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Crowded House: Five Orlando music scenes that know how to pack them in
Quit trying to come up with a slogan that explains why Orlando is cool. We don’t need a tag to verify our culture. When you tap into something authentic and organic, something self-sustaining through invested interest, something that grows more rapidly than grass in the Florida summer because it’s actually a wild thing – that’s…
34 free concerts this week in Orlando (10/21-10/27)
Wednesday, Oct. 21 Eugene Snowden’s Ten Pints of Truth 10 p.m. at Lil Indies, 1036 N. Mills Ave. The Imperial’s Acoustic Soundcheck With Day Joy 9 p.m. at the Imperial at Washburn Imports, 1800 N. Orange Ave. Reggae Night with Hor!zen and DJ Red I 10 p.m. at the Caboose, 1827 N. Orange Ave. Thursday, Oct.…
Former Gov. Charlie Crist to run for Congress in Florida’s District 13. Yes, as a Democrat.
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is staging another comeback, this time in a bid for a newly crafted congressional district in Pinellas County that appears tailor-made for the political phoenix. The Republican-turned-independent-turned Democrat made the widely expected announcement Tuesday in his hometown of St. Petersburg, a year after narrowly losing to Gov. Rick Scott in…
City’s Municipal Planning Board approves amended plans for iSquare hotel and shopping complex on I-Drive
Today, the city of Orlando’s Municipal Planning Board approved amended plans for a developer to construct a massive mall, hotel and helipad at the corner of International Drive and Kirkman Road. The complex, which would be known as iSquare, would be right around the corner from the Fun Spot and International Outlets, and it would…
Orlando is finally getting its own women’s soccer team
Orlando will now be home to two soccer teams after the Orlando City Soccer Club announced it’s launching Orlando Pride, making it the tenth National Women’s Soccer League team. The Club says the team will start playing next year in the Citrus Bowl under former head coach of the Australian and U.S. women’s national teams,…
Timothy Eerie surprises, The Atom Age electrifies (Will’s Pub)
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND In case you didn’t pick up on the drug reference in their moniker, new Orlando act Timothy Eerie (Oct. 18, Will’s Pub) is a psychedelic band. And though they’re fun, this is the kind of garage psych that has a bit of an edge that can trip heavy or rise up punk,…
Out of 200 cities in Florida, these are the 10 ‘snobbiest’ (surprise: Winter Park isn’t one)
According to RoadSnacks, every state is full of snobs and Florida is no different, so they measured “snobby things” in more than 100 Florida cities and came up with a list of municipalities whose citizens think they are better than you. They even wrote a little poem about it: Where do you think Florida snobs…
Shoulda put a ring on it: Orange County to repeal benefits for domestic partners
The Orange County Board of County Commissioners decided at its meeting today to repeal a county ordinance granting benefits to domestic partners of the same sex. In 2012, the county passed an ordinance issuing health benefits to same-sex domestic partners, “to ensure parity for same-sex couples who did not have the option to marry,” according…
Florida Senate removes Confederate flag from state seal
Florida joined in on the nationwide fervor to get rid of anything with the Confederate flag still on it by removing the Rebel flag from the Florida Senate seal. The design above was adopted in 1972 and displays the five flags of every nation that has flown over the state, including the Confederacy, Spain,…
Florida man eats 25 crab claws in 14 minutes, shatters records
Aaron Sutcliffe, a professional fisherman whose appetite knows no depths, took 25 medium claws to the house last Saturday, breaking the previous record by nearly a minute. “In my family if you don’t eat the stone crabs fast, you don’t get anything,” Sutcliffe told the Florida Keys News Bureau. “And I love the things. They’re…
Taxpayers aren’t allowed to know how much they’re paying for Pitbull to be Mr. Florida
If you’d like to know how much it costs for Florida taxpayers to hire Miami-based rapper Pitbull as our state’s tourism ambassador, well too bad, that information is protected from public records. Last September, Pitbull, the rapper known for lyrics like “Mami got an ass like a donkey with a monkey / Look like King Kong,” was…
Trailer Park Boys’ Randy and Mr. Lahey are coming to Backbooth
Two characters from the popular television series Trailer Park Boys will be bringing their live stand-up show to Backbooth this February. The Randy and Lahey Show is loosely based around the two antagonists from the series; Mr. Lahey, a drunken ex-cop Trailer Park Supervisor and his side-kick Randybobandy the cheeseburger eating, shirtless, former male prostitute. The show…
Disney World’s Soarin’ ride will be closed for refurbishments beginning January
Walt Disney World announced Monday that Soarin’, the 4-D ride at Epcot that features excellent air conditioning, will be closed for “refurbishment” starting this January. According to Disney’s official blog, the ride will close Jan. 4 and will reopen sometime in the summer of 2016. Last August, Disney announced that Soarin’ would soon feature a…
Challengers call out Mayor Buddy Dyer for refusing to debate
With city elections about two weeks away, mayoral candidates Paul Paulson and Sunshine Linda Marie Grund took to the steps of Orlando City Hall and called out Mayor Buddy Dyer for avoiding participating in any debates with them. “Mr. Dyer has been a no-show at almost all of the debates,” Paulson says. “He’s up there…
Mayor won’t dip into city coffers for Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts might have to wait a while longer to begin its estimated $177-million second phase. At a recent Tourist Development Council meeting, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he would not entertain the idea of giving more city money for the performing arts center’s next phase, which is about…
Hip-hop wunderkind Joey Bada$$ brings old-school bump to Venue 578
There’s no way you spun Joey Badass’ debut studio album B4.DA.$$ and didn’t immediately nestle into its old-school bump. The young rapper gets criticized for borrowing too heavily from his influences, but the chewy listen at last properly introduced the rising hip-hop star, no matter what growing pains you might prescribe for any stylistic lack…
Daytona Beach restaurant bans pennies, nickels and dimes
Chef Mario Stemberger of the Dancing Avocado Kitchen, a veggie-friendly Daytona Beach café, sees small change as “an insult to simple economics” – so he’s banned it from his register. Pointing out that it costs the United States Mint roughly double their actual worth to make pennies, nickels and dimes, Stemberger says, “If the government is…
Don’t sleep on a free screening of ‘Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’ at the Enzian this Wednesday
With a screenplay by series creator Wes Craven and then-unknown Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Walking Dead), it’s not surprising that the third installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street series is often considered one of the best. The film touches on subjects a little deeper than the usual raging hormones and teenage angst…
Disney Springs to host early Star Wars Force Awakens screening, tickets go on sale tonight
To celebrate the opening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Disney Springs is throwing a special party that should satisfy even the most die-hard superfans. On Thursday, Dec. 17, Floridians will get the chance to screen The Force Awakens one day before the worldwide premiere at Disney Springs’ AMC theater. But the fun doesn’t stop there.…
Want to know what’s going on? Check out the city and county public meetings happening this week
With Orlando’s city elections coming up Nov. 3, there’s always that one person in your social circle that says, “I had no idea about [insert obscure topic here]!” It’s hard to keep up with what City Council is doing and actually live your life, so for those of you curious about where your dollars are…
Some prime real estate in the tourist district is about to go to auction next month
The tourist district is about to expand when some major plots go up for auction next month. Altogether 450 acres near the Orange County Convention Center will go up for auction on Nov. 18. A California-based real estate company, Colony Capital, is expected to purchase the entire acreage after working with the current owner; Georgia…
Utility-backed solar power amendment raises nearly $1.5 million
Consumers for Smart Solar, the political committee advocating for one of two rival solar power amendments for the 2016 ballot, has collected almost $1.5 million, mainly from Florida’s electric companies, the Florida News Service reports. The committee submitted 68,792 valid signatures to the state Division of Elections by Friday, which is enough to trigger a…
Noah Gundersen blooms live, with Field Report’s Chris Porterfield (The Social)
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND DeYarmond Edison is an early 2000s Wisconsin band you may not have heard of but whose splinters you probably have. From the cinders of their 2006 dissolution emerged the phoenixes Bon Iver, Megafaun and Field Report. That last one is the vehicle for Chris Porterfield, who just made his first Orlando appearance…
World’s tallest roller coaster at I-Drive is denied, developer calls Universal a ‘bully’
On Thursday, Oct. 15, Orange County’s planning and zoning board voted 4-3 denying developer Joshua Wallack’s $460 million Skyplex development, which includes plans for a massive 570-foot-tall “polercoaster,” a 450-foot SkyFall drop tower, a surf park and the world’s largest Perkins! Thursday’s decision was only an advisory vote, which doesn’t necessarily spell the end for…
Five new spots enter the Orlando dining scene, three bow out
As Alexander Graham Bell said, “When one door closes, another opens.” Substitute “restaurant” for “door” and “two or three” for “another” and you’ve got a pretty good picture of Orlando’s restaurant scene. OPENINGS: The Smiling Bison in Sanford has opened, cocktail bar and all. Pepe’s Cantina has opened in the former Mi Tomatina space in Hannibal…
Wear a costume to ‘One Man Star Wars’ this weekend, get 2-for-1 tix to ‘One Man Breaking Bad’ in December
Today, the Dr. Phillips Center announced that anyone who shows up in costume for the Friday, Saturday or Sunday performances of One Man Star Wars Trilogy will receive a discount voucher (two tickets for the price of one, good for up to four tickets) for their next one-man show, One Man Breaking Bad, which runs Dec. 26-31.…
Langhorne Slim & the Law aim to move your spirit at the Social
Over the course of the past decade, give or take, Langhorne Slim has evolved from bluegrass-picking troubadour to the linchpin in an impressively tight folk-rock band. His latest album, The Spirit Moves, trades in the old-timeyisms that marked much of his early output for driving rhythms and a self-awareness that feels more current and immediate.…
Take advantage of the gorgeous weather on a bike ride to two museums from Orlando Bike Tours
The Orlando Bike Tour movement is smashing the bike-bro cliché to smithereens. Their passion for cycling has taken them off the trails and onto the brick pavement to explore all the best cultural spots Orlando has to offer. This month’s tour is all about American art, and the bike tour will be pedaling its way…
Adopt a sausage-shaped canine at the fourth annual Wienerfest at Festival Park
How can you not love a dachshund? They’re the shortest, longest, pointiest dogs, they come in two sizes (miniature and standard, but still short) and because they’re wiener dogs, you can name them things like JimmieDean, Vienna and Chorizo. They also come in very handy when you want to dress up your dog for Halloween…
Futuristic hip-hop pioneers Cannibal Ox return to the stage at Backbooth on Sunday
Back in 2001 (when MySpace was still relevant), underground Harlem hip-hop duo Cannibal Ox built a legacy with just one record – The Cold Vein, a close collaboration with producer El-P (Run the Jewels) that vaunted El-P’s then-new label Definitive Jux by gifting it with an instant classic. All three came up together as kids…
TBT: Before Tinder, locals looked for love in Orlando Weekly’s personals section
This year we’re celebrating our 25th year in existence. And, so, every Thursday we’ll be taking a look back at a few of our favorite highlights while covering the vibrant Central Florida scene. Back before Craigslist, Tinder and Grindr (and well, most of the Internet for that matter), if you lived in Orlando and you…
D003Y & Broken Machine Films mix media at the In-Between Series (Gallery at Avalon Island)
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND The latest chapter of wondrous music monthly the In-Between Series featured noted underground artist D003Y (a.k.a. D003Y D3C1MAL) and video artist Broken Machine Films (Oct. 12, Gallery at Avalon Island), a pair of true analog believers. Under the moniker D003Y, Orlando musician Jeffrey Johnson is known as an electronic artist, but he…
An update on that DBPR-ordered sneeze guard at Kappo sushi bar
If you’ve been holding your breath – or your sneeze – wondering how this whole thing was going to play out, take a breath. As we reported in August, Kappo (the tiny and intimate sushi bar at East End Market) was hit with a violation by the DBPR for having uncovered food too close to…
This “Painfully Honest Map of Florida” is painfully accurate
Thrillist, a listicle site that once ranked Florida as the nation’s worst state, just released a “Painfully Honest Map” of the “nation’s worst state.” Though there certainly are some gross generalizations happening here, we ain’t even mad. Damn it, we want to be mad…but it’s all true. All of it. Related Stories
Junior Bruce guitarist Bryan Raymond badly injured in motorcycle accident
Bryan Raymond – a guitarist in elite local heavy band Junior Bruce – was in a very bad motorcycle accident on Oct. 12. Bandmate Tom Crowther tells me the good news is that his condition, though critical, is stable enough for surgery. The bad is that he’ll need many because his body is completely shattered.…
Mumford & Sons, Kendrick Lamar and Skrillex announced as Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival headliners
Heads up: Today Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival dropped a major announcement finally concerning bands booked for their inaugural event March 4-6, 2016. Top of the bill flashes major crowd draws like Skrillex, Kendrick Lamar and Mumford & Sons, then below other big names like Miguel, Future and Fetty Wap, but dig a little deeper…
Monty Python legends John Cleese and Eric Idle bring something completely different to the Dr. Phillips Center
If you’re wondering what to expect from a touring show featuring two comedy legends, just ask John Cleese. “Eric and I have a chat,” he says. That chat includes stories about the early days of Monty Python, performances of sketches that didn’t make it to air and even musical numbers. The duo then open the…
Fringe favorite Jon Bennett performs three one-man shows at the Venue this weekend
This month’s edition of Fringe Year Round brings back popular Australian storyteller Jon Bennett, performing three different shows that he’s presented at the Orlando Fringe: My Dad’s Deaths, Fire in the Meth Lab and Pretending Things Are a Cock. Bennett’s website claims that in 2009, he “realised his talent for placing his groin next to…
Boytoy manipulates emotions at Will’s Pub on Sunday
Dance dance dance the night away. Boytoy’s Grackle bursts with familiar rock & roll abandon fueled by coming to grips with unrequited love, twisting its hips eternally at that moment when you decide to quit trying to smother that cold shoulder in unseasonal sweaters. The Brooklyn trio tripped up snooty critics with their self-titled debut…
NOVA Restaurant to open mid-November in Ivanhoe Village, serving “60 percent seafood”
The long-awaited NOVA Restaurant in Ivanhoe Village will open next month in the space that once housed Brian’s Restaurant and Elliot’s Public House. Mark Stillman, of Atlanta-based 101 Concepts, the restaurant group behind a few well-received restos in the A-T-L including Cibo e Beve, Food 101 and Meehan’s Public House, is the brains behind NOVA…
Disney’s Christmas Day Parade will be taped at Magic Kingdom Nov. 10-13
If you’d like to witness the behind-the-scenes magic of Disney’s annual Christmas Day Parade, you might want to grab a spot on Main Street November 10th through the 13th. The parade, which is being called “Disney Parks Unforgettable Christmas Celebration,” is pretty much the cream of the crop of holiday festivities, even if it is…
Orlando pays $30K to man who says OPD officer kicked him in the face
The city of Orlando settled for $30,000 with a man who says he was kicked by an Orlando Police Department officer in the face, resulting in a broken jaw. The city agreed to pay Kentluku Nugent at the beginning of July to release all claims against Orlando Police Officer William Escobar and Officer Jonathan Mills,…
Review: ‘One Man Star Wars Trilogy’ is a hyperspeed blast of wit and wild energy
With new toys filling the shelves, new theme park attractions under construction, and a new sequel hitting theaters in December, we’re currently in the middle of the biggest Star Wars resurgence since the first prequel was released in 1999 (and we all remember how that turned out). Whether you want to get pumped for The…
Bring your dog to Legoland on Nov. 8
Legoland is either a dog’s dream come true or his worst nightmare – fake plastic Lego people everywhere to either pee on or scare the crap out of you, weird giant Lego construction blocks to ether pee on or scare the crap out of you, bizarre smells of thousands of people to either pee on…
Joe Rogan is coming to Orlando in December, tickets go on sale Friday
Joe Rogan, the pride and joy of Newark, NJ, will be gracing the stage of the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center on Friday, Dec. 18. The comedian has kept himself busy throughout the years hosting the epically disgusting show Fear Factor, destroying Carlos Mencia’s career, commentating UFC matches and launching a podcast series titled “The…
Aliens, freaks and bizarro themes: 4 concerts worth lurking on Halloween
October is about a lot of things – all of them good: freaky/funny costumes that encourage you to gape at strangers treats every day because they just look so spooky (good job, Corporate America) pumpkin bullshit in everything (because people don’t know that junk’s just canned squash; nice costume, Corporate America) horror movies on every…
Orlando Speaks brings police, community together at Edgewater High School
City officials and the Orlando Police Department hosted the second installment of Orlando Speaks Tuesday night at Edgewater High School in College Park. Facilitated by the Valencia College Peace and Justice Institute, the event wasn’t very different from the first Orlando Speaks in August, says Linda Shrieves Beaty, a spokeswoman for the college. “The content…
Lulu Eightball (10/14/15)
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This Modern World (10/14/15)
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The exodus of Puerto Ricans to Central Florida has given the political powerhouse a body of potential voters, but is it enough to finally have a voice?
The Orlando skyline is gray and gloomy the Tuesday morning that Carlos Baerga arrives from Puerto Rico. A few moments after getting off a plane at Orlando International Airport, the 20-year-old and his mother have stopped for some cafecito and a bite at one of the area’s best-known Boricua restaurants, Melao Bakery. In mere hours,…
Chef Dominic Rice fires up safe, seasonal fare in a handsome room at Dr. Phillips’ Slate
After three visits to Slate (yet another restaurant employing shouty ALL CAPS in its branding), one oddity revealed itself: There doesn’t appear to be any actual slate used in the design of the restaurant’s interior or exterior. That peculiar fact seems lost on the dolled-up clientele at this popular Dr. Phillips sup spot, many of…
Cask & Larder at the airport, 7 new restaurants and more in this week’s local foodie news
James and Julie Petrakis and partner Johnny “Not the 4 Rivers Guy” Rivers have, ahem, landed a space inside Terminal 2 of Orlando International Airport for an outpost of their Cask & Larder. A similar menu to the Winter Park restaurant, adapted to meet the needs of travelers, will be offered. Look for a summer…
An interactive village of art-filled moving trucks joins the 4th annual Creative City Project
Fans of Creative City Project in years past were treated to a new use of our downtown. Orlando’s hot concrete sidewalks softened a bit to nurture artistic expression, and art and music got a chance to blossom when the work day was done. But this year, Creative City Project takes over a swath of downtown…
Culture 2 Go: There’s still time to apply for Orlando Fringe, plus 14 shows to see this month
It’s been just over four months since the 2015 Orlando Fringe, but applications for next May’s 25th annual festival are already available online at orlandofringe.org. All you need to toss your producer’s hat into the lottery is a nonrefundable $25 application fee and an idea for a show before Nov. 16. Looking for inspiration for…
Facing Halloween Horror Nights with no early access and no line-skipping is the scariest challenge of all
Orlando’s haunted amusements are again awash in virtual victims of violence: psycho-stabbing victims, chainsaw-massacre victims, zombie-virus victims, etc. etc. But truly, the most tragic victims are the type that popular Halloween events risk turning into – victims of their own success. I began attending Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights in 1996, and until 2015 I…
Picks This Week: Langhorne Slim, Matt Pond PA and more
Kevin Greenspon L.A. underground force Kevin Greenspon melds noise, pop and electronic impulses to create a distinct brand of static those in the know cling to. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Space Station, $5 suggested donation Noah Gundersen Wrestling with his Christian upbringing is a deftly muted war for Noah Gundersen on his…
Selections: Our picks for this week’s best events, Oct. 14-21
Sunday, 18: Cannibal Ox [MUSIC] Back in 2001 (when MySpace was still relevant), underground Harlem hip-hop duo Cannibal Ox built a legacy with just one record – The Cold Vein, a close collaboration with producer El-P (Run the Jewels) that vaunted El-P’s then-new label Definitive Jux by gifting it with an instant classic. All three…
Opening in Orlando: Bridge of Spies, Crimson Peak, Freeheld and Goosebumps
Bridge of Spies The Coen brothers worked on the screenplay for this Steven Spielberg Cold War drama, in which a Brooklyn lawyer (Tom Hanks) works to gain the freedom of American pilot/spy Francis Gary Powers. You remember Powers: He was the guy who was shot down over the Soviet Union and became the center of…
Steve Carell, Ellen Page and Julianne Moore star in Freeheld, emotional drama about marriage equality
Freeheld is a gut punch of a movie. It’s Julianne Moore dying of cancer. Civil rights. Equal rights. Gay marriage. A flamboyant Steve Carell, whose comic relief has never been more welcome. It’s one of those movies that infuriates you because it’s based on something that should be easy and obvious – and yet close-minded, intolerant…
Savage Love (10/14/15)
I am a cis-woman in my mid 20s. I get a pang or a spasm of pain in a place deep in my clit/urethra area. I can’t pinpoint which part exactly. It takes me by surprise every time it happens. Around four or five convulsions happen and then quickly it’s over. There’s no pattern – it…
Free Will Astrology (10/14/15)
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Here’s actor Bill Murray’s advice about relationships: “If you have someone that you think is The One, don’t just say, ‘OK, let’s pick a date. Let’s get married.’ Take that person and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for the two of you to go to places that are…
Gimme Shelter (10/14/15)
Orange County Animal Services has a young pup that can bring a little sunshine into your life. Meet Bobo (Animal ID A332103). This happy dog is 3 years old, and he enjoys back rubs and eating treats all day long. Bobo also knows how to walk well on a leash. He may have short legs,…
