Author: Yuval Ofir

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Here goes, the final segment for this round of YoFlo write-ups: After an extended stay in St. Pete it was time to head reluctantly home, with one final stop planned for the trip back: Solomon's Castle. Even though this was one of the few itinerary items that we had planned before we left, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this place. I can tell you though, that as you make your way down the long country roads that lead you there, you definitely feel like you're entering a world that shouldn't exist in the same state as a city like Miami.

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I had to take a hiatus due to the multitude of events going on around town that I had to cover (see: Virginia Key GrassRoots Music Fest), but I'm back with the next segment of the YoFlo series.
After a fun day at Cigar City Brewery, Lorie and I drove off into the sunset, crossing the Gulf from Tampa into St. Petersburg. Spontaneously booking our room at a bed and breakfast in the middle of the hour-or-so drive, spirits were high as we read up on the St. Pete scene in a local art-centric paper. As luck would have it, there happened to be a block party kind of thing going on that night in the vein of Wynwood's Second Saturday Art Walk.

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How did the crazy combination of cats we know as Ketchy Shuby come together back in the day? "Some of us are childhood and high school friends, but for the most part we all met through playing music with other groups and decided to play together. " You say you met playing with other groups; do any of the bandmembers still play with anyone else? "We are all full-time Shubys for the most part but Chip (keys) and Danny (percussion) also play in this great band called Fusik"

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This past weekend I had the great pleasure of being involved with the Virginia Key GrassRoots Music Festival. Like most things lately, my involvement came about haphazardly and the end results exceeded what few expectations I had. The festival first popped up on my radar after some local bands started talking about their participation on Facebook, (Raffa and Rainer, Juke, ArtOfficial, etc) and I figured it would be an opportunity to hang out in the great outdoors and listen to all my favorite hometown acts in one place without having to trek across state lines. Of course, I ended up thinking of inquiring about press access requirements literally the minute after I buy my 4 day pass. Luckily though, I was able to get in touch with the organizers down here in Miami and help them out by bringing some Miami flavor to the festival in the form of live-painting artists (Kazilla, Remote, Torek, Brian Butler, GG, and Eva Ruiz).

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How did you guys initially meet up/how did the band come together? "ArtOfficial came together when a group me and Newsense were in, called Soulwhat?, was on the rocks. We weren't really doing much at the time, music-wise. Around that same time, our bass player, keys player, and saxophonist's band broke up. We had common connections because the Miami music scene is tiny. We hooked up, wrote a couple songs, started gigging and that was the beginning right there. "

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After the natural splendor of Bok Tower my girlfriend and I hit the road to Tampa. Why Tampa you ask? Three words: Cigar City Brewing. While I can't claim to be any kind of expert or even amateur beer connoisseur, ever since I started going to the DRB regularly and associating with my beer savant of a friend, I've been slowly but surely refining my brew palate. A few months ago I had the opportunity to attend a Cigar City sponsored event where there was an incredible selection, including everything from Puppy's Breath Porter to Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale (Caramel Graham Cracker). Since then, the Florida brewery has had a spot on my radar, with their Maduro Brown ale in particular as one of my favorites.

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My girlfriend happens to be one of those free-spirited people who would be happy living on the side of a mountain in a town that non-ironically has horse and buggies still operating. You can imagine then that Miami might not really be her cup of tea for the most part (though she is a native, don't worry). Throughout our relationship, between my unrelenting need to be right and my love for my home town, I've taken it upon myself to pinpoint the aspects of the city I think will appeal to the vagabond in her. And I have to say, having that motivation in the back of my mind has been great for getting me out of my comfort zone and into some really cool places. Now that you have a little insight into what led me on this road trip in the first place, here's a more in depth look at the first stop on our excursion: Bok Tower Gardens.

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“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson After the insanity that was the month of December I was looking forward to a nice trip to Costa Rica with my girlfriend so I could completely unplug and temporarily forget about all the stress that comes along with the greatness of being involved in the art and music scene in Miami. Unfortunately as often happens, "announcing your plans out loud is a good way to hear God laugh." For one reason or another Costa Rica didn't work out and so we were left looking for other options for a 3-4 day getaway. In the end, thankfully, we decided on a little road trip around Florida.

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With Basel coming up, it's hard not to reflect on the magnitude of these art shows in Miami now. Starting in October/November, there's fair after festival after show after exhibit. It gets to be overwhelming. I'm already hoping I'll get a chance just to squeeze in a few shows and even those few I'm not sure I'll make it to with all the other things happening that week.