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Heatwave simmers with new, eclectic acts
Slide guitarist Sonny Landreth, Kinky and Michelle Shocked are some of the more than 30 musical acts at this year's Tropical Heatwave.
By TONY GREEN
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 16, 2002
Good news travels fast, especially in musical circles. That's why blues slide guitarist Sonny Landreth is juiced about his appearance at WMNF-FM's annual Tropical Heatwave, which will draw thousands of music fans to Ybor City on Saturday.
"We have been hearing good things about the Heatwave, mostly from other musicians and bands who have played it," said the south Louisiana native. "So we're excited about coming there. Besides, we haven't played in Florida since 1995, so we're due for a trip back there."
Landreth is just one of the several new faces scheduled to appear at the annual event, Tampa Bay's most freewheeling, eclectic music party. Michelle Shocked, the uncompromising, outspoken Texan who was one of the main cogs in the '80s singer-songwriter movement, is on this year's bill. So is Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise. The Detroit-based soul-rock band features Bradley, a blind former street performer with a voice that hints at Marvin Gaye.
"Someone like Michelle Shocked, who has been fighting battles against the music industry for years, is one artist that we are excited to have," said WMNF's Randy Wynne. "Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise is another. And people who saw (the Mexican band) Kinky at this years' South by Southwest (the annual showcase in Austin, Texas, for up-and-coming artists) swear that they are going to be incredible. We're looking forward to having them here."
All told, the lineup includes more than 30 bands, among them Tampa Bay's Afro-Cuban groovemeisters Gumbi Ortiz' Latino Projekt, Orlando's hip-hop/spoken word artist Jabreel and the quirkyKinky. Kinky's electro-influenced pop, incorporating a variety of Latin influences, has created a sensation in venues from Texas to New York.
"We have a lot of different influences in our band," said Kinky's keyboardist, Ulises Lozano. "I'm into techno, our singer is into rock, the other guys are into espanol-style music and Latin jazz. So we put all that into our music."
One unexpected treat will come from NRBQ, the legendary rock combo that was part of what many consider the best Heatwave ever, the 1987 bill that featured Sun Ra. NRBQ is a last-minute replacement for roots rock legend Link Wray, who pulled out after a household mishap.
"We were lucky to grab them at the last minute, because not only are they one of the great rock and roll bands, they symbolize the kind of eclecticism that Heatwave is all about." Wynne said.
NRBQ (the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet) has, over the course of a 35-year career, established itself as one of the most wide-ranging and accomplished bands in rock history, fluent in a staggering array of pop and jazz styles. "Pop music fans generally divide into two categories regarding NRBQ," former Musician Magazine editor Mark Rowland wrote in 1990. "Those who consider them among the great bands of the last two decades, and those who have not yet heard them play."
The Heatwave will be held Saturday at Ybor City's Cuban Club courtyard, Cantina Ballroom and second-floor landing, as well as the El Pasaje courtyard. There also will be music at the Cherokee Club and the New World Brewery. The event kicks off with a parade down Seventh Avenue beginning at 4:45 pm.
Despite Heatwave's popularity, Ybor's development makes the event's future at the Cuban Club less secure than Wynne would like.
"When we started Heatwave, Ybor City was deserted, and it was fun to bring it to life," he said. "Now it has taken on a life of its own and we don't know how long we can count on the Cuban Club and surrounding venues to be there for us to use. The Cuban Club could wind up as an office building or a museum. We hope not, since that particular location is something special."
Landreth's performance may be a first for the Heatwave, but his style of music, guitar-centered blues-rock, has always turned Heatwave crowds on their ears. Much of his approach comes from his time spent as a sideman with the legendary Clifton Chenier. By integrating some of the deep rhythmic currents he learned from Chenier, Landreth has come up with a style -- marked by slide guitar that combines complex fingerpicking and textural embellishments -- that moves and shakes as it dazzles.
"I have a different approach to playing bottleneck slide." Landreth said. "I draw on a lot of influences from my area . . . like cajun and zydeco. It gives a nice twist on the blues."
Tropical timeline
The Tropical Heatwave schedule. Acts are subject to change:
Cuban Club Courtyard
- 6 p.m. Hackensaw Boys
- 7:35 p.m. Sonny Landreth
- 9:25 p.m. Michelle Shocked
- 11:30 p.m. NRBQ
- 1:10 a.m. Buffalo Strange
Cuban Club Cantina
- 6:15 p.m. Misfortune 500
- 7:20 p.m. The Dempseys
- 8:50 p.m. Kinky
- 10:20 p.m. Tony Vacca and Gohk-Bi System
- 11:50 p.m. Tarbox Ramblers
- 1:25 a.m. Cocktail Honeys
The Cherokee Club
- 6:30 p.m. Ethan Daniel Davidson
- 7:55 p.m. Ghetto Love Sugar
- 9:05 p.m. Twang Bang
- 10:30 p.m. Midnight Bowling League
- 11:40 p.m. Beth Hirsch
- 1 a.m. Jibreel's Soul Fusion
El Pasaje Courtyard
- 6:20 p.m. Rico Bell and the Snakehandlers
- 7:55 p.m. Tim O'Brien Band
- 9:40 p.m. Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise
- 11:15 p.m. James Mathus and His Knockdown Society
- 12:55 a.m. The Damon Fowler Group
New World Brewery
- 7:15 p.m. River Cove Ramblers
- 8:15 p.m. Handshake Squad
- 9:30 p.m. Unrequited Loves
- 10:45 p.m. Dumbwaiters
- Midnight: Pagan Saints
Cuban Club Ballroom
- 6:40 p.m. Jennifer and the Venturas
- 8 p.m. Inner Visions
- 9:35 p.m. Red Stick Ramblers
- 11:10 p.m. Gumbi Ortiz and the Latino Projekt
- 12:30 a.m. Harvey Sid Fisher
Cuban Club Second Floor Landing
- 7-9 p.m. Urbane Cowboys
- 9 p.m. DJ Ariees
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