Deth to Kreepy Tiki Rock Shows Anticipate "Huge Metamorphosis" for Fort Lauderdale Venue

Like much of South Florida, Kreepy Tiki has suffered from a bit of identity confusion over the years. Part high-end tattoo shop, part Polynesia-inspired craft cocktail bar and music venue, the multiroom outpost off of Federal Highway has been injecting Fort Lauderdale with some much-needed punk attitude over the course of nearly a decade, hanging in as an important component of our small underground music scene through multiple name changes and remodels.

Lately, the venue has hinted at more changes on the horizon. While it's long served as a bastion of eclectic, mostly local, mostly rock music, over the past few months, Kreepy Tiki has been ramping up its event programming with even more diverse musical offerings. Among them is a new "experimental dance party" night dubbed Far Out Fridays, which last month featured the "jazzy, proggy, chilled-out indie" sounds of Miami's Seafoam WALLS, accompanied by the upbeat stylings of DJ Woozles and visuals by Ammy Juliet, a veteran on the Miami indie-club circuit.

For this weekend, the venue has put together its latest intriguing lineup of musical treats, and according to its new talent buyer, Nayra Serrano, it's going to serve as the tipping point for the next era of Kreepy Tiki — "a little sneak peek of what we have in store." Kicking off tomorrow as a two-night event featuring some of the most beloved and badass bands from Miami-Dade to Palm Beach, Deth to Kreepy Tiki invites locals to "come celebrate the past and the bright promises of a new future."Recently under the new ownership of Amy Harrison, who's focused mainly on rounding out and promoting the bar's already impressive craft cocktail lineup, Kreepy Tiki will also undergo a total transformation in the coming months, complete with a new name (distinct from Kreepy Tiki Tattoos), an expansion, and a full rebrand.

Formerly of Little Haiti rock staple Churchill's, Serrano currently helms the Miami event production company Idle Hands and came onboard to help Kreepy Tiki through its latest "huge metamorphosis" and "resuscitation." Serrano says the venue has "pretty much been pigeonholed to one genre, more driven by a rockabilly feel." The new feel, she says, "will just incorporate all genres and all angles of music, making it more of a locals-based bar. We want to use the space for as much as possible and introduce it to everyone." With a finger on the pulse of the local music scene, Serrano hopes to "bring in a new crowd, because the cocktails are amazing."

As Serrano works with Harrison and the Kreepy Tiki team to pull permits and everything else together, they anticipate an official relaunch of the venue in August 2016. Though this weekend's event isn't "necessarily an inauguration," Serrano says, Deth to Kreepy Tiki surely seems to mark an important turning point for the venue.

Here's the full lineup:

Friday, March 18
Mr. Entertainment and the Pookiesmackers
Party Flag
Snakehole
Gallimimus

Saturday, March 19
Armageddon Man
Shark Valley Sisters
The Mold
Sandratz

While we keep our ears open for more information, you can stay on the inside by showing up to check out the eight bands playing across Friday and Saturday and helping support our local scene. For $6, you get full access to the raucous party, plus "a shot of assjuice to boot."
Deth to Kreepy Tiki
With Mr. Entertainment and the Pookiesmackers, Party Flag, Armageddon Man, Shark Valley Sisters, and more. 9 p.m. Friday, March 18, and Saturday, March 19, at Kreepy Tiki Tattoos & Boutique, 2606 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. Entry is $6. Visit Facebook .