Creative Loafing Tampa

Get tanked on tiki with the Zombie

Arielle Stevenson — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:46:00 -0400

Before you drink up at the Sunset Tiki Party on June 2 at the Post Card Inn, try this classic tiki cocktail recipe at home from Dean Hurst, Director of Spirits at Sidebern's and the President of the Left Coast Bartenders Guild. Originally concocted (legend has it) by Donn Beach at Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood, it's rumored the Zombie was made to help a hung-over customer get to a business meeting.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.24.13 - Code Pink never went away

Mitch Perry — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:05:00 -0400

If you watched President Obama's major speech on his national security policies yesterday, or even just read about it today, you no doubt must have seen or heard about the protester at the National Defense University in Washington who began shouting in the middle of the address regarding drone warfare.

That activist was Medea Benjamin, best known as being a member of Code Pink.…

Weisse up

Sean Nordquist — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Florida brewers adopt and adapt the Berliner Weisse style. by Sean Nordquist The West Coast has a signature style of IPAs. There’s an argument over whether those should be called “Cascadian” IPAs, named for the region in the Pacific Northwest where the hops are bountiful.…

Boy Scouts of America decision to take in openly gay youth as members a bitter pill for John Stemberger to swallow

Mitch Perry — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:24:00 -0400

John Stemberger is not a happy camper tonight.

The Orlando based Christian conservative was a leading figure supporter for Amendment Two back in 2008, the constitutional amendment that defined marriage as a union of one man and one woman.…

2013 Tropical Heatwave video recap

Leilani Polk — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:00 -0400

In case you missed it, here's the CL video recap of this year's Tropical Heatwave, WMNF's annual music festival, which was held on May 10 and 11 in Ybor City (including performances at the CL Space):

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Major rallies against Monsanto planned this Saturday in Tampa and St. Petersburg

Mitch Perry — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:38:00 -0400

At 2 p.m. EST on Saturday, major rallies are planned in more than 400 cities around the world, with people protesting biotechnology giant Monsanto — one of the least popular major corporations around the world.…

Debate about budget analyst triggers emotions at Tampa City Council meeting

Mitch Perry — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:59:09 -0400

On Thursday morning, The Tampa City Council voted down a proposal to hire a budget analyst. The discussion leading up to the vote opened up fissures amongst board members who feel their work ethic and independence in standing up to Mayor Bob Buckhorn is being challenged when it comes to fiscal matters.…

Tiki revival: Mai Tais and marimbas

Arielle Stevenson — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:21:00 -0400

Four locals talk the rise, fall and revival of tiki culture. by Arielle Stevenson On a breezy Sunday afternoon, the view from the courtyard at the Sands Motel on Treasure Island opens onto a beachscape of dunes and sea grass. A bellhop cart carrying a 6-foot-tall hand-carved Sabal Palm Tiki god is parked near the motel’s built-in ping-pong table.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.23.13 -Hillsborough County, where progress moves at a snail's pace

Mitch Perry — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:14:00 -0400

News about the LGBT community in one way or another seems to dominate the news these days. A big national story will be taking place later today in Grapevine, Texas, where the Boy Scouts of America are considering a proposal at their annual meeting to allow gay youths to participate openly in the popular organization for the first time (but not gay adults).…

Welcome back, Bluths

Daniel Figueroa IV — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:05:00 -0400

New episodes of Arrested Development on Netflix? Here’s why we give a shit. by Daniel Figueroa IV I was drunk. But a night spent at all times not far from a glass of vodka with a splash of olive juice will do that to you.…

Check out these new albums

CL Staff — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:04:00 -0400

Catching up with some of the biggest album releases of 2013. by CL Staff David Bowie The Next Day Critic’s rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 The always innovative David Bowie, who most fans thought had permanently retired from the business, shocked the world when in January, on his 66th birthday, he announced he’d completed a brand new studio album. As a teaser, he premiered the plaintive single “Where Are We Now?” on the same day, and the first full-length of fresh Bowie material since 2003’s Reality arrived in March.…

Fast 6 is Furiously entertaining

Katelyn Williamson — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:03:00 -0400

Old favorites return for the best installment of the Fast and Furious series yet. by Katelyn Williamson Fast and Furious 6 opens with Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) racing through the striking Spanish Canary Islands. Dom’s all-American Dodge Challenger and Brian’s GTR Skyline rocket and bandy for position along the edge of steep cliffs as the cerulean waves crash far below.…

Dressing up the little black dress

Leslie Joy Ickowitz — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:02:00 -0400

Start by thinking of one item that will elevate the look to a whole other level. by Leslie Joy Ickowitz Which type are you? Are you all about the thrill of the hunt?…

This week in Tampa Bay area live music, featuring Coheed and Cambria, Steve Martin, King Lincoln and more …

Leilani Polk — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Leilani Polk THURSDAY, MAY 23 Hockey/The Hush Sound w/River City Extension/Genevieve/Lucas Carpenter The sexy post-punk rock and electro-disco roll of Hockey’s debut full-length, Mind Chaos, made it a favorite of 2009, though the Portland-based outfit (featuring core members Benjamin Grubin and Jeremy Reynolds) has since ventured into synthesized dance punk territory with more fuzzy tones, New Wave bounce and technotronic embellishments and effects in sophomore follow-up Wyeth IS, out digitally a few weeks ago and due for a physical release in late June.…

The Hangover trilogy ends with a whimper

Joe Bardi — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Wolfpack is back and largely defanged for The Hangover Part III. by Joe Bardi While not exactly a classic, 2009’s The Hangover did provide a rude and crude comic jolt to that year’s summer movie season. Riding an original plot twist (the characters awake after a debauched night of Las Vegas partying and have to retrace their steps to find a missing comrade), fresh performances (particularly Zach Galifianakis and Bradley Cooper, both relative newcomers at the time) and a “boys behaving badly” gestalt that widely appealed to the pussy-whipped masses, The Hangover raked in big bucks and ushered in a new wave of big-screen raunch.…

Album Review: Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City

Colin Joyce — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:19:00 -0400

by Colin Joyce Don’t think just because Vampire Weekend’s latest album is called Modern Vampires of the City (XL) that their brand of neo-colonialist art-pop has taken a turn entirely toward the morose. Frontman Ezra Koenig’s concerns may be newly self-reflective, but not at the expense of the bouncy indie pop they’ve built an empire producing.…

Album Review: The National, Trouble Will Find Me

Colin Joyce — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:12:00 -0400

by Colin Joyce Twelve years into their recording career, The National has found their wheelhouse. Early efforts from the Cincinnati-bred, Brooklyn-based quintet hinted at an unhinged side to the typically staid band.…

Album Review: David Bowie, The Next Day

Gabe Echazabal — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:11:00 -0400

by Gabe Echazabal The always innovative David Bowie, who most fans thought had permanently retired from the business, shocked the world when in January, on his 66th birthday, he announced he’d completed a brand new studio album. As a teaser, he premiered the plaintive single “Where Are We Now?” on the same day, and the first full-length of fresh Bowie material since 2003’s Reality arrived in March.…

Album Review: Chance The Rapper, Acid Rap

Colin Joyce — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:10:00 -0400

by Colin Joyce Chancelor Bennett likes LSD. The 20-year-old Chicagoan who records as Chance The Rapper has made that clear in his tweets, in his verses, and, most evidently, in the title of his latest mixtape.…

Sympathy for the deviant

Shawn Alff — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:37:00 -0400

Visiting my friend, the sex offender, in prison. by Shawn Alff It was my first time in prison. I was visiting an old friend, a convicted sex offender.…

Hillsborough County resumes the journey toward a transportation plan

Mitch Perry — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:24:00 -0400

The overwhelming defeat of the transit tax in Hillsborough County in 2010 shell-shocked the elected officials who supported the plan.

While Pinellas County officials have worked toward having their citizenry vote on light-rail plans in 2014, nothing much has been done in Hillsborough since the resounding defeat.…

My quickie interview and thwarted attempt to film a sequel to 'Backdoor Teen Mom' with Farrah Abraham

Shawn Alff — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:44:00 -0400

When I heard Farrah Abraham was appearing at Exxxotica Florida, I jumped at the chance to interview her. I thought a fifteen minute conversation would be all the time I needed to charm her into casting me in the sequel to her sex tape, Backdoor Teen Mom.…

Ed Turanchik and HMS Global Maritime introduce proposal to bring high-speed ferry rail to Tampa Bay

Mitch Perry — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:01:00 -0400

Today, Tampa attorney and public transportation advocate Ed Turanchik along with officials from the Seattle based HMS Ferries laid out their vision of a public-private partnership to initiate Tampa Bay's first commuter, recreational and tourist passenger ferry service. The idea came from studies showing that thousands of commuters who live in South Hillsborough County and drive to MacDill Air Force Base on a daily basis would take a ferry service if it was an option.…

Tampa City Council members differ on the need for budget analyst

Mitch Perry — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:16:00 -0400

It has been years since crowds formed at City Hall for Tampa's annual late summer budget hearings. The last time citizens showed serious concern during those discussions was in the mid-aughts, when the region's property values were ablaze, creating bigger tax bills for homeowners.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.22.13 - Please welcome Anthony Weiner back to the political stage

Mitch Perry — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:53:00 -0400

For those of us who thrive on following elections, 2013 is a pretty dry year. Locally we've got the St. Pete mayoral and City Council elections coming up, with a big primary in August (with the Lens on the ballot) and the general election in November.…