As summer inches near and temperatures rises, the bay area community continues to suffer losses and receive greater gains.
Florida is on the rise as a hotbed of creativity for artists. From noise punk rockers to shoegazers, to blues uke folk duo, the sound of the traditional Floridian musician varies coast to coast and it's because of that openness that genres tend to blend effortlessly.
From the sounds of intense punk hip-hop of Samurai Shotgun, to more elevated stoner punk music of MushMind, or the far off sounds of UFO Sex Scene — Tampa is a central point in this melting pot of artistry.
This allows space for growth among new artists and musicians, like the band Grand Lotus, a five-piece indie pop punk band from Tampa, or DRUG the vibe noise punk band from Ybor City who has recently returned from their North American tour following their EP release titled "Infinite Stimulant."
However, the punk scene isn’t the only thriving genre. Hip-hop around the bay area has taken on a whole new face. Just as this generation embraces the Lil Uzi Verts and the Joey Badasses, the new "hip-hop heads" have turned down the Tom G’s and up the Robb Gat$, Mc Kenna, Cap Luke, Social Combat and probably the most talked about at the moment, Mike Mass.
Mass is part of progressive hip-hop collective called The Young Parisians. His sound and ability to spit bars landed him recognition from hip-hop lovers from Tampa to New Orleans. Even up to New York, where he most recently murdered a freestyle on Sway in the morning on Shade 45, further raising awareness of the untapped talent from the bay area, and Florida in general.
For every possible gain, there is an inevitable loss. As the amount of art being produced and released increases, the venues at which they can be performed have continued to decrease.
This past weekend, The Amsterdam in St. Petersburg held its last show. Before that, The Goat House in Odessa was closed earlier this year. Even earlier, Market on 7th in Ybor stopped allowing artists to perform. Soon, Tampa will also be saying its final goodbye to Transitions Art Gallery.
The closing of these venues hurts the artists as much as the supporters, but where one door closes and another window opens — thanks to the efforts of local artists/promoters like Mike Mass, Kid Loki and Mc Kenna. They have all created new avenues for artists to express themselves. Mike Mass has hosted Wine and Rhyme every first Monday at Anise Bar in Tampa for the past year.
Kid Loki, the one take folk songbird, has had great success with her Red Light Cafe Open Mic Night at The Bunker every Thursday night.
Mc Kenna, who recently graduated from high school, strives to make changes with BeautiFL, aims to empower the Floridian youth through art and creative opportunities.
The bay area is strong and creates through its suffering. It will only get stronger as artistry develops and artists continue to collaborate. That’s what will count when it comes to Florida moving up to the forefront of the music scene.
