Once in a Lifetime Experience

When I tell people I work at the performing arts center, I always get the same kind of reaction (“that is so cool!” “that sounds like a fun job” etc.). For the most part, though, it is like any other office job and I love Dilbert as much as the next person.

But every once in a while, something unexpected happens.

Saturday night I came to see the Broadway play Doubt. I had gone to dinner before the show and had leftovers, so instead of leaving them in the car, I decided to go upstairs to my office and put my leftovers in the fridge.

I’m walking along backstage and I run into a co-worker who is asking me if I am coming to see June Bride in the Shimberg, and just as I’m about to answer, Cherry Jones walks out from the dressing room area into the back hallway. I answered that I was coming to see THAT show and pointed at Miss Jones. After that I was at a complete loss for words.

Now, I know that actors are just normal people. I work with a few very talented actors from The Jobsite Theater. I call actors all the time for their biographies for CenterBill. But when it comes to Broadway, I deal with the agents, not the actors.

No matter how long I work here, when a Tony Award-winning actress pops out from back stage in a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers, my mouth is going to hang open and I will stammer like an idiot. It is just inevitable.

I wish I had the presence of mind to actually speak to her.

L.Day

Juggling and poetry workshops

Poetry Off the Page with Glenis Redmond

Experience poetry coming to life! Join workshop leader Glenis Redmond, performance poet and educator from North Carolina, to learn ways to use brainstorming, imagery, and layering to write powerful and effective poems. Clear and easy poetic structures and formats empower you to expand your imagination and to cross creative boundaries. This workshop is for all who wish to know and express themselves more intimately; writing experience is not necessary. Before you begin writing, you will be given prompts to guide you in expressing your own spirit and truth.

Sat., April 28 at 1:00 pm at the Patel Conservatory at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

Call 813-222-6453 to register

Glenis Redmond's love of words has carried her across the country for thirteen years. She logs over 35,000 miles a year bringing poetry to the masses. This Road Warrior Poet though steeped in Afro-Carolinian roots, speaks a universal tongue of love, loss, celebration, sorrow and hope. Her verse uplifts family, culture, and community. Glenis is a gentle pen pusher as she encourages others to find their voice at diverse venues across the country from prisons, universities, festivals, conferences, camps, keynotes, rallies, to schools. Her poems soothe, illicit and inspire others to pick up their pen and travel their own poetic road.

Glenis is a 2005-2006 NC Literary Award recipient and a Denny C. Plattner Award winner for Outstanding Poetry, awarded by the Appalachian Heritage Journal. She has been inducted in the Mt. Xpress' Hall of Fame for Best Poet in Western North Carolina after winning for over seven years. Glenis is a national workshop leader with the Kennedy Center's Partnership in Education Program in Washington, D.C. Her work has aired on National Public Radio. She is a past winner of the Southern Fried Poetry Slam and a top ten finalist in the National Poetry Slam. Glenis' work has been published most recently in Meridians, African Voices, EMRYS, Asheville Poetry Review, 2006 Kakalak: A Journal of Carolina Poets, Appalachian Heritage and the Appalachian Journal. Her manuscript Under the Sun was short listed by Autumn House Press.

www.glenisredmondstore.com

Sara Felder (of June Bride) Juggling Class

Grades: 5-Adult

This juggling class is for people of all levels from beginner to advanced. The coordination-challenged are especially welcome. Everyone learns to do something they didn’t think they could do. Leave the silk shirt at home and get ready to sweat. Big fun.

Sat., April 28 2-4 p.m.

Call 813.222.1002 to register.

Both workshops are free to Patel Conservatory students; $5 all others

Omigod, great gifts

NYC -- Broadway show merchandising is big business, I don't have to tell you.

Here are two of my favorites, spotted at shows last week.

Most clever -- A monkey wearing an "Inherit the Wind" T-shirt, a nod to the play's treatment of the Scopes Monkey Trial in Tenneesee.

Most valley -- T-shirt from "Legally Blonde" with the official catchphrase from that show: "omigod."

Operators are standing by. -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

Have Doubts (or questions)? Join our discussion!

Join TBPAC and Magic 94-9 for a FREE interactive discussion with cast members from the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play, DOUBT. The discussion will be held Wednesday, March 28, 5-5:45 p.m. at the Carrollwood Barnes & Noble (11802 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa 33618). For more information on the show, visit doubtontour.com.

-Angela L.

Talking about 'Talk Radio'

NYC – The whole Don Imus fiasco played out huge in New York, good timing for the return of Eric Bogosian’s shock-jock examination, “Talk Radio,” which runs through June 24 at the Longacre Theatre.

Bogosian appeared on a panel with star Liev Schreiber and producer Jeffrey Richards at last week’s League of American Theatres and Producers conference.

Richards said as soon as he read the 1987 script, that included the early lines “This country is in deep trouble, people,” he knew he had to bring it to Broadway.

Jeffrey (to Eric): You could have written this yesterday.

Eric: The guy who wrote this play is a very different guy from me. I began writing it 24 years ago.

I think it’s about ambition more than anything else. … Plays are platforms for great performances, where actors get a chance to stretch out. That’s the reason I’m so happy to see the play back up. It’s a collaborative piece where a great actor meets my play halfway.

Jeffrey: There was no discussion about any other artist doing this play.

Liev: I’m not certain that it’s such a great compliment to me that I’m perfect to play Barry Champlain.

I get the sense of a new audience development happening in New York. I wanted to do it … What I got a sense of with "Glengarry (Glen Ross)" and straight plays … I was shocked at the volume of straight plays. And the box office on these plays was remarkably strong, more than I had ever noticed.

Eric doesn’t fit in the Broadway mold in my mind. He’s always pushing the envelope in his work; it’s downtown theater. To me, Eric is to theater what Johnny Rotten was to music. He was doing something dangerous. … Every word that this play is saying is volatile and interesting and vital to your life right now. It’s the idea of engaging with your community with an idea.

It’s essential for us to engage with these ideas, no matter how painful they are, in a meaningful way.

Liev was asked whether he thought the Virginia Tech shootings, which had occurred earlier in the week, would affect theater audiences.

Liev: I have a feeling I’m going to feel something tonight … the next couple of days are going to be a little murky in the theater. I worked in theater after 9/11. It’s really a kind of a church for people. (All of that) is living in the back of everybody’s minds. …

Eric: The difference between a live audience or a film or a rock concert where it’s so loud, in the theater, the audience is aware of each other’s reactions … All of this becomes this big push and pull. A lot of the attitude in this play is just part of our culture today. That’s a lot of why this play could be put up today, or put up in front of a broader audience. (It’s Lou Reed doing Metal Machine Music.)”

He gets no reaction from the theater conference audience, perhaps more familiar with musicals than obscure 1975 Lou Reed albums.

Eric: The play then showed a future which we are now in. – Michael Kilgore/TBPAC


From “Talk Radio”:
“… A country where culture means
pornography and slasher films,
where ethics means payoffs,
graft, insider trading …
where integrity means Iying,
whoring and intoxication …
This country is
in deep trouble, people.
This country is rotten to the core and
somebody better do something about it.
Take your hand out of that bowl of
Fritos, throw away your National Enquirer,
and pick up the phone,
hold it up to your face...
and dial 555-TALK.
Open your mouth and tell me what we're
gonna do about the mess this country's in.”

Did they get lost getting to the theaters?

NYC -- In one of those strange things that happens with theaters named for playwrights, the Eugene O'Neill Theatre played host to the punk-music-influenced "Spring Awakening," while the classic O'Neill "Moon for the Misbegotten" opened at the Brooks Atkinson.

Which raises the question: What would O'Neill have thought of the adventurous "Spring Awakening" in a theater named for him? -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

Great shows, great performers

NYC -- After spending more than a week in New York, I can vouch that the theater scene there is vibrant and healthy.

New musicals such as "Spring Awakening" and "Legally Blonde" cater to potential new audiences, as well as some traditional theater-goers.

Big names star in returns of dramas such as "Inherit the Wind," "Talk Radio" and "Moon for the Misbegotten." The first two, amazingly, are still as relevant as they were when they were first produced.

And exciting new pieces such as "Frost/Nixon," "Coram Boy," and "LoveMusik" round out an exciting spring season.

Performance highlights:

Stephanie J. Block in "The Pirate Queen" -- She was our Elphaba in "Wicked" the first year in Tampa, and played opposite Hugh Jackman on Broadway in "The Boy From Oz."

Eve Best in "The Moon for the Misbegotten"

Christopher Plummer and Brian Dennehy in "Inherit the Wind"

Laura Bell Bundy in "Legally Blonde"

Ashley Brown as "Mary Poppins"

For more information on New York Broadway, go to www.livebroadway.com -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

Another chick that rocks - Patty Larkin

Oh, i hope I can say that without catching any of the firestorm going on over at the CreLo site for their cover story from last week ...

Anyway, I noted in a few of the responses the mention of Patty Larkin as a for-sure top 100 pick on albums, and of course it reminded me that she'll be back here on May 7 - in just a few short weeks.

The Club Jaeb series is a great new programming strand here. I really love the concept of being able to see great singer-songwriters like Christine Lavin or Catie Curtis, or the smooth sounds of LeRoy Bell or the alternative bluegrass sound of Old School Freight Train. This is only the second year.

I mean, the theater only seats 268. It's small, intimate, there's not a bad seat in the room.

I've seen the sneak-peek at next year's lineup - it's a good one. Get yourself in the know by heading out May 7. Arrive at 6:30 for the Monday Music Mingle. Grab a bite and a drink and talk to people who love good music as much as you do.

-dj

Marilyn Esperante Figueredo, RIP

It is with great sadness that I announce that Marilyn Esperante Figueredo, one of the founders and owners of Cigar City Magazine, passed away yesterday in Atlanta while visiting family.

Marilyn was so full of life, and helped so much with Cigar City Chronicles from the very beginning. She will be missed by so many in this community. She was a true activist and leader in keeping the legacy of Ybor City and the Cigar industry alive.

Tonight’s performance of Cigar City Chronicles will be dedicated in her honor!! Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers.

- Rick C.

Only 12 shows left for Cigar City Chronicles!

If you haven't made it out yet to see Cigar City Chronicles: A musical history of Tampa- you only have 2 more weekends to get down to the Jaeb Theater to see a living history lesson with some toe-tappin' tunes and some fine performances.

Don't miss it! Theater's not like DVD - you just can't wait for it to come out on DVD and add it to your Netflix cue!!!

-dj

Welcome, Thespians!

It's that time again - Downtown Tampa is crawling with thousands and thousands of high school dramaphiles - all here to perform, learn and of course have a good time away from home for a week.

State Thespian Festival was always a highlight of my high school years, and was a primary reason I ended up in Tampa.

For those of you who may be here and stuck high and dry after your events have sold out, or if you;re looking for something different - we're offering $5 tickets to all performances of Cigar City Chronicles: A musical history of Tampa if you show your festival badge at the Ticket Office window as of 30 minutes to any curtain.

The show is only here for TWO MORE WEEKENDS, so take advantage.

Enjoy!

-dj

A chorus for 'Line'

NYC -- The creative team for the new staging of "A Chorus Line" met an adoring audience at the annual League of American Theatres and Producers conference on Tuesday.

The team included the late Michael Bennett’s professional partner Bob Avian, the new show's director and original co-choreographer; original composer Marvin Hamlisch; and producer John Breglio.

A sampler of their conversation:

Marvin on "What I Did for Love": “I always wanted a song that could go on the Ed Sullivan Show. Where’s that two-minute song? I always tried to get it as commercial as possible. … Everyone else said, what do we need this for? If you listen to the two CDs, you’ll hear it. It was the right song {then}, but it was the wrong treatment.

Bob: "New audiences are coming out with the adult story of the musical. The technical changes are astounding. We use mics, but you won’t see mics or wires … we put the challenge to wardrobe because {if you see the technology}, it ruins the whole illusion."

Bob, on whether he's reinventing the show: "I could do it in a circle and have them all play instruments (laughter at the obvious 'Sweeney Todd' reference), but this is Michael Bennett’s masterpiece …"

Bob: "It’s the greatest testament to what Michael did up there, to introduce that passion … "

Bob: "We were worried about {confusion with} reality shows. Reality shows are humiliating. They have no integrity. They are cruel to these artists. They do it for ratings and audience amusement. I was looking at 'Chorus Line.' This is about sincerity, this is about integrity, this is about love. This is not a dark thing; this is about love. " -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

That Marvin's a funny guy

NYC -- We already know that Marvin Hamlisch is a talented composer, and that his first Broadway score was for the long-running "A Chorus Line."

Who knew he was so funny?

Asked to play something for the League of American Theatres and Producers conference, Hamlisch feigned nervousness.

"I approach this with trepidation. I have no idea whether it’s a good piano or a bad piano; I’m sure it’s a good piano, but …

"{Back when we were doing 'A Chorus Line'}, when we needed money from the Shuberts, we had to audition …. I wanted to do 'What I Did for Love,' but Michael {Bennett} said, no, we need money. Do 'Tits and Ass.' So here I am, 15 years at Juilliard, doing 'Tits and Ass. '

"So there’s this piano that has been there for forever. I’m thinking, probably Irving Berlin played there. So I start quietly and then ... the whole piano falls down.

"So, I’ll play today, but not too loud, in case the same thing happens again.

"Being a person who fell in love with Broadway when I went to see the show, 'Gypsy' ... we all agree it’s got the greatest overture ever. Finally, I’ll get a chance to do an overture. So we write this overture {for 'A Chorus Line'}, and we never use it, because the show takes place at an audition."

So, after 30 years, Hamlisch finally gets to play the overture. He finishes to a standing ovation, and points good-naturedly to the still-standing piano. -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

Bringing back the 'Line'

NYC -- One of the highlights of recent League conferences is the opportunity to hear Creative Conversations with the people whose art we all support. This conference is about the business, but also about the shows.

Early on Tuesday, we heard members of the creative team behind the new “A Chorus Line,” which closed on Broadway in 1990 after 6,137 performances. Some facts from a promotional book: Over 500 performers danced in the Broadway show and it grossed $300 million in the U.S. It was seen in 104 U.S. cities and 22 other countries.

Producer John Breglio moderated and introduced Marvin Hamlisch, the original composer who wrote his first Broadway score for this show.

Breglio talked about the love of big Broadway musicals and of the dancer gypsies who move from musical to musical as part of the chorus – which provides the story for “A Chorus Line.”

“We consider this musical to be the great American craft,” he said. “I had the privilege of knowing Michael {Bennett} back in 1972 and 73 and … he was a genius, a great man and a great friend.”

The late Bennett, of course, was the original choreographer and director of “A Chorus Line.”

“We had to get ‘Chorus Line’ back,” Breglio said. “It’s a great revival. Actually, I’d like to kill that word right now. It’s a new production of a great American musical. We looked at every department at how we could … fine-tune it. There are people who believe they know every second of ‘Chorus Line,’ but we have made changes.

“We brought it back for two reasons: so everybody can relive the magic of ‘Chorus Line.’ And to introduce it to a generation who had never seen it … to experience the universality of those emotions.”

He said they auditioned 1,800 people over a year and some of them had never seen the show on stage. They’re excited about reaching a whole new audience, including a national tour that was announced today and starting in May of 2008.

Confession time: I’ve never seen this classic American musical. So I’m especially excited to see this new version on stage at the Schoenfield Theatre. – Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

Musicians wanted

Check out Jobsite Theater's blog for details on musicians needed for their Oct. production of Gorey Stories.

-dj

Talking Broadway

NYC -- More than 500 Broadway producers, press agents and creative teams will meet with venue operators and marketers from around the country at this week's annual spring conference of the League of American Theatres and Producers in NYC.

In addition to working sessions, some of Broadway's biggest stars will appear at the conference to talk about the creative process.

It's also a chance for Tony Award voters to see some of the newer shows before the nominations are announced. (The awards will be announced in June.) -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

The show's the thing

NYC -- One great thing about this conference is not only the chance to reconnect with colleagues from around the country, but a chance to see many new shows that have opened since our last NYC trip.

By Friday, I will have seen "Spring Awakening," "Moon for the Misbegotten," "The Pirate Queen," "Inherit the Wind," "Legally Blonde," "A Chorus Line" and "Mary Poppins."

Some of these likely will end up on a Broadway season near you, starting in 2008-2009.

Watch for reports later this week. -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

The whole world is watching ...

NYC -- Welcome to our friends from the League's annual spring conference.

This is Culture Shock, TBPAC's blog, which we started in September of 2005.

You'll find daily posts here about the conference, as well to other items related to entertainment and the performing arts. -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

Taking the show on the road

NYC -- The producers of "Monty Python's Spamalot" told their production team that if they couldn't take the show on tour, they wouldn't open on Broadway.

It's that important.

Half of the Broadway audience is outside NYC, reached through tours and subscription seasons.

"Spamalot" obviously solved its weighty chain mail issue and is touring with great success, including two sold-out weeks here in Tampa earlier this season.

Another presenter talked about how important it was for thought-provoking works such as "Doubt," with actresses such as Cherry Jones, to tour the country in artistically unifying events.

He likened it to a Harry Truman-like whistlestop political tour. "It's like she's running for election ... and I think she'd win."

"Doubt" will be at TBPAC later this month. -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

She knows the road

NYC -- To present the League's annual touring Broadway awards, former road warrior Christine Ebersole MCd the evening. She's the current star of "Grey Gardens" on Broadway.

Ebersole toured with Richard Burton in "Camelot," and also with "Oklahoma!" so she knows about life on the road and the occasional unresponsive audience.

In Oklahoma once, a rancher-type came backstage and inadvertently explained their lack of reaction:

"Y'all were so funny it was all we could do to keep from laughing." -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

Soggy, soggy Broadway

NYC -- Forget the Wilson Pickett soul classic, "Funky Broadway," record rainfall over the last two days has resulted in canceled flights, ruined shoes, wet clothes and unfortunate hair styles.

Normally, this annual meeting is a kind of spring awakening, but so far the weather hasn't cooperated. -- Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

We'd like to thank ...

NYC -- There are serious issues to be discussed this week at the League conference: media fragmentation, the art of the deal, costs of putting a show on the road. But, first, because it's NYC and because this is Broadway, first there are the awards presented specifically to Broadway shows touring the U.S.:

Touring Broadway Awards
People's Choice Awards -- "Wicked"
Best Production Design -- "Monty Python's Spamalot"
Best Play -- "Doubt"
Best Long-Running Musical -- "Chicago"
Best Choreography --Twyla Tharp
Best Direction --"Monty Python's Spamalot"
Best Musical Score -- "Light in the Piazza"
Touring Broadway Achievement Award -- Tom Hewitt
Best New Musical -- "Monty Python's Spamalot"

Michael Kilgore/TBPAC

Bright Eyes - Cassadega on Technorati

Bright Eyes' new album - Cassadega - is ranking right now on technorati.com as the 4th most blogged about new release right now. They'll be here in Tampa in support of that album on May 16.

-dj

This weekend at TBPAC!

Cigar City Chronicles: A musical history of Tampa - Jaeb Theater. Fri. - Sun at 7:30pm, Sat. - Sun. at 2pm. ONLY THREE WEEKENDS REMAIN!




Jobsite Theater presents The March of the Kitefliers - Shimberg Playhouse. Fri. - Sat. 8pm, Sun. 4pm. FINAL WEEKEND!




Opera Tampa presents Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore - Carol Morsani Hall. Fri. at 8pm, Sun. at 2pm.














Five Pianos, 50 fingers and one family - The 5 Browns - Ferguson Hall. Sat. at 7:30pm.

They're Marching like Kitefliers ...

Take a few minutes to watch this final Jobsite Theater video podcast for their original play The March of the Kitefliers.



It explains a lot: what the show is all about, why it's important, favorite memories/moments from those who made it, why they think you should see it (even if you've already seen it) and it also has some pretty groovy real kiteflying footage from a company trip out to Picnic Island.

It's totally G-rated, though the show itself is essentially an R for adult language and humor.

This play was originally produced in 2005, where it played for four sold-out weeks to audiences who were as moved by the experience as those who made it. It exemplifies everything that Tampa Bay's art community can produce from the ground up with original material.

This 2007 run, which has been hailed by all who have seen it as superior to the original in every way, ends Sunday (4/15). In addition to Kitefliers being welcomed back with open arms by the Jobsite faithful and newcomers alike - it's been visited by producers from New York and Chicago and had a special proclamation from Mayor Iorio to kick off opening night.

Jobsite Theater is resident theater company in the Shimberg Playhouse at TBPAC.

-dj

(Full disclosure: I am lucky enough to be a producer of and artist in this show. It's been a life-defining project.)

The puzzling Pulitzer

The Pulitzer Prize is one of those awards that you know is important, but perhaps you don't know exactly what it means. According to Pulitzer.org, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama is awarded to "a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life."

In 2006, The Pulitzer Prize Board decided not to award a Pulitzer in the category of Drama (this has happened before) because they felt the nominees didn't meet the high standards of the prize. Since the 2007 nominations will be announced on April 16, Playbill.com notes in an article published today, "An informal survey of theatre industry vets found that for the second year in a row, no work is an obvious standout the way Doubt was in 2005."

Did I mention Doubt will be here April 24-29 starring Cherry Jones in her Tony Award-winning role as Sister Aloysius?

– AngelaL/TBPAC

Bright Eyes - Cassadega, in stores tomorrow!

The new Bright Eyes release, Cassadega, will hit shelves tomorrow. I know you can pick a copy up locally at Vinyl Fever.

Also, don't miss them live here in Morsani Hall on May 16! Oakley Hall opens.

-dj

Sara Felder photoset

Found this while googling Sara Felder, who appears here in the Shimberg Playhouse April 27-29 doing her one-woman show June Bride - which deals with a "traditional" Jewish lesbian wedding. During the show she uses music, acrobatics, storytelling and juggling. Lots of juggling.

This show should be a lot of fun.

-dj

Cigar City Chronicles on WUSF

This story aired this afternoon on WUSF. It’s about Oaklawn cemetery. Four minutes or so into the piece, the reporter Bobbie O’Brian, runs into woman in the cemetery who is there to see the Ashley grave because of what she had learned from seeing Cigar City Chronicles. Take a listen.

--PB

This weekend at TBPAC!

Cigar City Chronicles: A musical history of Tampa - Jaeb Theater. Fri. - Sat. at 7:30pm, Sat. at 2pm.

The March of the Kitefliers - Shimberg Playhouse. Fri. - Sat. 8pm, Sun. 4pm. EASTER TICKET SPECIAL! Buy one, get one free tickets to the 4/8 4pm show ONLY. Use promo code MOTK on the phone or at the window!

The New Magic 94-9 EGGSTRAVAGANZA - on the grounds of TBPAC. Sat. 9-11am. Face painting, photos with the Easter Bunny, free breakfast, a petting zoo and the locally-renown egg hunt!

It's BEAUTIFUL outside today, and looks like it's going to be that way all weekend. Enjoy this lovely cool weather before the hot, wet blanket gets put over us for the next nine months! Get out and enjoy yourselves!!!

Pre-show Q&A on the history of Spanish theater in Ybor!

Thurs., April 19, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., at the John F. Germany Public Library auditorium.

Dr. Kenya Dworkin y Mendez, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies at Carnegie-Mellon University, will talk about the history and cultural importance of Spanish theater in Ybor City, followed by Q&A from the audience.

BIO:
Dworkin y Mendez received her Ph.D. from the University of Hawai’i. Her current research involves an analysis of the cultural and sociolinguistic survival of a unique Latin community in Ybor City, Florida, through its tradition of Spanish-language and particularly Cuban theater. More specifically, the project also involves an analysis of the U.S. government's WPA Federal Theater Project during the 1930s and 1940s and its assimilatory goals with respect to the Spanish-speaking community in Ybor City. Other projects include 1) a sociolinguistic, ethnographic study of the circumstances surrounding the emigration of Puerto Ricans to Hawai’i; 2) a psycholinguistic and cultural analysis of the literary production of Latino monolingual, bicultural writers; and 3) an analysis of the self- contradicting discourse of identity and independence in late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Cuba. She has published in Nuevo Texto Crítico and Lucero: A Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies

For more on past Q&As see this post as well as this post.

CreLo review of Gilberto Gil

We had a lot of hype leading up to our Gilberto Gil date, a lot of that coming our way very fortuitously via national media like the NYT. He was a big catch for us.

Looks like this week's Creative Loafing covers the show. Read what you missed (or revisit what you saw) here.

-dj

Sticky love for Cigar City Chronicles

Check out feedback from Sticks of Fire on Cigar City Chronicles: A musical history of Tampa.

The show is only playing for a few more weeks, so make your plans sooner rather than later!

-dj