Upcoming WMNF Events

Eliza Gilkyson , Ellis Paul and Audrey Auld: Singer-songwriters in the Round

WMNF

Tickets available at Inkwood Books in Tampa, Disc Exchange in St Pete, WSLR in Sarasota or Pets Unlimited in Clearwater...or at the door...online + phone sales have ended... Three of the best singer-songwriters on stage together sharing songs in an evening that is sure to be musical magic. **Eliza Gilkyson**, from Texas
**Ellis Paul**, from Maine
**Audrey Auld**, from Tasmania

WMNF's 9th Rockabilly Ruckus

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with Lee Rocker, Big Sandy and the Fly-rite Boys, The Amy Lavere Rockabilly Band; Morgan Bernard; Hot Rod Hornets; Ted Stevens Band; and Rocket 88. It's a hot lineup this year! Get ready..... and wear your dancing shoes. The Skippers parking lot will be filled with skillfully restored vintage cars.

John Lennon Imagined: Beatles and Solo Years, featuring The Nutopians

WMNF

**The Project**
The Nutopians is a unique and compelling 8-piece ensemble that celebrates the genius and artistry of John Lennon. Created and led by Rex Fowler of Aztec Two-Step and Tom Dean of Devonsquare, the ensemble gives remarkably fresh treatments to Lennon’s best and least known Beatles and solo song compositions that often inspire a whole new appreciation for the icon’s music. **The Live Show**
The Nutopians' live show features entertaining storytelling, and like their award winning CD Imagined, superb lead singing and 3-part harmonies, plus a host of talented musicians on acoustic, electric and bass guitars, cello, violin, mandola, accordion, piano, chromatic harmonica and light percussion. In a series of singles and mini-medleys, the band’s arrangements frequently involve weaving melody, lyric and song together in new and unexpected ways. The response has been overwhelming. **IMA Winner 2011The Imagined CD**
The Nutopians "Imagined" CD wins Independent Music Awards Vox Pop “2010 Tribute Album of the Year” for Interpretations of John Lennon’s Beatles and Solo Compositions.
**The Founding Artists**
Rex Fowler & Tom DeanRex Fowler and Tom Dean emerged as prominent folk/rock artists in the 1970s. Rex’s band, Aztec Two-Step, burst upon the scene with their self-titled debut album on Elektra Records in 1972. This and their three subsequent albums on RCA Records were staples of college and progressive FM radio and helped usher the music of the 1960s into the 70s and beyond.
Tom Dean's band Devonsquare was signed by Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary Chairman of Atlantic Records, after hearing Dean’s "Walking On Ice" from their self-released album of the same name. Devonsquare went on to record another CD for Atlantic titled “Bye Bye Route 66” which spawned several critically acclaimed singles including "If You Could See Me Now.”
Collectively Rex and Tom have toured worldwide, been reviewed in Rolling Stone, performed on David Letterman and shared stages with such musical luminaries as Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and The Band. Along with their passion for interpreting the songs of John Lennon, the two lads continue to distinguish themselves as esteemed songwriters, performers and recording artists.
**The Band Members**
Tom Dean - 6 & 12 string guitars, mandola & vocals; Rex Fowler - rhythm guitar & vocals; Alana MacDonald - violin & vocals; Jordan Jancz - cello & percussion; Teg Glendon - bass guitar and vocals; Robby Coffin - electric and acoustic guitars & vocals; Gary Schreiner -piano, accordion & chromatic harp; Maggie Coffin - vocals & percussion.

WMNF Night at Family Bowl with The Saturday Morning Bluegrass and Folk Gang!

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Pete Gallagher and Jim Mason from the ***Florida Folk Show*** and Cricket from the ***Saturday Morning Bluegrass Show*** will bring their brands of indigenous folk and mountain music! Family Bowl is located 2250 Us Highway 92 E, Plant City, FL 33563.

The Work of the Weavers

WMNF

A brilliant tribute and re-creation of the Weavers. “This faithfully arranged and sung tribute…rings with such rousing familiarity…that there are moments when you may find yourself thinking that the group’s original members are all within range of the microphones.” - The Washington Post

Aztec Two-Step and THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL SONGBOOK: AN EVENING OF SONGS & STORIES

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featuring Aztec Two-Step and Pete Fornatale Venerable folk-rock duo Aztec Two-Step will perform a set of their own music; and then a set of the music of Simon & Garfunkel, with guest host Pete Fornatale providing commentary and personal anecdotes from interviews with Paul & Artie. Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman are known for bringing the folk/rock music of the 1960s into the '70s and beyond and continue to be one of acoustic music's most respected and enduring acts. When they made their Elektra Records debut in 1972, reviewers said they had the “intellectual lyricism” and “ethereal harmonies” of Simon and Garfunkel. So while possessing a rich musical legacy of their own, it makes sense that the critically acclaimed duo would choose to interpret and perform the timeless songs and harmonies of their legendary predecessors. Performing the Songbook on their own since 2005, Aztec Two-Step joined forces with Fornatale after the 2007 publication of his book, "Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends." One of the architects of progressive FM radio in the 60s, the legendary broadcaster has one of the most recognizable voices in rock radio and has been a fixture on the New York dial for four decades, at WFUV, WNEW-FM and K-Rock. His celebrated long-running program, “Mixed Bag,” now airs on Saturdays in New York on WFUV, and nationally on XM satellite radio. Aztec's Two-Step's Living in America received the New York Music Award for Best Folk Album in 1987 and was named in Billboard’s year-end critic’s poll. Praised in major media outlets such as Rolling Stone, and having appeared on numerous TV and radio shows, they were the subject of a documentary that aired on PBS in 1999. Real Simple, a popular national lifestyle magazine, in 2007 named Aztec Two-Step's self-titled debut one of the top five classic folk albums, joining work by Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Tom Rush and Phil Ochs. That same year, Rhino Records released Forever Changing-The Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973, a five-CD box set that tells the story of this landmark record label and the music that defined an era, and includes Aztec Two-Step’s “The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty (On The Road).” In 2008, the duo released Time It Was -- The Simon & Garfunkel Songbook (Red Engine Records), a live album of the Songbook show featuring Fornatale's insights. WEBSITE: www.aztectwostep.com

Karibbyan Kruze Music Festival

WMNF

A showcase of Caribbean music, with a tribute to African reggae legend Lucky Dube. Kzee Master Rockers, Reality Band, Impulse, Jafari Band, Democracy, Zuberi and Crew, R7R Band; Isus: Nuveau Saka; Solid Phorce; Tony Wylie; Iyata Christi; The Haitian Boys; Pezo; Breast Man; Mellow Vibes: DJ D VYBZ; T&T Sweet; plus Steel Pans and Tassa Drums.

WMNF Day at Whole Foods Tampa

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Come meet some of your favorite WMNF on and off-air personalities! WMNF receives 5% of every purchase made! This is one way we are getting a healthy start on WMNF's Tropical Heatwave!

Talking Animals Music Night

WMNF

Your favorite bands play songs about animals. Johnny Cakes & The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypso
Rebekah Pulley
Ricky Wilcox & The Moonsnakes
Sunset Bridge
Sons of Hippies
Talk To Mark w/ Scott Elliott
Lauris Vidal

Cocktails for a Cause: A Benefit for WMNF

WMNF

***Cocktails for a Cause*** is a premier fundraiser for worthy non-profits in the Tampa Bay Area. April 27th, SONO Cafe at the Tampa Museum of Art has chosen your favorite cause, WMNF, as a fundraiser for your station! You'll meet WMNF personalities who work on-air and behind-the-scenes! You'll also get a **"Dining for a Difference"** card that you can use at Mise En Place the entire month of May, and proceeds from your meal will benefit WMNF! It's all in good taste, and it's a lot of fun! Museum admission is free!

The 31st Annual WMNF Tropical Heatwave

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Eclectic music at many venues in Ybor City. Bands already booked:
**Chuck Prophet and Mission Express** - A longtime WMNF favorite; the eclectic rocker returns. His upcoming 2012 CD is getting great early reviews. **The Bright Light Social Hour** - The young Central Texas band has built their reputation through consistent high energy live shows melding rock, soul, and psychedelia. With their amazing Heatwave set last year and a soldout show at Skippers in January they have become WMNF favorites **Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit** - the singer, songwriter and guitarist who played for six years with Drive-By Truckers before embarking on a career leading his own band. His 2011 CD is on many best of the year lists. **JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound** - With a sound that calls to mind the melting pot Chicago Uptown neighborhood they’re named for—a meeting of Otis Redding and the Stooges—JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound get crowds twisting and writhing on the floor. The charismatic Brooks erupts with raw emotion, harnessing the Uptown Sound’s post-punk reimagining of JB’s moves and MG’s grooves to unleash pure and uncompromising soul music ranging from sweaty on-the-one workouts , dance-punk booty shakers, garage rock thump humps, and aching R&B ballads without a missed step in between. **Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra** - a 10-piece Explosion of Righteousness, blending New Orleans party music, Secular Gospel (that’s right, gospel w/out the religion), Soul, R&B, and Roots Rock into a feel-good gumbo of love. More than just a band, BroJo is a feast for the eyes and the ears – dressing in their finest whites, dancing with parasols, and throwing out tons of Mardi Gras beads as they enter with a New Orleans-style “Second Line” parade through the audience. The band began performing in late 2007 and has gathered quite a following due to a live show that prompted Ryan Snyder from YES! Weekly to say that BroJo’s “…funky, free-wheeling unit looks and sounds as if they just stepped off a Big Easy 2nd line from heaven.” **the Growlers** – a Long Beach, California band known for its heavy use of effects, including voice effects, especially reverb, and mixes the sound of the Californian rock of the '60s, notably that of the Beach Boys, with a heavy load of psychedelia giving birth to what they call the Beach Goth….. "a trademark style of music that somehow combines country, surf, pop, and rock". Their concerts have a great deal of theatricality, they often show up with wigs, heavy make-up, women dresses and assorted things.. **The Revelations', featuring Tre Williams** - They revive '60s and '70s soul, yet there's a modern quality to their sound that suggests they're not bound to the confines of a jukebox. They blend images of the bluesy South with the gritty streets of a bustling city. The raw-voiced Williams brings to mind a modern-day Otis Redding. With a background in church choirs and R&B, he's developed an impressive four-octave range. The sextet's mixture of soul, funk and hip-hop creates a fusion of old standards with fresh ideas. **Dex Romweber Duo** - Dex pioneered the template for the stripped to-the-essentials guitar/drums duo in the 80s with Flat Duo Jets. He continues the rockabilly-garage-punk duo sound with sister Sara on drums. **Suenalo** - Funk cruises through the Caribbean picking up Afro sounds from Cuba and Puerto Rico. Reggae meets rock in a head-on collision. Jazz and electro hook up for a sidewalk makeout session. Hip-hop seems to hum from the very pavement, and R&B drifts in on the night wind. Suenalo reaches to far-flung corners and retrieves all these, takes them and mashing them together. **Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs** - Shamarr Allen is a dreadlocked phenom – A music-writing singing powerhouse with a blazing trumpet. He ranges over trad jazz, pop, rock, funk, rap and hip-hop as easily as a half-track conquers the landscape. After perfecting his chops as a member of the Hot 8 and ReBirth Brass bands, he has risen to national prominence in the past two years. Allen is keeping the New Orleans trumpet tradition alive as he lends it a newly relevant voice wrapped in an energetic body. **Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds** - Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds has been tearing it up with its rollicking blend of soul, funk and backwoods Americana rock ’n’ roll, which draws even indifferent hipsters onto the dance floor. With a new album dropping in February, the buzz around this nine-piece powerhouse is reaching fever pitch. **Black Taxi** - At our recent sold out Bright Light Social Hour show, the opening band Black Taxi was crazy good, with an anything goes punk ethos, unparalleled energy and strong songwriting...and a bunch of instrument change-ups. We heard lots of folks saying they need to come back - you will have another chance to discover them at Tropical Heatwave. **Lipbone Redding and the Lipbone Orchestra** - Inventive voicestrumentalist and Southern Gentleman, Lipbone Redding, creates original songs that effervesce with New Orleans swing, Memphis grooves and New York City style. Though his songs stand alone, his entire show is greased with uncanny riffs of vocal trumpeting (AKA THE LIP-BONE*), booming mouth percussion, hilarious side moments and esoteric lyrics, **Barons of Tang** - The gypsy/ska/tango/punk band from Australia was booked for Heatwave last year but ran into visa problems. This year all is well with visas and we get to see the band with ecstatic reviews: “My god, what joyous, mental bedlam they created. Their deathcore gypsy style was an exquisite fit for the crowd and the reaction was immense. People were twisting, shouting, shaking, baking, flaking, mixing, throwing shapes, forming high-stepping lines and Charleston groups and all other crazy, misbegotten attempts at dancing. The sheer thrill of the thing, the heady rush of the soaring accordion and tub-thumping double bass, was exactly the way the night should have ended.” **The Explorer’s Club** - The Explorers Club may sound at first like a mash up of Burt Bacharach, Jellyfish and The Beach Boys, but what lies underneath is one of the few bands in recent times that have managed to pay homage to the past with a finely tuned ear toward the future. We liked theirr first album Frredom Wind which re-created The Beach Boys and their new release "Grand Hotel" obliterates our expectations. **Boom Chick** - a male-female duo creating an explosion of blues, atomic 50's rock n roll and dripping reverb. **He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister** - Flamboyant folk, glam-a-billy, circus rock, vaudeville pop, cabaret blues **El Tule** - Salsa, cumbia, reggae and other danceable Latin music, a 9-piece band from Austin **The Preservation** - a hot new band from Austin playing “Cosmic American Music.” **Bobby Lee Rodgers** - A stellar songwriter, vocalist and guitarist he fuses rock, funk, jazz and blues into a magical musical tapestry. His unique sound and stylings are garnering a growing popularity wherever he performs. **Thomas Wynn and the Believers** - They are a combination of blistering rock and southern soul. This tight six-piece, fiery ensemble has been playing the Orlando original music circuit for the last three years and have quickly garnered local celebrity press status and fan buzz. Thomas’ spirit-moving vocals are uniquely supported by sister Olivia Wynn’s engaging and captivating voice and presence. **The Hip Abduction** - Breezy, good time groove-and-sway music mixing flavors of funk, jazz, roots reggae, Afro-beat, Latin and acoustic rock into an intoxicating brew. Percussion and vibes add texture, the three-piece horn section offers bright brassy bursts of sound, and frontman David New embodies Jack Johnson’s brand of laid-back cool. **Jubal's Kin** - The very young (ages 13-23) family band plays an eclectic blend of old-timey bluegrass and indie folk --what they've dubbed as "Appalachia-infused Cosmic Americana". Their distinctly spare sound is a fresh take on playing traditional music. **Rocksteady@8** - Formed in 1999, they perform the languid and soulful form of ska/reggae from which the band gets its name, drawing a faithful following and festive crowd for their shows. Their shows are lively and animated. **Barely Pink** - They were awesome, a triumph re-creating the Ziggy Stardust album last weekend. They will reprise the Ziggy Stardust album at Heatwave and play some originals and other cool covers. **Beebs and her Moneymakers** - With the kazoo wielding songstress Beebs as their fearless leader, BaHMM give high energy performances, a refreshing blend of psychedelic rock, funk, blues, and hip-hop. **Poetry n’ Lotion** - The heavy drive of metal, the old-timey bounciness of swing jazz and groovin’ slinkiness of funk jazz, the organic backporch feel of roots, the swagger of ’70s prog rock, the easy-going sway of reggae – all these elements and more are thrown into the fusion fabulous sound of Poetry n’ Lotion, a mostly instrumental fourpiece that includes mandolin player Jim Page, guitarist Matt E. Lee, bassist Tom Murray and drummer John Nowicki. **Infinite Groove Orchestra** - Touching on everything from odd metered jazz formats to get out of your seat and dance electronic drum and bass grooves to dirty, organ slammin’ psychedelic funk and feel good, push and pull reggae jams, Infinite Groove Orchestra maintains the perfect balance of respect for tradition with the keen understanding and practical application of modern technology. **The Dreadful Snakes** - Little Girl and The Dreadful Snakes is a modern bluegrass group. Charlie Boone - guitar, John Short - mandolin, Cheri Hornsby - bass, Lucien Tender - guitar, Ken Bailey – banjo. **Acme Jazz Garage** - Jazz, Blues, Funk, Rock, Fusion and more from a band featuring established Tampa Bay area players. They mix music by the Meters, Herbie Hancock, Dr. Lonnie Smith, MMW and others with originals in the same vein. **Kirsten and Jasmin** - Kirsten Campbell’s recent musical collaboration with Jasmin Martinez is a sure fit. They quickly recognized the potential to combine their musical styles and began to collaborate to create their own style. The result is a unique combination of rhythmic ear catching tunes, tight harmonies, and provocative introspective lyrics. They have also grabbed their audience’s attention with their ukulele songs! **The Garbage-Men** - The Garbage Men are a band of 5 teenagers from Sarasota who make their own instruments from garbage and recycled materials in order to educate the community about recycling. They play rock classics on trash cans, water jugs, glass bottles, cereal boxes, balloons and more trash objects. You need to see them! **Sunset Bridge Band** - an Alt-Country, Folk Rock quartet. The lyrics are rustically simple, witty, and heartfelt. The melodies are catchy, enthralling, and captivating. Lead singer Gracie Grieshop, hits raspy soprano notes and her voice has been compared to Edie Brickell, Brandi Carlisle, and Tara Nevins. **The Wholetones** - The Naples combo play a unique mix of bluegrass, folk, jazz, and metal, all translated through acoustic instruments. Combining impressive technical skill with the spontaneity of jazz and drive of bluegrass, they put on a captivating live show, jumping from folk to metal as easily as they do from banjo to cello. **STAY TUNED FOR TICKET SALES...**

The Free Speech Zone!

WMNF

WMNF is presenting an exciting new fundraiser aptly coined ***The Free Speech Zone*** and the timing couldn’t be better! The WMNF Development Committee is presenting his lively event---envisioned as a celebration of the right to individual and collective freedom of expression. The Free Speech Zone will take place Saturday, August 18, 2012 at the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa from 7:00-10:00 pm. The night will include: • Opportunity for verbal and visual expression through dress, music and other activities • Top notch entertainment • Live music and WMNF DJs • Live and Silent Auctions • A Decadent Dessert Bar and Hors d’Ouevres Table • A Specialty Coffee Bar and Full Cash Bar As our station Values Statement clearly notes, WMNF advocates for peace, social and environmental justice through independent media and programming neglected by the mainstream. We embrace diversity, tolerance of others’ opinions and freedom of expression. WMNF celebrates and promotes the creative, cultural and political vitality of the local community. We expect this event will emphatically demonstrate our stronghold in these essential beliefs.