Holiday Issue 2016

November/ December 2016 

A Night 

With 

Dru 

Cutler 

The Hideaway: 

Sounds of Christmas 

A Publication of Bay Buzz Music 

Looking Back: 

Ronny Lowe 

1960 

Eddie Garrido 

CD Review 

1BUZZ MAGAZINE NOV/DEC 2016

3BUZZ MAGAZINE NOV/DEC 2016

Dear Tampa Bay Music Lovers, 

Happy November! It’s amazing that we’re 

almost at the end of 2016 and that we’ve 

been able to accomplish so many things. This 

is our eighth issue of BUZZ Magazine and 

we’re thrilled that so many of you have taken 

the time to read our editions; and also 

that many of you in this amazing community 

want to become a part of what we do. Our 

goal from the beginning is to make Bay Buzz 

Music and BUZZ Magazine a household 

name and we’re happy to know that we’ve 

made a dent in the local Tampa Bay music 

scene. 

We’ve been branching out a bit to bring you 

more valuable information, not only in the 

music scene but also arts, dining and theatrics, 

which we believe is another way to 

express yourself as one does in music. Another 

thing that Bay Buzz is now becoming 

involved with is our local schools and supporting 

Creative Arts programs. We know 

that music is a universal language and enjoyed 

by all people, whether by listening to 

it, singing or playing an instrument. So why 

is it that funding is so little or all together 

cut? We feel this is a mistake, because 

schools are not only losing an enjoyable subject, 

but also a subject that enriches the lives 

of students and enhances their education. 

There are many reasons to keep these valuable 

programs in the public schools of Tampa 

Bay and all across our country. Please 

help us as we work to help the students of 

Tampa Bay by being an advocate for “Keeping 

Music in Schools”. 

As many of you know, our festival “BUZZ 

FEST” has been rescheduled to January of 

2017 due to the damage that Gators Café & 

Saloon sustained during Tropical Storm Hermine 

and Hurricane Matthew. As disappointing 

as this is, we know that with the 

extra time we’ve been given, we will make 

this festival an epic one full of live music, 

entertainment, raffles, and activities for the 

children. On-line ticket sales remain open 

until December 31 st , 2016 and the 

voting for Best of the Buzz is now extended 

until December 31 st , 2016. 

Lately we’ve been asked where someone 

can pick up a copy of BUZZ Magazine. It is an 

online e-zine at the moment but our goal is 

to have the magazine printed so you can get 

your copy at beach bars and music stores. 

BUZZ FEST is a fundraiser with this in mind. 

Please show your support of the cultural 

side of Tampa Bay and help us meet our 

goal. How can you do this? You can purchase 

tickets for BUZZ FEST, become a sponsor or 

simply make a kind donation to this cause. 

November is also a time for giving and sharing. 

As we give back to the Tampa Bay community 

with our stories and articles of music 

and other artistic outlets, we wanted to 

share a quote with you from gospel singer, 

Amy Grant: “Thanksgiving Day is a good day 

to recommit our energies to giving thanks 

and just giving.” 

On behalf of everyone from Bay Buzz Music, 

we wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. 

Sincerely, 

Constance

Inquiries as to where to pick up a copy 

of BUZZ Magazine has launched us on a 

quest to go to print. 

We need your help! Bay Buzz Music has 

started a GoFundMe page to raise the 

starter money needed for this project. 

We’d like to see this happen mid next 

year as our magazine makes the 

transition from our on-line E-zine to a 

bi-monthly publication. 

BUZZ Magazine is all about the music 

and creativity in Tampa Bay. We are 

currently looking for writers who enjoy 

writing about local music, food and 

dining, art, theatrics and more! 

Please suport our cause and our goal 

and we strive to bring Tampa Bay the 

latest in music news and local arts. 

No doation is too big or too small. We 

appreciate your support! Click here to 

make a donation.

B U Z Z 

Magazine 

Constance Hilton 

constance@baybuzz.org 

Pam Wills 

pam@baybuzz.org 

Bob Feckner 

bob@baybuzz.org 

727.320.2424 Pam Wills 

sales@baybuzz.org

WHAT’S INSIDE 

HOLIDAY ISSUE 

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 

08 HOLIDAY GIFTS FROM LOCAL ARTIST 

14 BOAT PARADES 

16 

16 LESLIE REDMAN 

20 WHAT’S NEW: UPDATES ON BANDS 

24 THE HIDEAWAY CAFE: SOUNDS OF 

CHRISTMAS 

26 EDDIE GARRIDO: CD REVIEW 

28 CHICKEN APPLE CRANBERRY SALAD 

30 DRU CUTLER: INTERVIEW 

36 DRU CUTLER: LIVE SHOW REVIEW 

37 INDEPENDENCE FOR JJ: UPDATE 

38 MUSIC ETIQUETTE 

39 LOOKING BACK ON MUSIC HISTORY: 

RONNIE LOWE 

30

Holiday Gifts from Local Artists 

Anne Anderson creates life-like 

animal sculptures out of Agave 

fibers. Glass and clay details 

make them “come to life” before 

your eyes. Each unique sculpture 

is One of a Kind; there are no two 

alike. 

www.anneandersson.com 

Mark Noll has been makign 

unique jewelry and other 

amazing gifts for 10 years. 

You can find his creations at 

The Saturday Morning Market 

in St. Petersubrg and at 

his website. 

http://marknolldesigns.com/ 

8 / BUZZ MAGAZINE NOV/DEC 2016

Give The Gift of Music!!! 

What’s not better than sharing the music from our local artists! 

Give it as a gift to your loved one or treat yourself! 

BUZZ MAGAZINE NOV/DEC 2016 / 9

Give The Gift of Love 

Handmade Custom Electric 

Guitars. We use only the finest 

quality lumber with the the finest 

quality electronics and hardware. 

To Order Your Custom Guitar 

CLICK HERE! 


Bay Buzz Music has plenty of Buzz 2012 CDs for sale! 

This is a compilation of 12 different local musicians 

and / or bands in the Tampa Bay Area! 

Track One: “Cliché” by Bambooda 

Track Two: “Everyday” by Tropical Disturbance 

Track Three: “Mad House” by Savii 

Track Four: “Stone Cold” by Rock N Chair Band 

Track Five: “Good Lovin Man” by Avenue 43 

Track Six: “Stay” by Traci Tuesday 

Track Seven: “Type 2 Addict” by Summersill 

Track Eight: “Black Cat” by Constance 

Track Nine: “The Calling” by Funky Seeds 

Track Ten: “Judgement Day” by Steve Arvey 

Track Eleven: “Rock Jam Boo” by Swinging Yogi’s Band 

Track Twelve: “Drawstring” by Sackowoe Band 

To Order your BUZZ 

2012 CD Today, 

please visit our 

online store. 




2016 Holiday Boat Parades 

Holiday boat parades are a tradition in Florida, and especially here in the Tampa Bay Area, where lots of 

waterways and great weather combine to make a perfect environment for this family friendly fun time! 

Whether it's shorts and flip flops you need, or a blanket, come on down to one of the many parades you'll 

find across the area this season! Here's a list! 

Curabitur felis erat tempus? 

December 2 nd 

December 3rd 

St. Pete Boat Parade and 

Alafia Lighted Boat Parade 

Winter Festival in the Park 

This year’s parade will start 

View the parade from Horan 

at Williams Park and will 

Park and enjoy music, hot 

conclude at River’s Edge for 

chocolate, art projects for the 

awards and a special VIP 

kids and a special visit from 

party. 

Santa 

5pm & 8pm 

6pm 

14 / BUZZ MAGAZINE NOV/DEC 2016 

December 3rd 

Dunedin Holiday Boat 

Parade and Tree Lighting 

Celebrate the holidays with 

this traditional waterfront 

gathering. Decorated boats 

parade through the Intra- 

Coastal waterway and 

arrive at the Dunedin 

Marina at approximately

7:30pm. Enjoy holiday 

music and S’mores while 

waiting for Santa to arrive 

by boat and lead the 

countdown in the lighting of 

the City’s Christmas tree. 

6pm - 9pm 

December 3rd 

Pass-a-Grille/Vina Del Mar 

Parade 

801 Pass A Grill Way 

The parade starts at Merry 

Pier. 

6pm 

December 10 th 

St. Petersburg Annual 

Illuminated Boat Parade 

A full day festival for the 

family in downtown St. 

Petersburg Vinoy Park. 

Food, drinks, live 

entertainment and a variety 

of children’s activities 

followed by the amazing 26 th 

Annual Illuminated Boat 

Parade in the evening. The 

parade is free but there is a 

festival admission 

6pm 


Island Estates Yacht club 

Boat Parade 

Decorated boats assembled 

in Mandalay Channel and 

head to Coachman Park, 

under the Memorial 

Causeway Bridge and to 

Clearwater Yacht Club’s 

judging stand. 

6:30pm 


Treasure Island Holiday 

Boat Parade 

Parade begins at The Club 

at Treasure Island (400 

Treasure Island Causeway) 

and ends at John’s Pass 

around 8:30pm. The parade 

will pass through the 

channel at the Treasure 

Island Causeway Bridge 

around 7pm. 

6:20pm 


17 th Annual Hillsborough 

River Boat Parade 

Friends of the River’s 17 th 

Annual Holiday Boat Parade 

is a celebration of life in a 

city with a river flowing 

through it! 

6pm 

December 21 st 

Twinkle in Tampa Lighted 

Boat Parade 

This Tampa Holiday Lighted 

Boat Parade takes place 

along the water at Davis 

Island, Harbour Island and 

the Channelside District. 

You will be able to see the 

parade along the stretch of 

land from Davis Island to 

Channelside near 

downtown Tampa. 

6:30pm 


You might know Leslie from the band, 

“Primal Shift” as she is the lead guitarist for 

the band that is based out of Plant City. But 

did you know she is an Jersey girl and a lover of 

horses? We got to talking with Leslie to find out 

more about this head banging rock and roll girl. 

My main 

passion is the guitar. However, I do play drums, 

bass, and keyboards enough to get my creative 

ideas down and I think, as a guitarist, acquainting 

yourself with other instruments is really helpful in 

understanding how the guitar fits in with the pocket 

with the other instruments in the band. 

And, it really gives you a respect for how important 

each instrument is in a band. No one instrument is 

any more important than the other. 

Doing great, thanks for asking. 

My parents moved down here from Jersey 

back in the '80s. In fact, I graduated from Dunedin 

High School back in '87. Of course, being a teenager 

full of angst at the time I couldn't wait to get back 

to Jersey. (LOL). So, I high tailed it back up North 

right after graduation. Through the years I would 

come down to visit my parents and as they have 

gotten older I decided to move down here permanently 

in the mid 90's. I love Jersey, but I must 

admit I love Florida too. I appreciate Florida a lot 

more now than when I was a teenager. I can't think 

of a better place to be right now. I have happily 

transplanted myself here. (LOL) 

Wow, that's a hard question. I think 

inspirations evolve. At 15, I would have said, "The 

Runaways" without a doubt. Joan Jett, in particular, 

has always inspired me. That said, throughout the 

years and playing in many cover bands, I think 

every song/artist I have covered has inspired me in 

one way or another. Tomorrow it would probably 

change (LOL), but today my biggest musical inspirations 

would be Joan Jett, Van Halen, The Runaways, 

The Misfits, The Ramones, and I really love 

Metallica and Shinedown. I have always been more 

inspired by bands than just the guitar players in 

them. I also am more inspired by rhythm parts and 

the progressions that make up great songs as 

opposed to the lead guitar. 

I picked up the guitar when I was around 15. So, 

that is about (cough) 32 years (cough). LOL... I 

didn't really take any formal lessons, I am pretty 

much self-taught, but I did learn from friends who 

played. I would go hang out at the local warehouses 

where bands would practice and rehearse and 

just watch and listen. When I could, me and my 

friends would sneak into bars and clubs and I would 

just sit, watch, and listen. Often times when a band 

would take a break, I would go up to the guitar 

player and ask them, "Hey, how do you do that 

lick?" or "How do you get your sound?" I was 

always learning. I still am... The best way to learn 

something is really just to ask someone who is 

doing what you want to do. I guess I am lucky, as 

all the guitarists and musicians I ever ask, were and 

are always open in sharing the things they know. 

Well, I had to 

take some time off from playing out live. My Mom 

was going through some health issues and I had to 

be there for her. So, in our down time April and I 

started writing originals and recording demos. We 

initially intended to just do originals, but the universe 

had other things planned at that time. We 

decided to play out with a few covers and it just 

took off from there. We found ourselves just 

enjoying playing out again. 

I was in an 

original/cover band called Anthem back in the late 

'90s. I did a lot of studio work after that for several 

years. Then in around 2011, I joined a cover band 

Twisted Logic, and following that Sanctuary. There 

were many recording projects and other little live 

projects here and there, but those are the more 

recent. My first band shortly after picking up the 


guitar was called, "Stick and Stones" after the Suzi 

Quatro song. We were horrible, but my God did we 

have fun...LOL 

always evolving and we are uber excited to start 

doing some original showcases in 2017! 

I 

met April when I was playing with Twisted Logic. I 

just love her so much, and think her voice is just 

amazing. Chris Trapuzzano just joined us recently 

on bass and we couldn't be happier he is a groove 

monster. Mike is a great drummer and close 

friend. We met back in Jan. 2014 and he was our 

drummer for over year into 2016. Right now, Mike 

is recording with us and filling in on live gigs until 

we work in and secure a new permanent drummer. 

We have many awesome prospects lined up, 

so I am excited to see who we will end up with. 

Right now, the main focus is recording originals. 

We still want to continue playing some cover 

shows as well, however we will definitely be looking 

to showcase our originals 2017. To be honest, in 

the next 3 to 5 years, I don't know. God willing, I will 

still be playing guitar, recording and living the 

dream. I try not to think too much about the future, 

I think peace and happiness can only be found in 

the present. I try to live by that. Of course, like 

everyone else, I am a work in progress... (LOL) 

The "high" for me live is just letting go of 

all inhibitions and becoming one with the music. I 

love the energy of playing music for a live audience. 

It is such a soul cleansing experience to share 

in the power of music. It is like we are all one, the 

audience, the band, everyone. We all can just close 

our eyes let our spirits fly and just be, together as 

one. You just can't get any greater "high" to me. 

Well, April and I 

have our place in Plant City on 20 acres. So, 

besides having the studio there, we also take care 

of 5 "Off the Track" Thoroughbred horses. They are 

living out the rest of their lives in the luxury of green 

pastures. We just love them, but they do require a 

bit of work, and that is good for the soul. Horses 

are such majestic animals. April and I are such 

animal lovers and advocates. In fact, for the past 2 

Yes, 

definitely! We held off on our bookings for November 

and December so that we can record our originals 

at my studio in Plant City!!! We are so excited 

to finally be recording the band and getting our own 

music out there. We will be releasing a single soon 

that we have been playing live called, "We the 

People"... It is a song that I think a lot of us can 

relate to given the times we are in. I can't wait for 

everyone to hear the studio track! It has been 

going over great live, and we are so grateful for 

that. We are so excited! We are looking to release 

our CD in February/March 2017. Primal Shift is 


years we have been hosting a private BBQ at the 

farm and this year we were thinking of making the 

event a bit more open and have onsite dog adoptions, 

and a $5.00 BBQ Plate donation that will be 

donated to a local shelter or rescues It is still in the 

planning stages so we will see how it all develops. 

I love to paint as well, I haven't had much time 

recently to, as we are so focused on recording right 

now. But, there is a serenity to painting that is just 

so calming. 

more than I do right now. I am truly blessed to 

have this life. 

We encourage people to 

check out our website at: 

www.primalshiftband.com. Or, if you are 

on Facebook, stop on by our page 

at: www.facebook.com/primalshift. 

I 

think Tampa Bay is booming with amazing talent!!! 

There are so many great bands it is almost impossible 

to just say a few. I just love Wicked... Jerry, 

Kenny and the rest of the guys are just Awesome! 

Really good people as well. I also really enjoy 

Phoenix as well. Stu Beans their bass player has 

filled in for us in the past and he is so much fun to 

play with. Daisy and Drivers is another band. Jenny 

has a fantastic voice. Mike's band too, Love Songs 

for Junkies, they have a great catchy pop punk vibe 

about them. Mike and I recorded some scratch 

drum tracks for them here at the studio that turned 

out really well. In regards to who I would like to 

perform with locally, anybody and everybody!!! LOL. 

Thank you so much for the 

interview. I really enjoy Bay Buzz Magazine and 

look forward to reading each month's issue. In 

closing, I would just like to encourage your readers 

to get out there and experience all the great live 

music that the Tampa Bay area has to offer. From 

small venues to large concert halls there is musical 

magic happening everywhere. And, if you get a 

chance to catch a Primal Shift show, please don't be 

shy, come up and say, "Hi." All Love to everyone, 

and hope to see you all soon. 

Not really... Most guys I have met in 

music have been really welcoming and cool. I 

believe a person is a person no matter what their 

sex. That said, I have met my share of jerks too 

that pass judgement on me for being a female 

musician before they even play with me, or hear me 

play. I don't pay them any mind... After all, that is 

more their problem to deal with than mine. 

I can't really say there is one unforgettable 

show. Every time we play and get to see and 

party with our friends is always an unforgettable 

time. That said, in the early 90's I did get to do a 

6-week tour of Europe in a cover band for a festival 

run and that was an awesome experience. I got to 

play, Bad Motor Scooter with Tico Torres from Bon 

Jovi sitting in on drums and well that was definitely 

a highlight I will never forget. To be honest though, 

I have never been happier or have enjoyed playing 

Comment on this story at info@baybuzz.org 

All Photos Used With Permission 


Bay Buzz Music has talked to a lot of musicians in 2016. And as we close 

out the year, we wanted to catch up with them and find out how they are 

doing and what they are doing….. 

Visit Barry Ertel On Line. Click Here! 


Becky Michela from Juction 27 featured our May issue after 

the Bay Buzz Music Relaunch Party at CJ’s On The Island. 

“ 

Laura Shepherd was the feature for June in a 

sparkling kind of way that she absolutely loved! 

Porcupine made the cover of the July issue! 

“The band added a new member, Mr. Elliot Dickinson. And 

we’ve added Brad Elliot on drums. We’ve changed from 

being an acoustic band to a full blown four piece band. As such, 

we added a “K” to the band name to differentiate 

between the acoustic trio and the full band. 

Funky De has been booking bands at The Blueberry Patch for 

almost two years. This year has been the highest turn out to 

date for The Blueberry Patch. He also has joined 

Boxcar Hollow and he continues to do his own production 

company called “River Styx”. The company has had a great 

year!” 


Este Loves showcased our cover in August 2016. 

Taper Jones is a one of a kind guitarist and we got to know 

more about him in our September issue. 


Black Sun Circus takes the October Issue! 

“ We’re excited to share with you that the band has been 

invited back to perform on the Live Stage at Full Sail 

university in Winter Park. The date is to be determined as 

we have four dates to choose from. We’ll keep Bay Buzz up 

to date on that show. And we’re excited to be playing at 

Cotee River Studios in New Port Richey on December 1 st . 

It’s been a great year! 


The ound of 

Christmas 

J 


Hideaway Cafe is located at 1756 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg 


is an award-winning keyboard 

player who comes to the Tampa Bay area via an 

unlikely pairing of places; Minnesota, and his 

birth home of Mexico City. The former Creative Loafing 

Best of the Bay winner makes his living around town as 

a solo artist; singing in some of the Bay area’s most 

notable haunts, including The Don Cesar, Malio’s, The 

Fox Jazz Club, and many more. With a pedigree like his, 

being the son of noted composer Vicente Garrido (whose 

songs have been recorded by greats like Nat King Cole 

and Vicky Carr), you might expect a strong Jazz and 

Latin flair in Eddie’s music, and you wouldn’t be disappointed. 

But it’s more than that. Eddie is a student of 

many eras of Jazz, Pop, Contemporary Christian, and 

other genres. With this most recent outing, In a Dream, 

Garrido showcases his Smooth Jazz side with panache 

and style. 

I was fortunate enough to exchange emails with Garrido, 

and in doing so, I learned a lot about his influences, 

technique, and songwriting/production process. He creates 

almost all of the music himself, using keyboards and 

several sampling and sequencing products, combined 

with some live drums and percussion; and the occasional 

guest artist where a specific voice is needed. The resulting 

combination is an eminently pleasing mix of textures, 

rhythms, and sounds. Garrido hoped to keep this album 

harmonically and melodically accessible while exploring 

his Jazz sensibilities, and I’d say that his mission is wellaccomplished. 

Visit Eddie Garrido at 

Eddie-g.com 

CD Review by 

Phil Traynor 

This lively piece harkens the legacy smooth sound that 

began in the mid-80s; fusing Pop, R&B, and Jazz. I 

immediately was taken with Garrido’s technical virtuosity, 

and how much the soloing brought me back to my 

own youth listening to keyboard players like Chick 

Corea, Russell Ferrante of The Yellowjackets, Tom Schumann 

of Spyro Gyra, Jeff Lorber, and more. There is a 

bright athleticism in Garrido’s playing, but within the 

barrage of notes is an innate melodic tone, every note was 

meticulously chosen and placed for optimum enjoyment. 

In the title cut, Garrido stretches himself a bit and 

explores a darker, more ambient mood. I felt like Sade 

was about to start singing along. The inexorable electron- 


ic drum loop sets a bed to spring forth into a heady 

sonic space, and the shockingly accurate sampled 

trumpet solo urgently pulls the listener along. 

Garrido’s Latin influences and heritage come to bear 

in this intense, emotional alloy of Flamenco and 

Brazilian influences, coupled with with American 

arranging sensibilities. Those elements merge to create 

a pleading sort of emotional stance, a passionate 

fire dancing in the soul. There was a definite filmic 

quality to this piece; it could easily serve as either 

theme or underscore to a movie. 

A return to a more conventional Smooth Jazz sound, 

yet still with an eerie dissonant darkness haunting and 

enveloping you. A sultry, steamy invitation to groove 

along. 

Guest trumpeter James Suggs punctuates this piece, 

inspired by and written for an old friend. The bass 

parts figure prominently as a counterpoint to the 

trumpet sound. The melody is especially strong on 

this piece, and it dances along deftly with the chordal 

rhythm tucked in close to create a syncopated and 

joyful celebration. A complex and weighty arrangement 

provide a solid punch. 

Ah, this tune was a sheer delight. If Jeff Lorber took 

an extended vacation in Rio, this song would be the 

result. Fusing samba-laced funk and Bossa Nova was 

an unexpected joy, and the melodic sensibility leaps 

toward the rhythmic. A danceable groove with a 

delightful twist on a progression that traverses the 

circle of fifths with passion and playful abandon. 

This piece has its inspiration in the music of the 

gypsies; some Flamenco creeps in as well. Accordion 

and piano tones punctuate the dark and percussioninfused 

half time groove. The lusty gypsy violin 

sweeps you away. This is another piece that could 

easily be pressed into service in the film score/theme 

world. 

This dark brass sectional tune serves as an intermezzo, 

a shifting of gears which takes the album down a new 

and improvisational path. Brief and quizzical, atmospheric 

and mourning; it compels the next steps with 

yearning dissonance and emotive resolution. 

Improvised solo piano is the hallmark of this moody 

and intricate piece. About halfway in, a string bass 

and drum part sneak in to complete the jazz trio 

sound and take you straight to a desolate 3AM club 

closing, where no companionship is in sight. Entreating 

strings rend the heart only further. Desperately 

beautiful, and the piano was captured in one take. 

Another one-take piano improvisation with drums 

and bass added in afterward (and by the way, as a 

multi-instrumentalist myself, I can tell you this is no 

mean feat, and it is completely transparent here. 

Garrido is a master at capturing a mood); this one is 

more hopeful; harmonically rich, emotionally textured, 

and while we are again treated to the trio 

sound, this time the club is closing with a last dance 

with that special person you saw across the club and 

couldn’t breathe until you were with them at last. 

If I have any complaints at all about this extremely 

interesting album, they lie in the area of continuity. 

The album starts off as a Smooth Jazz clinic, and then 

shifts tone abruptly toward the classically acoustic 

sound toward the end. As an “album”, I want to say 

this makes it suffer a bit, but the thing is that the 

pieces after the “turn” are the strongest on the album 

and are so compelling as to beg (and receive) forgiveness 

on the continuity front. 

Eddie Garrido is an exceptional musician, and a 

gifted and insightful composer. His aims for accessibility 

are most certainly met, but that accessibility 

does not come at the expense of interest. There is 

nothing simple going on here. This album would be 

fantastic accompaniment to a romantic dinner, a 

quiet party with friends, or a distinctly more personal 

encounter; there is love fairly dripping from every 

well-placed note, and Garrido has honed his craft to 

art form. 

BUZZZ MAGAZINE NOV/DEC 2016 / 27

● 

● 

● 

28 / BUZZ MAGAZINE NOV/DEC 2016 

Photos by 

Pamela Wills



A MOMENT WITH DRU CUTLER 

By Fred Fulford 

Dru Cutler, originally from Tampa, now resides 

in Bushwick, New York. He made a special 

visit to Ybor to perform at The New World 

Brewery. Bay Buzz Music paid a special visit to talk 

with him and to get to know him a little more. 

How does it feel to be back in your old stomping 

grounds? Hot! I love the seasons, though. When I left 

up north it was 60 degrees.... Here it’s 80. I love to 

wear blazers, so that’s a problem. 

Have you seen any of the old neighborhood? Yeah, 

I lived in the Ybor area for five years before I left. I 

used to play in a band called “Lush Progress” and we 

used to play at The Crowbar, The Orpheum... You 

know... Here and there. This area is very nostalgic to 

me...in a good way. I miss it. 

Did you visit the music store where you bought 

your first guitar? That doesn’t exist anymore. It was 

a body shop, then the music store took over. Now it’s 

comopletely leveled. It was on Nebraska Avenue. 

You have your own manta: “We can’t escape it, so 

let’s embrace it”. Your’re refering to nostalgia. So 

what does this mean and how does it come out in 

your music? I am really fascinated by the concept of 

nostalgia. There’s places that you go to that you’ve 

been to many times before. You’ve been there with 

a friend, a lover or a family memeber. That place is 

foever shrouded in some kind of emotional color. It’s 

hard to escape that kind of stuff. It can be daunting 

because people say, “Oh, I can’t go to that coffee 

shop anymore” because they broke up with their 


girlfriend or boyfriend or some other negative 

circumstance. I think we should embrace that type of 

stuff. Be eager to relive those memories. That’s the 

concept behind the mantra, don’t fight it. Embrace it. 

You’ve been a musician basically your whole life but 

I’ve read you’re a “do it yourselfer” as well. I’ve 

always been interested in doing “stuff”. When I was 

ten years old, I got a video camera. I used to rally up 

the neighborhood kids and make short films. 

Every year my family did a haunted house for 

Halloween. One time my dad took the blade off of his 

powersaw and a friend laid on the table like he was in 

surgery. My dad fired up the saw and chased people 

with it and they literally ran into walls trying to get 

away. I did stuff like this all the time. 

I didn’t have any lessons on how to rally the kdis to 

put on war paint and script this stuff. I just did it. It 

really came from my parents. They were both 

creative and very hard workers. 

I also like writing scripts and working collectively with 

the artists that I know. I also have a passin for cooking 

and good coffee. There’s really good coffee places 

here in Ybor. \ 

What made you decide to leave Florida? My 

girlfriend broke up with me. We dated for almost 

seven years and then she got a job on a cruise ship. 

That was the beginning of the end. Then the band kind 

of fizzled out. I just got to this place where I felt if I 

started another project here, I would be stuck. 

Tampa’s not a bad place to be stuck at but I felt I had 

to do something else. Moving to another location can 

spark change. You go to another place physically, but 

it also encourages a spiritual change. New York was 


the place I decided to try and I love it. I’ve been there 

almost ten years now. 

You’ve created your own venue in Bushwick - 

Brooklyn, New York, which is an outlet for the art 

and music called, “Unit J”. Many artists in Tampa 

Bay would love to do something like this. Where did 

this idea come from? I had one week to move out of 

my apartment in Brooklyn and had no leads on a new 

place to move to. I only had a part time job at the 

time and New York is a very expensive place to live. 

It’s a scary feeling. A student told me about this 

warehouse he shared with others way out of Brooklyn. 

I thought it was too far to travel. But three days 

before the move, I called about it and I took it. I was 

very skeptical. I was going to be living with five 

strangers. When I saw the vastness of the space I 

began thinking of what we could tdo there. It wasn’t 

all roses. I mean, living with six people is a nightmare. 

We had dark times. I came into the loft one night and 

one roomate had let some random people stay for like 

a week. There was a giant pile of clothes on the floor 

with a TV siting on them and they are watching “Game 

of Thrones” re-runs; and there was some chick in one 

of the rooms addicted to drugs. That was it! I just took 

it be the reigns and slowly kicked out all the people 

who were not on board. If you weren’t going to 

contribute, make art, help out, put on s hows, you had 

to go. Fast forward three years and we were just 

nominated for Best Live Music Venue in Brooklyn. We 

can host up to 120 people and at our last show,we sold 

out before the doors opened. We won’t be able to 

compete with larger venues, but it’s a relaly unique 

place where you can be at a concer venue and in 

someone’s living room at the same time. People that 


can’t enjoy the Bohemian lifestyle can get a little 

taste of it. 

Do you constantly put on live shows? No, no. Just 

enough so the roomates don’t go insane. But it also 

helps offset the cost of the rent. It’s real intense to 

come home from work and have people rockin out in 

your living room till 1AM. One a week is the max and 

in the fall, three or four a month. In the summer once 

a month because it’s just too hot. 

Do you do a lot of advertising? Absolutely. We have 

Facebook and also someone who does all of our digital 

advertising. We have a PR person as well as a team of 

people who produce and post/handout flyers. I try to 

delegate responsibilities so we have a team of people. 

It’s not just me and the roomies anymore. 

I heard you like to experiment with ways to capture 

your audience and get them to share in the 

experience. Everybody participates to their own 

level. How do you deal with this if it goes flat? Today 

people have very short attention spans. Sets have to 

be quick and there has to be a changing enviroment. 

So it goes frm a rock sound, to a tighter trio sound, to 

a solo sound. It needs to be constantly shifting to keep 

the crowd focused. I dont’ feel like I’m up there 

exploring my own emotions. If the crowd doesn’t feel 

like they are plart of it, they’ll tune out and the show 

is no good for anyone. I was doing a show at the 

Florida Music Fest and I have a song called, “I Want 

the Moon - But That’s Not All” and it has a fun chorus 

and everyone is supposed to sing along. Well....they 

didn’t. No one wanted to participate... Maybe they 

were too cool or not drunk enough. Whatever 

happened - happened. But hey, you’ve got to try. 

Are you working on any new material or 

projects currently? Yes. I’m working on a new 

song which I’m really pyched to play tonight. 

It’s called, “Hometown” and it really talks 

about nostalgia and people can really relate to 

it because it’s not just about my hometown; it 

relates to our collective hometowns. I do an 

acoustic version on YouTube but I”m putting 


out a great rock version with my whole band. 

It’sll be out next month. 

What are you planning in your future? I’m 

wrapping up the year but hoping to be in the 

Florida Music Fest and be at “South by 

Southwest”. Those are my two big things for 

2017. 

Visit Dru Cutler at 

www.drucutler.com 

http://www.unitjbushwick.com 

Where can we find your music? You can find 

it on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and all the 

streaming services. 

Anything else you’d like to say? Come check 

me out and have a good time! 

PHOTOS BY PAMELA WILLS 


Dru Cutler: 

Live Show Review 

By Fred Fulford 

Dru put on a great set at the New World 

Brewery in Ybor, Florida. Opening with 

his new song, “Hometown”, a little of his 

signature nostalgia creeps into your heart. The song 

brings you back to the place you grew up. 

Being that Dru is a storyteller through his music, he 

paints a little background to each of his original 

songs. It makes you feel part of the creative process 

when you find a piece of you in the story. 

His song Ghost has a Pink Floyd trippiness mixed 

with a little jazz that almost appears improvised. It 

may not be the biggest crowd pleaser, but one would 

have to give extra kudos for the creativity that 

blended within the melody and how he poured it out 

so smoothly. 

He is also one to use the audience for more audience 

entertainment and a way to make each person feel 

like they are part of his show. By using audience cell 

phone text messages to write a song on the spot, he 

told me during the interview that he was sorry he 

couldn’t use mine. I thought it would be fun to hear 

him read my messages and then sing about how the 

Bay Buzz team scrambled about to get coordinated 

for the interview and review process. Instead, he 

found a man and his sick girlfriend talking about 

spending the afternoon together swigging Nyquil 

and chasing it down with whiskey. It was very interesting! 

With, I Want The Moon, But That’s Not All, Dru gets 

the audience participating, if they feel so inclined to 

do so. Audience members are to sing a small three 

note chorus when prompted. I sang loudly (and 

badly) and the others in the bar were obliged to sing 

in order to drown me out. I think I might have even 

noticed a little nod of appreciation from Dru as I 

blended myself into the crowd. 

Dru also did a couple of cover tunes, but his rendition 

of Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads put me 

down the old nostalgia trail once again. I recalled 

the first time I had heard the song as a teenager. I 

played it over and over until I knew every lyric and 

would sing it to myself walking down the halls the 

high school. 

Dru is a very creative artist with a promising future! 

Check out his music at Amazon, Itunes, or 

YouTube. Bay Buzz will let you know when he’s 

coming back to the Tampa Bay area. We know you 

would enjoy to see him live! 


Dear Bay Buzz Music, 

We have progress on JJ’s new room! We have 

bought almost all the materials. Through a church 

organization, we had a group of seven men come 

out for one day. They were able to get most of the 

dryall up, mud and tapering done, the air conditioner 

was installed and the flooring scraped up. 

We still need someone to finish the project up. 

Thank you so much for making this happen! 

Love, Dawn, Joel and JJ. 


There are some unspoken truths and unwritten laws that every working 

professional musician should know. I’m here to speak them for you! 

1) Most of us enjoy a certain “looseness”, and we 

each arrive at that point in our own way. That 

said, getting wasted at a gig is really passé; and 

more to the point, it’s a great way to lose a gig. 

No one really cares what it is you enjoy or what 

you imbibe; Nevertheless, make sure you are 

not over the top and are always able to make 

the best decisions for your show on stage. 

2) Be prepared. If you get a gig, do your homework. 

A lot of pros do not want (or need) to 

rehearse, they can just read the material. They 

also don’t like when rehearsal turns into teaching 

the band the tunes. Unless you are in a 

writing session, you should know the tunes 

completely when you show up. This way rehearsal 

is quick and painless. 

3) Know your role. I have seen so many performances 

ruined by a guitarist soloing inappropriately 

during the vocals or a drummer 

throwing in licks that don’t fit the song. If you 

need to express yourself that way, learn to play 

jazz or fusion where that sort of thing can be a 

little more tolerable. 

4) Remember who writes your check. If you are in 

a band, and one person does all the work in 

terms of booking gigs, setting up rehearsals, 

and determining the direction of the music; 

then guess what - it's their band! This bandleader 

may not push the issue; they may allow 

you to have a lot of freedom but the bottom 

line is you work for them. Most bandleaders 

take a larger cut off the top of the band’s fee to 

cover the extra work they do; and that is perfectly 

acceptable. A lot of folks think they get to 

just show up, play and earn the same money as 

By Darryl Quesenberry 

the folks who actually make it happen; this is a 

mistaken assumption. If you want to be in a 

collective, then be sure to bring something 

besides your amazing talent to the table. If you 

are in a band with a definitive leader; someone 

who writes the songs and pays you to be there; 

then do what they ask whether you agree with 

it or not. 

5) It’s fun to sit in with a band. Sometimes, it is 

fun for the band to have you sit in, but you 

need to be considerate. It is rude to ask a band 

you do not know if you can sit in. Most bands 

feel the pressure and end up saying yes; usually 

to the detriment of the show. The truth is that 

they would rather not let you. If they know 

you, they might ask you to play; but if they 

don’t, you should just enjoy the show and get 

to know them afterwards. Amendment - you 

can usually ask your friends to sit in with their 

bands; but still you shouldn’t be offended if 

they say no. 

Most of these are simple common sense rules, but 

they sometimes get pushed aside by ego. Part of 

being a pro means having your ego in check. If you 

are always considerate, and well-prepared, you’ll 

be remembered by bands and asked to play more; 

and you’ll be asked up to sit in more frequently 

when the time is right. Peace be with you and gig 

smart! 


Ronnie Lowe: A 

Great Tampa Bay 

Music Legacy 

By Dan Allison 

If you’re under the age of 50, Ronny Lowe and the 

Dominoes won’t be familiar to you, but in the 1960s, 

they made music history in the Tampa Bay area 

playing rockabilly and 12-bar blues in local venues 

like the Roseland Ballroom and the Robert James 

Hotel. In 1962, the Dominoes were the first 

integrated band to perform publicly in Tampa Bay, 

breaking the color barrier when they became the 

house band at the Peppermint Lounge on Madeira 

Beach. The band’s personnel changed frequently over 

the years, but Ronny Lowe’s vocals – the epitome of 

blue-eyed soul – remained the group’s one constant 

feature. 

The band was called the Dominoes after local DJ 

“Tiger Tom” Hankerson at WTMP Radio said their 

music was “like dominoes, white in spots, but mostly 

black.” A number of more-or-less famous musicians 

moved through the band over the years, including 

Jim Stafford (who had a hit with “Spiders and Snakes” 

and a TV variety show in the 1970s) and, in the early 

years, Dickey Betts. In the mid-1960s, the Dominoes 

occasionally opened shows across Florida for a littleknown 

pair of brothers who at the time called 

themselves “The Allman Joys.” 

The band also befriended St. Petersburg resident and 

beatnik novelist Jack Kerouac. In the years just prior 

to his death in 1969, Kerouac frequently joined the 

Dominoes onstage, playing the ukulele and 

harmonica. The band’s final lineup included Bob 

Hohmann on lead guitar and Ron’s brother Nick on 

drums. By the mid-1970s, the Dominoes were getting 

fewer gigs and finding it harder to compete in Tampa 

Bay’s expanding music scene. Ronny Lowe moved 

into marketing and journalism, but as late as 1980 

you could still catch the band performing occasional 

local gigs. 

Ronny Lowe died in 2001. I met him in 1969 just after 

his friend Jack Kerouac had died, and just after 

another of Ron’s friend’s, guitarist Kenny Shelton, 

had died in an auto crash in Los Angeles. Kenny, I’m 

told, was an amazing guitarist who was in California 

to sign a recording contract for the Dominoes, but 

after his death, the record company was no longer 

interested. The music scene in Tampa Bay is far more 

diverse in the 21st century, but the steady work by 

Ronny Lowe and the Dominoes throughout the 1960s 

and 1970s helped create the diversity we take for 

granted today. 



Ready 


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