Garbage kicked off farewell tour in Orlando with renewed fire
Alt-rock legends Garbage kicked off their U.S. tour here in Orlando this week, which was great news! Not-so-great news: This is, in the band’s word, their final headlining U.S. tour. Garbage frontperson Shirley Manson laid it all on the line from the stage. “We as a band have just decided that things are getting stickier…
Tele and the Ghost of Our Lord got down-home at Will’s Pub to debut new record
Tele and the Ghost of Our Lord celebrated the release of their new, satisfyingly twangy musical zig-zag, The Jukebox Has Gone Sentient, at Will’s Pub (their musical home) with a release show featuring Brett Staska, Billy Ruben & the Mind Readers, and Swamp Blossom over the weekend.
Busch Gardens Tampa’s Stanley Falls ride to close after 52 years
Stanley Falls, a beloved flume ride at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, is closing permanently this weekend after 52 years spent cooling off countless visitors. Since its opening in 1973 as one of the park’s original attractions, many have grown to love the ride, which takes guests in a faux log that leads to one small…
Bayside kick off 25th anniversary tour with two nights in Orlando
“It’s not cool to like us, and you don’t want to make it cool to like you, because then they might not actually like you. They’re just saying they like you.” Anthony Raneri, founder, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of stalwart punk band Bayside, knows who he is and why he makes music. At this…
Florida leaders face criticism after announcing plans to drop vaccine mandates
Florida’s anti-vax surgeon general Joseph Ladapo, flanked by Gov. Ron DeSantis, on Wednesday announced plans to get rid of the state’s vaccine requirements, earning swift criticism from the statewide teachers union, public health experts and Democratic lawmakers. The Florida Education Association warned that eliminating vaccine mandates would make public schools less safe for students and…
Orlando folk singer Aoife O’Donovan gets intimate at Judson’s Live this week
Now that contemporary-folk royalty Aoife O’Donovan is a card-carrying local, these up-close performances are what we’ve been waiting for. For two intimate seatings in one night, she’ll deliver the modern, artistic and elegant take on American roots music that’s made her an indie icon. 7 and 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, Judson’s Live, $40.71-$76. Subscribe…
Orlando jazz maestro Gerald Law II releases zeitgeisty new album ‘Who We Are’
We’re living in a cesspool boiling over with rage, animus, anxiety and despair, somewhere between 1984 and Idiocracy. The only measurable happiness around right now is a kind laced with hate. Oh, what a fucking time to be alive. Is there even a place for peace, or even hope, anymore? It’s a good existential question, one…
Young country crossover star Jessie Murph brings ‘Hysteria’ to Hard Rock Live
Breakout star Jessie Murph is bringing her country storytelling laced with pop and hip-hop verve to Hard Rock Live. At just 20, the powerhouse vocalist has built a reputation as one of pop music’s boldest new voices, earning a nomination for New Female Artist of the Year at the 2025 ACM Awards. She first broke…
The horrifyingly glamorous stars of the ‘Boulet Brothers Dragula’ haunt the Plaza Live
The blood-soaked stars of Boulet Brothers Dragula, the dystopian double of Drag Race, are headed to Orlando as part of their Season 666 tour — and this is important for many reasons: 1, Dragula matriarchs the Boulet Brothers will well and truly herald spooky season here in Orlando. And 2, speaking of Orlando, locals have…
Florida GOP boasts 10-point voter registration lead over Democrats
The Republican Party of Florida took a moment to celebrate itself on Tuesday, noting that the GOP now enjoys a 10-point voter registration lead over the Florida Democratic Party, 41%-31%. (The official numbers put Republicans at 40.8% and Democrats at 30.7%). The remaining 28% of voters are either no party affiliation (NPA) or registered with…
Mennello Museum dives deep with summer exhibition ‘Pool Party’
As a place of social gathering, swimming pools define the haves and have-nots by dividing who has access and who toils over them. To animals they’re just watering holes; to humans, a symbol of status and leisure. They can provide invigorating physical stimulation, while also serving as a place of solace, respite or meditation. These…
Democrats LaVon Bracy Davis and Rashon Young win Florida special election seats
Local Democrats LaVon Bracy Davis and RaShon Young will be joining the Florida Legislature after winning low-turnout special elections held Tuesday to fill vacant seats for state Senate District 15 and state House District 40, respectively. Bracy Davis, a former state representative for House District 40, secured more than 80 percent of the vote in…
Florida launches first tax break holiday for guns and ammo
DeSantis’ proposed ‘Second Amendment Summer’ has evolved into a sales-tax exemption on a variety of hunting equipment.
DeSantis calls Pulse crosswalk a safety hazard because drivers who ‘disagree’ could be ‘incentivized’ to drive recklessly
‘It’s too much to have this,’ DeSantis said of the only standing memorial site for the 49 people killed
DeSantis says Florida’s looking into third immigrant detention facility, ‘Panhandle Pokey’
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that his administration is researching a third immigrant detention facility, this one in West Florida. The state-run deportation facilities existing in the Everglades and planned for Baker County are a long distance from the western-most part of Florida, the governor said. “There’s a demand to have way more than just…
Local musicians get cozy at Austin’s Coffee with ‘slumber party’ benefit concert
Despite time running out on their current Winter Park lease and the city positively slavering over the prospect of turfing them, Austin’s Coffee is still being Austin’s. The bohemian haven this weekend hosts an intimate late night of music, showcasing local and emerging artists. The lineup includes Oliver Mars Green, Zozingbo, John Miles, Zayne and…
Will’s Pub’s 30th anniversary kicks off in style with a weekend of shows featuring the Delusionaires and so many more
This weekend launches the weeklong fête celebrating the 30th anniversary of one of the city’s most defining and storied music institutions. Will’s Pub is synonymous with Orlando music history and the nights’ lineups reflect that heritage. Friday’s kickoff features legendary lounge punks The Delusionaires alongside young punk risers The Drop Deads, Double Bubble and S.M.O.P.…
This is your last chance to see Garbage in Orlando when they play the Hard Rock Live
Nineties alt-rock rampagers Garbage are hitting the road in the U.S. for their first headlining run in a decade on this, the “Happy Endings” tour. And it has a very happy beginning: right here in Orlando. The Shirley Manson-led dreamgaze band take their latest album, Let All That We Imagine Be the Light, across the country, but…
Burrow Press throws themselves a kinda-quinceañera at the Nook on Robinson this weekend
Upstart local lit imprint Burrow Press knows their way around fostering new adventurous literary talent and throwing a mean party. The former quality has helped them build up an essential library of bleeding-edge tomes by authors like Ariel Francisco, Leah Sandler and Pat Rushin over 15 years of bucking against the spurious defeatism of print-is-dead.…
Grammy-winning singer Kali Uchis gets ‘Sincere’ at the Kia Center this week
Family, stability and vulnerability underpin Grammy-winning singer Kali Uchis’ “Sincerely, Tour,” as she makes her way, with a new baby in tow, to the Kia Center. Returning to the road after the birth of her second child, the Colombian-American singer-songwriter writes “songs as letters,” penning anthems of womanhood, kinship and new beginnings. After a decade…
Raise a glass to Lucero and celebrate the 20th anniversary of ‘Nobody’s Darlings’ at the Social
Few touring acts are as dear to Orlando as Memphis country-rock paragons Lucero. And their 2005 album Nobody’s Darlings is particularly dear here. Besides being a classic that’s Lucero at their best vintage, it’s of an era when they were touring through with such frequency that they were practically local, a grand old time that led to…
Drag superstar Ginger Minj puts a spell on her hometown with wonderfully witchy Hokus Pokus Live
Ginger Minj is no stranger to the spotlight. While this especially rings true after the Orlando drag icon’s recent win on the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, her love of performing began right here in Central Florida before she could even walk or talk. “I grew up on stage from the time…
