Category: Tampa Bay

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Scenes from Common Dialect, Seminole Heights’ newest brewpub

Common Dialect’s front entrance.
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Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligator

Common Dialect Beerworks, Seminole Heights’ newest brewpub, held its grand opening this past weekend. Located on Florida Avenue a few blocks south of Hillsborough, it’s the latest brewpub to appear our neighborhood over the past few years.

It’s also a hotly-anticipated arrival. The day I went, Saturday, January 14th, was its second day in operation. It wasn’t just their main parking lot that was full, but both overflow parking lots as well. It helped that it was a bright and sunny (if brisk, by Florida standards — 12° C / 54° F) day. The place was busy, but not uncomfortably so, at least in my extrovert opinion.

Common Dialect’s patio, viewed from the front.
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Common Dialect Beerworks logo.

Common Dialect is owned by a couple from the neighborhood — Kendra and Mike Conze. If you’re a local dog owner, you probably know Kendra from her other business, Health Mutt, which is probably the most-loved pet food and supply store in Tampa. Health Mutt recently moved from its corner store location on Central Avenue to very spacious digs nearby on Florida Avenue. This gave them a large warehouse space next door, and that space became Common Dialect.

Here’s what I saw when I stepped inside:

Common Dialect’s interior, looking leftward from the front entrance.
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The place was hoppin’, even though it wasn’t any time near peak beer hours — I’d arrived at about 3:00 p.m. to check out the place after getting my hair cut just up the street.

One way they’ve decided to make themselves stand out from the other pubs in the area is by being the most brightly-colored of the lot.

Common Dialect’s wall mural, seen from across the room.
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Make note of the people in the foreground if you want a sense of the wall mural’s size:

Common Dialect’s wall mural, close up.
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After admiring the mural for a moment, I decided to help the bar fulfill its business purpose and buy a drink.

Common Dialect’s interior.
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The line moved pretty quickly, and the staff were friendly and seemed experienced. If they were having opening-weekend issues, I didn’t see them.

The line for beer.
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Common Dialect’s interior, looking rightward from the entrance.
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With my freshly-acquired beer (alas, they didn’t have any darks or stouts on hand, so I decided to go for vitamin C with a citrus wheat beer), I made my way to the patio.

Common Dialect’s patio.
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There isn’t space for a kitchen inside the pub, but there’s a designated area for food trucks, and it appears that they plan to have a different food truck on the premises most nights. On the Saturday I went, they had two: Queen B Ice Cream and the cleverly-named A Boy Named Sous:

The “A Boy Named Sous” food truck.
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I lucked out and a seat on the patio freed up…

Common Dialect’s patio, looking outward.
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…so I set my accordion down (remember, I take it with me to pubs and bars because it’s a magical machine that often turns music into free beer)…

Common Dialect’s patio, with my accordion in the foreground.
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…and proceeded to enjoy my beer and some conversation with the people around me.

Common Dialect’s patio, as seen from my table, with my beer on the table.
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There are a number of pubs and bars within cycling distance of our place, including the Corner Club, 7venth Sun, Southern Brewing and Winemaking, The Independent and Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, to name a few, and we’re “regulars” at many of them. Because of this, I’ve become familiar with a lot of neighborhood faces, and there were many unfamiliar faces here.

I struck up conversations (and played tunes for) the people at the tables around me, and they turned out to be new arrivals to the area who’d moved here for the usual selling points: classic houses, tree-lined walkable streets, nearby places to eat and drink, local quirky shops, and so on.

If anything, these new faces are a sign that we haven’t yet hit “peak brewpub” in the neighborhood and all the existing places, each with its own qualities and charms, will be around. One of the reasons we moved here was for the healthy ecosystem of “third places,” and I’m happy to see another player in the mix.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Common Dialect!

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

“Ring the bell or the goat for service.”

I, of course, went with the goat.

Here’s the video — you’ll need to turn up your sound:

Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligator

If you’re in Tampa, you can experience the goat, along with some really good coffee in a pleasant outdoor space, at the Seminole Heights branch of Spaddy’s Coffee.

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Florida Music Stranger than Fiction Tampa Bay

For sale in Tampa Bay: A gorgeous monster “Eurorack” analog synth setup for $28K

A massive setup of various analog synthesizer modules — think of a commercial airplane cockpit, but with more patch cables — in three large racks, effectively creating a wall of knobs, buttons, cables, and the occasional LCD screen.
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I can’t justify spending $28K on this monster analog synth setup, but maybe you can. If you’re working on a soundtrack or sound design for a movie or game, or the next big electronica/EDM/electroacoustic masterpiece, this collection of systems assembled into three racks just might be the thing you’re looking for!

The seller’s based in Clearwater, and the lucky buyer will have to pick it up there or someplace nearby, and you’ll probably need at least an SUV with the back seats folded down to drive away with three racks’ worth of gear.

Upper two racks of the synth system.
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Here’s what the ad in Facebook Marketplace says:

Condition: Used — like new

Massive Eurorack setup including three Doepfer A-100 cases. Everything has black panels and has a nice aesthetic. I have extra panels for a few items that didn’t come in black. I have almost all the original manufacturer boxes.

Also will include a huge lot of organized eurorack cables, extra power cables, and misc screws and parts.

This is a truly incredible setup!

Must pickup in Clearwater or arrange for meet-up in Florida. I can drive to your or meet you – free – depending on location. Not willing to ship – way too large, heavy, and delicate.

Lower two racks of the synth system.
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Here’s a modular grid view of the upper case:

Detail view of all the components in the upper rack.
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You can see a larger view of the upper rack here, and it contains the following:

  • Schlappi Engineering 100 Grit (black) Low Pass Filter, VCA, and Distortion with Brass Touchpoints
  • Schlappi Engineering Interstellar Radio (Black Panel) – DESTRUCTIVE TRANSMISSION LINE
  • Schlappi Engineering Angle Grinder (Black) – Sine waves and grinding feedback
  • 2hp Freez (Black Panel) – Freez is a voltage controlled locked looper
  • Erica Synths Black CV Tool – Full analogue CV and audio processor
  • Erica Synths Ringfade – Ringmodulator/Crossfader/VCA
  • Empress Effects ZOIA Euroburo – Complete Modular System by Empress Effects
  • Erica Synths Pico INPUT – Instrument input booster
  • Erica Synths Drum Mixer Lite – Compact Drum Mixer with a compressor
  • Erica Synths Drum Stereo Mixer – Stereo mixer, 4 stereo in, with limiter
  • Erica Synths Black Stereo Mixer V3 – 4 input stereo mixer
  • Erica Synths Black Output Module v2 – High quality output mixer and stereo panner with balanced outputs and headphone amplifier.
  • Expert Sleepers ES-5 mk3 – Gate, Clock and Sync expander for the ES-3 Lightpipe to CV DAC
  • Expert Sleepers ES-9 – USB Audio Interface
  • Erica Synths Fusion VCO2 – Full analogue sound source with lots of distinct features
  • Erica Synths Fusion VCO2 – Full analogue sound source with lots of distinct features
  • Erica Synths Fusion VCA-Waveshaper-Ringmodulator – Unconventional VCA/Waveshaper/Ringmodulator
  • Erica Synths DIY Polivoks VCO II – Updated design based on the original Polivoks VCO
  • 4ms Company Ensemble Oscillator (Black Panel) – Black panel for the Ensemble Oscillator
  • Erica Synths Black Double Bass – Erica Synths Black Double Bass is unique module that combines two transistor suboscillators (-1 and -2 octaves) and lowpass filter.
  • 2hp ADSR (Black Panel) – Four Stage Linear Envelope
  • Erica Synths Black Quad VCA2 – Four channel voltage controlled amplifier and mixer
  • Erica Synths Pico VCA – Dual linear VCA
  • Erica Synths Black Quad VCA2 – Four channel voltage controlled amplifier and mixer
  • Erica Synths Drum Mixer – Dedicated Drum Mixer with a compresor
  • CalSynth uO_C – Micro Ornament & Crime in matte black
  • Acid Rain Technology Navigator – Attenuator, Attenuverter and Mixer
  • Erica Synths Black MIDI-CV v2
  • Polyend Poly 2 – Polyend Poly 2 MIDI to CV Converter
  • Instruō Harmonaig – Chord generating quantizer

Here’s a modular grid view of the center case:

Detail view of all the components in the center rack.
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You can see a larger view of the center rack here, and it contains the following:

  • Erica Synths Black Polivoks VCF V2
  • Polivoks VCF with original programable opamps
  • Erica Synths DIY Multimode VCF – DIY Multimode VCF based on AS3320 chip
  • Erica Synths Fusion VCF3 – Resonant 24dB/oct lowpass filter
  • Erica Synths Black LPG – Novel LPG design with a decay envelope
  • Erica Synths Black Dual ASR EG – Full analogue looping AD/ASR envelope generator
  • Erica Synths Fusion Modulator – Complex, all analogue modulation source
  • Xaoc Devices Zadar (black panel) – Optional accessory replacement panel.
  • Alyseum MATRIX II – 16 X 16 Sequential Matrix I/O router.
  • Synthesis Technology E370 Quad Morphing VCO (black panel) – Quad Morphing VCO
  • Erica Synths Bassline – Full analogue synth voice module for ultimate acid basslines
  • Neutron Sound Dust of Time – Dual stereo oscillator with modulators
  • Modbap Modular Osiris – Bi-Fidelity Wavetable Oscillator
  • ST Modular OBERHAUSEN – Complex Oscillator
  • CalSynth uBraids II – Mutable Instruments Braids Oscillator Module
  • Erica Synths Drum Mixer – Dedicated Drum Mixer with a compresor
  • Synthrotek 2HP Buff Mult – Compact buffered multiple
  • Moog Music Inc. DFAM – Drummer From Another Mother – Semi-Modular Analog Percussion Synthesizer
  • Erica Synths Sample Drum – Sample Drum with the current screen
  • Erica Synths Bass Drum – 909-style Bass Drum Module
  • Erica Synths Snare Drum – 909-inspired Snare Drum
  • Erica Synths TOMS – Low Tom, Mid Tom and High Tom in a sigle module
  • Erica Synths HiHats D – Erica Synths take on classical 909 HiHats sounds
  • Erica Synths CLAP – Classical drum machine Clap sound in eurorack
  • Erica Synths Cymbals – Distinct topology digital/analogue cymbals module
  • Erica Synths Dual Drive – Dual overdrive/distortion
  • Synthrotek 2HP Buff Mult – Compact buffered multiple
  • Erica Synths Black Output Module v2 – High quality output mixer and stereo panner with balanced outputs and headphone amplifier.
  • Synthrotek 2HP Buff Mult – Compact buffered multiple
  • Moog Music Inc. Subharmonicon – Semi-modular synthesizer based on Trautonium and Rhythmicon concepts for Moogfest 2018
  • Erica Synths Drum Stereo Mixer – Stereo mixer, 4 stereo in, with limiter
  • Erica Synths Drum Sequencer with Black Keys – X0X-style live performance oriented sequencer
  • Erica Synths Pico Mixer – 3 channel DC coupled mixer for CV and audio signals
  • Erica Synths Pico Mixer – 3 channel DC coupled mixer for CV and audio signals
  • 1010 Music BitBox 2.0 Black Panel – Sampler, Looper, Slicer & Recorder
  • Synthrotek 2HP Buff Mult – Compact buffered multiple
  • 4ms Company 1hp Blank Panel – 1hp Blank
  • Erica Synths Drum Stereo Mixer – Stereo mixer, 4 stereo in, with limiter
  • Blue Lantern Modules CMOS Clock Divider – Musical Clock Divider
  • Moog Music Inc. Moog Mother-32 – Complete semi-modular voice with sequencer and keyboard

And finally, here’s a modular grid view of the lower case:

Detail view of all the components in the lower rack.
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You can see a larger view of the lower rack here, and it contains the following:

  • XOR Electronics Nerdseq – IO Expander – IO Expander black
  • XOR Electronics Nerdseq Black Aluminium Front – The Nerdseq is a Hybrid Tracker Sequencer
  • XOR Electronics Nerdseq – ‘More Triggers 16’ Expander Black – 16 additional trigger/gate outputs
  • Poly Effects Hector (Black Panel) – (Black panel version of Hector)
  • Synthesis Technology E520 Hyperion Processor (black panel) – Stereo Effects Processor
  • Synthrotek 2HP Buff Mult – Compact buffered multiple
  • Orthogonal Devices Black ER-301 – Voltage-controllable canvas for digital signal processing algorithms
  • Erica Synths Black Joystick2 – 4 channel recordable Joystick controller
  • Instruō arbhar expander – arbhar expander (included w/ module)
  • Erica Synths Black Stereo Delay
  • Instruō arbhar – Granular processor
  • Erica Synths Black Hole DSP2 – Stereo Effects Processor
  • Endorphin.es Milky Way (black) – 16 Algorithm Stereo FX Processor
  • Erica Synths Black BBD – Dual tap analogue delay
  • Erica Synths Dual FX – 2×8 custom FXes
  • Strymon Magneto – Stereo multi-head tape delay emulation, looper, phrase sampler, reverb, clock multiplier, chaotic oscillator
  • Erica Synths Black Octasource – LFO with 8 simultaneous outputs
  • Erica Synths Modulator – An advanced modulation and pitched noise source with focus on rhythmic (but not limited to) compositions in mind
  • Erica Synths Pico RND – Combined LFO/random source
  • Acid Rain Technology Maestro – Clocked Modulation Controller
  • Mordax DATA (BLACK) – Four channel oscilloscope, Spectrum analyzer, Spectrograph, Tuner, Dual waveform generator, Clock source/div/mult, and more

Closeup of the synth setup’s sequencer section.
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Closeup of synth system’s center rack.
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For those of you who aren’t familiar with synthesizers (I used to be — and still am — a synth keyboardist), this rack is a killer collection of:

  • Synthesizers, which make all the beep boop sounds,
  • Drum machines, which make all the thumpy and OONTZ OONTZ OONTZ sounds,
  • Sequencers, which record the order in which the beep boop, thumpy, and OONTZ OONTZ OONTZ sounds should be played,
  • Effects, which add dimension to all the sounds, from reverb to echo to distortion to oddball sonic effects.

Closeup of synth system’s center and lower racks.
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The asking price is US$28,000. I can’t tell you if this is a good price or not; I’m more familiar with the more conventional synths you’ll find at Sam Ash or Guitar Center than with this sort of rig.

Maybe someone should contact Trent Reznor and see if he’d be interested in coming down to Clearwater, and maybe, you know, meet up with me for a beer or two?

Closeup of right section of center rack.
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Slice of Life Tampa Bay

How livable is your city or neighborhood? Count the nearby “boulangeries.”

Map of Paris showing the locations of boulangeries as colored dots. Large text on the map says “94% des Parisiens habitent a moins de 5 minutes a pied d’une boulangerie.”
“94% of Parisians live less than a 5-minute walk from a boulangerie.” Green dots show established shops over three years old, red are ones that opened since 2017, while blue dots indicate shops that have closed.

To the French, bread isn’t just sustenance, but a way of life. It’s a good thing that most Parisians live within a five-minute walk from a boulangerie, as indicated by the map above.

Paris is a very walkable city, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they coined the term flâneur for “someone who spends their leisure time going on strolls with no particular destination in mind.”

A walkable city and the presence of flâneurs is also a strong indicator that it’s a great place in which to live. This thinking has given rise to the concept of the “15-minute city,” a term coined in 2016 that refers to a place where dwellers can get to the places for their daily routine with no more than 15 minutes of walking, or at most, 15 minutes of cycling.

Cover of the book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” by Jane Jacobs

A 15-minute city or neighborhood should feel like the ideal presented in Jane Jacobs’ book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. In such a city or neighborhood, it’s reasonable to regularly walk or bike to places such as:

  • A grocery
  • A drug store
  • Other shops for regular daily or weekly needs
  • A “third place” — a place that isn’t work or home where you can spend with other people in the community

The idea is so catchy that when Anne Hidalgo was running for re-election as Paris’ mayor, she made turning Paris into a 15-minute city one of her campaign promises:

The idea is that communities within each arrondissement of the French capital become more ‘self-sufficient’, with grocery shops, parks, cafes, sports facilities, health centres, schools and even workplaces just a walk or bike ride away. This triennial survey of the city’s commerce shows that – in this one particular area important to French people – it already is.

Photo of the counter at Reims Boulangerie, showing all their bread.
Creative Commons photo by Kent Wang. Click to see the source.

In case you were wondering what a boulangerie is, it’s a kind of bakery. The French are so into baked goods that they’ve created a number of terms for different kinds of bakeries:

  • boulangerie: The kind of bakery that makes bread. In France, you  need to bake the bread on the premises in order to be called a boulangerie. You buy “bread-y” good here.
  • pâtisserie: A pastry shop. France and Belgium don’t let you call your bakery a pâtisserie if you don’t have a licensed master pastry chef on staff. You buy “cake-y” good here.
  • viennoiserie: Between the boulangerie and the pâtisserie is the viennoiserie, or Viennese-style breakfast pastry shop. You buy brioches and croissants here.

Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligator

After finding out how easily accessible boulangeries are in Paris, I decided to see if I lived within walking or cycling distance of one. If you live in Seminole Heights like I do, you probably do!

First, there’s the Seminole Heights branch of La Segunda, which used to be Faedo Family Bakery. Faedo has been making Cuban bread for over five decades, and La Segunda’s been baking for over a century. They are truly a Tampa answer to the boulangerie.

Then there’s Gulf Coast Sourdough, who not only make excellent bread on the premises, but fantastic sandwiches, and a very good cinnamon roll.

And finally, there’s Brazilian Fun Foods, who don’t just make bread, but gluten-free bread in the style of pao de quejo, a cheese bread made from corn flour and cassava starch. Their wares cover a wide range of carby goodness, from bread to pizza dough to churros.

Seminole Heights also has a grocery, a couple of pharmacies, many restaurants, cafes and bars, riverside parks, and even a Home Depot and Walmart (this is America, after all), all within walking or cycling distance. It’s a pretty nice place, and I like it here.

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

My photos from a visit to Seminole Heights’ new(-ish) store, Tiger Dust

Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligatorSmall Business Saturday (which took place yesterday) is an excellent opportunity to check out local places that I don’t usually go to, or places that I’d been meaning to go to for some time. Tiger Dust, which has been in Seminole Heights for several months, falls into the latter category.

Tiger Dust calls itself a wunderkammer, a German term meaning “wonder room” or “room of wonders.” There’s a similar term, kunstkammer, which literally means “art room” but it often interpreted in English as “cabinet of curiosities.” This is from a time when “cabinet” was used more often to refer to a room than furniture for storing things (our modern usage of the word is a sort of downsizing).

If you’re looking for a gift for an unconventional friend, Tiger Dust just might fit the bill.

Need an interesting taxidermy piece? Tiger Dust has ’em in spades.

Kitschy art? Oh yeah.

Housewarming present for a friend whose wardrobe is entirely black? They’ve got ’em.

Need the complete works of Anton LaVey or Aleister Crowley? Do what thou wilt.

I almost bought the tiger kite pictured above. I may yet return to complete the purchase. I did buy a skull ring, because it’s a key part of the accordion rock and roll lifestyle.

Tiger Dust is located at 4222 North Florida Avenue, a couple of blocks north of M.L.K. Boulevard. Their hours are listed online as 12 noon to 7:00 p.m. daily, but the sign on their door might be a little more accurate — it says they’re open noon-ish to 7-ish.

Want to know more about Tiger Dust? Check these out:

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay The Current Situation

It’s Small Business Saturday!

With Thanksgiving having come and gone in the U.S., we’re now in the holiday shopping season, which starts with Small Business Saturday!

Small Business Saturday is an annual event whose purpose to encourage people to support their local small businesses. Instead of going to a “big box” store or chain, we’re asked to support local businesses, either by going to their local brick-and-mortar shop or shopping online. This event takes place every November and represents a significant opportunity to increase sales for small businesses during the holiday shopping season.

Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligatorI live in Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood, where we’re fortunate to have a number of small businesses that do provide goods, services, and those less tangible “neighborhood-y” things that chains and big box stores can’t or won’t.

The day is young, but we’ve already picked up some goodies at Gott Glass, the local glass-blowing studio and shop.

If you’re in the area, check them out! The shop is a lovely mix of indoor and outdoor, Susan Gott and her staff are nice, and they do glass-blowing demos and even have classes (which I plan on signing up for).

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Scenes from this morning’s bike ride

Seminole Heights’ seal, which depicts a two-headed alligatorI do a 10-kilometre (6.2 miles) bike ride as often as I can — typically 4 or 5 days a week:

At least once a week, I stop by the Seminole Heights branch of Spaddy’s, which is a coffee truck in an open-air courtyard:

The place is decorated with all manner of tchotchkes. Here’s the newest one:

I took a perch on the picnic table at the back of the courtyard, where I took this wide-angle shot…

…and while enjoying my Heights Cold Brew (cold brew with a dash of condensed milk), I worked on a proposal for my next article for the Auth0 developer blog. While writing, I noticed this rather cute grafitto that someone left on the table: