May 2016

Live Show Review by Jennifer Lane
[Disclaimer by Reviewer: The Hummingbirds duo (aka,
S.G. Wood and Rachel Lynn) is one of my favorite duos
in all of time and space so this will be a VERY glowing
review by this fan. I can’t help it. I just can’t. “Fan” comes
from the word “fanatic”, so there ya go.]
***
Ok, so kids, let’s start with why I was at the Mermaid
Tavern in Tampa on 4/3/16. There’s this Tampa Bay
tradition called Tropical Heatwave every year. Actually it
is 31 years strong, aka since 1975 (where were you,
hmm?) Musicians local and national of only the finest
caliber take over Ybor City for one day and night in April.
If you’ve lived here awhile and you love local music (and
of course you do, dear reader!) then you probably know
all about it.
Oh yes. Yes, you can. Grabbed a camera and headed on
over the bridge to Tampa to see them.
Ok. They don’t disappoint. Ever. And April 3 rd was no
exception. Steve “S.G.” Wood and his wife and musical
muse Rachel Lynn know how to craft a song. A very
catchy, singable, joyful song with words that actually
have a story to tell. Harmonies to die for. And are they
fun to watch! You can tell they actually get a lot of joy
out of this thing we call music.
You remember that feeling, right? You just got home
after buying a brand new album by your favorite band,
and you can’t wait to put on the turntable and devour
the liner notes-? That’s how they make you feel. (And I
just revealed that your dear reviewer is “of a certain
age”, didn’t I? That is ok by me as I LOVED my vinyl!)
SO anyway... to build excitement for Tropical Heatwave,
WMNF, our fabulous local NPR station and purveyor of
all things cool and musical, sets up musical pre-Heatwave
events. Well, imagine this writer’s excitement
when she saw The Hummingbirds were on tap to kick off
the Tropical Heatwave season! Can you say jump for joy?
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