Enjoying the Music Scene in St. Pete
Located in Western Florida on the beautiful Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg is experiencing a renaissance, and amidst this cultural wave is an emerging music scene that is quickly gaining international momentum. With our TOCA offices in South Florida, it is always a pleasure for us to take a trip up the coast to visit the St. Pete/Clearwater area.
Something For Everyone
Whether you prefer catching a local duo at sunset, such as the Ries Brothers (just back from touring with the band Chicago), or spending your weekend at the annual Blues Festival enjoying world-class entertainment with front row vistas of St. Pete’s downtown waterfront, there is something here for every musical taste. And in every venue, you have the guarantee of rubbing shoulders with an enthusiastic mix of locals and tourists exploring the ever-expanding pool of musically diverse options.
From Stars to Drum Circles
With world-class musicians gracing stages here, you can just as easily experience the pulsing rhythms of Carlos Santana, as audiences in Clearwater did not long ago, or get caught up in an informal but impressive mass-gathering of drummers who every Sunday at dusk recreate the mesmerizing ritual that dates back to tribal times known as a “Drum Circle.”
Covering It All
Annual music festivals such as the famed punk/rock “Vans Warped Tour” and the “Sunshine Music Festival,” with it’s huge range of exciting acts such as Grace Potter, Los Lobos, and The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, make it totally possible to catch your favorite line-up. If you’re a jazz aficionado, you can enjoy four days straight of great music in Clearwater at Coachman Park with stars like Tony Bennett, Spyro Gyra, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. With the “Suncoast Dixieland Jazz Classic” and the “Tampa Bay Blues Fest,” its easy to see that St. Petersburg has it all covered.
And If You Just Want to Chill…
And when its time to just lay back and chill, you can do as we do when in St. Pete: go to our favorite local New Orleans-style bistro, Ricky P’s, and listen to the soothing sounds of Quin Halpain, a high-school trumpeter whose soulful melodies drift down from his balcony perch like feathers from a Mardis Gras mask. Armed with a bowl of steamy She-Crab chowder and a bottle of ice cold Abita beer, you couldn’t ask for more.
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