A live music photograph by Maria Jose Govea of musician Thundercat performing on stage at the Red Bull Music Academy Festival in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 14, 2017. The artist is framed from the waist up, passionately playing an ornate, sunburst-finished six-string semi-hollow body bass guitar. They have dark braided hair and are wearing a maroon jacket featuring green and yellow shoulder panels. The dramatic stage lighting casts a magenta glow on the performer, who is positioned in front of a striking background featuring a large, glowing red circular graphic with a black silhouette design set against the dark stage.Thundercat performs at Red Bull Music Academy Festival in Los Angeles, California on Oct. 14, 2017. Credit: Maria Jose Govea / Red Bull Content Pool

A Thundercat album has many personalities, and the Los Angeles-based jazz bassist brings perhaps his poppiest one to date to a new tour this fall.

Hitting the road in support of Distracted, released last April, the Brainfeeder-founder born Stephen Lee Bruner kicks off a fall tour in Miami in October. Four Florida stops are planned, including one at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg.

It’s been five years since Thundercat’s last album, and just as many since he’s been in the Tampa Bay area.

The 15-track outing was produced by nine-time Grammy-winner Greg Kurstin, who’s collaborated with a host of pop’s most-revered names from Adele to Beyoncé, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar.  

The album includes a slew of special guests from Tame Impala (which just made its Tampa debut last week), to A$sap Rocky, and The Lemon Twigs. Bruner, a two-time Grammy-winner himself, will be in good company for the St. Pete show thanks to a set from producer, DJ, and tastemaker Kitty Ca$h.

Tickets to see Thundercat play Jannus Live in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Oct. 7 go on sale to the public on Friday, July 17, but ticket prices have not been announced.

Distracted by Thundercat

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This article appears in July 09 – 15, 2026.

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Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief…
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