Dumpstaphunk in Tampa

The Ybor Night

8:40 p.m. November 6, 2016

In the gym bathroom, you think about last night, hanging with Dumpstaphunk, yeah you right. Their music makes people dance with delight.

It was random how you had met Tony Hall back stage at Tipitina’s for the Lundi Gras ball. You had no idea that he was a musician at all.

It was just a guy who happened to sit next to you. There was random chatting like you usually do. A friend asked how you did that and you had no clue.

“Don't you know who that guy is? He’s a legend, internationally acclaimed in the music biz!” As a journalist, you felt far from a music whiz.

She was eager to crow that he's played with Bob Dylan, Linda Rondstandt and Trey Anastasio. You still treated him like a regular dude though.

You wound up seeing him around town. While living in New Orleans, you seen him around.. You’d be dancing at the Maple Leaf getting down.

He invited you to see him play with different acts, as he rolled with a variety of musical packs. He played with all kinds of musical contracts.

He was playing music regularly and steady. You saw him play with Trey opening for Tom Petty. That was when you worked in D.C.; it was heady.

Whether seeing him play in states with snow or palm, he even met your mom. She actually liked his music, thought it was the bomb.

He’s played with Dave Matthews Band, and he gave you an Electric Forest armband. Your brother thought the festival was a wonderland.

You didn't realize that was the last chance to hang with your bro. He wound up getting arrested though. Since then, solitary is his new chateau.

He was so happy to see other people with dreds, hippies with long locks on their heads. He was amazed to see so many tie dyed threads.

There were more dreded hippies last night, a waterfront location under the moon’s light. After, we went to Ybor, which was a delight.

After he packed up his bass and guitar, we went with people to First Chance, Last Chance bar, then to meet more people at Crowbar.

The Ybor City downtown strip was like being back in New Orleans on a trip. It was as if the locations did a mysterious wormhole flip.

Then as fast as it all happened then, it's back to reality once again. Time to leave the bathroom and get back to working out in the gym playpen.

10:19 p.m. November 6, 2016