As 2018 closes out, a couple of Americana shows look interesting this weekend: Jack Williams at Among Friends Music on Friday night, and Joshua Reilly at Hillcrest Coffee Saturday night. (Hear Reilly on WLKF’s Lakeland Live.) Other live music options follow: More
Arts are generally regarded as important to the health and economic climate of a city, and Lakeland city commissioners devote a quarter of a million dollars a year to helping non-profit arts organizations stay afloat. But like all questions of using taxpayer funds, commissioners have to make tough decisions about which organizations are supported. In recent years, there has been intense debate about how to spread the wealth among eight Lakeland arts organizations that have been the traditional beneficiaries.
Until a new approach was put in place two years ago, city and arts leaders say that decisions were made in a haphazard fashion, with groups competing against each other for money and a few major organizations having the inside track. Even an attempt to set aside a permanent fund for the arts failed when the city commission raided the fund during the recent recession, leaving the arts community and its supporters to start over again. More
There are numerous stories about George Frideric Handel’s majestic oratorio, “Messiah.” By Handel’s own account, he wrote it in 24 feverish days. After a performance, a nobleman remarked that the audience had enjoyed the work.
“I should be disappointed, my lord, if I merely entertained them,” Handel is said to have replied. “I desired to make them better.” More
“Blushing,” the next album from Lakeland-based Copeland, will be released on Valentine’s Day, accompanied by a tour that comes to Tampa Feb. 20 and Orlando Feb. 21. Three singles are already available; Spotify links: Night Figures | On Your Worst Day | Pope
Live music options in Lakeland continue expanding as more venues offer space for musicians to play and customers to listen. Our calendar below includes 19 options for Saturday alone: More
EDM, funeral folk and a one-man reggae band — oh my! Here are a few interesting music dates this weekend:
Our complete music calendar follows: More
LALtoday lists seven podcasts originating in Lakeland and asks readers to let them know of others.
The map can be accessed on your smartphone to locate the 60+ outdoor tapestries being displayed for a year in downtown and Dixieland. Tap on each location for a photo of the tapestry, its address and a link to artist info | Project background
Some music samplings for your post-Thanksgiving listening pleasure: indie bans including Hello Joyce and Spirit and the Cosmic Heart at LkldLive tonight, the acoustic amalgamation of Gypsy Wind at Hillcrest Coffee Saturday and the celtic creations of The Conundrum at Swan Brewing Saturday. Our music calendar follows: More
A new 34-foot mural on the south-facing wall at Thom Downs Antiques on North Florida Avenue is the first of three commissioned by the Lakeland Community Development Agency. The mural was painted by Gabriela Jaxon (website), a native of Peru who grew up in Lakeland and spends much of her time in New York City working with mural masters.
