Past Heatwaves

2007: Trombone Shorty was the big discovery and overwhelming hit of the 2007 Heatwave. A fire in north Florida kept some bands form getting here on time so the schedule was disrupted, causing confusion. Jmes McMurty, Paul Thorn, Holmes Brothers, Unknown Hinson, Adrienne Young, The Dynamites, Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs, Dwayne Dopsie, Zac Harmon, The Postmarks, The Dedringers, Legendary JCs, Rappongi’s Ace, Glossary, Pink Lincolns, Military Jr., Zillionaire, Giddy Up Helicopter, Geri X, Doll Parts, Plain Jane Automobile, Vodkanauts, Infectious by Nature, Urbane Cowboys, Freddy Montez Y Su Son, Rocket 88, Mr. Specialist.
2006 # 26: This was one of the best Heatwaves from an artistic standpoint and for stellar new bands- great bands that had never played in this area before include The Saw Doctors, Nora Jean Bruso, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Ike Reilly Assassination, The Mammals, Grupo Fantasma, and Lost Bayou Ramblers. In our post-Heatwave survey the favorite artist was Chuck Prophet, who turned in a set he later told his manager was the best set of music he had ever played. Other bands were Locos Por Juana, Theodis Ealey, Bobby Bare Jr, Papa Grows Funk, Say ho To Your Mom, Dear and Glorious Physician, Glitter Guns, Hat Trick Heroes, Vera Violets, Summerbirds in the Cellar.
2005 #24: One of the best attended and strongest lineup Heatwaves.

HEATWAVE FEST JAM-PACKED WITH BANDS By CURTIS ROSS Published: May 16, 2005

``It's All Too Much,'' George Harrison once sang with The Beatles; and except for particulars of time and place, he could have been talking about Tropical Heatwave.
The annual music festival presented by listener-supported radio station WMNF, 88.5 FM, this year scheduled 32 bands on six stages at the Cuban Club, The Orpheum and New World Brewery nightclubs.

It's impossible to see it all, and reviews in this space long ago abandoned attempts at comprehensive coverage. If your favorite performer or performance isn't mentioned, consider it the reviewer's loss.

Eric Steckel looked barely big enough to hold his Fender Stratocaster, much less play it. But play it he did, as if the guitar were an extension of his 14- year-old body. His masterful blues licks had attendees who witnessed his El Pasaje Plaza set expressing their amazement late into the evening.

Jake Brennen is in his early 30s, according to the All Music Guide Web site, but he and his band, the Confidence Men, could have passed for teenagers. Whatever their ages, they displayed youthful energy and an old-timers' grasp of rock 'n' roll roots.

Th' Legendary Shack Shakers followed Brennen on the Cuban Club Cantina stage. Had Iggy Pop been raised on blues, country and the Pentecostal church, he might have become Shack Shakers' lead singer Col. J.D. Wilkes. There's also a bit of Ernest T. Bass, the deranged, brick-hurling hillbilly from ``The Andy Griffith Show'' in Wilkes. Fortunately, Wilkes didn't have access to any bricks, although he did nearly clock a reporter with a half-full water bottle.

Wilkes, his bony frame shirtless and clad only in lederhosen and suspenders, seemed genuinely unhinged: a dangerous performer capable of anything. But he and the band back up his antics with tough, blues-rooted rock. Wilkes is a ferocious harmonica player, and the rest of the band roared mightily, on the verge of chaos but always pulling back.

The authentic country of Orlando's Hindu Cowboys (at the Brewery) and The Hacienda Brothers (in the Cantina) provided a breather between the Shakers and the evening's cruelest scheduling conflict: Alejandro Escovedo in the Cuban Club Bandshell overlapping Brave Combo in El Pasaje.

Escovedo got the nod here, partially because his health battles (he has hepatitis C) made the likelihood of his touring again unlikely as late as a year ago. He looked and sounded great though, blending punk, folk and Stravinsky.

Of course, any band that can funk up ``The Hokey Pokey,'' as Brave Combo did, is a force to be reckoned with.

So was Devil Doll, who brought punk attitude to a set heavy on bluesy torch songs, but which also featured a revelatory remake of Golden Earring's ``Radar Love.

Alejandro Escovedo; Laura Love Band; Mofro; Reckless Kelly; Brave Combo; Th' Legendary Shack Shakers; Lorraine Klaasen; New Monsoon; The Beat Circus; The Hacienda Brothers; Devil Doll; Dikki Du and the Zydeco Crew; Biscuit Burners; Heritage O.P.; Jake Brennan and the Confidence Men; Eric Steckel Band; The Kissers; Edi Okri and the Afro-Centrix; The Voodoo Organist; Soul Sauce; Big Night Out; Uprising; Sawgrass Flats; The Diviners; Empty Spaces; Life of Pi; Addek and Speak; The Vodkanauts; Fall on Purpose; Urbane Cowboys; Four Star Riot; Hindu Cowboys; The Beauvilles
2004 #23: This Heatwave was the first to get significant rain, first during the gates opening hour period 5-6pm and then after 11pm.

Not quite as well attended as some of the Heatwaves, it received rave reviews - maybe the extra elbow room helped everyone have a great experience. Celtic folk-rockers The Clumsy Lovers were voted in our post-Heatwave survey as the favorite band. They wrote a nice summary of the festival in their tour diary:

"Saturday, May 1, 2004 -- WMNF's 23rd Annual Tropical Heatwave, Tampa, FL -- Now that was a fun gig. In fact, in a tour packed full of fun gigs, that might have taken the fun cake. Tropical Heatwave goes down in a funky district of Tampa called Ybor City. More specifically, it's in the Cuban Club, a giant building with multiple floors. There's a couple big ballrooms there, and then some huge courtyard space. All told there are six stages going, thirty bands, and about 5,000 people milling about. We lucked out with stage location and time. We were in a large outdoor stage, and the sun was just going down as we started. We had a total blast throughout our 90-minute set, played well, connected really well with the great (in size and spirit) crowd, no hiccups at all. Just a blast.
Then we just hung out and took in many of the other acts. A few of them we had some sort of industry connection with, so it was great to make acquaintances, and many of them we had seen their names a lot at venues we play and whatnot. Every single thing I saw was great. And it was all so different. The promoter did an absolutely amazing job of booking a great variety of styles. I saw awesome blues bands, Latin bands, rockabilly, folk singers, celtic rock, bizarre one-man bands, power punk/pop bands, a cajun band. No two things were alike. Towards the end of the night the skies opened up and the rain started just pouring down. Our new friends Brother were just starting their set, the last one of the night, and it was greatly amusing to watch the sound crew try to shut them down. They just kept playing, and when all the mics were turned off they all took sticks and worked on the drum set together. Eventually the sound crew drove them off, but they fought to keep playing till the last possible second. That's the spirit, boys."

Little Louie Vega; Diblo Dibala and Matchatcha; Sex Mob; The Dempseys; Ronnie Baker Brooks; BROTHER; The Clumsy Lovers; Hamell on Trial; Paul Cebar and Los Milwaukeeans; Elf Power; Troubled Hubble; Maggi, Pierce and E.J.; That 1 Guy; Anne McCue; Cold Joon/Dundu Dole; Psycho Daisies (with special guest Charlie Pickett); Nini Camps; Rocksteady@8; Midnight Ramblers; Skinny McGee and his Mayhem Makers; Irritable Tribe of Poets; Diviners; The Washdown; Crash Mitchell Quartet; The Semis; Red Tide
2003 #22: Despite some sound problems in the Orpheum, this was a great Heatwave packed with talent. This was our first Heatwave with a local showcase at New World Brewery.

Chuck Prophet; Lucky Peterson; The Waifs ; The Gourds; Paul Thorn Band ; Mofro; Chris Ardoin and Double Clutchin'; The Lee Boys ; DJ Le Spam and the Spam All Stars ; Nexus/Plexus ; Eric "Red" Schwartz; Utah Carol ; Heritage O.P. ; Patchouli ; Ronny Elliott and the Nationals; Barely Pink ; Saturn 5; Irritable Tribe of Poets ; Jibreel's Soul Fusion ; Red Tide ; Double Helix ; Xorcist of TDP; Sol-illaquists of Sound; Cyne ; Amandla ; Tribal Style ; Cocktail Honeys ; D' Visitors Tim Version; MOD; Big Kitty; The Boats
2002 #21: Kinky's set in the Cantina was the most talked about performance at the 2002 Heatwave. The station had built huge anticipation based on reports from SXSW, and Kinky delivered the goods with a fabulous set.

Michelle Shocked; Sonny Landreth; Tim O'Brien; NRBQ; Robert Bradley's Blackwater; James Mathus and His Knockdown Society; Kinky; Tarbox Ramblers; Rico Bell and the Snakehandlers; Tony Vacca and Gokh-bi Sytems; Inner Visions; Red Stick Ramblers; Hackensaw Boys; Twang Bang; The Unrequited Loves; Ghetto Love Sugar
2001 #20: A fabulous Heatwave, so many highlights: the powerful, mesmerizing set by Melissa Ferrick in the Cantina; the high energy world beat of King Chango; sweet reggae with The Abbysinians; Paul Thorn's first Heatwave; The Prodigals'first WMNF show; the over-the-top energy of Split Lip Rayfield; and capped by the late night set of Geggy Tah, booked just a few days before to close the 2001 Heatwave with weirdness and fun in the Ballroom. This is another Heatwave that could compete as the best Heatwave ever.

Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men; North Mississippi All Stars; Sam Rivers Rivbea Orchestra; King Chango; The Abbysinians; Melissa Ferrick; Michael Hills Blues Mob; Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire; Geggy Tah; The Prodigals; Paul Thorn Band; James Intveld; Split Lip Rayfield; Wally Pleasant; Kelly Hogan; Blectum From Blechdom; River City High; Magic Red and the Voodoo Tribe; 8- Track Gorilla; The Fallopian Tubes; Irritable Tribe of Poets; The Gita; The Unrequited Loves; Blue Plate Special; The Strangeways
2000 #19: A star-packed lineup that is a prime contender as the best ever Heatwave. Strong performances all around, not a single artist that didn't connect. The previously unknown Chuck Prophet played his first WMNF show in the tiny, packed Cherokee Club. The set of gypsy jazz by the Robin Nolan Trio was their first concert in the USA. The set by Dismemberment Plan in the Cantina was named at the end of the year by The Weekly Planet as the Best Concert of 2000, and the Weekly Planet also named the 2000 Tropical Heatwave the Best Music Festival of the Year.

In her post-Heatwave review, St. Pete Times writer Gina Vivinetto noted the multi-generational flavor of the 2000 Heatwave:
"A common sight: pony-tailed hippies with their pierced, spiky-headed offspring, all munching on falafel sandwiches."

A fire started in the electrical box behind the Cuban Club Bandshell during Los Mocosos set (their music was too hot)! It freaked everybody out because just two days before the 2000 Heatwave a huge fire had burned down a big part of Ybor City.

Buckwhat Zydeco; Deborah Coleman; The Iguanas; Alejandro Escovedo; Los Mocosos; Mighty Mo Rodgers; The Waco Brothers; Homer Erotic; Kevin Gordon; Trailer Bride; The Dismemberment Plan; Chuck Prophet; The Grandsons; The Blue Rags; The Robin Nolan Trio; The Thrusters; Screwface; Chris Chandler and Magda Hiller; Pagan Saints; Ronny Elliot and the Nationals; Scholar's Word; Orchestra Matata; Dave Hardin
1999 #18: This was the year of the Red Elvises - clearly the major discovery and loads of fun. They played a bunch of WMNF shows over the next two years. The Nields were voted favorite band on the Monday Morning Show after. Bernard Allison was incredible with great blues.
Bernard Allison; Reverend Billy C. Wirtz and the Polyester Prophets; Red Elvises ; The Nields ; Lynn Miles ; Ubaka Hill ; James Intveld; The Blacks ; Hamell on Trial; Mandorico; Lost Continentals; Belmont Playboys; Bogus Pomp ; Umoja ;Beanstalk ; The Thrusters ; Mr. Bella ; Lounge Cat
1998 #17: This Heatwave was loaded with first class African music with Sam Mangwana, Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, and African reggae star Majek Fashek.

Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca; Sam Mangwana; Majek Fashek; Long John Hunter; Royal Fingerbowl; Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys; June Rich; June Victory and his Bayou Renegades; Dan Electro and the Silvertones; Strangeways; Squirly Whirly World; Brainiac?s Daughter; Spiller; The Sahnobar Dance Ensemble
1997 #16: Dave Alvin was in top form with his band, a spellbinding set of guitar-based rock'n'roll. This Heatwave introduced us to the Burns Sisters who came back for many WMNF concerts in the following years.

Leftover Salmon; Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men; Michael Ray and the Cosmic Krewe; The Burns Sisters Band; Lil? Brian and the Zydeco Travelers; King Chango; Takadja; Moonshine Willy; Johnny Dread; The Roach Thompson Blues Band; The Women?s Blues Revue; Pork Pie Tribe; Joe Popp; Edison Shine; Shim
1996 #15: One of the best Heatwaves, strong throughout. Some of the best music was on the stage in Ybor Square, where Nil Lara was a soulful revelation and Geno Delafose was a huge hit with high energy zydeco. Little Jack Melody was weird and fun in creating a loungey atmosphere in the Cantina.

The Iguanas; Nil Lara; Geno Delafose and French Rockin? Boogie; Cigar Store Indians; Sista Monica; Darden Smith; Little Jack Melody and his Young Turks; Big Ass Truck; Sherman Robertson; The Bogues; Pee Shy; Joe Popp; Great Big New Ones; Creation Sound Reggae; T.C. Carr and the Catch; Magadog; Conjunto Yambe; Midnite Brass; Amandla Tunesmith; Brazilian Capoeira and Samba Show;
1995 #14: The last two-night Heatwave.

Friday night, not nearly as well attended as Saturday, marked the Florida debut of Donna the Buffalo; they played a trippy, dreamy late night set on the Cuban Club Bandshell which had dancers swirling across the floor.

Saturday night was magical, a night that had everything: Jimmy Lafave in the top roots rock form that made him a longtime WMNF favorite; Tabou Combo showed why they were world beat superstars, Candye Kane was risque, fun and surprisingly musical; Steve Riley had El Pasaje cajun dancing, and the Scofflaws were great ska.

first night: Pele Juju; Donna the Buffalo; Better Than Ezra; Terrance Simien; Smokin? Joe Kubek and B'nois King; Los Straightjackets; The Heartbeats; Steam Donkeys; Magadog; Amandla Tunesmith; The Pundits; The Shepherd Band;

second night:
Tabou Combo; Jimmy LaFave; Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys; Candy Kane; Monte Warden; The BottleRockets; The Scofflaws; For Squirrels; Big White Undies; Pohgoh; Bohemian Swingers;
1994 #13: Two great nights! Friday night was the Florida debut of Laura Love and was well stocked with world music by Hassan Hakmoun who appeared to defy gravity with his acrobatic dancing, soukous superstar Tabu Ley Rocherau, and the eclectic and twisted world dance music of Brave Combo.

Saturday night's highlight was a powerful set of rock guitar by the legendary Dick Dale.

first night:
Brave Combo; Laura Love; Tabu Ley Rochereau; The Blazers; Hassan Hakmoun; Jimmy Johnson Blues Band; Black Janet; Magadog; Maggie Council; Bohemian Swingers;

second night:
Dick Dale; The Iguanas; Chubby Carrier; Man or Astroman?; Keri Leigh and the Blue Devils; Flor de Cana; Mystic Revealers; Roadhouse Rockers; C.C. Adcock; Halcyon; Rosewater Elizabeth; Helium Bomb;
1993 #12: The first night of the 1993 Heatwave included five bands and took place completely in the Cuban Club courtyard with two stages. When one band ended another band on the second stage was starting up, making it breakless. With everybody together in one courtyard watching the same music there was not the typical Heatwave craziness. But it was special night. The sound of the harmonies was exquisite; magic was in the air.

The big hit on the second night was Edward II. The Heatwave audience loved their unlikely mix of English folk and reggae.

First night: The Subdudes; The Flirtations; Lester Chambers; Rumbafrica; The Fallopian Tubes

Second night: Webb Wilder; Edward II; Sebadoh; Lil? Ed and the Blues Imperials; Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band; Jerry Jerry; The Willeys; Benaiah; Rumbafrica; Magadog; Violet High; Smashmouth; Further; Dirty Blond;
1992 #11: A few days before the 1992 Heatwave, the Cuban Club Ballroom was deemed unsafe by the Fire Marshall. On short notice, friends at the Caf?reole next door to the Cuban Club gave permission to build a stage in their parking lot for the displaced bands. El Pasaje Plaza has been one of the main Heatwave stages ever since.

The 1992 Heatwave was a special year with the transcendent and spellbinding performance of Aboriginal band Yothu Yindu, and the Florida debut of the very young blues artist Sue Foley.

Yothu Yindi; Betty; Rara Machine; Sue Foley; Glenn Phillips Band; Mary Karlzen; The Fenwicks; Screaming Iguanas of Love; UROK; Ruppert Blaze and the Hard Currency Band
1991 #10: The headliner quotient was kicked up a notch with three first class headliners: Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Loketo, and C.J. Chenier.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band; Loketo; C.J. Chenier; Evan Johns and the H-Bombs; Chainsaw Kittens; Frontline Massive; The Kingtones; Magic Marco; Monday Mornings; Grassy Knoll Gunmen; Miss America; The Ellis Hale Combo
1990 #9: Many in crowd wore fezzes on their head in honor of world music hipster-jokesters 3 Mustaphas 3.

3 Mustaphas 3; Mikey Dread; Sonny Rhodes; The Tailgators; Dr. Hector and the Groove Injectors; Johukames Posse; Tommy Tye Dye; Forgotten Apostles; Kenny K
1989 #9: African music legend Franco could not make the trip at the last minute when he took sick but his fabulous band carried on with a set of soukous that had the entire courtyard dancing. Marcia Ball was a hit in her Florida debut.

Franco?s T.P.O.K. Jazz Orchestra; Marcia Ball; Wayne Toups and Zydecajun; Moe Tucker and Half Japanese; The Reverend Billy C. Wirtz; The Pale; Bash Poets; Strange Agents; Hapi and Patty and the Crabgrass Cowboys
1988 #8: Wild Tex-Mex rocker Joe "King" Carrasco was the headliner whose set climaxed when he climbed on top of a bank of speakers and took a diving somersault into the crowd.

Joe ?King? Carrasco and the Crowns; Fetchin? Bones; Sarasota Slim-Lucky Peterson Band; Skandal; Johukames Posse; The Midnight Creepers; The Wankers; Psycho Tribe; Kenny K; The Shakes
1987 #6: After almost losing control in 1986, steps were taken in 1987 to rein in the craziness and to save Heatwave. Sales were limited to 2000 tickets, ticket prices raised from $9 to $15 and greater concentration was made on high class music with first class sound. Two stages were set up in the Cuban Club Courtyard for non-stop music and dual headliners NRBQ and the Sun Ra Arkestra were booked. It sold out in advance. Many Heatwave veterans remember the 21-piece Sun Ra ensemble performance as one of the most thrilling Heatwave sets.

Sun Ra and the 21st Century Omniverse Arkestra; NRBQ; Noble "Thin Man" Watts; Voodoo Idols; Fenderbenders; Kuumba Dancers and Drummers; Busters; The Immediates; Paul Wilborn and the Pop Tarts; Johukames Posse; Han Din Hand; Kenny K....and a Tammy Faye Baker Look-Alike contest.
1986 -#5: With Buckwheat Zydeco headlining, Heatwave almost lost control in 1986. By early evening the Fire Marshall said capacity had been exceeded - hundreds of people who had already bought tickets and others wanting to buy door tickets were still streaming into Ybor City. Desperate people were scaling the walls and bribing ticket takers with money, drugs and sex. In those days coolers were allowed, and liquor flowed freely. A skinhead contingent in the basement was getting overly rowdy, and there was the sense that Heatwave had spiraled out of control.

Buckwheat Zydeco; Barrence Whitfield and the Savages; Johnny G. Lyon Band; The Wankers; Paul Wilborn and the Pop Tarts; The Magic Marco Band; Belching Penguins; Iroko; The Instigators
1985 #4: Bo Diddley (backed by the Magic Marco Band) was lured out of retirement living on his north Florid farm to become the first national artist booked for Heatwave. With Bo wearing a fabulous flamingo headgear,the Cuban Club Ballroom was so packed with people jumping with excitement during his set you could feel the old building shaking.

Bo Diddley; Stevie and the Hotheads; The Empty Sky; Veal Rifles; Rat Cafeteria; Fly By Night; Imani; The Star Band; The Shades of Gray; Kuumba Dancers
1984 #3: Imani; Mighty Pat and Culture Roots; As Is; 3 Teens Kill 4; Becky?s Army; Dialogue; Charlie Pickett and the Eggs; The Magic Marco Band; Paul Wilborn and the Pop Tarts
1983 #2: In the early years Heatwave was getting bigger and wilder and crazier each year.

New Breed; The Groovers; A New Personality; Eddie Kirkland; Caribe Cool; James Peterson Blues Band; Triple X Girls; Perfect Strangers; Rod Cafeteria; The Magic Marco Band; The Shades of Gray
1982 #1: In early 1982, WMNF Station manager Janine Farver and volunteers John Dubrule and Linda Reisinger were brainstorming new ideas for events and fundraising for the young station. In those days there was a popular annual event called the Artists and Writer Ball in Ybor City which always had a theme for decorations and costumery and was known for drink and debauchery, and that provided some of the inspiration for WMNF's new event. Janine coined the name "Tropical Heatwave", and the first Heatwave was advertised for May 22, 1982, at the Cuban Club, with seven local bands, silent films, mime, theater groups, clowns, jugglers, a light show and a Carmen Miranda look-alike contest (only gay guys ended up competing). 2000 people bought tickets for $5 advance, $6 at the door. The station made a $10,000 profit, a bigger success than anyone anticipated. An annual event was born.

The Fallopian Tubes; Voodoo Idols; A New Personality; Zenith Nadir; Your Relative; The Backbeats -