There are few weekly nights in Tampa that allow you to drink large beers cheaply, get in for free, and just...relax. With a fully-enforced motto like "no cover, no drama", you know that you are in for a good night. For the past 3 years the dynamic DJ duo of Jack Spatafora and Cameron Correa, better known as [the] Soft Rock Renegades, have been playing the most diverse mix of music in Ybor; providing Crowbar patrons with the perfect soundtrack to accompany their frosty $5 liters of beer (or in my case, Irish cider!). This Tuesday, May 24th, Jack, Cameron and all of their friends at Crowbar will be celebrating 3 years of everything being All Good!
Although I consider myself an All Good regular, I have only been attending this Tuesday night ritual for about a year and a half and didn't really know the story behind my favorite night of the week. Lucky for me, Jack took a little time out of his busy schedule to answer a few background questions for me:
- YB: How did you and Cameron meet?
JS: That's actually a pretty decent story. I think it was 1997...maybe 1998. I was walking into the University Square Mall, passing Journey's (the shoe store) when I heard Tortoise and that freaked me out. So I just immediately went in there and asked, "who's playing these jams?" and that was Cameron. - YB: When did you decided to start DJing together?
JS: A couple of years later. There was a goup of us that would play here and there, at shows and what not. Some of us were legit, could match beats (Cameron)...and some just did it for fun, got by on our enthusiasm and selections. Anyway, Cameron and I had (and still have) very similar taste...so eventually we just linked up. - YB: How did you two come up with the name [the] Soft Rock Renegades?
JS: It's a Guided By Voices lyric; it just always stood out to me. I have a very real, genuine, and 1000% un-ironic love of soft rock and AM gold. But as anyone whose ever seen us can attest, we dont really play a lot of that stuff...it was a whimsical choice. I guess we're pretty much stuck with it now. - YB: How did the idea for All Good come about?
JS: Cameron was moving back to Tampa after 5+ years in Chicago and I kind of figured he wouldn't gig that much unless I pushed him. At the same time, I knew that Crowbar wanted some help getting a weekly going; it just kind of came together. - YB: How has it progressed over the past 3 years?
JS: Well when we started, I didn't have a clue how to beat match or blend or whatever. There weren't that many people showing up, so it didn't really matter. As time has progressed, I have gotten a little better and we have gotten the word out about the night; it is pretty darn consistent now. There is a core group of people that show up, plus it seems like there is always someone new checking it out. - YB: What's your favorite part about All Good nights?
JS: THE $5 LITERS!!! Just kidding, well...you know. For me, my favorite thing about All Good is the fact that we get to play so much different music for so many different people, and that we are able to really let it all hang out in the process. We do our best to play the freshest, crunkest tunes going, while still playing enough crowd-pleasing stuff to keep people coming back. That balance is really important to the both of us and we are grateful that we get a chance to do it every Tuesday night!
As a special treat, along with the regular drink specials and tunes from [the] SRRs, Aestheticized Presents and Brasky.org are bringing you live music from Machine Drum. North Carolina born, Travis Stewart, has been making music since 1999. Known as "a true electronic music Renaissance man", Stewart has the ability to produce Glitch-hop with modern pop music sensibilities, while leaving his personal touch on it.
Although there will be a cover charge ($3 with flyer, $5 without it), this is definitely a not-to-miss All Good, in fact, this is the most important All Good of the year!
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