The Gifts of Play
Sat August 07, 2010

Twenty-one years ago, Deb Hunseder was living in Naples when a friend convinced her to tag along on a trip to Clearwater. “I didn’t want to go and changed my mind several times,” says Deb. “But she kept saying ‘you need to meet this girl, Steph. She sings too.’” So Deb finally agreed to go.

“The night Steph and I met, we sat around the pool playing our guitars and the way we harmonized was noticeable,” Deb remembers. “People stopped to listen. We had our first rehearsal that weekend.” The friend who introduced them was the catalyst for creating Halcyon, a group that continues to bring great music and powerful messages to thousands. In fact, Deb doesn’t remember a performance where she hasn’t thought about her outgoing and insistent friend.

Halcyon soon began booking gigs, taking their unique blend of pop, indie and acoustic music all over the world. “We’re very fortunate,” says Steph Callahan. “We’ve toured nationally and internationally and have several albums.”

Now, in addition to performing, they’ve opened Play in Ybor City, and committed to creating a comfortable environment for talented musicians and the people who love listening to them. “We’ve been doing research for the last 20 years,” explains Steph. “We knew we could go in and create a space that was for musicians, run by musicians.”

Their mission to create a “classy, clean, environment for entertainment where everyone is comfortable” and they stress that Play is not a gay bar or a straight bar. “If you love music, music is universal, you’ll feel comfortable here,” says Steph.

Opening a venue had been a dream for years, but they didn’t think they were quite ready until an opportunity presented itself to buy the building that used to house the bar Spurs. ”We played a gig there one Sunday afternoon and the owner approached us and said he wanted us to take over the place,” Steph recalls. “When he followed up a few days later, Deb and I decided to raise the money to buy it.” They took over the building in April of this year and opened Play in May.

Although they admit Ybor wouldn’t have been their first choice, they’re both thrilled with the location. “I like the fact that we’re centrally located to Orlando, Jacksonville and other cities,” says Deb. “There are great hotels right here and the cable car stops right in front of our building. Sometimes they give a little whistle,” she laughs. “It’s an awesome backdrop for what we’re doing.”

“I love the space and the location,” adds Steph. “It’s off the beaten path, but still in it.” She notes that Play is unlike a lot of venues in Ybor because “we’re not a club. We have a great big tiki bar, a huge outdoor space and there’s no smoking inside.”

They agree that one of the other great things about Ybor is the spirit of community and credit GaYbor with creating a sense of collaboration and camaraderie. Says Steph, “There isn’t competition as far as I’m concerned – we all get a piece of it. As we get more people walking around and enjoying it we all benefit.”

Excited about bringing some of the talented acts they’ve met on the road to Tampa, Steph’s wish list includes Patrice Pike, Eric Himan and Ginger Leigh, and Deb would love to book Shelby Lynne. “The main thing for us is that we’re bringing in people we’ve met along the way or top notch quality entertainment that no one’s ever heard of,” explains Deb. “That was us. We were always that band no one ever heard of and people would come away pleasantly surprised and that’s what important – that people walk away saying, we’ve not heard of them, but they’re at Play, so they must be good.”

And what of the friend who introduced them? “She committed suicide,” says Deb. “It was back in the late 80s and I think being gay was just too much for her.” That experience is one of the reasons they’re grateful for the opportunity, first as Halcyon and now at Play, to show others that the best way to be comfortable in their own skin is by being true to you really are. “We’re musicians who are gay,” says Deb. “And I know that we’ve helped a lot of young gay females by writing about our own experiences so they know they’re not alone.” Now at Play, they get to create that environment on a regular basis.

Play has live music Friday, Saturday and Sunday and is building a great karaoke night on Thursdays with over 65,000 songs to choose from. “We also have a money back guarantee – if you pay the cover and it’s not for you, we’ll give you your money back,” says Deb. Sunday nights there is no cover and public parking is free in Ybor. They also occasionally book comedians like Dana Goldberg and see Play hosting other indie stand-up acts in the future.

In honor of the canceled Lilith Fair, Play is hosting Fill-ith Fair on Wednesday, August 11 at 6p. The eight acts who beat out other local bands to play at Lilith will be performing. $10 cover.

For more information on Play or the Fill-ith Fair visit www.playybor.com

To learn more about Halcyon and hear some of their music, visit www.myspace.com/halcyonsince1989

Staci Backauskas
The Language of Light

Photo credit: Courtesy of the Tampa Tribune