Venice celebrates the sounds of soul with a Labor Day weekend appearance at the Ramada Venice Resort from vocalist and performer ALEX and his show “Soul in America.” Bringing the songs and stylings from soul music greats such as Ray Charles, James Brown and Otis Redding to the stage and accompanied by a live band of local musicians, ALEX hopes to breathe a little new life and infuse some community excitement into a genre and sound currently eclipsed in today’s pop culture.

“It’s a collaboration to celebrate these iconic performers, the innovators of soul music,” said ALEX, “and a soulful experience of some of the greatest songs ever created in the history of American music.” With James Brown’s “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” and “Georgia On My Mind” from Ray Charles certainly on the setlist, ALEX says to also expect a few surprises, but to feel free to sing along. It’s an intimate show, but family-friendly and communal in nature.

“It’s a quest, a mission and a vision to bring back soul music and people simply making music straight from the soul” said Karl Lewis, founder of Real Music, Real People, which aims to bring quality and authentic performers to regional stages. Lewis saw ALEX five years ago and knew he’d found someone special. “He’s got it,” said Lewis, emphasizing that ALEX is something much more than an impersonator. “It’s like he was carved out the ‘50s and ‘60s.”

“It’s because of our like connection in our upbringing,” explained ALEX. Like many of the soul music greats, ALEX hails from the South, where he cut his musical teeth in the gospel style, growing up in the church. “There are very few of my colleagues who have embraced the interpretation as it was once interpreted,” said ALEX, “as the music of bringing your experience to the composition.”

“You’re going to feel it,” added Lewis. “You’re going to feel like you’re sitting in a room with Otis Redding.”

“It’s my ability and willingness to embrace the fabric beyond the surface, the rawness of experience that is expressed and set to music and melody,” said ALEX. “These experiences were electrifying and that’s what I seek to bring to the stage. I’m excited to celebrate.”

ALEX and “Soul of America” appear at Ramada Venice Resort for one day only, Sep. 6, but with two showings, one at 2pm and one at 8pm. 

Pictured: ALEX. Courtesy of: Karl Lewis.

From the newest structures at IMG Academy to the renovated McKechnie Field and Pirate City to the dental school at Lake Erie College of Medicine, the built environment of Manatee County for years to come owes much to architect Rick Fawley. But for those who knew the community leader, it was his broad smile that most brightened the landscape. “Of course he left permanent marks in the community through his architecture, but his legacy is going to be the people he touched,” said Mary Daugherty-Slapp, executive director of the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange. “When he would give that famous smile with those big round checks, that’s how we are all going to remember him.”

Fawley, a founding partner at architecture firm Fawley Bryant, died Tuesday at age 65 at his home. Mike Bryant, who founded the firm with Fawley 21 years ago, said Fawley had been ill in recent days, and after he missed a meeting, the firm called neighbors to check on Fawley. The death comes less than seven months after Fawley lost his wife to illness. “Rick loved this community and loved making a difference,” Bryant recalls, "and he really thought he could make a difference.” As an architect, Fawley hated convention. Bryant said the secret to Fawley’s work was an ability to ask “what if?” and completely alter the boundaries of a project. 

Bryant said the company will retain its name. In the last couple years, Fawley Bryant has been working on a succession plan. “Rick’s passing brings it forward quicker than we thought,” Bryant said. Steve Padgett, a vice president at the company, has already taken on a greater leadership role, and Sarah Colandro and Stuart Henderson have also been put in charge of divisions at the company. In communications Thursday with clients, Bryant said, all have expressed a desire to continue work with the firm.

The death impacted the broader architecture and development community. Slapp said the death hit her particularly hard, and that Fawley was among the most reliable leaders in the county. “When you needed help for a cause, he was one of the first people you would ask.” 

Some of the projects Fawley helmed in recent years were among the most newsworthy structures in the region, such as the new Goodwill Manasota headquarters and Nathan Benderson Park. Area architects said Fawley's work was not just in designing beautiful structures but bringing a bigger vision as well. “He contributed not just to the architecture community but also to the community itself," said Lisa Hess, president of the American Institute of Architects Gulf Coast Chapter. 

Photo by Evan Sigmund

The stunningly appointed Neptune Room, located upstairs at the Seafood Shack Marina Bar and Grill in Cortez, played host to a literary and culinary treat on Wednesday evening with the Coastal Collaboration Dinner. The dinner featured collaboration between some of the area’s finest chefs and an author named Vanessa LaFaye, a Florida native now living in England and the author of the book Under a Dark Summer Sky. The book is a fictionalized account of the hurricane that swept through the Florida Keys in 1935, wreaking havoc on Islamorada. Vanessa read a riveting excerpt from the book and the chefs were tasked with creating dishes inspired by the enthralling read. Chef Dave Shiplett of Soma Creekside presented a Strawberry and Red Cabbage Slaw with Goat Cheese and wildly popular morsels of Duck Bacon and Chef Derek Barnes of Derek’s delighted the crowd with his Grilled Celery and Oyster Stew. Bread baskets filled with Johnny Cakes (cornmeal cakes) by Chef Dana Johnson of Sugar Cubed Bakery were devoured, as was Dana’s delectable dessert of Key Lime Rum Cake with Charred Peaches. The piece de la resistance came from Seafood Shack’s own Chef Gerard Jesse, who wowed with “Grits and Grunts,” a whole blackened Margate fish stuffed with white cheddar grits and conch-style butter sauce.  

Picture of Grits and Grunts

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota has been selected by Modern Healthcare as one of the 2015 Best Places to Work in Healthcare for the seventh year in a row. Modern Healthcare will publish a special supplement featuring ranked lists of all the winners along with the October 19 issue of Modern Healthcare. 

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate has completed the launch of ColdwellBankerHomes.com, a new consumer website that unifies 17 brokerage websites that served 50 of the largest 100 metropolitan areas in the U.S. The new site features all of NRT’s Coldwell Banker branded and MLS property listings in the regions the company serves. NRT is the parent company of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate.The site replaces FloridaMoves.com, and visitors to that site will automatically be transferred to ColdwellBankerHomes.com. Visitors will be prompted to search for a property in their local market area, and will have the ability to search in markets across the country. 

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate

Jonna Keller was recognized as the recipient of the Beverly Burton New Board/Council Member of the Year Award at the Florida Area Council meeting on August 21 for outstanding board leadership as member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota County Board of Directors. Keller, who is the accomplished and successful owner/investment advisor representative of First Security Investments, became involved with BGCSC as a volunteer who visited the Clubs to read with children who struggled with their literacy skills. 

Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota County