Mattison's Riverside offers happy hour and live reggae (dancing optional)

Mattison's Riverside still has the one of the best Happy Hours in town, with daily (That includes the weekend, folks!) drink and appetizer specials from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. nightly.

Stopping in with a large group of friends for birthday festivities, and we were met with a $4 martini, mojito and specialty drink menu, and a $5 appetizer menu. Mattison's is also featuring a twin lobster tail dinner special for $29.

We settled on some sushi, the Dynamite with salmon, tuna and whitefish wrapped in nori and rice, a seafood artichoke dip with flat crisps, while friends tried the pesto pizzas and soft shell crab sushi...Each mini-dish was $5 a pop, and perfect for a light bite.

For drinks, mint, classic, watermelon and dragonberry mojitos were among the favorites, as well as "Boater Bob" rum cocktails, bud on tap, and house white and red, all between $2 and $4.

Then, as the sun was setting at the marina, Happy Hour ended just as the reggae dancing began, with local sensation Democracy taking the stage.

In other words, $9 gets you food, drink, live music, a water view, and dancing. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday night.

Palmetto Art Center Helps Fight Hunger

Leave it to Gretchen Leclezio to find a fun way to help out during some un-fun times.

Owner and director of the Palmetto Art Center (PAC), Leclezio is one of many Bradenton sponsors stepping up to support the nationwide Empty Bowls project, hosted by Meals on Wheels Plus in Bradenton.

"Local restaurants are donating soups to Empty Bowls. Participants buy a bowl they'd like to keep, and have it filled with the soup of their choice," Leclezio told me.

For a $20 donation, visitors can sit around and enjoy a meal and good conversation, all in support of helping fight hunger. The bowl serves as a reminder that everyone is entitled to a hot meal. 100% of the proceeds benefit the Food Bank of Manatee.


I, and a few friends, had the privilege of taking part in their unique Potter's Wheel Workshop. Many of us new to the craft, were coached through the bowl-making process by seasoned potters Slade Nash and Kathy Cornwell.

I tucked my elbows in and centered my slab of clay with the appropriate amount of pressure (or at least, I tried to), reducing the speed of the wheel, and adding water to avoid "drag".

Fortunately, Nash, Cornwell and Leclezio were there to guide us through the lumps, making it educational, as well.

From there, the newly crafted bowls will be left to dry before getting roasted in the kiln at 1,945 degrees. After this first firing (or, "bisque"), glaze is applied to the bowl before it is re-fired at slightly milder temperature - a mere 1,828 degrees.

Details of the Glazing Workshop will follow.

"Last year," Leclezio added. "They completely sold out of bowls".

Let's hope the same thing happens this year, as well.

The Palmetto Art Center is located at 907 5th St. W., Palmetto, FL. 34221. Those interested in the project should call Gretchen at 941-518-2109 or email gretchen@palmettoartcenter.com.

Joni Mitchell: Music Cinema at the Bishop Planetarium

"The reason I'm unruly, is because I never wanted to be a jukebox," Joni's voice reverberates from the dome-shaped screen at the Bishop Planetarium.

The Think + Drink Cinema at the South Florida Museum is three-quarters of its way through its American Music summer series, which featured Elvis, Les Paul, Pete Seeger, the Funk Brothers, Leonard Cohen, and tonight...Joni Mitchell.

Haunted by her music, ever since being introduced to songs like Come in From the Cold, the River, Amelia, and Both Sides Now, I - along with a group of gal pals - dropped in to experience Mindy Simmons live (who, unlike Joni, made it to A Woodstock, if not THE Woodstock).

A sold out show, more than half of the people who called to attend, had to be turned away.

The night continued with the showing of Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind on the large screen at Bishop (Where they let you bring your wine with you...always a plus at any venue).

"Her life was so tragic," a friend proclaimed.

"No, it wasn't." I argued. "Everything about her life had been a success, with the exception of the way she chose to look at it. After all, of those three men who fell in love with her, not one of them left her. She chose to leave them. She was heartbroken by choice."

Or not...Perhaps the need to create outweighed the need for romantic love. But one thing is certain, her music moves many.

Just an FYI for those hoping to catch the Bob Dylan tribute next week, more than half of the tickets are already sold out, so you'll want to phone to reserve your space now vs. later. Contact: Jessica Schubick at 941-746-4131 x27.

Julie/Julia Project's Inspired Dishes at the Ritz Carlton

In anticipation of experiencing the latest cuisine being served by Chef Greg Howe and other french-educated chefs at the Ritz-Carlton (in honor of the late Julia Child), I had to make it a point of seeing the movie that inspired the 3-course menu being offered now, through September 7th at the Vernona.

Julie & Julia is a rich tale inspired by two true stories, one of teacher, TV host, author and le Cordon Bleu trained Chef Julia Child, and her unanticipated protege', Julie Powell, government employee vowing to blog about her experiences cooking all 536 recipes outlined in Child's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in 365 days.

Meryl Streep remains as one of my favorite actresses of all time, impressed by her uncanny ability to not just act, but become any role, and Amy Adams is being added to my list of "movies I would see, just cuz she's in it", along with my favorite "chic flick gals" that include Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, and Drew Barrymore.

My memories of Julia Child involved sitting in the "recreation room" (that's what my old-fashioned parents called it) of our Pennsylvania home as a kid, watching on TV, along with my admiring mother, the sometimes seemingly intoxicated Julia, as she accidentally dropped a bit of food on the kitchen counter, only to quickly dust it off and tell the audience that it was "alright for that to happen", and the guests "really didn't need to know".

For the entire month of August, the Vernona at the Ritz-Carlton is offering a 3-course French dinner that includes Truffle Quiche Lorraine, Baby Arugula and Frisee, Bavette Steak Frite, Shallot Bordelaise, and a selection of pot de crème, and after visiting the Vernona in the past, I can assure you that they're kitchen care is a bit more pristine than Julia's.

Phone (941) 309-2008 to make your reservations.

Oh, and for the curious? Julie Powell's blog is still "out there", and can be viewed online at: Julie/Julia Project.

"I Want More of THAT!" Strength Workshop at New View Counseling

"Call in well from work one day, and laugh when they believe you." Mary Chapin-Carpenter sings on her Time * Sex * Love album.

We're celebrated for working too hard, and only taking time off when sick (and sometimes, not even then). But what about taking a mental health day?

My latest exploration of things to do in Bradenton lead me to New View Counseling, where I was fortunate to participate in part 2 of an ongoing workshop series entitled, "I Want More of That!" Themes range from joy, to gratitude and peace, and - no - you don't have to be in therapy to participate, and no one will assume that you are if you do.

The night I attended, the group explored the subject of strength, what it means to have it, and ways to utilize it in personal and professional situations.

Not one who in any way feels as if I lack strength, I was still jonesing on the idea of having more of it. After all, would anyone ever ask for less power?

Interesting to those on us in attendance was how often we attributed our strengths to our talents, and what we accomplished vs. who we were, as individuals, leading us to explore strengths found in knowledge, courage, community consciousness, kindness and spirituality.

Insightful and interesting, visit www.newviewcounseling.com if your looking to try something unique and inspiring.

Vinyl on Lido Beach

Every good festival has their Gal Friday, AKA the woman who keeps the **** together, when it gets crazy. In this case, it was Assunta, smiling even with the crowd bursting through the doors as Esca's Vinyl house party last night.

"It was un-be-liev-able," Assunta said. "We were totally unprepared for the number of people that showed up. It was wall-to-wall!"

A nice problem to have, as this is Vinyl's debut in Sarasota. If they were worried about attendance, at least one fear was laid to rest.

Good thing they relocated to the expansive white sands at the Lido Beach Resort Saturday morning, where Campanele, Drager and DJ Diamond featured their mix of Electro, Progressive and House.

Difficult to determine exactly where the party began, many people spilled out from the tiki bar and pool area of the resort, to the outdoor Bud tent and food bar (Cash only, if you please.)

One only had to follow the rhythmic heart beat base of the pumped up music, to find out where the outdoor party was.

The day was a mix of music, beach combing, cooling off on lido, and maybe a game of beach volleyball, in between that Bud Lite.

Vinyl: Music for a Cause

Next week, VINYL kicks off for the first time ever in Sarasota.

With an impressive list of DJ artists, and an equally respectable round up of venues, the Vinyl Music Festival is gearing up for an explosive entrance into the county's cultural music scene.

From July 16th - 19th, you can get your fix of funky house, progressive trance, and hardcore electronic, mixed by internationally recognized DJ artists, including Paul Mendez, DJ Diamond, Drager, Master Jay, and Dee Jay Barry.

And if you don't know what "funky house" and "progressive trance" means, you can find out when you visit Horsefeathers, Esca, Kanaya, Arosa, Pacific Rim, Selva Grill, Lido Beach Resort, Gwiz, or the VIP party at the Sand Bar.

Tickets are $20, and get you into all main events. But come early, because if the place gets overcrowded, you may not get in. Holders of a $50 VIP pass, however, get into all main and exclusive events, and are admitted first.

But there's more behind the music. After speaking with Vinyl's co-founder, Matt Orr, it became clear that it's music for a cause:

Me: I noticed that a portion of the proceeds were going towards autism research. Can you tell me a little more about which organizations you are supporting?

Orr: We are supporting an organization called Autism Speaks. Their organization is one of the most dynamic non-profits we have seen work in all aspects including research, education and helping families across the world.

One interesting tie in with the festival is that Autism Speaks provided critical support to the State of Qatar in creation of the first ever World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD), sanctioned by the United Nations, and to be celebrated on April 2nd in perpetuity. And one of our headlining artists - Master Jay - is the top DJ out of Qatar. We believe music is one of those powerful ways to communicate - and it represents what we are trying to support with Autism Speaks.

Me: How did you "spark" on the idea of putting this festival together?

Orr: Sarasota Florida is already very rich in the arts, and we wanted to expand our reach to a new generation in our city. We felt an electronic music festival was an excellent way to bridge the gap. The idea was launched out of the HuB - which has a goal to expand the socio-economic landscape of Sarasota - and this just made sense as the first project.

Tickets for Vinyl may be purchased online at www.vinylmusicfestival.com

POSTPONED: Aerosmith/ ZZ Top concert

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry confirmed Friday, July 10 on 102.5 The Bone that Saturday's show at the Ford Amp is postponed at least until October. Apparently Steve Tyler has sprained his leg and it has yet to heal. This follows the cancellation of the Charlotte and Raleigh shows. Perry did reveal that he'll be making an appearance on the beach helping out Mote Marine Aquarium's Beach Cleanup Day Saturday.

Here's the offical release from Live Nation:

AEROSMITH POSTONE CONCERT AT FORD AMPHITHEATRE ON JULY 11
(July 10, 2009) Aerosmith has postponed their scheduled show for July 11th at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, FL due to an artist injury. A rescheduled date will be announced soon. Tickets purchased for the Ford Amphitheatre concert will be honored at the rescheduled date. For additional tour and ticket information, please visit www.livenation.com or www.aeroforceone.com.

4th of July at the Selby Gardens

With so many options for 4th of July this year, it was a tough choice. But we ended up at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens for their Independence Day Celebration.

$18 got visitors access to all of the outdoor gardens, live music, and choice outdoor seating for fireworks over the bay. Food, beverage, and 3-D glasses or light-up pink tambourine noise-makers were extra, and it was BYOB...No, not "Bring your own beer," but "bring your own blanket." Seating was limited to lawn chairs and blankets.

The proceeds went to support Selby Botanical Gardens, though a few people did grumble that the price of admission didn't include any perks.



Personally, we would have been happy with a simple guest map, letting us know that Local Coffee and Tea was open on premises late, selling cranberry chicken wraps, chai tea and assorted healthy goodies, before hundreds of us stood in a half hour line at the Morton's Market table for a burger. More than one food vendor for the crowd would have been preferable. But on the plus side, the service was fast and efficient as members of the Morton's team arrived as early as 12noon, working in 90 degree weather, and still smiling the whole time.



There were several beverage stations serving soft drinks, water, draft and bottled beer, and wine. Two ice cream and sorbet stations, plus baked goods from the Wired Whisk were set up close to the Children's area, which included a Bounce House and varied activities. Restrooms were easy-to-find, and the lines short.

The fireworks were launched on the marina, prefaced by the band leading us through the Star Spangled Banner, hand over our hearts, and looking out over the water. The spectacular display was met by lots of "oohs and ahhs", among the politest group of people. No one yelled, "Down in front!" when gapers stopped along the path where everyone was seated, blocking the view. Instead, one man called out, "Could you please sit down, so we can all see?" And, the potentially hour-long traffic jam was cut in half, by each car waiving the other to go through, one at a time, in a unified fashion.

Other than a few "bugs" that could be worked out for next year, it was a fabulous event, hosted entirely by a team of dedicated Selby volunteers.

Caribbean Night at the South Florida Museum

After a dry, dance free couple of months, I was itching to get my sexy salsa and skanky ska on somewhere that had great music. A reputable source told me about the great band Big Night Out that was playing during South Florida Museum's Caribbean themed Think & Drink Culture Party.

While I find it difficult to both think and drink at the same time, I was curious, so my significant other and I made our way to the museum.

$5 cover got us in, with additional fees for food. Jerk Chicken and Macadamia Grouper were the entree's of the eve, served up by the Banana Cabana for an additional $5 a plate. Bottled beer went for $3, house and premium (Sterling Cabernet) ran $5 and $7. So, for $13 bucks, you can get dinner, dancing, live music, general museum admission, and a beer...Nuff said.

Visitors from as far as California graced the dance floor, as a group of us insta-friends formed a circle, and took turns shaking things up in the center. There was even an impromptu conga line through the museum, and barefoot dancing was encouraged (Okay, maybe not encouraged, but not exactly frowned upon, either). Big Night Out went through a mix of Latin and Caribbean picks, with a little Ska just to keep it interesting.

Open after hours, we wandered through the varied Water Exhibit, Environmental Wing, the Medical Wing and took a trek through Bradenton's (Originally "Braidentown") Historical Exhibit.

Community friendly, I'd say the age range was everywhere from 15-years-old through the senior years, with no clear cut demographic, so you won't arrive feeling out of place.

I danced until I was dizzy and my feet and legs could move no more.

Fabulous event.

Check out the South Florida Museum's website for more cultural parties, and a variety of community events.

* Special thanks to Jeff Rodgers, Director of Education of the South Florida Museum for these event photos.

Boys Like Girls Rock the State

I'm not sure that you could call Boys Like Girls a boy band, but they definitely have the appeal that the boy bands of the late 90's did. And I don't think these guys would be too angry about that title either? These guys are down to earth and truly love what they do every night!


The State Theatre was packed with girls last night for the show. To be honest, I was surprised how young the crowd was. But they were completely into the show.


They opened with their new single, 'Love Drunk,' which was pretty well received by the girls, and then jammed into 'Hero/Heroine.' They kept their energy high throughout the whole show and the girls jumped along with them. The show closed with their radio hit 'The Great Escape,' and lead singer Martin dove into the crowd. Those girls could have torn him apart. It took three stage techs and another member of the band to get him out of the mess. He came out with all his limbs, but missing clothing pieces, haha.


Overall, the show was great! The State was great, as always, but you have to remember to dress appropriately. Long sleeves and jeans, not good.

What's new on Metromix

Hello Tampa Bay Metromixers! Thanks for sticking with us. We're retooling our blogs and will soon be updating more often, with more stuff for you to check out on Metromix and around Tampa Bay.

Let's do a quick recap of the weekend. Weekends usually start off on Thursdays around here. We got some pics of Rusted Root's latest show at Jannus Landing. They're a great band to do the jangly dance to and just a nice bunch of folks. See the pics we got in our Rusted Root photo gallery. BTW- for those of you who don't know, Jannus Landing's owner John "Jack" Bodziak is in deep with some tax troubles. We'll keep you updated when we hear what's to become of this beloved music venue. We checked with the Landing and most of the shows will go on as planned, others have been moved to the Ritz Ybor in Tampa. All of the concerts have been updated on Metromix. Head there if you're wondering where to go with your Jannus Landing tickets.




We followed that up with two days at the Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival.
The first day was full of latin sounds with Arturo Sandoval and Gilberto Santa Rosa. Sunday, Vinoy Park was even more packed with Sean Paul fans staking out their piece of grass to hear the Reggaeton super star. See all the pics we got in this roundup of photo galleries of both days. Here's our friend, 10 Connects reporter and ultimate Metromixer Hetal Gandhi giving Sean Paul a kiss back stage.

Finally, the Tampa Bay Derby Darlins were back on the track at the Skatepark in Temple Terrace. We have tons of photos from both bouts and the halftime show. Check them out in our Roller Derby Photo Gallery.

Looking ahead- there's a ton of stuff on Metromix to help you stay updated on things this summer.

• Our Father's Day Guide includes a bunch of "what to do with Dad" ideas, steakhouses, and gifts.
• Metrocon is back this weekend. It was crazy last year because it coincided with Flugtag. But I think this year's will be even more fun- we can concentrate on the fantastic costuming.
• St. Pete's Gay Pride Parade is coming up. For a complete guide of what to do, where to go and a look back at last year's parade, check our St. Pete Pride Guide before coming out.
• Finally.... Our 4th of July guide is up and running. We've done our best to get as many of the big celebrations going on around Tampa Bay. If we missed one... let us know here.