AFABW Florida Chapter Happiness for the Holidays Showcase

On 16 Dec 2025 the AFABW Florida Chapter held a Happiness for the Holidays Showcase at the Imagine Museum in St Petersburg.

The title of the showcase is based on the Way to Happiness booklets, which we support, for it is vital that artists and everyone flourish and prosper in their lives. Guests new to AFABW received booklets at the event.

MC Richel Lavette Lewis welcomed everyone and thanked David Flatt, the Executive Director, and his staff for their support. She also gave a special thank you to the Museum’s Founder, Ms. Trish Duggan, for establishing this great museum and sharing it with the community. She acknowledged the reception performers:

Kirby Jones and Greg Smith who have been playing together in the Tampa Bay area for over 30 years. They’ve studied with some of the greatest musicians, such as Larry Coryell and Chick Corea.

Painting live at the reception was A native of Greece, the world-renowned artist, Angel Kourkoulou, who did a special piece for the event. She has her beautiful paintings in museums and art galleries in over 35 countries and has done over 200 live art performances in 18 countries. Angel has also taught fine arts for 35 years – passing the “creation torch” to the next generation of artists.

Visual artists who had their work on display. Angel Kourkoulou, Richel Lavette Lewis, Kiana Lewis, Judy Tanner, Jean Francois Paris, Eli Berger and L.D. Sledge

She then thanked Christina Cullers and Bill Price for their professional work as the Talent Directors of this show! Christina spent many hours booking, coordinating and putting together such an amazing show of very talented artists.

Then the show began with the following line-up:

L.D. Sledge on Harmonica, is a founding member of the FL chapter of AFABW, a professional writer, musician, and artist. After retiring after 43 years as a courtroom lawyer 20 years ago, he has dedicated his life to creating art in its many forms.

David Warren – a singer/songwriter and independent recording artist in St. Petersburg, Florida. A Dylan devotee, Americana enthusiast raised on 70’s FM radio and punched in the ear by 80’s indie college bands, he used the pandemic pause to get back into music and finally record a collection of songs that had been with him quite a while. His debut album came out in 2023, and he continues to record new songs and play out around Tampa Bay.

Tyberious Collazo – Inspired by contemporary songwriters like Conor Oberst, John Vesely, and Jack Antinoff, Tyberious brings a pop acoustic flair to his original music. Weaving cinematic stories and pop culture to life through music and sound Tyberious takes stories from books, movies, and television and turns the feeling he felt from these stories into emotional songs about love, existentialism and friendship. When not playing songs, he is producing songs for artists around St. Pete.

Wicked Muse – an acoustic duo based in St. Petersburg, Florida comprised of Bill Price and Christina Cullers. Together, Wicked Muse creates an exquisite blend of folk, country, rock, and indie sounds infused with heartfelt lyrics that resonate with listeners. The duo’s chemistry shines through in their harmonies and musical interplay where they seamlessly blend classic and modern elements to create a sound that is uniquely their own.

David Newey & Jude Pedersen – David Newey is a Singer/Songwriter from Boston, Massachusetts. Before moving to Florida, he was the front man for a group called “Trail Mix” which performed traditional and contemporary Folk, Folk Rock, Bluegrass and Classic Rock at many venues in the Boston area including the New England Folk Festival.

Jude Pedersen was born in Boston. The daughter of a jazz pianist, she grew up surrounded by music. She has sung in choir most of her life. She recently relocated to Clearwater after a 15-year stay in Denmark, where she was the lead singer of a Bob Dylan tribute band called “No Direction Home”.

Jonny and Laura – They are an Indie Folk Americana duo blending heartfelt songwriting with atmospheric electric textures. The two first met at local open mics, where their musical chemistry quickly sparked into a creative partnership. Their unique blend of styles led them to form their full band, “Laura Lonero and The Night Owls”, and they continue to perform together as an intimate duo under the name “Jonny & Laura”.

Barcode –an acoustic duo composed of Katie Nagy and Steve Cherubino. Playing all throughout the Tampa Bay Area, Barcode plays the songs that people want to hear with an acoustic twist, making your night better than when it started.

Barbara Cordova, the founder of Artists for a Better World International, who was on the West Coast currently, wrote a lovely Christmas Song put to video.

The event ended with Wicked Muse closing out the show with a few Christmas Song favorites and sing-along.

Volunteers: Barbara Cordova (Exec Producer), Richel Lavette (Producer), Steve Cherubino and Katy Nagy (Sound), Rob Oliver and Judy Tanner (Food), David Newey (reception), Eli Berger (photos), Joel Morris (promo).

“It was a fun, relaxing event with good music and great talent” Michael Colton

“The musicians were excited to be able to perform there and get their original music out there.” Christina Cullers