St. Pete's Austin Crawford and David Tuthill are cultivating golden garden of DIY music – Creative Loafing Tampa

By Kyla Fields on Thu, Jan 23, 2020 at 12:13 pm


In May 2019, the city of St. Petersburg tightened up its noise ordinances. If someone hears audible music as close as 200 feet away from your home, you’re in direct violation of the city’s newly enforced, 50 decibel restrictions. But this daunting ordinance isn’t stopping the duo that is behind St. Petersburg’s newest DIY music venture, the Golden Hour Concert Series.
Only three concerts in, The Golden Hour Concert Series is exponentially picking up momentum. The first show alone—featuring Tampa Bay musicians Ari Chi, Magifern, Infinite Third, His Hem and Emily Turnage—amassed about 150 people throughout the night.
Golden Hour Concert Series
w/Infinite Third/Ricky Steece/more
Fri. Jan. 31, 6 p.m. Donations accepted.
House show, St. Petersburg.
@goldenhourconcertseries
Lifelong friends and St. Petersburg natives Austin Crawford and David Tuthill knew, from the second they saw the backyard of their new house, that they needed to do something special with the space. The previous tenant even removed a hot tub from the gazebo area, creating a make-shift platform stage that practically begged the roomates to host musicians.
“Once we knew that our yard had to be an event space, we figured we could start shows around sundown,” Tuthill, 31, explains to CL. “It gets really gorgeous here around sunset, so we figured Golden Hour was the perfect name for what we wanted to do.”
The two have backgrounds in theater and performance, as they both attended the Pinellas County Center for the Arts. Although they never took their artistic interests any further than high school, the fervor for music and community never left their minds. Golden Hour is now their creative outlet. 
Crawford, 26, and Tuthill tested the waters with a few small house shows before their first official Golden Hours gig in late November 2019. Although they've only hosted three backyard gigs, complete with music and vendors, the roommates are already encountering obstacles associated organizing such a popular event. So, how do you manage something that’s already bursting at the seams?
“We already have 30 or 40 people DM-ing us asking us to play—that’s been really interesting,” Crawford tells CL. 
“We have the scheduling challenge of giving our OG performers like Emily Turnage and Billy Mays III performance slots, but we also want to expose new artists who really want to play too,” Tuthill quickly interjects, playing off of the natural best friend energy the two thrive on. The two roommates and friends tediously plan each event—and the hospitality their space radiates is a true testament of their efforts. 
Put all stereotypes of DIY venues aside when you enter the warmly-lit backyard for a show. There are no debaucherous teens and the lawn isn't littered with beer cans—The Golden Hour Concert Series is a carefully curated, peaceful space that promotes community and free expression. 
Attendees range from ages 3 years old to 70, and there’s even a designated “baby zone” made out of blankets in front of the stage. 
Another unique aspect of Tuthill and Crawford’s DIY venture, is that they pridefully pay all of the musicians well. “We guarantee the artists a price and then essentially pay it out of pocket” Crawford tells CL. “The donations we collect at the show subsidize that.” 
This characteristic of the Golden Hour Concert Series stood out to regular vendor Arielle Stevenson, who slings vinyl and DJs out of her 1972 yellow VW van under the moniker “Hello Darlin’ Records.” 
“It’s not profit driven for them—it’s about paying the musicians for their time to create a safe space to share as a larger city,” Stevenson explains to CL. “Some of the most diverse groups show up to support this event and it makes me feel good to have a place where folks can just get together.” 
Stevenson will nonetheless continue to be a vendor at future Golden Hour shows. 
With only three concerts under their belts, Crawford and Tuthill predict a quick evolution for their DIY venture. 
“The main concerts will always be the Golden Hour Concert Series, but we have plans to organize other types of events that can be marketed under Golden Hour Presents” Tuthill says. “We want to have open mic nights, vending events, spoken word and yoga—every time we connect with someone else in the community, we come up with even more ideas.” 
The duo plans to have at least one show every six to eight weeks, but plans to take a hiatus during the summer due to the intense heat and unpredictable Florida thunderstorms. 
When asked where the future of Golden Hours was going, Crawford immediately answered: “Whatever type of events we’re doing, we’re trying to make our space as accessible and inclusive as possible. Always.” 
Follow @cl_music on Twitter to get the most up-to-date music news, concert announcements and local tunes. Subscribe to our newsletter, and listen to us on WMNF 88.5-FM’s “Radio Reverb” program every Saturday from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. 
Since 1988, CL Tampa Bay has served as the free, independent voice of Tampa Bay, and we want to keep it that way.
Becoming a CL Tampa Bay Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.
Join today because you love us, too.
Gulfport’s annual Pride festival and block party returns this weekend
By Kyla Fields
After a year of waiting, One Direction’s Niall Horan is finally bringing ‘The Show’ tour to Tampa
By Josh Bradley
Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.
After a year of waiting, One Direction’s Niall Horan is finally bringing ‘The Show’ tour to Tampa
By Josh Bradley
Punk rock band Unruly Industry plays Tampa’s Hooch and Hive alongside local hardcore acts
By Ray Roa
Country star-turned Internet sensation Kane Brown returns to Tampa’s Amalie Arena this Friday
By Josh Bradley
Learned country singer Dale Watson brings unique ‘Ameripolitan’ genre to Skipper’s Smokehouse
By Ray Roa
R&B-loaded ‘Funk Fest’ bringing one of three tour dates to Orlando
By Josh Bradley
Greensboro rapper Hunxho brings new album and more to St. Pete on Thursday
By Josh Bradley
Opera Tampa kicks off Pride month with live showcase at the Straz Center this weekend
By Josh Bradley
Following 2Cellos breakup, Hauser brings his ‘Rebel With A Cello’ tour to Clearwater this Saturday
By Josh Bradley
View more issues
Read our sister publications
633 N. Franklin Street, Suite 735
Tampa, FL 33602

source