Words and Photos: Matt Powell

Tampa’s New World Brewery gets some great shows.  And of course, they have some great beers.  So I’m there a lot, which has made me a bit blasé, I think, about the experience.  I’ve spent entire Saturday nights there ignoring bands, planted on a barstool sucking up brews.

But tonight I was extricated from my seat when I realized I was hearing something a bit different.  It turned out to be one Lauris Vidal, who is not, as it turns out, a girl.  He is a dude.  A dude with a ukulele.  Make that a ukulele homemade from a cigar box. He only played with the stogie-uke for one song, but it sounded great, as did his vocals, which ran from smokey falsetto to crooner bass.  Throughout the set he switched from the claw-hammer banjo to a nylon-stringed guitar, and proved he had virtuoso chops on both.  His singing never disappointed either.  At one point I swear he was channeling Billie Holiday.  By the end I was completely carried away by his talent, and totally fearless performance.  If you haven’t yet, you should check him out.

Next up was Tampa treasure Ronny Elliott.  Ronny is a poet, an instigator, and a storyteller before he’s a musician.  Which makes him one of my favorite musicians.  Tonight his set mourned the passing of The King, chilled us tales of psycho killers, and reminded us that rockin’ roll hearts beat in 4/4 time.  He brought out his best growl for “Time I Spent in New Orleans.”  Positively menacing.  His message at the end was the same as ever though: “Give us peace on Earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.”

Then came Will Quinlan and the Diviners.  Will started off the set solo, with just his Telecaster and his harmonica for one of his trademark poignant torch-rocking tales of those struggling with their faith.  Then he brought out the band to properly rock out with some selections from his acclaimed recent release, Navasota.  His lyrics and vocals were as powerful as ever, but I’ve definitely heard his band sounding tighter.  Due to a last-minute emergency, they were sans bass player, which must have thrown everything else off.  On the plus side, though, he debuted a pair of new songs I’d not heard before, and both sounded promising.

Up next was Matt Butcher and the Revolvers.  Matt B is one of my absolute favorite writers in the the Americana genre, with a voice that’s always compelling.  He sang beautifully, and strummed a Guild 6-string most of the set. His give-and-take with lead guitarist Tom Cooper was subtle, harmonious, and ... well, perfect, I guess.  Also helping to carry the day was Matthew Mendel, who was Johnny-on-the-spot with the harmony vocals and keys.  By this time an enthusiastic crowd was pushing forward, and all of The Revolvers delivered.   

The final treat of the night was Win Win Winter; a band that’s become a Tampa institution, and one just back from a month-long East coast tour.  The last couple times I saw them I was underwhelmed; they seemed a bit edgeless.  Tonight though, I was turned all the way around.  Maybe NWB suits them better than other local venues or something, because they had me banging my head and jumping around within the first 30 seconds. Front man Tommy Simms was at his best, with vocals that went from dusky urgency to frenetic screams that had me worrying briefly about the thickness of the glass from which I was swilling pale ale.  The whole band was spot on, tight, and obviously having a blast.  Just to make sure no one forgot they were at a rock show, guitarist Nate bashed his instrument to tiny bits against the wall and floor at the end of the raucous closer “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.”  It really was that kind of night.