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Tampa Bay’s indie music scene competes to perform on a bigger stage

Seven local bands gathered at The Factory in St. Pete for Destination Okeechobee, a battle of the bands with the grand prize a ticket on the festival lineup.
 
Tampa Bay indie band Speak Easy plays on stage at the Destination Okeechobee competition at The Factory in St. Petersburg, Fla., Jan. 21, 2023, for a chance to play at Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival.
Tampa Bay indie band Speak Easy plays on stage at the Destination Okeechobee competition at The Factory in St. Petersburg, Fla., Jan. 21, 2023, for a chance to play at Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. [ Carly Thompson | Times ]
Published Jan. 26, 2023|Updated Feb. 8, 2023

ST. PETERSBURG — They play at Tampa Bay’s social clubs and dive bars, at city events, in people’s backyards. Many of them are full-time musicians, some trying to make a living solely playing music and others juggling more traditional work with the pursuit of the big time. But on a Saturday evening in St. Petersburg, they all arrived hoping to land a gig that could be a stepping stone into the mainstream music scene.

At The Factory St. Pete, a stage pushed inside by the threat of rain faced a buzzing crowd that filled the warehouse-like space. The bands were here for Destination Okeechobee, a battle of the bands that would grant one band a chance to play at the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. Each group played a 15-minute set and was judged on a few criteria: musicianship, stage presence, originality and crowd participation. The bands had spent the week promoting the event and selling tickets on their social media accounts. Their efforts were reflected in the turnout, which was mostly young and alternative with a sprinkling of parent-aged spectators and all around very friendly.

Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival started about six years ago, offering festivalgoers an escape from the “restrictions and concerns of everyday life” through a combination of Florida nature, musical performances and everything from art installations to “Yogachobee classes.” Passes start at $349, for four days of camping at Sunshine Grove in Okeechobee March 2-5.

What would a Tampa Bay band have to gain by playing such an event? Besides potentially getting their music in front of what is usually a crowd of around 30,000, they get to put their names on a lineup that includes Earth, Wind & Fire, Odesza, Turnstile and more.

“Oh, it would be amazing,” said Treis Alexander of Treis & Friends, a three-piece jazz-pop band with members from around Central Florida who’ve played Gasparilla Music Festival but nothing like Okeechobee. “Just to be around the other bands and in that environment. I think we have a lot to offer.”

“Okeechobee is a great festival for music lovers. I love that you can go and not know what to expect and still have an amazing time,” said Natalie Depergola, drummer of St. Pete band Miróux. “The audience is just ready to consume, ready to engage and experience.”

For the last couple of years, Okeechobee has scouted local bands in a few cities across Florida and held a competition, giving smaller acts a shot at the festival but also giving music lovers who may not know about the event a chance to pay $10 for a taste.

The bands traded turns on the stage (and in the case of a malfunctioning guitar, shared instruments) for their chance to woo the crowd and the judges. Peace Cult, with lots of electric guitar solos, had a group near the stage moshing erratically. Miróux brought catchy, well-known lyrics that were sung back to them by many. Treis & Friends verged on funk with a heavy bass line and reaching vocals. Taverns gave fans of The Smiths someone to root for. P.M. Tiger merged psychedelic sounds with surfer rock. MAK’s distorted build had the crowd pushing and bumping each other again in a frenzy. Speak Easy finished the competition with a smooth, jazzy undertone punctuated by saxophone riffs.

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Each band determined to set themselves apart from the others, but it was clear the tight-knit community of musicians not only shared lineups and fans but a deeper appreciation of each other’s talent.

Tampa Bay indie bands stand on stage at the Destination Okeechobee event at The Factory in St. Petersburg, Fla. Jan. 21, 2023, waiting to see who has won the chance to play at Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival.
Tampa Bay indie bands stand on stage at the Destination Okeechobee event at The Factory in St. Petersburg, Fla. Jan. 21, 2023, waiting to see who has won the chance to play at Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. [ Carly Thompson | Times ]

“Honestly, all of these bands are so talented. We’re close friends with a lot of them. I would be happy for any one of these guys to win. It’s good for the whole music community,” Jordan Rosenberg of P.M. Tiger said.

In the end, it was MAK who won, a dark horse as they seem to be a newer name on the scene, their earliest release from 2020. The Tampa-based band has played lots of shows locally — even Gasparilla Music Festival in 2022 — but they had fewer friends in the crowd than Speak Easy and Miróux, who are more active in St. Pete.

Still, they were able to earn themselves their biggest gig yet.

“It was almost like the crowd was swapped for a different group of more lively, energetic people for 15 minutes. It was crazy,” said vocalist and guitarist Ian Makrianes. Makrianes, along with bassist and little brother Aidan, used their last name as the inspiration for the band’s name.

“People could tell we were putting in our all. I think they gave us their all as well,” drummer Drake Morgan said.

Then, after seven bands battled it out and a special guest appearance from Tampa band Rhona — who are already on the Okeechobee lineup — MAK got to celebrate.

“It was very rewarding, to have all our efforts put into that night pay off,” said Aidan Makrianes.

“Regardless of what the stage is or how many people watch us, at the end of the day that’s huge,” Ian Makrianes said. “More areas that we can spread our name.”

For guitarist Jack Dee, it’s sharing a lineup with such big stars, particularly Turnstile, that gives the win some extra sweetness.

Tampa-based band MAK won Destination Okeechobee and will play Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival in March 2023.
Tampa-based band MAK won Destination Okeechobee and will play Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival in March 2023. [ Amanda Elman ]

Before they head to Okeechobee in March, MAK released a new single called “Idle Hands” on Feb. 3. They will hit the road for a short tour with P.M. Tiger, stopping in Jacksonville, Gainesville and Atlanta Feb. 16-18.

Will playing Okeechobee give MAK the boost they need to break out of Tampa Bay’s music scene? Destination Okeechobee may be yet another indication that the region’s indie landscape is breeding some future household names.

“As more younger and energetic and unique bands come out, it’s just going to make this place even more of a hot spot for underground music,” Ian Makrianes said. “I feel like it’s going to end up becoming a big town for music one way or another.”

Want to see MAK play at Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival? Buy tickets here. Find their music on Spotify, and follow them on Instagram.