1. I’m a 20-year-old virgin and I have until very recently thought I was pan romantic/ asexual. But I have found myself being sexually attracted to my close female friends. How do I know if I am ace or struggling with religious guilt?
Labels can wait — get out there and live a little.
P.S. Religious guilt and/or trauma is something you work through with a therapist; it’s not something you work through with (or take out on) your first girlfriend.
2. My ex-girlfriend’s name is tattooed on my right calf and my current girlfriend wants me to get it lasered off. I think it’s part of my story and that I have a right to some bodily autonomy here. I would never tell her to delete pics of her exes from her Instagram, which is way more “public facing” than my right calf. It’s not like it’s in a place where my girlfriend has to see it when we’re having sex. What do you think?
“I had a tattoo of my ex—just the first letter of her first name although in a much more precarious place, my lower left hip—and it was a major point of contention in my relationship,” said Gianmarco Soresi, the standup comedian and host The Downside podcast. “We tried putting a Band-Aid over it, I offered to get a tattoo of her full name (‘Great, so I can be #2’), but the disagreement, like the tattoo, did not go away. At a certain point it became less about the tattoo itself and more my own sense of bodily autonomy, my history, a snapshot of who I once was! But I love my girlfriend and so I ultimately found a way that felt like I could cover it up on my own terms: I filmed a comedy special where I told some jokes about the tat—and our fights about it—and we showed me getting it covered up with a bouquet of flowers in the credits. To me, I transferred my past self onto film in a way that could honor the (insane) younger man I once was but also in a way that didn’t remind my girlfriend of my ex every time she gave me a blowjob. So, my advice is become a stand-up comedian.”
To hear those jokes about Gianmarco Soresi’s tattoo—and to watch it get covered up—check out his latest stand-up special, Thief of Joy, on YouTube. Follow Soresi on Instagram @ gianmarcosoresi.
3. The wife asking: How can I gauge if a guy might want to have a threesome with me and my husband?
You might already know a guy who wants to have a threesome with you and your husband— fucking the two of you might be this guy’s go-to fantasy when he’s having a wank—but that guy, if he exists, is highly unlikely to signal that he’s
interested in having a threesome with you and your husband. So, you’re going to have to ask. P.S. If this guy exists… why hasn’t he hit on you and your husband already? Well, this hypothetical guy most likely assumes you and your husband are monogamous, which is not an unreasonable assumption as most opposite-sex couples are monogamous, and he doesn’t want to come across as a creep by making the first move. So, again, you’re going to have to ask.
4. Why do the actors in American-made porn scream something that sounds very much like the German word “ja” in contexts where I’d usually expect them to scream the English word “yes”? What’s going on here?
Put your teeth together with your lips slightly parted and your tongue pressed to the roof of the mouth and moan—“nnnnn”— and then open your mouth all the way and say “yeah.” Sounds a lot like “ja,” doesn’t it?
5. What is the most jaw-dropping letter you’ve ever received?
This letter about a fairly vanilla MMF threesome made my jaw hit the floor so hard I lost a tooth. I’ve gotten letters about far crazier kinks, but nothing has ever topped that letter.
use it a little more sparingly from now on. If you aren’t coming after a few months, you do need that vibrator, and you shouldn’t be shy about giving it pride of place on your nightstand.
8. My new boyfriend wants me to meet his “significant ex” because being friends with exes is something “the gays” do. Maybe I don’t get it because I’m bisexual, but I really don’t want to be in the same room with any of his ex-boyfriends. Thoughts?
Being weird about your boyfriend’s significant ex—or any of his exes—is the quickest way to become his next ex.
9. How old is too old to be posting thirst traps?
Gerontophiles exist—they even have their own pride flag (and it is hilarious)—and gerontos deserve a little eye candy too.
10. I have hemorrhoids that bleed routinely, but I want to have anal sex. What do I do?
See a doctor and/or date a vampire.
11. What should I know if I am entering a Dom/sub situation where I am being sub.
SAVAGE LOVE
P.S. The fact that there was no update to this letter—the fact that I never heard from this LW again—proves I don’t write the questions myself. Because if I’d written that question, I also would’ve written an update detailing how things worked out for the LW and his new boyfriend. My readers were dying to know if his relationship survived the revelation that the boyfriend he brought home to meet his parents had already met (and fucked) his parents.
P.S. If you’re still out there and you read this, “I Knew He Was Into Blonds,” please write in!
6. The man I’m seeing is extremely rude to waiters and a terrible tipper. He is kind and generous with me personally. He’s also hot. I’m torn.
I learned this one the hard way: Sooner or later… and probably sooner rather than later… that hot man is gonna start treating you the way he treats waiters. DTMFA.
7. I’ve stopped coming via oral but can still come with a vibrator. So, the wiring still works. But have I “death-gripped” myself via vibe?
If you feel like you’ve become physically or psychologically dependent on your vibrator, stop using your vibrator for a few months. If you’re able to come again in a few weeks or months, you didn’t need that vibrator, and you should
Know the red flags: wannabe Doms who tell you “real” subs don’t have boundaries, wannabe Doms who won’t share references, wannabe Doms who think you can go from zero (just having met) to sixty (total power exchange) in under a week. (Getting to TPE, if that’s even a goal, takes years, it’s never actually “total,” and it has to be the sub’s idea.)
P.S. Lina Dune’s “Ask a Sub” podcast is required listening for wannabe/newbie subs and the wannabe Doms who wanna do right by them.
12. I know you love a good portmanteau, Dan, so here is one: “kinkronicity.” It’s when two lovers in a romantic relationship accidentally discover they’re into exactly the same kinky shit. This is from the “Profanisaurus” column in British humor mag Viz, which is always full of fun new words and turns of phrase.
First: Love it, gonna use it, thanks for flagging it!
Second: There are lots of ways two people might accidentally discover they’re into the exact same kinky shit—one stumbles across the other’s browser history, they run into each other at a fetish club, what one thought was an empty suitcase turns out to be filled with gear — but my favorite way for two people to discover they’re into the same kinky shit is when one person nervously lays their kink cards on the table and their person smiles and says “OMG, me too!” I call that a “kinkyahtzee.”
13. I’m a heterosexual woman who orgasms too quickly. My husband always wants me to come first, but it’s often way before he’s even close.
We’ve tried avoiding direct clitoral stimulation during foreplay and not letting me get too close and focusing more on him instead. But it’s like once I’m even the tiniest bit close, the train has left the station, and the even smallest touch in the right place makes me come. My bigger problem is that I’m tired of manually stimulating my husband to completion after I’ve orgasmed. I don’t find it at all pleasurable and it takes a while. Any advice on how I could last longer or how he could get there faster?
Have you tried keeping your pants on? Not in the figurative sense, but in the literal sense— keep your pants on, lady, and leave ‘em on until your husband is close.
14. Bi guy going to Berlin next month. Best gay district? I want to avoid the apps.
“The whole city is pretty gay,” said Alexander Cheves, an American writer based in Berlin. “But the old-school gayborhood and epicenter of gay sex tourism — especially the leather and kink kind — is Schöneberg. More of a raver? Go to Friedrichshain. Museums and galleries? Mitte. Want an alternative, local bar crowd? Try Kreuzberg, home of Ficken3000 and other great gay bars. Love outdoor cruising? Hit the nudist cruising grounds at Hasenheide in Neukölln and in Grunewald out west. (But go with a local or you’ll get lost trying to find them.) Love hanging out by a big gay lake? Try Teufelssee in Grunewald, and a bit further out, the Kaulsdorfer Seen in the east, where I’ve had my best outdoor sex.”
Alexander Cheves is a writer, an advice columnist, and an author. He wrote an acclaimed sex memoir in 2021 (My Love Is a Beast: Confessions) and has a new book coming in 2027. He also leads a new independent nightlife magazine in Berlin called Hinterhaus.
15. I’m a 50-year-old woman. I’ve been single a while and on the apps. My profile is always really clear, I’m vanilla, cis het with no kinks. Every man I’ve clicked with over the last five years has said they’re also vanilla but ended up being into BDSM, pegging, or were submissive. I don’t enjoy it and almost psychologically separate from the act when I force myself to play along. I’ve tried being brutally honest in advance about not having kinks but it’s like they’re repressed until they find a safe and accepting partner. How do I screen out guys that aren’t compatible? Keep doing some of what you’re doing—keep being brutally honest about being vanilla—but stop doing that one thing where you force yourself to play along. If a guy shares a kink you’re not interested in, tell him he’ll have to find someone else if he can’t live without BDSM, pegging, being dominated, or whatever.
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love
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