Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Jeff Tweedy, Tracy Morgan, Stanley Cup, baklava and garlic gelato
My favorite memory of GroundUp Music Festival, which returns to the idyllic Miami
Beach Bandshell this Friday through Sunday, is the first one, in 2017, a lineup that featured David Crosby.
In an interview days before the festival, the venerated songwriter — who spoke about penning his iconic “Wooden Ships” in Fort Lauderdale in a separate Sun Sentinel interview — described a torrent of lyrical inspiration that was consuming him.
Crosby had just released the excellent album “Lighthouse,” a followup to “Croz,” his first solo album in 20 years. And he revealed that two days prior to the interview he had finished another album, “Sky Trails,” which would be released later that year. He was filled with such joy.
“Anybody, when they get older, wants to get it all done before they accidentally fall down and break their hip and can never do anything again. But the songs have been coming and I’ve been writing, and it’s working,” Crosby said. “I don’t know what to say. I’ve been very happy.”
This emotion seemed to manifest itself on the GroundUp stage in the vocal he shared with Snarky Puppy’s Michael League and Becca Stevens as they took a set-ending detour into CSNY’s “Déjà Vu,” Crosby holding the final note aloft — “We have all been here befoooore” — in glorious benediction.
Crosby returned to GroundUp in 2019, still riding a creative high. He released the album “Here If You Listen” in 2018 and “For Free” in 2021. Crosby’s death on Jan. 18 sent him off on a high note, to be sure.
GroundUp founder League,
who is also a producer and performer on “Lighthouse” and “Here If You Listen,” was an important champion of Crosby’s late-career work, and no doubt he will remember his friend in comments this weekend.
GroundUp 2023 has nearly two dozen performers scheduled, led by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy (6:05-7:15 p.m. Sunday), singer-guitarist Nai Palm of Aussie soul trippers Hiatus Kaiyote (9:4010:50 p.m. Saturday) and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham (9:40-10:50 p.m. Friday) — with League’s jazzy collective Snarky Puppy performing in a variety of incarnations all three days.
On Sunday night, Snarky Puppy may get word that they have won their fifth Grammy Award, as they are nominated in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category for “Empire Central.” The 65th annual Grammy Awards will be telecast on CBS at 8 p.m. Sunday.
GroundUp admission costs $130+ for a one-day pass and $345+ for a threeday pass at GroundUpMusicFestival.com.
Thursday Hockey on the beach:
A spinoff of the 2023 National Hockey League All-Star Game at FLA
Live Arena in Sunrise on Saturday, the free Truly Hard Seltzer NHL All-Star Beach Festival is a threeday event at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park from Thursday to Saturday.
The experience includes appearances from current and former NHL All-Stars, the new United by Hockey Mobile Museum and a chance to take a picture with the Stanley Cup. Official merchandise will be available at Las Olas Oceanside Park, which will host a watch party for the NHL All-Star Game at 3 p.m. Saturday. Visit NHL. com. Carrie on: Eight-time Grammy-winning country star Carrie Underwood shares music from her hit 2022 album “Denim & Rhinestones” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Miami-Dade Arena. Singer Jimmie Allen opens. Tickets ($34.75+) are still available at Ticketmaster.com.
Baby got baklava: The Fort Lauderdale Greek Festival returns to St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, east of Holiday Park, this Thursday through Sunday. I plan to introduce myself to the baklava sundae.
Ice cream topped with crumbled baklava can’t be wrong. Hours are 5-10 p.m. Thursday, noon-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-7 p.m. Sunday. Entry costs $5, but is free for guests younger than 12. Admission on Thursday is free with canned food items for Broward Partnership for the homeless. Visit FortLauderdaleGreekFestival.
Friday
Weekend laughs: Actor, pitchman and lovably eccentric comedian Tracy Morgan has five shows at the Palm Beach Improv in West Palm Beach this weekend, at 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday. Saturday’s 7 p.m. show is sold out. Tickets cost $40+ at PalmBeachImprov.com.
Remodel behavior: The Fort Lauderdale Home Design and Remodeling Show is at the Broward County Convention Center on Friday through Sunday, with celebrity guests Mika and Brian Kleinschmidt of HGTV’s “100 Day Dream Home.” I have know idea who they are. My wife must have stopped watching so much HGTV because our house is pretty nice the way it is. Or she’s given up. Tickets are $10 per day. Visit HomeShows.net.
Wildflowers in bloom:
Legendary singer Judy Collins — the “Judy” in the seminal Crosby, Stills & Nash song “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” — performs at 8 p.m. Friday at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale, where she will revisit her landmark 1967 album, “Wildflowers,” accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra. Collins’ latest album, “Spellbound,” is nominated for the Best Folk Album award at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Tickets ($45+) are available at ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Saturday
This stinks: The South Florida Garlic Festival, which has been perfuming the air for more than two decades, returns to the Village Park Athletics Complex in Wellington from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Ever dip garlic candied bacon into garlic gelato? You don’t come back from that. The strong music lineup features headliners Drake White (7:30-9 p.m. Saturday) and the Valerie Tyson Band (3:30-5 p.m. Sunday). I also have heard good things about Allman Brothers interpreters Steeln’ Peaches (5:30-7 p.m. Saturday). Festival tickets cost $15 (free for age 9 and younger). Wristbands for unlimited amusement rides cost $20 in advance, $35 at the gate. Visit GarlicFestFL.com.
A marvelous night: The inaugural full-moon dance called Moonrise hits the beach in front of Fort Lauderdale’s historic Bonnet House from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, a “modern disco” party featuring DJ Tony Zuccaro, cocktails and light bites. Presented by The Moss Foundation, and hosted by local organizers Sara Shake, Chad Moss and Phil DeBiasi, the event is a benefit for nonprofit Handy Homes. Tickets cost $250 at HandyInc.org/events.
Bags & beers: Hopportunities beer hall in Delray Beach will host the second annual Cornhole for the Kids fundraiser at 1 p.m. Saturday, a benefit for nonprofit Achievement Centers for Children & Families. Registration costs $65 per team and includes two beers and two tickets in a raffle with a grand prize of a cabin on a Virgin Voyages cruise. There will be prizes for the top three teams. Visit Facebook.com/ hopportunities.
Two live history: Luther Campbell, of 2 Live Crew fame, will be joined by author, scholar and cultural commentator Michael
Eric Dyson in a “fireside chat” about the influence of hip-hop on Black history and Campbell’s landmark First Amendment Supreme Court case from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Miramar Cultural Center. The discussion will be hosted by Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam. Admission is free. Visit MiramarFL.gov/ bhm.
Sunday
Farm to table: The rustic Swank Specialty Produce farm in Loxahatchee Groves hosts another of its popular Swank Table dinners from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday — this one a celebration of Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rabbit. Along with resident chefs, collaborating on this five-course, family-style plated meal will be Tim Nickey (Blackbird Modern Asian, Jupiter), Jordan Lerman (Beacon, Jupiter), Blake Malatesta (The Wine Room, Delray Beach), Anthony Williams (Kapow Noodle Bar, Boca Raton), Daniela Pardo (pastry chef, Fort Lauderdale), Angela Dugan (mixologist; Dugan & Dame and Kapow, Boca Raton). Tickets cost $175 per person. A portion of the proceeds will support the Fort Pierce chimpanzee sanctuary Save the Chimps. Visit SwankSpecialtyProduce.com.
Weekend movie: Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” marked one of the more unlikely career turnarounds in lead actor Brendan Fraser’s critically lauded lead role, which earned him an Academy Award nomination (one of three for the film). The story of a reclusive English teacher attempting to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter, “The Whale” begins a weeklong run at Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday with screenings at 5 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for general admission and $10 for students, seniors and military. Visit FLIFF.com/ savorcinema.