Hot Time In The City

Ready to get sweaty?

The 9th annual Heatstroke Hotrod Hoedown returns to its roots in downtown Bradenton and is bringing with it a host of bands, a custom bike and hotrod show, food and drinks and its signature “hip, awesomely rowdy and fiercely fun” time.

The event will take place from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday on Seventh Avenue West outside of P-Man’s Classic Cycle Paint, 721 7th Ave. W. Event organizers gained permission from the city to barricade a block of Seventh Avenue between 7th-8th streets west from vehicular traffic.

P-Man, the creator of Heatstroke Hotrod Hoedown and whose real name is Paxton Richards, is again teaming up with Sarasota-based community radio station WSLR-LP 96.5 to bring the event back to Bradenton. It moved to the radio station’s Sarasota site last year, but Richards said it works better in downtown Bradenton.

This rustic, industrial area of south downtown with its faceless buildings and heavy machinery provides the perfect atmosphere for an event with hotrods, vintage motorcycles and psychobilly bands. (“Psychobilly” happens when rockabilly meets punk rock.)

“It started out as an event in the summer,” he said. “We used to have it in August and it was killer hot, so we called it the ‘Heatstroke’ because it was so hot outside.”

Richards said he preferred to continue the event in August, but scheduling issues with the radio station prompted them to settle on a less heatstroke-inducing day in May. But with Weather.com predicting Saturday’s weather as sunny with a high of 89 degrees, even the most hard-core outdoorsman from Florida is bound to break a sweat.

Admission is $10 and is payable at the gate. Proceeds from the price of admission will benefit the radio station. Budweiser, Bud Light, Negra Modelo, wine and food will be available for sale. No outside food or beverages will be permitted.

The musical lineup features energetic, fist-pumping hard rock, punk, blues, southern rock and more – music designed to keep the party going throughout the night. Southern rock and blues band the Michael Mac Band are locally known, but the majority of the others are from elsewhere in Florida, Richards said, so music hounds will have a chance to hear something new.

Richards is front-man for the Downshifters, a power trio rock-n-roll band described as a “screamin' psycho-billy band out of Bradenton that shakes up the traditional rockabilly genre.” Also scheduled to perform Saturday are the St. Lucie-based Pub Reckers, who play old-school punk rock without the politics; The Ludes, a hard rock band from Orlando with a thundering bass and drums blended with a unique theramin; The Gladezmen, whose swamp-water music tells tales of the backwoods; Strangeways and its original blend of reggae and ska; The Crestliners and their rockabilly tunes; The Hamiltones, who play rockabilly, blues, surf, rock'n'roll and a shot of Texas swing; and the The Ted Stevens Band,  a hard-hitting trio playing rock and roll, alt-country, surf and blues.

There also will be a women’s roller derby demonstration from the team and their Sarasota counterparts, a “slowest” motorcycle race and vintage motorcycles and hotrods.

“I’m just happy we’re going to have good weather this weekend,” Richards said, noting that rain is not in the forecast. “In Florida you’re kind of at the mercy of the weather. If it’s raining, the bikers won’t come out and the hotrods probably won’t come out.”

Around Bradenton this weekend:

• They’re almost over for the 2011-12 season, so don’t miss this one! The second-to-the-last Get Down Downtown before the summer hiatus is 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. tonight on historic Old Main Street with live music from Kettle of Fish. Old Main Street will be barricaded between Manatee and 4th Avenues west from around 2:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. so bar hopping with a drink in hand is permissible as long as it’s not in a glass container. Dozens of vendors selling food, arts and crafts and other odds and ends will line both sides of the street.
• There's baseball at tonight - along with dollar beers. Game starts at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.bradentonmarauders.com for more info, or just wander over to the ballpark at 1611 9th Street West and buy a ticket.
• Take a walk on the wild side late tonight at the , 4307 26th St. W., where the bar will host a drag show from 11 p.m. until 2 a.m. If you get there at 9 p.m. you get your first drink free; just tell the bouncer at the door that you’re there to see the show. Cocktails are $3.50, $5 double Long Island Ice Teas, $2.50 beers. DJ Manny is on at 9 p.m. Cover: $5.
• Live at Bradenton’s blues music headquarters, , 4343 Palma Sola Blvd., is The Joey Gilmore Band at 9 p.m. Friday. Gilmore is a longtime Florida resident. Here’s a short bio on him from the Ace’s website: “Gilmore found his niche playing behind all the great soul, blues and R&B stars that passed through town, as well as leading his own successful bands and recording along the way. Joey is a true Blues and R&B master who incorporates new and varied styles in his music performing original compositions mixed with traditional standards in his high energy live show. His tenor/baritone vocals belt out tunes with a loss abandon reminiscent of Blues Legends from the 1940’s and 1950’s.” Cover: $5. 
• Can you make the best pie in Manatee County? Well, prove it! , 2604 Manatee Ave. E., is hosting a pie bake off Saturday night. Contestants should bring in their pies by 7 p.m. to be eligible to win prizes and bragging rights. Live music, a Preakness watch party at 5 p.m. with wine specials and $10 buckets of domestic beer – it’s going to be another grand time at Last Call!