CONTRIBUTORS Josh Bradley, Kyla Fields, Margo Hammond, McKenna Schueler
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FALL INTERNS Alisha Duroiser, Sophia Lowrie, Emily McLaughlin
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If this was the start of a victory lap for storied Ybor City venue Crowbar, then Underoath has set one hell of a pace. The Grammy-nominated homegrown hardcore hero technically wrapped a nearly year-long, two-leg national tour with Papa Roach last Saturday at Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, but announced from the stage this surprise show for just 400 fans.
The intimate gig was meant to be a tribute to followers who might not have shelled out for tickets to see the band play a short opening arena set—and a chance for Underoath to play Crowbar one more time before the lease runs out this summer. “You guys are day one fans,” Underoath frontman Spencer Chamberlain said last Monday night, adding that the show sold out in half-an-hour.
It was a family affair, too, with kids and high-schoolers mixed into a crowd of mostly 30-to-40 somethings reveling in a punchy set that included the best stuff from Underoath’s latest album, The Place After This One, and a wild three-song climax of the band’s most-beloved cuts. Thin Spaces, a homegrown rock band that includes Dark Cycle Clothing co-founder Adam Enfinger and original Anberlin drummer Jerad Griffin, opened alongside Social Wreckage, a band that includes Maren McTague, daughter of Underoath guitarist Tim McTague. See more photos via cltampa.com/slideshows.—Ray Roa
do this
Tampa Bay's best things to do from October 09-15
Mystery muse
Who was Amanda Lear? Dalí’s muse, Bowie’s flame, a disco queen with a gender-bending secret—or all of the above? “I Am a Mistery,” written by Margo Hammond and directed by Bob Devin Jones, dives into the myth of Amanda Lear with wit and theatrical flair. Inspired by her teasing disco anthem “I’m a Mistery,” the staged reading kicks off with multiple Lears playing a campy quiz show spoof. Lear is played by a rotating ensemble of actors. Each show wraps with an interactive panel on art, identity, and gender, featuring local cultural leaders. The show debuted the Dalí Friday before a few other showings during the week at Studio@620. Visit this post on cltampa.com/arts for details.
‘I Am a Mistery’ Three shows Friday-Tuesday, Oct. 7-11. $10–$15. The Dalí Museum’s Will Raymond Theater, Studio@620 — Sophia Lowrie
Pass the Buc
Twice a year, more than a dozen studios and creative spaces in Ybor City open doors for one night of art. The offerings run the gamut from literary happenings to visual art, comedy, theater and more. For its fall offering, the Ybor Arts Tour invites scene supporters to start at Hillsborough Community College’s Gallery 114 (1411 E 11th Ave.) where they can get a pass to park in the college’s lot for free. Then head into the district where restaurants (like Lara, hosting its “Behind the Shelves” series in its speakeasy space) join the likes of Tempus Projects, Parallelogram Gallery, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (hosting “The Bucs at Fifty” exhibition) and more in welcoming visitors.
Ybor Arts Tour: Next Thursday, Oct. 16. 4 p.m.-9 p.m. No cover. Various venues, Ybor City. @ yborartstour on Facebook—Ray Roa
Love to hate
Former “Daily Show” correspondents Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng might seem like friends, but that’s propaganda from the corrupt liberal media. Their show, “Hasan Hates Ronny/Ronny Hates Hasan: A Debate To The Death,” promises less decorum and more personal jabs than a CNN presidential debate. The two will fight about “war, the economy, immigration, infrastructure, food, dating, family values, and of course, the impending Race War,” per the show description. Tampa is one of 19 cities on the tour, and there’s no better place for two libs to duke it out than the city where Democrats turn into cardcarrying GOP members.
‘Hasan Hates Ronny/Ronny Hates Hasan: A Debate To The Death’ Friday, Oct. 10. 7 p.m. $49.50 & up. Morsani Hall at the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N W C Macinnes Pl., Tampa. strazcenter.org—Selene San Felice
Arts avengers
Tampa Bay Arts Passport is only five months old, but the newsletter and arts event club’s head Avery Anderson is looking to make a big impact. Longtime arts reporter, critic and former CL Editor-In-Chief David Warner recently awarded Arts Passport a Best of the Bay staff pick for “Best New Resource for Arts Coverage.” At events like this “Hidden Figures” screening, they’ll offer yard signs reading “I support the arts in Tampa Bay,” proceeds for which go to the recently defunded Creative Pinellas. After the screening at Greenlight Cinema, Anderson hosts a conversation with artists from The Studio@620 and Powerstories Theatre. They’ll discuss the film’s resonances with Powerstories’ upcoming production “Cadillac Crew,” about the unsung women of the Civil Rights Movement.
Arts Passport film screening: ‘Hidden Figures’—Sunday, Oct. 12. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $12-$15. Green Light Cinema, 221 2nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg. tbartspassport.com Emily McLaughlin
Grab your wolf pack
The Hard Rock Event Center was packed last month for Creative Loafing’s 2025 Best of the Bay party—and we know it was a hard ticket to score. While so many of the hundreds of winners and finalists, got to celebrate last month, many did not, so we’re throwing a few no-cover “Best of the Bay hangover” parties to give folks on both sides of the Bay a chance to pick up their awards, take pictures and enjoy some of the best food and drink the neighborhood has to offer. The first hangovergoers partied with us on Wednesday at The Fenway in Dunedin. Tampa winners can head to Lara (1919 E 7th Ave., Ybor City) on Thursday, Oct. 9 from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. The last chance to celebrate with us is in St. Pete on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 5-8 p.m. at The Birchwood lobby bar (340 Beach Dr., NE, St. Petersburg).
Best of the Bay hangover parties: Thursdays, Oct. 9 & 16. No cover. Go to cltampa.com/arts for details.—Ray Roa
Who’s next
Boasting big-name winners like Donny Barley (1996), Felipe Gustavo (2007), Luan Oliveira (2008 & 2009), Dashawn Jordan (2016), and 2024 Olympic medalist Nyjah Huston (2005), Tampa Am is solidified as a stepping stone for professional careers. Juni Kang, the 16-year-old who took home first place in 2024 said his win changed everything for him and has him looking forward to representing South Korea in the 2028 Olympics. This weekend, the tournament crowns new kings and queens of the sport. Now in its 31st year, Tampa Am is back and technically kicks off on Wednesday, Oct. 15 with contestant practice open to the public for free. Nightlife, per usual, is a hallmark of the weekend and happens both on site at the famed warehouse and at SPoT’s official Ybor City clubhouse The Bricks. Finals go down Sunday, Oct. 19 and are available to stream if you miss out on a ticket.
Tampa Am: Next Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 16. $15 & up. Skatepark of Tampa, 4215 E Columbus Dr., Tampa. skateparkoftampa.com—Ray Roa
NICK CARDELLO
Come practice your swing at Ferg's Clubhouse! Now taking reservations for Full Swing sports simulators, great for groups, parties, and team building.
Book online or email events@fergssportsbar.com
1–2 hours | Age 21+ | Up to 4 people
1320 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33705 (727) 822-4562 | fergssportsbar.com
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2025 • 6-10 P.M. THE JAMES MUSEUM 150 CENTRAL AVE. IN ST. PETE
“.. a Ferris wheel is a bad look in a city trying to do cool new things.”
Observations
Developer
pitches downtown attraction, but not everyone’s along for the ride.
By Alishia Durosier
Tampa’s southeastern skyline—marked by Channelside’s high-rises, an aquarium, and often, a cruise ship—could include a 250foot ferris wheel by 2026.
Last month, Tampa developer Tony Miller announced plans to build what he refers to as an “observation wheel” on a thirdof-an acre in Tampa’s Channel District, next to The Florida Aquarium and across from Port Tampa Bay. The wheel, dubbed Tampa WOW! (Wheel over Water), has a $20 million price tag, which Miller says will be privately funded.
unique and so because it’s not unique, I don’t think people are that excited about it.”
When Greco posted about the proposal on his platform, his audience’s reaction mirrored this sentiment. “No,” an Instagram user commented.
“Hate this. Nothing screams tourist like that. Do not act like International Drive,” another comment read, alluding to Orlando’s attraction-riddled boulevard.
LOCAL NEWS
“Yall are sooooo bored, why not just add a city rollercoaster that takes you around i-4 and i-75,” another user wrote.
Tampa architect and designer Tobin Green told CL that for a city that is “on the come-up,” the wheel does not align with the direction of Tampa’s evolving cityscape.
“We’re working really hard to boost our skyline, make beautiful buildings, and really build up our area,” Green said. “We have a whole center of our state called Orlando, Florida, that is perfect for that stuff. We don’t need it here.”
Green also echoes the notion that the wheel is cliché.
“The Ferris wheel has been done plenty of times, and sure, if you want to look at it as a tourist attraction moneymaker, maybe it’s viable. But I don’t even think that works,” he said.
While Patrick Manteiga, the publisher of the local trilingual newspaper La Gaceta, thinks the wheel will be an interesting addition to Tampa, he estimates that it is more for tourists than Tampa residents.
getting on it or my grandkids getting on it more than once or twice every year.
Manteiga also cautions the City of Tampa to consider the proposal with a fine-tooth comb to avoid “unintended consequences.”
Because for him, the real question lies in what happens years down the road.
“You’re telling me that you believe this lease is going to be set up so that 10 years from now they can’t say, ‘We’re tearing down the Ferris wheel because it’s not economically feasible. But since we have this lease, we’re going to build a building there,’” he said.
The wheel is still subject to the Tampa City Council’s approval. The proposal is set to go before the council for discussion on Tbursday, Oct. 9 and again on Thursday, Oct. 23.
“Tampa WOW! isn’t just about the view,” Miller said in a press release. “It’s about creating a world-class family destination and energizing downtown with new opportunities for connection and engagement.”
Miller—who also hopes to open Pasco’s Peak Surf Park in 2027—also claims his proposal was met with an “overwhelmingly positive” community response, citing statements of support from Visit Tampa Bay President & CEO Santiago Corrada and President and CEO of The Florida Aquarium Roger Germann. And since the proposed wheel would come at no cost to the City of Tampa, community response is Tampa City Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak’s number one priority.
“I really think it’s going to depend on what the neighborhood wants,” she told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Because when you do something like that in a community, generally, I’m interested in knowing what the community’s concerns are and how this particular developer plans on answering any of these concerns.”
For Garrett Greco, a fifth-generation Tampeno and host of the Tampa Bay Developer Podcast, the wheel would be an interesting amenity, a big and bold idea—which he wants to see more of in his hometown—but is ultimately uninspired.
“I think, Tampa, as we grow and develop, is really trying to search for and hold on to its identity,” Greco said. “We are not Orlando, we are not Miami, we don’t want to become those places, right? We have our own culture and our own story here and the Ferris wheel is not
Some loved the idea but questioned the wheel’s location. “Can’t wait to get scenic views of carnival cruise lines and the shipyard full of toxic waste,” a comment read.
“I assume it will be popular when it’s first here and I assume that some out-of-towners or some overly rich Tampanians will get on it,” Manteiga told CL. “I can’t imagine my family
“I’m not saying that Tampa is trying to be the most sophisticated city or anything like that. I’m just saying we’re trying to build ourselves up and in the right direction,” Green—who recently pitched a new idea on historic overlays—said. “I just think that a Ferris wheel is a bad look in a city trying to do cool new things.”
would be privately-funded.
OH, WHEELY? Tony Miller says his 250-foot observation wheel
Payday
Florida’s minimum wage rises to $14 an hour.
By McKenna Schueler
Florida workers earning minimum wage should see extra money in their paychecks moving forward, as Florida’s minimum wage rises Tuesday from $13 an hour to $14 an hour.
Effective Sept. 30, Florida’s minimum wage is now $14 an hour for nontipped workers, and $10.98 for workers who receive tips. It’s now the highest state minimum wage in the geographic South and nearly double the federal minimum wage of just $7.25 an hour. This is the latest increase in a series of minimum wage hikes approved by Florida voters in 2020 through the passage of Amendment 2.
Under that constitutional amendment, approved by approximately 61 percent of voters, Florida’s minimum wage rose to $10 on Sept. 30, 2021, and has increased $1 each year after. It is set to reach $15 an hour on Sept. 30, 2026 and increase after based on inflation.
adopted a state minimum wage above the federal minimum wage. The latter hasn’t changed since 2009. Florida was the first state in the South to get on track towards a $15 minimum wage in 2020, despite opposition from chambers of commerce and a deep-pocketed campaign organized by business groups, such as the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, to defeat Amendment 2. Opponents argued raising the minimum wage would kill jobs and hike prices for consumers.
spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs alone. Paying more than that percentage on housing is considered a cost burden.
The Florida Policy Institute estimates that more than 1.1 million working people in Florida earn less than $15 an hour, including 113,400 workers in Orange County — representing roughly 13 percent of the county’s total workforce. “While Amendment 2 was a historic and promising step forward, this wage does not go far enough in today’s economic climate,” the progressive nonprofit research and policy organization notes.
Who is eligible to receive minimum wage in Florida?
STATE NEWS
However, the new $14 wage floor in Florida still rests below what’s considered a “living wage” in Florida — that is, the minimum wage you need to earn working full-time to support yourself or a family — according to a calculator from MIT.
Florida’s Amendment 2 in 2020 to raise the minimum wage, proved more popular that election than either presidential candidate who ran for office that year, garnering 700,000 more votes in Florida than Republican Donald Trump and more than 1 million votes more than Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, Florida is one of 30 states, plus D.C., that have
A “living wage,” according to MIT, is defined as “what one full-time worker must earn on an hourly basis to help cover the cost of their family’s minimum basic needs where they live while still being self-sufficient.” This calculation includes the cost of housing, food, healthcare, transportation and expenses like childcare for households with children.
According to a recent report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Floridians need to earn $37.27 an hour minimum to afford the average two-bedroom apartment without
Florida’s minimum wage requirements apply to all workers who are eligible to receive minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This generally applies to most employees, with certain exceptions. Those exceptions include, but are not limited to commissioned sales employees, farmworkers, certain workers with disabilities, incarcerated workers and independent contractors.
What happens if my employer pays me less than minimum wage?
Florida’s minimum wage, under Florida statutes, is singularly enforced by the state Attorney General’s Office, or any other official designated by the state legislature (there are currently no others). If you are eligible for minimum wage but believe your boss is shortchanging you, you can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office online or by mail.
Fair warning: Public records obtained by journalists and labor advocates over the years have found there is little evidence that Florida’s Attorney General has ever taken any action to enforce Florida’s minimum wage. And under Florida Statutes, Florida’s AG is the only state official currently authorized to actually take action on this front (ICYMI: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush abolished the state department that previously had the responsibility of enforcing Florida’s wage and hour laws).
Florida Democrat and workers rights lawyer Jose Javier Rodriguez, who’s running for the position of state Attorney General in 2026, told Orlando Weekly he’d beef up enforcement of Florida’s minimum wage if elected.
So … is there another option?
Yes. You can also contact a private employment lawyer if you believe your boss is illegally paying you less than minimum wage. They may be able to help you — although the acceptance rate for minimum wage violation cases tends to be low. You can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor online or by calling 1-866-487-9243. However, because this federal department is only authorized to enforce the federal minimum wage, the U.S. DOL can only recover up to $7.25 an hour in cases of minimum wage violations.
Lastly, the following counties in Florida have actually implemented their own wage recovery programs for victims of wage theft (in the absence of a statewide wage recovery program). Hillsborough and Pinellas government programs may be able to assist you.
FIGHT FOR $15: Florida’s new $14 minimum wage is still below what’s considered a “living wage.”
Banned
Florida
accounts for 30% of nation’s book bans as trend slows.
By Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix
Both the Florida Department of Education and PEN America, a nonprofit advocating for freedom of expression, have released their annual lists of books removed from school classrooms and libraries, each reporting fewer removals than last year.
The Florida Department of Education reported that 444 titles were removed in some capacity across 16 counties in the state during the 202425 school year, down from 732 titles removed the school year before. In 2022-23, the state reported 386 removed titles.
In this, PEN’s fourth year of reporting, Florida ranked highest in the nation with 2,304 bans statewide of the 6,870 reported nationwide. Florida was responsible for 4,500 of the more than 10,000 books PEN reported the previous school year.
The state reports books as removed when material has been discontinued in response to a parent or resident of the county and the data are reported by school districts.
PEN America’s dataset comprises school book bans reported to the organization and those covered in news media. The organizations cautions that its dataset is not comprehensive — “there are likely additional school book bans that have not been reported.” It’s sum includes books that have been shelved pending review and those removed in response to direct or threatened action by government officials.
The DOE list does not disclose any titles in Hillsborough County, for example, that have been removed.
The PEN list includes 500 materials in Union County “banned” in June 2025, although the DOE list does not include any titles removed in that county during the previous school year.
Volusia County, in the PEN report, saw about 180 titles “banned pending investigation” and, per the DOE methodology, one title was removed during the previous school year, “The Kite Runner.”
The bulk of the state’s reported removals were in Clay County. PEN puts about 400 titles in jeopardy there, while the state lists about 280 removed titles in Clay County.
Climate
STATE NEWS
In August, PEN America celebrated a recent lawsuit by book authors and publishers challenging the state’s law removing books from classrooms and libraries. A federal trial judge ruled that the state’s law banning books deemed “pornographic” from school libraries is, in part, “overbroad and unconstitutional.”
MONDAY - THURSDAY 5 - 9 PM
“Over the past four years, a misleading campaign to ‘protect children’ alongside advocacy for ‘parental rights’ has been weaponized to diminish students’ First Amendment rights in schools, sow distrust in librarians and educators, and diminish the ability of authors and illustrators to connect with their intended audiences,” PEN wrote in a news release.
The PEN database includes about 600 titles in Hillsborough County that are “banned pending investigation.”
“It is important to recognize that books available in schools, whether in a school or classroom library or as part of a curriculum, were selected by librarians and educators as part of the educational offerings to students,” PEN America wrote. “Book bans occur when those choices are overridden by school boards, administrators, teachers, or even politicians on the basis of a particular book’s content.”
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
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Geoffrey
Zakarian
plans downtown St. Pete restaurant.
By Kyla Fields
Celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian is no stranger to Tampa Bay, but he’ll soon establish his first local restaurant in St. Petersburg.
The Central, described in a press release as a “2.1-acre, transformative mixed-use destination,” will be the home of Chef Zakarian’s newest restaurant at 1301 Central Ave.
Fans of the celebrity chef still have to wait a few years for this new concept, since the Central Hotel and its unnamed flagship restaurant are still in early stages of development.
While Zakarian is known for cooking several different styles of food, many of his previous restaurants have focused on modern American cuisine with Mediterranean, French and of course, regional influences.
The press release adds that Zakarian’s food and beverage program will be inspired by St. Petersburg’s unique story, “blending local flavor with the sophisticated approach that has made him a household name.”
its loaded rice bowls, chorizo and potato flautas, red and green enchiladas, and chilaquiles—a traditional breakfast dish of tortilla chips tossed in salsa and covered in queso fresco, red onion, avocado and a fried egg.
Tacos with bright pink, beet-colored tortillas come with a variety of protein choices like chorizo, pork belly, al pastor, carnitas, carne asada, shredded chicken and short rib birria.
Boda also offers a range of vegetarian options, including fried plantains topped with crema and queso fresco, corn tamales smothered in a creamy chipotle sauce, vegetable enchiladas and elote.
OPENINGS
According to the restaurant’s social media, Boda recently opened a drive-thru on the side of its building where customers can easily pick up online orders. The newly-opened Mexican spot also launched its Taco Tuesday promotion, where guests can snag three tacos for $12 or three tacos and a side of rice and beans for $15.
The Central 1301 Central Ave., St. Petersburg thecentralstpete.com
Construction on the Central Hotel—which is slated to become St. Petersburg’s second Autograph Collection hotel—is expected to begin sometime next year. According to its website, Central Hotel is projected to open by 2027, with design and construction coming care of Ellison Development.
Riveters owners open Mexican spot, Boda, in Tampa
A new restaurant on a familiar strip of Dale Mabry Highway recently made its debut in Tampa.
Boda, located at 2038 N Dale Mabry Hwy. in the former Not Your Average Joe’s Pizza space, has already garnered a reputation for its fresh, straightforward Mexican fare.
Boda markets itself as “true and authentic” Mexican cuisine, with a menu filled with traditional bites like al pastor and carnitas tacos, enchiladas, chilaquiles and caldo de res, a braised beef and vegetable soup.
Appetizers include shrimp ceviche, chips and guacamole, salads and traditional soups, while larger format dishes on Boda’s menu are
Restaurateur Andres Farfan, owner of popular American restaurant and bar Riveters that’s located right across the street, is also an operating partner of the newly-opened Mexican restaurant.
For the latest updates on Boda, head to its Facebook profile or follow @bodatampa on Instagram.
Boda is now open from 11 a.m.-midnight Tuesday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Sunday-Mondays.
‘Seinfeld’-famous bagel shop H&H opens in Tampa
Decades after Cosmo Kramer famously went on strike against H&H Bagels and a year after the announcement of its Tampa store, the New York chain has finally arrived.
The shop at 1155 S Dale Mabry Hwy opened Oct 2. The first 200 customers to betray Kramer were promised a mystery H&H tote bag with a gift card (each one with random values up to $100).
The popular Manhattan bagel shop, which first opened in 1972, recently expanded into Florida with locations in Boca Raton and Jacksonville.
YES, CHEF: Geoffrey Zakarian (L) and Casey Ellison.
A West Palm Beach shop opens in October, the company told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, also confirming that more locations are still planned for Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Miami.
The NYC staple has been featured in shows like “Seinfeld,” “The Office,” “Sex and the City,” “Entourage,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and more.
To achieve its “signature flavor,” the company says it kettle-boils its bagels in NYC water before baking—meaning Tampa’s bagels will be boiled in New York before being shipped to Florida to finish the rest of the process, per Bloom Tampa Bay.
H&H Bagels’ Tampa shop is open from 6 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. For more information, visit hhbagels.com and follow @hhbagels on social media.—Selene San Felice
PopUp Bagels to open second Tampa shop in Carrollwood
Tampa hasn’t even finished its first dozen bagels and already another batch is on the way. PopUp Bagels, the Connecticut-based chain
that opened its first local shop last month, has announced a second location in Carrollwood. The move makes Tampa the first Florida city to host multiple locations.
The new store will open at 12817 Dale Mabry Hwy, with a soft launch expected in November, the company told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
The first Tampa PopUp Bagels, which debuted on Sept. 14 at 4528 W Kennedy Blvd. in Westshore in the former McNatt’s Cleaners building.
PopUp Bagels sets itself apart by serving unsliced bagels straight from the oven with a variety of rotating schmears. Unlike many bagel shops, it does not sell sandwiches, encouraging customers to dip the bagels into the assorted schmears.
The company has grown to more than a dozen locations across Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. Expansion plans call for up to 300 shops nationwide, with Tampa franchisee Kal Gullapalli already signaling interest in adding Orlando stores.—Sophia Lowrie
Wurst of times
Drink up Tampa Bay’s remaining Oktoberfest celebrations.
By Emily McLaughlin and Ray Roa
Dust off that liter stein because Tampa’s biggest Oktoberfest is back for its 16th year. Back at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Oktoberfest includes live music, dirndls and lederhosen, and bratwurst and schnitzel. A pop-up Bavarian food hall will be on site, along with a variety of Oktoberfest-style beers and Bavarian Games like the stein hoist, brat toss and carry-the-wench.
The festival—which has origins in a prerenovation Water Works Park—will once again have Green Bench Brewing Co. on site with its special Oktoberfest Tampa dunkel, and its own pilsner, hefeweizen and fiestbier.
And the Oktoberfest party continues after the four-day party at The Curt wraps. Look below and for more Oktoberfest events happening in Tampa Bay. All events are free to attend unless an admission price is listed. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s CL Deals platform has links to discounts on general admission weekend passes.
car is $25, and the top 25 courtyard is $50. The entry is open to all ages with free onsite parking for non-show cars. Saturday, Oct. 11. 4 p.m.-8 p.m. No cover. Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen. 11109 N 30th St., Tampa. Find Euro Haus on Facebook
FOOD & DRINK EVENTS
Oktoberfest Tampa
Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 10-12. $10 & up Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. 600 N Ashley Dr., Tampa. oktoberfesttampa.com
BarrieHaus Beer Co. Ybor City’s home for world-class lagers throws down this weekend and has spread the party across two sessions on Oct. 11: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Tickets include a collectible 2025 BarrieHaus Beer Stein with a free fill of Oktoberfest märzen, access to an exclusive party in the biergarten, live music, beer and sausage games, and prizes. Single and group tickets are available, along with admission for designated drivers. BarrieHaus’ Pasco location offers a shuttle ticket to Tampa as well. A kid-friendly “Art-toberfest” happens on Monday, Oct. 20. Saturday, Oct. 11. $25 & up. BarrieHaus. 1403 E 5th Ave., Ybor City. barriehaus-beer-co.square.site
Ulele There aren’t many brewers friendlier than Tim Shackton at Ulele. Seemingly always onsite at the Tampa Heights restaurant, Shackleton’s shop hosts an Oktoberfest with one of the best views in town (read: right on the Tampa Riverwalk). Riverbräu Bavarian lager is on tap along with Ulele’s Green Cannonball IPA, and other beers, while the kitchen dishes giant pretzels, bratwurst, oysters, German chocolate cake and more. Saturday, Oct. 11. 5 p.m.-9 p.m. No cover, but tickets required. Ulele. 1810 N Highland Ave., Tampa. @uleletampaheights on Facebook Euro Haus Tampa’s first ever Euro Haus Oktoberfest includes over 250 hand-selected Euro & exotic vehicles, a live DJ, German-style food and ice-cold Yuengling beer, Beer stein holding competition, giveaways, and people’s choice awards. Registration for the general show
Florida Avenue Brewing Co. Florida Avenue’s Pasco location already checked off its Oktoberfest (and released the excellent Super Marzen Bros. lager), and now it’s the Tampa location’s turn. “Prost to the Future” includes German-style beers, house and ‘80s music from Deutschland, contests and more. Monday, Oct. 20. 11 a.m. Florida Avenue Brewing Co. (Seminole Heights). 4315 N Florida Ave., Tampa. @floridaavebrewing on Facebook
Upper Tampa Bay Oktoberfest One of the more family-friendly celebrations will have German food, drinks, music, and dancing. There will be arts and crafts vendors as well as log sawing, stein holding, and brat eating contests—plus a best dressed weiner dog, and a weiner dog race. Beer tasting lanyards, good for 10 5-oz. Pours, are available for $25. FridaySunday, Oct. 24-26. $5. Tampa Bay
MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE
American dreaming
Jeff Weiss brings new Britney book to St. Pete.
By Ray Roa
Jeff Weiss doesn’t quite know what he’d say if he got 10 quality minutes to talk to Britney Spears with no one around. He can’t even speculate what a real life conversation with her might even be like after everything she’s been through.
“The thing that attracted me to the story of Britney was that so much of it was a mystery,” he said of the star who burst into Americans’ lives as the 17-year-old schoolgirl in the “Baby One More Time” video before becoming the head-shaving woman forced into a 13-year conservatorship that didn’t end until last year.
“There still is a mystery at the core of her,” Weiss told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Like, ‘What is going on?’ Nobody knows.”
entertainment—and the irony is that now we’ll just martyr ourselves to make profits.”
On Wednesday, Weiss comes to St. Petersburg to talk about all of that. The conversation at Tombolo Books, naturally, will be conducted by Caroline Calloway. In 2023, the Sarasotabased author released “Scammer,” a memoir The New Yorker described as “funny, engaging, and full of genuine insight—mostly into the art of social-media influencing.” Calloway’s rise, in many ways, is borne of America’s obsession with celebrity, gossip, and folklore that can only be proliferated online.
BOOKS
Waiting for Britney Spears: An Evening with Jeff Weiss Wednesday, Oct. 15. 7 p.m. No cover, RSVP required. Tombolo Books. 2153 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg. tombolobooks.com
That intrigue—and the years Weiss spent chasing the pop icon for his job at the Star tabloid— unravels and expands in his new book released in June.
“Waiting for Britney Spears” is organized by the Library of Congress under “Gonzo journalism” and categorized as creative nonfiction. The 388-page work’s subtitle is perhaps its best descriptor: “A true story allegedly.”
In so many ways, Weiss’ offering is a referendum on the impossibility of knowing the exact truth about anything—especially anything refracted and distorted through the screens sucking dopamine out through our eyeballs.
Weiss told CL he’s more likely to tell the real truth about what’s in his book in-person than he is on the internet. A revered hip-hop writer and alt-weekly legend for his music criticism, Weiss cited a lyric about Nas from Jay-Z’s 2001 album, The Blueprint. “Homie, you ain’t live it; you witnessed it from your folks’ pad. You scribbled it in your notepad, created your life,” Jay-Z says on “Takeover.”
“She was martyred for our own bloodlust for entertainment.”
“Rap is like, kind of this prototype of what people consider autofiction,” Weiss said “Sometimes you want to print the myth, and sometimes you kind of want to reinvent the myth—and I guess that’s what I was probably going for with this book.”
At its core, the work is a statement on the American dream and how the media distorts it. Almost an academic time capsule, the book also embodies escapism and self-examination all at once.
“My friend used to joke like, ‘Your beat is the fall of Rome,” Weiss said, adding that society might now be in the “Nero, everything is burning” phase.
“At the time, you could see the writing on the wall; it was encroaching. There was no concern for anyone’s humanity at that point,” he noted. “She was martyred for our own bloodlust for
Britney’s story, he added, is already shrouded in so much lore, and also buried with the pages of tabloids stacked high in Sarasota housewives’ basements. Weiss knows—he spent thousands of dollars buying old magazines that now serve as a playground for his cat, Alice Coltrane The Cat.
When he’s done talking, Weiss plans on pulling the curtain back on his own perceptions about the Gulf Coast.
“I’ve never been to St Pete, and that’s always been on the kind of my bucket list,” he told CL, citing a desire to see the town that gave way to out-of-the-box homegrown rappers Chester Watson and Kent Loon, who’ve released music on Weiss’ heady and highly-influential POW Recordings. He's also written about the Bay
area’s own They Hate Change, a duo whose sound he described as “invigorating…both familiar and unlike anything else in rap.”
The Dalí Museum is on the itinerary, and so is the home of Jack Kerouac, Weiss’ first favorite writer. While he was at L.A.’s Occidental College, Weiss made the trip to Kerouac’s grave in Massachusetts. After a speaking gig at George Mason in Virginia, he went to the headstone of F. Scott Fitzgerald in Maryland. “To me, a great writer, home is sort of like a sacred pilgrimage,” Weiss said.
Eventually, Weiss will find his way back to L.A., a city where jacarandas bloom in the springtime, summer evenings are spent catching
concerts at the Hollywood bowl, and nights get blurry while drinking at The Dresden Restaurant & Lounge. It’s the city that fed him dreams of becoming a journalist before serving up years spent chasing Britney Spears. And it’s also where he cut his teeth at The Occidental Weekly and L.A. Weekly—jobs he loved, with readers who looked to him to make sense of the community around them, even if he himself didn’t quite fit into that world.
“I think the writers always should be the outsider,” Weiss said.
Yes, an outsider that helps us make sense, or at least have fun with, the mysteries in our lives.
PASSION OF THE WEISS: Jeff Weiss turned a less-than-ideal job into one hell of a book.
Refer Three Friends, Get Yours Free
Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio, Boy Bitten by a Lizard c. 1597, Oil on canvas, Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte Roberto Longhi, Florence, Italy
Out of the box seats
American Stage plays pop up in unusual places.
By Margo Hammond
For the past three seasons at American Stage, plays have been popping up in some pretty unusual spaces, thanks to innovative off-site programming.
Instead of sitting passively in the comfy seats at the theater’s home base on 163 3rd St. N in St. Petersburg, “Beyond the Stage” audiences have been invited to stand in a pit at Jannus Live!, sit in straight back chairs at the Historic Bethel AME and hike the trails of Boyd Hill Nature Preserve to see plays that push the boundaries of traditional storytelling.
“People are looking for exciting, immersive cultural experiences,” Anthony Gervais, the current producer of Beyond the Stage, says, pointing to the successes of The Dalí Dome and the Van Gogh exhibitions that offer 360-degree digital art experiences.
“Theater goers want that same immersive experience.”
This season’s Beyond the Stage bill launched Oct. 2 with a play that has odd baked into its title: “Weird in St. Pete.”
by Dylan Barlowe; and Gervais’ “Don’t Feed the Animals,” also directed by Barlowe and which featured David Warner (former Creative Loafing Tampa Bay editor-in-chief) as a turtle.
Gervais again has written this year’s Boyd Hill play: “Fairyland: A Midwinter Night’s Dream,” a variation on Shakespeare’s midsummer romp, which uses some of the original text but offers its own celebration of the preserve. No talking turtles, but plenty of other surprises. “Fairyland” runs Feb. 12-March 8.
Also look for the return of Beyond the Stage’s summer cabaret series and more new play readings under the rubric of Fresh Ink.
Origin story
THEATER
Written by American Stage artistic director Helen Murray, “Weird” debuted last year at FloridaRama, an interactive gallery where audiences wended their way through a maze of wacky art installations to meet well known (and not so well known) characters from St. Pete folklore, from Mary Reaser, who died of spontaneous combustion, to Beat writer Jack Kerouac who died at St. Anthony’s Hospital.
“Weird in St. Pete”
Duncan McClellan Gallery, 2342 Emerson Ave. S, St. Petersburg. Runs through Oct. 19. $48.
Beyond the Stage started in 2022 with a holiday pop-up show. No show was scheduled to run in December of that year on American Stage’s main stage, but Murray, who had just come aboard as the theater’s new artistic director had a play available that perfectly fit the season: “Wonderful Life,” which she had co-adapted with Jason Lott from the classic holiday film “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Performed by Matthew McGee, the play was offered at four different places around Pinellas: Coastal Creative, The Studio@620, The James Museum and Gulfport’s Catherine A. Hickman Theater.
This year, Gervais promises the show is “back and weirder than ever,” with some new characters and a new setting: the Duncan McClellan Gallery’s sculpture garden.
“Weird in St. Pete,” directed by Stephen Riordan, runs through Oct. 19.
For “Magi,” running Dec. 4-21, American Stage audiences will return to the theater, but the show is offered in its lobby, cabaret-style.
“It’s a holiday show that doesn’t scream Christmas…but it’s a great story,” says Gervais who directs the retelling of O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi,” this time starring a husband-and-wife band. The book is by Murray with music ad lyrics by Eli Pafumi.
In February, Beyond the Stage will return to its most popular off-site venue: Boyd Hill. The series has already presented three plays— labeled “Tales by Twilight”—along the Boyd Hill trails: Don Zolidis’ “10 Ways to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse,” which Gervais directed; Ron Fitzgerald’s “The Diaries of Adam and Eve”, based on a short story by Mark Twain, directed
“People loved seeing a professional actor outside the usual theater,”Anderson said. “The popularity of that pop-up show sowed the seeds of what was to become known as Beyond the Stage.”
In 2024 Anderson left American Stage to work as director of marketing and communications for Long Wharf Theatre, which began an even more drastic version of Beyond the Stage a year earlier. Leaving its fixed space in New Haven after 57 years, the historic Connecticut theater now stages all of its plays “off site” (in a boatyard and even in people’s houses). Last April, Anderson left Long Wharf to return to Florida to launch Tampa Bay Arts Passport, a subscription-based organization that also offers unique ways to connect artists and audiences, including a book club.
American Stage’s first use of its Beyond the Stage label—“immersive story-telling in non-traditional spaces”—began during its 20232024 season which included a full program on its traditional stage but also offered Nasim Soleimanpour’s provocative “White Rabbit
Red Rabbit” at four off-site venues: Historic Bethel AME (the oldest predominantly African American church in St. Petersburg), The Factory, WADA ArtsXchange and the Woodson African American Museum.
Beyond the “Beyond” programming, American Stage has also explored new storytelling formats.
For “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” performances, for example, four actors were asked to read a script they had never seen before. And “Puppy Love,” although performed last year on the
theater’s main stage, was hardly your father’s (or mother’s) traditional play format: Actors read Hamlet as puppies were introduced on the stage. Murray got the idea of adding puppies after watching a Netflix holiday show that featured 12 puppies released into a beautifully appointed living room with eggnog, a fire going and Christmas tree.
“That’s all it was, puppies decimating this beautiful scene,” says Murray. “It was like a dopamine shot. It made me giggle.”
WEIRDO: Culver Casson is Mary Reeser in 'Weird in St. Pete.'
SALSA AND BACHATA ENTHUSIASTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FOUR DAYS OF ELECTRIFYING PERFORMANCES
INSPIRING WORKSHOPS
ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES TO DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
continued from page 33
Science experiment double feature
Does it really matter where you see a play?
To test out the difference between watching a piece of theater on a traditional stage and in an unusual spot, last year I went to see American Stage’s production of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” first on American Stage’s proscenium stage and then a few days later down the street at Jannus Live. Same cast. Same script. Same production.
It was like watching two different plays. Both performances of “Hedwig,” a musical about the pain of rejection and the power of inclusion, had its merits. The performance on the traditional presidium stage certainly was more intimate—the performers were just a few feet away as we watched them go through their emotional turmoil of trying to find their place in the world. At the end of that performance I caught sight of a man, who had come to the theater by himself, wiping away tears. But when the play was moved to Jannus, something else entirely emerged: The show exploded into a totally immersive—and strangely meta—experience.
Often the age of the theatre goers at these less-than-traditional settings skew younger, says Gervais.
“Younger audiences want experiential work,” says Murray. That certainly was the case for those who stood in the pit to watch “Hedwig” at Jannus but also for the Boyd Hill productions, which all have required some vigorous hiking to follow the action through the park preserve.
“Spaces become a character in the play,” says Murray.
“Every Beyond the Stage production is about community partnership,” she adds. “Whether it’s a gallery, a bookshop or a school, we’re open to how that looks. We love the challenge of ‘How do we put something into this space and make it impactful?’”
THEATER
A show endangered Ironically, as the Beyond the Stage programming has been flourishing, American Stage’s original off-site production, Theatre in the Park, has been facing some financial strain. The outdoor performances held every Spring at Demens Landing Park began in 1986 with Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.”
The play, after all, is set at a concert venue and there we were … at a concert venue (or as the actor who welcomed us to Jannus called it, a “shitty, little alley.”) As Hedwig was telling us her tragic, but ultimately redemptive story, we, the audience, didn’t have to imagine that she was addressing an audience at a concert. We were at a concert. I sat in the bleachers set up in back, but the bulk of the audience stood right in front of the stage, at times waving their lighted cellphone in the air, swaying to the music, just like concert fans, not playgoers.
But in 2024 the popular event, which in recent years has mounted mostly musicals, reported a shortfall of $160,000 after the production of “The Beauty and the Beast.”
In July 2024, the theater launched a “Save the Park” fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $500,000 to continue the park productions. Last Spring’s show “Hair” also experienced a financial shortfall. But, on the theater’s website, Murray declares, “we are closing in on our $500,000 fundraising goal, which has enabled us to continue planning our production for the 2025-2026 season!”
CAMPY: The cast of “Tales by Twilight: Don’t Feed the Animals,” which used Boyd Hill as its venue earlier this year.
Thursday, October 9, 2025 • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Sip, Bloom & Celebrate Fall @ Ybor City Museum State Park 1818 East 9th Avenue
Tickets - $49.87 bit.ly/SipBloomYbor
Saturday, October 11, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Art & B (R&B Art Show) @ 1920 Ybor
1920 East 7th Avenue
Tickets start at $24.84 bit.ly/ArtRnBYbor
Saturday, October 11, 2025 • 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Café Rave Culture Presents: Café House @ 1920 Ybor
1920 East 7th Avenue
Free to the public bit.ly/CafeHouseYbor
Sunday, October 12, 2025 • 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Tampa Glass Bottle Painting - Halloween Edition
@ Ybor City Society Wine Bar 1600 East 7th Avenue
Tickets from $40.98 bit.ly/GlassBottleHalloween
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 • Doors 7 PM / Show 8PM
Hobo Johnson @ Crowbar 1812 N 17th St
Tickets - $44.25 crowbarybor.com
Thursday, October 16, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Château Cantenac Brown Masterclass Bordeaux
Dinner @ Chateau Cellars Ybor
2009 N. 22nd St.
Tickets - $145.37 bit.ly/BordeauxYbor
Thursday, October 16, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Retro House Jazz Night w/ Simon Lasky Trio (ft. James Suggs) @ Retro House Coffee Bar & Asian Bistro 934 East Henderson Ave.
Tickets - $53.61 bit.ly/SimonLaskyYbor
Saturday, October 18, 2025 • 6:45 PM - 9:00 PM
Ybor Ghost Tour with Tampa Bay Tours x Hotel Haya @ Hotel Haya 1412 East 7th Avenue
Tickets - $36.39 bit.ly/GhostToursYbor
Sunday, October 19, 2025, • 11:00 AM
Chicken Yoga with Yoga Loft @ Hotel Haya 1412 East 7th Avenue
Tickets - $15.74 bit.ly/4nsdQu9
Sunday, October 19, 2025, • 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Witches Be Sippin Bar CrawlGaYBOR District Presents @ Showbar Ybor 1613 East 7th Avenue
Tickets - $28.52
bit.ly/WitchesBeSippinGaYBOR
Where to Live:
Casa Ybor • casaybor.com
Casa Ybor offers unique retail spaces, office spaces, and apartment homes for rent or lease in both newly constructed and lovingly restored historic buildings throughout the vibrant National Historic Landmark District of Ybor City near Downtown Tampa, Florida.
La Union • bit.ly/LaUnionYbor
Community, connection, and culture come together at La Unión Apartments, where Tampa’s rich history and vibrant future unite. Inspired by the historic social hall once on this site, our Ybor City apartments honor that legacy by fostering bonds among residents, the neighborhood, and the area’s deep-rooted heritage.
Miles at Ybor • milesatybor.com
Step into the pulse of Tampa’s most vibrant neighborhood at Miles at Ybor, where modern luxury apartments in Tampa blend seamlessly with the rich cultural tapestry of historic Ybor City. These aren’t just furnished apartments in Ybor City – they’re your gateway to an elevated urban lifestyle that celebrates both heritage and innovation.
Sterling Cigar Bar 1531 E 7th Ave., 4th Floor
In the heart of Ybor City, where the echoes of cigar rollers and jazz musicians still hum through the brick-lined streets, Centro Ybor is where Tampa’s past meets its future. sterlingcigarbar.com
SpookEasy ToursA Haunted Walking Adventure 1909 N 15th St
Explore the Eerie Secrets of Ybor’s Historic District in this Spooky Historic Ghost Tour! spookeasylounge.com/about-8
Pop Yarn 1624 E. 7th Ave, Suite 243 Tampa’s local yarn shop for classes, sustainability & more! popyarnllc.com
By Ray Roa
THU 09
C Daikaiju w/Seems/Reef-Raff Right on schedule, masked Alabama surf-rock legend Daikaiju is back in Tampa, this time in New World’s beer garden alongside Seems, a newish punk band that includes Permanent Makeup’s Chris Nadeau, plus surf-rock band Reef-Raff. (Biergarten at New World Brewery, Tampa)
FRI 10
C Allah-Las More than most bands on the road these days, Allah-Lahs plays like four friends that just make music they like together. Nearly two decades after its formation, the Los Angeles garage band is now one of the most revered indie-rock acts in the world with fans attracted to how guitarist and vocalist Miles Michaud & co. have defied genrefication in making songs that blend the band’s interests (electro, prog, and even krautrock) into moody, often-reverbdrenched west coast psychedelia. Darren Rademaker’s The Tyde project opens AllahLas St. Petersburg debut with direct support from Ray Monde’s lo-fi rock project Monde UFO. (Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg)
C Friday Night Jazz second anniversary: Dominic Walker w/James Suggs/ Paul Gavin/Bryan Hughes/Jon Shea Two years in, and Dominic Walker is the maestro of what might be the best weekly jazz gig in the Bay area. Like clockwork every Friday night, the back patio at DI Coffee Bar on Davis Islands fills up with neighbors and travelers from across the Bay area ready to settle in with a bottle (or three) while the guitarist welcomes his talented friends for two hours of mostly off-the-cuff standards and improvisation. Bring $5 for the door charge, get there early, and for chrissake someone start a latenight afterparty at a nearby house or venue. (DI Coffee Bar, Tampa)
Urbane Cowboys w/Will Quinlan Will Quinlan’s local appearances are rare these days, but Tampa Bay’s prince of melancholy (and occasionally-rocking) Americana shows the neighborhood what he’s been workshopping in this set supporting another long-running scene staple, Urbane Cowboys. (Independent Bar and Cafe, Tampa)
SAT 11
Florist (album release) w/Saints of Saturn/Hollow Leg Just before a brief U.S. summer tour, spacey Tampa-based metal band Florist spent the first half of the year working out its sophomore album. Adrift , which marks the band’s debut on Ryan
Boesch’s Threat Collection Records, contains the eclecticism heard in King Crimson’s heavier compositions, lyrics straight out of a tin can far above the world, and the ability to take even the most cosmical of weed trips to whole new levels. And the record’s instrumental opening track “432Hz” must have been a field day production-wise, with its sitar and synth-and-guitar pedal combinations. (Crowbar, Ybor City)—Josh Bradley
TUE 14
Arts Fishing Club Led by Christopher Kessenich, Arts Fishing Club blends folkrock with 90s jam-band energy. The Club’s sound draws comparisons to Mt. Joy and Wilderado. Its 2023 album Rothko Sky features tracks like “Foster Falls” and “Arizona,” which offer an evocative blend of indie-folk and Americana, drawing comparisons to artists like The Tallest Man on Earth, Gregory Alan Isakov, and The Paper Kites. (Music hall at New World Tampa, Tampa)—Sophia Lowrie
THU 16
C Phantogram Phantogram isn’t your typical electro-pop act—its the kind of duo that drags hip-hop beats through a haze of shoegaze and then sharpens songs with a pop hook. Sarah Barthel’s vocals cut between dreamy and dangerous, while Josh Carter’s production leans heavy and cinematic. Think the shadowy pulse of Portishead colliding with the swagger of Massive Attack. The New York duo’s 2014 song “Black Out Days” has found new life on TikTok, appearing in numerous trends, bringing both longtime listeners and new fans together. Opening the night, Los Eclipses bring their own blend of atmospheric rock. This FrancoMexican duo—French singer Eva de Marce and Mexican producer Dan Solo—merges Latin rhythms with French pop and psychedelic textures. The duo earned spots at major festivals like Vive Latino and Tropico, and collaborations with artists such as Röyksopp and La Femme. The track “Anaconda” exemplifies their unique fusion of sensual vocals and hypnotic beats, making them a perfect complement to Phantogram’s moody, immersive sounds. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)—SL
C Simon Lasky Trio feat. James Suggs & Mark Neuenschwander There’s not a better chance to eat some of the best dumplings in Tampa while also taking in some of the most talented jazz composers the Bay area has to offer. U.K. expat Simon Lasky is on the keys for this intimate gig on the outskirts of Ybor City, and backed by trumpeter James Suggs with drummer Mark Neuenschwander. Tickets include a BOGO drink and 10% off all food & drink. (Retro House, Tampa)
THU OCTOBER 09–THU OCTOBER 16
Also playing
The Fray Friday, Oct. 10. 7 p.m. $101.36 & up (resale only). Jannus Live, St. Petersburg Belinda Womack Saturday, Oct. 11. 7 p.m. No cover, but registration required. Teco Theater at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
Demnxtia w/vid.ken/Cøzybøy Saturday, Oct. 11. 7 p.m. $21.82. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa
Jeremy Carter’s Soul of Jazz Saturday, Oct. 11. 8 p.m. $10 & up. New Tampa Performing Arts Center, Tampa
Of Good Nature Saturday, Oct. 11. 7 p.m. $33.85 & up. Music4Life Living Arts Center, Clearwater
Rich Whitley w/JB Whiteley/Jack Pieroth Saturday, Oct. 11. 7:30 p.m. No cover. The Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Sgammato Music Showcase Saturday, Oct. 11. 1 p.m. $10 at the door. Cage Brewing, St. Petersburg
Shawn Kyle & his Secret Surprise Supergroup Saturday, Oct. 11. 4 p.m. No cover. Independent Bar and Cafe, Tampa
Twenty One Pilots Saturday, Oct. 11. 8 p.m. Prices TBA. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
Church Sessions: Qeys & Knox Sunday, Oct. 12. 9 p.m. $5. Crowbar, Ybor City
The Florida Orchestra: Summer Breeze - Yacht Rock Classics Sunday, Oct. 12. 2 p.m. $40.50 & up. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg
Grant Peeples & Sara Stovall Sunday, Oct. 12. 3 p.m. $17.49. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa
Lauris Vidal Sunday, Oct. 12. 6:30 p.m. No
cover. Independent Bar and Cafe, Tampa Shaboozey Sunday, Oct. 12. 7 p.m. GA sold out, $194.70 for VIP. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Tedeschi Trucks Band w/Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel Sunday, Oct. 12. 6:30 p.m. $49.50 & up. The BayCare Sound, Clearwater The Band Camino w/Almost Monday Tuesday, Oct. 14. 8 p.m. Prices TBA. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Big & Rich Tuesday, Oct. 14. 8 p.m. $53. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa
The Arcadian Wild w/Fielder Wednesday, Oct. 15. 8 p.m. $30.52. Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg
Coco Montoya Wednesday, Oct. 15. 7:30 p.m. $43.86. Safety Harbor Art and Music Center, Safety Harbor
Hobo Johnson and The Lovemakers w/ Budman Wednesday, Oct. 15. 8 p.m. $44.25. Crowbar, Ybor City
Ice Cube Wednesday, Oct. 15. 8 p.m. $34.75 & up. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa Harf. Thursday, Oct. 16. 8 p.m. $28.99. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa
Jeff Scott Soto & Jason Bieler Thursday, Oct. 16. 8 p.m. $30. Murray Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
See even more concert listings via cltampa. com/music.
C CL Recommends
Leon Majcen has come a long way from St. Petersburg College, but he always makes time to come back home.
Over the last decade, the 26-year-old product of SPC’s Music Industry Recording Arts program made a name for himself locally and even landed on a festival bill with Tyler Childers in 2018. A move to Nashville followed, and he’s spent the past year playing Americanafest and opening for the likes of Kip Moore, Turnpike Troubadours, Margo Price and others.
Majcen, whose family has roots in Prague, cut his teeth playing at Indian Shores Coffee and learned to love the Bay area while fishing alongside Bosnians at Fort DeSoto where they would catch mackerel on spoons.
“About two years ago, I quit my job to start pursuing this full time,” he recently told RFD-TV,” admitting that he was booking shows in locales where he wanted to fish.
“Since then, it definitely got a little busier, and had to get a little more strategic, but the concept is still the same.”
Now Majcen—whose father raised him on Dylan, Cash, Kristofferson, The Rolling Stones, and Creedence Clearwater Revival— is gearing up to release a new album, Making A Livin’ [Not A Killin’] , on Oct. 17.
A tour supporting the effort kicked off this week in Berwin, Illinois (just 100 miles from Rockford where his family first immigrated). The run winds its way the Northeast and
Carbon Leaf Saturday, Jan. 24. 7 p.m.
$30.30. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
NeedToBreathe Thursday, Feb. 5. 7:30 p.m. $127 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa
$31.84 plus mandatory toy donation. Skatepark of Tampa, Tampa
Taj Farrant Saturday, March 7. 8 p.m. $44 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Paul Anka Monday, March 9. 7 p.m. $74 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Wishbone Ash Wednesday, March 11. 7:30 p.m. $30 & up. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo
Yonder Mountain String Band Sunday, March 15. 7 p.m. $35 & up. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo
the South before bringing Majcen past the Rockies, into the Midwest and back home for two Florida shows—including one at the three-day St. Pete Country Fest headlined by Treaty Oak Revival, Parker McCollum and the Red Clay Straws.
Tickets to see Leon Majcen play day two of the St. Pete Country Fest happening Friday-Sunday, Nov. 21-23 at Vinoy Park are still available and start at $99. See Josh Bradley’s weekly list of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay below.—Ray Roa
Smithereens w/Sirsy Friday, March 20. 8 p.m. $35 & up. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo
Suzy Bogguss Saturday, March 21. 8 p.m. $40 & up. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo
The Temptations & The Four Tops Tuesday, March 24. 7:30 p.m. $62 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
The Orchestra starring ELO and ELO Part II Former Members Thursday, March 26. 7 p.m. $55 & up. Ferguson Hall at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa.
Norbert Leo Butz Saturday, March 28. 8 p.m. $30 & up. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo
The Dream Team of Rock & Roll: Joey Dee & friends Sunday, March 29. 1 p.m.
$18 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Leonid & Friends Thursday, April 9. 8 p.m.
$69.25 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Alter Bridge w/Filter/Tim Montana Sunday, May 24. 7 p.m. $76.65 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa
SEASON ARTISTIC SPONSORS
Belinda Dumont
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Ranney
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Ace of our own
By Caroline DeBruhl
Dear Oracle, my husband and I are trying to buy a house for our family. It’s a really stressful process! I feel like I keep getting my heart broken, and it’s so hard to keep getting our hopes up only to be outbid by developers. Do the cards have any advice on how to navigate this process? (And will we get a house?)—Home in our range?
Cards: Six of Wands (reversed), Four of Swords (reversed), Ace of Pentacles, The Lovers (reversed)
Dear Home, I’m going to go a bit out of order and start with the only non-reserved card, the Ace of Pentacles. The process of finding a house, making an offer, actually buying the house, and moving into it is going to be a lot of work. It’s going to take a lot of time (to view the place, to crunch numbers, to wait and see) and cost you money (inspection fees, taking time off work) for something that is not guaranteed. You might get outbid or discover that your dream home is also the dream home to a million termites or something else that is out of your control. It will be daunting. But I do think it’s going to happen. Eventually. The Six of Wands is a card of celebration and victory. It’s breaking away from the struggle and strife and rejoicing. One day, you will rejoice in your new house! It just might take a while. (Like, maybe more than three months.)
In the meantime, you have to be a bit breezier about the process. As the Four of Swords, you need to take your ego (and your heart) out of the process. Less “this could be our forever home,” more “if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.” Buying a house, for those of us not in the 1%, is probably the biggest financial purchase we will make in our lives. It’s a lot of money for something that is so linked with emotion. This is the place your children will grow up in, where you will make memories. It’s hard to be cold-hearted and logical when that future is on the line, but some cool-headedness will do you good. It will help you avoid buying a place you can’t afford or overlooking a cracked foundation because it’s in the perfect neighborhood.
If you can, take your time, because I do think you’ll be able to find a house that feels like a lasting love.
ORACLE OF YBOR
Send your questions to oracle@cltampa.com or DM @theyboracle on Instagram
Because you are looking for a house that you can grow with. It’s interesting to see The Lovers in the final position because, in a way, we are in a relationship with our homes. We talk about our “forever” home and buying a house is tying a legal knot, much like marriage. It’s also, of course, a place that we can feel great love towards. Consider what you are willing to compromise on, and what you are not. Like a relationship, superficial things aren’t important (in a house, they’re easy to change), but the foundational things are.
Dear Oracle, once again, I think I let a potential relationship slip away. I didn’t tell her how I felt and she’s now getting back together with her ex. I feel so lonely and disappointed with myself for getting my hopes up. Do the cards offer any advice on how to overcome this loneliness?—Alone again Cards: Waxing Crescent, Queen of Cups, Ten of Cups, Nine of Pentacles, all reversed Dear Alone, I know that it’s terrifying to be emotionally honest and vulnerable with people, that to come out and say “I want to be with you” feels like a big swing. But, still, you gotta swing away. The Waxing Crescent is a card of action and intention. It is a time of moving towards your goals and working hard at them.
And the Queen of Cups and Ten of Cups suggest that your goal is a happy marriage with someone who is kind and emotionally available and inspires great love in you. That might seem a little too Hallmark-y to admit out loud, but a loving, long-lasting partnership is something that can make life grand and plenty of other people want that. But it’s something we can’t do on our own. We cannot bootstrap our way into a relationship. It depends on someone saying “yes” if we ask them out.
But, crucially, somebody has to do the asking. The Nine of Pentacles is about plucking the fruits of your labor, enjoying the rewards of the hard work you put in. However, to give your future self that gift, you must “put in the work,” which means meeting people, talking to them, and eventually being emotionally vulnerable with them.
Striking up conversations with strangers does require some boldness—and if you’re naturally shy, it can be a hurdle. I honestly think improv classes are a great way to learn how to talk to anyone, so if that sounds fun, give it a go. At the very least, it’ll expand your friend circle, so you might meet other women that aren’t complete strangers. (I get that it feels fraught for a dude to approach a woman in a bar.)
But you do have to start being a little bold. You do have to tell people how you feel and risk the embarrassment of the “no” to make room for the “yes.” There really is no other way about it. I know that can be hard or terrifying or feel impossible, but it’s the only way to possibly bring in the joy. I hope you find your Queen of Cups.
(P.S. I don’t know why the girl in question went back to her ex. But, as someone who got back together with her shitty ex three weeks after Trump got elected the first time, maybe it’s just the fear of fascism that drove them back together. If so, they’ll probably break back up before Valentine’s day, so shoot your shot then.)
See more of Caroline and learn about her services via carolinedebruhl.com.
Quickies
By Dan Savage
How’s anal with someone with pearls in their dick? I’m getting some installed soon.
You’re referring to pearling, a body modification where small pearl-like beads are inserted under the skin of the penis. Postpearling, your cock—to the untrained eye (read: most eyes)—is gonna look like it’s covered in cysts that could burst at any moment. Since I’ve never had anal with someone who had their dick modified in this way, I can’t tell you what it’s like. And you’re gonna have to convince someone to let you fuck them with what looks like a cystcovered cock before you can ask someone you’ve just fucked what it was like for them. Good luck with that. (But if you do get the procedure done and manage to find someone who’ll let you fuck them, please come on my new mini podcast After Action Report— oming very soon to the podcast feed at Savage.Love—and tell me all about it!)
P.S. I don’t mean to be kink-negative here— I’ve seen people put far crazier looking things up their butts than a pearled cock, and sex shops sell ass toys with bumps and ridges because people like how bumps and ridges feel.
Is Pete Buttigieg more electable with a beard?
I don’t think anyone would buy Pete Buttigieg pulling a Tim Scott and getting himself a wife to make himself more electable—that is the kind of beard you meant, right?
My husband and I are about to open our marriage. He wants to have sex with men. This will probably only happen four times a year at most. Should he get on PrEP? Should he take doxy after each encounter? I asked him to wear a condom, and he agreed, although I know that wouldn’t be his preference. What’s the best way for him to protect himself and me as we move into this next chapter?
For maximum protection, your husband should get on PrEP (a daily pill that prevents HIV infection) and have Doxy PEP on hand (two pills taken after a sexual encounter that decreases the risk of contracting syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) and insist on using condoms. If your husband is only having sex with men four times a year—and he’s scheduling those sex dates in advance—he could opt for PrEP on demand: taking two pills (Truvada or Descovy) 24 hours before he has sex with a man, another pill the day after, and one last pill two days after. But if your husband has poor impulse control—if he’s likely to jump on a dick if the opportunity presents itself—then he should be on daily PrEP. How to ask a partner to wash their vulva better? Is there ever a nice way to say it?
When my husband’s junk doesn’t smell great, I can say, “Hey, you stink,” and tell him to jump
in the shower—and he can say the same to me when I’m less than fresh. But we can afford to be blunt—even insensitive—because men haven’t been told for centuries (millennia!) that our genitals are smelly and unclean. So, you’ll have to be more tactful. Open by acknowledging how fraught this is and then emphasize that your first concern is for her health. Then jump.
How do you find your soulmate?
Find someone who’s willing to pretend you’re their soulmate and repay their kindness by pretending they’re yours. If you’re lucky, eventually the relationship will live up to the hype.
Is there such a thing as too much lube?
I used to think there was no such thing as too much maple syrup—I love syrup-soaked waffles—until I read about the Great Molasses Flood of 1919: a storage tank in Boston filled with molasses burst, sending more than two million gallons of molasses pouring through the streets of the city. The wave of molasses was moving faster than people could run—35 miles per hour!—and 21 people drowned and another 150 were injured. So, while sex educators will sometimes say, “There’s no such thing as too much lube,” to correct for the common problem of people using too little, the Great Molasses Flood suggests that there could be such a thing as too much lube. (My editor tells me that maple syrup and molasses aren’t the same thing, which I knew but was pretending not to know for the sake of argument.)
I was against marriage after my divorce—but my potential new marriage comes with an EU passport. Should I do it?
Are you following the news? Run—don’t walk—down that aisle.
I’m a mostly straight cis dude who has a specific kink: I’d love to have my female partner use another man’s cum as lube on my cock during group play. My question is: what level of STI risk does this activity involve? Please rank the risk relative to kissing, oral, PIV, PIA, and other sexual activities.
Rankings, shmankings: If the man whose semen you used as lube had a sexuallytransmitted infection—syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, etc.—you and your girlfriend would be at risk of contracting that STI. If the man whose semen you used as lube didn’t have an STI, you wouldn’t be at risk of contracting an STI. So, the only way to enjoy this kink safely is to find a man who’s willing to get tested and share his test results with you, which would obviously exclude using the semen of some rando you just met at a party.
AFAB here. I’ve worn out two plug-in Hitachi Magic Wands in the last three years. (RIP. LOL.) Is there a waterproof plug-in vibrator out there that costs less?
SAVAGE LOVE
Do I need to have a third partner at all times to be considered poly?
Yes just like a gay person needs to have gay sex at all times to be considered gay, and a bisexual person needs to have MMF or FFM threesomes at all times to be considered bi, and a kinky person needs to have someone chained to the wall in their dungeon at all times to be considered kinky.
How does one even begin having anal sex again after recovering from an anal fissure?
One focuses on anal pleasure, not anal penetration. One lays a vibrator across one’s asshole and one has a few dozen solo orgasms. Then one progresses to small plugs, which are used to pleasure the person being penetrated. One slowly works one’s way back to dick, while listening to one’s body the whole time. At first one treats the dick like another plug—one gets it in, one gets off, one gets it out. It’s about pleasuring the penetrated, not pleasing the penetrator. If it hurts, one stops. If the pain is persistent, one sees a sex-positive gay doctor who specializes in treating anal health issues, like frequent Savage Lovecast guest Dr. Evan Goldstein.
“Cheaper options exist,” said my go-to sex toy expert Erika Moen, “but your AFAB reader will burn through those cheaper options even faster because when it comes to sex toys, you really do get what you pay for: cheaper toys are of cheaper quality and they wear out much faster. Stick with Magic Wands, which are built to last (mine is 15 years old!) and come with a warranty!” Erika Moen runs the acclaimed sex education website Oh Joy Sex Toy. How can I get my pet to maintain an erection while I get him?
You submitted your question via Instagram, so I took a peek at your feed to make sure we were talking about a human pet here, which we are. If your pet isn’t restrained when you peg him, you could encourage your pet to stroke himself while you peg him. But for some people— including some human pets—anal penetration is its own reward/pleasure, and they can be soft and loving it.
How tight does a silicone cock ring need to be in order to help with ED?
To help with ED—to help a guy stay hard—a cock ring needs to be snug enough to restrict the flow of blood out of the penis but not so tight as to completely prevent the flow of blood out of (and into) the penis. Silicone rings are safe to experiment with because, unlike steel rings, you can easily remove one that turns out to be too tight. (Removing a steel cock ring that turned out to be too tight might require a trip to the ER.) So, get a selection of silicone cock rings
in different sizes and find the one that feels comfortable and gets the job done. My boyfriend has a degradation kink: he likes to be called names and get ordered around. It doesn’t work for him to be degraded by someone who loves him (like me), so he’s asked for permission to get this need met outside our relationship. He says his last boyfriend refused to give him permission and he wound up cheating on him. Being told I either have to agree or get cheated on feels coercive. Advice?
Pick your poison: you can give your boyfriend permission (and live with the awareness that he’s getting one need met elsewhere) or you can withhold permission (and live with the anxiety that he might cheat on you to get this one need met) or you break up (and learn to live without him because you couldn’t meet or accommodate one need).
I’m a straight female dating a straight male who was a sperm donor 10 years ago. His donor-conceived children can choose to contact him when they start turning 18 and he could have as many as 60 children! I want to have children myself with him myself but the anxiety of having to discuss this with my children—and having to worry about accidental half-sibling incest—is weighing on me. My partner is not concerned, and it frustrates me that he does not understand why I have so much concern. I honestly think this will be an ongoing issue and that my future children will need therapy. If the thought of having children with this man causes you this much anxiety—if you’re spending all your time worrying about the therapy your future children will need if you have them with this man—there’s a simple fix: have your future children with someone else.
If we have great and very connected sex for more than an hour but neither of us can come, what does that mean? This has been going on for six years.
If you’re referring to not being able to come during intercourse, it could mean that PIV or PIA doesn’t get either of you there and you should enjoy penetrative sex before pivoting to other sexual activities that make you both come. But if you mean you can’t come in each other’s presence at all—if neither of you can achieve climax during your hour-long sex sessions—you should seek the help of a qualified sex therapist. Why does it seem like no one is doing anything? No mass protests? Nothing? Five million people in more than 2,100 cities took part in the No Kings protests across the United States on June 14. The next No Kings protest is planned for Oct. 18. To find out where the protest is planned in your city, visit nokings.org. Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love.
57 Flower that’s a riot of color?
61 Costa ___ Sol 62 Fabled flyers 63 Grace in High Noon 64 SPAR’s counterpart 65 Litigator’s org. 66 Baptist opener
Black 68 Flower that does well in a think tank?
72 Lifeline site 75 Love Story composer 76 Sketchy TV show?: abbr.
Passed 78 Major Barbara auth. 81 William Saroyan’s My Name Is
Accommodating place 83 Flower related to the forget-me-not? 86 Flowers to give a lying ex-spouse? 89 Go one better
Nail-file mineral 91 Meaty entree 92 “Don’t get ___” 94 It assesses m.p.g 97 Sentence hookers? 98 Silly Putty holder
Flower sold at the circus?
Versifier’s eye
First name in coaching
Some TVs
Bridal bio word
A load off one’s mine? 114 Nursery rhyme, e.g. 116 Ryan’s 1969 co-star 118 Founded: abbr.
Intense, as color
122 Flowers for bordellos? 125 Flowers that grow well among trees and shrubs? 127 Flower that I’m just wild about? 128 Flowers
