All Entries in the "Events" Category
Free Latin Rhythms dance class at Patel Conservatory
For those interested in learning Latin Dance, there’s a free class for adults opening up at the Patel Conservatory (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Pl. 33602). This class is free to the public and will be taught by Debra Loran, who will teach the new Latin Rhythms: Introduction class in the fall.
Besides teaching Latin Rhythms and Ballroom Dancing at the Patel Conservatory, Loran is an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida and at the University of Tampa. She has served as a trainer for the U.S. National Amateur Jr. American Ballroom Champions and has organized the Florida State Fair Ballroom/Dance Sport Festival since 2000.
No experience is necessary to attend the free sample class. Class will be held on Friday, Sept. 11, from noon to 1 p.m. Pre-registration is required by calling 813.222.6453; class capacity is 36 adults. For more information about the event, visit www.patelconservatory.org.
Ice Cream Social at Datz Deli
Datz Deli, home to awesome homemade sandwiches and a ridiculous amount of custom beers, played host to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Social on July 18th. The social featured several kinds of Ice Creams brought to you by the Blue Bell creamery, including classics like chocolate and vanilla and favorites like Cookies and Cream.
No Ice Cream Social would be complete without an old time barbershop quartet. These strip-shirt Staccatos belted out songs of the 1950s with impressive vigor.
The audience attentively clapped along through scoops of their ice cream.
The toppings bar totally did me. Who knew that strawberries, pineapple and peanuts would be so good on chocolate ice cream?
Channelside 4th of July Photo Post
Channelside put on a great photo show on July 4th, though it was surprisingly short. The whole thing, from first blast to grand finale probably only went on for 20 minutes. I remember the previous shows I’ve seen in Detroit and New Orleans going on for at least 30-40 minutes. That said, I got a few decent shots.
The rest of the photos are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/denisbaldwin/sets/72157620833560687/
Blue Bell Old Fashion Ice Cream Social at Datz Deli
It’s National Ice Cream Month and Blue Bell Creameries is celebrating with Datz Deli in Tampa Saturday, July 18. From 3-6pm, Datz will host a free Blue Bell Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social.
Guests will feel like they are back in the 1940s, listening to the vocal harmonies of The Flexible Four, a barbershop quartet, while cooling off with the good old fashioned taste of Blue Bell Ice Cream, “The best ice cream in the country.”
Datz Delicatessen & Foodie’s Market welcomes guests to enjoy free entertainment and free samples of Blue Bell all afternoon, at its South Tampa location at 2616 S. MacDill Ave. Tampa, FL 33629.
For more information about Datz and the ice cream social call 813-831-7000 or log on to www.datzdeli.com.
For more information about Blue Bell Creameries visit www.bluebell.com.
St. Pete Pride Festival Photo and Video Post
There was a huge turnout for the St. Petersburg Pride Festival, bringing tens of thousands of people of every background and orientation together to celebrate unity and love. I managed to shoot over 682 photos, including dozens of gay wedding photos and hundreds of crowd and parade photos. Here are a few of my favorites.
It was a celebration of gay brotherhood, and the leather boys were out in force.
The floats were flamboyant and colorful.
.. and so were many of the observers.
It was a hot day, and David Warner was the center of our Creative Loafing world.
It was a day of political strife and strong messages about morality.
Flags of many colors flew overhead.
It was a time for gay love, and marriage..
… and straight love and marriage.
Dudes in towels and togas light up the crowd.
Beautiful smiles and kisses for our brides.
Speaking of beautiful brides…
Like a life long love, this long flag of unity filled the parade route, being held up by hundreds as it made it’s way along the parade path.
… and let’s not forget the haters. What would united bliss be without ignorant haters?
The rest of the set can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/denisbaldwin/sets/72157620652455230/
Kara also got some great video of the flag wavers:
Are you a Bucs fan? Tailgate Party tickets on sale now
Three hours prior to the start of four Buccaneers’ home games this year, fans can enjoy unlimited food, drinks and music at the Pewter Nation Buccaneer Tailgate Hospitality Tent, located across the street from Raymond James Stadium.
For $35 fans can enjoy freshly prepared bar-b-que chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta bar, taco bar, coleslaw, italian ice, Coca Cola and water, along with Budweiser and Bud Light draft beers. DJ Bob Moore will provide music and entertainment to get fans into the game day spirit.
The Tailgate Hospitality Tent will be open for the following games:
Sunday, Sept. 13 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, Sept. 27 vs. New York Giants
Sunday, Nov. 8 vs. Green Bay Packers
Sunday, Dec. 13 vs. New York Jets
The Tent is located on the Hillsborough Community College campus, across the street from Raymond James Stadium on the corner of Dale Mabry Highway and Tampa Bay Blvd.
Tickets are available online at www.GearUpForTheGame.com, or by phone at 813-908-BUCS (2827). Private VIP tents, sponsorships and vendor opportunities are available.
Pewter Nation Buccaneer Tailgate Hospitality Tent is sponsored by Game Day Catering, Port A Pit Bar B Que, Authentic Team Merchandise Buccaneer Heaven and Gear Up for the Game.
St Pete Pride Festival this weekend
This weekend, the St Pete Pride Festival 2009 overtakes St. Petersburg. There will be a parade at 10AM and fun events throughout the day. I will be there taking photos for Creative Loafing.
The parade will run along Central. This is open to the public and everyone is welcome, regardless of your orientation.
Homemade Music Symposium Photo Post
This year’s Homemade Music Symposium played out over the weekend at the Ybor HCC campus, bringing together musicians, singer-songwriters, music industry professionals, entertainers, writers, photographers and most every other aspect of the music industry to discuss the state of music, the nature of creating and marketing musicians and give a taste of things to come.
Overall, the symposium was a great success. Saturday opened with “Poets of Popular Song, The Lyrics and Lyric Writers of the Great American Songbook”. Featuring the piano work of Paul Wilborn and the 107 year old Rosa Rio. After their performance, many of the attendees broke for the lunch while the rest of us sat at our tables and handed out free swag and met with people.
As the day raged on, the crowd continued to morph. After noon, the rock kids all awoke and made an appearance, many to show off their demos and many more to attend seminars including “Marketing, Touring and Band Management” and “Alternative Media Promotion” with BrandTampa’s own Queen of Social Media Julia Gorzka. Classes on getting the most out of studio time, shooting a music video and a “meet the press” session provided even more value to those who came looking for help getting their music careers off the ground.
There was a good showing by all the key players at the vendor tables including Bay Area Beat, WMNF, Creative Loafing and Reax.
Here are some random photos from the event:
Homemade Music Symposium this weekend!
HOMEMADE MUSIC SYMPOSIUM releases its MASTER SCHEDULE for the event on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14 in Ybor City. The second annual symposium is offered free of charge to all Tampa Bay area musicians and the general public. The numerous seminars and workshops are focused on the business of music making and will provide area musicians assistance on how to nurture and develop careers in the modern commercial environment. Woven through the two-day schedule are a number of special live performances and showcases by artists ranging in age from 11 to 107!
On Saturday June 13, the symposium will take place from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM at the HCC-Performing Arts Building-Ybor City Campus, located at the corner of Palm Avenue and 14th Street. A complete schedule is provided at the end of this release.
On Saturday Evening, June 13, numerous area bands and musicians will be featured at showcases throughout Ybor City. Venues include New World Brewery, Crowbar, the Roosevelt, and Arts on 9th. Highlights include Will Quinlan at New World Brewery, Hat Trick Heroes at Crowbar, and Hip Hop / Techno powered by vegetable oil in biodiesel generators at the Roosevelt.
On Sunday, June 14, all events take place from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM at various venues along 19th Street and 9th Avenue. These include the Ybor City State Museum Park, REAX Music Space, Tre Amici at the Bunker, Mermaid’s Slipper and Arnold Martinez Art Gallery.
Some highlights of the symposium include:
Special guests Rosa Rio, Tampa’s own 107 years young Wurlitzer wizard and jazz pianist, and Paul Wilborn performing music by composers Rosa knew such as Cole Porter and George Gershwin
A keynote address from Peter Wells, visiting NYC Co-Founder of Tunecore, the country’s premier digital media distribution company
Workshops and panel discussions including a cross-section of Bay area record labels, alternative media promotion, electronic press kit and web design, and Meet the Press: A Conversation with Area Music Critics.
The symposium is organized by The Artists and Writers Group in partnership with Hillsborough Community College-Ybor City Campus. Bay Area Artists and Musicians Organization (BAAMO) and Ybor City Development Corporation are also partners. Other sponsors include Creative Loafing, REAX Magazine and New World Brewery.
The partners and sponsors are dedicated to supporting the Tampa Bay area cultural community with events such as Homemade Music Symposium, Deep Carnivale: Celebration of Words and the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image.
For general inquiries please contact T. Hampton Dohrman 813.784.2972 thdohrman@gmail.com or David Audet daudet@hccfl.edu, Hillsborough Community College-Ybor City Campus, 2112 N. 15th Street, Tampa, Florida 33675
Review of the Tampa Bay Music Conference
I recently attended the 6th annual Tampa Bay Music Conference, held at the Ritz Theatre (503 7th Ave. Tampa, FL. 33605)in Ybor City.
The event was not what I expected. Being billed as a top class event ($40 tickets), I figured it would be a lot of fun with a lot of people and plenty to see and do. It turns out that it wasn’t nearly as robust as I had hoped.
Firstly, let’s examine the name and why it’s misleading. When you think of Tampa Bay Music Conference, what do you think of? I think of musicians from Tampa Bay coming together, preferably from all walks of life and musical backgrounds, to meet and “confer”, jam and socialize. This was a very acute version of that ideal, as the musical scope was limited to rap, hip hop and R&B and very little of this had anything to do with Tampa Bay. While I don’t know the background on all of the acts involved, I was told by several people there that very few of the musical acts actually were from Tampa.
Secondly, when I picture a music conference, I picture vendors that are suited to the music industry. Where was Guitar Center? JBL? Fender? Shure? Where were the brands I come to know and love? Who was there? LaCie, the hard drive manufacturer. Why were they at a music conference?
Thirdly, for a highly publicized event, there were very few warm bodies. I hung around for about three hours and in that time counted maybe 100 people total in and out of the door. One would think that an event with this potential could draw thousands of people. Perhaps other people knew what I didn’t and simply chose to avoid paying $40 for a half-hearted rap concert.
Fourthly, when I think of a Music Conference, I don’t think of one guy on stage rapping while 20 people sit around looking bored. Where are the additional stages? Where is the crowd participation? Where is the excitement in the air? There wasn’t even anyone near the stage calling out the rapper’s name. There were three people standing up front with camera phones snapping photos, but where is the crowd that a big show should bring?
All of that said, there were a few good things going on. The waitstaff was awesome. Bartenders made me several good drinks. The side room was full of people actually talking about music and attempting to network. I just wish the whole event had the kind of chemistry that the side room was flirting with.
